And then the phone rang...

5 days after my last adoption post, I woke up feeling down. I got online and saw that another family was going to China to adopt. They were leaving in week. I was so sad. I was so happy. It was such a bittersweet thought. Happy that there is now one less orphan, one more baby that was rescued from an orphanage, but yet, my heart ached. Where was my baby? Where was my little one?

And as life always does, I moved on through my day. I packed up the boys and sent them off to school and I got ready to go to my weekly ladies Bible Study. I tried to not let the sadness of not knowing overwhelm me and concentrate on those around me. I was not very successful.

At the very end of my bible study, as we were packing up and saying good bye, my phone rang. I had been getting a lot of spam calls, so when I saw it was from Kentucky, I just silenced it.

Wait. Kentucky is where our adoption agency is located. They left a message. My heart raced. I grabbed Macy from her class as quickly as possible and I pretty much ran to our car. I listened to the voicemail that said it was our agency and to give them a call back.

I stilled my thoughts. It could be just a recap on our file, maybe questions about what to do while we wait. It could be anything.

It wasn't.

They had a file for us. They had a baby that they wanted to match with us. This was it.

I listened with tears running down my face. It was more than I was expecting. It was more than I had every thought. While we were open to so much,  and we would have been happy with whatever the file said, this file was exactly what I had been dreaming of, hoping in my heart of hearts. The Lord is so good to us. He knows those secret desires of the heart and He listens.

It's a GIRL!! A beautiful 12 month old baby girl.  We are so thankful and excited and shocked.

We are now officially matched with the cutest 12 month old baby girl that you ever did see. She is ours and we are working frantically to get her home to us.

In the past two weeks, we have been working, talking with doctors and filing SO many papers. We have had a few hiccups and we are working and praying to get those papers through the system so that it will not delay our travel to China, thus delaying bringing our girl home. One extra day spent in an orphanage is one day too many. We want her home.

How can you help?

First, you can pray for us. We need some seriously smooth paperwork to happen. No delays, no complications.

You can donate to our fundraising page. We are still frantically working on getting the $15,000 needed to bring her home. Click HERE if you would like to partner with us and be a part of bring our daughter home. We chose to use PureCharity so that your donations are tax deductible!

We are still doing her puzzle!! While our account at AdoptionBridge is no longer open, we are using every donation as a puzzle piece on Pure Charity.

We are doing a big yard sale. If you are local, we would love to help you get rid of some of your no- longer-used treasures. Also, tell your family and friends to come by the yard sale! June 8th-10th!

Celebrate with us! We are matched and we can not wait to introduce you to our daughter. We just need to get to China and bring her home.

Upward and Onward!

2013.

What a year.

The highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

My head is still reeling from most of it.

2014 is really a fresh start for my family, in every way possible.

New state, new job, new house, new school, new baby. Every major area of our life is starting from scratch again.

Last Christmas, as we drove through the mountains in Pennsylvania on our way back to Virginia, Ryan and I discussed 2013 and how we really wanted it to be a year a change. While we loved our friends and church, Ryan needed a change in his job for many reasons.

Well, change we got.

Loads of it.

I am ready for all the changing to stop for a bit.

In 2013:

Ryan got a job offer in Detroit, Michigan.

We sold our Virginia house to the first people who viewed it.

We fly to Detroit and put an offer on another house.

We packed up everything we owned and the evening before our trailer left, we found out that our house was given a bad appraisal.

The buyers broke contract with us, even though we fixed everything they asked for and the appraisal was illegal.

We lived in my parent's basements for 7 weeks instead of 2.

Ryan worked in Detroit for 6 of those week and was only around on the weekend.

We moved to Novi.

Jack started Kindergarten at an incredible school.

Macy Elizabeth arrived!

We sold our Virginia house, 6 months after the original close date.

Our faith has been tested, we have struggled, but we were never abandoned. The Lord has been faithful to us, even in the little things. We are believing for a year of Bounty in 2014. Bountiful friendships and relationships. Bountiful finances. Bountiful actions of love.

I am looking forward to what 2014 has in store for us.

Life is always an adventure!

Introducing...

 Macy Elizabeth Fedell

8lbs 9 oz

20 1/2 inches long

Born at 6:07 pm on September 17, 2013.

 Big brother Jack feeling how soft his baby sister's cheeks are.

