Liliana Marie Carter

Way Over Due

Hello all,

When we started this blog, I think we thought we would have more time to actually blog. It has been a crazy 7 months. Our last post showed our precious Liliana moving into our home on June 7th. Well most of you know by now that we officially adopted her on December 9th.Yeah!!!! She is the most amazing baby and our love grows deeper for her every minute. I still look her and can't believe I have a daughter. She has changed so much in the past 7 months as all babies do. She is walking, talking and wrapping everyone in the Carter home around her little finger. She started calling me momma a couple of weeks ago. It is the sweetest sound. She is bonding to our family and we can't get enough of her.

When I look back at the blogs on waiting, which feels like forever ago but then feels like yesterday I so now can see God's handy work. He really has taught us so much through this journey. When you obey His calling He blesses you beyond what you could have ever imagined. My heart is so full of love for this sweet baby girl. She was meant to be a Carter and the Lord planned this long ago. I am so happy we listened and obeyed.

Until now we couldn't post pictures but now she is officially a Carter so we can. I hope to add to this blog when I can. I would like to just share my passion around adoption and answer any questions others might have. It was truly a positive experience for us.

Enjoy the pics.

Sandy

So much has happened

Hello All,

We have meant to up date our past now for weeks. The Lord had been weaving His tapestry in bringing our precious baby to us. Through different relationships I met a wonderful foster mom named Kim. She and I are in the same support group Embrace and she had a foster child that was being moved to foster/adopt. She thought of our family and brought pictures for me to see at our meeting on May 6th. I will never forget the moment she slid the picture of her across the table. My heart just melted. I came home and told Nelson all about her and we talked to the Landon and Lincoln the next afternoon. We told them she was a little younger than we had planned. They ask to see her picture and we slid it across the table. Their exact response ooohhhhh we want her. We got permission to meet her that night. I was grinning from ear to ear the entire visit. You would have thought she had always been a part of our family. Over the next weeks we had several visits and asked to move forward with becoming her foster to adopt family.

Lily moved in with us on June 7th and the time has just flown by. She is such a blessing and is adapting to our family very well. We gave her the love name Liliana and we call her Lily. She is 15 months old and full of life. She has learned many new things in the last weeks. She is walking behind a toy, blows kisses, gives kisses, climbs off and on her horse, waves hi and bye and many more. Do I sound like a bragging mother? :) We are so in love with her and it feels like she has always been a part of our lives.

We went to court on the 19th and the all parental rights were terminated and the judge waived the 6 month wait. If everything goes well we will be able to officially adopt her on National Adoption Day, November 20th. We are over joyed and thank God for adding to our family through adoption. Once she is officially adopted we can post pictures to the blog. God is so good and we can never dream as big as He dreams for us.

We will keep you updated as we continue to go through the process. It is has been a very positive process and God has held our hand the whole way. God bless you all and feel free to ask us any questions if you feel called to adopt.






The Carters

God is at work!!!

Hello All,

All my last posts have been the same message "We are Waiting." Well our wait may very well be over. God is at work and we are being considered for a precious little girl. My heart is flooded with love for her already. The process is moving quite quickly but we should know more next week.

Please keep us in your prayers. The boys are very excited and we all are praying for God's will. I don't think I could have gotten better news so close to Mother's Day. God is so good. More posts to come as we know more.

Thank you all for your prayers, love and support.

The Carters

Still Waiting

Hello All,

I wish I had news for everyone. I feel like a broken record these days. We are still waiting for God to grow our family through adoption. We had our first email over Spring break but chose not to submit our home study because they were outside our profile. Since we are not foster to adopt the process can take a lot longer. We don't know what the Lord has planned but we are willing to praise Him while we wait. I do have to say I look forward to the day that I hear the laughter of a little girl or girls coming from the room that awaits them.

Thank you all for praying and we hope to have news soon. They say things pick up on the summer. We will have to wait and see.

Hugs, Kisses and prayers,
Sandy Sue

While I am Waiting

Hello all,

I am sorry once again for not updating the blog. I will try harder to update it more often. I don't have any new news which seems to be my mantra lately. I have to confess that I have been some what disappointed that we have not heard from our agency for a placement. I know with out a doubt that the Lord has called us into this ministry and I can't wait to serve when the time comes.

I have been praying a lot lately and I know God is in control and everything will be in His timing. As I prayed in my car the other day while driving to Bible study a song came on that was an answer to my prayer. I have the lyrics and a link below. I cried, I sang, I praised and I felt so close to my Lord at that very moment. Waiting is the hard part and I truly believe God uses this time to draw us closer to Him. Enjoy the song I hope it moves you the way it moved me. The Lord reveals so much to us through so many venues. Thank you all again for your prayers and the support you have shown Nelson and I in this amazing adventure. I can't wait to see what God does! (In His timing of course.)

Sandy Sue

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb7TSGptd3Y

Lyrics to While I'm Waiting :
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Thinking Out Loud

Hello Friends and Family,

I am sorry we have not been updating the post like we should. I mainly haven't been doing any updates because I don't have any new news to share with you. We are still in the waiting phase and could be here for quite some time. We did receive our official license and our home study is being submitted for potential little girls.

I had a friend ask me the other day to just share my heart so from now on that is exactly what we are going to do. I try not put time lines around when we will have our daughter, one so I don't set myself up for disappointment and two because I know the Lord has a divine time set aside just for this moment. I will confess I had hoped we might have a little girl by Christmas.

I have to share with you that I have never felt so called by the Lord to anything like I have to adopt (and through CPS). I have prayed and prayed and talk to the Lord all the time. I always want to be doing the will of my heavenly Father and not just to fill my own desires. The Lord continues to affirm this decision for Nelson and I almost daily. My heart is already filled with love for the child or children the Lord has planned to become a Carter. I think of her often and pray for her and her family. I can't help but look at little girl clothes and toys. I have even bought some toys for her.

We have yet to be contacted about a match for us but every time I check my email or my phone rings from our agency my stomach gets butterflies. When I think about a little girl or girls coming into our family it makes me smile. I can see her and see what a blessing it will be to our whole family to love her. I really can't wait for the day it really happens. The Lord calling me into this ministry is one I feel the Lord has prepared me for in my own childhood. Being a child of abuse I feel God has taken something bad and will turn it into good. As His word says He can use all thing for good. (And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose) Romans 8:28

Thank you all for your support and please continue to pray for us and our future daughter or daughters. Always include their parents in your prayers. We have to remember we don't know what they have been through and ideally we want them to get their lives together so they can be the parents God called them to be.

God bless,
Hugs, Kisses and Prayers
Sandy Sue