The Mowry Family

Court Date

2010-11-25T16:44:00.001-08:00

I don't know if anybody ever checks my blog anymore because I update it so infrequently but, just in case, here's the latest news. Brad and I leave Friday, November 26th for Jonah's court date visit. The actual court appointment is Tuesday, November 30th. We are hoping to be able to visit with him a good deal during our five days in-country. We are very much looking forward to it, but a little anxious about leaving behind our other four children. If you feel inclined, please lift us all up in prayer during this time.

Paper Ready!

2010-07-29T12:47:00.001-07:00

Jonah Nahom is paper ready! Best-case scenario has him home around November/December. Will keep you posted:)

Latest Update

2010-06-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

The agency director said "things are progressing nicely" and the last information he had "was very encouraging." This is a step in the right direction.

Deja vu?

2010-06-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

After emailing the agency yet again last week, I was told that "they" are hopeful that Jonah Nahom's paperwork will be ready in the next 2-3 weeks. Didn't I just post that same thing back in February? Here's hoping...

Hopeful News

2010-02-16T14:43:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that my last post appears to have been way off from reality. That wouldn't be the first time, would it? I just received the following news today from our agency's office staff:

"I spoke with S this morning and he said that Nahom should be paper ready within the next few weeks. I will let you know as soon as he is filed for court."

This is such great and hopeful news for us. I have no idea what the timeframe really looks like, but we are so very pleased to have forward movement.

Thank you, Jesus.

A Sick Feeling

2010-01-28T01:27:00.001-08:00

I don't know if it's just the anticipation of all six of us leaving for a family trip in ten hours or what, but I can't sleep and really all I can think about is Jonah. I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that he won't be coming home. I pray with all my heart that this isn't true, but I can't help but think it is. I've sort of been mentally preparing myself for this for a while now, but I just started asking myself a few minutes ago, how are we going to tell the boys? How do you explain to a 7- and 5-year old that there's a child who has no family and that this child, whom we all love so much already, will never be a part of ours? He's already their brother in their hearts. God, help us.

Please Give

2010-01-17T20:10:00.000-08:00

If you are like me, you want to help the people of Haiti but aren't sure how. God has told me and Brad that we need to give sacrificially, until it hurts and makes us nervous. If you are looking for a place to donate and feel confident that the money will be well-spent, please visit our church's website, http://www.slwchurch.org/. Our church is directly involved with a church and orphange in Haiti. 100% of your donation will be used directly for the people of Haiti.

My heart is broken for these people, especially the children. Let's do everything we can to help them. All day I've been thinking, but for the grace of God, there go I. There is no difference between me and the people of Haiti, save for the fact that God chose for me to be born in this country, not that one.

Distressing

2010-01-07T18:36:00.001-08:00

So, some adoptive families from our agency have been told untruths by an agency representative about their impending adoptions. I shared with my Bible study friends this morning that I am no longer confident that this adoption is going to happen at all. I've emailed the agency and gotten no response, so far, and I am not surprised by this. This is very, very distressing.

For some reason, the doxology from one of our former churches is going through my head as I type this. Here it is: "Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen."

And I am holding tight to this: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11 I am standing on this scripture, both for us and for Jonah Nahom.

In the midst of my worry, I am choosing to praise God. I am praising Him because He created me, my husband, my current children, and my future children. "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

The truth is, the only real place for me to put my hope is in Christ, and Christ alone. This agency may fail me. The people around me will fail me. I will be disappointed over and over again during my lifetime. I will hurt the people I love. But there is hope in Christ.

Psalm 121:1-2

I lift up my eyes to the hills-
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

There's a song based on these verses and I've been thinking about it off and on throughout the day. It goes something like this:

I lift my eyes up, up to the mountains
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from you,
Maker of Heaven,
Creator of the earth.
Oh, how I need you, Lord,
You are my only hope,
You are my only prayer.
So, I will wait for you
To come and rescue me
To come and give me life.