Big brother Colin holding his sister for the first time.

Sleepy little lady with her daddy.

After a hard, quick labor, our little girl made her debut on Tuesday the 17th, 3 days past her due date. She is my biggest baby and has tons of black hair.

We were home within 27 hrs and she is doing just great.

Noise doesn't seem to bother her and she is nursing like a champ.

We are so in love with her.

There's a lady a comin'

So there is a baby coming to our household.

Soon.

In 3 weeks or less.

I have rarely posted about this baby and pregnancy. 

(Though, I have rarely posted this summer in general)

So, in honor of our upcoming addition and to have some sort of remembrance written down, here is a brief overview of the little lady pregnancy.

~ I eat/chew almost 3 lbs of ice a day. Why? I have no idea. It is summer and I am hot and whatever, but ice is the best.

~ I crave ice cold watermelon. I have eaten more watermelon this summer than any other.
Other cravings: soft pretzels, mustard, and Penn Station subs. If you bring me any of these, I will love you forever.

~ This baby likes to wiggle and worm her way around my belly. All.The. Time

~ Midnight or later is her optimum movement time.

~ I am huge. Again. Torpedo belly in full effect.

~ The pregnancy has, hands down, been the most painful. I could ingest a steady diet of pain killers all day long. I don't, but I could. Achy everything. 

Thanks, little one.

~I am still wearing my wedding ring...regardless of the fact that I have gained more weight with this pregnancy than with my boys.

~ I moved to a new state, lived in my parent's basement with 2 boys for 7 weeks (with Ryan only around on weekends) and than moved into a new house that still needs to be unpacked and settled. All in my 3rd trimester. Apparently, that can cause stress, which causes the aches and pains. 

~I have had braxton hicks since week 17.

~ Sometimes my sciatic nerve goes out when I am walking. It's super fun.

~I am decorating the nursery in grey, yellow and white. I just need to start it...

~ Tums are my favorite midnight snack.

~ I bought an ivory lace diaper cover/bloomer and matching lace headband. Cause I am having a girl and I get to buy fun things like that for pictures.


I am sure there are more things to remember, but right now my pregnancy brain is running on empty.



So, here's to having the baby sooner rather than later and to having a smooth and easy delivery!

Good Idea/Bad Idea: The Maternity edition

Pregnancy always brings it's own challenges and benefits.  Changing, shifting bodies that usually coincide with changing, shifting emotions can sometimes wreak havoc on one's self esteem and outlook on life.

Instead of waxing eloquently on my trials and tribulations of this pregnancy, let's look at both the good and the bad things of pregnancy.

Good Idea: Eating lots of yummy, spicy food.
Bad Idea: The heartburn that always seems to come after it.

Good Idea: Bountiful bosoms.
Bad Idea: Bountiful everything else.

Good Idea: Stretchy pants.
Bad Idea: Only fitting in to stretchy pants.

Good Idea: Buying new sandals.
Bad Idea: Buying new sandals because your feet look like hobbit feet, pregnancy style.

Good Idea: Having cute maternity dresses like this one for sale. It is super comfortable and I have received loads of compliments on it, which always makes a pregnant lady happy.
Bad Idea. This. Someone who has never been pregnant must have thought it was a cute idea to put a pregnant women in a onesie with legs that you have to pull ALL the way down to use the bathroom. Cause pregnant ladies NEVER need to use the bathroom...

Good Idea: Gummy prenatal vitamins. No more horse pills to gag over.
Bad Idea: The side effects of prenatal vitamins...and I am not talking about your hair and nails growing at a superhuman rate.

Good Idea: Having the boys actively involved in naming of the baby.
Bad Idea: They insist on using the name Noodle.

Good Idea:  Shopping for little lady clothes!
Bad Idea: You have 7 full bins of baby clothes already...for boys.

Good Idea: The boys can now feel the baby kicking.
Bad Idea: Colin trying to kick the baby back.

Always a Good Idea:

 Being pregnant with a dear friend. We have been pregnant the last 3 times together...all the same sex! So, two little boy buddies and now little lady friends!  (She is ready to pop, I am 21 weeks.)

We have...

 ... a little lady coming our way! Jack and Colin are excited to have a little sister coming in September.

We are beyond excited!

And Momma is ready to do some little lady shopping :)