Just when we thought things couldn't get more exciting...

We got back home to Indy late Tuesday.  We had such a wonderful and eventful time down in FL with our family and friends.  It's nice to be back home and settled in to a routine but also sad to be apart from everyone we love down there.  We have good news and more prayer requests.  Our first praise is that my mothers heart cath went amazingly well, nothing is wrong and she is going to be just fine.  Our 2nd HUGE praise is that they had misdiagnosed her with Emphysema!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! The 3rd is that my fathers cancer is stage 1 and the Dr. does not believe it will be life threatening!!! HOOOORAYYYY!!!!!  We have so much to celebrate!!!  The last few weeks have not gone without some pretty big ups and downs but as you can tell we have SO, VERY much to be thankful for!  My father is having another surgery next Wednesday to go back in to make a second pass where the tumor/mass was just to be sure they have gotten everything and then he will begin what they call a local chemotherapy.  Our prayers are that this surgery will go smoothly, that the Dr's will get anything that might be remaining after the last surgery and that he will have no issues due to going off of his heart meds for these two procedures.  We TRULY-TRULY appreciate the prayers everyone has sent up for my family! We have sincerely felt them!  Like I tell everyone..."There is NO GREATER GIFT you can give than to pray for one another.  

Onto yet another potentially very exciting front...Brandon, Wyatt and I ask for prayers for our family.   We waited 3 years for baby Wyatt and at times it seemed like 3, very long years :)  We have had a special little girl cross our path who is in need of a home and we have absolutely fallen in love with her precious face!  This has truly taken all of us by surprise but we know it's happened for a reason. We have been praying about this for a couple of weeks and we ask that you pray for us and her as well.  When I'm able, I will fill you in on the details but our specific prayer request is that we make the right decision for her and for our family and that we are able to move forward in whatever final decision we make quickly and with complete and total peace. 

PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We love you!!  Big huggies from the Leese family! XOXOOX~ muuuaahhhhh

R, B and W 

Family comes to meet Wyatt

Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed a nice 4th of July weekend! :) We are starting to feel like the summer is just zipping by. Wyatt is now 4 weeks old and has been such an amazing light to our family!! My mom, dad, Will and Jill were in Indy to meet Wyatt a couple of weeks ago and it was such a special time. We missed Auntie Kristen but she had a work emergency and had to cancel her flight. We all just relaxed, laid by the pool enjoyed each others company and of course spoiled our new lil guy.

We did get some news when my father arrived into town on Thursday night. He had gotten sick while my mom was away, went to the emergency room and after testing was diagnosed with bladder cancer. It was very difficult to hear but immediately we all began to pray and give this trial back to God and lift up my father. We know that nothing will happen to my father that is outside of what God allows and that is where we find complete comfort; in knowing he's on his thrown, in charge and holding my father in the palm of his hand. After the news and after my parents left last Tuesday, Brandon and I drove down to Atlanta with Wyatt, Brandon flew home and then I drove the rest of the way with Kristen and Wyatt to Orlando. We have been here since the 1st and will be here through the 20th or so. Brandon comes down tomorrow and both of my sisters are here now which has been really nice. Yesterday was my fathers surgery. The procedure went well and they removed the tumor. We will have the path results back next week but the Surgeons initial thought was that the cancer is not an aggressive kind. He couldn't promise us that but that was his initial hunch. We are just very thankful that the surgery was successful and that we all get to be together during this time :))) We ask for continued prayer for complete healing and strength during this time. We are extremely thankful for everyones prayers, we have definitely felt them!!! As strange as this may sound, the timing of how this has unfolded was just the way it needed to be. We are all in Orlando and able to be together, my fathers surgery went well, my mother is on her summer vacation from teaching, Wyatt is here to brighten everyones days and as a family we really are feeling at peace. As my youngest sister, Jill said..."Wyatt came at the absolute perfect time because he has truly given us pure joy during a tough time". There is just a sense of peace, calmness and comfort right now, as odd as that may sound.

James 1:1-12
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Lots of hugs and love to everyone!!
XOXO
Robin, Brandon and Wyatt

IT'S MY 2 WEEK BIRTHDAY

Today is our handsome lil Wyatt's 2 week Birthday. I cannot believe that 2 weeks have come and gone. He is growing and changing everyday and we continue to stand in amazement at this beautiful little man that has truly changed our lives forever. This precious lil guy has absolutely stolen our hearts. He had his first Dr's appt last Friday and passed with flying colors. Tomorrow is his second appt and I have a feeling he will have an entourage for this one! :) His Grammy (my mom) has been here for a little over a week but my father and youngest sister arrive today. My gutt tells me that at the very least, Wyatt's Aunt Jill will want to come along :) Right now Wyatt is sleeping in about 3-4 hour intervals and chowing down when he's awake like most lil peanuts do. He's a great baby and so happy. His grins make all of us just melt! What a new an breathtaking love we are experiencing. As Brandon put it last night..."Wyatt is going to steal 2 more hearts today when Jill and Dad arrive"! :)

On the adoption front; we have maintained minimal contact with C and ask for prayers for her and her family. We cannot help but think about them every single day and we miss them. We especially have heavy hearts when we think of Wyatt's half sisters. Please pray for all of them when you think of them. I'll continue to post every couple of weeks with new pictures and info.

ADOPTION UPDATE:
Many of our friends and family have asked us where we are now with our adoption to Vietnam, Korea and/or anywhere else? The answers are....We decided about 2-3 weeks before Wyatt was born to withdraw from Vietnam. Sadly our agency doesn't believe there will be much movement there for quite some time; so we felt like it just wasn't our time there for now. The next question of course has been, Korea?? Korea's law states that once a child is either born or adopted any pending adoptions or paperwork/plans to adopt must cease for 1 1/2 years. So we have been told that we can reapply in about 1- 1 1/2 years. We are not sure nor focused right now on what will happen there. Last but not least...Other pending adoptions? Right now we are so focused on Wyatt and enjoying this very precious and special time. We will be waiting and praying for God to use us and make it clear when the time is right again. We know now more than ever that HIS timing is PERFECTION! :) It took us a very long time to bring our angel home and we are rejoicing in this perfect gift from above. I can say with absolute certainty that we hope and pray that our family will continue to grow. As always we'll keep you posted! :)))

OOODLES OF HUGS AND LOVE!!!
XOXO
Rob and B and Baby Wyatt

BABY WYATT IS HOME!!!!

