Our 1st picture of Baby Stites

This is our 1st picture of Weston!  Hopefully many more to come!

Well, as many of you know, Weston Andrew Stites will be here in a few short months!!!  We are excited beyond words, but are trying to stay a little guarded...we will be able to breath easier once our sweet mama has signed on that dotted line and we are Tennessee bound. 

Some of you already know the issues we faced with our adoption agency that we began this journey with.  I know many of you don't and have been asking about how everything came about so here it is.

We started out with Bethany Christian Services in Nashville. We felt like God had called us to Bethany and things seemed to fall right in to place for us as we began.  Well, almost 2 years and 6...yes, you're reading that right, 6 case workers later, we knew in our hearts that this was NOT the place we would be getting our baby from.  We asked for prayers from friends and family about what to do and began waiting to hear from God.  Well, He got out His mega phone! 

Monday May 27, a childhood friend of mine, Amber called me out of the blue and told me that she needed me to call her ASAP.  As much as I hate to admit this, Amber and I haven't really kept in touch like I wish we would have.  When she called, well actually texted first, I had this feeling I needed to call her back.  Her parents had moved to Fayetteville, AR several years ago for her dads job.  After a while, they moved back to Jackson.  He ran into a young lady he had worked with while living in Arkansas and helped her get settled in Jackson.  This young lady's parents were coming to help her move in and so she wanted her parents to meet Amber's parents.  At dinner, Regina asked Marti what she did for a living.  Wouldn't you know she said, "I'm an adoption attorney."  You've got to be kidding me, right?  Regina asked all types of questions and finally began telling Marti about Andy and me and what she knew about our situation.  Marti said, "have them call me...I usually have a placement every few months" or something like that.  Honestly, I was too excited/overwhelmed/ anxious/etc. to really remember the finer details when Amber AND her mom were telling me everything on the phone.  Andy and I were at the houseboat with my in-laws when I called her and got the news.  I remember walking back into the boat and Mary, my mother-in-law, said, "well...?!"  I told them all about it and of course they were as excited as I was.  Andy was more like, "let's call her and just see what it's all about before getting too excited."  I'm glad God partnered me with someone like him, I am definitely the gun-ho, pedal-to-the-medal one, and he has a knack for being a little guarded when he needs to be and a little more sensible about most things.  He's a good voice of reason. 

I was dying to call Marti on Monday, but Amber had said they would be traveling back to Arkansas that day so I waited until Tuesday.  She was so friendly on the phone and just as laid back and easy going and easy to talk to...I KNEW this was who God meant for us to meet.  And to think all of this began when Ricky took a job in Arkansas, I'm sure he never thought about working with someone who had an adoption attorney for a mom, much less an attorney that would help US adopt.  Crazy how God works isn't it?!  So, Marti told me I needed to go to her website and fill out an application (which I had already done) and mail it to her.  I had actually already done that too along with a copy of our Home Study and profile book.  Needless to say I was a little anxious to get the ball rolling.  She told us that she would read over everything and get back to us.  Tuesday June 18, she called me to let me know that she had read over everything and just really felt like we were brought to her for a reason. She said that God works in mysterious ways and that she had an expectant mother due in December and that OUR PROFILE kept coming back to her with everything she read about the birth mom.  "Are you guys ready?" she asked.  I kind of hesitated and thought...then said, "ready for what?"  I never in my wildest dreams thought she was calling to tell us she had us matched.  Never.  It had only been 3 weeks since I initially called her just to ask about adopting through her.  Again, God never ceases to amaze me! 

Our birth parents are from the Marshall Islands, but are currently living in Arkansas.  Marti sent me a picture of Weston's biological sister and let me just say, SHE.IS.PRECIOUS.  It was funny when Marti called us to tell us the news, she said, "well Stefanie, your child will look a lot like Andy.  Not so much like you."  Let's face it, Andy has a tan everyone wishes they had and I am white as a ghost compared to him.  Oh well...who cares right?  At the end of the day we will be holding OUR child and nothing else matters.  We initially thought Weston would be here December 10, but now it's looking a little more like January 10.  We just got the crib put together and I decided to make his crib bumpers.  We've registered and I've shopped a little more than I needed to, but who doesn't when their having a baby right?!  Andy's parents are Bubbe(bub-e) and Papa Jack, and my mom is going to be called Bebe and who knows yet for my dad.  I've come up with a few names but they were vetoed so it's back to the drawing board for ole Sambo. 

As always, please continue praying for Andy and I as we get closer and closer to Weston's arrival.  Pray for our birth parents as they prepare to hand us the precious little boy that they've been getting to know the last 9 months.  Pray for us as we are all a ball of nerves getting ready for Weston to make his entrance into the world.