Our most recent baby, Andrew, is now 5 months old and growing bigger (and less baby-like, Boo Hoo) every day! He is also adopted from our favorite adoption agency, Christian Home and Family Services of Abilene Texas (www.christianhomes.com ). It took us 18 months to get John in 2003, and only 6 months to get Thomas in 2004, so we weren't sure how long of a wait it would be for this baby.

On one hand, we knew that race/culture wasn't an issue (we already have babies of several different ethnic backgrounds in our family), and that this would help us to be chosen by a birthmom looking for a culture like her own in which to place her baby. On the other hand, any birthmom that chose us would have to be someone who wanted lots of siblings for her baby. We were content to let God decide who and when we would be called, since He was the One putting this desire to adopt in our hearts again.

After seven months, we received an email from our worker about a possible placement the week of Mardi Gras (Feb. 5, 2008 this year). The baby was due on Feb. 11 and the birthmom had narrowed her choices to one of three families! Eeek! I spent the entire week of Mardi Gras vacation "nesting" and making tentative travel plans, in case we were chosen. I jumped every time the phone rang and I hated to step outside the house in case we got a call! And then...nothing. No call. Not even a call from our agency letting us off the hook. By Friday afternoon, I called the worker myself and got the news that we were not chosen.

Even though I knew that God had an even better plan for us, I was so unhappy. Even though I have a house full of children whom I adore, I was upset. And I wasted my whole vacation getting ready for nuthin'! ..............hmmm................God used this time to "give me a talkin' to" about appreciating what I have and whom I have already been given to love and cherish. Ok, Lord. Got it. Lost my focus on You for a minute...deep, calming breath... Ready. And then the phone rang.

I got a call at school about another potential placement. Unlike our other infant adoptions (placement at 2 days old and 5 days old), this baby was already 5 weeks old. And also unlike our other three open adoptions, his birthmom did not want any contact with us at all. She loved her baby and wanted to place him with a good family, but she could not handle seeing him with us after the placement. The agency actually chose us to be Andrew's parents, and get this... He was born on Feb. 15, four days after the other baby I prepared for over the Mardi Gras holidays! God definitely knew what He was doing, I just needed a little more faith!

We traveled to Abilene to get Andrew in March, and were there almost two weeks waiting for paperwork to clear. My wonderful mom (Grandma to everyone else!) stayed with Zach, John, Thomas, and Mary Clare in LA! we will be heading back to Abilene in about another month to finalize Andrew's adoption (LA law requires adoptive parents to be monitored by a Social Worker for 6 months prior to final adoption). We choose to go back for to TX to finalize for two reasons: 1) It's a lot quicker than waiting on anything in the LA court system and 2) It gives us another chance to see our adoption worker friends and (usually, but not this time) the birthmom and her family.

And thus ends the ramblings about my babies. But I'd love to have some more...!