Ummm, What???

This adoption journey began over a year ago. We had decided that we would adopt another little girl because that made the most sense. We named her Everleigh Kate. I bought a few clothes and some really cute blankets. We had TONS of hand-me-downs. TONS. We were excited...

And then today Andy and I went on a date. We were kid-less, foot loose, and fancy free so I decided to ask him a crazy question: What do you think about adopting a boy instead? You see, this had been weighing on my mind for several months now. I believe God put it on my mind. Without any hesitation Andy said yes. Apparently God had put it on both of our minds, but we hadn't shared it with each other. Yay for communication!

When we pulled into the restaurant I immediately emailed our adoption agency and told them we would gladly accept the referral of a boy or a girl. I received an immediate response back stating that our decision "will help for sure".  There is a longer wait for a girl than a boy, but that is not the reason for our change of heart. We really just asked for a girl because we thought Grace needed a sister and we already have four boys. Today we realized it isn't about "what makes sense", it's about what God wants.

So from this day forward we are on the list for a boy or a girl and we can't wait to see their face and bring him/her home. It's like being pregnant and waiting for the ultrasound! We are excited about the next little Knoll (boy or girl)!!!

 

Well I haven't blogged in months and quite frankly it's because I'm way too freaking busy. Those of you who have had or currently have a toddler know that they are crazy little crack heads. My soon-to-be two year old is running around tearing off her clothes and diaper while scribbling on the wall and smashing her food into the carpet. I just haven't had the time or the energy to blog more than once every few, okay, every four months. So here is the huge adoption update y'all have been waiting for...I've changed the title of my blog!

Ever since we began this journey to adopt again from Ethiopia my husband, Andy, has made the joke (way too many times) that once we bring our next daughter home we won't be able to go to a restaurant without paying automatic gratuity. It's true, two adults plus six kids equals automatic gratuity. On the plus side, we will never have to calculate gratuity again! Oh the beauty of it all!

Okay, so here is the real update. We have been officially waiting almost two months for a referral (to be matched). We expect that we will have another 6-9 months to wait, but we are finally seeing a lot of people getting their court date, receiving their paperwork, and receiving referrals! That means things are beginning to pick up and we are moving closer to a referral. International adoption is a crazy roller coaster even when things are running smoothly.

I'm okay with the wait. God knows which little girl will be our daughter and that's worth waiting for. I think Grace needs a little more time to be the baby of the family. As I'm writing this she is tearing her clothes off. I taped the diaper on so hopefully that will hold. Anyway, she needs a little more attention and I have a million things to get done before Everleigh arrives. I am probably one of the only moms waiting for a referral and okay with it. Don't get me wrong, every time I hear of someone getting a referral or bringing home their baby it makes my heart ache to get Everleigh. Her crib is already up and I've begun getting her a few things too.

Speaking of Everleigh, I've had a few people ask how it's pronounced. It's Ever-lee. We are thinking her name will be Everleigh Kate and then we will add her Ethiopian name as a middle name if her bio parents named her. We did not keep Grace's name because it was "Fayo" which when pronounced here it resembles the word for "ugly boy" in Spanish. We live in Texas so we didn't want her to be ridiculed. She was not named by a relative so there was no special meaning to the name she was given anyway. Names are a touchy subject with adopted kiddos where some people think it's critical that their child has a connection to their heritage (I can see this especially with older kids). We want to be sensitive to the situation and will determine her final name once we know her background. Just a side note, I wanted to name her Violet and Andy nixed it. Boo!

So next time you hear from me it may be when we get matched or when I think of something random to talk about. Cheers!