Secrets Revealed

My friends - it's time for secrets to be revealed and if the new ticker above didn't already give it away, I would like to share with you that we have decided to pursue a simultaneous adoption. Without going into tons of details about logistics and permission, etc. - we have applied and have been approved to adopt from Ethiopia. We are requesting twins, and have asked for a boy and a girl. Because of the structure of the Ethiopian process, we are pretty sure our request will be met. (gulp!)

We are in no way stepping away from our adoption of Keira from China - but with the ever increasing wait, we simply had to take steps to pursue building our family while we wait. Otherwise, Keira was going to be an only child - and that was all the reality we needed to take action.

It is important to point out that we did not come to this decision lightly and we did take all the necessary steps to make sure we would not be removed from the China program, or lose our place "in line" as it were. We also made sure to find an Ethiopian agency willing to help us even though we were pursuing another adoption. All the homework was done in advance, and all the important bases were covered.

I also want to point out that we assume based on trends and the wait-time getting longer and longer, that we have a good year or more until our referral for Keira arrives. So sad to accept, but simply true. We made sure to choose an adoption process that would be the most friendly to our current China process and one that would cause the least amount of (if none at all) interruption - draw your own conclusions on the timeframe.

We are applying for two infants, as young as possible. They are typically infant stage leaving Ethiopia - there are very few toddlers available for adoption. A totally different experience to be sure.

I am happy to answer specific questions, so if you have one - feel free to post it and I'll do my best to answer if I can.

We are very proud and happy with our choice, and we have been very fortunate to have both sets of our parents offer their blessing for our decision. To be honest, we both (and our parents) had a moment of sadness - when you realize that Keira won't be the first child/grandchild home, as we planned. When you spend two years planning something and then the plan changes abruptly, it's kind of scary and it certainly takes getting used to. I had my moment where I cried in Keira's room - but then I just took a breath, squared my shoulders, and realized that God probably always intended for it to be this way. He knew she would be our "late-bloomer" and so he had us start the process when he did for a reason - he always knew it would take this long. Meanwhile, he's been working on both of our hearts for our children in Africa for quite some time. I could tell you the God-moments we've had leading to this choice, but it would take all night. Truly, this whole process has been inspired and we're just glad we're finally getting to walk through the doors He's opened.

I am sure many of you are open-mouthed! I can't emphasize enough how much we appreciate your support and friendship - and how much we love being a part of the amazing community of adoption. It has truly changed our lives! Just having my M3 Posse by my side during this decision making and knowing they've got my back with the whole "twins" prospect....YIKES....has made these past few weeks, even past couple years amazingly better and more bearable! I could not do it without all of them! My bloggy friends have sweetened the road even more...

We feel honored that God has placed this task ahead of us, and that He has designed our family specifically to be so diverse and blended. We both feel that God has given us the tools necessary to be adoptive parents, and that this path was chosen for us long before we even knew one another. Adoption has become such a big part of our lives and we are so glad that we were called down this path. Many times we think that, had the Lord chosen to give us biological children, we would never had walked this road - and then think that we could have missed this wonderful journey. These thoughts occur to us even before we have been able to experience the joy our children will bring.

It is our sincere hope that in your love and friendship, you will support our new journey with the same zeal that you have all shown on our journey to Keira Joy. We so need your prayers and support as we make our way through yet another adoption process, and this time for two! In the picture below - we were sending off our application for adoption. Stamped "Approved" officially as of today!

As so many of you already know, in the adoption process there are many variables and many things can change. From time to time, I may have to update our information - whether it is the wait time, delays, name changes, or gender changes - even whether or not God actually has twins in store for us - but I will make every effort to update as we walk this new road. We have all learned to take each day as it comes through our adoption journeys, and also to prepare ourselves that things can change all the time. Flexibility is key! Don't we all know it?!?!

As it turns out, if we do receive our request for twins, and we think we will - consider this: by the time our twins are about a year old, we will be going to get Keira from China . Because of the approximate age of babies referred from China - she will probably be about 10 months to a year. This equals virtual triplets for us! YIKES! Did I mention we would be needing lots of prayer?!?!

Love and hugs,
Christie & Anton
(and the future "triplets"? - gulp!)

PS - Don't forget to check out my new links to the left for Ethiopia and to take my poll above! Of course, there is a whole other community us "China Adopters" haven't even seen...it just never ceases to amaze me!