blogger mom

So...life has been very interesting and exciting at the Stetler house lately. In mid June the kids and I left with my parents for the beach in NC. At the very last minute Eric was able to join us for some time as well. We had a great time and were sad to tell the ocean goodbye at the end of our two weeks. On our last day at the beach I found out that we would be expecting our fourth baby next spring. To say that we were shocked would be quite an understatement! This was by no means something we had planned. As most of you know, we are in the middle of an international adoption as well. Our daughter, Nana, is waiting for us in Liberia and we desperately hope to bring her home within the next year. Our first thought was that we can't do both, there is simply no way this will work. I was devastated and heartbroken as I thought of telling this news to our caseworker and asking her to find a new home for Nana. However, as we got settled back at home we began to pray that God would guide us and help us to see this situation through His eyes, not our own. I began making phone calls to our agency and although they were surprised, they offered us a lot of encouragement. Each day God began to reassure us more and more that He would not give us more than we could handle. This adoption journey has been a journey of blind obedience and faith from the very beginning. We have watched as God has opened doors to make this all possible, often using our friends and family to encourage us and help us financially along the way. A very dear friend reminded me last week that it is His job to close these doors if He sees fit now, not ours. I wish I could tell you when Nana will be coming home, but I can't. We are expecting our new baby in early March and would love to have her home before then. But, if I've learned only one thing in this process it's this...I'm not in charge. I don't get to pick when adoptions reopen in Liberia. I have no say in how quickly her paperwork is processed once the new laws are passed. I am unable to give any input into the new regulations to guarantee that Nana is ever allowed to come home. However, I do know this...the One who created this new baby and created our Nana is in control. His hand is at work and His plan is always best. In that truth, we find great strength and peace for our family right now.

We also received some more wonderful news last week that we are excited to share with each of you. As some of you know, when we accepted Nana's referral we were aware that she was HIV positive. We always knew that there was a 60% chance she would seroconvert, meaning that she would actually test negative as she grew and her mother's antibodies left her system. However, we felt it was best to assume that we would be dealing with HIV and to prepare ourselves for that. Last week we received a copy of her updated bloodwork, along with some adorable pictures. It can now be determined that Nana is NOT HIV positive, her bloodwork came back negative. We were thrilled to hear this news! She is doing well...walking, saying a few words. She is only 17 pounds at 18 months, which makes this mommy very nervous. But, she looks very happy and is very attached to her nanny.

Thank you all for your support and prayers. They mean so much to our family. We look forward to sharing more good news with you soon!

Eric and Kerri Stetler