Bad News Bears

So it looks like we won't be traveling in December after all. None of the families that had court today passed. What this means is that they will be traveling in our spot and we will get bumped into January because of holidays and such.

We're trying to process this but feel very numb right now. Another Christmas without Micah, his first Christmas.

There's still hope so please pray that God will move mountains. We know He can if he wishes. We are holding onto Psalm 138:7-8 tonight. God will preserve us and see us through this trial.

But, boy does this hurt.

Kim, Chad and Devon

Still waiting...

Friends and Family,
We are anxiously waiting to see new pictures of our son. We expect them sometime within the next few days, most likely Sunday or Monday. The wonderful Lusse and Schmidt families have been taking pictures of the kiddos in Ethiopia, including Micah. We are so excited to see our son, new and improved after much love and fattening up!

Please keep us all in your prayers. There have been some mix-up's with paperwork at court in ET causing many families not to pass court. This means that their travel dates will be similar to ours. As a result, there is a chance we could get bumped to traveling in January, not December. This would be heartbreaking for us as we so long to spend Christmas as a whole family. This journey has been a spiritual battle full of highs and lows. Please pray for peace and contentment at both ends of the spectrum.

Kim

Micah is SMILING!

Ok, I am going to burst as I type this! The Lusse family, amazing and wonderful Dietrich and Amy, held Micah and took lots of pictures of him yesterday. They even wrote about him on their blog so that we could know a bit more about our kids! Here's what they said aboug little peanut:

"Kimberly & Chad Kulp: We got some great pics of your little guy. Dietrich held him for a long time and got him to smile quite a bit. He is so sweet and cute. He has a very intense face and is so yummy to hold!"


Micah is SMILING! We are so excited to hear news about our son and to know that he is being cared for and loved on by friends!

Chad's response to this was "Sure, dangle the carrot (pictures) and then make us wait a week to eat it!!" We are DYING to see these photos!

Man oh man there's going to be lots of screaming and joy in our house next week when we finally get to see our "YUMMY" little peanut!

Kim

PICTURES!!

So, we just found out via the Schmidt blog (their Gotcha day was today!) that the Lusse family took over 700 pictures at the transitional home! WOW!

It's going to rain pictures of Micah next week! If only I could speed up time...

They must have held our little peanut today. This both excites and saddens me. To know that he is being loved on by my friends is wonderful. To know that they held him first is a bit sad for me.

I can't wait to talk to them when they return and get a full report. Oooh, maybe they'll have VIDEO!!!

Kim

4 weeks ago today...

Yep, that's right! It's been four weeks since we received Micah's referral. The days are long but the month has flown by. Does that make any sense?

We are itching for pictures and an update on our little man. We'd love to know how much he weighs, what he likes and dislikes, his eating habits, etc. We have heard a whole lot of NOTHING from the adoption agency and transitional home. This is the toughest part so far (see posts from earlier this week- Seriously!).

Devon prays for his "Baby Brudher" at every meal and when he thinks about it. He even asked me this morning if he could see him. When I showed him Micah's picture he replied "No, Mommy. I want to go get him!"

Me too, little man, me too...

To our Micah, we can't wait to meet you little peanut! I've taken to calling you that as in my head you are so small. Perhaps your a big boy now and I'll get to call you buddha #2 just like your big brother Devon! We don't even know you and haven't met you yet but we miss you so much!

We're a comin' Peanut...not soon enough for your Mommy's heart, though!

Families Traveling Today!!!

Please pray for the following families as they travel today: Schmidt, Wempe, Van Wetten, Redfern, Lusse. They are going to bring their little ones home. I can't wait to see the videos and pictures of gotcha days! Many of these women have been wonderfully encouraging to me during this process on our yahoo group.

Please pray extra hard for the Van Wetten family who has 2 children waiting but will only be able to bring home their younger child. They will work hard to petition the courts while they are there to bring their older daughter home as well.

What does this mean for us? Well, as we have been languishing in 1 picture land, we will be FLOODED with pictures and video (hopefully) next week!

Oh, we can't wait to see his little face in a new position, new outfit, new cheeks, new anything! I can't do any more memorizing of his referral photo as it is seared in my brain!

Kim

Another High, Another Low- God's Response

"...and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday."

We are spent but trusting that God will raise us up into His light.

Thanks Jen Sloniger,
Kim

Seriously?

I keep thinking of that Gray's Anatomy add where the characters keep repeating, with extreme aggravation, "Seriously!?!"

That's how we feel. We've been on this journey for over 18 months now. The estimated time when we started was 6-12 months. We're at 18. Seriously?!?

