Joy to the World!

The JOY of the season has made me a bad, bad blogger (Can you use joy and bad in the same sentence?!). Anyways, I've been absent from the blogosphere because December has been a very eventful month. Let me show you what we've been up to...

Decorating!

We even decorated the tree twice :-) After the first decoration, it fell to the floor by way of my head :-( This is the finished product...the second time around.

Wrapping, wrapping, and more wrapping!

Turning the big 3-0!

My reaction when opening my birthday gift from Jeff...a Petunia Pickle Bottom bag to hold all of Baby E's things! (when he or she arrives :-)

Playing in the snow!


And most importantly, celebrating the Advent and Christ's birthday!

My thoughts of Advent this year are frequent and heartfelt. Thinking of Mary and the many emotions she must have experienced during the wait of the arrival of her Son, has yielded personal reflection and in turn, has given me strength. The circumstances surrounding Christ's birth~well, let's just say~ were less than perfect. Yet in the midst of worry, confusion, fatigue, and fear ~Mary and Joseph trusted, and their faith was truly amazing and inspirational. The miraculous Christmas story reminds me that the most wonderful blessings come from up above and are often the result of enduring hope and faith.

Not a day goes by when I don't think of Baby E,and often my heart aches with an indescribable longing to know and hold our baby that may~or may not be~born into this world yet. And on those days when I begin to feel worried about his/her well-being, sad for his/her birth family, or weary of the long wait until Baby E is in our arms~ I am reminded by the Holy Spirit to trust and hope. For Baby E is in God's hands~the Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. And although the circumstances surrounding Baby's E birth may not be perfect, they were destined to happen this way and we will rejoice in His plan. So "Joy to the World!" From North Carolina to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia....let earth receive her King!

Thankful

Thanksgiving took on a whole new meaning this year. Perhaps it's because this may be our last Thanksgiving as a family of 2. Perhaps it's because the blessing of becoming parents is closer than ever before. Perhaps it's because of the immense amount of God's grace that has sustained us this past year. I think it's all of these things...and for these things, I am grateful. I am also grateful for the peace God has granted us on this road to parenthood. I am grateful for our marriage and how our journey to Baby E has strengthened our love for one another more than we could ever imagine. And most of all, I am grateful for the gift of family, for it is truly that...a gift.

Jeff's family came to visit us this Thanksgiving, and we celebrated twice in one week with two very different meals! In honor of Baby E, we had dinner Wednesday night at a local Ethiopian restaurant, before our traditional Thanksgiving meal on Thursday. Baby E's Grandma, Pop, and Uncle Trent enjoyed the many wonderful tastes of Ethiopian cuisine~including Injera, Yedoro watt, and Minchetabish. (More info to come on the fantastic flavors of Ethiopia, as well as the fun way it is eaten! You can get a glimpse of it here :-)


Of course we topped it off with the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. It is so very yummy...even Grandma (who dislikes all coffee) tried it!

And while we are on the topic of thanking, I'd like to thank Grandma Nix for Baby E's cute new burp cloth that she made. Who says you can't receive monogrammed gifts before you have an official name?!

Glad We Chose Gladney

November is National Adoption Month, so in the spirit of celebrating adoption I'd like to spotlight our agency, Gladney, and how wonderful they have been. We were initially drawn to our agency for their strong traditions and dedication to the adoption cause, both domestically and internationally. Gladney is truly a pioneer and has been working for over 120 years to support children, adoptive families, and birth parents. Their heritage is very interesting, which you can read more about here. In addition to their rich history, we were also drawn to their supportive nature, which has not only been evident in the beginning stages of the adoption process but will continue long after we bring Baby E home. We have joined our local Gladney Family Association (GFA) and are looking forward to growing even closer to our Gladney family. We recently attended a GFA event in Raleigh where we met several wonderful Gladney families and also had conversations with Gladney's President, Frank Garrott, who flew in from Texas. It was very encouraging to hear first-hand information about the future of Gladney, specifically their vision of continuing humanitarian aid all around the world for years to come.

With Gladney's President, October 2009

In support of our agency and National Adoption Month, please remember Gladney if you happen to purchase items next weekend at Barnes & Noble. Present this flyer or mention the code 1007 6420, and proceeds from the sale will be donated to Gladney. Happy shopping!