Thanks for reading. I'm sorry for rambling. I don't really know what to think or say, so I'm just getting my thoughts on paper, so to speak. God truly does know what is going to happen and I am trusting in Him.

Nothing

2010-01-05T18:34:00.000-08:00

For those of you who might be checking, we've heard nothing about our impending adoption of Jonah Nahom. It's very disheartening. On the positive side, there are families whose children were considered not paper-ready who now have courtdates in the next few weeks. So, there is movement, just not for us, apparently.

More Delays

2009-12-04T18:15:00.000-08:00

We found out a few weeks ago that there is paperwork missing for Jonah Nahom's case. It's in-country paperwork, not anything we can take care of ourselves. This means that we have no idea when our case will move forward. It could be tomorrow, or we could be in this same spot one year from now.

As you can imagine, this was devastating news when we first heard it. We have grown accustomed to it now and are more committed than ever to bringing home our little guy. He is our son in our hearts, already. We will wait as long as it takes or until we are told that it is impossible to continue.

Father God, we are trusting you. We know you love Jonah Nahom and we know that you desire for him to have the love of a family. Keep him happy, safe, and secure until we can bring him home. In the strong name of Jesus, amen.

Something to Think About

2009-10-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday, November 8th, is Orphan Sunday. November is National Adoption Month, with the 21st being National Adoption Day. What might your role be?

Still No News

2009-10-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

I confess, I actually thought we would be assigned a courtdate last week. So much for that. We're still waiting to hear. I hate waiting.

Word Has It...

2009-10-12T19:15:00.001-07:00

...that the Ethiopian courts are open and are planning to assign future court dates this week for those of us who were filed before court closure...yippee!!!!! How am I going to sleep any night this week?!

October 13th...

2009-10-04T19:19:00.001-07:00

...that's the date Ethiopian courts are supposed to reopen. We haven't received a date for our case yet. This morning at church one of the pastors talked about the things that people have weighing on their hearts and minds, even though they may not talk about those things. I had a hard time holding back the tears. I don't talk about it much and I try to look at the positives in this situation, but I long for my little boy, whom I've never met. He's been at the orphanage for almost a year now. Does he think that's his permanent home? Does he get to look through the photo album we sent him months ago with pictures of us? Is he getting enough love and attention?

Dear God, please protect Jonah Nahom's little heart, mind, body, and spirit as he waits to come home. Please help him to feel loved and protected by You. Comfort him when he is hurt, lonely, and afraid. Prepare us as we wait. Help us to trust You. We know You love him more than we do. In the strong name of Jesus, amen.

Are They Open?

2009-09-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Rumor has it that the Ethiopian courts re-opened today, or it might not be until next Monday. Either way, it's good news for us. We still haven't received a new courtdate yet, but I am holding out hope that we will hear something very soon. I hope so. I'm getting weary and I'm starting to think Jonah Nahom will never come home.

Waiting...

2009-09-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

Well, courts officially closed a few weeks ago, but will be re-opening on September 27, which is early! I had been hoping we would already have a courtdate scheduled for the beginning of October, but nothing yet. I'll keep you posted.

On Hold

2009-08-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it's not official yet, but it sounds like we won't be getting a courtdate until after the Ethiopian courts close and re-open for the rainy season. I believe closure dates are August 21 - October 1. There is still an outside chance we'll get a date before courts close, but it's very, very unlikely. Assuming we don't, the best we can hope for is an early October courtdate. If Jonah Nahom's case passes the first time, which isn't impossible, but not typical, either, then the earliest we could go get him would be early- to mid-November. I haven't given up hope on an August courtdate just yet, but I'm trying to be realistic. Even though this isn't really "news," I wanted to update those of you who have been wondering, and sometimes asking, whether or not we've heard anything. The only upside to this, that I can see, is that it gives us longer to come up with the money we are going to need once we pass court. While time seems to be moving so slowly until we meet Jonah and welcome him into our family, I am reminded that God's timing is not ours and what seems so very long to us is really just a blink to Him.

