To Wait, Or Not To Wait...

This week our SW called to ask if we would like to change our request to two children and wait a little bit longer for twins or a sibling group. I should back up and remind everyone that we are open to one infant (boy or girl), infant twins, or a young sibling group - one infant and up to a young 3 year old. So, we're pretty open.

Basically, because we are first on the infant referral list, if we did want to wait for two, we would have a great chance of that happening without too long of a wait. Erin (SW) wanted to make sure that we knew this, and wanted to make sure that, if we decided not to wait, that we would not be disappointed with one child.

Wowza- so, in customary paper-pregnant fashion, I completely obsessed about this for, oh, the whole day. I think I knew in my heart what I wanted to do, but, of course, Kevin was in no-man's-land of cell reception and we didn't get to talk until late afternoon. We agreed that we probably already knew our answer, but we should sit down to discuss it.

In the end, this is what we came up with (and I'm quoting the email I sent Erin b/c I can't really say it any better than what Kevin and I came up with). Although the thought of twins or siblings is exciting, the thought of one baby is exciting, amazing, and miraculous all the same. We feel that we’ve been led to this path, and we want to follow it, whether that means one boy, one girl, or one of each. In our hearts, it does not matter to us – there will be absolutely no disappointment with one child – we are overjoyed at the thought. The only analogy we can think of is when you ask a pregnant couple whether they’d like a boy or a girl, and they really don’t care, they just want a healthy baby. That is how we feel- we went into this process trying to be as open as possible because we wanted to make sure that whatever God had in mind, we would be open to.

Kevin has pointed out to me that I often use the plural when speaking of our future child / children on this blog. He actually was worried that I had my heart set on two because of that and other things I've said. So, this experience allowed me to really think about what I wanted and whether or not it was the same as our original idea. Turns out, I am most comfortable with our idea to trust in the divine plan, and Kevin is too.

So, bring on the referral of our baby, babies, or our baby and toddler!

I want this!

I think I'm going to have to get one of these-


I forgot to add this earlier - you can find this at Cafe Press - just enter in adoption+ethiopia in the search and you'll find a lot of fun stuff (thanks Jill!)

Also, I should have explained- injera is Ethiopian bread- you basically use it to eat your food. You do not use forks with Ethiopian food- that is what injera is for. Lots of people don't care for it b/c of the texture, but I can't get enough of it.

News of the Week

Not much to report- Tsegay (our in-country rep) has had our dossier translated and the translation has been authenticated, so we are all set. Tsegay has been working like crazy over there to get this new program up & running - I really cannot wait to meet him and thank him in person for all that he has done.

So, we're just sitting around... waiting (and praying) for a referral. I know it has not been that long!! But, here is what is hard- we don't really have any frame of reference to judge the 'how long' of the waiting. We're first in our agency for an infant referral (followed closely by Jenni & Jim, whose dossier will hopefully be in Tsegay's hands tomorrow), so we can't say that it normally takes X amount of time. We just don't know. Talk about letting go!! Adoption really reminds you to trust in the divine plan. Oh, and I wanted to thank you all for your comments on my last post- I really didn't even have to say much about feeling down, but you all clued into it and made me feel better!

In the meantime, I have picked out the bedding (finally). After looking at a million of them, I decided to listen to my more experienced friends and not go crazy with the bedding. I picked one that I've been thinking about for a while (I've posted it before) and it will work for either boy or girl (or both- yes, there's always hope for two still). Thanks to Grandma Mimi for getting us the bedding already!!
We're going to do white furniture (Grandma K and I have to get ourselves down to PBK!) and we're painting the walls in a color scheme of yellow and green with dark brown accents. Kevin loves to paint, so hopefully he will transform this boring old room into a beautiful nursery. I'll post pics as we get things finished.

We Love Ethiopian Coffee

I was feeling a little down today- not sure why- we have every reason to be happy and excited, but every now and then I go through this feeling of longing for our child that really gets to me. Today was one of those days. So, after I got home and was trying to have a moment alone (the dogs seem to know when I'm upset and want to 'help' by getting in my face and trying to give me kisses- it's a nice sentiment, but it's not the most pleasant thing in the world), my sweet husband noticed I wasn't having the best day. He offered to take me out for Ethiopian food and that sounded like the only thing that would make me feel better. Maybe it makes me feel closer to our child(ren), I'm not sure, but it definitely has made me feel better.

