Merry Christmas!

Love,

The Evoy Family

Emerson Update

9 months old

Emerson had her 9 month appointment on December 12th--I'm a little late, but here are her growth stats:

Height: 28 inches (65th percentile)
Weight: 18 lbs. 3 oz (35th percentile)

She's tall and thin like her mama and daddy ;)

Emmy has been sick during the last several weeks and still isn't herself, so we are staying home for Christmas. We'll miss our Michigan family and hope to make it up in the next several weeks.

Trying not to jump the gun

BUT we have some exciting news :) I've been hesitant to share because it's not official, but it's close enough--at least we hope. We have been matched with a little boy in India!! CARA has "pre-approved" us and his child study is on the way to JOH. Once there, we can accept an official referral and the real wait begins! Our agency anticipates our referral to come in a few weeks!!

Justin and I got the phone call on November 21st. Lisa from JOH asked if we'd be interested in this little guy even though she wasn't able to see him while she was in India during her October trip. This meant she didn't have any updated information or photos of him. It didn't matter to us. We had actually inquired about this little guy months ago but were told that he had been matched with another family. So, when we got the opportunity to be matched with him, of course we said yes!!

God is so awesome. The last post I wrote, the one about how hard waiting is...was written on his birthday, November 13th. And now we have his little face in the frame that was meant just for him. Hopefully I'll be able to share his name and other information soon. Until then, please pray for a sweet little boy waiting for a family half way around the world.

Waiting is really hard

There is nothing to report on our adoption journey. And that's just the problem--I wish there was something new. Some exciting news to share, but there isn't. It's so hard being "paper ready" and not having a little face to stare at and pray specifically for. There is a child in India that belongs with us and I don't know his or her name and I don't know his or her birthday...I don't know anything. All I really do know is that we are ready. We are ready to know our baby. We are ready to begin planning for the day he or she will come home. We are ready to have some news. It's really hard waiting. I know the waiting won't get any easier once we get our good news--it will probably get tougher knowing that they are there and we are here--but I still want to stare at a little face and carry it with me like a proud mama. We have a picture frame on our family wall waiting just for you, babe. We love you already. Can't wait to be your mama.

The little white frame is for you, sweetness. We thought it fitting because it says handmade in India. So looking forward to placing the first picture of you we get to see.

Peekaboo and Crawling Videos

Emerson surprised us this weekend by initiating peekaboo. She is learning so much and it's so much fun watching all of the new things she's able to do. Emmy is also crawling like crazy--such a fun time with her!

Time

Life is flying by, much like I always heard it would. I didn't get it until recently--just how fast the days seem to go by. Today, as I watched Emerson happily eating cheerios and banana only pausing to smile up at me, I wanted time to just stand still. I wanted to hold onto that moment--commit it to my memory forever. It's hard to believe that our baby is feeding herself, beginning to crawl and starting to pull herself up onto things and people! I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE with that little girl! Staying present andappreciating every moment that I get to spend with Emerson is where I am as a mommy.

We NEED to baby-proof...like yesterday!

My heart is here at home, but also across the world in India. The latest on our adoption journey is that we have received our I800A approval (YAY!) and are now ready to accept a referral. We are so close to getting our first glimpse of our Indian babe. Right now, Lisa from JOH is in India. She is visiting children, orphanage staff and learning about the new CARA guidelines. From what we have heard from our agency, we are still on track to be matched with a child in the near future. Hopefully we'll know more by mid-November--after Lisa has had a chance to get settled back home and relay all she has learned to the other staff members. There are sure to be some delays and rough roads ahead, but there is NO DOUBT we are on the path our heavenly father has set for us.

Baby Has a Cough

Emerson has quite the sense of humor. She really enjoys making herself and others laugh :) Never posted a video before-hope this works!

Em's First Swim

We had a great time today at our church picnic/ pool party! Emerson enjoyed her first swim :)

Good News!