We have not received an update regarding Micah in what seems like forever and are feeling so down and detached from our son. It's unexpected and frustrating. It's been 4 weeks on Friday. Seriously?!?

We found out recently that ALL families, except us and 1 other family, received at least 2 pictures upon referral. We have been staring at ONE. That's right, I said ONE. Seriously!?!

Our agency refuses to break down our in country costs for us. There's one big, let's be real HUGE, number for in country costs with no explanation and no hope of appeal. SERIOUSLY?!?

We are WAITING on so MUCH and in control of NOTHING.

SERIOUSLY?!?

Our friends and family are so OVER this process that there's really no one to talk to. SERIOUSLY! If we voice our frustration, we're either not being faithful or too dramatic. If we hold it in our marriage and family life begins to feel the strain like a submarine filling with water. Our nuts and bolts are shooting every which way. SERIOUSLY!!!

There's obviously much to pray for, including our attitudes.

I know, I know, God is in control and, as Pastor Mel would say, I'm just being stupid in my non- sovereign, stubborn, human way. You don't need to point it out. I know I couldn't do better even if I were God, which I am not. But, SERIOUSLY?!? :0)

Reflection on Grace and Sorrow

Hello All~
This has been a week of reflection and sorrow for our family. We passed an important birthday this week, one that always brings Chad and I down and makes us thankful for those we have but scared as well. Chad's beautiful little sister Alana would have turned 22 last Wednesday, October 15th. Most of you know that she died in a drunk driving accident in 2004 on July 4th.

I confess I was dreading this date since the beginning of October because it usually puts me in a real funk. However, as I was driving home from school on Wednesday, I realized that this year I wasn't heartbroken as I usually am. This year I felt sad and missed her dearly, yes, but I also felt an overwhelming since of thankfulness for the life that God has given us since this horrible tragedy. We have two beautiful sons, wonderful family, an amazing church family, and so many other material blessings.

On Saturday our family celebrated the marriage of Chad's mom, Joanne, to a great man, Wayne. I watched Chad, Derek, and Joanne all interact with friends, laugh, smile, and rejoice as a family. I was brought to tears as I realized that God has finally given this broken family what we asked for all along, peace. He has provided us a sense of peace and comfort that we didn't believe was possible.

Does this mean we do not have profound sorrow over the loss, that we don't miss her so much it physically hurts? No. We all feel a hole in our lives that will never be filled. There is a brokenness within us that has left each of us with a sorrow-limp that will never quite heal.

But, we have found JOY in this life without Alana Joy. This is so unexpected and unnatural that it must be heaven sent.

Who is like our God who can comfort the brokenhearted and bring them to a place of rest and peace? Who is like our God who can connect families from across the world? Who is like our God who can mend relationships and grow love in hearts where only dessert sand remained?


Thank you, dear Lord, for the peace and comfort you have given, for the journey to Joy, valley, rocks, sorrow and all, for we never would have known your power, your peace, your presence without this journey.

Court Date and Travel Update

Dear Family and Friends,
So, today is a great day in adoption land! ALL 5 families that had court dates today (while we were sleeping) PASSED. The photos of babies are so precious. This is great news for us as most of the babies were infant boys meaning our agency knows what their doing! We are more confident now that we will pass court when it is our turn.

Yesterday we were sent the travel information packet but NO court dates. Meanwhile, families that received referrals ahead of us were placed in the first December group. What this means is that we will most likely travel in the second December travel group the week before Christmas! We will probably return home on the Sunday before Christmas just in time to share all our germs with family at holiday dinners! ;0) Just kidding. We will most likely quarantine ourselves in the house until we know everyone is healthy.

We have not received an update or more pictures of Micah. We are stuck with just the 1 picture and DYING for more. Praying for him daily has connected our hear to his but we are still feeling out of the loop and saddened that so many people know more about him than we do. We'd really like to hear something this week but know that most updates come at the month mark. We hit three weeks from referral tomorrow. In the mean time, we are decorating his room, finding bottles and clothing, and packing, packing, packing!

Please continue to pray that we receive a court date and that Micah will grow healthy and strong while waiting for his Mommy and Daddy to come and get him.

Hopefully we will have more to report next week!

Kim

Our Father's Heart

Hey All,
God has really broken me over the past weeks and shown me His love and
truth in such a real way. Each time I have prayed that He would find
me under the rubble of emotions and lift me out, He has. This morning
He has brought me to this passage and a new realization that has given
me such encouragement.