Or... maybe it is just that the Ethiopian coffee has made me crazy. We ordered Ethiopian coffee after we finished our yummy dinner of avocado & tomato appetizer, doro wat and a vegetarian sampler. About 45 minutes later (I'm serious) our coffee was served. We were laughing throughout the whole 45 minutes - wondering about our coffee and what on earth they were doing to it. Anyway, it was very good- and very, very strong - even Kevin added sugar to his. We left the restaurant, came home, and then cleaned the entire house. Not just straightened - I mean I cleaned bathrooms, Kevin straightened his closet, and vacuumed. And now I am furiously typing away. :) In the end, the coffee was definitely worth the wait. I'll probably post again later tonight- say around 2 a.m. when I'm still wide awake. Now I'm going to go check on Kevin - I think he might still be cleaning. :)

Addendum - I checked - Kevin is actually making cookies right now!

Now What?

Okay, to try and answer the question of Now What?

We really don't know much at this point. There is no information on infant referrals, so we will be waiting, but we don't know how long. The good news is that we're first on the list for an infant referral in our agency. (We'll be followed shortly by Jenni & Jim - their dossier will hopefully leave for Ethiopia tomorrow- YAY!!) But, if there are other families who send in their dossiers and are open to older children, they could go before us (depending on when an infant becomes available).

Basically, we are waiting. So, please pray for infant referrals! :)

Thanks for all the good wishes - it's so nice to have you all to share the good news with!

It's There!

OUR DOSSIER IS IN ETHIOPIA!!

Look How Cute!

My friend Mindy made this for us - it is adorable. (In case the pictures don't do it justice- it is a quilt with the Ethiopian flag embroidered on it.)

Weirdology- I've been tagged

I've been tagged by Kathryn

So- here goes (this is the edited version)

FOODOLOGY

What is your salad dressing of choice? Blue Cheese

What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Taco Bell

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Zoe (non-chain) Red Robin (chain)

On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? 20% but usually more (I was a server for a long time)

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? French Fries

What is your favorite type of gum? Altoids gum


TECHNOLOGY

What is your wallpaper on your computer? A picture of my three dogs in the bathtub together

How many televisions are in your house? 3


BIOLOGY

What’s your best feature? Hmmm... I guess that I'm little (is that a feature?)

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? I don't think so.

Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? Hearing

When was the last time you had a cavity? several years ago.

What is the heaviest item you lifted last? The box with my new vacuum in it (we hate our new vacuum by the way)

Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Nope.


BULLOLOGY

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Definitely not!

Is love for real? Of course

If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? In first grade I tried to change my name to Beth, so I guess that would be it.

What color do you think looks best on you? Black

Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? Probably

Have you ever saved someone’s life? When I was a lifeguard I pulled a few people out of the water - but never had to do CPR or anything

Has someone ever saved yours? umm, I don't think so

DAREOLOGY

Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? I've decided that I really wouldn't do this

Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? No

Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? Ick, no

Would you never blog again for $50,000? Well, only if I could still read them, but it would be hard :)

Would you pose nude in a magazine for $250,000? No

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1,000? No

Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? Weird - definitely not ever

Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? Yes, but I'd spend it all on books I'm sure

Give up MySpace forever for $30,000? Easy - I don't have a myspace page

DUMBOLOGY:

What is in your left pocket? These shorts don't have pockets

Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie? Love it!

Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house? Both

Do you sit or stand in the shower? Umm, stand... does anyone sit in the shower?

