Journey To Our Daughter

One Year

2009-09-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

September 1st marked one year to the day Joe and I made our way up a set of stairs, walked down a hallway, stepped into a small room and held our daughter in our arms for the first time.

What a year its been!!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We love you beautiful girl!!

First Day

2009-08-26T16:03:00.001-07:00

Neilan had his first day of First Grade today. Mommy just barely managed to hold it together but Neilan - noooo problem. Not even a backwards glance as we walked out of his new classroom. Joe and I on the other hand, not so easy. Honestly where did the time go? How did we get here so fast? It's amazing to us both, just like Neilan.

2009-08-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we're off to Blog Union 09!! I'm incredibly excited about meeting some of the families whose blogs I've followed. It's going to be three days of fun swimming in the hotel pool, playing in the sand at the lake shore, eating Chicago pizza and going to what looks to be an amazing Ethiopian dinner!! I really can't wait. The flight from LA to Chicago with two kiddos in tow - not so much. This will be Tessa's first flight since coming home almost a year ago. Yikes! Can you say Baby Benadryl!

Since I'm from the Chicago area we are spending an additional week and making this a big family vacation with lots of aunts, uncles, cousins and one wonderful grandma! On August 10th, Tessa will be celebrating her second - SECOND! - birthday in Chicago surround by family. While this makes me ridiculously happy even thinking about it I also know I will be trying pretty hard not to cry the whole time. Besides inherently being a big old sentimental goofball I just can't wrap my head around how fast this last year has flown by. On top of Tessa turning two on August 10th, on September 1st it will be one year to the day since we held our beautiful daughter in our arms for the very first time. One. Year. Truly where did the last 12 months go?!

I promise to post lots of photos from BU09 once we're back and share some of the Tessa birthday magic!!

Go Feel The Joy!!

2009-07-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

ONE FAMILY

Today. For Always.

We love you Julie, Steven, Meaza and Melese!!

Hacked!

2009-06-15T22:21:00.000-07:00

Why the new look for the blog?

Someone actually hacked into the Html of this blog and made the entire background one giant ad. (And you know who you are and NO I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of even mentioning your name here!) I couldn't figure out how to get rid of it except to dump the whole blog template. Ugh!!! Has anyone else had this happen? And come on really, they picked this blog of all blogs?! Something like five people (and I'm including my mom and sisters here) look at this thing. If only I was a computer geek who could turn the backgrounds for their website into one giant ad for septic tank pumping services. Hummmm.... that gives me an idea.

DVD

2009-06-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

OK I don't normally promote things here but Harmony gave Neilan one of her DVD's a few months ago and honestly it's awesome!! Because Neilan has fine motor issues writing is usually a difficult and much disliked task but he really likes this DVD! You can go to Harmony's company Steps4Kids, Inc. to order a copy or you can go to her blog to read more about it. It really is a great DVD!

HOW JOY GROWS!!!

2009-06-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

AND SPREADS AND BECOMES EVEN MORE PERFECT ....

KAT & THE ESQUIRE GOT

'THE CALL' YESTERDAY!!

TWINS!!!

2 MONTHS OLD!

A BOY! A GIRL!

LIKE I SAID.... BLISSFULLY, COMPLETELY

PERFECT!!!!

Six

2009-05-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

Today is your 6th Birthday!! (Mommy just can't believe how darn fast this day came!)

We love you beautiful boy!!

We love your sweet smile and your kind, generous heart.

We love your little smarty-pants ways and the how you light up when you're leaning something new.

We love how you laugh - the way your eyes crinkle up in the corners and how the sound of it fills a room with happiness.

We love what an amazing big brother you are.

We love that even when things aren't easy for you you keep trying. Even when frustration overwhelms you and the sometimes tears come, you keep trying.

We love the way you snuggle up close and give the world's best warm and fuzzy hugs.

We even love your foot stomping to angry for words times. (OK maybe we just think those are funny!)

We love the inside the outside the upside and all around sides of you!!

We love you Neil-a-bear!!!

Happy happy birthday!! Mommy & Daddy

JOY!

2009-05-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

Total and Complete!!

Julie and Steven got 'THE CALL' today!!

Two beautiful children!!

One Amazing family!

Congratulations doesn't even begin to cover it!

One year ago today....

2009-05-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

..... the phone rang at 2 pm and I felt the earth move as I saw our daughter's beautiful face for the first time.

Our blog was private then. I was to scared, to nervous something could go wrong to share it with anyone besides our family and close friends. So here is my entry from that day - one year ago- when a phone call changed everything!

Today was the day! This afternoon the phone rang and our lives changed forever!! Jessica, our Gladney caseworker, was calling to tell us about our baby girl! Our baby girl! My hands began shaking - the kind of shaking you get when hearing life changing in the most amazing way, happiness without bounds kind of news! I asked Jessica if I could call her back because I needed to try and get Joe on the phone so we could hear about our daughter together. Joe is traveling on business in NY and Boston and I think I must have left about 100 messages on his cellphone to the effect of "CALLMENOWWEHAVEADAUGHTER!! JOECALLMEEEEEE!!!! CALLMENOWWWWW!!!!" No luck! Today of all days I couldn't get him on the phone!!

I knew I wouldn't be able to wait until tomorrow to see our little girl without literally exploding all over the walls so Neilan and I called Jessica back and together we watched as his new baby sister's pictures came up on the computer screen!! And she is absolutely, totally and completely gorgeous!! Jessica began trying to go through all the paperwork with me but at this point I had to bribe Neilan (gummie worms galore and TV in the middle of the day!) so I could hear what she was saying. Jessica spent 30 minutes going through all of Kidist's information with me and I honestly don't think I heard half of what she said - I just couldn't take my eyes off our daughter's sweet, beautiful face. Kidist is almost 9 months old. She is a tiny little thing with huge, soulful eyes that reach deep into your heart and grab ahold. She is simply beyond words and I am so profoundly grateful that I have been given this gift of getting to be her mother!

