The Jamieson Family Blog

Ethiopia Day 1

2010-09-07T17:39:00.000-06:00

Okay, I am terrible at blogging. It's not that I don't think of it occasionally, usually composing posts as I drift off to sleep... but we are hard pressed to do much more than get through the day every day! The past three months (can't believe Lilia has been home three months!!) have been hard and beautiful. Very hard. And very beautiful. It is amazing to watch our newest daughter, a former orphan, come alive. This has involved much pain to see her hurt and fears surface but glorious to see her begin to heal. I'll tell more about that in another post. For now, I want to catch us up to speed. We'll start with Ethiopia. I am going to post parts of our travel journal and some pictures of our time there.

May 18, 2010

We arrived in Addis Ababa last night at around 7:00 pm. It was a long trip, but Emma was a rock star traveler. We’re so proud of her. We crashed at about 9:00 pm and slept all night until 7:00 am this morning. Sleep felt great! We had a great breakfast this morning, and then got unpacked a bit and played. David, our driver, and Robel , our AWAA travel coordinator, came and picked us up at 12:30 pm for lunch. We ate pizza. It was really good. We’d heard they had good Italian food here, because of the Italian occupation. Well, it was really good. After that, we headed to the transition home. That’s really where we wanted to be all day.

When we got there, they found out who we were and said they would get Yabsira. So we waited outside at the front. What a crazy feeling, waiting for them to bring our daughter…Katie, Emma and I were all looking at each other, anticipating the moment…nervous, excited, almost crying, etc. When they finally brought her out, it was surprising that no tears were present. But joy overtook the moment and we were all just completely excited! Emma gave her hugs and kisses, Katie held her, I looked on and took pictures, then we all sat down together. What joy! Katie fed her a bottle and she just slurped it down without wasting any time at all. I guess when you start out that small, you don’t mess around when there is food present. Both Katie and I could have stayed there all day – staring into her eyes, feeding her, holding her, just being together. It’s been so long. We spent two hours together, and of course didn’t want to leave. But Emma had been such a trooper all day, and we can’t take Lilia home yet, so we left. She’s in a great place. The transition home is beautiful, and the people are so kind and great with the kids. Lilia has been in good hands.

Tonight, Emma fell asleep at dinner. One second she was chowing on pasta, the next she was asleep on Katie’s lap. I’m not joking either. I think she fell asleep in the course of 30 seconds. What a day. Well, we’re all heading for bed soon. Sweet dreams for us!

As a final note, we love Addis, and all the people we’ve met. The people of this country seem to be so proud of their place and all its history. Not a tourist kind of proud, but a deep rooted pride in being from this place. The people here also seem to have a deep love for children. We saw it over and over again. It’s such a beautiful thing, considering that children are often overlooked or treated as inconveniences in our country. We can’t wait to learn more about where our daughter is from.

Our bags

Dulles Airport (note how rested we looked then)

On the airplane- two 8 hour flights

Outside the Transition Home,

waiting for Lilia to be brought out so we could meet her for the first time!

And more waiting (it took forever)

Here she is! I recognized those amazing eyes halfway

down the hallway as a nanny brought her out to us

Because you need some pictures...

2010-07-06T18:40:00.000-06:00

I know it's been a long time since we updated and you all are eager for pictures. I really hope to post about our trip and how we are doing soon. It is honestly so difficult to have time to blog right now, this adjustment is hard, but good. For now, enjoy the pics!

We are home!

2010-06-02T14:50:00.000-06:00

Yes we made it home last Saturday evening after 27 hours of travel with a 6 month old and a three year old. It was rough. And the jet lag is even worse! :) We'll update soon about our trip... once the blur and fog clears a little. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement. Thank you Jesus that Lilia Yasira is finally ours, in every way!

We made it

2010-05-21T02:35:00.000-06:00

We've been in Addis Ababa for four full days now. We are loving every minute and the afternoons we have with Lilia Yabsira at the Transition Home are precious beyond words. I thought I'd just get on blogger and see if I could post, now that I now I can, we will try and unload parts of our travel journal we've been keeping. We'll have to wait on pictures until we get back to the states though. Ethiopia is a beautiful place and we are so thankful to be here. We'll check in again soon!

The bags are packed...

2010-05-15T16:15:00.000-06:00

and we leave tomorrow!!!! It's hard to believe this two-year wild ride is coming to an end...and a beginning. In less than three days, we will hold our baby girl who we have been waiting for, longing for, and praying for. It's been a complete whirlwind of buying ticket, packing, organizing, cleaning, and joy the last few days but we are ready (almost). Emma is coming with us, as well as Brendan's parents and my parents. Thanks to all of you who have been a constant support to us with your prayers, encouragement, and help, we could not do this without you! Thank you to my family who has helped us pack, clean, fed us, and hung out with Emma so we could get ready. Thank you to our friends who are house sitting while we are gone. Thank you to our church community for freeing Brendan to go with such enthusiasm and blessing (and helping carry the load while the music pastor is gone). We are pretty exhausted from all the preparations but very excited to be with Lilia! We will be back on the 29th. I will update the blog while we are in Addis Ababa if we are able. We are coming baby girl!!!!

Shout for Joy!

2010-05-12T11:59:00.000-06:00

We serve a faithful God. We got the call today saying we are cleared to go pick up Lilia!!!!!! We are thrilled and have been crying tears of joy. We leave Sunday and will be in Ethiopia for almost two weeks. I truly believe God responded out of the prayers lifted up for our daughter and moved this mountain- even after we were told it was not likely! We are so thankful and have so much to do. Alleluia, our daughter is coming home!

**The above pic is Lilia a few weeks ago- she's up to 12 lbs!

Prayers Needed

2010-05-11T14:25:00.001-06:00

Please pray for us and for Lilia. Brendan spoke with the Africa Program director from our agency today. They still have nothing new from the Embassy about Lilia's investigation. The Embassy has been in contact with them, continuing to investigate Lilia's case, but still has not cleared her for a visa. They are aiming for 8 weeks, which we are sitting at 8 weeks into the investigation, but they are under no obligation to finish at a certain point. They have said there are no red flags in Lilia's case but it is just taking longer because she is from a smaller orphanage. Please pray for us and Lilia. Our hearts are so heavy and weary. We just want to be with our little girl. We need God to move this mountain. Be our sustainer Lord Jesus and hold and strengthen Lilia's little heart.

A Poem

2010-04-24T12:25:00.001-06:00

My sweet sister Rachel (and best friend!) gave me a poem the other day that she had written for us. She has been a constant on our adoption journey, praying for us and Lilia. She is always coming alongside to listen and hope, and of course, be an amazing auntie to Emma who has needed extra special love lately. The poem brought tears to my eyes because she (as artists do) put my emotions and thoughts into a beautiful structure that expresses how I am feeling far better than mere words ever could. Here it is:

To Katie, In Waiting

This placental love that spans an ocean

in defiance of science

With careful ear can hear

the echo of your heartbeat in the

thrumming rain of Africa

in the child who has become your flesh

and wears the skin of your love.

And God who flung the stars into space

will reverse the plate techtonics

that drove these continents apart.

The umbilical cord shortens

The distant pulse dawns louder with each sunrise

as faith shrinks an ocean to a puddle

and stepping stones emerge above the waves

to lead you to the day

when eyes shall meet eyes

fingers to fingers

and you cradle your Heart once more

upon your chest.

No News

2010-04-09T12:05:00.017-06:00

"Any news with your adoption?"

I hear this question a lot. Let me preface by saying that it means so much to our family to have friends who ask us how the adoption is going, how Lilia is, and how we are holding up. We are so thankful not to walk through this alone, but with dear friends and family, who encourage and support us. But I get tired of the answer I have to give again and again, "No, no news." This has been such a difficult ride for Brendan, Emma, and I. It has been so beautiful and encouraging to see how our hearts have expanded towards Lilia, and we love her as much as if she were already with us. She is the family member we pray for at every meal and bedtime. She is the missing link, the completing piece to the puzzle of our family that is missing. We won't be whole until she comes home.

