Christmas, Packing, Updates and other Stuff

So this post will probably be fairly long (but I'm putting in lots of pix!). If you missed the pictures I posted right before Christmas of Mari...be sure to scroll down to that post because she is GORGEOUS!! The Fricks just got home and emailed me to say that my daughter is called the "American" baby because she is packing on the pounds. Hmmm...we will look alike in one respect anyway!

Notice the update to the blog...wanted it to be a little more girly and yellow is my favorite color.

Christmas was great this year, Mari and I got lots of wonderful presents.

This is the rocking giraffe that my brother Chad and his wife Lesa gave us. I nicknamed it "Ginger."

This outfit is from my brother Todd and his wife Diana (the bib is from Chad & Lesa - they didn't coordinate this but they go perfectly together)...I LOVE the colors in this. It is 18 months so she will probably be able to wear it shortly! Dad got me a shop vac--sorry no picture, it is still in its box...saving that until I get home. I used one a couple months ago after Todd helped me build up my attic and it was so much fun!

I got an unbelievable quilt that my Mom made. She actually made one for each of us kids that represented our childhood (the boys' weren't nearly as cool as mine!). The center square is a piece of Christmas fabric from a dress she made me when I was about 9 years old (it was a Victorian dress with puffed sleeves and big bow in the back--I still have it!), the squares around it are nurses, candy, paper dolls (I still have my collection), Barbies, Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony, Care Bears, and Cabbage Patch Kids interspersed with the yellow and blue gingham that I love. (Good thing that all these items have made a come-back otherwise my quilt probably wouldn't have come out so cool). The back is flannel with little piggies--yet another collection I had as a kid. What an incredible gift--thanks MOM!

Here are some pix of the family during Christmas.

Me with my niece Madi watching my dog (who Madi thought was hilarious!).

Me with the hilarious Oliver who couldn't take the lack of attention anymore. Here are my parents together.

My brothers looking a little strange - but this is how they act all the time!

My sister-in-law Diana snuggling with our niece. Ahh!

Me and my sisters-in-law Lesa and Diana playing with the CandyLand game I got for Madi (she's a little young yet).

Todd getting upset that he is losing! And he did lose!

So Christmas was wonderful. But now down to the travel prep. Just 4 more days, I've nervous but almost ready. I'm packed (yes--I'm a nerd) except for a couple little last-minute additions. I did some repacking after the Fricks got home. Everyone keeps saying how the Ethiopian bundle up the kids so much that I hadn't packed ANYthing short-sleeved for Mari but Noelle said it does get quite warm in the afternoon. So that called for a couple additions. She also expressed a desperate need for cloth diapers, rubber pants, and kids meds. So I got 3 packs of cloth diapers (no more room!) and over 50 diaper pins but rubber pants are hard to find! I found 2 packs for 12 months...will look again tomorrow. Also some tylenol and motrin. I'm am almost out of room (can fit a couple little things in nooks and crannies) but I'm well under the poundage, so I'm in good shape. I am almost finished with the photo albums I'm taking (one for the HOH and one for Mari's mom), just need to add one more picture. I also finished printing off the mountain of paperwork I need (dossier copies, tax returns, itineraries, contact numbers) all in triplicates--one for carry on, one for each me and Dad to pack. Also printed off a lot of info for Mom to hold on to, as well as care sheets for all the pets...and on and on and on. I still have one more piece of paper to notarize because there was a spelling change I need to take care of.

So all that is left for the trip is my notebook (for writing notes to send to families waiting to travel--keeping a list of who wants to know what), my camera, my wallet, last minute things like pillow and hairbrush. I have to pack the dog up (after he gets a bath). I have to clean the house and un-decorate.

Mari's room is ready...I just need to take the beach towel off her crib and "pop" open the hamper when I get home (the cats like to play in it). I have blown up her cute little inflatable tub and need to rinse it out with baby soap. And I think that is really all.

I added a little detail to the entrance to her room. Making it official, Amari is coming home!!!