Hello!! :)  Well let me start with an apology for not posting while we were down south.  I was having a very difficult time connecting on my air card from the hospital.  Wyatt Michael Leese was born on June 11th at 4:08P.M. and weighed 8lbs, 2oz and 21 inches long.  He's absolutely AMAZING!!  Since he was placed in our arms I couldn't stop staring at him.  My eyes have been fixated on his beautiful, little face literally for hours.  And I'll do my best to fill you in on how everything unfolded but no words I have will do it any justice.  Me at a loss for words is comical but describing how we're feeling is beyond any words.  I get all tongue tied and frazzled even talking about it!  This will definitely be a long post so bare with me :)

Brandon and I left Wednesday night after work, late to head down south to stay the night because we had to be at the hospital with C and her husband at 6:30A.M.  I didn't think sleeping would be an issue for me (a big HA!)  I went to bed at 12:30 that night and was up taking a shower at 2:30A.M.  B wasn't too far behind me.  We left and met C and her husband where they live, went to the hospital, got her checked in and hooked up to the monitors, IV, etc.  It was kind of funny because I was watching her contractions early on, around 7:30-8:00A.M. said "it looks like the Pitosin is kicking in" and not a minute later the nurse came in and said ok, it's time to start your Pitosin.  C and I both laughed because she had noticed the same thing.  She was dilated to 7-8 around 1:30/2:00 and we all had our guesses as to when Wyatt would enter the world.  The nurses came in to check on her at around 2:30 and she was at 9, so we all thought it would be soon.  She then digressed back to 8 so the nurses shifted her position and then around 3:15 they told her it was time to start pushing.  I'm getting emotional just typing this.  She started pushing and was doing very well.  I ended up on her left side, counting for her, with B behind me and her husband on her right.  Pretty soon we could see the top of his head and then the nurse said it might help if we held her legs.  We held her legs and kept counting for her and within 2-3 minutes we watched our son enter the world!!!  I had been very calm throughout the entire day until I saw him...I exploded into tears.  I leaned over and kept kissing C all over her forehead and then rushed to where they were cleaning off Wyatt.  I was dying to just touch is little face, so I asked the nurse if I could.  We stayed in recovery with C and her husband as they took Wyatt down to the nursery to take his vitals and give him his first bath.  We both kept walking down the hall to peak at him through the window and then the nurse came back in to us and said it was time for his first feeding.  The day was better than anything I ever could have hoped for.  C did unbelievably well and though we were both very surprised at how well she handled everything.  I can still hear her saying many times throughout her pregnancy; "He was never mine, he was always yours".  

Wyatt is now a week old and doing GREAT!!!  When I have time I'll finish posting how everything unfolded over his first week.  Wyatt is officially our baby boy and we are ELATED!  We will post pictures soon! :)))  

HUGE thank you's to everyone!!!  We appreciate all of the prayers, texts, phone calls, cards, email, etc!  We've been TRULY overwhelmed by the abundance of love everyone has shown to us!!!  THANK YOU- THANK YOU!! :)))

A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps- Proverbs 16:9

The Lord will guide you continually- Isaiah 58:11

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass ... Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him- Psalm 37:4,7

Hugs and love to everyone!!

XOXO

Official Inducement date

Just a quick update to let you all know we have an official inducement date and time of Thursday morning at, 6:30A.M. It's not what we had hoped for but I'm confident it's the perfect timing :) As I said before, I'll continue to update the blog as we have new information to post. We have less than 48 hours!! Believe it or not we are not even a little frazzled or anxious about what's to come and I have NO DOUBT that the confidence and peace we have is coming from above and not from us. We're more concerned about what every new parent is, are we gonna do the right things. Speaking of right things and on a very funny note, especially if you know Brandon and his dry sense of humor...We took a newborn parenting class on Saturday. I so wish I could have had a video camera with us that day! Brandon was an absolute HOOT! I had him do most of the "tasks" they had us do, like changing a diaper, bathing the baby, swaddling the baby and he gave new meaning to the term "football hold". He did SO good and of course had me giggling at some of the most inoportune times. I'm so thankful for B! I cannot even begin to imagine going on this amazing journey with anyone else.

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD- Psalm 31:24

He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint- Isaiah 40:29-31

Hugs and love!!
XO
Robin and Brandon

Baby Wyatt is coming!

Well it's Sunday night and B and I are sitting here watching the NBA finals. Of course I don't have a clue and wouldn't know it if a basketball whacked me in the head. I'm just here to support the Magic because I should :) I honestly don't know the first thing about basketball which I'm pretty sure is a sin if you live in Indiana where Hoosiers reside! :)

Anyway, we have some news from our appt this past Friday with C. We went in and after the Dr. examined her he said that she had a good start and he was ready to induce her!! He asked her how this coming Thursday worked for her. Of course she replied, "do you have any time available today" (HAHA). We all laughed. C knows that there is the 24 hour waiting period after the baby is born before she can sign the adoption papers, so Thursday would make it a tough day, with our attorney needing to drive back to Indy (after the papers are signed) to get before the judge on Friday. So, she asked the Dr. if Wednesday would work. He said, that he already had 2 on Wednesday and the hospital only allowed 2 day on his schedule. So his nurse is calling the hospital on Monday morning (tomorrow) to see if they will approve him to induce on Wednesday. We are hoping and praying for Wednesday or that she will go on her own before Wednesday. Without getting too complicated...If we hold off till Thursday there is a chance that Brandon and I will not have custody through the weekend and we'll stay down south at least through the following Monday when we have the official papers in hand to bring Wyatt home. We are SOOO excited! We'll enjoy these last couple of days and nights together before we head south on Tuesday night or Wednesday.

I will have my computer with me and keep everyone in the loop as much as time permits so stay tuned if you'd like to know how things are unfolding.

Have a great week!!! XOXO
Rob and Brandon

38 weeks this Friday!!

Just a quick update since we are on the home stretch! :) C is still at 3 cm. We had a little scare on Monday. C said that she had a sharp pain early in the morning and then didn't feel the baby move all day. So we drove down and took her to the ER. They found his heartbeat right away and said things were ok- PHEWW! We were both pretty nervous for the drive down. We have our next appt this Friday and based on the last appt it sounds like the Dr. is going to set an inducement date. She did tell me today that she's been feeling the contractions more. Of course I asked zoodles of questions but it sounds like we are probably just getting closer. We'll let you know what transpires as soon as we hear something.

We are loving all the prayers and tremendous support everyone has shown!! You all truly will never know how much it means to us! :)))

Lotsa huggies and love!!!
Rob and B

36+ weeks

Hi all! I hope that everyone enjoyed the long weekend!! We sure did! We were blessed with beautiful weather and great times with friends! We didn't get much accomplished at the new house but some. We are still not quite done gathering some of the non-necessities. We've decided we are going to finish up a few last things over this weekend since our "free time" is coming to a close ;-) Including getting my treadmill which I think has and will HAVE dust on it for a while now (hehe). I keep saying that if we don't finish up now, it won't get done after our lil one arrives. So this weekend we'll be working double time!

So we had another Dr's appt last Friday with C and she's close to 3 cm dilated. As I mentioned before, this pregnancy is getting pretty rough on her at this point. It's a combination of tougher and more exciting all at once on our end. I have to say that this is nothing like our waiting when we were amidst our attempts at International Adoption. It's a completely different feeling when you know and have a relationship with everyone involved in the process. It's also hard to believe that we will have a lil man in our home in the next few weeks!! SO exciting!! We were blessed to have one of C's girls staying with us for the last week and we all had an absolute ball! We just adore her lil ones, they are such a joy and so-so, very precious to us!! I can't even describe or put words to how thankful we've been to have had this time with the entire family. Being able to spend that kind of time with Wyatt's lil sister(s) filled us with overwhelming joy and sadness all at once. It certainly brings on conflicting emotions.