We've hoped for the last few months that we'd have our referral--information about the child we are going to adopt, complete with a picture!--by Thanksgiving. Today we called JOH to inform them that we have a fingerprinting appointment set for August 12th. Much to our surprise we were told that we'd be paper ready (and able to accept a referral!) by early September. WOW. It's all starting to sink in--this is real. We are so close to learning about the child God has for us in India. He or she is alive and just waiting for a family-our family. There is a mama, daddy and baby sister here in Ohio anxiously waiting on this little one. We've been praying for our Indian babe and his or her birth family tirelessly for more than a year now. And we are almost there. We know it'll be a long wait before we can be united as a family-- but we are so looking forward to learning about the region of his or her birth, studying the first picture we receive endlessly for clues about our little ones personality, and preparing ourselves to become a family of four!

Summer Sale #2

We had our 2nd fundraising sale Friday and Saturday. Our Ohio friends donated most of the things for us to sell. We set out thinking that if we raised $300 we'd be pleased. Unbelievably we made $941.91! It was so apparent to us that God was in control. People were coming from everywhere wanting to talk about God and adoption--two of our favorite subjects :)

Today, after our Sunday afternoon nap, we heard a knock on our door. It was a lady (Gloria) we met at our sale yesterday. She has fostered dozens of kids and adopted SEVEN. She bought a ton of stuff at our sale and after talking to us about our love for children, said she'd pray about us fostering someday and reminding us that "we can't get past God." Anyway, awesome lady. So, the knock on the door...it's Gloria. How about she had her car full of stuff she wanted us to have for our next sale! God continues to amaze me. It's no accident that Gloria and we met this weekend. Praying for one another, helping one child at a time. So, I guess we'll have another sale --eventually :)

Summer Sale #1

Our first sale in Sheridan over the weekend was a success! Sales and donations totaled $527.80--pretty amazing considering everything was donated by family and friends! We are so thankful for everyone that donated items for the sale, helped set things up and contributed to our adoption fund! It was a lot of work but Justin and I honestly enjoyed ourselves. It's fun to work towards a goal together and even better when you can do that and visit family at the same time! Sadly, I have no pictures to post. I guess I was just too busy!

Dossier is on the way!

We mailed our dossier to Journeys of the Heart today! What a HUGE relief!! It's another step closer to the child that God has for us AND we are done with an unreal paperchase. Justin mailed our package from work today and said it weighed 6 pounds. That's the kind of unreal paperchase I'm talking about:) We are off to Sheridan in a couple hours to visit family and to have our first garage sale of the summer. Please pray that God provides good weather and lots of shoppers!

Lemonade for Love

Today reaffirmed that God has our back. His people have our back, too. Just as soon as we started really focusing on how we are going to finance this adoption, we are blessed. A friend from the preschool I used to work at told us yesterday that she was having a garage sale today. Monica said she was going to set up a lemonade/cookie stand to benefit our adoption :) We were blown away by her thoughtfulness.

The kids posing with Emmy

Justin, Em and I stopped by to say thank you (and take pics for the babe's eventual scrapebook) and learned that her kiddos, and a neighborhood friend, had operated the stand. It was so sweet. The kids were so happy to give us the money they had earned. What a wonderful experience for all of us. It feels good to be loved. What a great lesson for those kids--how good it feels to give to another. God is so good!

Fundraising

The cost of adoption can be overwhelming. In order to get our child home from India we'll need a total of about $30,000. We still have about $19,000 to come up with. We are absolutely depending on God to provide. Justin and I believe that it is God who is calling us on this adoption journey and that, because we are obedient, He will provide. We have a sense of peace knowing that with Him all things are possible.

Right now we have 3 fundraising garage sales in the works. One in Indiana over the July 4th weekend, one here in Ohio and one in Michigan! Today while I was posting about the sales on Facebook, a friend suggested that we add a paypal button to our blog. What an awesome idea! We are so blessed to have so many family and friends that are helping to make this adoption possible.

We are also in the process of identifying and applying for scholarships and grants that are aimed at helping families with adoption costs.