There have been so many prayers, hours and hours of prayers, and many friends and family who have joined us in praying for Lilia to come home. Waiting, hoping, and praying. Yesterday, as I spent time with God, I again began to plead and cry out for our little girl to come home. She has been really sick over the past few weeks with pneumonia (is much better now) and we have been so heartsick that we can't be with her. I was reading Isaiah 55 and verses 8&9 were practically in bold as a read them: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." For me, this is the crux of the matter- I honestly can see no good that comes from this time of increased separation. Lilia has been without a family from day 1, and to make her go a week, day, or hour longer without a loving family when she has one seems cruel of God. BUT- His thoughts are not my thoughts nor His ways my ways. Brendan and I have chosen to cling to the promise that God will work all things together for the good of those who love Him- even when we cannot see any good coming from it. We may never know what the good is, but we know, because we know Him, that He is working for the good. I still can see no reason to be separated from my daughter, but today, in faith, we trust Him. It is not easy, in fact, it is a moment by moment, breath by breath choice and we don't do it perfectly, but we falteringly, stumble into His arms and choose faith. And remember that He loves Lilia far beyond what our frail humans hearts ever could and He is rescuing her and working good in her life.

I'll leave you all with some of my favorite pictures from the past few weeks. PS- You can expect another post once we have travel plans.

(Special thanks to Audrey Ferrel and Jen Boardman who delivered care packages to Lilia and took some awesome pictures of our little lady for us!)

February Referral Updates

2010-03-15T17:12:00.002-06:00

Our agency sends out monthly updates for all families that have referrals. We received these pictures early this month of Lilia. They were taken at the end of February. Doesn't she look great!? She is up to 9.5 lbs (up from 6.5 at 2 months old) and is trying to roll over. She's also pulling up her head to a 45 degree angle which is great to hear developmentally.

I'd like to say these pictures brought nothing but pure joy, but it's not true. Mixed in with joy in seeing my daughter's face, I felt a deep sadness. A sadness that she is growing and changing and we're missing it. A sadness that she doesn't have her mama and daddy and big sister cheering over every little milestone, giving her millions of hugs and kisses a day. A sadness that she is halfway across the world and frankly, it is going to be awhile until we can bring her home.

Our agency is giving us the ballpark figure of traveling mid May. Why? Because recently all the requirements for issuing visas for children adopted from Ethiopia changed. We are currently waiting for our post placement paperwork to be submitted (it has been almost a month since we passed court) and it is taking forever. It has been so painful to wait any news and to hear nothing. If you think of us, please pray for Lilia and for us. Pray for God to stretch out his hand and bring her home faster than we have been told. Pray that whatever obstacle there is in getting this paperwork submitted would be taken out of the way. We need to get our baby girl home. This family is not going to feel complete until she is in our arms. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement, honestly, we've need them.

Delays

2010-03-02T16:47:00.000-07:00

I overheard Brendan and Emma talking yesterday morning. It went something like this:

Emma: Daddy, I’m sad

B: Why are you sad sweetheart?

Emma: I am ready to go to Africa

B: You are?

Emma: I’m ready to go to Africa right now.

Us too, Emma Bean, us too. We had been overjoyed to pass court two weeks ago and then find out we had tentative travel dates of March 13-19. We knew because of our homestudy update in progress (due to our move) that we most likely would be able to travel that soon, but set our sights on the last week of March. Two days later we received an email from our agency letting us know there were some changes in the works with the way visas were going to be processed and there would most likely be several weeks delay. We received another email the following week telling us the new regulations were that it would take 8 weeks after processing our post-placement paperwork for the Embassy to issue visas for adopted children from Ethiopia. Needless to say, we have been pretty much heartbroken. To think we are going to hold and bring home our baby girl within weeks, only to find it is months, is devastating. Our post-placement paperwork is being finished in Ethiopia and should be submitted by the end of the week. That puts us as traveling the last days in April or early days in May. Please pray for us as we are asking God to work something quickly. While we are not sharing openly Lilia’s story of becoming an orphan, her case is pretty straightforward. We are praying somehow that the visa processing time takes less.

All that said, we are so thankful that Lilia is ours and she will come home! We received some pictures from our YG friends, Amy and Mike, who took a care package over to Lilia when they picked up their two beautiful boys. We are thrilled to have more pictures and see how great Lilia looks. They said “Your baby girl is a little precious peanut! We prayed over her and her eyes were moving around the whole time looking at things outside. I CANNOT wait for you to have the experience of going to Ethiopia to get her!!” Us too! So we’ll share a few of those pics here in the next post. Enjoy!

Pictures

2010-03-02T16:30:00.002-07:00

WE PASSED!

2010-02-17T09:26:00.003-07:00

We are so thankful and humbled at the mercy of Jesus. We got the call this morning at 10:30 a.m. from America World, telling us that our daughter passed court and she is legally, truly ours. We are so thankful for those of you who have walked along this journey with us. Introducing Lilia Yabsira Jamieson:

The first three pictures were our referral pictures and the last two were taken last week by a family who traveled to pick up their children. (Thank you Kara!) At this point it looks like we will most likely travel early April to bring Lilia Yabsira home. Thank you Jesus, your mercies are new each morning- great is Your faithfulness!

Awaiting the court date

2010-02-16T13:45:00.002-07:00

Tonight while we sleep, our daughter will have her court appointment. This will legally make her our daughter and is a chance for the judge to make sure everything is in order and that she can be adopted. We will know tomorrow if she passed. We are hopeful, but cautiously. We want nothing more than for her to pass and come home soon. We are trusting God and His mercy to work that out. Please pray for us and join us in asking God to stretch out His arm so that our daughter will be an orphan no longer.

"Once God has spoken;
twice have I heard this;
that power belongs to God,
and that to you, O Lord, belongs
steadfast love."

COURT DATE!

2010-02-04T18:09:00.003-07:00

We received our court date today! It was totally unexpected because we have only had our referral for a little over two weeks. We thought we'd have to wait a few more weeks until we heard. It is: February 17th!
We are so excited but honestly getting a little nervous with our homestudy update. Because we've moved and Brendan has changed his job in the last month and a half we have to update our homestudy. The homestudy then has to be sent to USCIS for the update and then to National Visa Center so we can get our visas. BUT, apparently, USCIS isn't taking just updates anymore, the homestudy has to be completely resubmitted. Which means a lot of work for our social worker and something they haven't done much of because this is a new thing. So please pray that we can get our homestudy visit scheduled in the next week or so (which would be a miracle!) and everything can be sent to USCIS so that we have no delays in travel. Another thing to keep in mind is that first time court dates have a 50% chance of passing. So, we may not pass the first time. A lot to pray about. But we are hopeful and SO anxious to get our baby girl home!

Happy Birthday Emma Bean!

2010-01-24T20:08:00.004-07:00

It's hard to believe our little gal is three years old today! It feels like yesterday that she was a tiny babe, and now she's a spunky, fun, smart, compassionate little lady. We had a great time celebrating her special day. Yesterday we went bowling (it's becoming a tradition) and out for ice cream. Then for a special dinner of pizza and broccoli at Emma's request. Today (her actual birthday), we had a scavenger hunt to find her presents and then went to her Mimi and Grandpa's house for playing, cupcakes, and more presents. Three years feels like a big deal. It is so neat to see Emma grow and learn and she's so excited to be a big sister. We are excited for the next year with her!

Referral Video

2010-01-20T17:43:00.004-07:00

For a taste of the moment when we first saw the precious face of our new daughter you can watch this video. This is after we received the referral call and when we opened the pictures of her on our computer (sorry Brendan's head is not in the picture for some of the video-oops!):

This is a picture I captured today of Emma giving her sister's picture on the fridge a kiss. :)

WE GOT THE CALL!!!!!!!!

2010-01-19T08:07:00.002-07:00

Yesterday at 4:30 p.m. we received the phone call we had been hoping for, dreaming of. I was having coffee with my dad (we just moved across the country and started a new job but more on that some other time) and the phone rang. It was our America World family coordinator. She got Brendan on the line too and told us they had a beautiful 2-month old baby girl for us. I raced home to Brendan and Emma and we opened up her pictures on our computer. She is gorgeous and we are already head over heel for this baby girl who we have been waiting for for a year and a half (and dreaming of for the last 4 and a half years). We cannot show pictures of her on our blog until we pass court so you will have to take our word that she is a doll! We send off our referral acceptance this morning. In the next month or so we will have word on a court date and then should have a tentative idea of when we might travel to Ethiopia to bring her home. We praise you Lord Jesus. You are good!

