Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Travel

Our travel is confirmed! We leave on Jan 2 and return on Jan 12. We are flying Emirates and staying at the Bejoe House. We are so fortunate to be traveling during Ethiopian Christmas, and our embassy appointment is on Christmas Day (in Ethiopia). I am so excited to see how the holiday is celebrated in Ethiopia!

Because it is the Holiday, airline tickets are scarce and expensive. So for those still waiting for referrals, and the possibility of travel around the holidays 2010, be prepared for booked flights and extra fees. Despite this, it is SO worth it! I can't wait!

If anyone waiting would like me to take pictures of your little one(s)/and or bring a care package, I would be more than willing to do so. The pictures we received from other traveling families were priceless! Send me an email at trashawnmd@yahoo.com, and I'll put you on my list.

Happy Tuesday!

Friday, December 4, 2009

It's Official!!!

I know I'm a bit delayed in writing this, but today has been a VERY busy day!

I am very happy to announce that we passed court today! Here she is. I hope you enjoy!

Three Plus One at OneTrueMedia.com

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Congrats

Congrats to my blog buddy Freda! She and her husband passed court on Monday, and will soon be traveling to Ethiopia to pick up their very handsome son, Jordan!!

As for us, 3 more days. Hopefully, you will be introduced to our Baby M very soon!

Friday, November 20, 2009

4 and 14

Today (Nov 20) is Baby M's 4 month birthday! (Happy Birthday to you...!) She is growing so much, and looks so well taken care of. I can't wait to give her lots of hugs and kisses!

Today also marks 14 days until our court date! I am hopeful and prayerful, that Dec 4th will be the day that Baby M is officially our daughter! Just knowing that she is officially ours will make the Christmas holidays so much merrier.

Until then, I am working and keeping busy. Trying to stay focused; but let me tell you, I am NOT. I daydream about her daily, and find it hard to stay on task. I'm starting to lose my appetite just as I did right before and just after our referral. I guess my stress hormones are increasing as we approach our court date. I guess that's not too bad, especially if I can shed a few pounds.

I am also on a mission to clean house. There is serious nesting going on here. I have been cleaning closets and giving things away like a mad woman. My yellow lab watches me as a vacuum, mop, and dust as if she's trying to figure out what's going on, and who's coming to dinner.

Things seem to be falling into place. We are almost ready. Baby M's crib and nursery furniture will arrive on Nov 30, and we should have our updated homestudy in hand momentarily.

Until Dec 4th, I'll be busy figuring out what to cook for Thanksgiving, and how to do it since I have to work on the three days preceding Thanksgiving. I also hope to get some of the bargains after Thanksgiving and start decorating for Christmas.

Waiting is hard, but it sure is nice to be waiting during the holidays when there are so many other things to distract from the wait.

Happy Weekend!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Thank You!

I want to send out a special thank you to Sharon and Emily. They sent us such beautiful pictures and video of our sweet girl. These really made our day! Can I just tell you she is beautiful! I can't wait to share her with all of you.

In preparation for Thanksgiving, I'll just say that I am so thankful for the wonderful traveling Gladney families who carry things across the ocean for us, and take wonderful pictures of our babes while we wait. I cannot wait to return the favor to another waiting family!

Happy Monday

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Carmen

Today marks 4 years since my best buddy Carmen passed away. Ironically, it all occurred so tragically on a night just like tonight. It was cold, dark, and raining. I miss her tons and wish everyday that she was here. Carmen was funny. She always made me laugh, and always had good jokes. She was a party girl, and she forced me to "come out and play" when I would bury myself in books during my residency haze days. She was always so supportive, and my son called her his "Car Car". All the kids loved to be around her. She just had that bubbly, loving life type of personality. I never expected to be devastated by the loss of a friend at such a young age, and in such a tragic way. But I feel so lucky to have been blessed with a true friend in Carmen. And although our time together was brief (she passed at the age of 33), I thank God every day for our friendship and the time we spent together. I love you Carmen!

Our trip to Costa Rica...We were just about to do a tree top Canopy Tour. It was so much fun as you can tell from Carmen's cheesy grin. Definitely something to do if you've never done it before. Costa Rica is great for Eco Tourism. I'm a bit of a daredevil, so this was right up my alley!
Carmen hanging out on the beautiful Playa de Conchal. A beach with sand made from seashells. Absolutely beautiful. We had a very lazy, very relaxing day on the beach.
Me and my sister Carmen. What a great time we had!

A Prayer for our Dead.......

We seem to give them back to Thee
O God, Who gave them to us.
Yet, as Thou did not lose them in giving, so we do not lose them by their return.
Life is eternal and love immortal and death is only a horizon,
and a horizon is nothing except the limit of our sight.
Lift us up, strong Son of God, that we may see further; cleanse our eyes that we may see more clearly; draw us closer to Thyself
that we may know ourselves to be nearer to our loved ones who are with Thee. Amen

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Court Date!