Defend the Cause of the Fatherless: Orphan Sunday 2009

Orphan Sunday from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

If you are home this Sunday afternoon from 4-6pm (central time) and have access to a computer, I encourage you to tune in (via webcast) to what promises to be an amazing event. LIVE from Nashville! will feature special music by Stephen Curtis Chapman and the Children of the World Choir, as well as special guest speakers Jim Daly and Dennis Rainey, among others. The hope is to reach the nation with God's call to care for orphans. The event is sponsored by the Cry of the Orphan Awareness Campaign, which enables organizations from around the world to join forces and make a difference in the fight against a problem that is too big for any one person or organization to solve. Click here to find out more about the event and campaign.

Sweet Home Alabama

It was good for my soul to go home a few weeks ago. Living eight hours away from family and close friends means I only get to visit with them a few times per year...which makes each visit that much sweeter!
2009 means that my close group of friends (including myself in a couple of weeks!) turns the big 3-0! Brooke (aka Babbs) was the first to enter this new decade. It was so wonderful to have lunch with her and celebrate her special day. Equally as wonderful was meeting her precious son, Sawyer, who recently celebrated his first birthday! Brooke is such an incredible mama who inspires me in so many ways. I can't wait for Baby E to meet Sawyer!


Nancy was next to bite the dust, and we celebrated her 30th birthday with a wonderful dinner. We also celebrated motherhood, as Nancy is expecting her first baby in April. By our calculations (and intuition!), we think our babies will be very close in age. What an amazing gift to experience this journey into motherhood with my best friend! I'm really looking forward to Baby T and Baby E growing up together!

Another great addition to my weekend at home was having dinner with a friend I haven't seen in maybe seven years! Although we've been in touch through various forms of communication over the years, we couldn't really remember the last time we actually saw one another--but we think it may have been my wedding day! Kelly Sprayberry Akers is such a dear friend to me and I loved reconnecting with her. While we grew up in the same town, we were not in the same grade so we only attended the same school for two years during high school and two years during college. However, I have such great memories with her outside of school--particularly from church and piano lessons/recitals. As adoptive parents themselves, Kelly and her husband, Ryan, have a HUGE heart for adoption and speak beautifully of the reflection it can be of Christ's love and adoption of us, His children. Kelly has been such an encouragement and inspiration to me throughout this process, and I look forward to growing even closer throughout the years.

(Imagine a picture of me and Kelly here....I did take my camera to dinner, but we were so engrossed in conversation that I forgot about taking the pic!)

And nothing tops spending quality time with my family. Whether it's playing games with Marlee and Maggie, listening to Granddaddy Joe's stories, or the sweet moment of the family blessing when we all come together around the table...I am so grateful for each and every moment I spend with my parents, my grandparents, my brother and sister-in-law, and my precious nieces. Baby E is in for a blessing!


And a fall weekend in Alabama would not be complete without a football game at Bryant Denny stadium! Jeff and I had a great day in Tuscaloosa visiting our alma mater, tailgaiting on the Quad, and witnessing another Crimson Tide victory! Baby E, get ready to say "Roll Tide!"


***As of today we've been on the wait list for our referral for 2 months already! Where does the time go?! I don't know, but that just means in 5 or 6 months, we will see our baby for the first time (via pictures)!***

A Wonderful Gift

Last week, my sweet Granddaddy Joe gave me one of the best gifts I have ever received...and I found out that he has a hidden talent that may not be so hidden anymore!
Recently, my hometown held a Celebrity Auction and Concert as a fundraiser for our local museum and arts center. A few months ago, over 30 "local celebrities" and Alabama artists teamed up to paint original artwork to be auctioned off at the event. Many of you will not be surprised that my Granddaddy Joe was asked to be one of the "celebrities," thus he has been working with a local artist for months on a watercolor painting. He told me about this venture a few weeks ago when he informed me that the picture he chose to paint was a beautiful scene from Africa-- from a photograph taken of the Serengeti in Kenya by a missionary from his church. I thought it was so neat that Granddaddy was revisiting an old interest of his (turns out, he was quite the artist back in the day!) and that he was painting a scene from Baby E's homeland! However, when I found out the painting was to be auctioned off, I was bummed that I wasn't going to get to see it-- yet so proud of my Granddaddy and the work that he was doing.