Poor Joe!! He was able to finally call an hour later from the back seat of his cab as he was going through the tunnels in Boston. He was on a delayed flight from NY when the call came and had just gotten my many, many messages. Now my poor husband had to wait until getting to his hotel to see pictures of his new daughter. When he called I could hear the sheer happiness in his voice as he told me he'd just seen his daughter's face. Like me it was love at first sight and a knowing in the heart that this beautiful little girl is ours - our daughter. Can you believe it?!!

We Are Overjoyed!

Our Day In Court

2009-04-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

Today Tessa became the newest and, in our completely humble and unbiased opinion of course, cutest little American!!

What an amazing experience! We hadn't been expecting much beyond sign here and swear that. But it was so much more. Adoptions and re-adoptions are only held on Friday afternoons so we got to wait with a lot of other families. And I'm telling you, Disneyland had nothing on that waiting area today. There was such a feeling of just plain old happiness and joy - complete with balloons and family and laughter - that it washed over you!

The judge we had was wonderful. She was genuinely delighted for us and OK who wouldn't love a judge that starts clapping for your child after finalizing their re-adoption?! She even had a great sense of humor when Neilan activated and began talking into the microphones at the lawyers tables behind us. It was a wonderful day!

(Tessa picking her own little commemorative teddy bear as we left the courtroom.)

We love you Tessa bessa belle!!

One Month

2009-03-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

I know, I know I haven't updated this blog in over a month! Life just has a way of keeping us very busy these days. What have we been up to? First the happy news. Well, we had our six month post placement home study. Six months! It doesn't even seem possible time has gone so fast and yet at the same time it feels like Tessa has always, always been a part of us. She simply continues to amazing us everyday! Tessa is a beautiful, loving, delightful, charming, mischievous, up-for-trouble-anytime-thank-you, giggly little bundle of joy! I can't help but feel how unbelievably lucky we got the day Gladney choose Tessa for our family. Thank you Gladney, Thank you God, Thank you cosmic forces that be for allowing us to be her parents!!

More news on the Tessa front....six months, 31 stool samples and three rounds of medication later and we are officially GIARDIA FREE!!!!!!! WoooHooooo!!! Here's hoping I never have to scoop poop into a tube again!!

OK, more news, not so happy news, and the real reason I haven't felt like blogging much. We recently found out that our smart, funny, wonderful and amazing little boy has Asperger Syndrome.

It's not like we're new to dealing with developmental issues - Neilan has been receiving PT, OT and speech for fine and gross motor delays since he was 18 months old - but this year things changed. Neilan has been struggling in kindergarten with meltdowns and transition problems and I just thought, stupid mommy that I am, that a lot of kids probably struggled like that. I mean this child taught himself to read at three and math comes easily for him so I assumed the problems were because of the physical issues Neilan faced.

Nope.

A few days before Christmas one of his therapists suggested we have him evaluated - she had some concerns. As soon as I got home I called my sister, a pediatric OT in Chicago, to get her opinion. A yes or no question I asked her. Did she think Neilan had Asperger's. Yes. In-between my sobs Kathleen gave me the best advice she could have. "It's OK. Nothing has changed in the last 10 minutes. Neilan hasn't changed in the last 10 minutes. He's still the same wonderful little boy. You just have new information to help you help him. That's it." Can I just say how amazing my sister is at hand holding over the phone. So by the time the Developmental Pediatrician confirmed it for us two weeks ago it was far from a surprise. That's not to say that hearing the actual words, knowing this is what it's really going to be, didn't cut us to the heart - because it did. So for now we are busy reassessing schools for next year, working on new therapeutic game plans and frankly coming to a new sense of normal for our family.

I have so much more to say but for now this is it except for one more thing - the most important thing- how profoundly grateful and lucky we feel to be this amazing, joyful, beautiful little boy's parents!!

Rainy Day

2009-02-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

Things we did today.

Built an obstacle course.

Looked at the world through kaleidoscope eyes.

Jumped and wrestled on a mini tramp.

Took turns pushing.

Tried out the many, many ways one can wear a tutu.

Had a BLAST!

Don't you love rainy days?!

Cupcakes and Photos

2009-01-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

Despite my immense skill with a camera (LOL!) my sister Ann-Marie wisely arranged for an amazing photographer to take group and individual portraits of all the little cousins while everyone was together for Thanksgiving.

The sugar high that set in ten minutes after the photographer started was a sight to behold and you wouldn't believe all the places we found frosting during bathtime that evening but honestly, could these photos be any sweeter?

(Juliana wouldn't pose by herself so my sister Kathleen jumped in with her daughter at the last minute. The result is a photo I love.)

Some Good Advice Needed!

2009-01-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

OK, all the mommies out there or anyone else who knows what to do, I could use some serious help with this one!

Apparently my beautiful daughter simply does not believe in the word 'sleep' nor in the word 'nap' and certainly not in the phrase 'sleeping through the night'. I have never seen a child this age go with so little overall sleep. I mean honestly, where are my two hour naps or my 10 -11 hours on continues blissful nightly sleep?! Where?!

Little Ms. Tessa is up anywhere between 4 to 5 times a night and then wants (read into that demands!) to suck on her bottle for a few minutes before she'll go back to sleep. (FYI -apparently, the caregivers where giving her two bottles a night in ET.) She also wants to sleep right on top of me or, when I just can't take that anymore, she will agree to sleep along side of me as long as this is accompanied by a nighttime concert of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" sung in a pleading, disoriented, sleep deprived tone of voice. Yes I can get her into her crib at the start of the evening (and by start I mean anywhere from 9 - 10 pm before she will finally fall asleep) but that usually lasts about three hours before she wakes up crying and the bottle in bed with me routine begins. I've tried letting her cry. Really I have. I've sat outside her room while she wailed for 50 minutes straight refusing to nap. I've tried not giving her a bottle at night or simply putting water in it but the volume and length of the protesting makes for no sleep for anyone else in the house and my 5 year old then joins in because he's been wakened and can't go back to sleep. On most days, a good nap for Tessa is anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes so you would not believed the sheer rejoicings that takes place at our house on the rare days she actually naps into the one hour zone! The latest wrinkle is Tessa has decided the best time and place for napping is in her highchair during dinner. Ouch.