6 Months of Waiting

2009-11-02T18:26:00.007-07:00

It’s been awhile since I relayed any adoption news. The adoption is on our hearts and minds quite often but as many other things in life, it is not demanding our immediate attention so it gets shuffled to the bottom of the pile of things that need attention. For awhile I felt like it was not going to happen. It felt surreal, like seeing our daughter’s face was so far off, but lately it seems closer. Maybe it is the realization that she most likely is born, that she is out there somewhere across the ocean. That maybe she is loved and cared for by her family or maybe she is alone and afraid. My momma’s heart aches for her whenever she comes to mind. My arms are so eager to hold her. We pray daily that God would strengthen her heart until we can come for her, that she has arms to hold her and love her, and that she has enough food. In the last few months, we have crept up into the unofficial waiting list of families to number 5, where we currently stand. We are number 4 for an infant girl. This could mean so many things. It could mean our anticipated 9-11 month wait will end sooner than that. Or it could mean things will move slowly from here on out. We are almost 6 months since our dossier was sent to Ethiopia. We are all eager to see her face. Emma is excited to meet her little sister though sometimes I wonder if she thinks she is an imaginary friend. We have talked about Emma sharing her little baby car seat with her sister, and the clothes she has outgrown. But I realized after we had this conversation that maybe she thinks her little sister is kind of like Jesus. Someone that is there but she cannot see. We had this conversation a few months ago after nighttime prayers:

Emma: Jesus is going to ride in my car seat with me.

Me: Well, yes, Jesus is with us everywhere, all the time. So He is with us when we are in the car.

Emma (after thinking a bit): Jesus is really little.

Me: Actually, Jesus is SO big, He made the mountains. He made Daddy and Mama. He made you!

Emma (thinks about that for awhile): Jesus is going to have His own car seat. A big car seat.

Me: Because He’s so big?

Emma: Yeah. He’ll have a REALLY big car seat.

This conversation revealed to me that 1) Emma thinks her sister is like Jesus, someone she knows about but cannot see and 2) the concept of Jesus being with us in the car without a car seat seems very unsafe. I loved it. And I love that girl. And I love how she is slowly beginning to learn of Him.

The Karaus

2009-10-22T19:53:00.005-06:00

I apologize that I have been so bad at keeping up with the blog lately. It’s not that nothing has been going on worth reporting on, it’s that there has been so much happening in our lives on every level that when I finally get my sweet girl asleep at night, the last thing on my mind is the blog. I want to read, or knit, or watch Alias Season 1. Thank you all who faithfully check in from time to time. I won’t share everything that has been happening, though another day I will, but I want to share an amazing gift we had at the last of last month. Most know, Brendan and I met in Kenya in 2001. During the 7 week trip, we and other college students were split into groups of two and three and sent all over Kenya. Brendan was sent to Mathare Valley Slum to teach and work at a church in the slum. He lived and served along with a couple named Pastor and Mama Karau. They became his heroes that summer. Since that time, our dear friends the Karaus, have started an orphanage called Sanctuary of Hope. They have taken 21 children out of the slums and moved them into two different homes where they parent them, teach them, love them, and give them a second chance in a world that dealt them a cruel hand. Imagine having 21 children! To speak of the beauty and redemption that we have seen through the Karaus would be speaking of the life of Jesus lived out in very real ways. We have been blessed to know them. And we were blessed to have them come and stay in our home last month. They spoke at our church and at InterVarsity about what they are doing in Nairobi. It was such a blessing to us to share life with them for five days. It was a reminder of what really matters, of why we are adopting a child from Africa, of who Jesus is and who He calls us to be. I encourage you to check out the most recent YouTube Video about Sanctuary of Hope (and shameless plug- the song is written and sung by Brendan).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGNFDV9vKME

Here are some pictures from their visit:

We love you Karaus and are so thankful for all you do and who you are!

Five Years Today

2009-08-13T21:01:00.003-06:00

Five years ago today, Brendan and I said “I do” in front of 150 of our close friends and family. It’s hard to believe it’s been five years! It’s hard to believe it’s been only five years. But these past five years of my life have been the most wonderful so far- in beautiful, fullness of life ways, in hard, stretching ways. But I wouldn’t want to share it with anyone else. My husband has taught me so much about loving Jesus, about seeing the beauty in almost anything, about hopeful optimism, about sacrifice, about hard work, about love, about the healing of the soul, about parenthood, about laughter, and the list goes on. Its funny how after a few years, the faults become clearer- as though they were hazy in the beginning- But as our faults rise to the surface, it seems our love grows (by the mercy of our King), expanding even into those places. And we love better, and we love others better. I love you my husband. There is no one else I’d rather spend my life with. You are the best part of me and I am so thankful for you. Happy Anniversary.

Summer Happenings

2009-07-24T18:06:00.004-06:00

You know it's hot when your husband goes to Walmart at 10 p.m. to buy an air conditioner. And comes home with the lastone in the store. You know it's hot when your daughter has heat rash all over her back and asks to run around naked. You know it's hot when you check the temp at 7 at night and it's 99 degrees. Yep, it's hot. Oh well. At least our tomato plants love it.
This post is long overdue.

I've had many intentions in the last two months to update, but it hasn't happened. So much of our life in the blog world revolves around the adoption, and frankly, we have no new news. We are just waiting. We have been DTE for two and a half months and have at least 6 to 9 to go til referral. From our Yahoo Group, it looks like we stand around #22ish in line for a referral. But that doesn't include any mystery families that have not joined the group, or the fact that referrals do not always happen in order, but based on the age range, gender, whether requesting siblings,and other factors. The wait for female infants is currently the longest wait. But we wait! And trust God for His timing in bringing our daughter to us.

We just returned from two weeks in Virginia. We spent time with family and friends and enjoyed a much needed week in Sandbridge, VA. I'm posting a bunch of pictures from the trip. It was a good time for some soul searching, playing, listening to God's direction, dates, and just plain relaxing.

Emma with her G-Pa

My brother Nate and his girlfriend, Ashley- aren't they cute?

Emma posing with the flowers she just happened to be color-coordinated with Mimi and Emma
Off on a journey

Emma's "boosie" (booster) seat

And another one

Emma with her Great Grandpa

Emma and Great Grandma (Nana)

Ashley gave her this lollipop, which she still hasn't finished

The whole beach clan- minus Dad who was taking the picture and Rachel who is in India

Emma with her other Great Grandma

(isn't she a lucky kid to have so many grandparents and great grandparents around?)

A Day in the Studio

2009-05-28T19:51:00.002-06:00

Tiffany, an Intervarsity student and friend, invited us to the photography studio on campus recently to take some pictures of Emma. We thought we'd share a few of the great pictures she took!

Have a great weekend!

It's Off

2009-05-04T20:57:00.001-06:00

Nine months of paperwork and approximately $13,000 later, we have sent our COMPLETED dossier off to America World. Once they have reviewed and approved it, it will be sent to Ethiopia and we will be assigned a waiting number. We are almost in shock that there is nothing left to do...now we wait. But it feels so good! We pray that God is just covering our daughter (who is probably conceived at this point) and her birth family in Ethiopia. We pray for His mercy toward them, that they know Him, that He will be so present with them and with her through this season of suffering that will bring our daughter to us- and that He will bring her to us quickly!

USCIS Approval!

2009-04-30T20:46:00.000-06:00

Our door bell rang at 11:30 Am this morning. I hesitated to answer it, as I was just about to put Emma down for a nap, but decided to go for it. It was our mail man. He had a huge package and a stack of mail. We normally don't see him because we have a post office box at the end of the street, but the package wouldn't fit in there. The package was for Brendan, so I tossed it aside, and immediately began rifling through the pile of mail, like I do every day for the past two weeks. And there was THE LETTER...our USCIS I-171H form that clears us to adopt internationally. Two hours later, we the we had been to the bank to have our dossier cover letter notarized, and to UPS, where we had shipped off the dossier to the MT secretary of state to be authenticated (they check to see that all notaries are legitimate. We have probably 23 different pages that were notarized during the process). They will hopefully overnight that back to us early next week, and then we'll send our completed dossier to America World in Virginia. If all goes well, our dossier will be on its way to Ethiopia in the next two weeks. Praise God!