Last week Jeff and I went home to Alabama for a few days (more to come on that later!) at which point I thought the painting was long gone to the highest bidder. So much to my surprise, as we were sitting in the living room visiting with the family on Sunday afternoon, in walks my Granddaddy Joe holding the painting! In typical Granddaddy fashion, he says "Well, I hated to buy my own painting but I knew I wanted you to have it." We were so surprised and grateful for this beautiful gift! I am so impressed by his skills and am encouraging him to paint more often. It is an amazing watercolor that is going to look perfect in the nursery! I cannot wait to hold Baby E in his/her room for the first time and show him/her the painting that his/her Great-Granddaddy Joe made for for us. What a special gift that our family will cherish forever. And even more, I cannot wait for Baby E to meet the wonderful man that is his Great-Granddaddy Joe. He is such a blessing to us and all who know him.

A Night of Hoping and Holding

We love living in Chapel Hill. We love the people. We love the weather. We love the spirit of community. We love the diversity. We love the opportunities. We love the charity. Recently, Jeff and I experienced all of these loves in one evening at Carolina Hopefest....the good music was a definite bonus!
Carolina Hopefest brings together singers/songwriters to benefit grassroots sustainable development in Africa. This year, proceeds will benefit Nourish International, a student-led movement to eradicate global poverty. Proceeds will also benefit Beacon of Hope and other organizations of Africa Rising.
Matt Nathanson (who rocked it out and was quite the solo entertainer!) as well as the Indigo Girls were this year's headliners. However, the best surprise for me was getting to hear "Held" performed by its North Carolina songwriter, Christa Wells. Many of you may recognize this song made popular by Amy Grant. If you haven't heard it, I encourage you to listen here. What an incredible reminder of how God holds us in his arms when we need him most. When describing how the lyrics of "Held" came to fruition, Christa writes "...no person of faith lives without suffering...BUT...in the middle of that heartache...we are held, held up, held together, by the One who has walked here and knows the pain, and who also holds all of time, every story, my story, your story, the Greatest Story in his hands."

Two months is too little. They let him go. They had no sudden healing. To think that providence would take a child from his mother while she prays, is appalling.

Who told us we'd be rescued? What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares? We're asking why this happens to us who have died to live. It's unfair.

This is what it means to be held, how it feels when the sacred is torn from your life and you survive. This is what it is to be loved and to know that the promise was when everything fell, we'd be held.

This hand is bitterness. We want to taste it and let the hatred numb our sorrows. The wise hand opens slowly to lillies of the valley...and tomorrow.

This is what it means to be held, how it feels when the sacred is torn from your life and you survive. This is what it is to be loved and to know that the promise was when everything fell, we'd be held.

If hope is born of suffering; If this is only the beginning.... Can we not wait for one hour, watching for our Savior?

This is what it means to be held, how it feels when the sacred is torn from your life and you survive. This is what it is to be loved and to know that the promise was when everything fell, we'd be held.*

*"Held" lyrics, written by Christa Wells

Pray With Africa

I found out about this awesome movement/organization through another blog. Please take a minute to watch this video and pray along WITH us: I Am African

Waiting with Excitement

September has been busy and exciting in the Nix household. On September 3rd, we were officially placed on the wait list to receive a referral for our baby! This is a huge milestone in the adoption process and means that we should be getting a phone call and email to introduce us to our baby in about 8 months. This is an average, based on our agency's recent time frames, so it could be sooner (which is what we are hoping for!) or a little longer than 8 months. Also, on September 17th, we received confirmation that our dossier is now "on Ethiopian soil," about to be translated into Amharic! One step closer...
Along with all of this exciting news has come the beginning of the Fall season (my favorite!) and the start of a new school year, which means I am working again! Crossing another adoption milestone and being captivated by the busyness of the new season has resulted in a halt of preparation for the arrival of a new baby. Of course, we are always preparing for our baby in our hearts and praying for his/her well-being. But practically speaking, we have a A LOT to do before Baby E arrives, and realizing that we could be getting the phone call in 8 months or less puts that into perspective! Fortunately, my wonderful friends who are already mothers or who are currently expecting have helped me to realize that it's okay just to "relish in the moment" when you're about 8 months away from being introduced to your baby. So, that's what we're doing...relishing in God's grace and thanking Him for this amazing gift.
And we're thankful for friends and family who are celebrating along with us. Somehow amidst this busy month, we managed to get away to Ohio and spend good quality time with Jeff's family. And in October, we are going to visit my family in Alabama. We are so blessed to have such amazing, supportive families who are anxiously awaiting for the arrival of Baby E!

Here we are enjoying an NFL football game...Can't wait for Baby E to wear his/her Bengals jersey!

My sister-in-law, Carrie, welcomed us with these great gifts...games from Africa!

Our nieces and nephews love Uncle Jeff...he is going to be the best Daddy!