And just so you know, this is a very happy little girl during the day. She simply doesn't act cranky (unlike her mother) or tired.

I'm not normally a push over in the sleep department. We used the Ferber method with our son when he was 5 months old (yes I know not everyone agrees with this method but Neilan was done in three rather painless nights and has been a good sleeper ever since) and I was OK with Tessa's sleep habits for the first couple of months because I was simply more worried about bonding and making sure Tessa felt safe and knew I would be there for her then the actually sleeping part. But now, well now I'm just plain tired and cranky most of the time from not having had a solid night of sleep in almost five months and there doesn't appear to be any end in sight. So I'm throwing in the towel and waving the white flag on this one - I don't know what to do about the sleep situation at this point so if any of you have any advice at all I would be very, very grateful to hear it.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T13:00:00.000-08:00

Finally

2008-12-23T14:54:00.001-08:00

I know I know, I haven't posted ANYTHING in a very long time. So to catch up, here comes the longest post known to mankind. What have we been up to for the last month and a half? Well...

Hosting my family for 12 days over Thanksgiving.

10 adults and 5 children all staying with us. Crowded, noisy and FUN. It was the first time Tessa got to meet her cousins and all her Aunts and Uncles.

Neilan with his cousin Ethan

Tessa with her cousins Juliana and Eve

My very handsome nephew Ethan loving the red velvet cupcake batter!

Spending a few of those 12 days at Disneyland.

Yep, Tessa's first trip to the 'Happiest Place on Earth'!

The Dumbo ride rocked!

Juliana contemplating the sheer Dumboness of it.

And while her cousin Eve loved the carousel....

Little Ms. Tessa loudly did not!

"Get me off this thing woman!"

Breakfast with Mini Mouse and Captain Hook was fun.

Especially since it involved Tessa's first ever juice box.

A deep love at first taste.

Spending a rainy day at the beach.

Not only Tessa's first day at the beach but also Juliana's and Eve's. I have to say, rainy days at the beach are my new favorite thing! No one but us on the beaches in Malibu. Amazing.

A slip on the wet sand and rocks while her mommy was looking the other way and....

Ouch!! Tessa's first big boo-boo! I'm firmly out the running for the Parent of the Year award with that one.

Spending Thanksgiving morning at the aquarium.

Another of my new all time favorite things to do with the kids! Not crowded, everyone we met in a fun holiday mood and the kids had a great time.

(Yes, all the pictures I took that day involved nothing but the kid's backs)

The Boys

The Girls

The Boys and Girls

The Seal

Hey what can I say except boy am I good with a camera or what?!

Having professional photos of all the kids taken.

The day after Thanksgiving my sister arranged for a photographer (like we needed one with all the talent I so clearly posses with a lens!) to take pictures of the kids. It involved antique tables and toys, cupcakes and jars of candy. The kids could not have had a better more frosting covered time!

Celebrating Tessa and Juliana's baptism.

I was honored to be Juliana's godmother and my sister, Juliana's mother, was Tessa's. Our church very graciously allowed for a special baptism day and time so both girls could be christened at the same time while we were all together as a family. It was a beautiful day with family and friends and I think a very moving ceremony. I'm not completely sure however because Tessa screamed through the whole thing. And I do mean SCREAMED. I couldn't even hear the priest most of the time. It was, quite simply, a spectacular demonstration of lung power. Juliana never uttered a sound. I think she was in shock and awe by the display going on next to her.

Once the baptism was over little Ms. T was great for the photos.

The last few weeks have been busy with decking the halls and buying our Christmas tree....

trying to get a decent picture for the Christmas cards....

shopping....

And riding the Polar Express train to the North Pole! Yep, another new favorite thing to do with the kids at Christmas!! Riding an antique train in your pjs with elves passing out chocolate milk and sugar cookies while Santa comes by to say hi - well, it just doesn't get any better then that!!

Add to all that our first post placement homestudy (Tessa was amazing - blowing kisses, waving hi) , participating in the kindergarten Christmas pagent, preparing for more family to come visit, playdates, holiday visits with good friends and there you go - a whole and complete month and a half flies by! Wow!! Hopefully I'll be keeping up better in 2009!

Bad Blogger!

2008-12-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

Yikes!! Has it really been three weeks since I posted anything?! We've had a lot going on and I obviously just haven't found time to post anything but I promise I'll be updating this thing soon. So hang in there all two of my readers and hopefully sometime this weekend I'll be able to put up some photos of all the fun we've been having the last couple of weeks!

In the meantime, go see beautiful, sweet Mimi - home at last with her parents!!! Congratulations Heather & Chris!

Sponsor A Child

2008-11-15T19:15:00.000-08:00

Tessa was at the Kebebtsehay Children's Home before being placed with Gladney and we spent time at the Kolfe Boys Home. They are both on this video. A lot of people have asked me about the orphans and orphanages in Ethiopia. Here is a way you can help. Sponsor a child. We are.

Go to Amy's blog before Monday to participate!

Two Months

2008-11-10T19:32:00.000-08:00

Miss Tessa has now been home two whole months and also just happens to be 15 months old as of today as well!

Here are a few of the things I've learned about Tessa in the last two months:

Tessa is an awesome little flirt. The girl has moves and knows how to use them. Tessa can make anyone stop dead in their tracks to admire her.

Tessa doesn't believe in the word sleep. No way, no how. I've never seen a baby or toddler go with so little of the stuff. A nap for Tessa is about 20 minutes (on a good day) and she loves to get up 2 to 4 times a night. Yet despite this rather dodgy sleep schedule, Tessa is a very happy girl all day long (unlike her sleep deprived mommy).

Tessa's laugh fills me with joy.

Tessa really, really likes to make raspberry sounds. A Tessa raspberry can mean ' I really like you', 'I want to play', 'don't I look cute making this sound' or simply 'boy it's fun doing this with my tongue'. The raspberry. It's her thing and she's sticking to it.

Tessa is a little smarty-pants. She mimics everything she sees and hears. Tessa amazes us each and everyday with all she's learned.