Post #100 - Random Thoughts of Nothing

So this is post #100!!! I was trying to think of a good way to commemorate this auspicious occasion. I was going to do a list of 100 things (but couldn't think of a good category for 100 things nor did I think anyone really wanted to read that many). Then I thought that maybe I would just wait until my court date (TUESDAY) to post but it may take several days to hear anything and the blog-stalkers (Annie!) get worried if you go too long without blogging (which I totally understand because I stalk the blogs too...hey Annie, get busy!!). Just a joke!

Anyway (I'm already blabbering) I thought I'd just post about a little of everything.

Adoption Update:

Several people made it through court today...the Kikstras and the Fricks. The Fricks got their referral the same day I did! So there is hope that the courts do actually finish what they've started. Very hopeful for Tuesday but also realistic...just waiting.

So if court goes okay on Tuesday, I'm still not sure when we may travel but it looks like we could be in Ethiopia over Christmas. I've already talked to the travel agent and "booked" tickets (subject to change). The dates are limited and the fares are HORRIBLE but she put us on some waiting lists for better dates and fares. Augh!

Also got my meningitis shot today. They only recommended it if you are traveling during December and January so I had skipped it before. I really don't think I need it but, in my line of work, it is definitely a good thing to have on board.


Amari Update:

So the Mumblerrrs just got home from Ethiopia last weekend with their two cutie-pies. And they mentioned Amari in their blog!!!! So I got a little update through them and asked lots of questions that they tried to answer as best they could. Pictures to follow!!!!! So hurry up court! Apparently my child is a smiley little thing...let's hope she doesn't use them all up before I get there!

Baby shower coming up on Sunday--given by my wonderful co-workers. Can't wait--I'll post about that Sunday night. I'm getting close to being ready to be a mom! How crazy does that sound? Did a little packing last week just to see how much room I have, going to be a tight fit but I thought I was going to be way over on the luggage limits, so I think I'll be okay. Problem is, with plane tickets scarce, I may be in Ethiopia a couple days longer than planned.


Pet Update:

Still unable to wean Sammy Cat off the prednisone without him having an asthma attack. And now the prednisone side effects are kicking in...weight gain (he's already 20 pounds...he doesn't need to add any more) and acne (yes, cats get acne!!). So now we are trying an inhaler with a mask!


Christmas Update:

Not really sure what to do about decorating for Christmas. I can't leave a tree up while I'm gone for a week--the cats would go nuts!! But I don't want to put it up and then take it down before Christmas and I also don't want to go the whole season without my beloved tree. So I'll probably compromise, Mom has a little table-top tree that I may borrow. I am close to being finished with Christmas shopping...I love giving presents but I'll admit, this year I was less than imaginative. I wanted to get that taken care of because I have other things to concentrate on. I wrapped some presents tonight while watching Polar Express (love that movie!). I always watch Disney's Christmas Carol while decorating the tree! Brings back great memories.

I'm a little sad about being in Ethiopia for Christmas...I hate being away during the holidays. But the good thing is that Ethiopia does not celebrate Christmas until January 7th. Which means, if we are there during Christmas, they will not be celebrating yet. I think this will be easier because it will just be a regular Tuesday. It would be harder to watch the holidays go on around and not being at home. But then I feel guilty for feeling that way because I can't wait to meet Amari. Oh, the emotions!

Speaking of emotions...found a new tear-jerking moment tonight. I was wrapping a Christmas gift for Amari and on the gift tag I wrote To: Amari, From: Mommy. Whoa!!!! That felt so strange, sent shivers up my spine.

We Got Hosed (dedicated to my brother Chad)

My brother coined the phrase "we got hosed" this past winter while we were visiting our cousins. After playing with all the different toys possessed by almost-3-year-old Brendan, Chad decided that we must have had a deprived childhood. All we had to play with were matchbox cars and legos. So this post is dedicated to Chad...in honor of all the new exciting toys they never had when we were kids. (But at least our imaginations were well developed!)

The Fisher Price Amazing Animals Sing and Go Choo-Choo (from Todd and Diana). This train plays tunes, self-propels at the touch of a button, lights up, makes different animal noises, the animals can be moved around...and you can buy additions to the train!!!