The neat thing about all this is that yesterday, we asked several friends to pray for this form to come. I woke up this morning with a sense of peace that today was the day. When the form came and I called Brendan, he was, at that very moment, praying with a student for this particular form to come. Pretty cool. Guess Emma will have a little sister after all!

2009-04-25T12:55:00.003-06:00

Emma announced to Brendan and I this last week that her name was “Gobbie.” She even answered to Gobbie when I would ask her something. I’m not sure where she got this strange idea, but we got a kick out of it! Also this past week, when I was putting Emma to sleep, we had an interesting conversation. We were laying in her bed, snuggling, and she sleepily said to me, “Mama, I was proud of you.” This sparked my interest so I asked her, “When were you proud of me sweetheart?” Her answer? “When I was born.” Now if that is not what every mom who has gone through childbirth wants their children to tell them, I don’t know what is! I’ll hold onto that memory for sure! We love our little gal, she is such a joy to be around (most of the time!) and it is so fun to see she begin to express all these thoughts she is having.

On the adoption front, we were successfully fingerprinted last Monday. Did you know they don’t use ink anymore? They have a machine that you stick you fingers onto glass and then they digitally take a print. Who knew? I thought I’d take some fun inky finger photos but no luck there. We did have a great family day driving to Helena, visiting the park, seeing the cathedral there, and having lunch. Now I’ve been anxiously checking the mailbox waiting for that coveted I-171H form to come! It could be weeks, but it doesn’t hurt to check.

Last weekend Emma and I (Brendan was out of town) had the privilege of joining the local group of families that have adopted from Ethiopia for their bi-annual get together. It was so wonderful to be with other people who had gone through this process ahead of us and to see these beautiful children. They are SO beautiful! It made my heart ache to hold our little girl. All I can say was they just seemed to be thriving as a part of families. God truly puts the orphans in homes! I am so thankful that there is a group of people who live here! Five of the families were actually from Missoula. We hope to be getting to know them more!

Enjoy some pics of the last few weeks! Have a great weekend.

Easter Sunday

One of the lastest favorite things to do, paint!

Our trip to the river on a sort of warm day

Apparently, Emma was feeling tired!

The musician training continues

Peanut butter balls

Good news!

2009-04-15T20:18:00.002-06:00

I received a phone call this morning from the USCIS office in Helena, Mt. They called to schedule our fingerprinting appointments. We scheduled them for next Monday! I saw our social worker today and mentioned we had heard from them and her comment was, "Already? That's quick!" Thank you Jesus! We have to have our fingerprints taken in order to receive the approved I-171 form. So this is our last step before getting approval from the government to adopt. We have all of our paperwork sitting in a file box, organized, ready to go! This has been a long haul but we're getting there. Our agency gave out over 20 referrals last month, and gave out four more in the last two days. I love seeing these children matched with families and I am so thankful that it will, someday soon, be our turn. Yay for a day of good news!

Check this out

2009-04-14T20:40:00.000-06:00

USCIS

2009-04-09T20:31:00.002-06:00

Yay! Good news on the adoption front today. Our social worker contacted me yesterday to let me know that America World (our agency) had approved our homestudy write up. The magic line in the homestudy "Brendan and Katie Jamieson are approved to adopt one female child from Ethiopia, from 0-18 months old" is what we've been waiting for! The homestudy was done by the local Catholic Social Services office. It's been a long road folks- and we have a lot longer one ahead. We had the hold up with our paperwork going to the wrong office and not being forwarded on to the right office back in December. We were about a month behind where we hoped to be at that point and almost four long months later, here we are. To think that we really began this process last May, is crazy. It was last May that God really began to speak to us that this was the time for adoption in our family. We have known since we got married that we really wanted to adopt a child from Africa, but last May God confirmed that calling and this timing! To think it will be another year is hard, but we are so thankful to have jumped through this loophole.

At this point, the homestudy has been sent into USCIS today. We are waiting for a fingerprinting appointment and then the I-171 form that clears us to classify an orphan as our immediate relative. The timeline on their website says the wait can be 3 months for this form which we need to have to submit our paperwork to Ethiopia. It's been known to be less in other cases, but not normal. If you feel led, please pray for us, that this government office would have favor on us- our application has been sitting in their office for 4 months now- and that by God's mercy, we would move more rapidly through this process. We know that in all this God has the perfect child at the perfect time for us, but honestly, we are so ready to hold her in our arms and be her family.

Thanks for the encouragement and the prayers. We'll keep you updated as we know more!

We love you sista!

2009-03-29T12:16:00.002-06:00

My sweet sister Rachel is leaving this afternoon to fly to England for a week of training and then on to India. She will be living there for six months working in a home for women and children who have been diagnosed with AIDS. I am so proud of my sister. God has gifted her in such beautiful ways. She is a woman of mercy and compassion (not to mention healing as she is a nurse!) I know that she will be a blessing to those who come in contact her. I pray that she will be the arms and feet of Christ as she goes to serve these women and children. We love you Rachel, way to go!

Pictures!

2009-02-24T19:02:00.007-07:00

Here's a few of the promised picture of the past month!

Our sweet girl turns 2!!

Opening a few presents

Emma's bowling birthday party!

Emma and her Francie

Opening a present

Before the cake....

After the cake!

Learning to play the mandolin with Daddy

Girls night at home

In the pool in Kaua'i with Grandpa

She loved that pool!

(We spent a good amount of every day in the pool, the ocean

was a little too intimidating)

Dressed up for dinner out

With Gran on the beach

Katie and Brendan have a day off to sit on the beach, swim, and have space to

catch up- Thanks Bruce and Ann!

That's all for now...I'll have a homestudy update soon (we're almost finished and it's going great!)

January

2009-01-29T18:14:00.002-07:00

I hoped to post a ton of pictures of the month of January in the Jamieson household, however, somewhere in all the travel, we have misplaced our camera cord. So stay tuned for pictures!

We celebrated Emma's 2nd birthday last Saturday, the 24th. It's hard to believe it's been two years since that early morning Brendan drove me to the hospital and breathed through contractions with me at the red lights, and then just a couple hours later, we were holding Emma for the first time. I'll never forget when the Dr. McCoy handed her to me and I thought, "What do I do? How do I hold her?" Then I gazed on her tiny face and fell head over heels in love with our daughter. She is such a big girl now. She tells me repeatedly, "I don't need you to hold me Mama, I'm a big girl, I'm two!" She is able to say now about everything she thinks. She speaks so clearly and asked me today, "Could you come over here and help me cutie?" (I call her that all the time). We celebrated the day of her birthday quietly, with the family, and then had a bowling birthday party the day after. It was Emma's idea and she bowled a 98! (With the bumpers) Watch for pictures soon.

We spend 9 glorious days in Hawaii with Brendan's parents. Being warm, seeing the sun, having four people to play with Emma, and a beach day just Brendan and I were such a gift. It's hard to be back in gray, cold Montana. I keep threatening to stay in Kaua'i when ever we are there.

On the adoption front, we've had a month of waiting. There was a mix up with our home study paperwork and we were basically stuck for awhile. We had hoped to complete the home visits before February. But I did speak with our social worker today and we are scheduled to have our first two home study visits on February 17th and 19th. Praise God for something tangible. Almost all of our dossier paperwork is together and we are waiting for our fingerprinting appointments. I think a lot of this whole process is waiting and praying and waiting somemore. I guess we'll have to get comfortable with it, or at least learn to trust God in the midst of it. I do know that all of this waiting and delays and work will eventually lead us to our daughter.

That's all for now, be on the look out for January photos and the home study visit update!

Snow, Snow, Snow!

2009-01-06T17:29:00.005-07:00

We've had unbelievable amounts of snow this winter. Snow almost every day and ice and wind besides. Apparently, it's the worst winter in 11 years. I guess it's the worse winter of this Virginia girl's life! Anyways, we've kept busy! Happy new year to all!

Cross-Country skiing with Daddy

Shoveling and sweeping our walkway (every couple hours it seems!)

Christmas morning

Updates

2008-12-12T20:30:00.014-07:00

The first snow of the year falling gently from the sky tonight prompted me to stop and be thankful for this season and for what it really means. Emma and I went to the "Tiny Tales" reading time for toddlers today at the library. Most of it, in reality, is kids running and jumping all over a big open room while a sometimes frazzled librarian tries to read them books and lead them in singing songs. Emma loves going, especially to do the "hokey pokey." We sang some Christmas songs- "Where is Santa" to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin" and "The lights on the Tree" to the tune of "The wheels on the bus." I know I am not the only person wondering why Christmas is all presents and trees and Santa. The world around us tell us nothing different. It is so good to stop this Christmas season and remember He who came to us, the Maker of heaven and earth, born as one of us, so that we might be His for all eternity. I want Emma to know this Christmas season of the Jesus who came down from heaven and was made man for her, that is the real meaning of this season.

