Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas from our house to yours! "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." We are so thankful for the greatest gift ever given! The gift of a baby, who came down to earth to live among men and to save us all.

It is hard to believe that we are almost finished with 2010 and heading for 2011. I would've never thought that we would be celebrating Christmas this year without our son Micah. It has been difficult waiting when all we want is to have him home with us. I have had to remind myself daily to keep my eyes on Jesus, knowing that He is the one that is in control.

We are still waiting to hear that our agency has received our adoption decree, had it translated, and gotten Micah's new birth certificate and passport. Once all these papers are in order they can send them to the US embassy in Addis and request an embassy date. The two embassy dates in January are the 12th and the 26th. We, of course are praying for a miracle so that we can travel for the 12th date instead of waiting for the 26th. I keep telling myself that each day we wait gets us one day closer to bringing him home. :)

One Month Ago..........

Well, one month ago we were on our way to Ethiopia to meet our son for the first time. We miss him terribly and are praying that we can get all our paperwork in order so that we can bring him home. We are still waiting for an embassy date. It looks like the two dates that will be a possibility for us are either be January 12th or the 26th. We are definitely praying for the earlier date but are trusting in God's timing. Please continue to pray for Micah's health and safety while we are apart and that we won't have any more delays in bringing him home.

We passed!!!!

We are thrilled to introduce our son Micah Dawit Wengerd!!!!

Oceans Apart

Even though we are oceans apart the love we feel for our son is unchanging. It is hard to believe that 6 days ago we were holding our baby boy. We miss him like crazy and are praying we will be reunited again soon. Our children love looking at the pics and videos we took while in Ethiopia and can't wait to meet him. Our 2nd court date is in two days and we are praying that we pass without anymore complications.

Things have been a bit crazy since we got back from Ethiopia and I am still struggling with a nasty bug I picked up while I was there. I think I am dealing with the same bug most of the babies had while we were there.

Please keep praying for us this week as we wait to hear what the outcome of court is!

Monday in Ethiopia

Well the rain is gone and the sun was back today. The weather here has been 70's during the day and 50's at night. We headed to Layla again after breakfast to see if Micah had improved at all. We were very thankful that my sister is feeling better today and could come with us. She was flat in bed all day yesterday with an upset stomach. There have been alot of parents and volunteers that have come down with a stomach bug on this trip. I have been fighting a sore throat and head cold but think that it probably from kissing and loving on Micah. :)

When we got to Layla we seen that Micah was sleeping in his crib and seemed to be resting peacefully. I hated to wake him right away since he has been sick and I knew the rest would help him recover sooner. We spent some time talking to some of the volunteers that are here from the states and then took more pictures of the other children that are waiting for their families to come take them home. When Micah woke up we could tell that he was in good spirits. He still has a pretty loud rattle in his chest that we are praying clears up. I had the chance to question the doctor that works at Layla when he came into Micah's room to check on him. He assured me that he thought Micah was doing better and that they would keep him on his meds for another week. It blessed my heart when he asked Doran if he was Micah's daddy. When Doran said he was, the doctor told him that he shouldn't worry because he would make sure and take good care of him. :)

We were with Micah until lunchtime then headed out for the afternoon which has been our typical schedule. We went down the street and bought some fresh bread at a local stand that one of the volunteers recommened to us. It was delicious! We also purchased some bananas and oranges from one of the many fruit stands that line the side of the road. We then headed out in a van driven by Dawit, who is a great driver to hire while in Addis, to go up the Entoto Mountains. The views were spectacular! We were able to visit the oldest church in Addis, a museum and tour the original palace. It was a great trip to go on to take in some of the history of Ethiopia. On our way down the mountain we were able to stop and buy some scarves that are made by women who used to haul wood on their backs up and down the mountain to make a living. Now, instead of that they make scarves to sell.