Update

2009-07-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

We just heard today that the Ethiopian courts have again started assigning and hearing abandonment cases. This is great news! We are hoping to hear by Thursday when our new courtdate will be. However, we are also moving Thursday, so it may not be until the end of the weekend before we find out our date and can share that information with all of you.

Case Not Heard

2009-06-07T01:24:00.000-07:00

As was expected, though we were praying and hoping differently, Jonah Nahom's case was not heard on Thursday due to the fact that he was abandoned and abandonment hearings have not yet resumed. We are prayerful that his case will be heard before courts close at the beginning of August for the rainy season. If it is not heard and approved before court closure, the earliest his case would be heard would be October. Please continue to pray with us for a speedy resolution and for Jonah's peace of mind and comfort in the meantime. Thank you for your faithfulness to us and and to this beautiful little boy who is already our son in our hearts.

Ethiopia Court Update

2009-05-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, our agency rep posted this:

"What we were told today, from reputable sources in Ethiopia, was that the investigation will be complete and they will begin hearing cases again ofabandoned kids by the end of June. That is really all I know. I guess that is at least a timeline. I am not saying that by the end of June doesn't mean it couldn't be earlier than end of June, but I really don't know that is just what we were told. They will get these cases on the docket through before courts close, I am sure."

I'm sure I should be happy about this, but I am disappointed. Jonah Nahom's courtdate is scheduled for this coming Thursday, June 4th. I am still praying for a miracle, that somehow, some way, everything would get resolved this week and our courtdate would happen, as planned, and that his case would be approved at the first hearing. I know that is asking a lot, but I serve a VERY large God, who is in no way intimidated, worried, or confused by these circumstances.

Thank you to all of you who have sent emails, or talked to me in person, to ask how things are going. It means so much to me that Jonah Nahom is not forgotten and that he has people all over this country praying for his speedy and safe trip home to his forever family.

Thank you for lifting us up during this time.

Micah's Gotcha Day

2009-05-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, May 17th, was the one-year anniversary of the first time we held Micah Kirubel. It truly feels like he's always been a part of our family. We love him so much, as you can see in the picture at left. Thank you, God, for giving us this little boy to love and be a part of our family

A Setback

2009-05-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

Below is an alert regarding Ethiopian adoptions. Please read it and join us in prayer. Nahom was abandoned, so this does, indeed, affect us. This is very worrisome, but I am confident that my God is bigger than this and that it will all be resolved, hopefully in a very timely manner.

May 13, 2009
Adoptions of Abandoned Children Halted by Ethiopian Court:The Ethiopian First Instance Court has temporarily stopped accepting cases involving abandoned children from orphanages in Addis Ababa, citing concern over a recent increase in the number of abandoned children being brought for adoption. The number of abandoned children from orphanages in Addis Ababa has grown dramatically in recent months and Ethiopian authorities have become aware of possible cases of unethical practices associated with some of them.

At Last, A Court Date

2009-05-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

I got an email last week from our agency saying that we have been assigned a courtdate of June 4th. Yaaayyy! This is great news! If we pass the first time, Brad will travel 4-8 weeks later. If we don't pass the first time, we will be assigned a new courtdate. That will continue to happen until we pass. We did pass the first time with Micah, but things are changing with Ethiopian adoptions, so I'm not holding my breath this time around. We are praying for God's perfect timing in all this, as we'd prefer to wait to bring home Jonah Nahom until after we've moved so that he doesn't have to make two major transitions in such a short period of time. We can't wait to meet him!

Sorrow and Joy

2009-04-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

It's been an eventful week for us, as we learned on Monday that the little boy we were hoping to adopt from Ethiopia, Kirubel, will likely be unavailable for adoption. It is expected that his biological family will be returning for him in the near future. While we are happy for him and pray that he will be well loved and cared for, we are sad for ourselves as we grieve this loss. For those who haven't adopted, it may be hard to understand how we could be emotionally attached already to a boy we've never met and only seen one picture of. There's really no way for me to explain it. We loved him already and wanted him to be a part of our family. This was not God's plan, and we accept that He knows better than we do. We've spent the week crying and processing all of this, as well as considering whether or not to accept the referral of another child or postpone our adoption plans. It didn't take long for us to decide what to do.