That said, we are so thankful to be at the end of a long semester. It has been a long and fruitful one, but one that has had Brendan juggling almost more than he can handle with work. We are needing time as a family and time to rest. We just returned from Charlottesville, VA, having spent a week with my family for Thanksgiving. Emma had a great time being with her Mimi, Grandpa, Auntie Rachel, Uncle Nate, and the three dogs living with my parents. We were grateful for family to share life with and to be away for a week. It's always rough coming back because Emma goes from about 6 admirers all the time to just being with me during the days. I have to get creative! Another reason to be thankful for the snow- fun times outside lie ahead! The adoption process has been going well. We are hoping to send in the last of our homestudy paperwork early next week (that includes medical forms, education forms, house safety checks, personal history sheets, autobiographies for Brendan and I (both are over 15 pages long!), copies of birth and marriage certificates, background checks, and of course, a huge chunk of change!) and we are hoping to have our first homestudy visit scheduled before January. That might be overly hopeful, but we'll see. That is one part of completing our dossier- paperwork for the Ethiopian government- which makes the homestudy paperwork look like a breeze. We definitely have our hands full. It is hard in the midst of all this to have perspective that this is about a child. I have to pray to remember that! We will work hard to get all this paperwork together and then there will be months and months of waiting! It's been good to connect with others who are in the same place. The doctor who did our medical exams last week gave me the phone number of another family in town who has adopted a child from Ethiopia and we know of another family who just adopted from there as well. Our agency, America World, has connected us with a Yahoo Group of others adopting from Ethiopia through them. It's been great and very connecting to be a part of that community. Keep us in your prayers as we keep plugging away at all this paperwork. I am hoping to have our dossier sent off to our agency (and then on to Ethiopia) by late February or early March. From that point we wait for a referral and the wait time for baby girls is about 7-11 months right now. We are thankful for you all this Christmas season. Blessings on you and we'll leave you with a few recent pictures.

Emma with Auntie Rachel during her visit in October

Two former IV students got hitched (Emma was the flower girl)
Way to go Josh and Hannah!

We think she's pretty cute!

Thanksgiving photo with my family

Emma and Mama

Emma and Daddy bonding time
(she's a daddy's girl!)

#2

2008-10-18T20:28:00.003-06:00

So here it is folks...#2 is on the way. Not in the traditional sense of the way, but in a non-traditional, equally beautiful way. We have begun the "paper pregnancy" phase of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. Why, you may ask? Well, there are many reasons. First and foremost, we know the orphans in the world are near and dear to God's heart. I know that not everyone is called to adopt, but as followers of Christ, we are called to care for the orphans and widows in the world. We feel called by God, very specifically, to enter into this endeavor. For us, care for orphans has translated into adoption. Secondly, we have room! We want a larger family and this is one way to enlarge our tent so to speak. Thirdly, because of orphans like Clinton.

Clinton was a boy we met in Kenya in 2005. His mother had died of AIDS, his father was not in the picture. He had an uncle who had been "sponsoring" him (paying for food, clothing in order so others could afford the cost of caring for him). His uncle came down with AIDS and was unable to continue to sponsor him. So Clinton was sent to an orphanage in Kakamega very shortly before Brendan and I came and stayed there. It was a wonderful orphanage, run by an amazing pastor and his wife. There were wonderful women who worked there. Clinton's basic needs were met- clothing, food, shelter. However, Clinton was younger than the other 20 or so orphans living there. He was too young to go to school. He didn't speak their language because he was from a different tribe. Clinton spent most of the day wandering around the orphanage property, playing by himself, shyly smiling at us, but afraid to get too close. Many could argue that this was the best thing that could happen to Clinton. I mostly agree but Clinton needed a mom and a dad. He needed people who would pursue him, love him, swing him into the air and catch him laughing. He needed hugs and kisses and bedtime stories. He is one of millions. And he is better cared for than most. That trip really solidified for Brendan and I our desire to adopt. Clinton is one face I can hold onto in the overwhemingly numbing statistics. It is because a little girl will be born in Ethiopia that desperately needs a family.

We have talked, prayed, waited, asked, and listened all summer. We have debated the issues of a white family raising a black child, of what special needs we may really be dealing with. We know that this decision will change our lives- like any child does- but will be far more reaching than a biological child. We are excited. This has been God's thing from the beginning. I have been excited to share it. Pray for us! We will keep you updated on the process as it goes along. We are looking at at least 1 year, maybe two, before our Ethiopian princess comes home to us.

An Evening at the Playground

2008-09-19T21:35:00.003-06:00

We've had some gorgeous 80 degree weather days in Missoula the past week. A last hurrah of summer for us before the long winter sets in. We spent about every night this summer at the park just down the hill from us. As you can see, it's a glorious view! We are thinking a lot, praying a lot in the midst of a lot of decisions we've had to make as a family. We'll keep you all updated as we figure things out! Have a great weekend!

Meal Time

2008-09-13T00:21:00.002-06:00

Where have we been?

2008-09-12T23:43:00.004-06:00

It's almost midnight on a Friday night. I have too much rolling around in my brain tonight to sleep at the moment- strange for a tired parent, you'd think I'd be getting all the seconds I could! It' s been a long few weeks for us, Brendan has had one day off in the last three weeks. We have all of Saturday and Sunday together as a family! Oh joy. So, I thought I'd get back to the old blog and update you all with some picture from the last month and a half. Enjoy!

The place where we spent most of the summer...our patio and backyard

The yummy tomatoes grown (we are so thankful to have a yard of our own!)

Emma in Colorado thinking about riding a "horsie"
(yes, she is wearing a coat- it was cold at 9,000 feet in August!)

"Emma ride horsie...Emma ride horsie...Emma ride horsie..."

"Wow, that horsie's really big, never mind!"

Hiking around Yellowstone Park- we were there for a wedding-
Congrats Andrew and Laura!

Family Pic

Our little cutie with her buddy Jack

Yellowstone

Our Summer so far...

2008-07-12T20:21:00.012-06:00

Good news for all of you (our friends)! Here are a bunch of pictures from the past couple months. We've had a great summer so far, visiting Katie's family in VA, and also my family in AK. You'll get more of the scoop about each of those trips as the pictures progress... But first, a picture from our own beautiful state of MT.

The above picture is from a place called Morrel Falls, about an hours drive from Missoula. It was Emma's first official hike as a toddler, and she did great. She rode in to the falls on my back, and then walked almost a mile on the trip out. We're looking to more of this kind of stuff with her!

Emma walking with Dad.

Emma eating a bagel on our food break during the hike. She was hungry!

Emma was ready for the beach before we even left Missoula!

Here she is digging to her heart's content.

Uncle Nate (who is in Scotland right now!) and Emma looking at the cows at Maymont in Richmond, VA.

Mimi, Auntie Rachel, and Emma

Here's our family, all together, on a trampoline...Emma for the first time. She really loves to jump. She makes us jump, her stuffed animals jump, her doll jump. And she's working really hard to get both feet in the air at the same time. So, you can imagine the trampoline was a hit.

This is a picture my dad took of me on their trampoline in AK. I was a gymnast, after all. We were there for my sister Danielle's wedding.

The above picture is my sister, Danielle, just before their wedding ceremony. Katie was a bridesmaid, and I was a flower girl, along with Emma.

Emma is in the immitating stage of life right now, and wanted to carry around her doll, just like mommy was carrying her around. She has named her baby doll "Lola." We're not sure where she came up with that name, but it's suck. She danced Lola around the house for a while this morning.

We've been doing a lot of work on our house since moving in last October. The most recent project was replacing the windows. This is me working on trimming out our bedroom windows.

Have a great summer all!