C also went back to the Dr again today because she had been feeling pretty badly and he confirmed that she had not progressed and canceled this Friday's appt and rescheduled for next Friday. We're at 37 weeks this Friday!

As always, please continue to pray for C, her 2 girls, our baby boy and this process. Many things have been revealed to us over the last 2 months and as I always say, "without sharing too much information" we're asking for prayers for every one of us involved in this process. There are so many lives affected and so much emotion involved. We're praying specifically for strength, mercy, wisdom, discernment, guidance and HIS WILL to be done. There is so much we want to do but we know that ultimately we need to follow the Lords lead and not ours. We truly want to know what that looks like and we know that in HIS time it will be revealed, not ours.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

Hugs and love,
Rob and B

34 weeks and 3 days

Hello-hello! I apologize for the delay but it's been a busy 2-3 weeks. We've spent the last 1-2 weeks moving to our new home. Of course we thought it would be a piece of cake because we were staying in the same city and only a few miles down the road...HAHA; we were mistaken. I've decided it's worse when you don't do it all at once :) I'm happy to say that we are pretty well settled with maybe a trip here and there left. We have the crib set up, the baby room pretty much done and we are getting the guest rooms done for when our family gets here- HOORAY!!! We both can hardly wait!!!! We'll stop and look at each other every now and then and say..."I'm excited" :-) And we both feel fortunate and very happy that we were able to get moved in before he arrives.

So an update on the baby front...Well we are at 34+ weeks and counting (35 weeks Friday). We've had lots going on; moving, I'm training my replacement at work for the last week and the next 2-3 weeks, organizing the house, we had a baby shower here in Indy, we've been going to Dr's appts and last but not least...WE ARRIVED AT OUR LIL ONES NAME!!!! We've decided on Wyatt Michael Leese!! It's been down to Wyatt or Dalton and I'm not sure what quite swung the pendulum but B came home one day and said, "I can't wait for Wyatt to come home" and I did one of those funny looks amidst what I was doing and said, "Wyatt huh?? So that's his name??" From then on it's been a done deal :) One of our friends gave us the cutest advise. They said, stand at the back of your home and yell out the entire name and see whatcha think because you'll be doing that alot (haha).

Well C is doing pretty well. We've had a couple of trips to the emergency room down south. One was preterm labor, which they were able to stop and one trip (last week) was just her being ready to be done and moving forward, trip. She's been voicing recently that's she's ready for this to be over. We have a Dr's appt this Friday and she said she is going to talk to the Dr about how much pain she is having in her lower back. So, we shall see what that brings. We are feeling more than ever like this is real and we are so-so excited for our lil guy to arrive!!! Please keep all involved in your prayers. It's been a little bit rougher road these last couple of months, the more we get involved, the more we've been struggling with different aspects of what this process reveals. We just pray that this lil guy arrives safely, healthy and placed in our arms. We did get some amazing news that I'll share in case I forget after he is born. We had an opportunity to meet a few of the nurses on the maternity ward during one of our visits to the ER. They put us in contact with the head nurse of OB. The head nurse shared with us that as long as C signed the necessary paperwork; we (B and I) could have our own private room with Wyatt after he's born and begin feeding and caring for him. The amazing part is the hospital voluntarily does this as long as they have room for us! I thought that was so, very special if it works out that way when he's born. C did sign the paperwork at our last Dr's visit saying that we would be allowed to begin to care for him immediately after he's born; which we feel is SUCH A HUGE BLESSING!!

I'll try my best to stay on top of my posts a little better in the next couple of weeks since time is ticking and if we have any news after our appt this Friday I will let you know. We hope that everyone is doing very well!!! :)

Big hugs and kisses!!
XOXOXOXO
Robin and Brandon

Week 29 1/2

So this will be a brief update...Although I'm not sure I'm quite capable of being brief ;-) We had our Dr's appt last Friday with C and the Dr. said the baby and C were doing just fine. We can't believe that this Friday we start week 30. I guess there is no "we" about it! I often hesitate when I say WE, knowing that "I" am not carrying this blessed lil bundle! :) Our next appt is toward the end of the month and then we will start going bi-weekly. We can't wait!!! :)))

Other news...There was some positive news released on Vietnam this past Friday!! There are finally discussions again about the U.S. and Vietnam reaching an interim agreement to allow adoptions to resume. As I always say, we are excited to hear the encouraging news and we are also realistic in knowing that this could still be a lil ways away. The good news is that our paperwork is still there and waiting for the possible reopening. If we get any additional news in the coming weeks, we'll let you know.

On an exciting note, I mentioned that we made an offer on a house....After a few days of negotiations, we came to an agreement!!! We got it!! We're hoping to close at the end of April!! Yay!! :) Perfect timing!!!

Last but not least, we're getting ready for our trip down to Orlando on Thursday. We are so ready for some family and friend time and really looking forward to it.

Wishing you all a VERY HAPPY EASTER!!! xoxo

Love,
Robin and Brandon

We're in the 28th week

So Spring is approaching up here in Indiana!!  We've been getting a taste of it pretty much daily...Until the typical, random flurry today.  We just LOVE this time of year when the daffodils start to pop up!  That's how we know SPRING is right around the corner.  I think it might be the prettiest time of year aside to fall when the leaves change...The change of seasons really is beautiful and one of the things we love about Indiana.

So, we've had a LOT going on since our last post.  I'm not even sure where to begin other than to honestly tell you it's been pretty chaotic to say the least.  There's alot that I will leave out to respect the privacy of the family we are adopting this baby boy from but Brandon and I ask that you pray for the entire family whenever you think of them.  We had the privilege of taking care of their two girls for a few days a couple of weeks ago.  Though it was under pretty tough circumstances, we really felt blessed to have that time with them :)))

Also since our last post, we were able to meet the biological father.  He drove 7 hours to meet us for the day!  We were so impressed that he drove in just to meet us and then drove home that same day.  While he was here he signed papers saying that he consented to us adopting his son.  It was pretty emotional for all of us but it was a very special time.  We spent the evening with him and his sister, went out to dinner and just visited.  We had a great time with them and really felt privileged to have the opportunity to meet them and spend that time together.  Again, we walked away from this experience knowing that God has His hand directly upon us, them and this adoption!!  It was awesome!

As you know we're looking at buying house.  We made an offer this Friday and are in the negotiation stages, so we shall see how it pans out.  I have prayed that if it's not the right home for our family that the Lord will slam the door shut.  So, we'll let ya know what happens.  Either way, we'll be content.  Much better it be His will than ours.

Last but not least, we're taking a trip to Orlando for a long Easter weekend and we can't wait!!! It is long overdue and longer than we typically wait.  We've been trying to plan it so that it's not too close to when the baby might come.  It will be the last trip we take until he arrives just to be safe.  C has been having the feeling she is going to go early and we DO NOT want to miss that!! :)  Also, exciting news!!...My mom is planning to come in for a month after the lil guy arrives and I'm SOOO excited!!!  We have lots of visitors making plans to come see the lil guy.  That means lots of help (YAY!! ;-) We can hardly wait...Any reason to have family come visit is a good reason!  