Thanks for all of the prayers and well wishes everyone. I really appreciate all of the support! I am happy to report that we have a court date on Dec 4th!!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

"The Blues"

Earlier this week we received this update on Baby M:

When I walked into Baby M's room today, she was pretty upset. When I picked her up, she quickly calmed down and rested contently in my arms. Though all babies like your attention, Baby M seems to especially enjoy—even at this young age—your looking her in the face and talking to her. When I looked away or stopped talking, she would whimper—or put on a very concerned expression. As I left her with a caregiver, she gave me an involuntary salute as if to say ‘Thanks and see ya later.’”

While I love receiving these updates, they seem to make me miss Baby M more and more. With each picture, and update, I long for the day that this waiting process will be over and we will travel to Ethiopia to pick her up. There are so many high and lows in this process that I am beginning to get discouraged. I guess you could say I have been feeling the blues lately. This waiting for a court date is really getting the best of me. I've tried to be patient, and I guess I'm doing a pretty o.k. job, but I'm not sure how much more of this anxiety is going to be good for me. The uncertainty of this thing is driving me crazy. We've been waiting almost 7 weeks for a court date, and it seems we are having no luck. It's even scarier to read stories of people who received referrals in April (other agencies) and are still waiting for a first court date! Yikes. I guess we're not so bad off after all. I feel for them, but heaven knows I pray that will not happen to us! That would be a nightmare. I'll just continue praying each day that we will hear something very soon; and when we do hear something, I pray our court date will be successful on the first time around.

My profession is very high stress, and people rely on me daily, so the unpredictability of this is making life difficult. I have to try to anticipate when I should be removed from our work schedule because they are made three months in advance. As you can imagine, we are already working on the schedule for February, and I keep telling our scheduler, well I might be out by then, so don't put me on the schedule. Then if things are delayed, I'll have to tell them to put me back on the schedule. It makes my work life miserable, and I constantly have people asking me "when are you traveling to pick up your baby?" I give them a sigh and say, I really don't know.

It's all so discouraging. I feel that we have come so far, yet we are still so far. I have been praying for rapid, and successful court dates for myself and all my blog buddies, and for referrals for those who have been waiting extended periods of time. I'm confident these prayers will be answered, but in the meantime I am only human. Sometimes it feels like my spark for this whole process is being slowly extinguished. I know the folks in country are doing the best they can to get kids to their forever homes in an ethical fashion, but that doesn't really shield the heart. I know that they are likely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of cases they see on a day to day basis since adoptions in Ethiopia have grown so rapidly . Let's pray for them too. I suppose, in the end, things work out just as they should. There is nothing we can do to control this process, so I guess we might as well enjoy the ride.

In the meantime, I'll probably have a good cry, say a prayer, each some chocolate, and watch HGTV.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Temper Tantrum

Lots and lots of court dates in Gladney land! This is such exciting news for these wonderful families. I'm praying that they will all have successful hearings on the first try!!

In light of all this good news, maybe...just maybe, we will have a court date soon too! I sure hope so because I'm starting to get a little antsy! I feel like a 2 year old in the middle of a temper tantrum! I want her home NOW!!!!

ok, I feel better. Thanks for listening!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Happy 3 Month Birthday Baby M!!

Our baby girl turned 3 months yesterday, 10/20. I sure hope she had a great day, and we can't wait to finally get her in our arms! Come on court date!

Yipeee

Two Gladney families passed their court dates today! I am so happy for them, and they have absolutely beautiful kids! Congrats to Sarah and Family as well as the Alexander's! Enjoy this wonderful day!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Shots, Fillings, and Little Girl Stuff!

Thanks to everyone for the encouraging post after my last entry "rude people". It's nice to have this whole blogging community full of people who understand just how you feel! What would I do without my blog buddies?

Today we had our vaccinations. Boy do my arms hurt! I'd been procrastinating, and actually cancelled 2 previous appointments. Call me a chicken, I'm o.k. with it! I just don't like shots!
I almost cancelled again today because I somehow managed to schedule a dental appointment (more needles) on the same day as our travel vaccines. Who wants to be shot in both arms and the mouth on their day off? Not me!

Well, after looking into my sweet babe's beautiful brown eyes, I knew I just had to suck it up! So as of today, we are officially vaccinated, and I have a new filling! Yeah! Progress.

My hubby and I also had our FBI and Criminal Clearances done again this weekend to update our homestudy. Can you believe we had to get fingerprinted again because our last one was 1 year ago? (Egh! I think we've been fingerprinted like 10 thousand times.) I know I'm exaggerating, but it sure does feel like it. But, I'm happy to do anything that gets us closer to our sweet babe.

I also had a little shopping fun this weekend. I picked up a really cute bracelet, earrings and necklace for our baby girl. It is so cute! I bought it from a vendor at a fashion show. I'll post pics as soon as it is delivered. As the mother of a son, I must say that the fashion industry really puts no effort into little boy clothing! Girls, on the other hand, have way too much to choose from. I'm trying to get used to this drastic difference.