We ended our day by heading back to spend a few hours with Micah. He was so precious, when I walked into the room he got all excited to see me. It definately blessed this mommy's heart! Tomorrow is going to be a hard day. Knowing that we have to say good-bye to Micah for what could be 2 months is heartbreaking. I am praying we pass court on the 24th and that we are given a quick embassy date.

Please keep us in our prayers as we spend our last day in Ethiopia then head to the airport to start our long trip home.

DAY 3 & 4

Well we woke up Saturday to another beautiful sunny day. We were anxious to get back to Layla to see how Micah was doing so we left right after breakfast. When we got there they had all the babies outside under in the shade getting dressed for the day. As soon as I picked Micah up I could tell that his fever was down which was such a relief. He seemed to be feeling better and we managed to get some smiles before he fell asleep in my arms. After awhile we noticed that his breathing was very labored and you could tell that he had to work hard to get each breath which really concerned us. Since it was Saturday the Doctor wasn't there but there was a nurse in the clinic so we took him down for her to check. She watched him breath then called the Doctor to see what he recommended. They decided to put him on an antihistamine to see if it cleared up his chest. When he woke up I tried to give him his bottle but he would just cry and didn't seem to want it at all. I finally got him to drink it by sitting him up in my arms, I think it must have hurt his ears when I laid him back. It has been very hard for us to leave him when we know he is sick but the staff has asked all the parents leave in the afternoon when the kids are napping.

When we seen Micah was settling down we went across the street to a restaurant that served authentic Ethiopian food. It was delicious! After lunch a group of us loaded in a van and went to Churchill Street to do some shopping. We managed to pick up some of the things that I had on our list. After shopping we went and spent a few more hours with Micah, his chest was still rattling but he wasn't feverish.

We finished the day going as a large group to a restaurant that had traditional Ethiopian dancing. It was amazing and fascinating to watch the dancers up on stage. The only humiliating part of the night was when they signaled out ME to come up and try the dance!!! For anyone who knows me you know that me getting up on stage in front of a bunch of people, trying to dance an authentic Ethiopian dance is NOT me! I guess I gave everyone there a good laugh. :)

Today was a rainy day which is unusual for this time of year. We spent time at Layla again with Micah who was running a low grade temperature. We are praying he gets better soon! This afternoon we went out to buy someEthiopian coffee to bring home, stopped at Churchill Street again for a little bit, then headed back to the hotel.

It is hard to believe that we will be leaving to come home in two more days. The time here seems to be going by very fast. We really miss our kids back home but are trying not to think about the fact that we can't bring Micah home with us.

Please keep praying for us!

court

Well this morning we got up and got ready for our court appearance. We were told that we needed to be ready by 1:30 to leave for the courthouse. We had decided that we wanted to go spend some time with Micah before we left so we headed to Layla House. When we got into Micah's room we were told he was sick and running a temperature. During the night one of the other baby boys in his room had to be taken to the hospital because he was also sick. Doran went to check with the Doctor that works in the clinic to see what could be done for Micah. The Doctor told us that he had actually seen Micah before we came and had started him on an antibiotic that morning for an ear infection. We weren't at Layla long when we found out that we had to leave because our court time had changed. It really caught everyone off guard, some of the families hadn't gotten dressed for court and were planning on going back to the hotel to change. Thankfully we had decided to just get ready first thing in the morning. Since Micah was sick my sister Rita decided to stay and keep an eye on him for us. The ride to the courthouse was about 20 minutes long. We were all pretty nervous, wondering what the outcome would be. We entered a room that was full of other adoptive families that were there also waiting for their turn to go in. Before we went in our AAI attorney Temesgen came over to us to let us know that none of the families in our group had the MOWA letter of acceptance, so no one would pass today. :( It was pretty disappointing to hear that news but also nice to know before going in. The judge was a very softspoken lady and the interview went by very quickly. At the end she told us that our adoption would be finalized on Nov. 24th after all paperwork is submitted. We do not have to reappear in court on that day a representative from our agency will represent us. We are praying that everything will be worked out by then so that he will legally become our son! Please pray that Micah will get better soon, it is so hard to see him sick. Although even though he is sick and feeling poorly he still gives us the biggest smiles and even giggled for his dad. :)

Heading to Ethiopia!