The Fisher Price Sit-to-Stand Giraffe (from Joey, Angela, and Will). This one can be played with sitting or assiting to stand. Put the balls in the giraffe's mouth, it lights up and plays music, the balls swirl down the slide, disappear and then pop out one of the 4 legs...but you never know which one!


Waiting, waiting, waiting....on the green ball

Where did that come from?




On to other things. Court is still scheduled for Friday...so keep praying hard (and remember--Friday in Ethiopia starts Thursday here!). It looks like I probably won't hear anything until next week (communication is sketchy and the holidays, etc.) but I promise I will post as soon as I hear something, either way. But think positively. From what I have been reading (blog forensics!), it sounds like lots of agencies are having trouble getting through court. It seems as though MOWA (Ministry of Women's Affairs) is having some trouble keeping up with all the paperwork...giving them the benefit of the doubt here, the Ethiopia adoption program has exploded and along with several new changes, they are probably very overwhelmed. Let's just hope for the best!

What else to say...the weather is very pleasant here (72 degrees right now) and sunny. Have all the blinds open so I can get some much needed "sun therapy." Very helpful to the mood!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I LOVE turkey!! And I'll get to play with Madi--haven't been exposed to anything at work lately so I can actually touch her!!

Did you know ToysRUS delivers straight to your house off your registry (no, this is NOT a hint)? What a pleasant surprise!! The UPS man is becoming my friend. Not to mention that I did most of my Christmas shopping online this week, so I'll be seeing more of him!

Still rambling....things I have gotten done this week (because everyone loves to hear about this!!). Cleaned out my closet and under my bed (ewww!), lowered the crib one level since Amari may be sitting up by the time we get home, worked on the nursery which now looks cozy and slightly cluttered, shopped for presents for Ethiopia (UVA hats for the guys, earrings/necklaces for girls, tulle bags to fill with chocolates...hope that will work because I'm at a loss for what to get), bought new skirt for the Embassy and visiting the orphanage (corduroy that I can wear with a nice cotton shirt or blouse), copied, reorganized paperwork to take with me!!! That's about it!!

Well, that should bring everyone up to speed. Hopefully I'll post soon with good news!

Quick Update

So plans are in high gear...let's just pray that court has a positive outcome next week.

I contacted a travel agent over the last couple of days and set up some very tentative dates and accommodations. This travel agency has experience in both adoption travel and Ethiopian travel...a major plus. I have been given ballpark figures on both airfare and hotel prices. The airfare is a little higher than what I had hoped but I may be traveling very close to the holidays so it is understandable (and unavoidable!). Overall, my estimations were fairly close!

I also met with my pediatrician this am. I was not able to get in with the one I wanted because he had no openings for quite some time so I settled for one of his colleagues (who happens to be my niece's pediatrician and Chad and Lesa love her!). It happened to be another example of how things happen for a reason. Her cousin (who is single) just adopted a little girl from Ethiopia this past summer! Wow! So my pediatrician knew a lot of what I figured I would need to explain. She was more than willing to write prescriptions for not only antibiotics, but also for scabies and worm meds. She also said she would let me know if she thought of others to add. She was totally okay with the possibility of using benadryl on the return trip if Amari got majorly fussy. She was also very helpful about nutritional questions I had and suggested that I take some small finger foods (like Cheerios) because she said that sometimes the feeding habits in facilities tend to "mature" the kids eating preferences. She said that if Amari has started any solid/finger foods, that this would be a helpful distraction on the way home. Hmmm...new angle I hadn't thought about (food is always a good distraction for me).

So that is the update. Family coming in tonight to visit, baby shower tomorrow!!! Will post pix!!! Also having a work baby shower on December 2. Major excitement. This weekend is all about relaxing and enjoying myself and not worrying about lists or things to do or the upcoming court date (yeah right! I'll still be worrying about that!). Ahhh! Now I have to get some sleep...worked all night and have been up almost 24 hours. Need to catch a few winks before company arrives!