Signed. Sealed. Delivered.

This weekend, we spent $35 to send 1 piece of paper to New York...all so our CIS approval could safely and quickly get to KBS Dossiers. So it was well worth it! We should officially be on the wait list very soon (which means our dossier is off to Washington D.C. for final authentication before heading to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)! Can you tell how happy we are?!

The Chase is Over

Our US CIS approval letter came today!!! I was initially bummed when I checked the mail and went through all of the official-looking letter size envelopes (mostly bills...imagine that!). I didn't think there was any way the manila envelope with a handwritten address was our approval letter. But when I saw the return address, I did a little dance in my driveway! Amazing how something so huge, so life-changing, is contingent upon this one single piece of paper.
People in the adoption world call this first phase in the process the "paper chase." Quite clever, because that's truly what we've felt like we've been doing for the past 4 months! Our dossier should be in Ethiopia in no time, which means we will officially be on the wait list for our referral~the phone call/email that will introduce us to our baby!

I Just Call You Mine

Last week I heard Martina McBride's newest release, "I Just Call You Mine" for the first time. What an incredible love song.... for my husband as well as for our unborn child who is already blessing our family and so many others. I guess no explanation is needed as to why the tears flowed like a river...

"Everyone that sees you always wants to know you.
And everyone that knows you always has a smile.
You're a standing ovation, the dream that I've been chasing
After years of waiting for a chance to finally shine
Everyone calls you amazing...
I just call you mine."

My Little Watchdog

Hey Mom, Want me to help you watch for the FedEx truck?

Maybe today is the day we get CIS approval!

Come on already, one step closer to Baby E!

I'm getting tired!

I give up...maybe tomorrow?

My Husband Rocks!

Look what my husband surprised me with! This necklace, "Hands for Africa," was custom-made and hand-crafted by Tracy Hanson who has a great space on Etsy. She creates all sorts of jewelry with adoption themes, and in doing a little research, it looks like she is getting ready to have a grandchild from Ethiopia! The necklaces are all beautiful, and a percentage of the purchase for this particular necklace goes to a family currently adopting from Ethiopia to help with travel expenses....a family who happens to be one of my favorite in the "blogging world!"
I couldn't get a good close-up picture of it with my camera, but it is covered with tiny handprints. I love wearing it, as it reminds me of all of the orphans in Africa, as well as my baby. I love that is close to my heart, literally. It is also a good "conversational piece." A few weeks ago, a TSA worker at the Louisville airport stopped me and pointed at my necklace. While I thought she was just going to make me go back through security again, she instead told me that she is adopting from Ethiopia and getting ready to travel there! She pulled a picture from her wallet of her baby boy. Such a proud mamma...so am I!

***Update on adoption progress because people have been asking- We are still waiting on the same ONE document from Immigration Services before our dossier can be sent to Ethiopia. Everything else is ready and waiting to go! It should literally be here any day now, so I've been stalking our postman, along with every FedEx truck that rolls down our street!***

p.s. I added two more blog links to the top left that I think you will find very inspirational. These families are in different stages of the process, but I frequent them both for encouragement.

Dear Baby E

To our precious child,
Your father and I have been thinking about you so much lately. I've been having strong feelings for the past two weeks that you have recently been conceived. I have been praying especially for your birth mother, and I know that others reading this will pray along with me. I thank her so much for the life she will give to us, but my heart already grieves for her loss. I pray that she is surrounded by people who love and support her. Our God promises us that He ["created our inmost being and knit us together in our mother's wombs"] (Psalm 139:13). Although you are not in my womb, you are certainly in my heart each and every day.
Love, Mommy

It's a Small World After All

Wow! Within the past several weeks, I have been amazed at the "Ethiopian connections" Jeff and I have made...so amazed that I wanted to share:

My best friend, Nancy, is a pre-school director and she knows a sweet family who is in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Looking forward to connecting with them.

Another dear college friend, Ali, has a family friend who has recently adopted a beautiful baby boy from Ethiopia. I can't wait to connect with them, too! Check out their story here.

Yet another college friend, Steph...her good friend's neighbor has adopted from Ethiopia.

Family friends of Jeff's parents in Murray are adopting from Ethiopia. We're working on getting in touch with them.

A dear friend, Kristen, has friends who have a beautiful Ethiopian son, Jonah. Thank you, Kristen, for passing along their contact information.

Heard that someone else I know from college has a beautiful baby boy from Ethiopia...I will find you, Suzanne!

