Update on Levi

OK, so a couple of things to blog about today! The first is that we received an update on Levi. These updates are emailed from our agency once a month and they include general information about each child, the answers to 5 questions that we submit each month, and a few pictures of the adopted child. Therefore, this was our first update, and it was so exciting to get. I'll fill you in on some of the things our little guy is up to:

He eats pasta, macaroni, bread, enjera, eggs & rice (talk about carbs)

He can walk by himself

He likes to sing!! He easily smiles when the nannies play with him

He loves to be cuddled and held

I love finding out things about Levi, and I'm so glad he likes to be cuddled and held. Something else that we can thank Jesus for is that in the last 6 months he's gained 4 pounds. He's still pretty small, so continue to pray for his health, but he's slowly gaining--which is great!

The Kerby family took our care package over to him last week and she just emailed me some pics--adorable! I wish I could share them with you...once again; we can't share any pictures until we pass court/he becomes legally ours! However, be ready because I have a slide show that's full of pictures for when we pass court! :) Anyway...the Kerby family was able to love on Levi for us, and here's a little of what she shared in her email:

He is an absolute doll. He was very alert and attentive, especially when we showed him the photo album that you sent. When we were outside, he would stand for us but not show us how good he is at walking but after we were done taking our pictures we went inside and caught him in action. He was walking around all over the inside of the transitional home. Unfortunately we couldn't take pictures of him walking because they are very strict inside the home. But, I can tell you that he is just precious and seems very laid back.

Love it!!!!!!!! The pictures that she sent are of Levi looking at the photo album of Paul, Logan, Landon and me--his forever family. So, although we are having to wait longer than we anticipated, I'm glad to know that there are families loving on Levi, and able to share with us about their visits with him.

Next thing to blog about is the status of our case. As I blogged yesterday, MOWA closed today until the 24th for training. This is the department in Ethiopia that writes recommendation letters that are mandatory for adopting families. Because we've already gone to court, I figured that we already have our recommendation letter, so this is what I found out today after I emailed that exact question--this is how you can specifically pray.

The police were not cooperating in filling out paperwork for not being able to find Levi's birth mother. Our agency was waiting for them to fill everything out, so that the case can be taken back before the judge. Well, today I got an email that our agency has received all paperwork that they need to go before the Court for an appeal to our case. So, here's what could happen...

1. Since our case is still open, the judge could accept all paperwork as it is (including the paperwork from the police about the birth mother) and we'll pass court.

2. The judge hears our appeal and schedules another court date, which then everything will have to be resubmitted.

• Please pray that the judge has a soft heart towards our case so that we can get over there and bring Levi home.
• Pray that the paperwork our agency has will be sufficient for the judge.
• Pray that our case will not get caught in the closure of the courts.

We are just one of many families that are affected by paperwork issues/investigations/judges saying no/MOWA closing for training. Please pray not just for us, but for other families that are struggling with disappointments and lots of questions. I know that God's timing is perfect, but I have to daily surrender to His timing. Sometimes I feel that I'm entitled to bring Levi home now because I've waited long enough. Daily surrendering to God's perfect timing and knowing that He loves me and loves Levi is the only way to make it through the day sometimes without going crazy.

Thanks for all of your prayers! We need them!