Monday, July 21, 2008

What to pray for next!

Many people have asked what's next...

Now that we've had the great news that our birth mother interview went well, you can begin to pray that our file is quickly approved by PGN. (My dear friend Gina is praying for our file to be approved by the last day of July. Sounds good to me!)

Once our file is approved by the PGN, we will be issued a birth certificate with Isabella Faye having the last name Embry and us listed as parents WOO HOO! (Can be from a few days to a few weeks. Pray for a few days!)

Then her mouth will be swabbed for a second DNA test. This will be sent to the lab in North Carolina to be processed. (Can be from 2-4 weeks. Pray for two weeks!)

Once it is sent back, we will await our "pink slip." This will be an e-mail from the US Embassy in Guatemala telling us when we can come for our embassy appointment. At this time we'll go down and bring Isabella Faye home. (Can be from 2-4 weeks. Pray for 2 weeks!)

Saturday, July 19, 2008

A picture is worth a thousand words!

I've decided to start a little theme on my blog. Like my friend Sarah has Favorite Foto Friday (kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com) I'm gonna start "A picture is worth a thousand words." I gave that title to a post and a cute picture I got recently and tonight I realised I get so many pics from Nana Janeth and those are the words running through my mind! Our girl is so silly! : - )
If you have a blog, feel free to join in!

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Love from Rocco

Received this from husband candidate number #4, Rocco. Watch out Joshua...Rocco lives in sunny Florida!


Laughter and rainbows and some of the best news of our life!

Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." Genesis 21:6 NIV

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Luke 6:21 NIV

God will let you laugh again; you'll raise the roof with shouts of joy. Job 8:21 The Message

Good people will watch and worship. They'll laugh in relief! Psalm 52:6 The Message

This afternoon our wonderful foster mother e-mailed with good news that our birthmother interview had gone well. IF's birthmother had very honorable reasons for relinquishing IF and I praise her for being such a wonderful Mother. She showed the ultimate love for Isabella Faye! What courage and strength this beautiful woman possesses. Nana Janeth had the oppertunity to talk with our birthmother, and let her play with Isabella Faye. Our bm had her picture taken with Isabella Faye and I am so thankful for both our BM and Isabella to have these pictures forever. Isabella Faye will always be told of how much her birthmother loves her and that relinquishing her was the ultimate show of her love. Our BM will be honored in our home.
To protect her privacy, I won't share her photo, but she is beautiful-I see where Isabella Faye gets it! Please pray for her, now and forever! Thank God for her and pray for her perfect peace!

When I got the news this afternoon that the interview had gone well, I fell to my knees and laughed before the Lord! I laughed and laughed until I was gasping for breath! My heart was so full of joy, peace and relief-I could do nothing but laugh! Finally, when I could speak, I told the Lord to hear the prayer of my heart!

Oh how I love this baby girl! How overwhelmed I am that God has chosen us to be her parents. She is so perfectly charming and beautiful. She is our dream come true! Our answered prayer. Our reward for coming through the trials of our lives with praise on our lips! My heart is so full and my smile so wide!

Father God,

Thank you from the depth of my soul for our birthmother-for her love of Isabella Faye. Thank you for giving her strength and courage and peace to follow through with her descision to relinquish IF. We love her Lord and we ask for your richest blessings on her for the rest of her days. May she never doubt, never feel guilt. Bind the evil one from her heart and mind. Fill her heart with joy and peace. May she know, always know-through your supernatural power, how much we love Isabella Faye and how well she is.
Glory be to your grace and mercy for allowing us to be her parents. We are so undeserving. Lord, we commit IF to you! We promise to teach her about you, to raise her in your love. We promise to always tell her of all the miracles and answered prayers that lead her to us! We will make mistakes, but we commit to trying our very hardest, through prayer and Bible reading to raise her as you would have us do!
Praises to you for our foster mother who so quickly e-mailed today with our good news. Oh how we would have labored, waiting to hear. But we didn't have to becuase she let us know. She is a gift from you to Isabella Faye and to us.
Lord, we trust you in the good times and bad. You see us through the storms and provide rainbows in the end. Today was full of rainbows!

