"Celebrate 130% when things are done..."

We've been wanting to write this update for several days, but just couldn't find the words to do it. Our excitement over our pending adoption came to a serious slow-down on Tuesday afternoon. It was the first time that we both weren't present to receive a call and that alone was a strange feeling, but the call was too important to wait until we could both be together.

She started the conversation with, "This is where I need you to guard your heart." Oh how many times we have heard that, and it seems impossible. Most of you know that I'm a scientist at heart and things are either up or down, positively charged or negatively. That's my world... And, admittedly we hadn't been guarding our hearts. And here was the moment why we should have been. As we've heard ourselves say but apparently have not listened to - adoptions are ALWAYS risky.

So - our new situation is this. We still have a birthmother who is pretty positive that she wants to place her baby up for adoption. She does not feel that she can raise another baby. And we know that she likes us and is excited to meet us.

The problem - the birthfather is refusing to sign the surrenders along with her. But it's not because he's anxious to be a father again, just because he doesn't want the baby to be adopted out. He wants things to stay the same...

So, now we leave the realm of our comfortable, low-risk adoption and enter the world of high-risk and all that this entails, up to and including placing baby girl into interim care from the hospital for over a week to protect us from getting attached.

Wow - how things can change...

We are holding on to our faith that this has to be for our good and praying that we will bring home baby girl. We are holding on to Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you WHEREVER you go."

We are still meeting the birthmother on Monday in New York City and ask for your prayers that we can be an encouragement to her as this whole situation is very hard for her. And pray that we can learn to guard our hearts and have wisdom as we move forward. The time may come when we will need to press on or perhaps close this door if we feel it is beyond what we can bear. All we do know is that we need wisdom that we cannot supply ourselves.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We appreciate you all very much!

To quote Andrew Peterson again...
"Love is a good thing. It’ll fall like rain on your parade,
laugh at the plans that you tried to make, it’ll wear you
down till your heart just breaks and it’s a good thing.
Love is a good thing.

It’ll break your will, it’ll change your mind, it’ll loose
all the chains of the ties that bind. If you’re lucky you’ll
never make it out alive, and that’s a good thing. Love is a
good thing. It can hurt like a blast from a hand grenade when
all that used to matter is blown away. There in the middle of
the mess it made you’ll find a good thing."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwQ4CfUx38Y