The not so pretty...and the beautiful.

It's so funny how somehow adoption from a third world country at times gets glamorized..like it's this noble thing to do. And it is, don't get me wrong, but I feel like if anyone is noble and courageous it is these children whose lives will change in a moment, although for the better, it's still so much to process in their little brains. For one...all of the little girls heads are shaved due to the prominence of head lice..to fight off this yucky little bug, they shave the heads of the children and put the red dirt (clay) on their heads.

Red clay doesn't hide this sweet little face!

Then there are parasites-- Very treatable, yet children living in conditions where they can barely afford to eat,  don't get meds that could easily treat this. Dehydration, emotional issues, burns, developmental delays, attachment issues once adopted, therapy (speech, etc.) ....seriously I think I could fill up a page of all of the things I have read, studied, prayed, and worried about for not only our future child but ALL of them, millions and millions of them!! I am learning all of the not so pretty of this process and I know it will be hard..on the child, on everyone involved...but for me, focusing on the negative isn't healthy. I want to be educated and realistic, just as I prepared myself as best I could when I had my first child.
  The more I learn about these women, the more inspired I am by them.  Their definition of beauty is so different from how we define it here. It is deeply rooted in how strong they are, the love for their family and God, and their ideals of happiness. I pray I can take just a little of that home with me when I visit Uganda.

Mama wearing her baby

Every single face has a unique story

 It's amazing to me how every child looks so different but one common theme is their deep, dark eyes. They say so much! They tell you so much without a word- if they are happy, sad, mad, hopeless, curious, excited...

We got wonderful news today that our old agency is agreeing to do an amendment to the home study (which they have to come to my home to do, but not as time consuming this time.) and to go into an inter-agency agreement. This saves us soooo much money and time so this was THE best news! The stars are aligning and I am so thankful to our God who has orchestrated this entire process.  All the good and bad must happen to get us to OUR precious child.