So, I hope you all are doing well!!!  

Bazoodles of hugs and love to you!

Robin and Brandon

Psalm 46: 1-11

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.  God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.  Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.  The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth.  He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.  Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.  The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Approaching 26 weeks

Hello! All is going well on our end.  As usual, busy-busy with work, baby planning and house hunting.  We're getting very excited and really looking forward to the sleepless nights coming our way soon.  We've recently found the perfect baby boy theme for the nursery...Trucks!  It's so cute and exactly what we were looking for.  The main colors are blue and green; not quite the pastel pink we've been staring at for the last 2 years :) 

We sincerely wanted to thank everyone for the baby name suggestions!!!  Between posts, emails and phone calls we have found a few that we really like!  In no particular order; we like, Jacob (nickname- Jake), Tyler (nickname- Ty) and Dalton.  We've also decided on Michael as a middle name after my father.  This will be the first little boy on the Stackfleth side of the family and for us, what a great way to celebrate by naming him after my dad, a man we admire.  Once we come to a final decision on a first name, we'll let you know.  It could go in any direction at this point so we are still open to new ideas.  We aren't attached to anything just yet :) 

So since our last post, we've been to 2 Dr's appointments with C on February 11th and today (March 11th). Both appointments went well.  We were able to hear the heartbeat again and C's Dr. said she was doing very well and the baby appeared to be healthy with a good, strong heartbeat.  YAY! We are very excited!   We're both really enjoying this time together before this lil man is born.  We're looking forward to a trip down south again toward the end of the month to visit with my family and soak up some warmer weather :)  

One thing that B and I have recently been struggling with is the complete lack of control we have in making decisions that affect this unborn baby.  It's an unbelievable experience yet can really be a challenge to sit back and watch from the sidelines.  I have run through in my mind many times....If I were pregnant; "I would do"...  Or if I were pregnant, "I would NOT do"....   Yet again, the Lord is teaching us and especially ME a huge lesson in "I'M IN CONTROL and YOU ARE NOT so TRUST ME".  I keep telling myself that over and over again.  As this goes on we are both realizing how much you can fall in love with a baby you can't physically see yet!!   We think about him so much and pray for his health and protection.  Please continue to keep this baby boy, C, her girls and us in your prayers!  We continue to be encouraged and so thankful for the love and support!!!  Our next Dr's appt is Friday, April 3rd.  If anything new happens, I'll be sure to post.

-C is now 25 weeks and 5 days (but who's counting ;-)

-Her due date is June 20th

-She delivered her last baby girl at about 37 weeks

Have a great week and weekend!!

Love,

Robin and Brandon

IT'S A....

Wow, what a week last week turned out to be! During our last post I shared with you that I was going to be calling the agency representing us in Korea on Monday morning (January 26th)...Well I called them but did not get a response right away. We had to wait a week and finally when both Brandon and I had started running rather low on patience, I emailed our agency this past Monday. The abbreviated answer to our question is that they can place our adoption in Korea on hold while we proceed with this domestic adoption. Basically our home study will stay there until we adopt this baby or request that we are taken off hold (only if something changes with this adoption). We were told that Korea does not allow concurrent adoptions so we did need to chose one or the other. Well, Brandon and I chose the domestic adoption. If we are blessed to adopt this little one, we will have to wait 12 months until we reapply to Korea; that is their rule. If something went wrong during this domestic adoption, we would remove the hold from our Korean adoption and proceed.

So onto our update with the domestic adoption...To make this all easier, when I refer to the birth mother I will call her, "C". Tuesday we had our second Dr's appt with C and we were all wondering if it was the ultrasound appt or not?? For some reason, we thought the ultrasound was during our next appt on the 11th. We were wrong and pleasantly surprised...The ultrasound was on Tuesday, Feb. 3rd...My dads Birthday! The three of us had placed our bets on the sex of the baby. As the ultrasound was taking place, C was laying on the table on the opposite side of the room from where Brandon and I were standing. When I looked over at her, she looked up at me, smiled and said, "It's a boy". She noticed even before the ultrasound tech! I moved along side her and put my hand on hers . Seeing him made this all feel even more real....The excitement of a baby boy and the pain she must have been feeling after seeing her son. She was AMAZINGLY calm and then looked up and over at Brandon and said, "well dad...what do you think?" I could not get over how at peace she seemed. When we left the Dr's office, I had to ask her..."C, are you sure about this?" And she said, "Robin, it's not my time; my time will come again". It was nothing short of an amazing day with an amazing woman! It's one of those things that is difficult to even describe and do it justice. We left the appt and visited for a bit with her and her girls and then left for Indy. Our next appt is on the 11th when we will head back down.

On another note...Many of you know that when we started the adoption process and "new" (haha) we were getting a girl, we decorated the nursery! Of course, we went with feminine colors...Pink and green. You probably can imagine that we now have this pretty little girl's room that is about to get an extreme make over!! Away with the pale pink, shabby chic, crystal chandelier and in with the dump trucks and bull dozers!! ;-) Either that or we will raise a confused little man. I'm a tiny bit nervous about doing any decorating and yet I don't want to wait until the baby comes home...That would certainly be entertaining! A new mom with no sleep trying to paint! haha :) The other big topic has been, boy names. You may remember that we had chosen Hadley as the name for a girl and now we're going to be on the hunt for boy names. We'd love to hear any ideas!!! Brandon and I are struggling in that department, nothing is really jumping out at us yet. We'll keep you posted....

Sending hugs and love your way! xo

Robin and Brandon

An Unexpected Blessing...

Hello! I hope that everyone is off to a good start in 2009! :) This post is going to be a long one, so grab a cup of coffee and hopefully you'll stay awake!! ;-) I have hesitated on posting the last few weeks because it's been eventful and I wasn't sure what to share with everyone until now. I'll start by saying that the majority of you who read this may think we've officially flipped our lids. But here it goes... 3 weeks ago we received a phone call from a friend of ours who works at a Crisis Pregnancy Care Center a couple of hours away. She had met a "birth mother" who was wanting to place her unborn baby up for adoption. She unexpectedly contacted me one Thursday afternoon and shared with me this very special young woman's story. This young woman and I ended up connecting and talking on the phone later that evening. I'll be honest and tell you it began as an awkward conversation for about 2 minutes and then, before I even realized it had started out awkward; we were talking as though we were friends. Understandably my guard was up because things flowed so naturally. I can remember thinking that the things coming out of her mouth could not be "for real"...She was not only an amazing woman but so quickly put me at ease. We agreed after talking for 3 days that we wanted to meet each other. I thought it might be a difficult meeting because I had already begun to fall in love with her heart. I'll share very little about her story out of respect for her but I will tell you that she has lived everyone's worst nightmares. She has such a loving heart even though she carries huge burdens and that just amazed me!! So Brandon and I agreed to drive down to meet her. To save time, I'll leave the details of our day out but we were fortunate enough to spend the day with her and one of her girls. It was WONDERFUL! At the end of that day, Brandon and felt overwhelmingly what I began to sense a few days prior...That regardless of if this situation ended in an adoption; we were being called to it, her, them, everything about this. We naturally were very weary and protective because our adoption journey has taken more turns than a winding road...from Vietnam (closed) to Russia (withdrawing) to Korea and now this! Our initial reaction even up until yesterday was to go down this path and keep this new info "hush-hush" from our Korean agency. Our logic was to "see what happens" before sharing with them this potential new change. But in the back of my mind, I kept feeling uneasy about that. We needed to at least let them know that this is a "possibility". Of course, doing that could jeopardize Korea...Obviously not something we want to do. The bottom line is; the Lord is calling us to step out in FAITH and what kind of faith would we be exhibiting if we kept one foot in the door and one out? It would be easy to withhold what's happened but at what expense? Almost daily (over the last week) when I'm out and about, I keep being reminded of James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself if not accompanied by action is dead. This passage applies to SO many different aspects of what we are facing right now. Tomorrow morning I will call our (Korean) adoption agency and share this new information. I'm not sure how or IF this information will affect our Korea process? We ask for prayers surrounding that phone call and every aspect of our interaction with these special blessings that have recently entered our lives. Most importantly please pray for this birth mother and her girls. We still have so many questions surrounding what our role is in their lives? Please pray that the Lord will direct our path and that we will do nothing that is outside of HIS WILL.

