WELCOME HOME AVA!

We're home sweet home! We arrived last night about 5:30 to find the house decorated and family and neighbors coming to celebrate with us! For those of you who don't know my and Ben's story very well, let's just say that we've waited for that moment for a very long time. I almost wanted to freeze time and the expression on everyone's faces and the tears in my eyes and just take it all in.

We had a great drive home, except for the major diaper episode at Wendy's! Ava seems to be adjusting really well, and our cats and one dog are still trying to accept that they are now second in line for attention.

I need to try to post captions under the pictures, and I'm working on learning how to do that. Until I get around to that this weekend, I'll just post captions in order.

I spoke with Sabrina today, and we had a wonderful conversation. She feels like a sister to me, and we just talked about Ava and life and her future ahead of her. Sabrina will always hold a very special place in my heart, and I know God has chosen her to be a part of our every unfolding story of adoption.

As the celebration begins and family and friends gather, I can't help but think about the way God feels about us as His adopted sons and daughters and how He chose us and how much He loves us. Our Father's love is boundless and unconditional, real and personal. His plan is always for good in our lives even if we can't see it and have to walk through the valley to get there.

I've described my emotions as being right under the surface. I just laid in bed in her room last night at about 11:00 remembering and reminiscing the past eight years of my life. Recollections of the pain and struggle surfaced only to be replaced this time by wonder and joy. How I've been waiting for the return of my joyful spirit. Each day will leak out a little bit more emotion for me I'm sure, and those wounds of old are healing with the Father's touch. He knows just where to find me every time.

Today is the end of day seven out of eleven of the wait. At the end of Tuesday, Ava Faith will officially be our little girl. Until then, no fear, no anxiety - I must trust in the words I've said to others for so long. "He will go before me and be my rear guard. He will make the crooked places straight and the rough places smooth. He will bring my feet out of the miry clay and set them upon a rock. He is my Shelter, my Comfort, my Peace, my Strength and the Lifter of my head...

You are faithful, Oh, Lord. My heart trusts in you and praises you in this moment. Help me as we walk the road of joy and expectancy ahead hand in hand.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

I'm going to give Ava a bottle, and I'll be back to post some captions....

Love and joy to everyone!

Here are the captions - sorry it took so long to get them on here!

1) Ben and I are loading the car and are ready to leave Tyrone, GA to come home!

2) Entering our home state of Tennessee!

3) Our first family picture at home.

4) A picture with Mimi and Papa on the porch.

5) A grand celebration of family and neighbors.

6) Great-grandmother Ruthie visits with Ava for the first time.

7) More special time with Ruthie

8) Ava meets her great-aunts, Jill and Sydney

9) Emily's side of the family gathered around Ava. Back row left to right: Great Aunt Jill, Great Aunt Sydney, Great Uncle Lonnie. Front row l to r: 2nd cousin, Katie, Ava Faith, Emily and Ben. Uncle Rick and cousins Lacy and Wes are missing but will see her soon!

Ben's family is coming down very soon to visit, and I look forward to posting those pictures too!

Ava Faith Is One Week Old and Coming Home!!!!!!!!!!

Great news! The GA attorney just called Ben, and we've been cleared to come home!!! I'm stunned as I really didn't think it would only take four days! We were told to expect up to 10 days for our paperwork to clear both interstate adoption councils.

The 10 day waiting period ends on Tuesday because of Labor Day and is separate from our paperwork clearing. Ava will not officially be ours until the end of Tuesday. At that point, she's ours, but the TN adoption can not be final for six more months.

The plan is for Ben to drive back to Tyrone to pick us up tomorrow morning, and then we'll likely drive the short distance to visit my college roommate, EmK, who lives in Peachtree City. We'll likely be home late afternoon tomorrow.

Mom and I took this picture this afternoon, realizing that she is already one week old. Boy, did time fly this week!

We hope to see everyone very soon after we return to Tennessee! Again, thank you SO much for your prayers,love and encouragement throughout this entire journey. I am still amazed at how this happened so quickly! We're bringing home a baby!

