While We Wait, Round 2: February 2019 (Month #1)

As we waited to adopt Zelie, we enjoyed writing up little monthly "happenings". It helped to pass the time and keep us focused on the good things in our lives without getting too anxious about when we would be matched with a child.

So we're going to do the same thing as we are now officially waiting for baby #2! We were approved very late in January, so February was our first full month as a waiting family.

Adoption news: Really nothing to report. No calls or situations. Just waiting! And also being happy to be DONE with paperwork for the foreseeable future. One neat thing is that we've been able to connect with a few people in our lives who are interested in adoption or have started the process, to give them some of our insight and experience. We are far from knowing everything about adoption, but we do know a little! And we are always happy to share.

Other stuff we did:

Dan kept busy! He ran two weekend-long retreats for adult children of divorce, one in Florida and one here in DC, and one day-long family retreat day here in DC. He loves being able to minister to people in this way, but it is tiring, too.

During one of the weekends when Dan was working, I (Bethany) met up with my parents in Baltimore to attend a children's concert at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, called Music Box. It was really fun! Zelie may have paid attention at a smattering of moments....but hopefully the lovely music (wind quintet) still touched her soul in some way. Then we had a delicious lunch of crepes and a fun walk through the city where Zelie wanted to touch everything, wave to every bus, and climb up and down every possible set of stairs. #toddlerlife

pre-concert

I started a quilt for baby #2! (Finally - I got the fabric a few months ago, but toddler + sharp cutting tool + lots of tiny pieces of fabric is not a great combination.) I'm really excited about this quilt. It has the same color scheme as Zelie's quilt (royal blue, gold, and white - a.k.a. our wedding colors) but is a different design. I'm using the old pattern of "Log Cabin," arranged in a way that the finished quilt will look like a series of crosses. (Non-quilters will just have to trust that this will actually happen.)

***We got matched with Zelie DAYS after I finished her quilt, so I better get a move on with this one! (haha)

For Valentine's Day, we had a low-key evening at home with a yummy meal, movie and drinks. Earlier in the day Zelie and I attended our parish's kids Valentine's party, which was a riot (figuratively and at times literally). Each kid brought valentines to pass out, and they made bags to collect them in. Zelie was pretty tickled at the valentines she got, especially the ones with dogs on them. Oh, and she loved the candy too. It was fun, and an example of our wonderful community here!

She is squirming and wants to go back to the playground :)

For a date, Dan and I went to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is on the National Mall. It was an amazing, moving, and very sobering experience. Lots of things to pray about (and weep about) but also to celebrate from this rich culture that brings so much to America. We definitely recommend it for locals and tourists!

That's about it - thanks for reading! And please keep praying for us and for expectant moms and dads considering making an adoption plan.