Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby Girl!

My little D turned six today. Under most circumstances, this would have been a hard day for me. But God is so faithful! Today, on her birthday, my attorneys received all my paperwork and will be filing for a court date tomorrow! My attorneys are expecting a mid-February date. I would welcome any prayers for God's favor on which judge I will be assigned to, as some judges look more favorably on international adoption than others.

Then, my dear friend Lynne was able to send me new photos of little D. These were taken this morning...just hours before I had them in my inbox! She looks so happy, so healthy! Lynne brought her a cake and then delivered my gifts to her. She's wearing the dress I sent (a little big, so I guess I need to go shopping for a few smaller items!), and holding the bunny I bought for her. Talk about making my day!!

My sweet baby girl's birthday was the best day in this whole process so far! Isn't God so wonderful!

FedEx and Fasting

My documents are at the FedEx office!!! I was so surprised at the overwhelming emotions I felt once I walked away from that box. The lady behind the counter thought I was a little strange...staggered breathing, shaky hands, and nervous chatter. Not to mention that I'm sure she could see my heart pounding out of my chest, too! The package is scheduled to arrive at my attorney's office in Uganda on Tuesday. Tuesday! As in 5 days from now. And that is when the magic happens....they can apply for my court date! Wow...makes me a little woozy.

Meanwhile, my new friend Keltie is in Canada waiting for visas for her Ugandan children. We're going to pray and fast (breakfast and lunch) tomorrow for all of the Canadian families who are waiting. You can read more on Keltie's blog, Mercy Moi (the link is in the right hand column). Anyone want to join in and see what God wants to do? It's such a blessing to be part of God's work!

Good News and Bad News

Let's start with the bad, because it was really bad, but it's getting better. I was informed on Monday morning that Little D was in the hospital with malaria. Needless to say, I was pretty emotional...still am, actually. She was on an I.V. and stayed overnight in the hospital, but was discharged and seems to be doing better. Godfrey emailed to say she was playing when he got to her house last night! The important thing now is to make sure D gets lots of rest and enough fluids and nutrition to keep her strong. Her living situation is not very conducive to that, so please continue to pray for her! I am thankful to serve a God Who cares for the sparrows...so how much more does He care for this innocent little one?

Now the good news is that I just got off the phone with the Los Angeles U.S. Immigration office, and they told me that they approved my I-600a application! I should receive the long-awaited I-171H in 4-5 days! Yahoo!

I'm going to be mailing all my documents to Uganda, bathed in prayer. I would love, love, love to be in Uganda the same time as my sweet friend Keltie, when she goes to pick up her kids! Her wait makes mine look like a walk in the park.

My attorneys emailed today to tell me that Little D has her passport! They are completely paperwork-ready on the Ugandan side. Wow.

Puts a few butterflies in my tummy!

And yes, I know those are dragonflies...but you get the point!

Finally!

An officer at US Immigration was kind enough to fax me a corrected copy of my paperwork so that I could get fingerprinted today. Yippee!! She also called twice to verify that I'd received it, and to let me know she had reviewed my application and everything looked good. Now they are just waiting on the fingerprints! What a happy day!

And on another happy note, my sisters are planning a shower for me on February 6. Such fun! I went and registered for all sorts of cute and practical things that Little D will need when she gets here. My teacher friends at school have asked to shower me, too, as well as my college girlfriends. Kind of overwhelming!! After all the showers I have been blessed to hostess, I can't believe it is finally my turn to be on the receiving end. It feels surreal...