My dear friend, Stacey in Nashville, has a girl in her Bible Study who is adopting from Ethiopia. Read about their journey here.

Also got word of yet another neat connection (thanks Ellen!). The summer of 2001, I met an amazing girl, Amy, while spending time in Florida with Campus Crusade for Christ (she was actually my roommate :-). I remember meeting Amy's sister (Laura) that summer one crazy night when we drove several hours to her parents' beach condo. What an amazing family! 8 years later, I am meeting Laura (Amy's sister) again, this time through her blog--yes, she and her husband are adopting from Ethiopia. If you do nothing else, check out their story here. What an incredible story of faith.

Sweet friends from church, Michael and Ashley, told us about their friends who have recently moved to Ethiopia! to live and work for the next two years. What they are doing there is incredibly awesome. How neat to see what life is truly like there. Check it out.

And the coolest yet...Most of you know that much of my job consists of working with students who may be having difficulties/challenges at school, then meeting with their parents, teachers, administrators, etc., to assist with a plan to help them succeed. I see almost 100 children each school year. All are so special to me, but a few are unforgettable....At the end of this past school year, when Jeff and I were officially embarking on this journey, I began working with a girl who had recently moved from Africa (what are the chances?!...just wait). She had many challenges but none could deny the sparkle in her eyes and the love that she gave. This little girl taught so much to everyone at our school. She did not move here directly from Ethiopia but as I was reviewing her file, I came across her birth certificate and sure enough, she was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! Fortunately, I was able to meet her sweet Ethiopian mother through this process. We laughed together. We cried together. Amazing how we connected, even with the communication barrier. Speaking of communication...at one of the meetings, the mom brought a friend who could help interpret for her (a professor at a local college). This lady was also incredibly kind...and Ethiopian! The entire meeting was spoken in English and Amharic (Ethiopia's primary language!). It was so beautiful! And just that very week before the meeting, Jeff and I were discussing our hope to find someone nearby who can help our family (especially Baby E) learn some Amharic. Looking forward to connecting with this sweet family (and professor) again this fall!

Yes, we are so grateful for these connections and I can't help but be reminded of a song from one of my favorite rides at Disney:

"It's a world of laughter, a world of tears;
It's a world of hopes and a world of fears;
There's so much that we share,
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all!"

Meet Jackson

Hi! My name is Jackson and as you can see, I was adopted by Kim Windsor (Ginger's mom and Baby E's grandmother). Mrs. Kim (actually, I call her KK like the other grandchildren) is on the Board of Directors of The Exchange Club Family Skills Center located in Birmingham, Alabama. About one year ago, this wonderful organization held a silent auction where bears like me could be adopted. At that time, KK knew that adoption was definitely on the hearts and minds of Ginger and Jeff. KK thought that she would adopt a bear that would one day be in the arms of her adopted grandchild. My bear friends were all adorable and dressed in all sorts of attire, but I suppose KK chose me because I aspire to be a doctor, just like Jeff (KK's son-in-law and Baby E's father). I secretly lived at KK's house for many months (don't worry, she took good care of me!). When Ginger and Jeff told KK they were adopting, I was given to them as their first gift. Since then, Ginger and Jeff have told me all about their journey to their baby and I cannot wait to meet Baby E! Jeff also has given me several tips on how to become a doctor, but I'm beginning to wonder if I want to go to school for that long and work those long hours! For now, I am just enjoying hanging out in Baby E's room and anxiously awaiting the arrival of him/her. The coolest thing is that I get to listen when Baby E's mom and dad come into the room, get down on their knees, and pray for Baby E. Baby E, I know that God is watching over you.

The First Purchase

I can't tell you how many times I've been tempted to buy "baby things" over the past three years. Well, I've actually bought a lot of adorable baby items over that time frame, but always for other people. So many times shopping for other moms-to-be, I've wanted to purchase something for our baby. I've refrained...until NOW!
I've had my eye on this rug for a long time, actually. Along with other rugs, it's been hanging on a wall in our church for quite some time. Every time I saw it, I couldn't help but think how great it would be in a nursery. Since we decided we are adopting from Africa, I knew I had to have it. Not only is it adorable, but it has special meaning.

Our church has a global partnership with ministries in Nairobi, Kenya--including Beacon of Hope (BOH). This rug was lovingly made by women involved with the BOH ministry. BOH is a faith- and community-based non-governmental organization, sharing the love of Christ in a practical way. The mission of BOH is to bring hope to women living with and affected by HIV/AIDS within poor communities by empowering and equipping them to meet their spiritual, physical, emotional, and economic needs. Find out more about the ministry here.

