6 Months Down....

Sorry that I haven't posted lately.... I have been so busy!

It is hard to believe that we have been officially waiting for a referral for over 6 months. We were #4 for an excruciating amount of time, and it was made even worse, when we slipped to #5 with the death of baby that had been referred. But, good news... There have been a few referrals, and we are now #3! Our referral could come any day, or sometime in the next few months.... we are trying to remain patient..... IT'S HARD!

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween! (and week 23!)

Today was Halloween, and in celebration, we spent the afternoon/evening with friends, carving pumpkins and 'trick-or-treat'ing! A great time was had by all! And it was a great distraction from the email watching I have been doing. Our agency director made the mistake a few days ago, of telling me that some (not necessarily ours!) referrals would be made this week.... Since then, I must have checked my email at least 1,000 times. Keep your fingers crossed that our time is coming soon!

Here are the boys with thier finished pumpkins.

And what is Halloween without a werewolf?

No Training Wheels; But Shin Guards, Please!

My Sweet boy, has been pestering Jon for weeks, to take off his training wheels.... He is 'a BIG kid, and Big kids don't use training wheels!'

To me, 3 seems a little too young for a 2-wheeler.... but apparently I was
wrong. He took off like a pro, and didn't look back.... He is a natural. I guess you could say that I am proud.... but that might not be strong enough.
He can stop and start by himself, turn around and speed right past me, though he is a little nervous around parked cars....










He can even take a 'spill' like a champ! Nothing broken, no tears! My baby is growing up!

He is also very much enjoying soccer,
or 'fussball' as he likes to call it!

He is improving every week, and for his first year, I think he doing really well.... he has even scored a few goals! He loves soccer. Can't wait to get on the field, and show off his 'moves'....

He is hillarious.... 3 going on at least 7 or 8.













This is from his game last weekend.... He gets right in there... and let me tell you, that blue team is vicious... they are all about to 'age out' of the 3-5 age group.... they look like giants on the field with our red team!

Week 22, Sad News and Reality.

Here we are at week 22....When I look at it typed out like that, it seems almost unreal.... I can't believe that we have been officially waiting for that long. We are in the homestretch now.... I hope!


Today, I learned of some very sad news. It really brings home the reality that we as adoptive parents are facing.... A fellow adoptive family from our agency (received their referral in September) lost thier baby girl to a blood infection last night.
It is hard for me to comprehend thier loss. I can't imagine how devestated I would be at hearing that news for myself. Thier little girl, was only 2 months old.... She was still in the care of the orphanage, and became ill... She was taken to the hospital, and treated, but they just didn't have the tools. It is sad to think that she might have made it, if she were in the US...this is the unfortunate reality of life in Africa.
Though this is not a 'common' occurance, we have lost a few babies this way, in the past few months.
This family is in our thoughts and prayers, during this very difficult time.

HOLIDAY GIFT PROJECT

As the holiday season gets closer, I have decided to take on this project for our Adoption Agency. I hope you will find it in your hearts to consider a donation to the fund! We are looking at a total goal of around $6,500. As of today, we have a little under half.... The children would appreciate any donation that you could make!
Thanks for taking the time to read the letter.....

Dear Friends & Family,

Adoption Advocates International (AAI) has helped and continues to help countless orphans and many families with their adoption journeys in Ethiopia. As you know, Ethiopia is a country of great need, with millions of orphans and it's that need that is inspiring me to write this letter.
I have volunteered to organize a Holiday Gift Project for the 130+ Ethiopian orphans at Layla House & Wanna House, and their 105 caregivers. In addition, I believe so much in the generosity of you all as we enter the holiday season that I am hoping we can also sponsor children in a very poor government orphanage, Kebebe Tsehay, as well as Sele Enat, and Kidene Mihret, that receive very little international support. AAI, also has an ongoing sponsorship program that allows families in America to help support the education of orphaned children in Nazret, making it possible for them to continue to live with relatives and attend school after they've lost their parents, and we are hoping to find enough sponsors to help provide a holiday party for them.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation in one or more of the following ways:

To sponsor a child, we ask that you make a donation of $20, which will be used to purchase a new traditional Ethiopian outfit, a packet of photos of the child in the outfit, a small gift bag of toys, and special food treats, wrapped and ready to open.

