Adoption Updates

So, as you can see, we haven't been very faithful at posting things this year :0)  For a quick review, after much prayer and information seeking last summer, we felt called by God to adopt.  We selected a small agency, Family Connections, in central NY last November.  We completed our home study in 2 months, and were approved as potential adoptive parents in early January, 2013.  We were matched with a birthmother in mid-August.

She is due today, December 11th, 

with a little boy (who obviously has his own exit plan in mind!)  It has been our great priviledge getting to know her over the past several months, and we all are eagerly awaiting his arrival.  She did have an appointment today, and all is well with the baby.  Her next appointent is Monday, and they will likely induce her on Tuesday if she hasn't gone into labor on her own.  We will be posting here, so feel free to check back for updates.

Do we have a name?  Yes, but in typical Eric and Betsy fashion, we are keeping the name a surprise until after the baby is born.  What does Ethan think? He is super excited, as we have been praying and waiting as a family since last November.  He is full of ideas about how to be a big brother, including that he will, "need to open the baby's Christmas presents and then show them to him."  Mommy note to self: get Christmas gifts for the baby :0)  He helped me pick out material for a swaddle blanket, which we finished making today.

Drumroll please...

Additionally, we found out to our surprise, that we are expecting!  I am due the June 26th.  We had an ultrasound at 9 weeks, so we know there is only one baby (even though Eric was convinced we were having twins!).  It was too early to see much detail, but the baby was growing as expected with a happy heart beat of 180 (normal for that age).  We could already see him or her wiggling all around and moving their little arm buds.  Amazing!  Ethan has named this baby, "Baby Wonder" becase we "wonder if it will be a boy or a girl".  We think the name is fitting in more ways than one!

All of this has reminded us that God asks us to live in the present and to not be anxious about tomorrow knowing that He cares for us.  Trusting Him one day, one moment at a time.  We are grateful for each of these lives that has been entrusted to us.  While there is some concern on my part about what day to day life is going to look like, we trust that God's provision will be adequate.  Each of these children is known to him and not a surprise.

Ethan turned 4 in October and began preschool 3 days a week this fall.  One day on our way into school he asked, "Mommy, do you know how much I like school?"  "No, how much," I asked.  "More than you can imagine!"  :0)  The picture below is from their Thanksgiving party, and he is busily learning songs and preparing to be an angel for the Christmas concert.  His favorite things are legos, playing hockey or soccer with his new net in the garage, cooking with Mommy in the kitchen, or any project with Daddy :0)

Ethan loves to sing

Mommy and Ethan at the Thanksgiving party

Shoveling together during our first snow

Safety first!  Our resident tree trimmer