Tessa likes to be LOUD. Nothing wrong with her lungs. Keep up with your brother in the shrieking just for fun department? Noooo problem.

Tessa loves music and is an equal opportunity dancer. From Mozart to The Killers, if it's got a beat she's gonna shake her little heinie. Tessa will even dance to the tones my cellphone makes when I turn it on.

Tessa fills my heart with love beyond words.

It's been a wonderful two months.

(Yum chalk - delicious and nutritious!)

VOTED

2008-11-04T18:57:00.000-08:00

For Change For Hope

And with goodwill for all our fellow Americans - Red or Blue.

Pumpkins and Halloween

2008-11-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

Much fun was had by all on our trip to the pumpkin patch last Thursday (it's been 90 degrees here so there's a lot to be said about buying your pumpkins at the last minute). Little Ms. T could not get enough of the big orange things. Who knew she was such a pumpkin connoisseur? Rolling around the dirt in her summer dress was a lot of fun to. Neilan's favorite parts? Hands down the giant slide and bounce house of course. He didn't think the pumpkins were half bad either.

Halloween night we had so much fun with Tinkerbell and Harry Potter.

While Tinkerbell didn't fully get the significance of the evening she was pretty darn excited about putting on her special fairy dress and holding her wand. So excited in fact that little Ms. Tink wanted to sleep in her beautiful outfit.

A mean, mean mommy made her take it off.

Harry on the other hand, being the far more experienced trick-or-treater of the two, changed into something more comfortable to inventory the HUGE haul they took in.

We couldn't seem to get a good shot of Tinkerbell and Harry together.

Apparently fairies are very good at spotting Halloween ghosts!

A Late Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

Tagged

2008-10-19T00:34:00.000-07:00

Bad, bad blogger that I am I've been tagged for awhile now but I'm just getting to it. So, let the randomness begin....

1. I've got a freakishly strong gag reflex. I literally can't even hold a pen between my lips without gagging on it. I'm an uber nightmare at the dentist's office.

2. I was a huge Princess Diana fan. Yes I'm admitting it - a huge Diana Fan. Despite this, it's my friends and husband (who truly could care less) who had all the Diana encounters. I had one friend introduced to her at lunch and another who ran into her coming out of Harrod's. I wrangled a seat to her dress auction in NY (we couldn't have afforded anything and I have no idea why I got in) but it was my husband who attended when I very, very sadly couldn't. My husband has even stayed in the same suite she had at a hotel in Chicago. Me - nothing.

3. I've been to the Oscars twice. And yes, it was Awesome!

4. I was an exchange student to Kenya when I was 16 and had a man offer my host sister 6 cows for me. Apparently that was a pretty good price at the time. She turned him down. I think she was afraid she'd have some big explaining to do later. She was sad she didn't get the cows.

5. I can't stand the feel of dirt or sand on my feet. I have to stop and wipe my feet clean on grass after playing in the sand with my kids.

6. I backpacked through Europe by myself when I was in college. I was braver then.

7. I L.O.V.E. model homes. I love everything about them. I will go with you to see a model anytime, anywhere and as many times as you want. On occasion I have been known to pretend said model home is actually mine. Did I mention I love model homes?

And there you go!

Fire Drill!

2008-10-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

It's been scary the last couple of days and nights but things have turned around and it's looking oh so good!! There has literally been an armada of helicopters and planes involved in battling these fires. Here are some of the images from over our heads and photos from the pond 2 minutes from my house where these amazing pilots where picking up water loads (and don't let the blue skies fool you, the fire was just over the ridge)...

And here's why the fires got so big so fast....

Dry, dry, dry....

Wild Fires

2008-10-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

I love living in California but the one thing I don't love is the Santa Ana winds and the wild fire season they bring. This very moment I'm watching smoke and fire from the Porter Ranch fire inch their way across the mountain ridges straight for the community we live in. There are water-dropping planes overhead and huge helicopter cranes dropping their buckets into the local pond scooping up water to drop on the flames.

We're as ready as we can be. If you live in Southern California you should be, need to be. I already keep our photos and important papers in boxes that are easy to grab and load and I have a video tape of the inside of the house - our inventory of everything left behind.

Hopefully this will all turn out to be nothing more then a 'fire drill' for us. Practice for another time when wind, drought and terrain conspire against us. But right now all we can do is watch the winds and pray this isn't that time.

Yep, She Has It

2008-10-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

How could someone this cute

have something this yucky? But she does! After collecting 7 stool samples over the course of three days (yep that's right 7 and let me tell you my gag reflexes were working just fine during that little project!) as part of Tessa's welcome home medical workup at our pediatricians I got the call this morning and the beautiful Ms. Tessa has Giardia. For those of you unfamiliar with this little lovely it's an infection of the small intestines caused by a parasite - the protozoan Giardia lamblia to be specific. If you're really interested you can click here for more info.

Tessa hasn't been having any of the diarrhea usually associated with Giardia so I was kind of shocked this morning but if I had known any of Giardia's other symptoms I wouldn't have been. In children they can include failure to thrive or gain weight. Tessa not only hasn't gained any weight in the last 3 weeks she's lost some despite a really good appetite and countless bottles. Looking back over my Gladney updates this afternoon I can see she really hasn't been gaining any weight for the last 3 - 4 months. So something was up. Another symptom is foul smelling stools, and well, quite frankly, the girl's poops S.T.I.N.K! I kid you not, I've literally been holding my breath during diaper changes and running those little bomb to the outside trash as fast as possible thinking it's been the change in diet and please God let the stench end soon.

So there you have it. Tessa starts her meds tomorrow and in three days she should be free and clear of Mr. Giardia lamblia. Then we get to start our stool sampling fest all over again! Good times. Meanwhile I'm just keeping my fingers crossed none of the rest of us is infected but so far so good - no symptoms in anyone else!

If You Had A Wish What Would It Be?

