Happy Thanksgiving

In exactly one month from today, we will be home with Ava celebrating Christmas day! We are particularly thankful this year for our new daughter! We want to wish all of our friends and family a Happy Thanksgiving!

THANKSGIVING IS....

Thanksgiving is
a time of gratitude to God, our Creator and Provider,
whose guidance and care go before us...
and whose love is with us forever.

Thanksgiving is
a time to reflect on the changes,
to remember that we, too, grow and change
from one season of life to another.

Thanksgiving is
a time of changing seasons, when leaves turn golden
in Autumn's wake and apples are crisp
in the first chill breezes of fall.

Let us remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
As we see the beauty of Autumn,
let us acknowledge the many blessings which are ours...
let us think of our families and friends..
and let us give thanks in our hearts.

~~Author Unknown.~~

Ava has the stomach flu

We received a call from our agency on Wednesday informing us that Ava has the stomach flu. They assured me she is on an oral hydration schedule and if it was necessary, they would put her on an IV there at the Transition Home. They will call with an update next week to let us know how she is doing. Poor little Ava has already suffered thru the chicken pox last month and now she has the flu. We need to get her home!

Here is a photo a friend of mine sent me of Ava. She is adopting from the same agency and is right behind us on the referral list. She went over to visit her daughter and was kind enough to visit with Ava and take some photos. I love this one because you can really get a sense of how big (or small) she is. Those cheeks just seem to be getting bigger and bigger!

Flights are booked!!!!!

We received travel dates from our agency today! We will be leaving on December 19th and arriving home Christmas morning.......what an awesome Christmas this will be! Originally, we thought we would be arriving home on the 26th and we weren't thrilled that some of us would be in Ethiopia and some of us would be here on Christmas day. We are so glad that we will get to spend that day with all 4 of our daughters.

There is lots to do between now and the 19th! We have started to purchase Ava's clothes, diapers, toys, etc. We will be taking donations for the orphanage over in large plastic containers and those are filling up quickly.

There will be about 5 or 6 other families from our agency traveling on those same dates and we look forward to meeting all of them. We have all emailed and chatted online for the past year and a half and it will be exciting to meet them in person.

We have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! The most exciting part of the adoption journey is just around the corner and we can't wait to hold our daughter in 33 more days!

She is Ours!!!!!!

We just received news that Ava Selamnesh is officially a Jarvie! We are thrilled and thankful!!! Now we can post those photos!!! Welcome to our family, Ava!!!!!

One More Day!

Hopefully by this time tomorrow, we'll have good news about the courts and will be able to post Ava's photos on our blog. I was worried that the weeks would drag by as we wait for court, but things have been so busy around here, the 12th has just zoomed up on us.

We have had Olivia home with the swine flu, our dog has been diagnosed with bladder stones (for a second time), and Madeline had to come home from school today with pink eye. So that, on top of our usual stuff, has made the time fly by.

We need some good news and we hope we'll get that tomorrow.

Please PRAY tonight as you go to sleep for our little Ava and her court date. It will be Thursday morning there and we need the judge to be in a good mood, the paperwork to be complete, and the birthmom to be present. Lots of things need to be in order!!!!! We are ready to have Ava here with us!

Just a little info about Ava

The family who was behind us on the waiting list to receive a referral for a little girl has traveled over to Ethiopia to visit their daughter (they have not passed court yet, so cannot bring her back with them). Anyway, Kristin (the mom) wrote me an email today about Ava. It is so exciting to hear how she is doing. I am so thankful to Kristin for taking time out of her trip to spend a moment with Ava and take some photos for us. Here is part of the email she sent:

Staci,

Ava is spectacular! We got several pictures of her today – of course she grinned every time after the click of the camera. She is absolutely adorable – incredibly alert. We had her outside and she turned her head to see everything and at every voice. A real beauty. She seemed quite healthy – may be the only kid there without a horribly runny nose.

Orphan Sunday - November 8, 2009

One Week from Today!

One week from today we will know if we have passed court and if Ava is a Jarvie forever! The excitement in the house is building as we look at the calendar and November 12th has COURT DATE in big, bold letters. We are cautiously optimistic, but we know there is that chance that we won't pass on the first try.

I have thought a great deal about Ava's birthmother this week. What is she thinking about as she prepares to (hopefully) make the trip to Addis Ababa for the court hearing? Does she feel relief that her daughter will be raised by a loving family in the United States? Is she sad that she will no longer have the option of seeing her daughter? I can't help but think she is filled with all kinds of emotions and thoughts........I wish I could tell her that her daughter will grow up with loving parents and sisters. I wish I could hug her and tell her how much courage she has. I read this poem often and know there will always be a connection between Ava's birthmother and our family.

LEGACY OF AN ADOPTED CHILD

Once there were two women who never knew each other

One you do not remember, the other you call Mother

Two different lives shaped to make you one

One became your guiding star, the other became your sun

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it

The first gave you a need for love, the second was there to give it

One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name

One gave you a talent, the other gave you aim

One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears

One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried you tears

One made an adoption plan, that was all that she could do

The other prayed for a child, and God led her straight to you.

Now, which of these two women, Are you the product of?

Both, my darling, Both, Just two different types of love.

---- Unknown