Today we decided to accept the referral for another little boy. The truth is we love adoption and we love these children. Our hearts physically ache and long for these children who have no families to care for them. While they are certainly very well cared for in the orphanage in Ethiopia, nothing can take the place of a loving family. And so we have accepted the referral for a two-year old boy named Nahom (pronounced Nay-hum). His name means "An Old Testament Prophet" or "Compassionate." We are in love with him already and are eager to bring him home. His case will be filed to receive a courtdate next week. He and Micah are only eight months apart in age, so our house is going to be VERY busy once Nahom comes home.

Please join us in rejoicing at the goodness of God who has deemed us worthy of caring for not only Nahom, but all of our children. We are very grateful for the opportunity to raise each one of them. Would you also join us in prayer that Nahom's paperwork process would be smooth and quick and that God would be preparing his heart, even now, to receive his new family with gladness and acceptance?

...And Some More Changes

2009-03-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Brad has accepted a position with Young Life in Grove City, PA, about an hour north of Pittsburgh. We are planning to move in August after Hannah finishes summer school. We are looking forward to getting to know different people and living in a different place. I am, of course, a bit overwhelmed at the thought of finding a place to live and renting out our house here. I know it will all work out, though, as things always do. I'm sure there are many times when I will be very homesick, as well, but having four, almost five, kids doesn't leave much time for feeling sorry for myself.

We don't have any new information on Noah Kirubel, the three-year old little boy we have applied to adopt from Ethiopia. We are waiting on a court date, but haven't heard anything about even being filed for a date yet, so it could be a while. If he's home before the end of the year, that will be a success in my mind.

I'll try to post again soon, hopefully with good news of a court date, someone to rent our house, and finding a place to live in Grove City!

2009-01-21T13:46:00.000-08:00

It is with great joy that Brad and I want to let you know that we have begun the process of adopting another child from Ethiopia. We have accepted the referral from our agency for a 3-year old boy named Kirubel Berhane. (Yes, that was Micah's former first name, now his middle name.) We don't have much information to share at this point except that Kirubel is a reportedly healthy boy who came into the orphanage in December. We hadn't planned to adopt again so soon, but God has laid this little boy on our hearts and we want him to join our family. The legal proceedings have been set in motion, but we don't have any firm dates yet. The very earliest we would bring him home would be May, but it will likely be later than that. We are planning to only have Brad travel this time, so that I can stay home with the other four kids and keep things running smoothly (or whatever passes for smoothly around here!). We hope that you will rejoice with us as we travel down this path again.

Still Here

2009-01-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

Well, since Chris thinks I'm dead, I thought I should post. I should've never said I will try to post every Monday. Once I realized that was unrealistic, I just gave up altogether. If I can't do something the way I want, I don't do it at all! Talk about perfectionistic. My friend, Michelle, says I've mellowed since "having" a fourth child. I agree with her to a point, but as you can tell by my confession above, I'm not totally mellow yet!

The holidays have flown by and we enjoyed them a great deal. The kids all enjoyed their gifts from family and Santa. It was especially meaningful to be a family of six this year.

School has started again this week and I am grateful for the return to a routine. It was nice to be able to "sleep in" during the break, but the days sometimes got long with not enough to do. Or, at least, not enough that any of us wanted to do. There's certainly plenty to do around here, but nobody wants to do any of it, me included!

Stay tuned for exciting news in the coming weeks/months. Will that make you come back to visit my blog, despite my terrible posting habits?

Happy New Year!

A Trip to the Great Frederick Fair

2008-09-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

I love going to the fair every year, and I'm so grateful to be living in my hometown so that I can relive childhood memories each time I go. My kids love going now, and while there is the occasional meltdown because it's too hot or we don't have enough time to do everything, we have a great time. We only took Eli and Isaac again this year. Hannah goes on a class field trip to the fair each year, and Micah is too young. Maybe next year he'll get to go along, too. There are many more fair pictures besides these, so if you aren't already on my Kodak email account, I'd be happy to add you...just let me know.