Well the bags are packed and we are planning on leaving for the airport tomorrow at noon! It is hard to believe that our time has finally come and we will be holding our baby soon. We are scheduled to arrive in Ethiopia Wed. at 9:15 p.m. Since we are getting in so late we will have to head to the hotel and wait to see Micah until Thursday morning. I am already wondering if I will be able to sleep knowing that he is only a 10 min walk away from our hotel! Friday is our court date and we would really appreciate your prayers that all goes well and the judge rules in our favor. We are going to try our hardest to post on here while we are in Ethiopia but do not know if it will work or not.

Please pray for health, a safe trip, that our luggage would arrive when we do and most of all that Micah would feel at peace when he is in our arms.

9 Days and Counting..........

Well the plane tickets are purchased, the hotel reservations confirmed and the packing lists are being made! It seems unbelievable that we will be holding our sweet, baby boy soon. We fly out on November 9th and will return home on the 17th. Our court date is on Friday 12th so we would really appreciate all of your prayers. We are praying all the paperwork will be in order so that we pass without any problems.

The hardest part of this trip is knowing that we will have to leave Micah there and fly home without him. We are praying that we will receive our embassy date quickly so that we can bring him home soon!

We have a court date!!!

I am so excited to be able to tell you all that we finally have a court date!! :) We received an email last night letting us know that our court date is Nov. 12th which means we need to be in Ethiopia by the 10th. We spent alot of time working on travel plans today but finally managed to purchase tickets from Nov. 9th-16th. It is hard to believe that in 21 days I will be holding Micah in my arms. I am already trying to prepare my heart to leave him but am also praying we will be back soon to bring him home. Lots and lots to do before we travel!

Still Waiting on Court Date

Well courts in Ethiopia opened up again this week after being closed for almost 2 months. Our case was submitted on Sept. 7 th and we are praying that we will be given a court date soon. Our agency told us that we can expect a December court date, which means that we could possibly be bringing Micah home in January or February. We were hoping to have him home by Christmas but maybe our Christmas gift will be holding him on our first trip to Ethiopia. :)

This past week I was able to get all the paperwork together to send in our request for an I-600A extension. I am excited to know that should be the last bit of paperwork that will expire.

We also received a picture of Micah receiving his welcome bag. It was nice seeing him in the outfit I sent over for him.

The kids all seem to be adjusted to their new school schedules and are doing well. Caleb is busy playing pee-wee football and loves it! The leaves are all showing a hint of color and the nights are brisk and cool. Fall is one of my favorite times of year and I am trying to focus on enjoying everyday as we wait till we can bring our baby boy home.

An Update Since Our Referral

Well it is almost a month since we got our referral. We continue to wait for the Ethiopian courts to open up again on September 28th so that we can get our court date. We are hoping and praying that we will find out what our travel dates are by mid September so that we can start making travel plans.

Our social worker was here on Saturday doing a homestudy update so that we can file for a I-171H extention. Hopefully this will be the last time we have to file for any kind of extention.

The best news is that over the past two days we have seen 4 recent pictures of our baby boy! He is absolutely beautiful and I can't wait till I can share them with you.

Please join us in praying that we will can get a court date as soon as possible!

Referral!!!!

I am THRILLED to announce that we finally received a referral for a baby boy! Dawit is between 3-4 months old, since he was abandoned they do not have an exact age. He is absolutely beautiful and we are in love already! We officially accepted the referral today and now begin the wait for a court date. The bad news is that the Ethiopian courts have closed down, beginning today for their rainy season and will not open up again until the end of September. We will be among the first cases to be submitted once they do open up so we are hoping to be traveling for court sometime in October if all goes well. If we pass court the first time then we will have to apply for an embassy date which we were told can take 6 - 8 wks. It is on this second trip for our embassy appointment that we can finally bring our son home.