Another Busy Weekend

Hopefully soon, a busy weekend will mean running around keeping a certain little munchkin out of trouble. But for now, it still means just getting me and my house ready. So here is a run-down of everything.

I worked all weekend on the house. Since I am not married, I have to rely on the goodness of others when I need help around the house. I am fairly handy but some jobs are beyond my expertise and/or skill/strength level. Although not having a husband to help with these kind of jobs is a disadvantage (who's to say he would even be good at them anyway?), it means I have three very talented individuals with different skills and areas of expertise to fall back on..Dad and my two brothers. So this weekend, Todd was the lucky brother! Or, as the case may be, I was the lucky sister.

My garage is a source of a big headache. I use it as a storage area (which is okay) but it had gotten out of control this year. Since I had cleaned out one room to make into a nursery plus decluttered and child-proofed, the garage had exploded into a disaster area. It was hard to get the car in easily, forget car seats and strollers and baby in my arms. So we spent all of Saturday fixing up the attic into a storage area and hauling everything up there. It was a massive, tiring, but fun project. And my garage looks AWESOME! So much room!

The garage before...
Todd hard at work...

Todd still hard at work....

Todd not so hard at work...

Boo-boo! Sorry Todd, only Dora or Strawberry Shortcake bandaids in the house.
The attic before...(no after pictures because the amount of junk up there is embarassing)...
The storage platform we built between the rafters...

Our "walkway" between the rafters with flooring laid beyond it for more storage...
The garage after!!!!!

On Sunday, I resumed my cleaning endeavors. I even moved the refrigerator to clean behind it (thanks Dad for coming over to help fix the leak after I did something to make the water line drip, drip, drip after moving the fridge). I cleaned under the stove...the cats had been using it to hide their mice under so I found 8 furry mice that were beyond gross (but that didn't stop the cats from batting them around and now they are ALL missing again). I put a laundry cart beside the washer/dryer...not that I needed the storage space, it will keep the cats from getting behind the dryer and sitting on the hose. Somehow in the course of doing this, the dryer stopped working (thanks Mom for coming over to help me since moving the dryer alone is not easy). Anyone see a theme.

I also put up a medicine cabinet in the "anteroom" to my bathroom (not sure what to call it, my vanity is separate from the toilet/tub/shower part of my bathroom). I had been storing all my meds - I own a mini pharmacy! - in my nightstand which I figure isn't safe. So now the medicines are in the medicine cabinet. I washed the gigantic curtains that cover the patio doors. Then I just finished my regular cleaning...laundry, vacuuming, scrubbing bathrooms, changing bed linens. Whew!!! I'm tired thinking about it!

On to other things...I am now on antibiotics because one of the kids I took care of this week at work tested positive for pertussis (whooping cough). This is one of the vaccinations that I had in August but my employer didn't care and put me on the abx anyway. So this weekend I had to put up with those side effects--don't ask! I think I need to wear a mask to work my last few weeks because I don't want to risk getting sick before I go to Ethiopia.

And when is that you ask? Who knows??? On our yahoo group, someone said their SW told them 6-10 weeks for a court date...I wasn't told this but I wasn't told any time frame, just to expect to travel in about three months (which would be the beginning of January). So that depressed me. Then I read about a fellow blogger that "lost" her child that she was very close to picking up because the parents changed their minds. One of the great things about Ethiopia is that the parent has to go to court to declare that this is truly what they want for their child (cuts down on some of the corruption faced by other countries) but it also makes it more difficult for parents to "just walk away." While everyone wants what is best for the child, it is also devastating when the child you have grown to love will not be coming home to you. It is something I have thought about a lot...let's just hope court hurries up and all goes well.

Next weekend my family is giving me a baby shower. I am super excited! I never had a bridal shower (for obvious reasons!) but I did have a house-warming party when I first moved out into my own home. That was slightly embarrassing because I don't like everyone looking at me...but a baby shower is different because it is all about the baby. My cousins Juli (who came last month to visit me) and Christy are coming from KY to spend the weekend and go to my shower. They are leaving their sons behind in the care of their hubbies; Christy is bringing her daughter Callie who is about 6 months old. So I will get some baby time this weekend! I'm so excited.

