Weekly update: 8/21/15

How far along are we: 7 months, 1 week, and 6 days

Our progress: DTC!!! Our dossier is officially on it's way to China. What is a dossier? It is our huge stack of paperwork... pictures, homestudy, records, etc. Basically it describes everything about us on paper. And it's on it's way to China! Big MILESTONE here!!!!

What we are waiting for: LID, which is our Log In Date! We are waiting to be Logged Into China's system!!! Wait time: About 3 wks

The next step: It's a waiting game from here! We sit, we wait, we pray, we fund raise the rest of the money to get our baby! After LID, we wait for our LOA(letter of acceptance) which is about 2-3 month wait.

Things we did this week: We started our new school year! Grady's in 1^st grade, Hadley's in 3^rd grade, and Mianna's in 5^th grade. Eli, he's in preschool when he wants to be! The first week went really well!

We also conquered potty training with Eli!!! Thats right! Eli goes pee pee on the potty!! I wasn't sure if that was ever going to happen because he had NO desire to go on the potty. But one morning, he woke up, wanted to go on the potty, and the next thing you know, Hadley put big boy undies on him and he went pee pee on the potty all day with no accidents! He was ready, he just had to decide himself he wanted to do it. Poo poo's is another issue. That one might be awhile bc he's scared right now to do that. So we do still put a diaper on him for that and at bed time, but baby steps, right?! I am so proud of him :)

Things we still need to do

-We need a closet organizer for the boy's room! SOON I hope :) I've been hinting this to Andy for awhile, but we had some other water leak issues in the basement that has taken his time so I will be patient :)

Grant updates: No grant updates as of now! But if you want to donate to our matching grant, we would be so appreciate it. So far, no donations have come in. Here is the information:

PRAISE THE LORD!!! We received a matching grant from Lifesong for Orphans for $3,000! If we raise $3,000 they will match that and we will make $6,000 towards our adoption! If you could contribute anything at all - even if it's $5, it would go a long way and help us bring our son home!

Instructions for helping us bring our son home:
1. Go to  http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/give/donate/
2. Click, "Give to an Adoptive Family"
3. Type in your donation amount
4. Type in 5464 for Family account number
5. Type Rorabeck for Family name
6. Type in your personal information and submit

We appreciate your gift in helping us give this sweet little boy a home!!!!

Feelings:

I am SO excited to be moving forward in our adoption! We are one step closer to getting our Zeke! I am anxious and excited!!!!

I am also amazed at how God has been working in our family! It is so eye opening to see how he has been preparing us for this little boy to be a part of our family. We've had trials. But God is working in each of our lives preparing us for a son like Zeke! He is shaping us into the mom and dad, sister, and brother that Zeke needs! He is preparing us for a journey ahead with having a child with a special need. I am amazed at seeing God working in our family! It is so comforting knowing He is in control. Knowing He allows us to go through trials in order to prepare us for bigger things. Knowing that even during those trials, He hasn't left us, He is right there beside us holding our hands! As we come out of a storm, it is so much easier to see how God is working in our lives. I am thankful for the storms we go through because they mold us into the person God wants us to be, but I am also so thankful for the sun shining now! To God be the Glory for being... in control, all knowing, all powerful, and well... clearly....AMAZING!!!!