She's Got Rhythm

2008-03-04T18:10:00.003-07:00

Pictures from December

2008-01-01T20:42:00.001-07:00

Before we post any pictures, we would ask you all who have a chance to view our blog to please pray for the situation of violence in Kenya. The pastor who we lived with two summers ago in Kakamega was robbed and beaten in the marketplace as he went out to buy food. He made it back to the orphanage alive. Please pray also for our friends the Karaus who run an orphanage and pastor a church in one of the biggest slums in Nairobi. They, too, are safe, but the violence in the country is very unpredictable. Thank you for your prayers for our brothers and sisters in Kenya.

"Do You See Orange" a campaign led by Intervarsity at the U of M to raise
awareness and money for AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa

Emma reading with Gran Jamieson when they were out to visit in early December

Emma with her buddy Jack

Emma's first semi-sledding experience (Thanks to her dad who
insisted upon it, but all we could find was a shovel for her to ride in).

My brother Nate who came out to visit us before we all headed home to VA

Getting some use out of the backpack

Emma with her Great Grandmother

Emma and Auntie Rachel

Grammy Adams time

Emma's first foray in playing the piano (Brendan is so proud)
being supervised by Grandpa Adams

A wonderful visit with high school friends Amberleigh and Anna
(and their new additions Dulaney and Ella)

That's all for now folks. Time to hit the sack, it's been a long day taking care of a sick baby- thanks to airplane travel.

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T14:08:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas to all! This picture taken at the National Art Museum in Washington D.C. is just a small reflection of our travels in the last two weeks. We've been to Charlottesville, VA visiting Katie's family, Williamsburg, Newport News, D.C. and a surprise trip to Salt Lake City after we were bumped from our returning flight home. We're back settling in for a short week until we head off to Hawaii with Brendan's parents before the semester starts up again. Emma is now a champion traveler. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A Season of Change

2007-11-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

Well we are finally re-emerging into the blogging world after a three month hiatus. The real reason for a lack of updates has been a broken camera. It seemed hardly worthwhile to update without picture of Emma, which we know is why you all check in at all! Along with that has been a hectic few months. As some of you all know, we had been wrestling for awhile with the decision of whether or not to stay in Missoula, working with InterVarsity at the University of Montana. We spent a lot of time this summer praying, listening, talking with friends and family, and just waiting for a direction from God. After a particularly meaningful time of praying with friends, we felt the confirming nudge from the Lord to commit to staying on with InterVarsity in Montana. We decided to make the commitment to be here for the next few years. It was a big decision, deciding to continue to fundraise our income (especially with me cutting back big time with my work at our church) and really settle here for the time being. It was such a hard decision because we both would love to live closer to our families. As an outward symbol of an inward commitment, we began to look into buying a house. God began to move and after a chain of miraculous events, we bought a house at the end of September. October was a whirlwind of painting, house improvements, and living between our apartment and our house. My parents came to visit a week after the move into the house. Then followed Brendan's preparations to co-lead a track on prayer at our fall conference. Which leads us up to now. Here we are, exhausted homeowners. We were not prepared for the stress of moving quickly, having a baby who had a hard time adjusting to a new place, a baby who does not sleep well, as well as our own stress in the changes in life. We are finally settling in. Pictures to soon follow.

Emma update: Our little high energy gal is her old happy self at last. She began officially crawling in the middle of September after a month of doing a pilates/inchworm kind of move. She is the proud owner of eight teeth- six on top, and two on the bottom (why that way I have no clue!) She is super busy and zooms around the house destroying tupperware drawers and bookshelves. Packing was insane with her, I would pack a box, and she would unpack it right behind me. She loves to laugh and has the best giggle that sends us all rolling. We needed someone around here to lighten us up! She learned to climb the stairs at an IV retreat in September and we had to get baby gates as soon as we moved into our new place to keep her on one level. She loves being read to and also loves when her daddy plays the guitar for her. I caught her sitting in the guitar case last week while he serenaded her. She loves dogs and eating dirt from one of our plants if I'm not careful. We love this baby who is growing up into a little girl.

We are posting a couple of pics my parents took when they were here a couple weeks ago, that's all we have, unless anyone knows how to get pictures off a camera phone! We had to buy a disposable camera when they were here because I dropped their digital. Bad luck with cameras I guess. Anyways, we'll update with more pictures of Emma and the house soon!

Beach Photos

2007-07-28T15:00:00.001-06:00

As promised, our beach pics from the last week. They're mostly of Emma, but I don't hear any complaints about that!

With Great Grandpa and Grandma Adams

With Grandpa on the minigolf course

Learning to play cards with Daddy

Meeting Great Grandma and Tom Rorrer

First time in the ocean- I'm convinced she WILL be a beach lover, it's in her genes,
even if she did cry when the waves reached her toes

On a walk with Daddy

Fairbanks to Charlottesville to Emerald Isle and back!

2007-07-26T10:49:00.000-06:00

Whew! It's been a hectic two months since the last post. We have been traveling all over the U.S. to spend time with family. What a rich time it has been though! Last June we traveled to Fairbanks, AK, Brendan's hometown to see the Jamieson side of the family as well as visit some of our friends there. We came back for a few short weeks in which Brendan and his dad went on a backpacking trip to Glacier National Park, we went to a wedding at Flathead Lake, and spent the fourth of July at Big Sky Lake with Brendan's parents, cousin and her family. After that we traveled to Virginia to visit my family and drive down to North Carolina for our annual beach trip. Emma has proven to be a seasoned traveler with 11 flights under her belt. We are currently surviving the weather in Missoula which has been 90+ every day. No air conditioning has forced us to learn the art of keeping a small apartment cool and perfect the iced mint latte on our espresso maker. We leave in a week to travel to Colorado for the InterVaristy Regional Staff Conference. God has been stirring a heart for prayer and stillness in our lives these days. The topic for the conference this year is prayer. I think it will be a great week of sitting with God, spending time with people who are doing the same thing we are and who love college students, and free child care during the day! What a gift that will be. Be in prayer for us as we are at a crossroad, trying to discern what is next for us and hear God's voice in regards to the future.

Emma has been a constant joy and delight to us. It is amazing to see her little personality develop. She is a happy baby who is constantly flashing smiles at anyone who will look her way. She is also a busy little lady who is almost crawling and constantly into anything she can get her hands on. She popped two teeth (the bottom center teeth) at five months which promptly gave way to us feeding her solid foods. She had been mooching for about a month at the point and we figured when you feel guilty eating in front of your child it might be time for solids. Diapers have become a new smelly experience. She still is not a great sleeper but has changed her 3-4 night wakings to 1-2. Praise God for that, I thought we were going to self-combust if we didn't get some sleep.

Here are some pics of the last two months. I will post the Virginia and north Carolina pictures soon. Hope you enjoy!

A Red Socks fan in the making?

Emma after we had taken away her bananas

(You see how much she loves her food!)

Glacier National Park

In Alaska with our friends Geoff and Nicole and their daughter Maddy

Brendan and Geoff's coffee shop concert

Fourth of July with Brendan's parents and cousins

A musican in the making?

Check back for the VA pictures soon!!

May gone already?

2007-06-04T19:22:00.000-06:00

Well, this is a rarity. It's Brendan, writing our family blog. I don't get to do this very much, so I'll try and be brief. We've had a pretty full schedule these past few weeks, with Katie's dad coming to visit, and also Katie's friend Heather Chapell. Heather gets the distinction of being Katie's first friend to come and visit us here in Montana! Congratulations Heather. And thank you for coming, because it was great. The following pictures catalog the events of the past weeks. Hope you enjoy them... they almost all have Emma in them somewhere.

Finally, a good family photo

Heather and Katie at the lake (looking beautiful)

Heather with Emma at our house

Emma (with her "what's going on here?" face) and Larry

Our little cute girl looking cute

Emma chilling in a beach chair

Emma playing with water for the first (though not last) time

Emma having a crazy time with dad!

So, this picture gets a story. After school got out, we decided, with our friends Forrest and Francie, to celebrate by having a Mexican food night... ie Fiesta night. We made some great food and spent the evening with our friends. This picture was taken as we walked to get some excellent ice cream at "The Big Dipper" where we all ordered Mexican chocolate dipped in chocolate... Forrest was in a hurry to get there!

Lastly, I failed to mention that we went to the doctor today. Emma now weighs in at 12 pounds 15 ounces, and is 24.5 inches tall. She's growing well, and is a happy baby most of the time...except at night, where she has decided to start waking up 3 or 4 times again. Her poor parents. If you see us, please show some measure of sympathy... or at least empathy... and disregard the dark circles under our eyes. We love being parents, though, and wouldn't trade it for anything. God has been teaching us a lot these past weeks about ourselves, about himself, and about what it means to be filled with grace (and patience) towards one another and our child.

