So...it's been a few weeks since the last update...

...and there has been a lot of back-and-forth work behind the scenes here at Bringing Theo Home.   Now that everything has been questioned and answered and filled out and updated in the paperwork (it's been exactly 2 years now, so there was a lot of updating to do!), I felt like it was time to update you guys, too!

There's been a lot going on here recently.....


The biggest update, so the one that I'm going to put out there first, is this:

Theo's going to be a big brother, God-willing.  

Yep.   We're pregnant, as well as adopting.  God has a sense of humour, doesn't He?  I won't say that it was a surprise - we've gotten pregnant before and we know how it happens (haha) - but after miscarriages and fertility/medical issues, I will say that we are considering it a miracle that this little one is growing and healthy and seemingly doing well.

We told our overseeing agencies right away, as well as telling Theo's home country as soon as we knew that the pregnancy was seemingly healthy and sustainable.   Obviously, things can change in an instant, but all the signs are pointing toward a little one joining us later this year.    (please pray!)  All of the agencies and Theo's country have asked questions and verified our community/family support, financial ability to care for TWO additional children, not just Theo, and everyone seems satisfied with the answers.     It did put us back a couple of weeks as everyone asked their questions and waited for answers or researched the answers that we had given them, but we seem to be moving forward again.   Originally, they were telling us to expect travel in March, and now we're being told we should be traveling within the next 8 weeks (that was a week or so ago, so sometime between now and mid-April, we're thinking).     While we don't like the idea of waiting even longer, it was *very* important to us to be completely honest and upfront with this as soon as possible, and knew that it might have a negative influence on our timeline.   It's such a  miracle (to us) that this baby is even here and healthy, and are trusting in God's timing and plan.

Another big update was that Mike was awarded a promotion, of sorts, at work.  He's now the medical director of his department at the hospital.  This is a fantastic opportunity for him, at such a young age (he's only three years out of residency!), and we are very grateful for this chance.    It does, however, mean more administrative time and work (aka meetings), and has necessitated other changes in our life....

.....like moving once again!   We'll only be moving to a house about 30 minutes away, but it will cut Mike's commuting time from 30/35 minutes to 5 minutes.   It will also allow him to spend his call shifts at home, instead of moving into the hospital every time he's on call.   We're hopeful that the trade off in distance will allow for our family life to remain stable with the amount of time that Daddy is home with the kids.   It will also allow for us to be more fully integrated into a larger community, with larger/more plentiful resources for Theo (additional therapies through the school system), and closer to our incredibly supportive church community.   We won't be moving until AFTER Theo comes home and after we have some time to "cocoon" in our current house with him and get to know each other, but it is on the horizon.

Obviously, Theo's country had to be updated on all of these changes to0, since they all change some part of our home study.    They've asked clarifying questions, and we've answered all of them.   Most of them positively change our homestudy - the promotion meant a change in Mike's income slightly.   Our support network in the other town is larger, as well as there being more available resources through the schools.    Mike should be home more and more available, even when he is on call.   Our only worry (that we'd understand, though!) is that his country will require an updated homestudy report based on the new house that we plan on moving into eventually.   We'd understand that, but since it isn't ours yet (we just went under contract, so it'll be awhile before we own it, and even after we own it, we aren't planning on moving into it right away), it could throw that timeline for an even bigger loop.    They are aware that we do not yet own it and could possibly not own it if something falls through with the contract, and aren't going to own it until possibly even after Theo comes home, so we are hopeful that our social worker's confirmation of the house we have identified will be enough.  Pray!

I will keep you all updated as we get closer and closer to Theo's homecoming.  We appreciate all of your prayers as we navigate through the rest of this process!!