2008-10-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last night we tied our wishes to trees. We were in Pasadena to see an art project called 'Wish Tree for Pasadena'. You write your wishes on small pieces of white paper and then tie them to the branches of potted crepe myrle trees. In November all the wishes will be collected from the trees and sent to Videy Island off the coast of Iceland to be combined with wishes from around the world as part of Yoko Ono's Imagine Peace Tower project in honor of John Lennon.

There are so many wishes from so many people hanging from the trees that they looked as if they had thousand of white flowers dancing from their branches in the evening breeze.

So what did we wish? Neilan wished to meet Nemo. I wished for my children to know real joy in their lives. Tessa's wish...well, I wrote one for her too. Neilan then helped with all the tying on duties.

Other wishes that I saw ranged from the very funny to sweet to profound to absolutely heartbreaking - so much feeling and thought hanging from the branches of the trees.

So, what would your wish be?

Weekend Moments

2008-09-28T23:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday we had a little family outing to the mall (yep, you can't get more suburban then that but it was also about 95 degrees here yesterday so don't judge!) I was actually excited to load up the kids and take them because about 10 months ago I'd met a really nice woman who works at the Macy's and who also happens to be Ethiopian! Over the course of the last 10 months whenever I was in the mall I'd find Mimi and keep her updated on what was going on with the adoption. Saturday was my chance to finally introduce our beautiful daughter to her! Mimi was very excited to meet the lovely Ms.Tessa and immediately began speaking to her in Amharic and reaching out to hold her. Tessa got a big smile on her face and her tiny eyebrows started going up and down. This always cracks me up when I see her doing this and is apparently a cultural thing. The Gladney in-country people told me it's like saying 'OK'. Mimi held her speaking all the little endearments I'd heard Tessa's caretakers saying to her in Ethiopia. But you know what - and this is big - after a moment Tessa reached back for me!! First a little then with a loud protest cry! Tessa absolutely wanted to be back in my arms!! When I was holding her once more, Mimi tried speaking to her in Amharic again asking Tessa if she wanted her to hold her. Tessa shook her head no and wrapped her arms firmly around my neck even though she was clearly enjoying hearing Amharic again. I guess Tessa has officially decided I can be her mother and I can't begin to put into words the sheer happiness - and to be honest the relief - I feel.

Tonight we had another great moment. Neilan was going to bed and little Tessa (or as I'm thinking of renaming her 'I'm never going to sleep - not now, not ever') and I were tucking him in. We were laying together in Neilan's bed cuddling with Tessa in the middle. She was trying very hard to hug us at the same time with those little arms of hers. Neilan was laughing at Tessa and she was giggling at him and I tell you all was completely and sublimely right with the universe in those wonderful moments. And then... Tessa threw up.

I guess tummies full of formula and attacks of the giggles with your big brother don't mix.

Some Big News At Our House

2008-09-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Just guess which cute little girly girl stood on her own for the very first time tonight AND took her very first steps? And guess which adorable big brother has decided maybe having a little sister can actually be a lot of fun and maybe he even really likes her?

Need a couple hints........

Part I

2008-09-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

OK first my little disclaimers before really going into our thoughts and experiences about our journey to Tessa.

I think everyone's experience in Ethiopia is inherently unique and special. Circumstances, while on the surfacing appearing the same, are really quite different family to family. Additionally, we were in the first group affected by the new rules about not having your child out in public with you. That alone made our trip very different from what other families in the past have experienced.

I don't think you can truly know a place or a people after 10 days. You can scratch the surface but to get deeper you need to be able to spend the time - really live the place. We have a snap shot of Ethiopia in our minds but with only 10 days in Addis that's all it is - a snap shot. We would like it to be more and for Tessa to have more so we will be going back in the future and hopefully we will be able to build a much deeper and truer picture.

Finally, all children are so unique and react differently to what's happening to them. Tessa was by far and away the most 'upset' of the children in our group of families. She cried and fussed and was miserable. She was sick and scared and missed her caregivers. The transition was made harder for her because of the new rules. It was not a fun 10 days for her and frankly by day 9 I was pretty miserable and scared myself. However, many of the other kiddos seemed to glide through it. Again, each families' experiences are very unique.

So after all that, here goes.... Part I... From the beginning! (And feel free to skip any of the boring parts!)

Luggage from hell? Not so bad!! When we checked into United at LAX for the fist leg of our trip we made sure our bags were tagged all the way through to Addis. Once they were checked in and gone we never had to deal with them again and all 7 pieces made it to Addis in one piece! Amazing!

Which leads to - Fly Emirates Air. Yes we had the overnight in Dubai but for us that turned out to be a plus (we weren't nearly so jet lagged when we got to Addis). The service was very good. Emirates very obviously hires young, good looking, enthusiastic people from around the world. Seriously, this must have been what airlines in the US were like in the 60's. Coach is coach but they have a great entertainment system at every seat with movies, TV shows and video games. It made a long flight bearable through the power of distraction. They also had a flight information channel which showed exactly were the airplane was. We could clearly see where we were and how much further the flight had to go. Weird as this sounds it helped in dealing with the length of the flight since we had a real sense of things moving along. The food was more then just edible it was actually good - very unairline like! Emirates also paid for the hotel room in Dubai since it's a 'forced layover'. No problems getting through the airport in Dubai and the van for the hotel was waiting outside. I can't say the hotel room was all that great but hey, we were tired, jet lagged and happy to lay down. We got a solid 8 hours of sleep and a hot shower. Breakfast was also provided (as was a dinner we were just to tired to eat). The shuttle took us back to the airport and since we didn't have any luggage except the carry-ons it was easy to check in for our next flight. A relatively short plane ride later and we were in Addis!

(Arriving in Dubai from NY)

The Addis airport can be a little confusing in finding the visa office but as other bloggers had advised we just kept turning and following. There was NO line and we got our first sample of how things are done in Ethiopia. The visas and receipts are all processed by hand. Literally the ladies were using carbon paper between the copies so it took a little time for them to get it done. We were also glad we’d taken Gladney’s advice about no money being older then 2002. The gentleman in front of us had two bills from 2001 neither of which were accept much to his great frustration. I changed $100 at the airport money exchange as Joe collected our bags. Which leads to - use the baggage handlers at the luggage carousels!! These gentlemen loaded our bags onto the carts and then hustled us to the front of the customs/baggage check line. They exchanged a few quick words with the people running the customs/ baggage check and we were through! I think it took less then 2 minutes and no one looked at or asked us about anything!! And we’re talking 7 big heavy bags here. I can’t even remember how much they asked for but it couldn't have been more then 5 dollars.

