Happy Referral Day!

Well, it has been exactly one year 4/14/2014 since Brent and I said yes to our adoption agency to the referral of our sweet brown eyed baby boy! In many ways it seems like the time has flown by yet it also seems so very long ago.  The first time we saw Charlie's face was sometime in early March of 2014 as we began to start a second adoption and pursued his file through a waiting child's list.  I will never forget the day when Brent and I saw his sweet face!  It is crazy how much you become attached to a child that you have never even laid hands on but have only seen through pictures. If you think about it, it's almost a little strange but it is what it is, and we are so in love with our little guy!  This is our referral picture and we estimate Charlie was around 6 months old in this picture :)

Seriously, those cheeks!

Once we reviewed his file, had our home study reviewed by the agency to ensure we are suitable parents, and had a physician familiar with international adoption cases review his medical information (this is actually required) we said yes, yes, and yes!  Again with the agencies all communication is primarily through email, so our adoption agency emails us back and says, "ok congratulations, he is your child."  Yep that was it, pretty crazy huh?  Our adoption agency has a tradition that when a child from the waiting child's list is matched they ring a cow bell in celebration of a waiting child finding their forever family.  So we received an email with a picture of a worker from the agency with a big smile on her face ringing a cow bell in our families honor!  Brent and I just sat together and were honestly in a little shock thinking, is that it? So we have a son? I remember Brent saying "Are they sure, I mean did they write that down that he is ours? There are cow bells ringing and all, but I want to know he is ours." So in the next few hours and days to come yes there was legal paper work given to us and it was a done deal! So apparently they did write it down :)

Charlie seems to be doing very well.  We continue to get updates every month from the agency.  Here are a few fun facts about Charlie.  

• Some of his favorite foods are (basically he eats everything) including fish, fruits, rice.  You name it our kid is eating it :) 
• His favorite toys are blocks, cars, and trucks. 
• He can say about 20 words (all in Korean of course). 
• He weighs about 28 lbs and is a 35 inches tall! 

We are incredibly thankful for these updates as it helps tremendously during the wait.  

So we continue to wait to be submitted to the government for the purpose of Charlie's emigration permission.  It has been a very slow past two months for Brent and I.  We really try hard to stay positive but it's getting more difficult as the time continues to pass. We remain hopeful he will be home with us before the end of this year. We know and trust the time is coming that we will meet and hold Charlie.  We pray it comes soon.  

Happy Referral Day Charlie!  We are so thankful for this day. 

Love, 

Brent and Beth