Birthdays Galore!

2008-08-30T10:20:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated Hannah's ninth and Micah's first birthdays. We had a lot of fun at the pool with family and friends. Micah enjoyed his cake very much! Hannah wasn't so fond of hers:(

I've been informed by my friend, Chris, that I must post at least once a week in order to not be a terrible blogger, so I am going to try to do just that. Let's see, maybe I'll aim for every Monday...wish me luck!

This is for you, Chris!

2008-07-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

At Chris' request, I have added a few new pictures and will attempt to write a brief update for everyone who's reading. Micah is 11 months old today! He celebrated by getting up at 5:45 this morning, much to my dismay. He has a cold right now and also has his two front, top teeth coming through. Hopefully he will sleep a bit later tomorrow morning.

Micah is finally in a routine. It took us about six weeks to get there, but a typical day is as follows. Wake up at 6:45/7:00, naps at 9:30/10:00 and 1:30/2:00, bedtime at 7:00. His naps are about 1 - 1 1/2 hours long each. He's still waking up 2-3 times per night for a bottle. The doctor hasn't given us the go-ahead yet to try to get him to sleep through the night, but I may try soon anyway!

We went to the pediatrician last week for four more immunizations. I asked the nurse to weigh him and he was 18 lbs., 7. oz. He did have his clothes on, but that's still about a gain of one pound in one month. We go back in another month for more shots and I will have him weighed again at that time. His one-year check-up will be shortly after that.

Chris, I hope this update is sufficient for you. Let me know if I missed anything! :)

Good News!

2008-07-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that after visiting with a pediatric cardiologist from Children's Hospital, Micah has been given a clean bill of health! His earlier EKG that was thought to be abnormal is actually normal. We are so happy about this, as you can imagine!

Brad's brother and his girls are visiting for the weekend, so there's not much time to post right now. Just wanted to share the good news with everyone. Happy 4th of July weekend!

Quite a Week

2008-06-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

Well, Eli came down with a fever last Monday, as well as vomiting and diarrhea (sorry to be so graphic). The last two symptoms subsided fairly quickly, but the fever persisted for a full week. It got quite high a few times (104.9 and above) which caused a bit of alarm for me. After a trip to the pediatrician, bloodwork, urine and stool tests, no diagnosis has been found, other than a virus. On one hand, that's a relief. On the other hand, it's frustrating. I've never seen a virus like this and I hope I never see it again. So far, nobody else has gotten it, but we're not out of the woods yet. We are still waiting on a few more test results, but I'd be surprised if anything shows up on them.

Adding to the stress is the fact that Brad has been gone since last Thursday or Friday. I can't remember now. He'll be home on Thursday morning at 2:00 am. It seems like I always have at least one sick kid when Brad's out of town. I just made a reservation for a hotel in Hagerstown, MD, tonight, in anticipation of having a night out with my friend, Michelle, after Brad returns. We're going to shop at the outlets and generally enjoy ourselves with few responsibilities...woohoo!

I guess that's all for now. I need to get to bed, even though it's not 10:00 yet. Micah enjoys waking up at 5:30 most of the time, so that's bad news for me!

Second Pediatrician Visit

2008-06-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

Today I took Micah to see the pediatrician again. The good news is that he has gained about five ounces this week and all his bloodwork came back normal...woohoo! The bad news is that he had to get three shots, and his EKG came back abnormal. His heart is not enlarged, as was previously thought, but has some other abnormalities. Technically, he has early repolarization and nonspecific ST abnormality. I don't know what those mean, but the pediatrician wasn't overly alarmed. Having said that, I have already scheduled an appointment with a pediatric cardiologist from Children's Hospital for July 1. I will post again after we meet with him/her. I have made a purposeful decision not to worry, as much as I can control such a thing. I am going to look up the terminology online and see what I can find, though.