I'll continue to post more pictures once we get home.

Love,

Emily

Day 5 Into the Waiting

Ava Faith. I still have to pinch myself when I'm holding her and saying her name out loud. Today is day five into the waiting, and we're trying to remain calm and not be anxious or fearful. The last of the GA forms we had to sign were faxed to the interstate GA council today. They'll then be overnighted to TN, and then we can hopefully go home. I wish I knew when all of that would be completed, but there's just no way to know at this point.

Please continue praying for us, that our hearts will be at peace the remainder of this time. I know the Lord is working everything together for good. I've always believed that even in the darkest night of my soul and the valleys of suffering and grief.

For months now, I've been praying that the Lord would bring me out into a spacious place. There is a verse that has been very special to me as I've walked this journey.

The verse if from Psalm 18:19 and says, "He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me."

I have a special daily devotional book that has brought me so much comfort in the past year. It's Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman. I hadn't picked it up since last Thursday when Ava was born. When I turned to August 21st, my heart swelled. The devotion scripture was, you guessed it, Psalm 18:19!

As I kept reading, this is what it said: "What is this spacious place? What can it be but God himself- the infinite Being through whom all other being find their source and end of life? God is indeed a "spacious place."

I have felt this spacious place in the midst of waiting for a baby and now that we are caring for Ava. No matter what the next five days hold, He will remain my spacious place.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. These were taken over the weekend and the first part of this week. Just to catch you up on what we've been doing!

In order,

* Mom and Dad seeing Ava for the first time

* Taking Ava on her first big outing to Franks Italian and Greek restaurant. We're pictured with my folks and Brian and his little girl, Jennifer, our hosts who are so gracious!!

* Mommy and Ava

* Daddy and Ava on the back deck.

* Ava sleeping peacefully

* Friends, Madeleine and Beth, surprise us with burp cloths and a hooded towel.

* Rejoicing together!

* The Bishops and Milhollins, and Patty, who introduced us to Sabrina and who was a
vessel God used to speak to us.

* Kristie and Eric Arendale surprise visit on Saturday morning!

* Ava's first card and little girl in the neighborhood here in Tyrone made for her.

* Bringing home Ava to Patty and Brian's home in Tyrone, GA.

* Ava's first bath!

* Mommy having special cuddle time with Ava

* Those first moments with friends, Beth and Madeleine Love everyone,

Emily

What a Wonderful World...

Hi, everyone!

I'm sitting here during a quiet moment in the day. My parents drove to Atlanta last night to help us, and I finally got some much needed rest. Thanks, Mom! So, now that I'm thinking somewhat clearly, I finally have a little time to post an update! To bring you up to speed, the above pictures were taken last Friday when we brought Ava "home away from home" from the hospital. After all of the craziness of waiting all summer for details on the baby's progress, Sabrina's health, the call to drive to Atlanta for the delivery, the delivery itself, navigating through the legal logistics, and flurry of activity and visits at the hospitl, suddenly, Ben and I found ourselves alone in the parking lot putting Ava in her car seat! We both just looked at each other in amazement! Here we were with a baby! I will say that our hearts are still trying to process the weight of this, and our emotions are just under the surface as we walk through the next few days.

Today marks day four in the ten day waiting process. Sabrina and Josh have 10 days by GA law to change their minds. Ben and I are aware of this, but we're not letting it rob us of our joy. We're just living moment to moment and enjoying this time with Ava and loving her.

The 10 day waiting period is separate from how long we are required to be in GA. Our time is GA is dependent on our paperwork clearing the GA interstate adoption council and then the TN interstate adoption council. We are told this could take 8-10 days. There's a slim possibility that we'll be coming home this weekend! I'll let everyone know for sure later this week!!

Ben had to return to work yesterday in Tennessee, but he'll be back on Thursday or Friday night to be with us. We really miss Daddy!

Here are a few highlights from our adventures the last four days.

* Just hanging out in the delivery room talking to Sabrina and Josh before Ava was born. This was such sweet time together that I'll never forget.