Could you live with roommates? Sure

How many pairs of flip-flops do you own? 3

Last time you had a run-in with the cop? When I got pulled over driving Kevin's car b/c his plates were expired. He gave me a warning and told me to yell at my husband. :)

What do you want to be when you grow up? A mom

Last friend you talked to? Last night I went out with 5 girlfriends from high school - Chris, Kelley, Angelique, Mindy and Nikki

Last person you called? Chris

RANDOMOLOGY

First place you went this morning? To brunch with Kevin and my mom

What can you not wait to do? Duh- go to Ethiopia and meet our child(ren)

What’s the last movie you saw? Parts of Moulin Rouge and Best in Show

Are you a friendly person? I think so

So, now I'm supposed to tag three people, so I'll tag Jill, Sarah, and I'd like to tag Jenni, but her site isn't a blog. Oh well you're still tagged. (Don't worry - I won't mind if you don't play along :)

On It's Way!!

Today we received great news - our dossier has officially left for Ethiopia!!! It's on it's way and should get there by next Thursday. I wish we weren't so busy this weekend- it seems like we should be off to the nearest Ethiopian restaurant to celebrate (not to mention I've been craving it lately- I love it). Maybe we'll have our celebration next Thursday when it (hopefully) gets to our in-country representative in Ethiopia, Tsegay.

There is no word on referrals- we were told that they do not have any information on infants yet. We were secretly hoping they did (of course), but we understand that we have to be patient (or are trying to understand this). Our program coordinator reminded us to keep faith and know that God has a plan for us and for our child(ren).

Please say prayers that our dossier makes it to Ethiopia, and to Tsegay safely (and soon!). We truly appreciate everyone out there reading this and giving us support through prayer.

Now I'm off to do a happy dance! :)

Watching Kids

So last night I agreed to watch our friends' children for about an hour - they are ages 9, 7, 2 1/2, 11 months - no big deal - right? I've done this before, but let me just say that last night was hilarious. The 2 1/2 year old (nickname George) is getting close to potty-training and he told me he wanted to sit on the potty. He had already pottied on the potty once when I first got there, but I figured I should let him try. So, there he is totally naked sitting on the potty when the 7 year old (nickname Mitch's Sister) hears her dad's car pull up and runs out of the bathroom (we were all in there) yelling, "Dad's home!" So, George jumps off the potty and runs to the front door with me yelling, "No - we have to put your diaper on!"... but I couldn't follow him b/c the 11 month old (nickname Chuck) was in the bathroom, in the process of pulling up on the potty (!!!) so I grabbed him and ran to the door to see George running out to his dad & Kevin, NAKED on the porch!! Here I come behind him with Chuck in one hand and a diaper in the other... too late!

I felt so bad about letting George run out the front door, and without clothes on at that, that I joked to the 9 year old (nickname Mitch), "Maybe I'm not ready for two little ones." Mitch looked at me point blank and said, "Oh yes, you are." I love these kids! (And, I felt a lot better when his mom told me today that it isn't the first time this has transpired - so I guess I'll be okay with two after all :)

Just for fun, here are some photos that George & Mitch's Sister took with our camera. I think they show some artistic genius :)

Happy Mother's Day

Today was a great Mother's Day- my first as being 'paper pregnant' so I even got some gifts. My sweet husband got me the ergo baby carrier I've been wanting to get. He looked all over town to find it and was so excited that he gave it to me last night. I promptly tried it on - fits perfect and we can't wait to have a little one to put in it. My sister is working on getting a second for us in case we need two :)

We went to my mom's house today to help her plant some flowers and work in the yard, which was actually a lot of fun. We also got to cuddle with her new baby:
She is such a cutie! She doesn't have a name yet (my mom has gone through a few different ones, but they're all people we know, so we've made her change them), but my favorite right now is June Bug. My mom gave me a sweet card and a beautiful day-lily plant (one of my favorites).

After that we went to my dad and stepmom's house for dinner with some family, who were all very interested in any news we had to share. They were all surprised (and happy) to learn that there is a chance we could be traveling this summer.

Oh, the good news of the week is that our dossier is on it's way to DC!! Our wonderful program director, Sharon, emailed Friday to let us know. She expects it back next week, which means it may be off to Ethiopia by the end of next week! YAY!!! We're both so excited we can hardly stand it. :) Our plan is to have the baby's room finished and ready for crib(s) and furniture by the end of Memorial Day weekend. Now I just need to pick out a wall color...

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and moms-to-be out there! I hope you all had a wonderful day!