As you can imagine from what I've shared there are many unknowns and uncertainties with this yet we both feel very strongly that we are right where we are supposed to be regardless of the outcome. We recently found out that her baby is due on June 21st and ironically within that month (give or take) is when we anticipate(d) our referral from Korea. We'll just have to continue to give it up to God and see what happens. Tomorrows call will definitely give us some indication of where we stand from the Korea side.

You are probably thinking right about now, the same thoughts and concerns our family had...This could end painfully or we could have yet, another let down or disappointment. And I MEAN IT when I say, yes, that is CERTAINLY a possibility but we will move forward and answer this call knowing that in all things God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28)

We'll keep you posted!!! Big hugs and lotsa-lotsa love!! xooxox
Robin and Brandon

It's a New Year! 2009

Hello and HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Brandon and I (and of course little Peyton) returned from a very nice trip down to Orlando for Christmas and New Years. It was tough to leave family but we were so thankful to have had the time to visit. I wanted to thank everyone for your prayers! We have a HUGE praise and get to start off the new year with some good news!!! No, I did not hand carry our paperwork to Korea...Though it crossed both of our minds :) We found out early this morning that our paperwork was mailed to Korea on December 30th!!!! I can't even begin to describe the sigh of relief that Brandon and I had when we got the news. Just about everything else after..."Your paperwork was mailed to Korea on Dec. 30th" was blah-blah-blah :) B and I both said to each other that we felt like a huge brick was removed from our shoulders. It was very comforting to know it was finally on it's way. So, now the wait "officially" begins for our adoption from Korea. We are operating under the assumption that we won't get word for 6 months based on what our agency shared with me today. ANYTHING can happen as you've seen but we're going to set our minds to not anticipate a match/referral prior to June. I was telling Brandon that June seems so far away with it being 20-something degrees here!! :) But 6 months should seem like a walk in the park for us since we're becoming pros at the waiting (who am I kidding ;-) Please continue to pray for us, our family and most importantly this lil peanut that we long for in our lives. We pray that he, she or them are well cared for, loved, safe, comforted and all of the rest of the things that a dad and mom naturally want for their lil ones. I've downloaded a new song that will play first when you open up our blog now for a while. It's a thank you to all of our friends and family who have reached out and extended so much love in the way of calls, prayers, emails, posts, etc. You all are such a tremendous source of encouragement to us! More than you'll ever know!!!

BIG BIG HUGS and MANY BLESSINGS to you all in the coming year!!!
XOXOXO
Brandon and Robin

A tid bit of news on Vietnam

Hello and just in case I don't post again before Christmas...MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We have a little bit of news concerning the MOA for Vietnam and also our adoption to Korea. I'll start with Vietnam first...Today we received an email from our coordinator that said; "this week there was a small congressional delegation in Vietnam that met with the IAD to express their support of a new MOA. We believe there is a meeting scheduled for some time next week; however please keep in mind that as is often the case, such a meeting is subject to being rescheduled" (I just cut and pasted the sum of her email). This is good news because 1.) that means that they have not put resuming adoptions on the back burner and 2.) many speculated the meeting wouldn't occur for quite some time and they didn't know when. Though, this is symbolic of good things, we know that it's the very beginning of getting adoptions moving again between the U.S. and Vietnam. We will be praying and ask for prayers surrounding this upcoming meeting. There are so many children in these orphanages that need to be in the arms of loving families.

Moving on to Korea...Well as we have grown accustom to slowdowns, this didn't come as a huge surprise to us. You may remember that we were recently excited that our paperwork should have been on it's way to Korea (about 3-4 weeks ago). Which "theoretically" would mean we would be 1 month into our wait for our referral/match. As of this past Monday, it was still sitting on a social workers desk. I have to smile as I type this because as I told Brandon (when he was less than pleased with this news, as was I)...Though we are not happy that our final paperwork is not over in Korea, there is a VERY good reason it isn't. At the risk of sounding repetitive....God handpicked this child(ren) out for us long before we were even thinking of having children. He isn't surprised by the fact that our paperwork is not in Korea because the timing isn't right. The funny side to this is that a large part of the reason it's still here is because someone admitted to us that they forgot it was sitting on their desk and needed corrections, period. It truly was an honest mistake and was difficult for this individual to share with me. So now we will just have to wait until the corrections are completed and our paperwork can be mailed. Although it may come across that I'm calm and collected about this, both Brandon and I have had our moments but we know that God is in control. So we continue to trust and have faith that the Lord will meet our needs and the needs of the children we will one day know and love. Our hope is that this final review of our home study by our agency will have our paperwork on it's merry little way to Korea FAST. Please pray for our paperwork to be mailed before Christmas and for Brandon and I to continue to have a peace about it. I'm definitely not the most patient person; so I realize that staying calm on this issue has been a gift from above :) As a matter of fact, while you are praying you might want to pray that I won't decide to hand carry our paperwork to Korea myself!! ;-)

James 1:17- Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 2:14- What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

I hope that everyone has a WONDERFUL Christmas with friends and family!!! We love you so much!! xoxoxoxox

Sending oodles of hugs and kisses your direction!!!
Robin & Brandon

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hello all, I wanted to get an update out before we left for our Thanksgiving vacation this weekend. We're looking forward to escaping the cold weather and spending time with family down south! Our homestudy has been updated for Korea and is in the hands of our agency right now. After speaking with them late last week, I anticipate that it will be on it's way to Korea this week!! :) Brandon and I are very excited and even more thrilled by the ease of the Korea process in comparison to Vietnam and Russia! It's been virtually seemless, which we are so thankful for. Now the waiting game begins again. The average wait time for a baby is approx 3-6 months before a referral and then an additional 3-4 months until we either travel or have him, her or them escorted home :) As soon as we hear any info, we'll be sure to let you know.