Travis and Ryan were waiting outside customs and here is where the new rules were really starting to make things tricky. We needed to go to the Hilton to check in and they were able to go with us to the hotel to help with our luggage but normally Travis would have brought Tessa to us there or he would have brought her to us in the living room of the Gladney baby house. With the new rules newly in place, we couldn't have her with us at the hotel and Travis and Ryan were being run ragged trying to take care of all the families at different guest houses and hotels as well as figure out childcare so people could get out. That left us to check in, dump our bags in our room, get our driver and go to the Gladney foster care home on our own. We literally walked in by ourselves, found our way up the stairs, said her Ethiopian name a few times and were pointed to her crib by the caregivers.

And here is the very, very best part because...... there she was!!! There was Tessa Kidist looking out at us with her big soulful eyes!! We finally, really, truly had our daughter in our arms!! It felt like a dream we’d both had for so long had suddenly magically materialized right before our eyes! And it still has that half real, half dreamlike quality even remembering it now! Still Magic!

(Seeing our beautiful daughter for the first time!)

And here is the not so great part. It was not the best thing for Tessa to have us meet her with all her caregivers there and for her not to come with us right away. She let us hold her and love her for a few precious minutes but then she wanted her caregivers back. They were right there and she kept lifting her little arms to them and they kept taking her out of ours – even when we didn’t want them to. I can’t completely blame the caregivers - in the past they wouldn't have been there for the transition but the whole situation with the new rules made it hard. And, they're very sweet women who love the children. But every time they would take her from me it made Tessa not want to come to us even more which resulted in a traumatized baby who cried simply looking at us which, of course, made the caregivers reach for her more.

(Tessa with one of her favorite caregivers)

The situation set a pattern for her that was almost impossible to overcome the entire time we were there – even after we moved to the guest house because we still needed a caregiver in order to go out at all since we couldn't have Tessa with us in public. We had thought a few days of transition at the Gladney house followed by a move to the guest house with us would be easier for Tessa. Boy were we wrong.

Coming soon ( I hope) ..... Part II

Update

2008-09-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

6 long days and one pacemaker later my mother is back home with us!! We are hoping this is the fix because honestly I couldn't take her passing out one more time. There's nothing like watching your 76 year old mother fall to the floor unconscious to get your own heart racing! Right now she looks a little worse for the wear but we are very thankful it wasn't more serious then it was. A very sincere thank you to everyone who sent such kind messages and kept us in their prayers!!

Now that I can breath a little I will finally try to post about our trip and the wonderful Miss Tessa!! In the meantime here is the latest and greatest photo of her with her new big brother!

( I think he's finally starting to warm up to her a little!)

Hospitals

2008-09-16T22:58:00.000-07:00

Please say a prayer for my mother. She was admitted for the third time to the hospital yesterday (this time to Cedars in LA) and it looks like she has a serious heart condition. We find out tomorrow how bad it is and as you can imagine my entire family is extremely anxious and frightened right now. Tessa spent 5 hours at the hospital with us yesterday while they were admitting my mom through the emergency room. So much for all the advice about not subjecting your newly adopted child to too much stimulation and keeping your life simple for the first month. Tessa had her own run in with hospitals today when she went for her first physical and blood draw. (This was scheduled before we left to get Tessa and my mother insisted we keep the appointment) It was so traumatic for her she ended up projectile vomiting all over me and the hospital bed we were sitting on while they took the blood samples. And, we have to do this two more times to finish all the blood tests her doctor wants done.

Yes, We Are Alive!

2008-09-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

We're back!! Rest assured we are alive if not to well at the moment. All the kiddos at Gladney seem to be battling either upper airway infections or pneumonia and unfortunately Tessa has been sick since the first day and we both caught it. On top of that, my mom has been hospitalized twice since we got back. Fun times.

Tessa is truly amazing but things have been a work in progress. While it was love at first sight for us I can't say the same for her. In fact, I would have to say it was more like 'get those people the hell away from me NOW' for her. She would go to anyone else as long as it was not me or Joe. I kid you not, anyone else was better then us. The child literally cried just looking at me. While the Gladney training sessions had prepped us for the possibility of a child having a hard time transitioning I tell you it is one thing to know it intellectually and another thing all together to experience it. I was OK with it until last Sunday when I realized we had planes to get on the next day. I then proceeded to have a full blown panic attack. Luckily the plane rides - while loooooonnnnnggggg - provided a bonding/breakthrough for us all. Little Ms. Tessa is finally showing us her true personality and she is an absolute joy! She is quick to laugh and smile and she has the cutest little LaLa song she 'sings' as she tries to toddle along. Really just to cute for words. Neilan is having a bit of a hard time adjusting to not being our only anymore but time will help with that. I will post again later when we have more of our sea legs under us. There is a lot to tell but I need to process it a little more first. Thank you to everyone who has called and sent such kind messages of support and congratulations. I can't wait for you all to meet Tessa! To tie you over, this photo was taken on our last day at the Guest House. Isn't she beautiful?!

We Are On our Way!

2008-08-30T01:01:00.000-07:00

0 Days and No More Counting cause......

We're off and rolling at Hialeah!!! *

Thank you family and friends for the support and love you've given us during this entire process! And an even bigger thank you for putting up with me during the craziness of getting ready to go! And it was some crazy!! Please keep the good thoughts coming our way as we make the long trips there and back (for those who've asked it's 25 actual flying hours on 3 different flights each way..... yea, good times.)

We'll try and post from Addis once we have our beautiful, amazing daughter in our arms!!

(*in honor of my dad and one of those family traditions)

One More!