Oh. PS. I (Brendan) am excited because I've begun recording for the release of a new album. It should be done by the end of the summer. More on that as it progresses... or in the words of our friend (and student) Laura - "Be excited!"

A Week in Pictures

2007-05-16T22:37:00.000-06:00

We've been busy with lots of visitors this past week and a few more to come! It's been a joy being with the Jamieson side of the family in the gorgeous Montana weather. Summer is on the way! Here is a quick recap:

Emma's first time at Big Sky cabin (and lake!)

Lakehouse dinner with the family friends Pam and John

Learning some new tricks with Gran

Emma meets Aunt Danielle

Emma meets Great-Grandpa Dave

Testing the water

A Goofy Girl

A Weekend with Auntie Rachel

2007-05-05T12:56:00.000-06:00

Last weekend was such a great time with Katie's sister Rachel. It was so good to have Emma finally meet her Auntie. We took a lot of walks, went for a picnic by the Blackfoot River, heard about Rachel's trip to India, ate lots of good food and generally just enjoyed each other. It was beautiful 80 degree weather, which was a nice gift before it decided to snow flurry during the week. In Montana, you never know! We miss you already Auntie Rachel!

It’s been awhile since we posted a blog with our visitors, travels to Bozeman and Fort Benton, and the university finishing up the semester, so we thought we’d give you a little Emma update. At just over three months old, Emma is eating and growing well, probably weighing in at around 12.5 lbs. She is sleeping a bit better, we’ve had a few nights where she has slept from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. but most nights are more like 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. and then she will eat again at 6 a.m. We are slowing emerging from the world of sleep deprivation. Emma rolled over for the first time on April 25th and her favorite activity is standing (while being supported of course). We think she gets cuter by the day. I went to a baby shower this morning and couldn’t believe how much our baby girl has grown in three months after holding a 7 lb newborn! Here are a few pictures of last weekend. We’ll be posting more regularly, we promise!

Our picnic by the river

Emma's other favorite activity, blowing bubbles

Testing out the water with Dad

Mmmm, lunch!

A sleepy baby

The Girls

Emma meet Mr. Catepillar

Have a great weekend everyone!

Keeping Busy

2007-04-07T11:37:00.000-06:00

This has been my project over the past few weekend, to rearrange and redecorate the living room. Before Emma was born, Brendan and I were always rushing off somewhere and spent little time at home. Now that we are more confined to home, i felt it was necessary to make it more workable for us with more storage and different space. I've never spent so much time in my own place! It's been wonderful to be "stuck" at home more.

Emma and I survived the week with Brendan gone. My mom came about halfway through and was a lifesaver. It was so fun to have three generations of Adams women together. We took tons of walks, ate lots of yummy food, and just generally enjoyed each others company. Brendan had a great time in Tacoma with the Intervarsity students. We are happy to be a family again though. We'll post more pics soon!

Two Months Today!

2007-03-24T19:10:00.000-06:00

I finally caught Emma's adorable little dimple on camera!

I thought I'd sneak in a post while Emma is taking an evening nap. Sorry it's been such a long time since we put anything up on the blog. I've started work back up at the church and Brendan has been going the usual intense InterVaristy pace. Work has been fine, I love the people I work with and what I do, but every moment away from Emma takes it's toll on me. Brendan has been bringing Emma up one of the two feedings of the morning while I am gone and having that extra little special time with my girl has been a gift. Emma and I are gearing up for a week with the girls as Brendan will be away in Tacoma, WA for the IV Spring Break trip. My mom flies out on Tuesday which will be a huge blessing this week. The single mom thing is hard!

Anyways, God has been sustaining us and we have somehow managed to see Him pour out more of Himself in our weakness with coffee shop concerts, large group talks, and the usual bustle of life here in Missoula. The good news is our lack of sleep is slowly decreasing, Emma is sleeping so much better through the night and is down to two feedings at night. She's putting on weight- she weighed in at 9 lbs. 11 oz a week and a half ago so I'd wager she's over 10 lbs at this point! Hard to believe some people start out with babies this big! Happy 2 month birthday to our little girl. Here are a few recent pics of the little bean. Enjoy!

The Yawn

A Few Recent Pics

2007-03-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

For all you Emma fans (ahem, Grandparents), here are some pictures of Emma taken in the last week!

Emma doing some work with Dad in front of the computer

With Grandpa and Gran Jamieson

After a good meal...

Checking out the ceiling

And with a tired, but happy Mom

My Husband...My Hero

2007-02-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

This picture is of Brendan and me in Hawaii last year. It’s good to look back on the things we have done and know that someday soon a sense of normal will return. It’s going to be a new normal, but it will be a routine. I look forward to that day! It’s been an interesting couple of days in the Jamieson household. Last Thursday Emma had a colicky- like episode that consisted of screaming for a 24-hour period with short catnaps in between when she has completely worn herself out. It broke my heart to try and do everything I could and she still would not be comforted. Turns out she had a dislike of something I had eaten the night before- a Mexican pulled beef with green chilis, onions, garlic, and the like. Apparently Emma does not like ethnic foods. That’s okay, I have resigned myself to eating backed potatoes and other bland food as long as I am nursing her. It is worth it not to go through another day like that. Unfortunately that whole day Brendan was preparing his talks for the retreat this weekend and then went to InterVarsity’s large group meeting that night. He came home to an exhausted and teary-eyed wife. That night he told me that he would do whatever it took for me to get a long stretch of sleep that night- I had been getting between one to one and a half hours at a time. So Brendan and Emma spent a lot of that night on the couch sleeping and hanging out while I got one gloriously long four hour stretch. It’s amazing what a difference it makes. What a gift, thank you my sweet husband. I can’t imagine how single parents do this.

Brendan has been gone on a retreat this weekend, leaving Emma and I to have some girl time. We have gone for a walk, visited with a friend, gone to Starbucks for a coffee break (actually we just drove through the drive-thru), watched about half a movie, and Emma has eaten a whole lot. God had been gracious as Emma has been relatively mellow. We’re figuring things out. Even with all the bumps and valleys over the past few days I wouldn’t trade being a mom to this little girl for anything in the world.

Strength for Today...

2007-02-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

It's been an exhausting couple of days in the Jamieson household. We are trying to figure out life as a family of three, with one working dad, an average of five hours of broken up sleep nightly, and a tiny three-and-a-half week old who runs our lives. It's an interesting place to be when you are constantly wiped out, needing rest, needing time to connect with each other yet so captivated by our daughter. Every long night that we have is followed by waking up, gazing at Emma and all her cuteness, and forgiving her for every minute we lacked sleep. I have a new profound respect for my parents and all they did for me. Parenthood is a place of constant giving, dying to self, and infinite joy. I don't know how all that works except that is, in a small way, what Christ has gone through for us. Somehow we join in His suffering and joy as we raise this beautiful baby girl. I have been constantly meditating on and reminding myself of the words of Isaiah 40:28-30- "He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. The will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and now grow weary, they will walk and now grow faint." This is the promise we are holding on to, that God will give us strength for this day, He is faithful to do all He promised.

The picture up above is Emma with Grandpa Jamieson and Dad. We have been so blessed by the help of Brendan's parents, what would we have done without them? I am convinced more and more that children are supposed to be raised by a whole extended family- any family want to move out to Montana?

Slowly Resuming Life

2007-02-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

Yay for Grandma and Grandpa! Grandparents to the rescue for us in the past week and a half. Katie's parents came out to help a week after Emma was born. They came to help exhausted parents who desperately needed naps, food, and the floor vacuumed. What a blessing to have Mom and Dad come over every morning while we would stumble out of the bedroom, hand off Emma, and go back to bed for a couple hours. That saved our life! Emma loved the being held all the time and bonding with her grandparents. Here's a few pics from the last week:

Emma's first meeting with Grandma:

Grandpa (a.k.a. "the Mattress- Emma would fall asleep on him anytime, anyplace)

Emma's been sleeping a little better through the night after a rough couple of nights of three hours for us, total. We bought a co-sleeper which attaches to the side of our bed and makes nighttime feedings 100% easier as well as giving us the bed back. Brendan's parents arrived yesterday and we are enjoying their company as well as more helping hands. Life is slowing starting to feel more managable, we went to church this morning for the first time since Emma was born. Emma did cry a bit and needed to eat right in the middle of the sermon, but we lived through it and no one gave us dirty looks. I think we will learn to actually do things in public again and maybe even enjoy them! It feels good to be getting back into the swing of life after three weeks away. Brendan starts work again full force tomorrow so that will be another adjustment. Thanks for all your prayers.