The Latest

Emmy-12 weeks

Sorry I haven't updated the blog in awhile. Emerson keeps us busy :) She is growing so fast! This is what's new with Emmy:

• She can grab things now--it's so much fun to watch her focus on something and go for it!
• She LOVES being in the Ergo (baby carrier) and I love having her close but also having my hands free
• She wants to sit up and check everything out--she's not having it if you are holding her lying down unless it's time for sleep
• She enjoys sucking on her fingers, burp cloths, Justin's fingers, my shoulder...pretty much anything :)
• She is interested in her colorful board books--she looks as if she is studying each page :)
• She still needs to be swaddled in order to sleep. She sleeps (on a good night) two four or five hour stretches with a midnight snack in between.

Life is good. So good, we are moving full-speed ahead as we prepare for another little kiddo to join our family! Last we sent our I-800A paperwork to JOH for review. This is an application that will then be sent to our government, requesting permission to adopt a child from a Hague country. So, we are one step closer to our Indian babe!

Happy Easter!

Emerson in her First Easter onesie


Mama and Daddy's Baby <3

Happy One Month and Other Pictures

We celebrated Emmy's 1st month birthday on April 9th--boy, did the time fly by! We are in awe of who God created in her...she is just awesome! Here are some recent pictures of Emerson and her adventures. On her one month birthday

Her cousin Madison

Easter present from Auntie Juliann

Cousin Ericka

Cousin Jacob

Auntie Jules

Auntie Chandy

Nana and Papaw Evoy

Mama and Daddy with Emmy--her first time at a restaurant

Storms family came to visit Emerson

Auntie Lauren and Uncle James

Emmers loves her Aunties :)

Auntie Princess and Uncle Captain

Great Grandma Jackie

Uncle Brandon

Emmy's Busy Weekend

Emerson had visitors from Indiana and Michigan this weekend! One of my best friends and her family came from Michigan to meet Emmy. It was so sweet seeing Auntie Tara, Uncle Jayson and Jayden interact with Emerson. Jayden was sooo gentle with Emmy--his mommy thinks it might be time to get him a little brother or sister ;) Little Miss Popular-- 2 weeks 4 days

Jayden, Jayson, Tara and Baby Emmers

Showing Emerson where his nose is :)

Auntie Tara and Emmy

On Saturday we had some family visit from Indianapolis. Aunt Nancy, Jeanne and Sarah were taking a road trip for Sarah's spring break and decided to make a stop in Cleveland. We are so glad they did!

Great Aunt Nancy

Jeanne

Sarah and Emerson

Day 10

Emerson was 10 days old yesterday. It was a milestone day--she lost her umbilical cord stub and received her social security card in the mail. She is such a precious precious girl! She continues to sleep and eat well and brings a smile to our faces every time we look at hers. We are so blessed to be her parents! Auntie Chandy holding Sleeping Beauty

Daddy loving on his baby girl

St. Patrick's Day

Emerson's first St. Patrick's DayAuntie Chandy and her Emmers

Daddy and Em

On our first walk in the metropark

Our little nature baby

Introducing Emerson Nicole!

Emerson has arrived! This picture was taken yesterday to celebrate her first week of life. As you can see, she wasn't very happy at the time--she was hungry! Mommy and Daddy are soooooo in love and doing very well. Emmy is doing a great job eating and sleeping which make our jobs a lot easier! Both Justin and I think things are going WAY BETTER than we expected--we heard a lot of horror stories. Emerson weighed 9 pounds 1 ounce and measured 21 3/4 inches long. She is very healthy, super sweet and extra adorable! I will update again soon :) We are trying to get caught up during her nap time. She (for the past 3 days) has put herself on somewhat of a sleep schedule. She sleeps from about 10-2 each day--I told you this kid is awesome! God has surely blessed our little family!

It's Guess Date!

Well, baby girl's "guess date" has come and almost gone and still no little girl. Despite wanting to meet her more than anything, I am doing well. The worst symptom I have is swelling in my feet. I am "nesting" like crazy--but the swelling in my feet makes it tough to stay on them for too long. One week or less until we get to hold, kiss and gaze at our daughter for the first time! So looking forward to it--we love her so much already!