Well, that is all for now. Busy week this week...work, work, work. I meet with the pediatrician on Friday so I need to compile a list of questions (do the lists ever end?). BTW, I now have a new binder (aren't you proud Stacie...back to the binders!) that is divided into all my lists...paperwork yet to be done, packing list, pet to-do list, house to-do list, thank you list, etc., etc., etc.

I'll leave you with one final picture. Mickey has claimed the crib! He thinks I bought it just for him...good thing I had put down the beach towel to protect the bedding. Hope Amari finds it as "sleep-able."

Amharic lessons and Freezer Food

Okay...so call me a nerd. I openly admit that I tend to be an over-achiever in some aspects of my life. When I started seriously looking at adoption, I first picked the agency I wanted to work with and then decided on the country. Needless to say, I knew nothing about Ethiopia before I started this journey. As I started to learn more, I bought an Ethiopian Amharic phrasebook, determined to learn a little of the language before I went. Amharic is a very difficult language...it has over 200 characters (and by characters I really do mean characters...they are not letters, more like some of the Asian/Arabic languages). It is also very hard to learn to speak a language that you have never heard a spoken word of--how do you learn cadence and intonation if you've never heard it? So I gave up, figuring that between my agency's workers and the fact that Ethiopia does speak some English...I would be okay.

Well, I have changed my mind. I really want to be able to converse a tiny bit. I want to know my numbers so I can barter in the markets, I want to be able to say thank you to Amari's mom if the opportunity arises. So I pulled the phrase book out (thanks Maria for helping with the pronunciations somewhat--Maria went to Ethiopia this past spring so she was able to help with a couple basics). I was very excited to find that I could quickly count to 10 but then I disappointed myself when I realized that I could not think of an individual number without counting up to it. Like if you asked me what 7 was, I would have to count 1-6 to get there. So I decided to make flashcards (that's where the nerd in me came out!!). So I made up 30 flashcards (used business card paper in my printer) and over the weekend, my co-workers quizzed me. I am very excited to say that I know my numbers 1-10 (all individually), I can say hi and goodbye and how are you and mother and father and grandmother and grandfather and daughter and baby and "Where's the bathroom???" (that's the most important!), and sorry and thank you. So it is on to more flashcards...bigger numbers (luckily they do 10+1, 10+2, etc.), some foods, etc. I am very excited about this. And now I have something new to do on the airplane--Dad get ready to throw away your Swahili words and learn a new language!!
In other baby prep areas, I made some wildberry muffins and some pumpkin-walnut bread tonight to freeze for after I come home. Here are pix of my casseroles I did last week and then vacuum-sealed (the BEST gadget in the world--I even vacuum-seal marshmallows, they are so fun to open and watch pop back up!).




Nothing new on the adoption yet...just waiting. Everyone at work is as antsy as I am...at least I understand the process, it is hard for those who have not been exposed to adoption processes to know what all is involved. One of the doctors sat down with me last night and was very interested in my trip and all about Ethiopia (I impressed myself by how much I actually knew!!--I've come a long way in a few months)...he asked me if I would take a lot of pix and develop a slide show to present after I get home! Too cool! So I want to try to keep that in mind while I'm over there (along with the 500 million other things I need to remember while I'm over there--would it be too nerdy to make a list of what I need to THINK while I'm in Ethiopia?????).

Planning, planning, planning...

Sorry I haven't blogged in a little while. Just been busy doing a little of everything. Nothing new on the adoption process. It has been 4 weeks since my referral and I'm still waiting on a court date. Ugh...so tired of waiting. Check out Mumblerr website...they sailed through court on Monday and are looking forward to traveling Thanksgiving week to meet their new daughter and son. Check out the pix--such cutie pies!