"As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; and you will
be comforted over Jerusalem. When you see this, your heart will
rejoice and you will flourish like grass and the hand of the Lord will
be made known to His servants." Isaiah 66: 13-14

Ya'll, Our God has the heart of a MOTHER! We are made in His image,
including the Mommy heart that we have for our children. If we
acknowledge this, He will be our comfort and we will flourish and
rejoice in what he is doing for our hearts and our children. HIS HAND
is on each child and cares for them in the BEST way, in a way that we
can't.

I am resting in my God today as I know His Mommy heart is the best place for my Micah. He is watching him grow and providing nourishment. Soon I will see Micah and witness first hand the amazing work of my Father in Micah's life. Then my SPIRIT will flourish like grass under the hand of our Lord.

Be Blessed!

Kim

Thankfulness

Hey All~
We have been so rocked the past 2 days by the news of precious Etsy's death. It's been tough to stay connected to Micah when we feel so distant and when there are so many unknowns. A wise spiritual mother challenged me to be thankful, to return to what I KNOW, and praise God for this. So, here's my list.

~I am thankful for a God who does not give up on His children, even when they make the same stupid mistakes over and over again, even when they forget the power of His love.
~I am thankful for a God who LOVES me enough to trust me with children and to teach me through them.
~I am thankful for a God who LOVES me enough to give up His own child for me, even when I forget His love for me.
~For King David and his Psalms which are balm to my wounds.
~I am thankful for the love of a husband who continues to love me when I overreact, am overemotional and prideful, and generally acting crazy ;0)! I love you Chad.
~I am thankful for the love of a child who, when he sees his Mommy crying, runs both hands down my face (the WHOLE hand) and says "Sss alright, Mommy. Don't cry!" and then tucks his arms into my chest and ROCK ROCKS ME!
~I am thankful for a SON, Micah, in Ethiopia who is challenging me already, who is requiring me to grow in ways I don't want, and who is waiting for me to be his mommy.
~I am thankful for wonderful family, friends and spiritual mothers who validate my feelings and then gently remind me of what is TRUE despite of them.
~I am thankful for chocolate, red wine, popcorn, and a husband who doesn't care if I get fat! ;0) I REALLY love you Chad!
~I am thankful for these trials as I know they will make me into the woman God wants and my children and husband need. This has proved true before and will be proved true again if I let myself see the beauty in each ounce of sorrow.

Thankfulness is what God requires and is what is best for our souls. What are you thankful for today?

Kim

Sad, Sad News and WORRY!

Family and Friends,
It's so hard to write these words as tears are streaming down my face. Another family has lost their dear baby girl to pneumonia in Ethiopia.

Please pray for the Forrest family, for comfort and consolation. You can see pictures of their beautiful baby girl at http://www.ethihopeia.com/blog/blog.html

Please PRAY PRAY PRAY for this family and also for Micah and all of the other children in the Transitional Home and orphanages. These are the moments that make me feel crazy, like I can't take the unknowns any more! My momma heart is so worried for my son...

Kim

Baby Brudher- Devon Speak

So, Devon is IN LOVE with his "Baby Brudher"s picture, much like his mommy and daddy. It's really the sweetest thing. Every time he sees Micah's picture, he shouts "Mommy, it's baby Brudher!" Then, when you ask him if he wants to bring Micah home, he respectfully replies "Um, No thanks!" ;0)

Today, Devon was in Micah's room sitting on top of the roll of carpet that has yet to be installed (Arg!). I called him into his room to get dressed for school. This is how the conversation went.

Me: Devon come here please, it's time to get dressed.

Devon: No Mommy.

Me: Devon, are you obeying? Come here now please and don't tell mommy no.

Devon: Mommy, I'm just sitting in Africa!

Me: Huh?

Devon: Mommy, I'm in Africa!! Come sit in Africa with me!

SOOOOO PRECIOUS! I love ALL of my boys.

Ode to Laura G.

Hey All,
I just wanted to say that Laura G. is my HERO! We started packing donations last night and her donations alone fill an entire HUGE suitcase. I am not kidding, Ya'll. Her heart is so big!

Laura, I can't wait to show you the pictures of all the little kids in the clothing you saved reading the books you donated! You have made such a difference!

Kim

Micah Health Update and Court's Open!

Dearests,
We received an email this week (after much pushing and a bit of arm twisting) informing us of Micah's intake (when he got to the transitional home) weight, referral weight, and current weight. While I can't divulge the details, he is gaining roughly 1 ounce a day and has almost doubled his intake weight. If you only knew how small our little man was at 3 months! I am talking preemie size!

This means that he is thriving! He is not, however, gaining catch-up weight as the doctor would like him to, meaning he isn't making up for lost time. We're not too worried about this, however, as we are experts at fattening up babies (did you all SEE Devon as a baby? There's a reason we called him Buddha!)