To sponsor a caregiver, we ask you to donate $20, which will be used to purchase a holiday gift certificate allowing the staff and their families to have special foods and treats for the holidays. (This year our goal is to find enough sponsors to make the holidays brighter for 300-350 children and workers. )

To help make the holidays special for children in the Nazret program, we ask that you donate an amount of your choosing to go towards a holiday party for these children and their caretakers. A nice party for 400 people with food, music, and a small gift for each child would only cost $500, so that's our goal.

AAI families can collect cash/check donations and send them directly toAAI or if you would like to make your donation by credit card, please goto the AAI website (www.adoptionadvocates.org ) and click on the "donate now" button. Be sure to note"LAYLA KIDS HOLIDAY", "STAFF HOLIDAY", or "NAZRET HOLIDAY PARTY" written in the project preference field.

Since I am responsible for keeping this organized, and to make sure each child and staff member is remembered for the holidays, please keep me updated as to how much you donate and for which project.
You can contact me via email at: socialbug69@hotmail.com .

Our plan is to post (on the AAI website) some group photos of the children who benefit from your donations so that all sponsors can enjoy seeing the smiles they helped create.
Thank you for your help with this project!
Mandie

The Courts are back in Session!

Well, we have just received word from our agency, letting all of us waiting families know that the courts have finally reopened after thier New Years break! That is great news, Families who have already been matched with children, will be able to travel as early as 1 November!
This is also good news for those of us waiters..... The more children that make thier way home to thier families, the more children that will be taken in by AAI, and more referrals will be made! I have always wanted an 'Autumn' baby... maybe this one will be it! Keep your fingers crossed....
As a side note... no news of new referrals.... still holding at #4.

There is No Me Without You....

I have to plug this book, written by a fellow adoptive parent. Melissa Fay Greene is an excellent writer, And I am drawn into this amazing story, inspired by true events.... It is a great read.

Please read the review below. And if you have time, I urge you pick up a copy at a bookstore or library.... It's worth it.

From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Not unlike the AIDS pandemic itself, the odyssey of Haregewoin Teferra, who took in AIDS orphans, began in small stages and grew to irrevocably transform her life from that of "a nice neighborhood lady" to a figure of fame, infamy and ultimate restoration. In telling her story, journalist Greene who had adopted two Ethiopian children before meeting Teferra, juggles political history, medical reportage and personal memoir. While succinctly interspersing a history of Ethiopia, lucidly tracing the history of AIDS from its early manifestation as "slim disease" in the late 1970s to its appearance as a bizarrely aggressive [form] of Kaposi's sarcoma in the early 1980s, and following the complex path of medication (a super highway in the West, a trail in Africa), Greene rescues Teferra from undeserved oblivion as well as rescuing her from undeserved obloquy (false accusations of child selling). As with her previous books (Praying for Sheetrock; The Temple Bombing; Last Man Out), Greene takes a very close look at what appears to be the fringe of an important social event and illuminates the entire subject. Ethiopia is home to "the second-highest concentration of AIDS orphans in the world"; even as some of the orphans find happy endings in American homes, Greene keeps the urgency of the greater crisis before us in this moving, impassioned narrative. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fabulous week of referrals!

Don't let the title fool you..... We are still waiting....
However, It has been a great week for referrals! On Monday, 4 families received referrals of beautiful, big-eyed babies! That moves us up to #4!!!!!

We are finally in the top 5! How exciting!

We are still not expecting any news of our own till November, as to not have any disgruntled feelings, if it shouldn't happen till then, but I have to say, it really is moving along! And the referrals this week have been a spirit-lifter!

If we keep this pace, it should be no time at all!

The Missing Dinopark Photos...

Leyton and 'Cera'....

And if you could've only seen his face in this moment....

He assures me he was only 'a little bit scared!'

Good thing they were fenced in!

Bitte Warten sie.... Or, Please hold the line....

When you call up a German company... such as the TKS Phone monopoly... This is what you hear.... along with a little polka music....

This is kind of how I see our wait....

A pause on the line, followed by a deutsche speaker denying his or her english capabilities, only to transfer me right away to another line that also puts me on hold.... and inevitably, when connected, it is someone who also denies speaking English. (By the way, I find this very hard to believe.)