On my end, I've been working hard at getting everything done that needs to happen before baby time. Over the weekend, I did some re-arranging and packing away of some breakables. I didn't have to put away nearly as many things as I thought. A little reorganizing gave me some room on some top shleves to display stuff. I even ended up with 3 shelves free on my entertainment center (plenty of room for kids toys, books, videos, etc.). I baked, vacuum-sealed, and froze 5 casseroles this weekend (2 pizza casseroles, 1 baked ziti, 2 chicken casseroles) so I'll have food ready when I get home. I still plan to make some muffins and some pumpkin-walnut loaves to freeze.

Mowed the yard, fixed my gate, put away the grill, cleaned the mower, stored the hose away. Still need to weed-eat (augh--my LEAST favorite chore). I think sealing the deck will have to wait until spring because the temps are now too low to use the sealer. Oh well, the rest of the outside of the house is good for winter.

I also started childproofing cabinets and drawers (that was a bigger pain than I thought it would be--took longer than I thought). I figured that by the time I get home, Amari will be close enough to becoming mobile that I won't want to have to worry about child-proofing and watching her at the same time.

I visited another day care center yesterday. It opens at 6am which gives me much more flexibility in the mornings and is brand new (all new toys, cribs, everything). It is still a toss-up between this one and the other one I had picked out. I will probably go ahead with this one...it opens earlier and is a little closer. I plan to move Amari closer to my work once she is in preschool (many more preschools around than infant care!) so I really need to focus on the baby end and not worry much about the structured preschool part at this point.

Still a lot of stuff to get done but I'm getting a lot accomplished and hopefully I'll soon have a date. I work much better with a deadline.

Plans, Pumpkins, Pets

Update on the adoption front: not much happening on my end yet. Still waiting on my travel guide...Lindsay (my SW) contacted the St. Louis office and they are sending it again. Which means that somewhere out there is a travel guide I never got. This should have all the nitty-gritty details of paperwork yet to be done, travel agent suggestions, etc. No court date yet but court dates are coming in; several families have gotten court dates of October 29 and are looking to travel around Thanksgiving. Hopefully, I'm not too far behind in the line-up. Lindsay checked with Sharon (CHI's Ethiopian program director) and I will definitely be able to visit the orphanage that Amari was in and I can request to meet her birthmom, but it will be up to the birthmom whether to meet or not. Which I am okay with.


As for updates about Amari before travel...probably not going to happen but that's okay. It looks like with diaper and clothing sizes, she is right on the small end of 3-6 month clothes and #2 diapers; so, unless she really packs on the pounds in the next couple months, I will be okay. I washed all the baby clothes I already have tonight to see what all I had (there are way too many tags/clips/cardboard on those clothes!). This kid is totally set from 6 months to 12 months (mostly because I didn't want to but a lot of little things that wouldn't fit). So now I know I need few 3-6 month things and 12 months and above clothes. It really helped seeing what all I had and what I still needed.

Dad and I were able to kind of decide on some things we want to do in Addis while we are there. He is totally looking forward to exploring a new country/culture (except the food--we are both a little scared of that!) so he will keep me from staying in the hotel playing all day! Which is good, it may be a very long time before I get a chance to see Ethiopia again (probably when Amari is a teenager) so I should see as much as I can. We also talked about packing and stuff (his luggage didn't make it to Kenya last time he went and he reminded me he doesn't need a lot of room because he "has done Africa with just a backpack"). Not me, I'm taking everything! He'll thank me for the Oreos!

Here is a picture of my Jack-O-Lantern I carved Friday night. Got together with both my brothers and their wives for pizza and pumpkin carving (no, we didn't carve pizzas--you know what I mean). It was a lot of fun.

Here is a great picture of Mickey hanging out with one of Ollie-dog's toys. Think I could get a lifetime supply of dog biscuits with this picture?

And here is Sam in his usual state of repose...

Sorry, no doggie picture today. Next Saturday is Trunk-or-Treat (which I'll explain next week for those of you that have never heard of this) and I'll post pix of Ollie in his costume.