Prayers for Lucas

Please say prayers for Lucas, a little boy who was burned last week. His mom & dad both have blogs about their family (they recently brought home their two Ethiopian children and have two biological children) where you can read more about it. I've been reading both of their blogs for the past 6 months, and they are an amazing family. I just read this on his mom's blog - "He thinks it is so cool that people all over the world are praying for him!" That made me smile.

Please send them your thoughts and prayers.

Traveling Families

In case anyone is interested in seeing two beautiful babies, and four happy parents, there are two families traveling right now and have just met their sons- Silas and Deacon
I love seeing families travel! Be warned- the pictures and the video can make you cry (at least I did!)
:)

Hand-me-downs & new stuff

I read the other day on someones blog the term "retail therapy" (thanks Jenni) and I've decided that it completely relates to some of us who are adopting- especially us first-timers who have never before bought baby gear for our own little darling(s). I know it makes it seem more real when I am able to shop in the baby section at Old Navy. I sometimes really wish I knew if we were having a boy or a girl- they don't make much anymore that is for either.

Last week, our friends gave us a load of hand-me-downs. They have two young boys, so we'll be very lucky to have a boy, but some of it will be fine for a girl. Besides, around the house, who cares if our girl is in a blue striped onesie with blue pants? Here is the loot:

I'm loving the puppy dog hat!

We were pretty excited to get the baby Pumas.

This I bought today at Old Navy. I couldn't resist.

My other problem is online browsing - I keep finding things I really want to get, but so far have been good. I did decide today that I will probably need these:

Okay, I'm finished for today. Goodness!

Education... Check

This weekend we officially finished our 10 hours of education. We have watched the DVDs, read books, gone to our agency classes, done workbooks, and this weekend we attended an infant care class at a local hospital. I was a little worried about being the only couple there who was not visibly pregnant, but it worked out okay. We walked in a bit early and I told the instructor, "Sorry, we're early," and she asked, "What class are you looking for?" (obviously noting that I did not have a bump) and we said, "Infant Care." She answered, "Oh, I'm just used to seeing pregnant people here." We just laughed it off and told her we were pregnant on paper. There was another guy there with his mom (so, obviously not pregnant). He was going through a divorce and wanted to learn how to take care of his little guy by himself.
We did have to answer a bunch of questions, but everyone was very nice and there were no negative comments or anything (i.e. no one asked, why aren't you adopting a kid here?) so that was good. The only thing that happened was that our 'baby' (they had dolls for practicing diapers and such) was African American (which made the most sense to us). The woman next to us asked where we would be adopting from and we told her Ethiopia and she pointed to our 'baby' and said, "Oh, it looks like you have the right baby." Oh... yes, you're right, thank you.
So, anyway, we have passed all of our tests and are cleared for dossier take-off to Ethiopia now. I just want it to get to DC and back soon! Our agency predicts that could take 1-2 weeks. In the meantime, we have also been busy going out on dates - we had a wonderful dinner earlier in the week followed by Norah Jones (so good!!) and last night we had dinner with our best friends down the street (they actually got babysitters for all four kids!) and then went to see another concert. Now it's time to get busy painting the baby's room!!

Mother's Day Giveaway

FYI - You can enter to win an Ipod Nano and other great things at 5 Minutes for Mom for their Mother's Day Giveaway. :)

Good luck Dossier! I'll Miss You!

Hooray! The dossier has officially been turned over to Children's Hope International! I had all of the documents certified this week and Erin (sw) re-checked all the documents to make sure they are all in. Next they will send it off (probably next week) to D.C. for authentication and then it will be sent off to Ethiopia (I'm repeating myself for those who missed earlier posts).

It just feels so good to have it finished. I can't even explain how much I fretted over that paperwork. I was joking on our yahoo group that I should have just put THE BINDER (yes, it has to be capitalized) in a baby sling and carried it around. That way I would have always known where it was- safe with me. (I practically did carry it around all the time anyway!)

Speaking of baby carriers - here is the one we are thinking of:

My sister, Bonnie (a midwife), says it is the best and the one we have to have. Does anyone have the ergo? If you do, what do you think?