We hope you like it, Baby E! So far this is our only purchase and probably will be for a while, but I hear that's not the case for your grandmothers!

Why Ethiopia?

We get asked this question a lot, and that's okay because it's not every day that your friend or family member tells you they're going to Africa to meet their child. I can sum it all up in three words: command, love, and need. Let me explain...
First and foremost, this is where we feel God has called us to go. Through our journey to become parents, I've learned a lot about God's personality. He is Big. He is Powerful. He is Mysterious. He is Sovereign. He is Patient. He is Humorous. He is Comforting. He is Disciplinarian. He is Personable. He is Friend. He is Lion. He is Lamb. He is Father. He is Son. He is Spirit. Overall, He is VERY complex and I love it. After all, aren't we all complex? Our family is certainly going to be complex, and I'll love that, too. For well over a year, God has been revealing to us that our child is in Ethiopia. He revealed this in the still of the night, in the middle of our busy days, through talking and listening to other people, through song, through images, through the Word, I could go on and on. Sometimes, though, it takes a while to "listen," you know? Fear often holds us back from experiencing the life He has planned for us. It feels good to listen. It feels good to follow His command.
When we decided to take the leap, we discovered an incredible love for this country, with beautiful people and rich history. A country who is deeply compassionate about their children and wants to see them thrive. People with incredible spirit and perseverance, despite such vast need:
There are an estimated 6 million orphans in Ethiopia. 6 million. Can we even fathom that?
1 of every 6 children die before their 5th birthday
Doctor to children ratio is 1:24,000
Adult literacy rate is <40%
Life expectancy is 53 years of age

Jeff and I don't know what our completed family will look like or where the roads will take us to our future children, but we do know that this is the road to our first. I'll leave you with this video clip from our adoption agency that recently aired on Good Morning Texas.

Seven

In Hebrew, seven comes from a root word meaning "to be complete, full, or satisfied." As portrayed in the Bible, seven can be symbolic of the whole, the completion, the ideal situation, or the perfect picture of things. So it seems only fitting that 7 years after our engagement and seven years after the strong desire to adopt appeared in our lives, that this desire-this dream-is now becoming a reality!
From the day we were married, we knew that adoption would be part of our story. What we did not know was that our road to parenthood would be rather lengthy, including many mountains and valleys. The road was often filled with heartache but never without hope...a hope that promised us that we will be parents some day, no matter how long that road that may be. It is that hope that has led us to this time in our lives.
So just what have we been up to, and who is "Baby E?" Well, if you take a look at our timeline to the left, you can clearly see that we've been very busy over the past few months. We wanted to send out our blog well before now, but we instead have been devoting all of our time and energy to completing the huge amounts of paperwork. Many of you are aware of the daunting task that is the dossier...a set of legal documents for international adoption. The time and energy have paid off--because in record time we are finished with everything for the dossier, with the exception of the CIS approval letter which we can only wait for at this point. Once this arrives, our dossier can be sent and logged in Ethiopia at which point we will wait for several months to receive our referral...the name of our baby, along with pictures and general health and other stats. After we receive our referral, we will wait (are you noticing a theme?!) for several more weeks before Jeff and I travel to Ethiopia to bring home our baby. We have requested an infant of either gender, so the day of the referral will be an exciting day in the Nix household!
The "E" is for Ethiopia. Not very original, I know, but "Baby E" does have a nice ring, right?! Some of my dear friends decided that this baby needed a "name" already...so "Baby E" it is!
Again, we're excited that you're following us on our journey. Please check back often for updates, including the next one re: "Why Ethiopia?"
Until next time, "We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield." ~Psalm 33:20

The Beginning

It is amazing to me how the Holy Spirit moves. Ginger and I have been on this journey now, it feels like anyway, for a long time. It is incredible that a small town boy from western Kentucky and a small town girl from central Alabama can end up with a desire for adoption in eastern Africa. The only way that we can explain it is through something other than & greater than us. We have felt so much love and support through all of this and we wanted to share our thoughts and emotions as we go through this process.
p.s. from Ginger~ For the record, I'm not a fan of this picture of us that was taken late at night a few months ago. However, Jeff did an AMAZING job finalizing the settings of this blog, so he received the honors of the first post (along with the picture). I love you, Jeff!!! Baby E, meet your parents...up close and personal, which is mostly how you will see us anyway!