A typical portrait of Emma during the day (but not at night!)

Exhaustion

2007-01-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

This is Emma's "I'm almost ready to eat but not quite yet" face. Pretty cute, huh? We are loving this adventure of parenthood and can't believe Emma is already a week old. We had her first doctor's appointment today. It was strange to drive to the hospital and remember the early morning she was born. It was the most difficult, beautiful thing I've ever done. And I'd do it all over again for her. It's amazing the newfound respect I have for women in their ability to sustain life and bring it into the world. God is pretty amazing in His design.
Anyways, Emma's first appointment went well. She has already gained back an ounce more than her birth weight. That explains all the feedings! Overall she is very healthy and in fine form. Wish we could say the same for us! We are bit sleep deprived and calorie deprived- not from lack of food but because we keep forgetting to eat. You other parents out there understand. But we are loving life and are so thankful. My parents come tomorrow to help out and get some good time in with their new grandbaby. We are looking forward to taking more naps, and maybe actually cleaning our house!... with their help, of course.
We're off to bed for the night. Pray for us, that we all (including Emma) sleep well.

She's Here!

2007-01-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

Emma Elizabeth Jamieson was born on Wednesday, January 24th at 5:47 a.m. She was 6 lbs, 10 ounces and 19 inches long. We are thrilled to have her home. We wish you all could see her and hold her, as she’s beautiful! Katie’s water broke on Wednesday morning at 12:00 a.m. on the dot. 5 hours and 47 minutes later, she was born!

It is amazing the gift God has given us of this tiny, precious girl. The things we have learned about Him through this process of bringing life into the world are so good. All the “grown up” things we know of Him and sanctification- disciplines, theology, discipleship- have been given a new set of eyes through the power of love and pure joy we have experienced in the gift of our daughter.

Here are some words to a song Brendan wrote before Emma was born:

The Artist Behind

The first word, light
Like truth divides
Bringing form to formless night

Speak color, scorn
Sterile black and white
Imagination given sight

Bright burning stars
Crown the evening sky
Set in splendor to remind

With loving hands
Expertly conceive
From dust and into him breathe

Softly, I can hear the beat sound
I can feel my heart pound
See the breath of life all around

The mystery of creation
Is an invitation
Perceived in limbs and eyes
And in tiny cries
O stand in silent wonder
Do not rend asunder
Creation and the life
Of the artist behind

In a sacred moment
In a secret place
Nothingness now wears a face

Small wonder growing
On hearts to her inclined
Ever moving to remind

Foot like a searchlight
Illuminations of
A Makers intimate love

Sweet expectation
Of sacrificial care
And finding the Artist there

Veiled behind light, hidden beneath skin
Intimations of a Lover’s image in

Veiled behind hearts never used to believe
Revelation plain to see

Hope you all enjoy the pictures of Emma. We’ll be posting more very soon (we’ve already taken over 150 of her!)

The final belly shot at 38 and 1/2 weeks:

And then...

With Daddy after her first bath:

A little Mommy and Emma time:

Coming home from the hospital:

Trying out the sling for our first walk together:

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to one of my best friends - Geoff Welch. We've been talking a lot about sharing pregnancy pictures (of our wives!) and so here's a recent picture of Katie at 35 weeks. She's actually 36 weeks preganant right now, but the picture is dated. We're mostly ready for our little baby to come out, but are you ever totally ready? I think not.

Life has been pretty interesting the last couple months. We went home to Virigina for Thanksgiving to see Katie's family, which was wonderful. We enjoyed the time with her parents, brother, sister and grandparents. After coming back from Thanksgiving, it was just a couple weeks until school was out. We finished up the school semester, and then traveled north from Missoula to Whitefish, MT, for Christmas with Brendan's parents and grandfather. We've enjoyed having the extra space and time together with students off for the holidays. We're counting the days until our little girl is born, and we hope she comes out soon! Seriously, it is a strange time, waiting for our lives to be changed by this little life, but the changes don't really start until she's out. We really feel like we're just waiting around before we can get on with this next phase of life. We're trying to get in a few experiences that will likely be hard after she's born, like going to a movie, going out to dinner, etc. That's been fun.

So, below are a few pictures from the last two months.

This is Brendan's 28th (gasp!) birthday celebration at the Adams' home in Virginia.

This is Katie and her sister Rachel at home in Virginia before Rachel took off for Dehli, India.

Ugly Sweaters and Pregnant Bellies

2006-11-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

We wanted to show off the new sense of style we are sporting these days. Aren't we cute? This is a picture from our "Ugly Sweater Bowling Night" with the InterVarsity crew. Brendan won 2nd place in the ugly sweater contest, though I contend that he should've won 1st.

Here's Brendan with his 2nd place "trophy" along with Brad, the IV chapter president.

We promised some friends we'd post some of my latest belly shots. So here's one, at 28 weeks. I still am getting comments about how small I am! I can tell you though, our little baby girl doesn't feel so small anymore. Our nighttime entertainment is watching her move around. We are convinced there is a little gymnast in there! Last night Brendan found a definite foot and she kicked him back for about 20 minutes. A Daddy's girl already.

And lastly, a baby present from my mom. (Thanks Momma!) It's the little things like this that help connect us with the fact that in 12 weeks or so we are going to have our little daughter on the outside. We can't wait! Hopefully we'll remember our Lamaze breathing and relaxation techniques on the big day.

Cannon Beach

2006-11-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Here is a picture from our recent trip to the Oregon coast. You'll remember this rock from the movie "Goonies"... if you are old enough to have see it. This rock (behind us) is called Haystack Rock, and is located in the small town of Cannon Beach. We went away for a long weekend, to celebrate Katie's birthday, and to have a belated anniversary celebration.

So, we're planning on using this blog site A LOT more in the coming days and weeks, since we've got a lot to keep friends and family up to date on... especially our growing BABY! (She's not on the outside yet, but will soon be). Katie is 28 weeks pregnant tomorrow, and we'll be posting pictures of her soon. Enjoy, and be blessed.

March musings...

2006-03-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

It's March 12th already! Where is the time going?

Ok, now that I've finished expressing my brief lament about the quick passage of time, I'll get on to more interesting and relevant things.

Life is going pretty well in Missoula, MT. It's a sunny spring morning. The sky is blue, the birds are chirping, and the leaves are just starting to come out on the trees (they're still just little leaf buds, really). But all that lifts my spirits. Funny how sunshine can affect your mood.

Katie and I have been well. We've been learning a lot about trusting God, both to provide for us, and to lead us as we follow him. I've been scambling around a lot lately, preparing to speak at Intervarsity meetings (about God's concern for the poor), leading music at church, organizing spiritual survey's on campus, and many, many other things. Thankfully, it is God who does the real work. Mine is just to be faithful. And I have much joy today that God has given me things to do. Some people would love to work, and yet have nothing. So I'm thankful for meaningful labor.

If I'm honest, much of what I've been thinking about these days has been related to music. Somehow, as I've embraced the gift and passion I have for music, it has become a key part of knowing God in my life, and of processing life. I've been writing songs about myself (how warped and self-centered I am), about the poor, about God's awakening and transforming power in our lives... and much more. I'm really looking forward to the day in the future when I can share some of the music with you all.

And as a last quick note - I've been reading several books that have been tremendously good for my soul: The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer, and Orthodoxy, by G.K. Chesterton. If I ever write a book, I'll have to go by B.M. Jamieson.

A Slightly Longer Test

2006-02-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

So, I've just got this thing up and running (thanks to a WHOLE lot of help from Geoff Welch). I'll try and post some thoughts I think every so often. For many of you, the only thing you hear about from me is Intervarsity stuff. That's great, but I do think things on my own, apart from Intervarsity, and my life with God has been growing and changing in many ways of late.
So, that's that for now. Grace and peace to you all in Christ.

Brendan