Well, that's it for tonight. We are keeping the vigil in these parts for court dates! In my prayers are also those still waiting on referrals. Have a great week!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Rude People

I'm on a roll today. 2 post in 1 day! Wow!

I just have one question to ask the blog world today. I realize that the concept of adoption is foreign to some, but why are people so rude? I have a friend who reacted a bit oddly to news of our adoption. Let's just say, she acts as if it really doesn't matter. Ironically she is pregnant, about 28 weeks or 7 months; and I never recall myself acting so non-chalantly to her baby updates! As a matter of fact, I'm always very excited because I just love children in general.

Well anyways, I was so excited to show her pictures of our baby girl. I know she heard the excitement in my voice. The utter happiness of my soul. Well anyways, I showed her Baby M's picture and she goes. Oh, look. She's got that Ethiopian look, and proceeds to continue with a total unrelated conversation. I'm like WTF! Did you not just notice I showed you a picture of the most beautiful baby in the world (i'm biased I know), and that I am so excited and just wanting a friend to talk to. Did you not pick that up?! How can you possibly act like I didn't just say or show anything of importance to you, and proceed to talk about your plans as if I hadn't just shared something great with you!

It was like my baby didn't really matter because I wasn't carrying her in my tummy. This same friend asked me if I would be able to get time off from my job. I wanted to ask her "are you going to get time off to take care of your newborn?" WTF. What kind of question is that. I'm not bringing home a puppy people! (BTW, I love dogs, and have a yellow lab so I know how much work they are) But how rude can you be? Of course I'm going to get time off to care for my new baby. The same laws that protect biological parents also protect adoptive parents! You don't have more rights just because you are birthing your baby! The nerve! You all know I just had to say something, and of course she retracted her statement!

I guess when she shows me her baby's first picture, I'll just say...Oh. She's got that American look! And then continue with a totally unrelated conversation. (But that would be rude, so I guess I won't do that even though the devil in me wants to (LOL).

How do you all handle odd interactions like this?

Furniture




This weekend we ordered baby girl's nursery furniture. I absolutely love it, and it should last her for many years. It converts to a toddler bed and a full sized bed. We purchased it in white, although I do love the black. It should arrive in 8-10 weeks. Now to pick out bedding. We have also gotten rid of the old furniture in her room (thanks to the Salvation Army). So the room is now empty and waiting for a little baby girl on the other side of the globe. Come on court date!

Today we also received an update on Baby M. She is gorgeous with the biggest, brightest eyes. She is gaining weight like a champ, and her developmental milestones are being reached. I am so anxious waiting to bring her home, but I know it will all happen in due time. I'll keep myself busy until then. Have a great Friday!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Fall is in the Air

Fall has to be one of the prettiest times of year. I absolutely love the colors of fall, they are my favorite! Lots of preparing going on in these parts. Besides spending most Sundays out watching my son play lacrosse and fall baseball, we are shopping for all things baby. Mostly window shopping, because I can't seem to decide on anything. I figured I'd start out with the nursery furniture because that couldn't be too hard. Well, let's just say I'm still deciding. Hopefully I'll have something picked out by this weekend, because I'm being quoted 8-16 weeks for delivery. I guess I should have started sooner! I am praying daily that our baby girl will be home by then!

As we wait for a court date, we are updating our homestudy! (I had been in a delusion that I'd never have to re-enter paperwork hell, but here it is again. Oh well, I guess you can say I'm a seasoned pro at this point). The great thing is that I have my baby's picture to give me inspiration.

One fun thing I've started is a scrapbook for our sweet girl. It's pretty nice so far, just need more pictures! I've also had the chance to meet and speak with other adoptive parents and adoptive parents to be. That's been a ton of fun, and very supportive. I recently met with a wonderful PAP in our area. She was so nice, and just a great person all around. She even treated me with a Starbucks card. How cool is that? I'm sure we will be meeting up again as she has sons the age of my son, and I think she may use Gladney after our discussions.

It really has been so nice to connect with folks you probably would have never met outside of the blog world.

Well as soon as I have a nursery, I'll post pictures. But for the time being, I'm enjoying this moment of post referral bliss! Hopefully we will have a court date soon!

Happy Sunday!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Call

I have always enjoyed reading "the call" stories on other families blogs, so here is ours:

The call came at about 1:00pm EST on Wednesday, June 23. Just 2 days prior, my iPhone decided to crash, so I actually had been phone less for about 2 days. Needless to say, I was a crazy woman. It was so hard for me to get to the apple store, while juggling work and chauffeuring my son around to all his evening activities. I finally, got my new phone on Weds. I had just begun to let my guard down because it seemed that referrals had slowed down a bit. I honestly thought we probably wouldn't hear anything until the first week of October or so.