We have decided to give him the name Micah and keep Dawit as his middle name. At this point we are not allowed to post pictures of him on the internet. Once we pass court he is legally ours, and then I can share him with all of you! Please pray for his protection and that we can bring him home as soon as possible.

Still no news!

Well I was hoping and praying that the next time I post I would have some exciting news. We are still waiting for a referral and are trying to be patient. I would've never guessed that we would get into June and still not have a picture of our baby but as we learned thru our first adoption it is entirely out of our hands. We will just keep praying that it all works out in God's timing!

On to other news, we are officially on summer break and the kids are loving it! Joshua graduated from Kindergarten and felt very important in his graduation cap. :) Allison will be entering Junior High in the fall which is hard for me to believe and Caleb will be in 4th grade. We have been able to go swimming and boating this week and really enjoyed the time in the sunshine.

The next two weeks will be full with Bible Memory Camp, volleyball camp and then we have vacation bible school the last week in June.

Who knows maybe one of these days when I am least expecting it we will get the call!!! :)

Happy Mother's Day!

I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to be a mother to the children God has given us. Was thinking a referral on Friday would be a great Mother's day gift but who knows maybe we will get it tomorrow. :) Wishing all mothers a very Happy Mother's Day!

Surgery and the Flu

Well the past 12 days have been interesting in this household. It started out with me having surgery that requires me to lay low and take it easy for 6 weeks. Any mom with children knows that is pretty hard to do. While I was still in the hospital Caleb started with the stomach flu. Over the next week it passed from one Wengerd to the next until it ended with me. After two days flat on my back I am very thankful to be up and feeling better today.

As for adoption news, there is none. :( I keep hoping and praying we get the call and try to keep myself occupied until we do. I did call our agency last week and after talking to them am pretty certain that we should get our referral sometime in May. I am praying that my next post will be that we received good news!

Another week

Well it is the start of another week and still no phone call. The end of the month is coming quickly and I keep hoping and praying we get our referral . Ethiopia has now passed a law stating that adoptive parents must travel to Ethiopia and be present for the court date which was not required before. Any case with a court date after May 8th will have to abide by this new requirement. We are praying that by some miracle we will get our referral and court date before that. The expense of two trips to Ethiopia is staggering but the thought of holding our baby in our arms than having to leave without bringing him with us is heartbreaking.

We were able to get re-fingerprinted last week and are now just waiting for the updated I-171H. We are so close to the end but at the same time it seems so far away. We continue to pray that God would wrap His arms around our baby and keep him safe till we can bring him home.

Could this be the week?

Well ,we are now in the second full week of April and everyday I wake up wondering if we will get the call. I find myself running to check the caller ID every time the phone rings, praying it will say Adoption Advocates. Patience is definitely something I have to work on right now and it seems to get harder every day that passes. I have found the best thing for me to do is to stay busy and focus my attention on other things, which isn't hard when you have four kids. :) Since the wait has gotten longer than we anticipated we discovered our fingerprints are going to expire in May. We applied to the USCIS to be re-fingerprinted and got an appointment to go on Monday. It will be nice to have that done and know that our paperwork is all in order.

The Wait

Welcome to our journey to Ethiopia! Doran and I felt the call to adopt again in the fall of 2008. Since the adoption agency we used to adopt our daughter Mya didn't have an Ethiopian program we started researching other agencies. After some time we felt as if Adoption Advocates International was the agency for us. We mailed our application to AAI in November and started the paperwork. After six months of filling out forms, background checks, fingerprinting and a homestudy we were ready to send in our dossier. Our dossier was sent to Ethiopia May 12, 2009 which officially put us on the waitlist for an infant. The adoption process takes lots of time and patience but as we experienced in our first adoption it is so worth it! We feel so blessed to be on this journey and cannot wait to hold our baby in our arms.