Adoption Update

Well, we still don't know a ton. We are now 2 1/2 weeks into the wait to travel. But, our biggest concern at this point is getting through the court system in Ethiopia before they close for about 2 months (they close during the rainy season in Addis Ababa the capital city). The courts close on August 6th, so the clock is ticking.

As far as we know we DO NOT have a court date yet, by that I mean our agency says we do not have one, but they are working on it in Ethiopia. Our contact at our agency said they don't know if we will make it through for sure, as the courts are swamped right now, and obviously there are alot of other adoption agencies all trying to get their families pushed through court as well. Her fear is that it just may not be able to be accomplished, and we are glad that she has given us this info so that we can try to prepare for that scenario. And, we won't know whether we made it through or not until after everything is said and done. So, another week or so of waiting and we will know more.

IF we make it through court, we will hopefully be getting to travel in early September. Abeynesh will be almost 5 months old by then, and will have grown so much I'm sure. We are sad to be missing her first months, and can't wait to hold her. But, we are sending over a care package with a blanket, photo album, and maybe a small voice recorder and some batteries. And, we are going to ask our good friends Bob and Shonna to check up on her when they go pick up their two girls. They found out today that they are for sure travelling on August 17th! WOO HOO! We are so happy for them, and can't wait to meet their girls! :)

No News is Not Good News

Who ever said that no news is good news was wrong, or at the very least not waiting for an adoption referral. As I am sure that all of you have guessed, we have not heard anything. So, as of right now we are waiting out the summer, with only a sliver of hope for this week(the little inkling we did get for hope was from a good source though). We are extremely bummed, but have no say. So, we are trying to focus. That is easier said than done. We have been preparing all along to travel at the end of summer, and have kind of planned around that loosely. So, now to think we may not even know who our child is until early September is hard to deal with. But, we will. And, we will do it together!

We are going camping this weekend, so look for more pics next week.

The Tough Questions Begin

Makenna is 2 1/2. Everynight we read stories before she goes to bed. She has a pile near her bed, and chooses 2-3 books to read before we pray and snuggle. EVERY night she chooses Over the Moon-an adoption tale. It's one of her favorite books (with no prompting from us, we want her to choose) and she knows the story. Because it's about adoption, we use it as a stepping stone to conversations about her adoption story. She listens, but has never asked, until tonight.....

There is a part of the story where it says the baby grew in another ladies tummy. So she asked me "me in mama Kari's tummy?" I said "no, not in mommy's tummy, but you grew in your Ethiopian mommy's tummy." "What her name mommy?" I just looked at her sweet face and tried to fight back tears. "I don't know yet baby." is all I could say and she didn't ask anymore. I don't know why, but I just wasn't prepared for the question. And, it re-inforced how much it breaks my heart to not have the answers for her. I really don't know her name. I really don't know anything, or have any of the answers to any of her questions. And, she's only 2 1/2--we've got years worth of questions to go!

We have practiced what we will say to her and have talked to her about her adoption since she came home. But, it so much harder than I expected it to be now that she is starting to really understand. I am overwhelmed and am feeling so many emotions. Ugh!

Count your blessings

I realized today that I amwilling time to pass (so that we can hopefully get a referral) that I will never get back again. By jumping everytime the phone rings, checking my email and the adoption forum a million times a day, not only am I stressing out, but I am wasting the precious time I have left with just our family as it is.

I know that once we change to a family of four the dynamic will be different, and I will miss the one on one time I have with Makenna now. So, today I stopped to realize how cool it is to get to spend the day with her. I am so fortunate that I get to stay home with her 2 days during the week and spend the WHOLE day with her. We call them Mommy & Makenna days. Those days we get to do whatever we feel like. They usually include doing hair, playing outside, some dancing, and the occasional shopping trip. :)

I forget to appreciate what I have right in front of me. She is the coolest kid and is so sweet. And, I have a very supportive and wonderful husband, who doesn't complain about coming home to a less than perfect house, and no dinner on the table. He is just happy that we had a good day. How cool is that? Not that he would complain if there was dinner on the table either. ;)

So, how about you? Have you stopped to count your blessings today too?

Well, this is my first time

So, I decided that WE were going to hop on the blog band wagon after all. I have been contemplating it for a while. Well, for at least a year anyhow. I know..... I just didn't have time before.

Our blog is here to keep family and friends updated on the progress of our current adoption and our lives. And, of course, we will share pics! :)

For those who don't know, we are currently awaiting a referral for an infant girl from Ethiopia. We also have a BEAUTIFUL 2 1/2 year old daughter from Ethiopia who was adopted at 3 mos! More later!