Well, as I sat at my desk for lunch, I decided to call my home voicemail, and try to catch up on calls that I had missed while my phone was on the fritz. As a dialed, listened, and ate my lean cuisine, I heard Mary's voice whispering through my phone's speaker. Our caseworker was on vacation this past week, so Mary acted as her surrogate. As Mary's words continued to flow from the receiver, I proceeded to have a mini panic attack. All I can remember hearing was "we have a referral for you...i just left a message on Shawn's phone, but there was no reply so call me back". After jumping, and sweating, and breathing very heavily, I called Mary back. She answered the phone, and told me that she would love to give us our referral, but she was in the process of giving another family their referral. So we agreed to schedule a time. I then hunted down my husband, who happened to be home after injuring his back coaching my son's baseball team. We agreed to come together at 6 to look over the referral.

I called Mary back after DH and I agreed to a time, and we tried to coordinate the best time. Unfortunately 6pm was no good . She happened to have a previous engagement, so she wanted us to talk sooner than 6, but before the agency conference call at 5pm. It was already 4. That left about a 15-20 minute window for us to receive our referral. If that couldn't work , we would have had to wait until the next day.

Meanwhile, my office is filing with patients, and I'm trying to work while figuring out how the heck I'm gonna steal 20 minutes to get our referral. I snuck into my office, barricaded the door, and called Mary for our meeting. She then called my hubby at home, who decided not to answer the phone because the number was strange. I had to then call him on my office phone, and tell him to pick up the phone so we could get our referral (phew).

After the dust settled...we opened our emails and saw a sight of pure perfection. She is wonderful! My precious little 2 month old angel, with the loveliest eyes, and most joyous smile you will ever see. We were told she was a happy baby. She even smiles in her sleep. She is 9.9 lbs and over 21 inches long. My eyes swelled as I listened to her story, and life for us has definitely changed! I think my hubby may be in love with another woman (LOL)!

After the call, I had fun telling my son about his new baby sister. I showed him her picture, and he had pure joy and happiness in his eyes. He was so excited. I couldn't get him to stop talking, and he even outdid himself in Lacrosse practice as a result of his excitement. He proclaimed that he wanted to bring her picture to school the next day to show everyone. This little girl is in trouble, because he is already being a very protective big brother! I called our family, and they were all smitten by her. (Many of them we hadn't told because we wanted to have a referral before we announced our plans). They were beyond supportive. Honestly I hadn't expected to be so well supported, but it has been wonderful. Now they are all asking if she will be home in time for Christmas. (I sure hope so)!

We officially accepted her referral on Friday!!! Now the second phase of waiting begins. There is so much I have to do, because I had done nothing up to this point. The first task has been to come up with a proper name for our babe, and we are almost there. I have even located her furniture. I'm glad I did, because it will take 8-12 weeks to ship (yikes!). I've got several bedding favorites, and my son picked out some very cute onesies for her. We are also in the process of updating our homestudy and medicals (it just seems that paperwork never really goes away..yuck)!

The last thing I'm hoping for is a family traveling soon, to bring a few items to our precious babe, and maybe take a few pics! I so want to see more pictures of her because I think we have burned a hole into the ones we have by staring at her so much (LOL)!! Anyone traveling soon?

Happy Saturday.... I'm hoping for more referrals, and speedy successful court dates!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Today Was The Day!

Today was the day we received the referral of a beautiful 2 month old girl! I'm still speechless and processing my thoughts, but I thought I'd post.

The funny thing is that I have been on pins and needles waiting for this call; and when it finally came I missed it (LOL). 

Anyhoo, I will post details as soon as I can. Happy Wednesday!!


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Nothing Yet?

As of this evening, the crickets are chirping more frequently than my phone is ringing (LOL). For those out there wondering...nope, we haven't heard anything yet.  The waiting is not so bad, except I'm getting a little annoyed that I have to keep carrying my cell phone everywhere.

I'm that person who forgets my phone at home, in my purse, etc.. (you get the picture). I really don't like carrying a cell phone. I usually don't like being too accessible or easily located.  Well hopefully, I'll have enough endurance to keep carrying this darn cell phone around until the call comes! 

Happy Thursday!!


Saturday, September 12, 2009

8 Months!

That's right! Today marks 8 months on waitlist. Time sure does fly when you're having fun! It has recently occurred to me that I should start getting things together for our newest arrival. I have absolutely nothing. I've been saving all of my son's old strollers and car seats over the years because I never realized it would take us so long to have another child. Well, my nine year old told me yesterday that his stuff is way too old, and that we have to get new stuff for his baby sister. I guess he's right, it has been 9 years. So in addition to attending a friend's baby shower (they are adopting as well), and going to the salon for a much needed hair do, I'll be shopping for all things baby. I love shopping, so this just gives me another reason to spend my money! 

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, and hopefully I'll be able to update this blog with referral information sometime very soon!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Pre Referral Anxiety Disorder

Can someone answer a question for me?  Do you become a little crazy as you get close to receiving a referral? 

