When Jason and I began our Ethiopia adoption process in December of 2013, we had no clue what the next several years would bring. We were, admittedly, blindly optimistic. We thought it'd only take a few months to do our home study (try 7.5), be on the waiting list by summer (it was the end of September), and be booking flights to Ethiopia by Christmas 2015. Thankfully, even basking in our optimism, we'd heard that adoption is not for the faint of heart, so we had the foresight to set some "guidelines" - rules for ourselves if the going got tough.
Read moreAdoption Update: Christmas 2016
Things are much different than they were in our last Christmas update, that's for sure. Last year during this time, we were sick at the news of our first placing agency closing. We were moving from #12 to #81 on the waiting list and we were absolutely devastated.
Read moreMorales Adoption Update - September 2016
Our Brighten Storie...
This is a blog post I've dreamed about writing for the better part of three years. It's the dream half fulfilled, yet my heart feels so entirely full. It hasn't quite sunk in yet, but it is getting more real with every passing moment.
Read moreJune Adoption Update
Ready. Set. Reset.
It's been a while since we've sent an email. Partly this has been because we haven't had an update and partly because we've been praying that things would change and we'd have an update to give. Well, I'm happy to say that day has come, but we certainly couldn't have guessed that this is what God has in store for us. We are using this email as a kind of reset for us all - for you and for us.
Read moreAdoption Update: January 2016
Happy New Year! We probably shouldn't say this, but we;re not too sad to see 2015 behind us! It was a good year for the most part, but God really stretched us as He worked in our hearts through new mercies that were completely unforeseen to us. We look forward to 2016, hoping and praying that maybe this is the year. We doubt we'll be able to travel to Ethiopia twice and bring home Judah in the next 361 days, but we are hopeful that we will have a referral by 2017. Of course, that's definitely a hope, and as we have learned over the past few years, nothing is guaranteed or set in stone in the world of adoption.
Read moreAdoption Update: Christmas 2015
A Hole of Hope
Merry Christmas! We must admit, this is one of the more difficult updates that we've written for our adoption. Today marks the two year anniversary of beginning the process of adopting from Ethiopia. We had high hopes that this would be the year we were able to announce that we're bringing our son home, or that we have a referral, or something. But this is not that update, and this is not that year.
Read moreWaiting List Update: August 2015
Get a paper bag, I'm starting to hyperventilate. We. Are. So. Close.
We are now #14 on the waiting list.
Read moreWaiting List Update: June 2015
With every passing month, these updates get more and more fun to write.
We are now #17 on the waiting list.
Read moreGiving Away my Birthday
You guys, the waiting list is moving FAST! We just found out that we are now #21!!!! That's literally insane! I don't even know what to do with myself. I just called my mom and she said, "Jessica, you're about to be a MOM and I'm about to be a GRANDMA!" Wow, things are getting real.
Read moreWaiting List Update
We are so excited to update everyone and tell you that we've officially moved to #24 on the waiting list! YAY!
Read moreAdoption is...
We are always getting asked by friends, family, strangers, etc. how the adoption is going. People are so kind and so caring, and we love that our journey has become a group effort so to speak. We love how involved our community is in our lives, and it is truly a blessing to us in every way!
Read moreOne Year - Hoping, Learning, & Waiting
Thanksgiving has come and gone. The halls are being decked. The trees have been trimmed. It's the same traditions that make their way into our lives every year, but this Christmas for the Morales family is much different. No, we don't have another stocking to hang from our mantle (except for Swanson's), and we're not shopping for baby clothes, but our hearts have been filled with love for a child we do not yet know, a culture we've never experienced, and the hope of our family to come.
Read moreWaiting List - an October Update
A little over a week ago, we sent off our dossier! It was a huge step for us, and we are so excited to announce that we are OFFICIALLY on the WAITING LIST!
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