2008-08-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

I've got a few last minute things to do, some final bagchecks to make but basically WE'RE DONE! So, I hereby officially declare closed the great suitcase pack of 8-08 and call upon the youth of the world to reconvene in ....... (sorry, Olympic detoxing still going on!)

Remember what it was like when you were a kid waiting for Christmas morning to come?! Yep, that's it! That's what it feels like right now. One big happy crescendo of anticipation. And, I really really want it to be tomorrow morning already! (see, told you Christmas!) These last few days have been a roller coaster ride of emotions (see previous post) but right now - despite some serious sleep deprivation involved in finishing the great suitcase pack of 8-08 and taking care of everything for N - all I can feel is the excited joy of it!

To the families who've trusted us to carry packages to their sweet children - I have them all tucked safely in our carry ons. To everyone who's asked us to take photos of their beautiful children and to spend time holding them and telling them how much their parents love them - what a true joy for us to do so!! Thank you for sharing your children with us.

Michele, Tara and Anne, thank you all for your kind words and wonderful travel advice! Without it I don't think I could have pulled off any of the great suitcase pack! I mean it!

We are almost on our way to Tessa!! One...More....Day!! I'm so excited I don't think I can sleep tonight!! Hey, do I hear reindeer?

Changes

2008-08-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

As we're getting closer (really close!) to leaving - besides being stressed out and distracted by the hundred and one details of packing, cleaning the house, making arrangements for N, getting things ready for Tessa - I'm more and more conscious of how big this all is.

For all of us.

For our Tessa who'll soon be leaving the only home she's ever known and the caregivers who've been her mothers for so long. She'll be leaving behind a brother she never had a chance to meet and a mother she hasn't seen since she was 4 days old. Leaving family to find family. For N who knows he's getting a little sister but doesn't, I think, really know. He's moving from being an adored only child - the sole apple of his parent's eyes - to a big brother who will have to learn to share his parent's time and attention. For us as parents welcoming another child. Changing from our little familiar family of 3 to a newer version, a more full and wonderful version of 4.

Big overwhelming changes all around. But even though I'm this tangled web of emotions these days - full of joy, apprehension, impatience to hold my daughter, sorrow for her birth family - I think I'm ready for the sheer and glorious bigness of it all. Ready for all the changes - big, small, and in-between.

3 days and counting.

Packing And More

2008-08-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

I think I'm almost done....Almost! I spent the day packing up the last of our humanitarian aid. Diapers, formula, bottles, diaper rash creme and other things that we know are needed. And clothes. Lots of clothes thanks to the heartfelt generosity of many of the moms at N's preschool and the nice ladies at our Gymboree who for weeks helped me sort through rack after rack looking for the big markdowns so I could buy as much as possible to take. And toys. Yes a lot of those too. Because kids are kids. And kids and toys go together. So we're traveling with 7 very heavy suitcases and I wish it was more. A lot more. But in the end there is only so much we can carry, check-in, deal with. And still, I wish it was more even while I know it would still never be enough.

What's In A Name?

2008-08-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Maybe the question should be Can your family and friends say it?

We had wanted a first name that we loved and was easy to pronounce. We thought we had it. We really did. But after listening to family (yes, that means you my darling sisters) and friends mispronounced Marielle (It's Mary-L not Mary-ul) time and again -even after being corrected - we are officially throwing in the towel!

It's bad enough that people never get our last name right. OK, Canadians do but apparently they've also had a well known politician with this last name so there you go. But your average American? Not gonna happen. Believe me, my husband's been working with this for over 40 years. It can get pretty ugly. So the last thing we wanted was to pick a first name that was going to require our daughter to correct people all the time.

We thought 'Marielle'. Simple. Elegant. We loved it. It's pronounced liked it's spelled. What could be better? Well.... after listening to interesting tongue twistings and numerous mispronunciations we can tell you what's better ...... Tessa!

Yep, after first testing the pronunciation waters this time, we've decided to go ahead and make a change. While we still love the name Marielle we do not love the thought of our daughter having to set people right the rest of her life (she'll get enough of that with her last name.) And it wasn't a hard choice - we also love the name Tessa. And you know, after the decision was made it somehow felt more like our daughter's name in ways that Marielle hadn't. Maybe because Tessa had the benefit of not being mispronounced - not even once - by any of our 'say our daughter's name back to us' guinea pigs (uhhh I mean family and friends.)

What's in a name? Everything... but you might want to make sure they can say it first!

Marathon

2008-08-23T21:06:00.001-07:00

Tonight was an amazing end to the Olympic Men's Marathon!

Samuel Wansiru became the first Kenyan to win an Olympic gold medal in this event shattering the Olympic record in the process. I'm thrilled! I have a big soft spot for Kenya because as a 16 year old high schooler I spent 3 1/2 months living with a family there. It was a life altering, moving from a kid to an adult experience. I owe Kenya a lot in that regards. And I was thrilled to watch two Ethiopians battle for the bronze medal going 3 - 4! So the Horn of Africa ruled the marathon tonight! How awesome is that!

1 More Week

2008-08-23T01:30:00.000-07:00

Just one more until we are holding our daughter in our arms!!!! Can you even believe it?!!

E-mail and Snail Mail

2008-08-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

Guess what we got in the mail today? Yep! Our airline tickets!!!! 2 weeks and we are off to get Marielle!!! Not a minute to soon cause guess what else we got today? Another update!!! And here is some of what Joanna had to say about our girl....

"Here we go! Kidist seems to be making a shift out of infancy! Her face and movements are maturing and words are replacing some of the crying! Kidist has developed a passed down trait in many Ethiopians, not to mention a form of communication, the raised eyebrow! It is used to 'agree with', like us saying 'okay' and is particularly cute on a little baby! Kidist has some little dimples that are becoming more prominent and likes her minestrone soup! She was holding onto her crib today and I was taking turns kissing one hand at a time and each time she would pull that hand back; staring at me but never backing up! She is too much for words!

So the excitement - and packing, getting the house ready, making arrangments for N stress - builds as we get ready for our trip. I can't wait to hold our girl - to get a little of her infancy before she moves into full blown toddlerhood! So close!!

