6 Days

In just 6 days I will see my beautiful Ruth for the first time!

Our baby girl's birthday will be 5-13-13 :) and we couldn't possibly be more excited.



This week will be full of organizing, cleaning and packing as we prepare for our adventure to Florida!  Miss Ruthie's bag is packed and ready!

Don't worry, her diapers and wipes and bottles are in her other bag ;)

Here's our plan:

Saturday morning, after Turner's soccer game, we will head to Grammy and Gramps' house in Pawley's Island.

Sunday, bright and early, Niles and I will leave the boys in Pawley's and head South for approximately 10 hours to FL. That evening, we will meet the amazing people that are going to lend us their home during our FL stay.  Then we will travel 30 minutes to meet "B" in person for the first time at her home.   We ask that you cover us all in prayer during this time as it will be a highly emotional time for us all (and it will be Mother's Day of all days)... we pray specifically that she will feel our love and admiration for her and that she will know and not doubt the abundant love of our Lord as well.

Monday, bright and early, we will meet "B" at the hospital.  I will then have the absolute honor of witnessing the birth of my soon-to-be baby girl via c-section at approximately 8AM.  Again we ask for your prayers.  Specifically please pray for a safe and delivery for "B".  Please pray for her heart and her body as both will experience great difficulty and pain...  Please pray that the God of all comfort will be near her, especially as she says good bye.  It breaks my heart to even write that... and yet I believe that the Lord WILL "cover her with his feathers and shelter her with his wings.  And his faithful promises WILL be her armor and protection."  I ask again that you lift her up in prayer as often as she comes to mind.

In the hospital Niles and I will likely be given a room to care for and stay with our baby girl for the two days she is in the hospital.  

Wednesday, we expect Ruthie to be discharged and begin our wait to come home!

When can we go home?

We will remain in Florida pending permission from "ICPC" authorities to leave FL and return to SC.  The "Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children" is a federal law which establishes uniform legal and administrative procedures governing the interstate placement of children.  The ICPC is premised on the belief that children requiring out-of-state placement will receive the same protections and services that would be provided if they remained in their home states, and further that all legal requirements are observed. In furtherance of this goal, the ICPC gives the sending state the opportunity to conduct home studies and evaluate the proposed placement. It allows the prospective receiving state the opportunity to determine that the placement is in the child’s best interests and it guarantees both legal and financial protection.

That being said, we are praying that this process will be a speedy one!  We have been told to prepare for a minimum of 7 BUSINESS days from the time papers are signed (which will be on Tuesday).  We ask that you pray for both FL and SC to efficiently review and approve our paperwork so that we can come HOME and introduce Ruthie to her big brother's!

We are overjoyed to be so close and are ever so grateful for your prayers and excitement.

We truly believe that "He has made everything beautiful in its time..."  Ecclesiastes 3:11

To our God be all the glory- forever!