Update from Appointment Today

Tomorrow is our due date but here is the anti-climatic news: there has been no progress. Baby girl has not dropped at all. Dr. says that the baby dropping is what causes the cervix to dilate and since she isn't moving down, dilation isn't guaranteed. He said a c-section is looking likely at this point. We have one more appointment on Tuesday and if nothing is happening then we'll be induced next Thursday. I am feeling a little discouraged, but it is nice to have a light at the end of the tunnel! Looking forward to meeting baby girl soon!

39 Weeks 1 Day!!

We are almost there!! 6 days until her due date--YAY! Here I am tonight at 39 weeks 1 day :) Despite how big I look (and swollen!) I continue to feel pretty great! Our next appointment is Wednesday--the day before our due date! So, if nothing has happened by then, hopefully we'll be able to come up with a plan of action. Baby girl, Mommy and Daddy are soooooo ready to meet you! You come on out whenever you are ready!

Baby Girl is Comfy :)

Just got back from seeing the OB. We saw a different doctor because our regular one is on vacation. This is the report:

1. Baby's heart rate was 143
2. I am still 0 cm dilated
3. My cervix is 50% effaced
4. She is still pretty high
5. He thinks we'll still be around for our next appointment
6. The doctor estimates baby girl weighs 7 1/2 pounds now and if born next week will weigh about 8. So, I suppose, if we go a week past our due date she'll be about 8 1/2 pounds

I am a little bummed that we've made no progress...but each day brings us closer to meeting her. I am still feeling pretty good. I had A TON of Braxton Hicks contractions yesterday and today I've only had a few--Dr. says that is completely normal.

Check this out!

My friend Jill made this side by side comparison of my profile from weeks 28 and 38--so fun to look at this! It is amazing how a body is able to stretch to accommodate a little life growing. Thanks, Jill!!

38 Weeks!

14 days until baby girl's due date!! We had a really great day, despite little sleep last night for mama. Justin's work hosted a lunch and mini baby shower for us today. It was so nice--especially since there are only two women that work there. It was cute to hear the guys telling their daddy stories :) When Justin got home we went for a long walk, taking advantage of the 60 degree weather we had today!!

Update from Appointment

Today we are 37 weeks and 5 days. We saw our doctor today and this is what we learned:

1. "The baby is not little." He estimates she weighs between 7 and 71/2 pounds right now! I guess we won't be needing many of our newborn clothes! It sounds like baby girl will weigh over eight pounds at birth!
2. My cervix is slightly shortened, but is completely closed. He said he'd be very surprised if anything happened in the next week.
3. The baby is still high--another indication it'll be awhile.
4. She is still head down.
5. The doctor laughed at how active she was today! Her heart rate was 160+...quite a bit higher than usual, but just fine considering the dance party she was having at the time :)
6. Next week we'll see a different doctor b/c our regular will be soaking up the sun somewhere warm--must be nice!

37 Weeks!

Today we are 37 weeks and FULL-TERM!! I feel super blessed to have made it this far with baby girl! I feel pretty good today :) Sleeping and swelling are my biggest complaints--but nothing I can't endure for a month or less! New this week is pelvic pressure...we'll find out on Tuesday if we are making any "progress". Our doctor informed us that he'll be on vacation from February 19th through February 28th--so, I guess if she arrives during that time we'll have a different doctor within the same practice. Everyday brings us closer to meeting our daughter--I think that's what keeps me positive. On Monday our church Pastor came to our house to pray with us for our baby and for the delivery--it was so special. Justin also prayed and it was wonderful to feel that both baby and I were covered in prayer. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful extended family in our church.

Velocity Baby Shower

Justin and I are super blessed with a wonderful church family here in Cleveland! Some of my girlfriends insisted on throwing our fourth baby shower--yes, we are SUPER BLESSED! I had a great time enjoying the beach themed shower with yummy food, super great gifts and awesome fellowship! I think my favorite part of the shower was having each one of us decorate a onesie with fabric markers--such a fun idea!

Kristen hosted the shower at her house

Jessica made some super yummy cupcakes

Leah making her "Evoy Love" onesie

Sweet friends

Everything was so beautiful--look at that diaper cake!

Love them!

During gift opening

Gifts

I look rough--but how cute is Steph?!

LOVE the onesies! Can't wait to see baby girl wearing them :)