*The moment Sabrina handed Ava to me, and the moment that Josh handed Ava to Ben. We got pictures of those moments, but out of respect for Sabrina and Josh, we've chosen not to post those pictures.

* Getting an arm band as an adoptive mom to visit Ava in the nursery after she was born and watching Karen, the nurse, clean her up for her first day in the world.

* Sitting for hours on end in the lactation room holding Ava and wondering at how this happened to us in God's perfect timing.

* Josh giving us a guardian angel bear he bought for Ava to have right after she was born.

* Being in the room with Sabrina and Josh when they signed the papers to give Ava to us.

* Taking Ava to her first pediatrician appointment yesterday morning. I won't tell that I was well supplied with formula and burp cloths but that I forgot diapers and wipes! Yes, she did have a poopy diaper when we got there, so we had to use paper towels! I think that was the night I got 1 or 2 hours of sleep! I had to laugh.

* Reading the letter today that Sabrina wrote to us over the weekend after Ava was born.

* Going out to eat (yes, I took her out to eat after four days!) to Franks, here in Tyrone. Great lasagna!

* Spending time with James and Beth Milhollin and Madeleine and Britt Bishop last Friday night as they were in Atlanta waiting to board a plane the next morning for Guatemala! It was Roberto's first birthday on Sunday. He is the little boy Beth and James are adopting from Guatemala. Pictures of them with him are a few posts back.

*Waking up to see our dear friends, Kristie and Eric Arendale in our bedroom on Saturday morning! They drove four hours to visit with us and prayed over Ava before they left.

*Ava's first bath today with my Mom helping.

I have lots of other pictures of some of these moments, but I need to upload them hopefully sometime today.

We know that there are many people praying for us, and can I just tell you that we can feel it!!

HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT! May God have the glory for this entire journey! He did this- I can see his fingerprints in this as we've walked this surprise adoption road this summer. Thank you, God. That just doesn't seem like enough. Father, you know my heart of hearts.

I'll post again soon hopefully with more pictures! We're on our way home soon!

At Last! Pictures!!!

Introducing.....

Ava Faith!

We've taken so many pictures, but here are just a few that we can post tonight! We're posting from the lactation room here at the hospital amdist a flurry of activity and visitors and phone calls! I promise I'll post more when I'm thinking more clearly! It's been one crazy day here at Southern Regional. Let's just say Ava has had a BIG day! More details to come once we've left the hospital. We're hoping to leave tomorrow if everything goes according to plan. It's mostly legal logistics from here.

Thank you, everyone, for loving us and for standing in the gap with us. We love you.

Ben and Emily

It's a girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am honored to announce that Ava Faith arrived at 1:56 am today (Thursday, August
21st). She shares Emily's grandmother's birthday! She weighed 8 lbs, 15 oz and is 20 inches long. All are well. Emily and Ben were able to spend time with Ava in the nursery, and at 4:45 am they were preparing to give Ava her first bottle! Continue to pray for peace (and rest)! More updates soon! Kristie

At the hospital!!!!!

Emily and Ben are now at the hospital in Atlanta. The birth mother, at last check, was 5-5 1/2 cm dialated, and is planning to deliver vaginally. Remember the estimation is that this baby (girl OR boy) is 9 1/2 pounds!! The nurse says that the baby will be born "tonight", which means that by 7 am, when the nurse's shift ends, this precious miracle should arrive! Emily realized the coincidence of this date just a while ago. Emily loves her grandmother and has cherished every moment they have been together. Her grandmother has Alzheimer's, and Emily left her a note that says she will be a great-grandmother soon. The beautiful thing is that tomorrow is her grandmother's birthday!!! Isn't it wonderful that this new life could share the birthday of someone who Emily cares for so deeply! How truly God knows our hearts!

Pray for Emily and Ben tonight--that God's peace would cover them. Pray for the birth mother and father (who Emily and Ben have now met)--that their minds will also be at peace. Pray for the doctors and nurses who will bring this miracle into the world! Most of all, pray that God's will be done. He will be glorified!

I promise to update as I hear from Emily and Ben!
Ceaselessly praying--Kristie