Munchkin bath, sock wash, and waiting

Not much new to report on the adoption front. Lindsay (my SW) told me that I will not be receiving any updates before I travel. That is a major bummer (that is supposed to be one of the advantages of the kids being moved into our agency's transition home) and I hope she is wrong. The Magers got their referral just a week before me and they have gotten more pix so I'm hoping for a little bit of something. I am very happy with the one picture I have gotten but I would like to know a little more developmental info. Still no word on court dates...augh!!


So what to do in the meantime? I'm slowly working on baby stuff. My nursery is pretty much ready as far as the big stuff goes. There are still lots of little things to work on...I haven't bought any bottles yet, clothes are still in a quandry (luckily everything I have bought so far will fit but I need a few smaller things I think!), I need more toys, etc. etc. etc. I did buy a carseat this past weekend. Since Amari will be 9-10 months before she comes home, I decided to skip the carrier seat since she wouldn't be in it long. Plus, since it is just me and only one car, I don't need to worry about switching back and forth between vehicles. This carseat is a convertible one--it is rear-facing/reclining up to 22 pounds, then front facing 22-40 pounds and then changes into a booster up to 100 pounds. So it should last.
Last night, I did some laundry. I decided I would wash everything once in Dreft and then probably just go back to Tide. I'm pretty sure Amari has not been having her clothes washed in Dreft and will probably handle the stronger detergent (I'll experiment first). It is hard enough for me to have a full load of laundry now, maybe with adding baby clothes in, I won't be wasting so much water and electricity. So I washed all the bed clothes (thanks Juli for the waterproof mattress pad), a couple receiving blankets, all the bibs and burp clothes I have, and the socks. Thank goodness for the woolite wash bag (I think Lesa told me about these)...the zipper broke on the first wash but it still held all the socks together without any runaways. I'll just have to fix the bag with velcro. So here are the socks (the top row of eight are going to be way too big for awhile!).Here is the crib with all it's bedding in place. It is the Dream Hug Love collection from Kimberly Grant. Very cute.I also did a munchkin bath. I bought this great set of Munchkin dinnerware right about the time I started on the adoption path. It may have been one of my first purchases, back when I initially was asking for a girl under 2. I finally busted it out of the plastic and washed it and put it in the cabinet I cleaned out for Amari's kitchen stuff. There are 10 bowls with lids, 10 cups with sippy tops, 10 spoons. I also threw in 2 of those divided formula cases where you pre-measure your amounts (will work great for cereal too!).I think that is all for now. I'll let you know if I hear anything else.

8 weeks down....

It's been 8 weeks since my dossier went to Ethiopia. Each day seems long and grueling but, looking back, it really hasn't seemed that long after all. It is hard to believe that September is winding down. It has finally cooled down (yea!) and is starting to feel like fall. I love this time of year--break out the hoodies! No idea when a referral will come. Two more came this week for a 3 year old and a 5 year old. Exciting that things are moving forward. Courts are due to open in a little over a week and the pediatrician that does all the medicals is back (apparently he had a little hiatus) so maybe things will work in my favor.

Over the weekend, my sister-in-law Lesa and I went baby clothes shopping at Old Navy and Kohl's. Bought several sleepers, nice fleecy ones. I also ordered some long-sleeve onesies from Old Navy (incredible sale) and some socks (I've heard their socks are the best!).

A couple weeks ago I found some cushions to fit the rocking chair in the nursery so now Mom doesn't have to try and make any...here they are with Ollie modeling their comfort. Yes, I posed him there but I did not make him go to sleep...he just conked out.

I also made my fleece blanket out of the same material as my wall-hanging and the quilt Mom made me. I made a similar one for my niece Madi...her's had a green backing.

I'll post again soon...

Happier Post!

So I promised that my next post would not be as dreary as my last. Luckily, it didn't take long to have a better day! No news on the adoption front and work has gotten unbelieveably unbearable (not the work itself, but the "politics") lately but whatev!

So, I went to the dentist yesterday. AUGH! I need a crown and need to have one wisdom tooth pulled...this would all sound scary but I really thought he was going to come up with at least 10 things that needed done. So it was actually a happy visit!

