Our Rain Measuring Bear is working overtime this summer.

I’ve been doing a lot of praying this summer, focused mainly on a few set of friends waiting to adopt.  I feel like it’s become a subconscious mantra that runs in my brain all day, “Please Jesus, please…give my friends a baby,” followed by this growing list of friends waiting for babies.  Generation X: Big Hair, Hard Rock, and Infertility.

Today, the news came.  Stephanie and Mark have been matched.  YES!  And then YES AGAIN! Followed by a whole bunch of THANK YOU JESUS!  Stephanie is my sister’s sister-in-law…because everyone in Indiana is somehow related and at some point or another, went to school together.  We also share Avery as our niece.  Avery, that girl cracks me up.

Aunt Orly (that’s me): AVERY!  Did you know you are getting a new cousin?!  Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Mark are adopting a baby!  Isn’t that great?!

Avery (over the moon excited): YES!!!  I KNOW!  I’m so excited!  NOW….um, adoption.  How does that work?

Aunt Orly: Slowly.

Sara (who has heard more than an earful about adoption): I came in my Mommy’s belly.

Avery: That’s a whole lotta baby.

Aunt Orly: 75 lbs to be exact.  Agreed.  Whole lotta baby.

So with all the rain this summer…the rain which has been followed by rain, and then followed even more closely by a little rain…we have found our rainbow.  Congratulations guys.  You will be the absolute best parents.  Sleep now.  Sleep.  Come January…that will be all you get.  Seriously.  Sleep.

We’ve all chosen a sunflower to measure weekly and record on our monkey garden markers.  Avery is SO winning.