I think I'm developing pre-referral anxiety disorder. I can't sleep, I'm jittery. I jump at the ring of my phone, only to sigh and say..oh it's just my mom or a close and dear friend. I also keep trying to figure out what to do if they accidentally skip our name. Is that funny or what. I started to call Natalie just to make sure she still had us on the list.  Can you hear me calling...
(Ugh..hi Natalie, this is Shawn. I know I haven't called you since we made wait list, but I just want to make sure we didn't get erased by mistake? Oh and did you remember to log us in on 1/12? Oh, great. Just making sure)

I'm also having tons of dreams. What's going on here? When we finally do get the call, I'm not sure I'll be able to speak. I keep thinking all the words will blend and merge when they give us our referral making our caseworker sound like Charlie Brown's teacher......blah, blah, blah.

I need some medicine to treat this. Any suggestions? Question #2, for those who have received their referrals, did it come during the day or night? Just curious. 

Tagged





OK. I was tagged by Heidi awhile ago, but I am just getting around to updating this blog:


My seven random facts are:

1) I love HGTV. Design star, property virgins, divine design, house hunters. You name it, I watch it!  I'm so addicted to this channel.  I think I was a designer in another life! 


2) I love artsy crafty hobbies like scrapbooking and cake decorating. Too bad I'm not as artistically creative as some. I have several artist in my family, and I wish I inherited this ability. 


3) I have a yellow lab named Madison. She is 7 years old and absolutely the best dog EVER! She ROCKS!  She doubles as our doorbell (barking well before a visitor walks up to the door). She is a vacuum cleaner (eating anything we drop on the floor). She is lovable and loves hugs and walks. i just don't know what I'd do without her! As you can imagine, I was a mess after seeing Marley and Me at the movies.


4) I am a bathroom SNOB! I hate dirty bathrooms. Seriously,  if it's nasty I just wont go in. Anytime we travel, I disinfect the bathroom, even in hotels. 


5) I LOVE coffee! Especially lattes and coffee with chickory (CDM, Luzianne). I need my fix every morning. Without it, I'm done.


6) I am an extreme sports kinda person (whitewater rafting, zip-lining. You name it, I'll probably try it. ) I've passed this quality on to my son who is a bit of a daredevil himself.


7) I love movies. A private home theater is my dream. (I'm working on it.) I watched Step Brothers just the other day, and let me tell you. I loved that movie. It had me cracking up the whole time. It's that funny. 


Well that's it for my list people. I'm falling asleep as I type this, so I think I'll call it quits! I tag all those who still have to respond to Heidi's tag and anybody else who feels so compelled. 


On the adoption front, we are #2 on the unofficial list and #1 in line for a girl 0-12 months. I never thought I'd be anxiously checking my phone daily, but I am. I just feel like we will be getting our call sometimes this week and I don't want to miss out. I'm so excited. God help me. 



Thursday, August 27, 2009

Moving on Up

3 recent referrals from our agency!! This means we are moving on up the "unofficial"  list! Today we sit at #6!! Whopee. Congrats to all the families with recent referrals. Our time is coming, I can feel it!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

So Long Summer!!

I'm a summer junkie; I just can't get enough! But I guess it's time to face the reality that summer is almost done!  September is only a week away (boo hoo); but hopefully referral is on the way! Here are some quick shots of our summer of fun. By no means is this comprehensive. It's just a fews snapshots when I could remember to take out my camera.


Mr. B had the most awesome 9 year old sleepover! We hosted 15 boys, and they stayed up the entire night! His party was so popular that 2 of his buddies decided to replay all the action, and host sleepovers of their own!  Here is a shot of the cake (yum!) 

Pizza and Happy Birthday after a night of Laser Tag. These kids also went to the movies. We didin't get back home until really late, but this did not tire them out! So much for planning!

At about 10 am the next morning,  and 24 hours without sleep, Mr. B couldn't take it anymore. The excitement and adrenaline caused him to crash just as the sun came up. Too funny! He didn't even stay up for the waffle breakfast I prepared!  

We had a great time in Jamaica Mon!! Our resort was awesome! Found it on Tripadvisor. I love that site! The reviews are always right on. I never travel without it! Can't wait to travel again! 
Horseback riding that included a dip in the ocean. As you can tell I was a bit skeptical. But it was actually fun. 

My son, on the other hand, has not a skeptical bone in his body! OMG! I couldn't believe he actually jumped! He's a really good swimmer, and a bit of a daredevil!   I was a daredevil in my younger years as well. But I guess I'm getting old. I was too nervous to even try this!

We did do a float trip on the Rio Bueno in Jamaica. Pretty cool, but not exactly like Whitewater Rafting. This river was where Christopher Columbus' first saw the beautiful island. 

Baseball was also super fun!! We made it to our league's championship game. My hubby was assistant coach, and the boys did great. They placed 2nd overall. 

They were too excited after after 3 successful runs!

The team had a small cookout to celebrate their success. Cupcakes, trophies, BBQ. They had a ball. We didn't leave until about 11pm. My child really knows how to party! 

Saturday, August 15, 2009

7 months and Counting




Ok....I am the ultimate slacker!!  Each and everyday I think of something to write about. But each and everyday, I forego updating my blog to catch a few zzzz's (sleep).  

