Big News

So. We have a secret. And it's big. Can you guess??

No, I'm not pregnant. But we are having another baby!

We've been sitting on this for a while now, telling only a few people while we started the planning. Basically, here's how it all got started: Ben and I have always wanted to adopt. We want {at least} four children, but we're also realistic: with my diabetes and then also my fertility issues, having kids puts a serious strain on my body. {Don't get me wrong, we totally intend on trying for more biological kids.} So we've always known that at least one {maybe more} of our children would be adopted, we'd just always thought that it would be our third or youngest child. Flash forward to June 3. One of the couples in our small group mentions that their niece is pregnant and is thinking about adoption. Half-serious, half-joking, I tell them, "I'll take the baby." That following Sunday I received a phone call from the couple asking if I was serious! Of course, after talking with Ben {who, at the time of the phone call, was on a plane to CO!} and praying about it, we agreed that we were very interested.

Over the course of the rest of the month, phone calls were made and information was shared and the weekend before we left California, we finally spoke with the Birth Mom over the phone for the first time. I seriously was on the verge of tears while we were talking - here is this young girl making the ultimate sacrifice and the ultimate act of love: giving up her baby. I simply couldn't imagine. And yet, she was so excited to talk with us, maybe even as much as we were to talk with her.

We've spoken with her several times since then, and she even called us while we were house-hunting in Abilene to let us know that the baby is a boy! We're thrilled beyond measure that Noah is going to have a brother so close in age. We've retained a lawyer and are now in the process of getting everything together for the home study. I know we're doing this a little bit backwards to the way that most people experience adoptions, but since we see God's fingerprints all over the situation, who are we to question it?

I'm not really sure what other information to share, except that we are so excited and already ready to meet the little guy. He's due November 25. We do covet your prayers - prayers for our dear Birth Mom, for the sweet little boy that she is carrying, for our legal team, and of course, for us.