On a very exciting note...We have met some wonderful people through International Adoption and FTIA. One of the families we have grown close to brought home their 8 year old son, Sawyer from China on Friday. It was absolutely AMAZING and indescribable the emotion you feel watching this family grow. There were several other families there who have also adopted from China with their kiddos to welcome Sawyer, Becki and Mike home to Indy. I forgot to bring my camera but did take some pictures with my phone to share with you (above in the slideshow). I hope you enjoy! :)

Brandon and I wish you all a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! We are so blessed and thankful for each of you in our lives! We love you all very much! xoxo

New News!

Hello all, as the weather and seasons change...So does our adoption journey :) One thing we can say for certain is that it hasn't been boring. As you may remember from our last post; we were reevaluating our decision to continue in the Russia Program. After a pretty busy 2 weeks; we decided that it's in the best interest of our family to withdraw from the Russia Program. There were so many variables that lead us down this path but we've given it a great deal of time, deliberation and prayer and we feel very strong that this was the best decision for our family. This had been a lingering thought for us since about the end of August but we didn't share it with everyone until we were sure the door was closed. So of course that leaves you all wondering...Vietnam is closed (hopefully temporarily); what will we do in the interim??? The answer is; Korea :) Back when Brandon was playing with the Marlins his contract was purchased by the Han Wha Eagles (Korean league). When his contract was purchased; he moved to Korea for the season. That is where his life changed dramatically, in many ways. He has many fond memories of his time there and is very naturally drawn to Korea. Of course, due to his love for Korea and the people there...I am drawn there as well. When we originally felt lead to adopt; Korea was "ironically" our first choice but we didn't qualify based on our length of marriage...NOW we qualify!!! :)))) We've seen this unfolding before our eyes over the last couple of months...Doors closing, doors opening and so here we are. We held off on sharing this with everyone because we wanted to be as sure as we could be that this was the path we were going to head down. We have submitted our application and it's been accepted...We have also submitted our Russian home study to be updated for the Korea program. So it's a matter of a couple of weeks before it is updated and on it's way to Korea for translation. It will sit there until we are referred a baby boy or girl. We have opened ourselves up to either gender, siblings (which are rare) and also TWINS! :) "I" will be PRAYING for twins!! My mother-in-law thinks I'm crazy to pray for twins since she knows oh to well what it is like raising them ;-) So as for timing of the Korean program...WE WERE TOLD (I REPEAT, TOLD) that it's approx 3-6 months until we receive our referral...BUT we know from our experience that the world of adoption can shift gears quickly. We continue to ask for prayers. We are both very excited and feeling rejuvenated again by the direction we are heading! We've felt the good Lords hand in this in more ways than I could share on this blog. I will share one very short story with you...One night during this time of decisions Brandon and I were praying and reading scripture trying determine what direction to take...After both of us feeling discouraged I randomly received a scripture verse that evening from one of my best friends that read:

"After he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." - Matthew 14:24-27

It was MORE COMFORTING than ANYTHING in the world to know that the Lord is hearing our prayers and speaking to us! We're so thankful that He hears and responds in his timing. It's absolutely amazing!! :) We are also so, very thankful for all of the thoughtful and loving emails, phone calls and prayers!! :))

So, hopefully our lil peanuts will be home soon or you all may continue to see me dressing up our critters for Halloween & Christmas; you'll continue to see video's of Tex on the treadmill and my poor husband may finally determine that we should just open an Animal Rescue out of our home! ;-) (hehe)

Sending hugs and love your way!!!
Robin & Brandon
xoxo

The journey continues

Hello everyone,
My hope is that all is well with all of you :) We are doing ok. We've been a little more discouraged recently. The only thing we really KNOW about this process is that we were meant to adopt a child that the Lord has handpicked for us. Where, when, who, how, etc...We just don't know. Please pray for strength and peace as we continue on this journey. We are SO-SO thankful for everyone's support and prayers!!

During this time we are reminded of...
James 4:13-17
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

RUSSIA UPDATE:
Our time frame was increased this past week, again. We have been told it will likely be another 6 months before a potential referral. There has also recently been some turbulence in this program that have caused Brandon and I to reevaluate what is best for our family. We'll continue to keep you posted :)))

VIETNAM UPDATE:
It's been a while now since I've updated on Vietnam so I thought it was time to pass on what we know. Our dossier is still in Vietnam. The program continues to remain closed as government officials continue to sort things out. There currently is no indication of if and when this program might reopen again. We are still hopeful and truly have not given up the faith in Vietnam :)

On a much lighter note...I've been watching too much of "The Dog Whisperer"- hehe. I strongly recommend turning down your volume before playing the video; I sound a little silly but that's what keeps Tex walking and not retreating from his workout ;-) He's the sweetest & smartest dog and keeps us smiling :)))

3 MONTHS AND COUNTING...

Hello all,
Hope everyone is well! We are having a relaxing weekend at home (unusual these days :) We've been house shopping over the last couple of months and have found one we really like. We'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks. We both realize that with new little peanuts coming into our world we will need to start to make room. Not to mention our CRITTERS (the dogs, horse, bird, raccoons, squirrels and more recently a stray kitty I found ;-) I'm happy to say (for my allergies sake) that we did not keep the kitty. I took her to our Vet, got her fixed up and they are going to find her a home. I think Brandon would have literally FALLEN OVER if I came home with another animal that I had found. He called while I happened to be on my way to the Vet and asked where I was. Of course, I would rather have told him anything other than; "I've found a very sick kitty that needs Medical attention." The funny thing is...I expected to get a HUGE SIGH on the other end and instead he said, "Oh, what's wrong with it and what are you going to do"? Of course, I told him what I was up to and that was pretty much that. I was so pleased to know the kitty was going to be ok after treatment and that THEY WOULD FIND HER A HOME. I'm VERY allergic to cats not to mention our labs, who are hunters would have thought I brought them home a toy :) All worked out very well!!

This weeks update will be pretty brief...Over the last 2-3 weeks the Russia program has picked back up and 4 referrals (1 this week and 3 the couple weeks prior) have been made to families (2 boys and 2 girls). We are encouraged by the activity and praying that we'll get to meet Hadley SOON! Late this week I contacted our coordinator to get a pulse on where we are in the process b/c I was feeling more impatient than ever for some reason. Her response was overall positive and she told me that we were now 7/8 on the list. Our daughter has not been identified in Russia at this time but she said that they are working on it :) We were encouraged and will keep you posted on what the upcoming weeks hold. In the meantime, please keep praying for Hadley and orphaned children everywhere around the world.

Our hugs and love to all,
Robin & Brandon

Can you believe it's SEPTEMBER 1st!!?