Then I went to put my name on the waiting list at my niece's daycare. It is about 15 minutes out of my way for work but I think it will be worth it. The waiting list at work is horribly long (like my daughter will be old to work there before she will get a space!) and I have been there twice to visit and both times I was treated rudely. So that one's out. My niece's daycare is on my mom's way home from work and also since Madi is there...there will be options for the days when I work past the center's closing time (because not even the hospital's daycare center takes shiftworkers into account). So anyway...I went there yesterday and they were super friendly and very eager to show me around and give me all the details. It seems like there will be no problem to get her in by the time I go back to work. And when I mentioned I was adopting they were very nonchalant; this may sound bad but, just the opposite--everyone usually makes a big deal out of it which my daughter does not need. They have several children at the center who are adopted and they were very eager to know my daughter will be from a different country than the others. They said they had a Chinese New Year's Parade and Chinese food this year for one of the kids and that when my daughter gets into the preschool classes, they will incorporate some culture lessons into the group lessons (yea!!!!). They also have a new toddler that came to them last week they are giving her some one on one time to helping with language skills--wonderful that they recognize the need for some developmental adjustments. I was very excited to hear all this (and the fact that they offered this info to me without my asking shows that they really understand some of the "adoption" issues that are different than their other kids). So I feel very relieved to have that facet of motherhood settled!

Today I received 2 boxes in the mail from the Welcome Addition Club. One had two canisters of Similac and one had two canisters of Enfamil. So I now have enough formula for over 250 ounces! Not sure what I'll end up using but it is nice to get free ones to experiment with. Also lots of great coupons.

Today, Dad and I went and picked up my new couch. One of the local furniture stores was having a great sale and it was actually half price. I didn't NEED a new couch but mine, while comfortable for sitting, was less than adequate for napping. And I figure I'll probably be needing more couch naps and less in-the-bed snoozes in the coming year. The new couch is long enough I can lay down stretched out without scrunching my legs up and it is deep enough that I'll be able to snooze on it with a baby in my arms. They also "scotch-guarded" it with a life-time guarantee against stains, spills, etc.

So, all-in-all a better few days! Going to get off now and do some shopping at Old Navy--they are having a great baby sale and have lots of onesies and bodysuits for INCREDIBLE prices. Not to mention that they have more than just pink and blue. I love their chocolate and pink line of clothing. Too bad I don't know sizes yet...just going to shop a little big and will fill in with smaller later if I need to.

Still Waiting!

Still waiting...nothing new going on. Nothing to report. Ugh! Tired of waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

Spent the weekend doing some cleaning and some outdoor work. Thanks to my brother Todd for coming over on the hottest day of the year (115!) to do some yard work with me. After weeding the nasty little piece of landscape at the front of my house, we laid down rock...but only after we had pulled the rock from Dad's house (he is changing his, so we transplanted some stone). Horribly hard work and Todd did 10 times more than I did. Thanks!

After that we power-washed the house...it was so gross before (all moldy and mildewy at the back of the house) that I'm embarrassed to post this but WHAT A DIFFERENCE!

Then we worked on the deck (which I finished myself Sunday). I was ready to just pull the whole thing out and put down a slab...but wow! Now I just need to seal it. Thanks Joey for letting Todd borrow the power-washer so he could bring it to my house!

Here is a cute picture of the kitties...they are strictly indoor cats but they were longing to go outside this weekend since I spent so much time out there. Sam is feeling better...he got a shot of steroids on Friday and the coughing is close to being gone. He is also on antibiotics--which he does not like the taste of. Do cats really like bright pink, fruit flavored medicine? I have found a great combination of mixing it with tuna juice strained straight from the can and he drinks that pretty readily. Why can't they just make cat antibiotics that are tuna-flavored?

Last, but not least...after reading several blogs of fellow Ethiopia adopters, I have realized the emphasis placed on HATS! Apparently hats are an important part of good parenting so I bought a few over the weekend to take with me!

I'll keep everyone updated if I hear anything new!