IT'S A BOY!

We are so excited we can hardly breath! This process seemed to lag on forever, but when we saw his face, we knew it was all worth it! He is darling and we will post his picture when we are sure that Poland has received our confirmation.

I'm sure you're all wondering how it all came to be. Well, so are we! All we can say is, "God works in mysterious ways!"

Friday night, May 22 we received a phone call from our agency. She wanted to know if we were interested in seeing the information and photo of a 17 month old boy. Of course we said yes and we are glad we did! We fell in love with him the moment we saw him! Some things on his medical record looked a little scary, so needless to say we were slightly alarmed. We made some phone calls to various people asking them to define certain terms for us (one being a local pediatrician) and finally spoke with our agency again. Our fears were quickly put to rest when it was made clear what all those "medical words" truly mean, especially in the case of our son (We love saying that!). In all, he is a healthy 17 month old boy that needs his mom and dad! So today on Monday, May 25 we called our agency and accepted his referral! HOORAY!

We are so excited that we want to share a few fun facts with you! He was born on December 26, 2007 in Warsaw. We think that possibly he would've been a Christmas baby here in America if you consider the time difference. Also, his polish given name "BARTŁOMIEJ" translates to Bartholomew. We have decided to keep his name and then name him after James. So his name is "Bartholomew James" or as we will call him "BJ!"

Our little BJ is our Angel sent from God! We will keep you posted as we receive more information! Thanks for all your prayers! They are working!

God Bless!

Looking Up!

We apologize for not updating for awhile! Now that Easter Break is here, I can finally breath! Yippee! To get you up to date on where we are at, I will start at the beginning.

-During the time of our last posting, we had just found out that James lost his job. Yes, we were confused and a little lost, especially when we thought about our adoption. After all, we were planning on receiving $5K (per child) reimbursement from his work. Needless to say, that has sent me on a rampage to locate and apply for some new grants and loans. However, God was working from the beginning and has opened up a "brand new path" for James to follow. He is currently subbing in our school district and loves it! He is considering going back to school to get his Masters in Secondary Education to become an art or P.E. teacher. So, our lives have gone from "somewhat predictable" to "hanging on tight and let's see where we end up!" I can honestly say however, that with GOD AT THE WHEEL, I'm not going to panic!

-The first week of March, we had to make a tough decision on whether or not to accept our first referral. We were asked to accept a 2 1/2 year old little boy. After some thought and prayer we decided to say no. We really would like a younger child. Also, we are trying to hold out for two children and would have accepted him had he had a younger sibling. Whoever thought that this process would be this difficult! I was not anticipating turning down any referrals and we have both decided that we will pray long and hard before we turn down another one. I'm just trusting that God has that little guy in the palm of His hand and that a mommy and daddy will be loving on him soon!

-Finally, we have received some news regarding the wait time between acceptance of referral and travel. I must say, it rather "bummed" me out. Because of the new 'Hague Convention' (created by the U.S. to safe guard against 'baby selling') the time between our acceptance of our child and the traveling to go get them, has increased from 2 weeks-month to 4-5 months. I have to say that made me very sad. This means that had we accepted the sweet little 2 1/2 year old boy, that he would have been 3 years old by the time we got him home!I understand that the US is trying to help, but how does it help that the child is spending more time in the orphanage? Some things I will just never understand!

-I'm so glad Easter is almost here! It reminds me of new beginnings and hope! It also reminds me that because God cared enough to send his only son Jesus to die on the cross for us, then surely he won't forget about us in our times of need! I feel so fortunate today to be a part of His kingdom and I can't wait to see what he has in store for us!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

HE HAS RISEN AND IS ALIVE!

-Melanie

Changes and Uncertainties

Well, life sure does have it's way of throwing curve balls! We've recently had some major changes develop in our life which will undoubtedly lead to some major uncertainties! With being more than halfway through this adoption process going back is not an option, which I am glad to say! However, it's at times like these when you think continuing to move forward would be next to impossible! That is why I am glad I serve a God who is generous and kind and who works everything together for our good! We have already seen God working in this situation and it would be untruthful of me to say that I am not already able to see the "Big Picture!" The Bible does say "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. 1john 5:4." There is no doubt in my mind that God will bring us through this victoriously. However, the hardest part is wanting to know now, how and when He's going to provide! We are asking that our friends and family be in prayer for us to remain patient, strong, and positive about our situation. God has already been working in our lives in that we are remaining positive and faithful! But, we all know how time likes to "eat away" at our spirits! Please also pray that we will be good stewards of what we have and that God will provide for the rest! We will keep you posted on how God continues to work in our lives! For we are already so thankful for what He has done!

On another note, my parents have found us the cutest Adoption Baby Book at a good price.

However, we only have one and might need another one if we are referred two beautiful children. Does anyone have any ideas on another adoption baby book? We have looked around a little bit and I am bit skeptical of buying on-line when I can't actually see it. If you do, please leave us a comment. We have found two cute baby books at the Family Christian Store (one for boys and one for girls) and it has some pull out pages for adoptions. However, we would love some more ideas!

Once again, thank you for all your prayers and support! Our life is a walking testament of God's promises and love!

-Melanie

Great Book!

Melanie Writes:

We've just recently spent a really great evening with a really great family who are adopting from Ethiopia! We had an enjoyable time sharing stories and talking about the next steps to come. It's amazing to me how God always places just the right people in our lives at just the right time! While chatting, the Cramer's gave us this really great book to read. I had heard about it and was really excited to begin reading it! I wasn't disappointed! These stories are unbelievable, yet all true! The book is entitled "A Treasury of Adoption Miracles" by Karen Kingsbury. I highly recommend you read it, even if you're not adopting!