Hello family and friends,
So can you all believe it's September 1st already??? I'm not sure we've had enough summer up here, yet! For some reason this summer has seemed rather short and I could stand about 12 more months of it...Anyone else??? ;-) For our family and friends who do not live in the Midwest and live SOUTH of us...You will be seeing LOTS & LOTS of us in the coming months (hehe :) I hope you all have had a WONDERFUL Labor Day weekend! It's really been a nice long weekend that has flown by fast! :) Brandon, Peyton and I went to IL to visit Brandon's family. Being human, I was a little nervous about this trip because 2 of our friends and Brandon's twin sister all had babies within the last month. Though we are SOOOO, VERY excited for everyone, I was worried I might get a little weepy or somewhat emotional seeing all these new lil ones with the long wait for ours. IRONICALLY (haha- I don't believe in "irony" by the way)...I was truly beaming with joy to meet these brand new little angels!!! God is so good and He filled both of our hearts with happiness and joy and allowed Brandon and I to put the focus where it needed to be. Our new little nephew is gorgeous as is our (2 1/2 yr old) niece, who is GROWING and is fearless as you'll see in the video I'm including....What a little fish she is! :) Our dear friends Dole and Justin had an absolutely BEAUTIFUL new baby girl, named Savannah May Beasley!!! I told them she was going to have to go to University of Georgia OR AUBURN (of course the better option ;-) with a name like that!! :) What a little angelic, princess she is!! It was such nice weekend, visiting with family and friends!! We're home now and I'm going to spend the rest of my day getting ready for work tomorrow and riding Boomer, while B cuts the grass :)

The source of our hope: PROVERBS 3:3-8
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.


VIETNAM:
This will (likely) be my last post on Vietnam for a while. Vietnam's official shutdown was this past Friday and we do not know when it will reopen. There is hope for Vietnam to open for Fall or prior to year end but the last time something of this nature happened; Vietnam was shutdown for almost 3 years. So, my last post is asking you all to PLEASE continue to pray for the children of Vietnam who SO desperately need our prayers and of course, the decision makers and the affected families! When you think of them, please pray :) This really is nothing less than a tragedy for these children.

RUSSIA:
Many of you have asked me about the Russia/Georgia conflict and if it might affect our adoption...To be honest, we have no idea if and how it will affect us. We are very aware that it could have a negative impact on adoptions but we CLING to our faith and remain hopeful until we hear news that would indicate a change. We CERTAINLY have our days when it is MUCH tougher than others but I can just feel the prayers and our faith remains strong. On a VERY exciting note...There were 2 referrals made this week to families in the Russia program!!! One of those families submitted their dossier on June 19th, four days before we submitted ours! It's very exciting for those families and also for us because it's great to see things moving again!!! Russian adoptions operate a little differently than most other countries. In most countries if you are #10 on the list, then once number 9 receives the referral of their child, you are next in line. That's not the case in Russia. The Russian MOE (Ministry of Education) hands out referrals as they deem appropriate. SO, though we are getting VERY close in line, we can't let that get us too terribly excited...But it does give us hope!!! :)

Last, I have attached two "you tube" videos about a little girl named Sofia that was adopted from Haiti by an Indiana couple (in the far right column). I have been reading alot about Haiti in the last few weeks and these people have TRULY moved me!!! The little girl in this video defied ALL ODDS (50% of Haitian children will die before age 5) and her story WILL WARM YOUR HEART!!! I hope you all will take a look. It's broken down into two segments and I've attached both for you to see the entire story.

Everyone have a WONDERFUL week!!!!

Sending love and hugs your way...
Robin & Brandon
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Brandon, Angelina and Brandi

News surrounding Vietnam and the MOU

Hello friends and family,
I hope you all are having a great weekend thus far. I thought I’d do our weekly update while flying home to Indianapolis from Orlando. I just finished up my National Meeting today. Brandon came to town with me and while I was in meetings, Brandon stayed with my mom and dad and enjoyed some R&R, golfing and lots of time enjoying the summer Olympic games. So on to our updates…

RUSSIA UPDATE:
There hasn’t been much movement that I’m aware of in our Russia program in the way of referrals lately. We are about number 11 on the list for a baby girl (from what I can tell). Where I was optimistic that we would receive a referral in 2-5 months originally; I now believe it may be up to another 4 months. Of course in the grand scheme of our elephant gestational period, this is a drop in the bucket. Maybe God is just telling us, “not yet”. So we continue to wait (now 2 days short of 2 months- and as Brandon would say…”who’s counting? ;-)” The very visible new concern that is in our minds is of course the hostility between Georgia and Russia. We haven’t been told that this will influence our adoption to Russia but we know to well that all things can affect International adoption; this being a very real issue at present.

VIETNAM:
So Vietnam on the other hand is much like the Indianapolis 500 these days! WOW! Every time I turn around there is another referral for another family. There have been 30+ referrals this year since Jan 08 and two more this week for baby girls (which means we move down to #34 on the list). It’s SO amazing and such a blessing to see the program pick up and children being placed in loving homes at a much faster pace!! On a very sad note, we have to acknowledge that one of the orphanages that FTIA works in within the Province of Bac Lieu has had some very tough events as of recently. 10 children had been hospitalized with fever and pneumonia. One baby girl that was referred to one of the FTIA families passed away a week ago. It is absolutely HEART WRENCHING to think about what that family must have experienced! Please keep them and all of these families in process in your prayers. The sooner these babies can come home, the better off they will be. It has been reported by our agency that some of the babies who were hospitalized are getting better which is a HUGE praise!!!

As everyone who has been following along on our blog knows…There has been much discussion between both the U.S. government and the Vietnamese government over the last several months surround a new MOU being signed. Though much progress has been made and continues to actively be made…We were informed yesterday that referrals from Vietnam will cease right now. The MOU will not be resigned by Sept 2nd but there is hope that a new agreement will be reached this fall. We will continue to hope and pray that a new agreement can and will be signed as quickly as possible so that adoptions may continue!! Please pray for all of the officials involved in this process, for the children of Vietnam and all waiting families. It will be a rough time for many as this program comes to a halt for now.

Everyone have an absolutely wonderful week!!!!

PS- I was attempting to be creative and did a, critter slide show (just WAIT till we have kids if you think this is bad ;-) The baby robin we raised is on their! If the slide show is not running or stops mid way through just click the small "X" in the upper right corner and it will start again.

Also, you can tell I was getting frisky with the blog this week (hehe :) I added music that reminds us of our little ones out there somewhere on the other side of the world, in Gods care.

Hugs and love,
Robin and Brandon

Just shy of 6 weeks and counting...

FINALLY, the beach pictures from our 4th of July week at the beach :) Better late than never....

Dad showing little Chris the art of eating crab

Brian and Kristen take swim

Jilly-Bean making breakfast for the troops

UM, Male bonding???????
Will, Brandon and Brian

Aren't we cute!! (Mom and Dad)

Jilly-Bean and Will-ster

Can you believe it took all of us to reel this one in??? (win-wink ;-)


A night out for seafood with the men

(Dad, Will, Brian and Brandon)

My CUTE, tan hubby lounging after a day at the beach


Brandon, Dad and Jilly enjoying a day at the pool

Hello everyone! I hope you all are continuing to enjoy your summer. We have been trying to enjoy every little bit of time we have together as we realize that soon there will be 3 of us and then not too long after, 4! Brandon's work continues to keep him busy as does mine. We are getting ready to take a trip back to Orlando again this coming Thursday night. I have my National Sales Meeting on the 11th and we are both flying in a few days early for a visit. We're looking forward to another visit with family!!!

