Week 5

Well hello week 5! I am so so excited that in 3 short weeks we will have hit the 8 week mark and it can officially be any day until we find out our travel dates!!!! This week I am so content and just anxious for the next 3 weeks to fly by!!!

Thanksgiving 2015

Happy Thanksgiving!!

From The Malones: Jeremy, Stephanie, Connor, and Nala.

Week 4!

We have made it to week 4!! This is super exciting because it means We could possibly hear in only 4 more weeks news on when We can go meet and bring home our sweet boy. We are so so anxious! Connors room is completely ready, and we are still being showered with gifts for him. It is so so overwhelming to finally have everyone as excited as we have been about our adoption. Please continue to pray for HCO(Higher Court Order.)

Week 3

 I am going to try to post each week about how im feeling. Weeks 1-2 have been a blur of excitement and anticipation.

Week 3 of our 8-10 week wait.......

I am so so so thankful that were on week 3 because it makes it seem like time is finally moving a little. I cannot believe how time has seemed to stand still since we know the next news we get will be travel dates. We have had our baby shower and Connors room is now complete. We are officially ready. However some days I must admit I feel so unready and I panic a little, but its just new mom jitters because I am so ready for my baby boy.

I try to envision what it will be like to see him for the first time. To walk into a airport filled with our family and friends and to finally be home. I try to imagine what being a family of three will look like. All I do is cry because I am excited, anxious, scared, and a million other emotions but deep down on week 3 I know were ready to feel complete again for the first time in 19 months. We are ready for Connor.

Thank you for Connor!

 I thank God for Connor daily, but if I had the opportunity to put it all out on paper and express what I truly feel it would probably go something like this......


        God, Thank you for Connor!

Thank you Lord for giving me the desire of my heart. Thank you for making me a mother. Thank you for keeping your promises.

Thank you for giving me my son through the beauty of adoption. Thank you for not allowing me to conceive biologically. Thank you for placing a calling on my life that makes one less orphan in the world.  Thank you for helping me find him. Thank you for calling me to do something much bigger than myself.

Thank you for making my boy fearfully and wonderfully made. Thank you for who He is, Thank you for his health. Thank you for his smile.

Thank you for calling me to be this beautiful souls mother.

Thank you for Connor.

Baby Shower

 Saturday (Nov 7th 2015) was our baby shower!!! It was so much fun to have our friends and family there to help us celebrate our sweet boy. I loved all the questions about Connor and our adoption process. Seeing everyone as excited as us was overwhelming!! We are thankful for those who put it together and made the day possible. Thank you to Ivy who took pictures for us!  Mandi for making our Cake exactly how we wanted it and for bringing it all the way from Virginia !!!!and each and everyone who came and showered us with amazing gifts.

  Here are a few of the things we received.....A Tula  (Carrier)which will keep our hands free for passports and paperwork while navigating through the busy airport with a toddler.  Things Connor will need daily sippy cups, spoons and forks, plates, wash clothes, baby lotion and soap. Hats and gloves for those cold winter days. Toys which im sure Connor would like me to send out a very special thank you for. Clothes, a learning kit so we can work with Connor on his words  a tablet, a carseat, his first bible! and even one of Jeremys old blankets!! Drum roll please.........284 DIAPERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are so incredibly blessed!!!! Thank you for loving our baby right along with us! More pictures to come.

Katie Layman surprised us by painting this awesome picture for Connors room!!!

What if He doesn't like us.....

         I know its crazy but I really uttered those words a few weeks ago and I meant them. Of course looking at it later it seems so so ridiculous. It doesnt matter though because in that moment it makes perfect sense and you are drowning in the unknowns. The point im trying to make is were human, im human. I have worries and oh do I have fears. However even in those fear filled moments I know He is my son. I know this is our life. I know He will love us. I know we already love him. I know things will be hard and there will be times while raising him that I will be scared out of my mind, but  I also know that there will be so much joy. I know that He is mine and I know He likes us.....Even if He doesnt know it yet    

Please pray that things wouldnt go according to plan...

Its hard to believe after 20 months on this journey that we only have a couple more months until the end.We are so close to scooping Connor up in our arms that some days I literally ache for him. 

Of course we are filled with excitement and anticipation so there is no time to be sad. We are having our  first baby shower this weekend a event I have thought of and dream about years before it was actually happening. Of course nothing is like I envisioned it and thats whats so great about our God! He sees the bigger picture and makes things better than we could have ever visioned. I am honored that God chose me to be TYKs mother. I am overwhelmed that He has chosen me to parent a child with special needs. I am blown away at how He believes in us. How He sees our full potential even when we are sitting somewhere sobbing saying I cant. 20 months later I see his plan , I not only understand it, but I am living it. I am a million emotions and they change daily, but what I feel for certain is ready.  I have so many unknowns and  things I am super nervous about, but im ready for this child. Im ready to struggle through motherhood like all mothers do. Im ready to try my best. I already  am experiencing this incredible love that a mother has for her child. I cant wait to experience How the love grows even deeper when He is here.  Im just so ready!!

So this brings me to the point of this blog, We are waiting (8-10 weeks) to get HCO If all goes according to plan it should come sometime in that time frame and then we will get travel dates somewhere within 1-3 weeks. I am praying things dont go according to plan, and I want you to pray that with me. 

Pray that God would perform a miracle! Pray that He would be faithful like he has time and time again. Stop praying for Christmas or any specific date. Pray that God would show up and show out. Pray that He would blow us away. Pray God would bring Connor home!!!! We know that these statics are  right and up to date, however we believe that theres power in the name of JESUS. We believe that He can do all things. We believe that He will bring Connor home. We know that this is too big for us but nothing is to big for Him. Help us pray for Gods perfect time. Pray for a miracle!! Pray Connor home!

Daddy finally speaks out....

Well I guess it's time to finally write my blog for Stephanie. How did I feel about our initial decision to adopt? I have to admit that I was scared, nervous. Don't get me wrong I love kids, but I've never really had to be responsible for one of my own. Being a father comes with a lot of responsibilities and sometimes I don't feel like I'm grown up enough to be a father. The more I think about it though, and what I thought when we finally decided to adopt, what is grown up? Is it giving up hanging out with friends, playing video games, dressing up like a superhero on Halloween, or just dressing up like a superhero in general? No. Being grown up is providing for your family and raising your children up in a household that provides love, nourishment, and a good foundation to build on in life. I've never been a father, but I've got a couple of good examples to mold being a father after. The first is my own father who I know loves me, and would do anything to make sure that I didn't do without anything. The second is Jesus, my Heavenly Father who gave himself to make sure that eternally I would never have to suffer or worry about what I have. Both fathers have always provided for me, loved me, and I'm taking care of all of my needs. Even though Connor may not be my blood son, he is no less my son then if I'd had one naturally, much like the kingdom of heaven that I've been adopted two through the blood of Jesus Christ. Even though I've made mistakes with both fathers, they never gave up on me and even though I know Connor will make mistakes, I'll never give up on him. So I'm not scared, because I know I have plenty of people around me that will help support me, and I know that Connor will have plenty of people around him to support him. So there it is, the blog written by Jeremy Malone.