The Latest

Here is our latest adoption update:

Dear Friends,

The birth mom delivered on Friday night while Cody and I were at his high school reunion homecoming football game. We got the call and were very excited to hear about our healthy baby boy. I spoke with the birth mom on Friday and Saturday and she sounded positive both times. I also spoke with her foster mom who talked to me for 20 minutes telling me about the emergency c-section and also saying that she hadn't changed her mind and was still on course for the adoption.

Something happened between Saturday night and Sunday. When our social worker spoke with her on Sunday she said she was "wishy-washy" and not sure any more. This was supposed to be the day she signed the papers. When our social worker called to tell us this, we knew this was not our baby.

We are obviously very disappointed. After setting up his nursery and getting his clothes all ready and making travel plans, it is devastating news. But we know the risks of adoption and now know the heartaches, too. We continually believe and remind ourselves that God is indeed sovereign in all things, including our children. Please pray for healing and that we would truly trust God and His plans for our family. Please pray for the birth mom and her son. Pray that God will be glorified in their lives and that one day they would repent and believe in Christ as Savior. Thank you so much for your support.

Trusting our Father,
Cody, Carrie and Nellie


PS Please forgive us for not answering our texts or calls over the past few days as we were waiting to hear the news. We really appreciate your excitement and concern for us.

AMEN!

4. Some people, for any number of reasons, are uncomfortable with the idea of transracial adoption. Other people, because of their views on race, are outright opposed to the idea of transracial adoption; they believe that adoption across ethnic lines should not be practiced. How might the Bible speak to these concerns?

"Well, I think it depends on the nature of the discomfort or opposition. If the discomfort or opposition is grounded in some assumption that “races” are unequal or that “races” should remain segregated in family and social relationships, I think the Bible rebukes and corrects that kind of thinking in several ways. First, it’s clear that there is only one “race” of man, all descended from our original parents Adam and Eve (Gen. 2; Acts 17:26). There is no biblical basis for discomfort or opposition based on racial attitudes. Second, the alienation that sometimes stirs opposition to transracial adoption is really a spiritual problem. It’s a product of the Fall of man into sin. The cure for that problem is saving faith in Jesus Christ, wherein man is first reconciled to God and then reconciled to other men. So, for Christians in particular, those who are adopted into the family of God through faith in Christ, opposition to transracial adoption is tantamount to denying the work of Christ on the cross.

But there may also be discomfort or opposition not based on racial attitudes but some prudential concerns. Some may wonder if they are sufficiently equipped to parent across culture and ethnicity. Others may worry about the tension or conflict they may experience. There we have to remember that we are not called to love only in the convenient places and situations. We’re called to a radical love, one that mirrors the love of God for broken sinners. And the end of such love is unspeakable joy. For the joy set before Him, Jesus Christ endured the inconvenient and uncomfortable agony of the cross to redeem a people who were hostile toward Him. Adoption across ethnic lines may be one of the best pictures of that radical Christ-like love we have available to us today. So, “prudential” concerns that awaken discomfort aren’t finally sufficient reason to refuse or oppose such adoptions."

This is one of the question answered by Thabiti Anyabwile in an interview. Anyabwile is an African-American pastor and author who address racial issues from a theological standpoint and in light of the Gospel. Here is the full interview:

http://www.carolinahopeadoption.org/blog/archives/63/

Questions 5 and 6 are excellent and well-worth the read. Enjoy! (and can I get an AMEN!)

ADOPTION UPDATE

I talked with the birth mom yesterday after her 38 week check up. The doc is inducing at 40 weeks regardless. SO...we are having our son in TWO weeks or less! YIKES!!! I can't wait to get my hands on that sweet boy!

P.S. We have decided on a name...but that will have to wait. You know the way we roll :)

Bye Bye Summer

Well August was a FULL month so lets get to it. First, we celebrated the matrimony of Jeff and Ali Epps. It was a super fun wedding with tons to do before the big day. We went to Clovis on Wednesday and everything was so crazy I hardly got any pics on my camera.
So that's it for wedding day until I get more from Janny. I didn't even get any of Nellie in her little flower girl dress and Cody in his tuxedo.
Here is Nellie on the rehearsal night. Again...no family pics.
Practicing throwing her flowers. We ended up just focusing on walking down the aisle with Daddy waiting on the other end for her. When we were practicing, she would sprint down the aisle and stop and dump her basket and then insist on picking the petals back up. Plus there was the the temptation of floating candles in glass jars on the ground lining both sides of the aisle. That a lot for a toddler to handle! But Nel came through with flying colors. She walked slowly down the aisle with eyes as big as quarters as 500 people "ooh and awed" over her.
So next we had our first haircut. Here are a couple of befores.

AHHH the first snip!
Bye Bye baby curls :(
Now I will be the first to admit it was getting rather "mullety" but it was just such a big milestone.
My sweet friend Gelaine offered to do the honors. We bribed Nellie with a snack and put her in front of a show so she would sit still.
TA DA! Looks so much better and I can still put it in pigtails.
Next we went to Amarillo for Cody's cousin's funeral. Here is Nellie playing with her cousin Kyan. He was so sweet with her!

Playing in the grass and enjoying the summer.


Such a lady. She loves to writhe in the grass, or the floor at the mall, or the foyer at church. You know...appropriate places like that.


Here's what happens when you give a toddler a smoothie in a regular cup with a really long straw.
"What did I do?"
Enjoying some park time with Papi.
Little Moroccan dress.
Isotopes game!
Wouldn't be summer without baseball. Those silly Moore's!
Latest craft project for a friend's baby. Cut stencils out of freezer paper and ironed them on to make these little onesies. IND is his initials.
Nellie has become quite the talker and quite the ham. She is saying little sentences and asking "Whas dis?" all the time. She counts to 10 and can point out the numbers on everything (which she does). She loves music and every time we get in the car she asks for a "show" which is a general term for: me singing, music in the car, or videos at home.

"CHEEEESE." That is blueberries and very difficult to remove form the fingernails.

And in baby news...

IT'S A BOY!!!!

Lord willing, we will have a son around September 30th. We got matched with a birth mom last Monday. She is a Senior in high school and wants to graduate and go to college on a track scholarship. She is the sweetest thing, too. We spoke on the phone and she is so polite (and shy.) It's crazy to think we completed our home study only two months ago and we already have a match. So this week as been crazy getting all the details and starting to plan. She is 37 weeks so we have to be ready for the call now. We will fly 5 days after the birth because in Alabama the mother has 5 days to change her mind. So during those 5 days we will book our plane tickets, hotel, rental car, secure our money, and get insurance taken care of. This weekend we painted his room and cleaned out the garage and started getting our newborn stuff together.

So...we will keep you updated and hopefully have pics of our baby boy very soon!