Court Date

We have a court date. December 17th is the magic day.

No News

We haven't heard anything new. A few families have received court dates, but things seem to be moving slowly right now. The peace I've felt through this whole process is beginning to erode - I'm a little on edge. Even the boys are frustrated. Hopefully, we'll hear something soon.

To help maintain my sanity, I'm working on a few projects:

1. Finish the dresser for Sister's room.
2. Create a Pablo Picasso costume for my 6-year-old for Halloween.
3. Organize and put away all the lovely gifts I received at the baby shower.
4. Start planning Thanksgiving and birthday parties.

I'll post about the baby shower soon. Just think pink, pink and more pink. It was lovely.

Sweet Gift

I love my friend Ann. And I love the way she is raising her three daughters. Her eldest, Isabel, has a strong desire to serve others. When Isabel heard that we were adopting a baby from Ethiopia, she decided to have a lemonade stand and donate the proceeds to the infant care center in Addis Ababa. Isabel and her friends raised $80.94 in one afternoon! Chip and I hope to hand-deliver her donation to the care center in the next couple of months. What a sweet gift from a girl with a sweet spirit.

Update on Sister

We received an update today from Addis Ababa. This is what the in-country staff has to say about our baby:

“[Baby] has grown so much since the last time I saw her! She is getting heavy, which must be a result of her eating so well! She has come a long way developmentally as well, now being able to pay attention to small objects and things that move around, as well as smile back when you smile at her! She has developed some vocal skills as well, which she shows off to anyone willing to listen, that is when she's not resting in her bed. She is a very calm and trusting young girl, and has also perfected the two-finger-suck, which she enjoys very much in between meals.”

We received a picture with the update and I can verify that she is filling out. Round cheeks and pudgy fingers!

A Simple Prayer

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of you.

A dear friend shared this prayer with me. These powerful words helped motivate me to begin our adoption journey. Thanks so much to all of you who have sent love, prayers and positive energy our way the last few months.

Adoption Process

Every adoption is different, but for us, the basic process has been:

1. Select agency and country.
2. Submit application and supporting documents to agency.
3. Begin gathering foreign dossier documents.
4. Home visit.
5. Agency approval.
6. Submission of foreign dossier.
7. Wait list for referral.
8. Referral.

Our next steps:

9. Court date issued.
10. Successful court date.
11. Travel date issued.
12. Travel.
13. Baby in our arms.

Notice from previous posts that we began this journey over a year ago. Every step in the process has a period of waiting built in. One thing I've learned: patience is not a virtue - it's a skill. And you have to practice a skill to get better at it. By the end of this process, I should be an expert.

Why?

We get this question a lot. Why a third child (gasp)? Why adopt? Why an infant? Why adopt a third child (gasp) that is an infant from Ethiopia?

A little background:

Before Chip and I married, we talked about what we wanted our family to look like. We hoped to have biological children, but we were also interested in learning more about adoption. About two years after we married, my parents adopted a baby girl. Three more girls joined their family over the next few years. We saw how beautiful adoption can be. We also witnessed how frustrating the adoption process can be - great training for the future! As we started our family the traditional way, we continued to discuss adoption. After having two babies in two years, I decided to take a little break. The years flew by, and before I knew it, our youngest was three years old and his brother was five. That's when talk of adopting a baby really began in earnest. Chip and I both knew we wanted a bigger family, but neither of us wanted to go through another pregnancy. Around this time, a couple of families in our community had baby girls. The boys began to ask when they would get their baby sister!

We talked with the boys about adopting a baby. Because their four ZaZas are adopted, they understand what adoption is all about. But there were still questions. Will Sister have yellow hair like us? Why won't Sister grow in your tummy? Why did Sister's mommy and daddy give her up? Big questions from little guys. Chip and I have worked hard to make sure the boys understand what we are doing. We've also made sure the boys are excited about bringing a baby sister home. And are they excited!

We began the adoption process in September of last year. We looked into other agencies, but we opted to use the Gladney Center because my parents had a good experience with them and they are local. Gladney has programs in many different countries, and we meet the requirements for most, but something about Ethiopia struck a chord with both of us. Because we have two children at home, we decided we would request a baby instead of an older child. We didn't want to upset the birth order. We requested a girl for the obvious reason - this family needs a little more estrogen!

The "Whys" of any adoption are complex. But, I can simply sum up why we opted to take this journey to grow our family.

Why?

Because we want one more child to love.

Stroller Angst

My dear friends Eleanor, Eva and Jen are throwing a baby shower for me, and at their urging I went and registered at a couple of stores. Oh-my-goodness. I forgot how overwhelming picking a stroller is. What, exactly, is a travel system? And do I need a full canopy and a parent cup holder? A belly bar or foot muff? I called my husband at least three times for his counsel. Ultimately, he told me to follow my gut and pick what I thought was the best stroller. So I picked the pink one.

I got home late that afternoon and looked online for customer reviews of the stroller I'd selected. Hmmm. Not good. Pink and cute, but not so safe. I ended up going to Consumer Reports and doing a little research. Ultimately, I chose a different stroller. One that is safe and easy to use. Not so cute. Not pink. But definitely the right stroller for our sweet baby.

Nesting

In the last couple of months of both of my pregnancies, I went through a period of intense nesting. You know, when every nook and cranny of the house MUST BE CLEAN, and every shelf in every closet MUST BE ORGANIZED, and every onesie and baby blanket MUST BE WASHED IN BABY-SAFE DETERGENT AND PUT AWAY. Well, I'm there. And I must say that I am really proud of my husband. I've started to get the baby's room ready, so I purchased a gallon of pink paint Friday afternoon and left it on the kitchen counter. I took the boys to the park today for a couple of hours and came home to find a pink baby room. I love my husband! I may even forgive him for making fun of my frenzied-manic-nesting vacuum cleaning.

Finally...

I've been toying with the idea of a blog since we began the adoption process last September. Now that we are getting closer to bringing our baby girl home, friends and family are anxious for regular updates and often inquire about my state of mind. And so, to communicate where we are in the process, to preserve what little sanity I have left, and to satisfy my husband, I am officially entering the blog world. I plan to post about the baby and adoption, daily life as a stay-at-home mom, my boys, my thoughts, and family and friends. My only goal is to entertain and enlighten. Wish me luck and enjoy!