Happy 6 Months to Our Little Guy!

Our sweet Hayes is 6 months old today!  I can't believe it!  We got his referral when he was almost 2 months old. 

To our precious Hayes,
Mommy and Daddy miss you so much and we can't wait to bring you home FOREVER!  We miss you like crazy (and Mommy cries A LOT!), but we're so glad to hear reports that you're healthy and strong and well taken care of.  Praying that we get to come pick you up SOON!

We love you sweet boy!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Hoping we're reunited before he turns 7 months!  If you think about it today, please say a little prayer for a speedy Embassy clearance for us.  Want to help with some of the remaining expenses?  Visit A Charity Project to help bring Hayes home!  If you're not able to give (which as a fellow family also trying to save and raise money, I understand!), but still want to help, feel free to share the link on Facebook, on your blog, etc.  Thank you!

Submitted to Embassy!

Yesterday morning (at 7:18 to be exact) I got an email with the words "Case recieved" in the subject line.  I was pulling in to work (yes, I was checking my email compulsively since I knew we were supposed to be submitted today) and burst into tears as I called the hubby. 

The email read:
"Dear Wayman Family,
Congratulations!  Your adoption case has been submitted to the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia..."  The email went on (it was very long!) to explain the process the Embassy goes through in proving that a child is an orphan. 

So that was our amazing news for the week!  We don't know how long it will be before we're cleared to bring him home (some have been days and some have been months), but we're ONE step closer to seeing this precious face! 

If you've cleared Embassy recently, please feel free to leave a comment and share how long it was from the time you were submitted.  Happy Friday y'all!

I Spy With My Little Eye...

...something new in our kitchen.  Actually, 2 somethings new.

Look closely.  Can you find them?

Yep!  I broke down and bought the ceramic pig speaker from West Elm!  I've been eyeing it for about a year now and it finally went on sale this weekend!  You just plug your iPhone or iPod into his little piggy behind and voila!  You've got music coming from your piggy! The overall sound is pretty good-in fact, better than I expected.

Get your own pig speaker here.

The other new addition to the kitchen was a thoughtful Mother's Day gift from my sweet sister-in-law.  He now resides on the ledge with my other little trinkets. 

These new little things make me happy whenever I walk through the kitchen.  What about you Wayman Family Nesters?  What little objects in your home make you happy?

Hello World!

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family...
Hayes Bruke Wayman!

We passed court last Tuesday in Ethiopia (more on our trip later.  I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted!) .  The judge said the most beautiful words I've ever heard...
"He is yours."

We are so happy to officially be able to say that he's our son!

Crib Ordered!

Since we'll be headed to court in Ethiopia on April 24th (read Friday's post here in case you missed our big news!), we thought it might be time to order this sweet boy a crib!

I've always had my eye on the Jenny Lind Spindle Crib.  I love the simple, classic spindle design.  We ordered ours from amazon for a pretty good price.

Here are a few beautiful nurseries that feature the Jenny Lind crib....

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We Have a Court Date!

Ahhh, this is turning out to be the best Friday EVER (I'll admit, I WAS a little tired and grumpy after braving the crowds to see the midnight showing of Hunger Games)!

We found out from our agency's director today that our court date is April 24th!!!  We need to arrive in Ethiopia by the 23rd.  Praise God!  We finally get to meet our son!  I got an email today while I was meeting with my 3 teachers that I team with (I told you earlier that I am a compulsive email checker.  I take it everywhere hoping for good news!) and I just started crying!  They all started to get emotional too.  It was such a great moment to share with some of my sweetest friends.

I'm still trying to figure out about remaining in country or not (more than likely not since I'm a teacher and don't want to have to go right back to work upon returning home with him), but for now we're elated to be going at all! 

My Spring Break is April 2-6, so I'll be working on the nursery, packing, etc.  Thank you for all of the thoughts, prayers, and well wishes on our behalf. We can't wait to meet our sweet Hayes!

Happy 4 Years!

Today the hubby and I are celebrating our 4 year wedding anniversary!  So much has happened in the 4 years since we got married: we got a dog, bought our first house, remodeled our first house, traveled on some AWESOME vacations (on a cruise, numerous beach trips, California, and Israel), and started the process to bring our little boy home from Ethiopia.  I can't wait to see what this next year of wedded bliss holds!

{Photo by Michael Howard Photography}

Last year I did a detailed post with lots of wedding pics, so I won't bore you with those again. But here they are in case you missed them.

We celebrated a little early last night with dinner at one of our new favorite restaurants, Germantown Cafe.  If you live in the Nashville area, you MUST try it out.  We highly recommend the pork medallions and the filet.  They were delicious! 

To my hubby:
I am so blessed to have you iny life.  Thank you for your constant love, encouragement, and support.  I am so excited about the changes that will be coming to our lives this year.  You're going to make a great dad and I can't wait!!!  Hayes and I are lucky to have you!  Happy Anniversary!