Yes, We Are Still Adopting...

We never dreamed that it would take this long for a referral when we decided to adopt.  Lately we've been getting the questions, "What's taking so long?" and "Are you still adopting?"  Yes, we are still adopting, and the reason it's taking so long is out of our hands.  We are trying to wait patiently.  It's been 10 months since we sent our paperwork to ET, and 18 months since we decided to adopt.  Yikes!

We did recently update our home study, because it's been a year since our first home study was written.  We changed our age range (from birth to 6 years) to birth to 9 years, 10 at the time of placement.  We're hoping this will move things along.  Of course the State of IL has to approve this change.  Our home study should be sitting on an important desk right now, waiting for approval.  We hope to hear back in the next week or two.

Thank you all for asking about things.  I wish we had more to tell.  Someday we will, but for now, this is all I've got.  :)

Another Mother's Day

I'm so thankful for my three boys.  They are all three such amazing individuals.

I love Noah for his incredible ability to always have all of his ducks in a row.  :)  I don't know where he gets that....ahem.  He is smart, smart, smart.  He has a heart of gold, and would do anything, for anybody, anytime.  He has to parent me more than I have to parent him.  Noah will do some amazing things in this world, he is truly a gift.

Colin, oh Colin.  He makes me smile just thinking about him.  He has a heart big enough to love everyone in his path, and he does.  He is joy in flesh, and brings light and life to every room he enters.  He is mister go-with-the-flow, and his one-liners kill me.  Colin will do great things, and make an amazing husband someday...the boy can cook!

Jeron...this kid is hilarious.  I think he came into the world with the intention of being a goofball.  He peed all over the nurses as they were weighing him in the delivery room.  Jeron is the kind of guy who will make the most inappropriate comment, and then give all of his money away to someone begging on the street.  He's the perfect mix of compassion and entertainment.  He has a love for the broken that blows my mind.  He is without a doubt, the most generous human I know.

The fact that these three boys have Jeremy as their dad is a huge part of why they are the way they are.  When I watch Jerm with our boys, and with other people's kids, I can't believe how much he loves them.  Something happens to him when there are little kids around...he has a knack for winning over every kid who comes his way.  What I love the most about him is that his heart turns into a big 'ole pile of mush when he feels like there is injustice in a child's world.  I am blessed.

This was a great Mother's Day.  All three of my guys spoiled me, and treated me like a queen.  I shouldn't ask for more, but I can't help thinking about the two little loves who are missing from our family.  This is the second Mother's Day since we decided to adopt.  It's been a little bit of an emotional day for me.  I'm hoping that next year we'll be a family of 7, but there are no guarantees.

There isn't much to say about our adoption at this point.  I posted awhile back that we were #8 on the waiting list, but we've been moved back down to #9.  It's discouraging to say the least, but we will just have to continue to wait.  God knows what He's doing!  We did recently receive an email from our agency stating that the Ethiopian Ministry of Women's, Children's and Youth Affairs is still committed to advocating for ET orphans.  This is a good thing!  It sounds like things are changing constantly in Ethiopia as far as adoption goes, but they are good changes.

We're thankful to all of you who ask about how things are going.  We just wish we had more to tell you!  Someday we'll look back, and it will seem like time has flown by.  In the meantime, we'll continue to pray for all 5 of our kids, that they'll be safe, healthy, and strong, and that they'll follow Jesus all the days of their lives!

Happy Mother's Day!

Quick Update

We don't have much to tell you at this point, just a couple of things.

First, we are very excited to have received the Show Hope Grant! It took forever to fill out the application, but it was worth it! They will send $4500 to our agency! Woo hoo!

The only other bit of news is that our agency sent out an email last week explaining that they were extending the wait times. So, we continue to wait. We know that some day we'll look back and see that the timing was perfect!

Thanks for asking about our progress. We wish we had more to report, but for now, this is all we've got!

Just a Quick Update

A lot of people have asked where we stand in the process, so I thought I'd write a quick note to tell you what we know.  It's so hard to wait, but Jerm keeps reminding me that it's not about us.  Well, maybe it's not about him, but it's definitely about me.  I'm TOTALLY kidding!!  We've talked a lot lately about a mom's heart, and how men can never fully understand what a mom feels for her children.  I truly feel like it's just something God placed in women.

As I've mentioned before, I know that the best thing for our adopted children would be to remain with their biological family, but sometimes that just can't happen.  So, knowing that there are two sweet babies in Africa who need a mommy, hurts my heart.  I can't wait to have them in our home so that we can love them, and give them a chance to have a life outside of growing up in an orphanage, or living on the streets in Addis Ababa.  (Cue Jerm:  "It's not about us, be patient.")

I've never really been the kind of person who needs a plan.  I usually just go with the flow.  Though I feel like with this adoption, I've kind of felt like I needed to know the plan.  So, a week or so ago, I emailed our Family Coordinator at America World (our agency).  It went a little something like this:

"Hi Jennifer,

Is there any way you can give us an idea of how long you think we'll wait for a referral?  The listed wait times are for infants only, right?  

We just noticed that there were a few that changed their requests, and moved over to the siblings list (based on the Yahoo group list).  We wondered if there was a ballpark estimate of how long it could take.

Thank you!

Jeremy and Kami"




"Jeremy and Kami,

Thank you for checking in about this. The wait times are based on infant referrals, yes, but because of the changes in the process in Ethiopia this year, we are encouraging families to set their expectations for the same timeframe as infants, which is currently 10-16 months for males and 11-18 months for females. 

Because we don't have a good trend on which to estimate a timeframe for siblings, it is difficult to give a ballpark estimate for your wait time. I would encourage you to set your heart's expectation to be closer to 18 months, but to plan financially for a referral as soon as ten months. 

If we see that the wait times are changing, I will be sure to let you know. 

Have a great evening!

Jennifer Allen | Family Coordinator
America World Adoption"


So, 10-18 months from October 21, 2011, we should have a referral for the two children who will join our family.  That seems like an eternity, but I know God has it all worked out, and after all, it's not about us.  ;)  I'm hoping we have a referral by Christmas.  I'll just keep crossing the months off of the calendar.  Two down, sixteen to go!


In the meantime, we're enjoying every second with the three beautiful boys God has entrusted to us already.  They are such great kids, and they're growing so fast.  We are beyond blessed, and thankful for all of you who have shown us so much support.  


God is so good...He's so good to me!