Vaccinations

We got our vaccinations.....so can we get a referral now please? :)

We didn't technically need to get our vaccinations until closer to when we actually need to leave for Ethiopia. But, our current FSA account will run out at the end of May and we had just enough in there to go ahead and get them.

So we made an appointment at our local travel clinic, looked at current outbreaks in regions we expect to travel, and checked with the CDC and decided which vaccines we were going to get and which ones to skip.

Warren and I both opted for the pill form of the Typhoid vaccine as it lasts longer than the injection, was cheaper, and frankly I HATE needles. We will take that course of meds every other day for the next week. This course of meds will the most likely to have side effects such as nausea, fever, and overall blah feelings.

We also got a prescription for malaria pills that we start taking before we leave through a week after our return.  I need to check how long that rx is good before it has to be filled but we can always call if it expires before our trip (let's all pray that doesn't need to happen).

Those were the "easy" vaccinations, next we had to get shots for a few other diseases. There were three biggies that they recommended, Hepatitis A, Yellow Fever and Meningitis. I did not need the Meningitis because I had it prior to college. Warren's shot total - 3, Mine - 2

Finally we were given a rx for Cipro, an antibiotic. We can take it with us for the treatment of traveler's diarrhea or other issues due to parasites and take as needed.  

I'm not a fan of vaccines, there are ones I feel the risk really outweigh the benefits. But when traveling to a third world country and knowing I will travel outside of the developed cities and capital, I felt this was one of those times when the risk of the vaccine was worth it. 

As always, please pray for our child. That they will be cared for and loved and will come home to us soon. Pray for us in this wait. At times it's incredibly difficult to wait for what you know is going to be good. Finally, we still need the last 1/3 of the total adoption expenses. God has been so good to us and has provided every step of the way and I know that He will continue. 

One Year

So one year ago on Friday (18th), we began this life changing journey called adoption. It was a year ago that we answered our call to Ethiopia on our quest to care for orphans and "defend the fatherless"

We've come along way on our journey emotionally and spiritually. If asked a year ago I would have said we hope to have our wee one home by now, but obviously that was not the way it was suppose to work.

If asked today I would tell you we are praying big to simply have a picture of their sweet face by Christmas. But, obviously we would be over the moon if it were sooner!

Some days the wait is a hard pill to swallow! My whole life I've never wanted anything more than to be a Mama. Warren and I have tried to grow our family since the day we said "I Do" and sometimes it's really hard not to throw a pity party and ask "why me"?

So in our confidence that our adoption will continue moving at at least a steady pace, we got our vaccinations today! This event will receive it's own blog post so watch for it soon!

In the meantime, please continue to pray for our child, for us, and for our fundraising endeavors.

Monthly Update

Referrals have been super slow lately and we have been feeling really discouraged. But, just as we were losing faith and had resigned ourselves to move *maybe* one space this month we moved 3!!!

We are officially

I know that this seems like we are still so far away but seeing movement AND dropping into the 50's after being in the 60's for so long feels great!

How to specifically pray for us:

1) That next month there will be 9 (or more) referrals. I could use another emotional win of dropping into the 40's

2) We are trying to plan some additional fundraisers, pray that we will be directed toward ones that will help to raise needed funds AND raise awareness to the needs of orphans around the world

3) That we don't become so engrossed in the details of the adoption that we forget to make our marriage the top priority