We have been on waitlist for over 7 months now, and we will actually celebrate 8 months on September 12. My how time flies!

I have been eagerly awaiting news of a referral, or any referrals for that matter. We are near the top of the unofficial list, but our agency hasn' t given too many referrals lately. Everything seems to be at a standstill. The good news is that lots of families have passed court recently, so hopefully that will get us successfully through court sooner ( we will see). I had a freakout moment last week after reading another blog where the writer mentioned waiting by the phone and getting jittery when an exotic Texas area code appeared on her phone. It was so funny because I had been getting all these "stray" calls from "stray" area codes on my cell. Of course I ignored them all because I figured I didn't know who it was. Then it struck me. I can't keep ignoring strange numbers. One of those could have been the call!  So now I'm on my P's and Q's! Any strange phone number, I'm answering it! 

Heidi tagged me last week, and unfortunately,  I haven't updated yet, but I will do it! 

Have a great weekend!   








Monday, July 27, 2009

2009 Heritage and Culture Camp

This weekend we attended the Ethiopian Heritage and Culture Camp at Massanetta Springs Camp in Virginia. We had a ball, and learned so much. The organizers will be doing it again next year, so if you didn't get a chance to come out this year, make sure to come out next year. 

It was primarily organized by a wonderful woman named Mekdes Bekele, with the help of 4 adoptive parents. Mekdes met one of the parents at a water park in Virginia, and from that simple meeting, they came up with this grand idea!  The camp was dedicated to bringing together all families who are raising Ethiopian-American children.  

There were workshops on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We arrived Friday night after a 2 and a half hour drive. My favorite sessions were "How We Define Family" and the traditional Ethiopian Banquet and Party. The first session highlighted an adoptive mom and her daughter. They shared their families story, and let me tell you, this mom was awesome! She has really figured this whole thing out. She appeared to be s supportive and loving to her kids ( all 4 were adopted), and you could just see the love and admiration in her daughter's eyes. She shared the story of how she helped her daughter to re-unite with her birth family in Ethiopia just last year. The family actually adopted twin girls from Ethiopia in 1994. One of the girls was interested in re-uniting with her birth family. The other was not. The mother supported both of their decisions wholeheartedly. It was truly a remarkable story.

 I also finally had the chance to wear my "Ethiopian Gear" acquired during my travels to Ethiopia over 10 years ago. There was good food, live music and dancing, as well as great company. I met some wonderful families as well; one being my blog buddy Brenda and her beautiful daughter! 

We had a great time! Hopefully we will see you all there next year, and hopefully our daughter will be there as well. Here are some photos of the weekend!




Our home away from home for the weekend and the Welcome sign! BTW, the weather was wonderful!

During the outdoor coffee ceremony! There were moon bounces for the kids, popcorn, cotton candy and ice cream! Oh, and coffee for the adults. There were also a few vendors selling items at the Gebeya (or market)!

The geese and ducks near the lake on site. We had the chance to do some canoeing on the lake, but I didn't get to take any photos. I was afraid I'd drop my camera in the water.

Mr. B and I on arrival! My DH was on travel this past weekend so he missed it all, but we filled him in.
Mr. B being silly!

Dance lessons were also given for those who wanted to learn. There were also cooking and language classes.
Ducks swarming us on the lake as well as a swan! There was also fishing available. There were huge fish in that lake! But you had to catch and release.

Mr. B was so excited by the animals (skunks, deer and ducks) as well as the swimming pool.
Me in my traditional dress for the PARTAY!! Who hoo!!
Brenda and I!  It was so nice to meet her. She was great, and her daughter was so beautiful. I have some photos of other families, but I didn't want to post close up pics of kids without their parents permission. 
Traditional Musician. This one man band played like 2-3 hours straight. He was awesome. I love live music!
Mr. B and I after dinner.
Let the dancing begin!  There was a professional dancer, and she taught us so many traditional dances.  She was like Beyonce, (lots of dress changes and boody shaking..LOL) I loved it! It was so much fun. It was really a work-out, and we all broke a sweat. 
Mekdes, the awesome woman who planned this camp!






A final picture of all the kids! There were more than this, but this was the best picture I could get. In addition, we all took a professional group photo, and boy was it a hard to organize all those folks, but we did it. 


Wednesday, July 15, 2009

It's been a loong time!!



I know, I know! It's been a looong time. I'm still here! Just enjoying the fun that is summer...my absolute favorite time of year! The summer has been filled with family (about 8 folks in my house all at once for 2 weeks..what a fun time we had, but boy was it loud). I'm still recovering as they all just left on Sunday. My baby boy turned 9, and had a sleepover with 15 other 8 and 9 year old boys (whew..what was I thinking?!) Let me tell you, I will NEVER do that again. At least not that big. They had a ball, but those jokers stayed up the ENTIRE night (OMG). I mean they didn't sleep!! I felt like I was being hazed!!! We took them to play laser tag, and then to the movies. We didn't get home til after midnight, but they refused to sleep. We had 5 adults supervising, but they all turned in (around 2am) and left me alone with all those boys! Nonetheless, Mr. B had a ball, and I guess that's all that counts. The next day, most of them were NOT trying to leave, but the party had to end!! I'll have to post pictures as soon as I get back into blogging, and have a chance to upload all the photos I've taken.