The other great news is that Court has opened and seems to be running smoothly! We have a conference call tomorrow at 2 to update referral families on current goings on and travel plans. Hopefully we will find out that the 7 families that had court dates today have passed and that we are moving up on the court date list!

Please pray for the following:
-HEALTH and well being- that Micah will continue to grow, grow, grow and stay healthy. Some children have upper resperatory infections and we do not want Micah to be sick!
-COURT DATE!!! Pray that we receive a court date in November so that, if we pass court, we are sure to travel in December before Christmas. This is so important as it will give us the much needed time off to adjst to Micah because of school being out and Chad's holiday schedule.
- PATIENCE! We are itching to go and get him. Even Cool Cucumber Chad is starting to get a little edgy! But, we also know that God will not keep our child in Ethiopia one minute longer than He desires!

We love you all and can't wait to share our court date with you! Thank you for your prayers and love during this LONG journey.

Kim

For Our Son Micah

Oh Little One! Mommy and Daddy are so eager to see you, to kiss you, to hold you. You have been our heart's desire for 2 years. God has finally wound our paths together and we are overjoyed at His plans! We cry tears of joy over your story unfolding before our eyes. What a blessing, what a joy!

Waiting for you is so hard (Mommy has gained 5 pounds!) but so rewarding. Each day our love for you grows as does our anticipation. Your big brother asks about you each day. He is so ready to meet you and kiss your sweet face.
We painted your room this weekend, Micah. Daddy and I stood in the middle and couldn't help but smile and cry at seeing our dream finally coming to life. You, sweet little man, are our dream. Before we saw you we dreamed of your face. Now we dream of seeing you and holding you, seeing you in our sweet arms.

Joy-boy we are waiting to bring you home, to fill you to the brim with love! So many tell us how blessed you are to be given a home with us. Each time we smile and think, "no, oh no, WE ARE BLESSED!"

Waiting for you...
Mommy, Daddy, and Devon

Where oh where have our bottles gone?

It's 2:51 on Saturday afternoon, Devon is at Mimi's (his preferred residence, my Mom's) and we are neck deep in BABY. It's been a while my friends and boy are we realizing how much space and time this is going to take.

We purposely decided not to decorate the baby's room as it would help us with the wait after we received a referral. This is true, we are VERY busy and haven't started to feel the "I want my baby blues" yet, well at least not too strongly. ;0)

However, what this does mean is we are frantically trying to sort clothing, find bottles, make lists, paint, decorate, finish the basement, etc. while working and managing our general state of chaos. All this adds up to CRAZY MOM and project-mode Daddy.

Ahh, the joys of parenthood by proxy!

Kim

What's Next? Getting Ready and COLLECTING DONATIONS

Hello All!
Well, we are finally starting to get ready for baby Micah! I spoke with our social worker yesterday and was told to expect to travel in 12 weeks. That's only 3 months! Between getting ready, work, and family life, time is going to fly by! So, here's what we need to do and how you can help.

• Meet with travel doctor to review Micah's referral and discuss post travel protocol given his size.
  
• Finish 1 room in the basement so that we can move everything out of Micah's nursery, our current guest/dump room.
• Decorate nursery including paint, set up, go through clothing, etc.
• Get medical reports and vaccines updated. We need to get typhoid, hepatitis, and tetnus (possibly yellow fever). Kim needs new glasses and Devon needs his boosters as well.
  
• SAVE $$$ FOR TRAVEL! Travel costs have increased exponentially because of oil costs. A plane ticket that once cost 1000$ now costs 1700$. This is really going to cut into our finances and adoption savings.
• Begin packing as we are switching closets over. We will be traveling to summer during winter! We need to keep this in mind as we shift our clothing.
  

How can you help? Micah comes from an EXTREMELY POOR orphanage that has "nothing really" according to our social worker Duni. We would like to take the following items to boost the children's health.

• Formula- you can give money or donate formula. We will take it out of its can and put it in a ziploc bag with the instructions.
• VITAMINS! These kids need vitamins. We are hoping to take Plyvisol and older kid gummy vitamins.
• Older children clothing. We have baby-2T but need clothing for older kids.
• Soap, anti-bacterial hand wash, lotions, wipes, etc.
• WE DO NOT NEED DIAPERS- they use cloth diapers at this orphanage.

Please pray for us! As you pray, consider if God is leading you to donate to this WORTHY cause. As we have always said, we have been so blessed with the funds to complete this adoption on our own and with the help of our family. ALL donations will benefit the children who so desperately need it.

Much Love and EXCITEMENT!
Kim