The Year of the Bebes?

I woke up this morning feeling extremely hopeful and optimistic. I cannot tell you how long it has been since I started a new year on a high note. Honestly, I think it is the first January 1 that I can remember in which I feel more focused on what I have to be thankful for and look forward to than what I have to be disappointed about. My new outlook is mostly due to this being what we have dubbed "The Year of the Bebés".

There is no guarantee that we will travel to pick up our kids this year, but there is also no reason to think that we won't. Right now we are trying to figure out how to prepare (the best we can) for the addition of three Eisenbergers. We know there is no real way to mentally and emotionally prepare for such a huge life-change, so we are focusing on the things we can do. For starters, we are organizing the attic and garage to give us more storage space with hopes of turning the "Room of Doom" into a nursery. We need to paint and fix some of the things that need fixed in our house. It is also time to unpack the boxes that have sat for over two years (remember my elephant collection?). In short, it is time to turn our house into a real home.

The biggest challenge facing us as we prepare is coming up with the rest of the money we need to complete the adoption. We have spent nearly $14,000 just on the first half of the adoption. This is aside from the approximately $10,000+ we spent on infertility treatments. The second half of the adoption is going to cost us around $18,000 for a grand total of $32,000 when it is all said and done. In addition to working overtime and second jobs to help save, we will be starting our fundraising campaign this month. If you would like to help us, please let us know. We are working on putting a packet together that breaks down the adotpion expenses and offers options on how anyone who feels led can help us reach our goal. We are aiming to raise $12,000 which is a large sum, but I am confident that God will provide what we need. He has made sure that we got this far, I know He will see this through to completion.

I hope this post finds you enjoying the first day of the new year. I also hope that you woke up with the same hope and optimism as me. 2008 is going to be GREAT!!!

Happy New Year!
-Andrea