He is Ours!!!

1 Application to America World Adoption Association

3 Home Visits with a Social Worker

2 Autobiographies

2 State and FBI Background Checks

2 Fingerprinting Appointments
3 Letters of Reference

10 Hours Online Adoption Training

1 Adoptive Parent Reading Agreement

4 Physical Exams

1 USCIS Approval Letter

1 Completed Dossier

1 Bedroom Swap

26 Immunizations including 4 Yellow Fever and 4 Typhoid shots

1 Rainy Season

10 Day Trip to Ethiopia for Four

6 Care Packages

10 Court Dates

Months of Anticipation

Countless Prayers

1 Court Approval!!!

ONE BELOVED NEW SON!!

Trey Chalew Davidson

Flowers for Korah

Monday night and Tuesday morning brought the St. Louis area three whole inches of snow.  While is seems a little crazy to a girl from North Iowa, in Missouri that means school is closed for a snow day!   I love snow days and still feel the childhood excitement of an unexpected day off. 

I had just read a post by bloggy mom Kari Gibson about her upcoming mission trip to Ethiopia with Visiting Orphans.  In February, she is hoping to deliver pretty headbands to all of the little girls living in the village of Korah, and was looking for some crafty friends to help her out.  Samantha and I loved this idea and we decided to spend our day off making some colorful creations to send Kari's way.

Here's what we came up with.  We purchased silk flowers in bunches at the local craft store.  After removing the stems and taking the flower apart, we reassembled the bloom using a quick swirl of hot glue between each layer.  Samantha filled bottle caps with sparkly little beads and Mod Podge and attached them to the center of each flower.  Once dry, we attached an alligator clip to the back of each so they can be worn like a barrette or clipped onto a headband.  Very cute and so simple!!

If you're feeling a little crafty and would like to send a donation to Kari, or would like to learn more about her upcoming trip, you can visit her blog at 

My Crazy Adoption. 

Here is a short documentary about the children and families that live in Korah.  If you haven't seen this already, I promise it is worth your four minutes and has the potential to impact you for a lifetime.

The Roller Coaster

I have put off this blog post for too long now. It's not because we don't have any news. It's because it's not the news we want to share. I want to write that we have passed court, that our embassy appointment has been scheduled, and we are booking tickets to bring our son home. However, we have not passed court and are scheduled for court date #8 on January 10. It all has to do with missing paperwork, overbooked court dates, and a last minute vacation by the judge. Blah, blah, blah.

It is very boring news to report. The experience, however, is a bit of a roller coaster. While court is taking place in Ethiopia on the other side of the world, we are sound asleep - or at least we should be! The night of each court date, I wake multiple times wondering if our case has been reviewed yet. Once I've decided enough is enough, I get out of bed, make the coffee, and start waiting for the phone to ring. I pace around the house making nervous conversation - usually with myself - and constantly glance at the clock. I take breaks every five minutes and search Facebook for updates from other adoption families who are also waiting on news. This is my routine on court day.  Eventually, a call from the 703 area code shows up on caller ID. Each time I blurt out an obnoxious "Hello!!" in hopes that my enthusiasm will have some influence on the news I am about to receive. Obviously, every call so far has been a let down and I have recently started having visions of someday sending our son care packages full of deodorant, shaving cream, and beef jerky.

With a little effort, the disappointment is short-lived. I remind myself that many people have said many prayers over this adoption.  I remind myself that we have put this adoption in God's hands and that we should enjoy the ride.  We refocus on the prize and put a new date on the calendar to look forward to, knowing that a successful court date could be right around the corner.   The anticipation, though, is unavoidable.  After all, there are only 5,760 minutes until our next court date.