On the adoption front...We continue to wait for "the call" and everyday that passes we feel like we are one day closer to Miss Hadley. The other night before we went to bed I said to Brandon; "Can you believe we've been waiting 39 days!??" He chuckled and said, "And 31 minutes" :) But who's counting??? ;-) Nightly we watch the adoption specials on Discovery Health called "Adoption Stories" (If you haven't seen them they are truly heart WARMING even if you are not an adoptive parent!). We tape them during the day and watch them as a break in the evening before we go to bed. I think there has been maybe one that I have not cried during. Even "B" get's a little glassy eyed while watching them. More and more everyday the conviction we have been given to adopt children grows and grow

RUSSIA UPDATE:

Not much new to share on the Russia front. We are approx #9-13 (ish) for our referral of Hadley. We know it could be any day but we also realize based on how things have slowed down in Russia that it could be up to 5 more months. We will definitely keep you all posted!!

VIETNAM UPDATE:
Vietnam continues to be ON FIRE with many-many referrals. Last week there were 6 referrals (3 boys and 3 girls). This week there were 3 more referrals (3 boys). I'm not sure if you all remember but we were in the 70's on the Vietnam list back in Dec/January 08 and we found out the other day that we are now #36 waiting for a girl!!!! The time is flying! The only potential issue is if the new MOU is not signed on or right around Sept 1st. There seems to be many positive things going on around the MOU but nothing truly solidified yet. We ask for your continued prayers for the children of Vietnam and for the MOU to be resigned in time for adoptions to continue between the U.S. and Vietnam. If the MOU is not signed it "appears" that may be where our process in Vietnam will be put on an indefinate hold (along with many other families).

Some days are tougher than others but we continue to rely on the strength and faith that the Lord gives us SO abundantly!!! How we could do this without HIM; I will never know.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:16-18

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles achieveing for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

HORSE SHOW PICTURES

Boomer and Kelsey taking a rest before entering the arena

Claudia doing some last minute grooming before show time! :)

I LOVE my boy...He's so handsome!!!

3 weeks and counting...

Hello everyone and Happy Monday! :)
I hope that everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend!!! Ours was WONDERFUL! We left on the 3rd for a 10 day trip to Florida! We had an absolute ball. We drove (B and I love road trips!!!) through Atlanta and picked up my sister Kristen and then went on to Orlando to my parents house. Jill came in from Tampa and we had a fabulous 4th of July picnic with my family and our neighbors in Florida. Saturday we left for the beach for our annual family beach trip at New Smyrna Beach. As always; it was a blessed trip!! My parents, Kristen & Brian, Jill & Will and Brandon and I enjoyed each others company and time together. It's always SO DIFFICULT to leave them but we returned home last night and we were back to work today. I attempted to post pictures but I'm having technical difficulties (Imagine that! Me; the tech queen- haha ;-) Once I have them loaded, I'll send a second post of pictures.

So on to the updates!!!
RUSSIA:
We are a little over three weeks into our wait for a referral of Miss Hadley and I'm actually surprised at how fast the time has gone. It must have been that Florida SUN ;-) Not too much to report other than we are approx #18 on the waiting list for a little one and I'm not sure if there were any referrals over the last two weeks. So, we could (theoretically) be moving up the list but I'm not sure. We did learn that additional referrals will be coming very soon, so we are excited about that! We also learned that the wait for a little girl has lengthened from 5 months- 7months. We're not sure how or if that will affect us but that is the current status from Friday's agency update.

VIETNAM:
Matches and referrals!!! The Vietnam program continues to make progress! There were a few matches and a referral this past week- YAY!!! That's great news for in process families! We still don't know what precisely will happen after Sept 1st but as soon as we have an indication, we'll let you know. Please pray for the families and children affected.

BABY ROOM UPDATE:
Slowly but surely I am making progress on Hadley's room!!! I; being the goofy perfectionist that I am decided that the stripes that Kristen and I painted on the wall were not quite dark enough (pink). Sooooo, I took it upon myself to paint them a darker pink...OH SO FUN! I'm not sure what possessed me to do such a thing but off I went!! Well, I have about 2/3 of the striping done and it really does look nice. The previous pink was so light it really looked white to everyone who saw it :( Anyway, this weekend I will be finishing the task of painting pink stripes.

Brandon (aka- daddy) took it upon himself to install a beautiful girlie chandelier in lil Miss Hadley's room. Ironically, when we were looking, he was the deciding factor on picking this particular one out. I can honestly say while he was amidst the installation he probably wished he had chosen ANY fixture BUT the one he selected. Let's just say it was an eventful installation. Brandon is about the most handy man I know but for some reason this pretty little girlie light gave him more grief than was necessary!!! We both look back to that fun day a couple of weeks ago and LAUGH!

Well that's about it for now. We'll continue to keep you all posted! Thank you for all of the nice emails and prayers! They are SO, VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!

Hugs and love,
Robin and Brandon

DOSSIER TO RUSSIA!

Hello everyone! I know this update is LONG-LONG overdue and I apologize. We've had many of our friends and family comment on the delay and ask how things are coming along. We've both been very busy with work and the adoption lately but have a GREAT update this week/month!

RUSSIA UPDATE:
Starting with Russia...We submitted our Russia dossier last Friday, June 20th!!! We were both SO-SO very excited!!!! Our dossier was then reviewed by FTIA on Monday and sent to Russia after review. We are now officially on the waiting list for our little girl. As a recap; we have been told that the longest we could wait is about 5 months. However, based on the fact that we are open to a child of Asian decent it could be sooner. We are happy as can be and are just waiting to get that phone call saying..."We have your referral" We will keep you posted! This week the FTIA Russia program referred both a baby girl and baby boy to two lucky families currently waiting.

VIETNAM UPDATE
The Vietnam program has picked up considerably and there have been many-many referrals over the last month. A total of about 10 referrals and many more matches have been made. This is also very exciting! Additional good news in the way of potential progress toward the MOU set to expire on Sept 1st, 2008. President Bush met with Vietnam's prime minister and had positive discussions surrounding International adoption between the U.S. and Vietnam. More information to follow over the next couple of months.

Last and certainly not least, my sister Kristen came in as I mentioned previously the first weekend in June. We painted Hadley's room for 2 days! :) It turned out absolutely adorable and I need to post pictures for everyone to see. I haven't downloaded them from my camera yet but I'll work on that over the weekend. Also we had an absolutely beautiful baby shower thrown by Brandon's mom and Auntie Carol. It was amazing and very-very special to both of us!!!! We have lots and lots of nice, new things for little Miss Hadley Jo Leese when she comes home from Russia. We were very blessed and overjoyed by the thoughtfulness and planning of the baby shower. Now we just want to meet our lil angel and get her home :)

As always, please keep Hadley in your prayers! We are truly hoping she comes home as soon as possible!!! We have faith and KNOW it will happen in Gods timing.

Have a great weekend!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Robin and Brandon