Our healthy girl!

Yesterday, after not having received a medical report since November (not our agencies fault) we were very pleasantly surprised to receive one! Isabella Faye weighs 18 pounds and is almost 28 inches tall. She is in the 11th percentile for her weight and 17th percentile for her height. The doctor found her to be very healthy! Here is a picture of her at the doctor's office. Even there she is cheerful! Please continue to pray as the birth mother interview was scheduled for 9:00a.m (10:00 central time). We haven't heard anything yet...

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Urgent Prayers Needed

Dear friends,

Tomorrow is the interview where Isabella Faye's birthmother reafirms her descision to relinquish Isabella Faye for adoption. If this goes well, IF's homecoming will be soon. If she changes her mind, IF will go back to live with her.
Please pray for her tomorrow, her name is Silvia. And please pray for us as we grow more nervous by the moment.
Please pray also for Nana Janeth and her family as I know they are as scared as we are.

Thank you!

Beth and John

Monday, July 14, 2008

Overwhelmed!

I am overwhelmed, awed, stunned that God loves us this much...that He has entrusted this child to us...that we have the honor of being her parents. We are so undeserving. His grace and mercy is indescribable! In the words of our beloved Nana Janeth "how great is our God indeed!"


Happy 11 month birthday sweet girl!


Sunday, July 13, 2008

IFand her pets...

So Nana Janeth and I were e-mailing about our pets yesterday and today she e-mailed this hilarious video of IF and her dog. This is one the family's two dogs but Nana says it's her favorite. Nana says IF yells at the dog (as you can hear) and wants to play with him! She says their neighbor has birds which IF likes to watch and she has introduced her to a cat.

I have been worried about IF being frightened of the cats when she comes home, but thankfully she has pets! I think she will love the cats. Now, what will they think of her? Amethyst will perch somewhere out of reach and ignore her. Aberdeen will be her playmate and Adair will mother her. I can't wait to see her with her furry sisters!

Thanks Nana Janeth for this video!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

New pics of sweet girl!

Click to play IF just shy of 11 months
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Nana tells me IF went for a checkup on Friday and has grown 1 1/2 inches and gained 12 ounces. Her doctor says she is very healthy!

Friday, July 11, 2008

The Mantha and IF fight for Joshua continues!

Okay, so Samantha seems to think IF could hook up with Alex or Rocco... Rocco
Alex
And then there's our handsome friend from church, Jett.
All these eligable young men to choose from...WOW! What's a wedding arranging mother to do!?!

Love to Joshua

Okay, this is Joshua...handsome, funny, single...and lives only 3 short hours away. And I, being the good Mommy that I am, don't plan to leave IF's husband choices up to her...I plan to have that arranged already! That being said, handsome Joshua is on the short list!

But then...there's Samantha...

Funny, cute...also single. It seems she has her eye on Joshua... So, this post is for you Joshua...with love from Isabella Faye...

Look Joshua-I'm checking out ants...I can get out and play in the bugs!

Resist this...just TRY!!!

Love and kisses Joshua! Can't wait to come to see you! Remember...I live closer than Samantha! : - )

You can check out the two other little sweeties on

http://carrfamilyjourney.blogspot.com/
http://www.ourjourneytojoshua.blogspot.com/

Thursday, July 10, 2008

FFF-Red, White and Blue



This week's Favorite Foto Friday theme is Red, White and Blue. This outfit was sent when I visited in May, by her Nanny (John's Mom.)

Sunday, July 6, 2008

New picture!! YEAH!


Here's a new picture of sweet girl that Nana Janeth sent on Independance Day. I was having a rough day so it was perfect timing! God is so good to give us what we need when we need it! Thank goodness for Nana Janeth.
Sweet girl's hiar is getting long, huh? Every time I think can't possibly get more beautiful...she does!! We are so blessed to have this amazing daughter!

Too sad...

I'm sorry I haven't posted lately but to be honest, I'm just so sad! This wait is getting so hard and there are more bad days then good! Please, please pray-harder, more seriously than you have before! It's almost 11 months we've been waiting!