I've been sick too...boo hoo. Asthma, bronchitis, and acute sinusitis! I really need to take a week off and get it together, but it's just been way too busy! I know I'm wearing myself out, but I'll count down until my California vacation in August (I can't wait!!) Maybe God will just force me to slow down and take care of myself, since I'm always taking care of others!

On the adoption front, we have been officially waiting for 6 months! I can hardly believe time has flown so quickly. I want to get excited really I do, but I don't want to jinx anything! I'm one of those wait til the baby is born to decorate the room type of folks! It's not that I don't want to go out and go crazy; it's just that I never want to count my eggs before they hatch. Maybe I'll wait for our referral, then I'll allow myself to do one of my favorite things..shop!!

I have had the chance to declutter an extra room in our house. In preparation for family and the sleepover, I literally cleaned the entire junk room in 3 days (with the help of DH and my baby boy of course). It's clean now, and I 'm trying to figure out which room I should start for the baby. One is big and pink, the other is smaller, and blue. Hmm...I don't know yet, but I'll post some pics when we decide and decorate!

As we get closer to referral, I find myself getting a little nervous. I'm excited, but I'm like hey am I ready to start all over? Will she like us? Will it be love at first sight? Will we be a perfect match? Will she keep me up all night? Man, this means I need a diaper bag, stroller, car seat..oh my!! I have a 9 year old, what was I thinking? I am so far removed from baby/toddlerdom. How will I remember what to do? This thing is becoming real! Hey! Wait! (Anybody else feeling this way?) I looked at our agency's unofficial list, and we are like #10. Almost in the single digits! (Lions and Tigers and Bears..Oh My!!) I guess these feelings are all normal, and despite them I am totally EXCITED!! That is a bit schizophrenic right? (LOL)

Anyhoo, it's great to be back. I'll try not to stay away so long next time..besides I really missed you guys! And congrats to everyone who has made waitlist, received a referral, got a court date, passed a court date, or brought their babies home!! (Did I leave anyone out?..LOL)

Until we meet again....

Sunday, May 10, 2009

18 weeks

May 18th marks 18 weeks on the waitlist! I said I wouldn't count, but as more time passess I can't help myself. It's hard to believe it's been that long..boy is time flying! It seems we were just celebrating New Year's, and now we are almost half way through the year. As I see referrals coming in (BTW, Congrats to Catrina, and the Early's on their recent referrals. Yeah!!) , and court dates being given, I can't help but get a little excited. It hasn't really felt real until recently.

I've been thinking about our impending new babe and think to myself..hey, am I ready to start all over again? What if I can't remember what to do? What about the sleep deprivation (but I suppose that is really not a big deal for me because I am so used to being up all night on call. I have learned to function just a tad bit sleep deprived over the years.) What is one to do with an infant/toddler? My son is almost 9, so I feel like a fish out of water. I can't really remember what having a baby is like, and having a semi-independent kid around is kind of nice! He can feed himself, poop on his own, and even entertain himself for long periods. While this is great, it's moments like this when I recollect and begin to miss the baby that he was. Then I start to get excited as we wait for the latest addition to our family.

Kids seem to breathe life into a family. I can't wait to add to the joy we already have. Mr. B is getting really excited as well. He's keeping track of our waiting months, and has told his ENTIRE class, as well as his teachers, that his baby sister is coming home from Ethiopia in August. (How funny. I wish. I've had to clarify things just a bit). He picked Ethiopia to write about in his social studies class, and has been telling me all about the history, land, people, and animals. It is quite remarkable how excited he is.

I am sure the remaining months will fly, but I'm in no hurry because summer is my FAVORITE time of year. I have so many plans, I can recite my schedule until September. (Fun in the Sun..Whoo Hoo!!) I've also restarted weight watchers. It's only been 2 days, but so far so good. If I can get 25 lbs off before traveling to Ethiopia, I'd be a happy camper. That gives me a goal before the baby comes home. (I must admit, this is one of the many advantages of adoption...you can keep your figure or at least improve it during the paper pregnancy!) Over the next few months, I plan to start clearing out baby's room, and I hope to start considering baby names. I definitely love Ethiopian names, so we may use one as the babies first name. I'm not quite sure yet. My cousin's name is T'sega, so I guess that's out even though I like the name.

Lately, I have been trying to curb my appettite for the internet, so I have drastically decreased my on-line time. But hopefully I'll be able to post some photos soon. I hope all is well for each of you!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Jamaica Mon!!

I just wanted to give a special shout out to Robin on her referral!! Congratulations, I am so happy for you!! Here is wishing you a speedy and successful court date and travel!  Sweet Patience instruced me on linking other folks blogs to my post, but it's not working on my MAC. Thanks anyways; I'm sure I'll figure it out in the end. 