Anyway.... Now that we are entering week 16, I have just received some great news from a dear adoption friend. A, and her husband, who also started the process around the same time as us.... have just received the referral of a beautiful baby girl. They were able to turn in thier dossier 2 months before us, since some of our original paperwork was expiring and we had to get it renewed. They had been waiting almost 6 months, to the day!
We also received news yesterday from the director of AAI, (who is traveling to Ethiopia this week) that they have received a few new babies, a couple of toddlers, and a bunch of new older kids. We will most likely not receive a referral from this batch, but we are getting closer. We are definitely in the single digits, and it really doesn't seem so far off anymore! I just hope that we can have her home before it is time to pack up and move!

As always... we are thankful for your thoughts and prayers... keep them coming!

The 1st Day of School...

Wow... It is really hard for me to believe that it is September already... And that we are already a week into it! This year has really been flying by! (Of course this is good for our waiting... But man, 8 months gone already!)

With the beginning of September, came the start of a new Kindergarten year. Here is Leyton after a fantastic first day of school.... I am so happy that he has the opportunity to attend German Kindergarten. He has learned so much in the past year (he started going in October 05 at 2.5 years old). The Teachers there are very proud of him, as am I! He now has a fluent 3-4 year old German vocabulary... And proudly exclaims "I am a Deutsche speaker and an English speaker!" or " I'm a Deutschelander and Oma (grandma) lives in America." And sad but true, he even translates for me on occasion..... I know... I know....after 6 years here, I really should have a handle on the Deutsche....

As hard as I try, Meine Deutsche ist nicht gut!

I can read a little, and speak enough to get by... but not like my little Leyton. It is sad to think that he will lose it all when we return to the States.... I hope we can live near a German community, or meet some German speakers so that he can keep it active. What an asset.

Leyton thought it would be fun to share some pics from our trip to the Dinopark a week ago.... And I have to agree... the blog is a bit stuffy, with a lot of whinning, and not so much fun. Sorry about that... I will try to do better, I promise! This of course, is a Taradon.... It is hard to believe how realistic these 'Dinos' looked.... I think he was a little scared a few times... Germany has so many neat things to offer... This park is only about 40 mins from our house, and was worth the trip... besides the towering exhibits... it also had a rock pile complete with picks and hammers for the kids to break rocks and look for fossils.... Leyton found one. Very cool!

**I'm experiencing a little difficulty loading all the pics... so check back, I will try again later.

In other news.... Soccer Season... or Fussball as its called in the land of the World Cup.... is upon us.... Check back for pics from the 1st big match! Leyton is so excited to be playing soccer.... and it will be both hillarious and entertaining to watch a bunch of 3-4 year olds kicking each other in the shins and picking up the ball and running... I'm looking forward to the game.

Referral Wait Week...

Wow... we are

now starting week #14 of the referral waiting time warp.

There has been some great news on our agency forum, however... Several families have received referrals in the past 2 weeks. And as I have said before, we are movin' on up the list (my best educated guess is that we are getting closer to the single digits...maybe #10 or 11.)! The average wait time right now, is 27-30 weeks.... So we are about half-way there. We knew this going into the process, so it comes as no surprise. However, knowing in advance that you could be on a list, waiting for months does nothing for the heartache of actually waiting.

Thank goodness I have plenty to keep me busy...

I have begun the collection of fabrics for the 100 good wishes quilt... anyone who wishes to send in a square of fabric and a wish, is welcome to do so... (see archive "Things to do while we wait" for instructions!)

I had planned on beginning the quilt right away, but I still have squares showing up in my mailbox, so I am putting it on hold for a while to allow them all to arrive... Thanks to you all, who are participating... I have received some great fabrics, and wishes... I am really looking forward to completing this project.

Things you learn when you have sons....

You find out interesting things when you have sons, like...

1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft.house 4 inches deep.

2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3.) A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on.When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.

8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.

10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old Boy.

11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12.) Super glue is forever.

13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15.) VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TVcommercials show they do.

16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20.) The fire department in Austin , TX has a 5-minute response time.

21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24.) 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

25.) 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.

This post came from an adoption web-group that I belong to... It makes me very Thankful that we do not have a ceiling fan!