We still aren't in a routine yet, and by that, I mean that I can't seem to get the housework done at regular intervals. I got home from my last PTA meeting as president last night (woohoo again!) at about 11:00. No, the meeting didn't go that long, but six of us moms went out to Ruby Tuesday afterward. Once I got home, I got started doing stuff around the house and I couldn't stop. It may have had to do with the Coke I drank...who knows. So, as far as I can remember, between 11:00 and 2:00, I did the following: straightened Hannah's room and put away her laundry without waking her up; cleaned two toilets and one vanity; folded 1 or 2 loads of laundry; straightened the kitchen and ran the dishwasher; washed 2 loads of laundry and dried one; emailed all of my PTA stuff to next year's president. I can't remember anything else, but I know I did more b/c that stuff wouldn't have taken me three hours. I'm so tired today, as you can imagine. I'm planning to go to bed early tonight. Wish me luck.

First Trip to Pediatrician

2008-06-05T18:48:00.001-07:00

Today was Micah's first visit to the pediatrician. We saw a doctor who specializes in adoption medicine and has adopted at least one child herself. Here are the stats: he weighs 17 lbs., 2.4 oz. (5th percentile), 28 1/4 inches long (50%), and has a head circumference of 44.7 cm. (10%). So, we have been instructed to feed him as much as he wants, which is pretty much what we've been doing. The hard thing is that his oral-motor skills are immature and he chokes easily on any sort of finger food. So, for now, we're stuck with rice cereal mixed with various add-ins, as well as formula.

Tomorrow will be spent at the lab as his bloodwork is done. It is all standard practice for adopted children who come with little to no medical paperwork. We will also have an EKG done to check out his heart. She said today that his heart is at the upper end of the normal range, but the EKG will be more precise and give us additional information.

As far as his umbilical hernia goes, the doctor said it corrects itself in most children by the age of five or six, and many doctors won't perform surgery before that age anyway, in hopes that it will correct itself. That's fine with me.

Overall, the doctor said he seems very healthy and is doing well developmentally. We just need to get some weight on him.

Isaac and I got to spend some special time together this morning while Micah slept. We played on the swingset together for a while, then he asked me to draw a hopscotch game for him with sidewalk chalk. He got a big kick out of that. After all the outside play (and sweat), we came inside to have an indoor picnic consisting of peanut butter sandwiches (with jelly for me), strawberries, juice boxes, and mini bags of chips. The last two items were a big treat for Isaac, as the chips are typically reserved for school lunches and Eli is the only one who gets juice boxes in his lunch, as Isaac is provided with milk at school.

This evening Eli and Isaac went strawberry picking with me at Glade-Link Farms in New Midway. We've never been before. Eli and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Isaac picked about three, then decided he had had enough! On the way home he said he didn't want to go to the berry patch again b/c it was dumb. I thought that was funny b/c he was so excited about going. We even saw a train pass by while we were picking. Apparently that was not enough excitement for him and he won't be joining us next time. Thankfully, I had the forethought to bring small buckets for our first trip to the berry patch. I suspected it wouldn't be as exciting in reality as it seemed in our imaginations. Let me tell you, though, those strawberries are so good and sweet! I recommend berry picking to all of you.

That's it for now. Tomorrow promises to be great fun, what with all the tests and drawing of blood that will be taking place. Woohoo...good times! (That was for you, Cousin.)

I Feel So "In"

2008-06-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I didn't have time to create a blog while we were in the adoption process, as so many people do. But, I've decided it's finally time. The main reason I decided to start one is that I have been sending out emails about our adoption, but now that it is complete, I thought there might be a person or two who would like to continue to receive updates on our family. With a blog, I don't have to presume someone wants to read an email from me, they can just visit my blog whenever they want, or not visit whenever they don't want! Is that correct English? If not, I'm sure someone on my mother's side of the family will let me know right away!

So, I'm sorry to be boring on my first post, but it's 9:43 pm and I want to go to bed soon, so I'll have to be more exciting next time. Thanks for visiting!