As for me, we are on the way to Jamaica Mon!!! I can't wait. I'm still a little sick, but not as bad as I was last week. I'm hoping the warm sun, and early spring thaw will do me some good. Hopefully it will help me to get rid of this cough once and for all. Now, I know I should be completely packed by now considering we leave out bright and early. But of course, I'm not. Traveling just doesn't seem right if I don't stay up all night packing all the stuff I should have packed yesterday. (But, I have an excuse. I worked last night and I attended Good Friday mass at 7pm) Oh well. I'm trying to get it together.

I wish all you Christians out there a very Happy Easter!!! (With lots of chocolate of course!) Until my next post...toodles.

 

Friday, April 3, 2009

Spring Cold


I really dislike being sick! But every year I always seem to catch a horrible cold in the spring! I'm happy to report that I am recovering, but not fast enough. I'm a get up and go type of girl, so this sick thing is really putting a damper of my plans.  Oh well. 

Other than trying to make myself well, I've been giddy reading the Gladney adopt board! There is so much positive movement for families within the agency. Congrats to Ellen and Cocoa Princess! They recently received their referrals, and I am so happy or them!   I wish I knew how to link their blogs to this page, but I haven't figured that out yet.  Let's all pray for their new babies, and for speedy and successful court dates!

Congrats to all the other Gladney families as well. Hopefully there will be more happy days inGladney land!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Happy Birthday Shawn!!!


Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me...I'm 25 years old (ahem), 25 years old...may God bless me...Happy Birthday to me!!! Now I guess the 25 is stretching it, but hey, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

I was surprised with cake from my son and husband this morning, so as you can imagine, my tummy is a rumblin. I shouldn't have had such concentrated sugar this early in the morning. But hey, it's my birthday, and I can do what I want! 

Now, I'm headed out to the spa at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. I can't wait! I convinced my hubby to get me a very nice designer bag, not sure which one yet, but purses are my fetish. For the most part, I'm just going to enjoy the day, and be thankful that God has blessed me with yet another year! Oh, happy day!!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Ethiopian Dinner




This weekend, we had fun at an outing sponsored by families in the Mid-Atlantic Ethiopian Adoption yahoo group. There were abut 50 people there. We were all either in process, paperchasing, or home with kids. Some drove from as far as New Jersey to participate. We met for good food at Dukem Restaurant in Baltimore. It was a nice experience to meet other families, and enjoy Ethiopian food. I met the cutest little 1 year old named Elijah; he's been home since September. I wish I'd remembered to take pictures (Oh well). There were also 2 older girls present, 13 and 10 or 11, I believe. It's fascinating how well they have learned English.  Kids definitely pick things up quickly. They didn't remember much Amharic, but I'm sure it's hard to maintain the language when you don't speak it everyday. I really hope we can learn Amharic, and help our baby to learn Amharic when we bring her home.

The meal looked just like the one above, but the Injera (spongy bread) tasted alot different than the one I remember eating during the time that I lived in Ethiopia. The Injera in Ethiopia taste sour, and has a flat appearance and moist texture. The Injera here in the states is not as tart, and rather fluffy, like a different type of flour was used instead of the teff flour. It didn't have that distinct taste I remember, but I guess American taste buds would probably prefer the version we had yesterday. BTW, my 8 year old son loved it. I didn't think he would because he is a picky eater, but he did. 

Next Sunday, our agency will be sponsoring a lunch get-together for local families at an Ethiopian restaurant nearby. That should be exciting because the in-country representative will be there, and it should be nice meet other Gladney Ethiopia families. The local Gladney group, had a get together last Summer, which was very nice, but not specific to Ethiopian adoption. I'll be sure to post pictures if I remember to take any. 

The next outing I hope to attend, would be the Ethiopian cultural camp in Virginia this summer. It seems like it will be great event to take my son to as we anticipate the arrival of his sister. He was already excited, but yesterday made him even more anxious to travel. I'l post the link to the camp if anyone else is interested.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Catching Up Part 2

This is part two of my pictorial on life since being placed on the waitlist. It's a little counterintuitive, but I guess I'm just backwards tonight. Part 1 is below this post (go figure)
My mom (all black) and her friend visited the area 2 weeks ago. They were in town for our sorority's annual congressional visit to capitol hill. It was great hanging out with them. They were in town from the west coast, and this night we ate $85 meals. (Yikes, we didn't quite expect that, but it sure was good).
Mr. B played Basketball, and he was the star of the team. He's so tall he played center, andhe  scored 51 points this season. The season just ended on Sunday.

We attended the Inauguration of President Obama! Cold, but wonderful!

But nothing compared to meeting President Obama in person when he surprisingly showed up to a Washington Wizards game, and sat in our section!! I couldn't believe it. I knew our season tickets would pay off some day. Heck we deserved it after the horrible season the Wizards have had. (I'm a Laker fan, but my son loves his home team).
So cool. And so close.
He shook hands on the way out.
B and I were all smiles!