Week 11... And a Plug for sponsorship.

As we settle in to week 11, it is hard to believe that we could be waiting 30+ weeks. If that is the case, (And I hope it isn't!) we are almost 1/2 way there.
There continue to be children picked up by families, and new children arriving at Layla House (our agency's care center). Every week , there have been referrals made. The last time we were updated by the agency (a few weeks ago), there were about 10-15 families in front of us in line. That means that approximately 30 families have received thier referrals since our dossier was sent. We were #45, when we were officially put on the waiting list.

This is great news... for both the families waiting and the children being matched.

A few weeks ago, I received a letter from the father of Tilahun, the little boy that we are sponsoring to go to school in Addis. I am an emotional person anyway, but it really brought tears to my eyes, to read the letter. The program we are sponsoring him through is normally for Orphaned students, to keep them in the custody of extended family members, or friends. Tilahun (7) is very lucky to still have both parents... He also has a younger brother (5) and two younger sisters(3 & 1). His mother and father are very poor. His mother doesn't work, as she stays home to take care of the youngest children. Tefera, his father, is deaf. He is attending university (with sponsorship from another family in the States...) to become a teacher at a school for deaf children. He works odd jobs in his off-time, and they scrape by, with very little.

We send $30 per month, which goes through our agency, to help with Tilahun's school tuition, and uniforms, along with supplies.

If anyone is interested, $30 is a small amount to pay to keep a family together. Without our sponsorship, It is likely that Tilahun's parents would have to give up 2 or more of thier children.

There are many sponsorhip programs out there, but you can find information at the link below for the Orphaned Student Project that we support....

http://www.adoptionadvocates.org/AAI/HowCanYouHelp.htm

Tefera is a proud man. He is doing the best he can for his family. It is very important to him, to complete his education, and make a better life for his children. The letter I received was a little bit difficult to understand the first time through, since it looked as though it had been translated from Ethiopia's native Amharic, to English via one of those free translation sites online. But there was no doubt that he was very grateful for the help that we are giving him.

I hope that while we are in Addis, we will be able to meet them. To hug them, and let them know that they will not be among the 'lost and forgotten' in Ethiopia.

Sorry for the delay...

Well, I am one of those people who believe that if you don't have something nice to say, you are better off saying nothing at all...

I guess that is why I haven't posted in the past few weeks. We are still in the 'hear nothing' stage.... We were very optimistic that we would have a referral this summer, and be able to travel by Nov/Dec to pick up our little one, but it isn't looking good.... This week a family that has been waiting since December for a referral was FINALLY referred a beautiful baby girl... only 2 months old. There are many families in front of us in line, and I don't know if my patience will hold out! (Keep in mind we have only been officially waiting for just under 2 months!)

Today we received a video of waiting children. How I wish we could take them all in! So many kids.... most of them older, or with siblings....Some that have been waiting for many months, years... so sad. AAI really does all they can to place these older children. Many older kids find families through them. Maybe in a few years when Leyton and Baby girl "X" are older..... ( I know.... Jon is saying over my shoulder... 'let's worry about this one first!')

Well, anyway... I just wanted to stop by and let all of you who might still be checking in, know that we hadn't fallen off the face of the earth, and we haven't gotten 'lucky' and made the trip to Ethiopia already!

We are still here.... still waiting.... still pouting..... Keep us in your prayers that she is out there, and will find her way to us Very, very soon!

1 month down.... hopefully not too many more to go!

Well, it is official. We have been waiting for our referral 1 month already. Honestly, I thought it would seem much longer than it has. Of course, each morning when I wake up, I rush to log into my inbox, to see if by some freak of nature, I have received the word.... That hasn't been the case yet, but I'm sure that we will be hearing something in the not too distant future!

The director of AAI has been in Ethiopia for the past week, and said that Layla House will be getting several new babies and older children in the coming weeks. Of course, there is a 3 month mandatory wait before the babies can be reffered. The Ethiopian Government has applied this rule, to make sure that someone doesn't come back for the babies, and it also provides adequate time for medical evaluation.
Everything will work out, and we will get the baby that we were meant to have.
Looking forward to that day!

The all-day Embassy trip...

There has to be a better way to do things at the US Embassy in Frankfurt.

Wednesday morning, bright and early (7am)... Jon, Leyton and I piled into the car for the (what should be) 2 hour drive to Frankfurt for our embassy appointment. We arrived in the city with little problem, and to our surprise found a front-row parking spot.... Where was the line???
Hmmm... after further inspection, we discovered that the Consulate had moved. Yes, Moved.... no, they didn't tell me that, the 500 times I have had them on the phone in the past year.... Nor, did they have a sign up, indicating so. By the sheer grace of God, a very nice English-speaking cab driver pulled up beside us, and let us in on the secret.... He was also kind enough to draw us a map. He assured us that it was no more than 15 minutes away, so we hopped in the car, and headed out. We soon realized that we had missed a major turn in the road, and were on the wrong track.... Needless to say, it was 10:30 by the time we arrived at the new/improved Embassy. The line we were looking for before, was now 3 huge lines.... No signs, or directions of any kind.... We went up to the building to ask where we needed to be, and the guy kindly replied.... 'to the left'. That would have been fine, but there were two lines on the left. One line 1/2 a mile long... the other, about 1/4mile.... Jon jumped in the long line, and after standing there a few minutes, I realized we were the only people in the line speaking English. I decided that this couldn't be right, so I got in the other line, and waited patiently for someone to ask. Finally after about 10 minutes (and the lines not moving at all...) An officer came out, to announce that the computers were down, and that the passport services were on hold. Thank goodness that wasn't what we were there for. We had an appointment to refile our I-600 A.... Preapproval for an Orphan Visa. After finding that out, he gave us a number and let us inside... (10:58am..He didn't even check our ID's.) We went inside, where we were told to sit and watch a board for our number to come up.... then we could go upstairs and wait some more.... Hmmmm....
At about 1:15, our number was finally called. Thank goodness that I have had a phone relationship with the woman at window #15 for the past 6 months... Sandra was nice, and took our paperwork, and gave us a form that had to be delivered to the 1st floor, paid for and then returned to the window, before they would go ahead with the processing of our application. We went to pay, returned with our receipt, and waited some more.... at 1:45, we were told it would be about 30 minutes before the form would be completed. By 2:30, we were on our way out of Frankfurt, only to be stuck in traffic.... We didn't make it home till nearly 7pm.... What a day. Too bad We will have to do it all again before we travel to pick up our little girl.... I still have to get my passport ammended. I know... I know.... I've been married almost 6 years, and still have my maiden name on my passport... Oh well, Another day.

On a happier note, more referrals have been made, so we are moving up!

Moving faster than anticipated...

I received a very exciting email in my inbox this morning.... It seems that a fellow adoptive family waiting for the referral of a little girl, recieved that referral yesterday. This family is also using AAI, as thier agency, and have only been waiting for 4.5 months. This is very reassuring, since we were given a much longer estimate. Of course, there are many unknowns involved, and one can't be sure that this pace will continue. But, it does make the wait a little easier, when the list in front of us is moving along. We are currently #48 on the list of total families waiting, but around #20 of families waiting specifically for a little girl. So, I say.... 'Keep the referrals coming! We can only move up the list from here!'

Officially WAITING!!!

Last night we received the news that we are now officially on the waiting list. Our dossier was sent to Ethiopia yesterday. Isn't that exciting!?!?!?!
We have waited 2 long years to get this far, it doesn't seem real. Although patience isn't a virtue that I was blessed with, I have come to gain a little in this process. And it is true, that patience pays off!
On the down-side, as exciting as this news is, we could still be waiting up to 9 months to receive the referral of our little girl, and then it will be 6-8 weeks after that, before we can bring her home....

So, I guess you can consider us 'Paper-pregnant'!

Please keep us in mind when you are speaking with your favorite higher power... We are hoping for a speedy referral time! Although this is wishful thinking... we would love to have her home by Christmas!

Thanks for continuing to follow along....

Dossier submitted!

Well, It is now out of our hands.... We have finally received all of the necessarry documents, and our Dossier is at the agency getting ready for translation. We also received word that our documents have been sent to D.C. to the Ethiopian Embassy for Authentication. We have been told that this can take between 10-21 days... so keep your fingers crossed that it moves quickly! In a few weeks we will officially be on the waiting list for our little girl. So exciting!