Opening the Door

2008-08-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

We finally feel secure enough on our journey to our daughter , far enough along on our Ethiopian adoption adventure to open the door and let others in. So, we're officially going public!! Welcome! To our very patient and wonderful family and friends - just think, no more logging in! And we promise we will do our best to post from Addis!

Happy Birthday!! updated

2008-08-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Tessa!

Tessa is 1 today - a whole year old! To celebrate N and I (Joe was out of town) bought a piece of cake, lit a candle and sang happy birthday. Ashley, another kind person with a camera, had already taken a small birthday gift to our girl for us.

It's not the same - not even close- but it will have to do for now. 3 short weeks and we will be on our way to her. Soon sweet girl soon!

Airline Tickets, Baby Carriers and Dental Appointments

2008-08-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

Yep that pretty well sums up the day. Oh and you can add in swimming lessons, immigration forms, house cleaning and auto repairs. But the most exciting news is..... WE BOOKED OUR AIRLINE TICKETS!! Long legs and long flights - not a great combination - so we went with the leg room and are flying Emirate Air even though it means an overnight stay in Dubai. (yeah I know tough one there!) It's really starting to feel like we are on our way to get our daughter! Finally, finally, finally!

Tessa Kidist updated

2008-08-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

WE MADE IT!!!

2008-08-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

WE MADE IT THROUGH COURT!!! Marielle Kidist is officially, for always our daughter!!
Thank you family and friends for keeping us in your thoughts - TODAY IS A GREAT DAY!!!!

Turns out three was the magic number ....Today was exactly three months to the day we received our referral! 3 months to the day we first saw our daughter's beautiful face. Perfect.

More info to follow but right now I've got to take my mom to a doctor's appointment!!

Take Two

2008-08-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

Here we go again - court wait part two - but I actually slept last night and I'm pretty calm this morning. Hopefully we'll be getting good news this morning! I could use good news this morning. As soon as we hear I'll post. Keep your fingers crossed!!

My Great Kid

2008-08-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

I didn't have a good day today - and not passing court was just part of it. So to cheer myself up I thought I'd tell you about what a great kid N is. As most of you know, N turned 5 this spring. We had a big birthday party for him but instead of asking all the kids to bring him gifts, N had them bring new books to donate to Ethiopia Reads. Now, turning 5 is a big deal - as is getting gifts - but N was happy to forgo any gift getting for himself. He composed the following letter (which mommy typed for him) to go in each of the boxes of books we sent:

My name is N. I am 5 years old. I have a new sister who is coming from Ethiopia soon. For my birthday I decided to ask all my friends to bring books that I could give to you for the boys and girls in Ethiopia instead of presents. I got a lot of books. I hope you like them.

See, I told you, N is a really great kid!!

Not Yet

2008-08-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

We didn't pass court today. Little Ms. K's birth mother was at court and relinquished but no opinion was sent over. So we wait until tomorrow. Please keep praying for us, sending us good vibes, karma or simply crossing your fingers for us. Tomorrow is another day and we have one more chance to make it through before the court closings. I'm basically OK with things right now - nervous but OK . At least I can breath since we did get over one major hurdle today but talk to me tomorrow if we don't get through and Jessica calls to give me an OCTOBER court date. That will be a different story. For now it's alright.

We are also thinking of little Ms. K's mother today - a day that was, in all likelihood, exceedingly hard for her and hoping she finds peace and knows we will love and cherish K for her and that we are profoundly thankful to her for the sacrifice and gift she gave us.

WAITING!

2008-08-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

The decision has already been made and now we're just waiting to hear from Jessica at Gladney what that decision is. I didn't sleep last night and I'm so anxious right now I can't think straight! According to other families who have been through this, we still have a couple hours to wait for the phone call and with so many families in court last night it may take even longer then that. I'll post when we hear. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let it be good news!!!

One More Day

2008-08-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

Our court date is tomorrow or rather, it is tonight! Since Ethiopia is ahead of us our case is going to be decided while we sleep (oh yeah like that's going to be possible!) I'm already a nervous wreck and the day has just begun. It's going to be a long day and night of waiting. Please keep us in your thoughts today and tonight that we and little Ms. K receive good news in the morning!! And please keep a good thought for all the other families who are waiting to see if they will make it through court tonight as well.

Weight and Dates

2008-08-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

I eat when I'm stressed out (chocolate being my personal drug of choice) so in the last two and a half months with all the delays and uncertainty I've managed to gain.......wait for it cause I'm still gettin' up the nerve to even type it .......15lbs!! URRRRR! Someone please wire my jaw shut at this point PLEASE!! Unfortunately, the e-mail I just got from Gladney isn't going to make this weekend any less of a stressfest. The courts in ET are closing on the 7th now instead of the 8th! That means the last day for anything to get through court will be Aug. 6th. So, the 5th will be make or break for us as far as being able to travel now for little Ms. K vs. November or December. I had rather foolishly thought if there was a slight problem on the 5th we could still maybe get back into court on the 6th & 7th and even as late as the morning of the 8th. There goes that little security blanket of naivete. So the 5th it absolutely, no other chance before the close of court, has to be!!!! Oh and could someone please pass the chocolate!!

Updates and Court Dates

2008-07-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

We just received an update on little Ms. K! Here is some of what it said:

K is doing great! She is very strong and able to do most of the requirements by the end of the 10th month on her development chart! K uses 'immature jargoning' but otherwise does not say much. K is definitely more comfortable around familiar faces but crying is a big part of her communication regardless! She is easily more accepting of new women than new men and only those who meet her basic needs, on a constant basis, will be able to bond closely with K. K is a jewel and worth any extra effort but 'quality' and quantity' will be one and the same!

There was also a new photo! The expression on little Ms. K's face is what I like to call "baby mugshot"! My niece had that same look on her face in update photos my sister would get. Tooo funny!

Today officially marks ONE WEEK UNTIL OUR COURT DATE! Please keep your fingers crossed for us! This has been a long wait and we are missing so many things (like a first birthday Aug. 10th!) K changes everyday as baby do at this age and we hate having to miss these things!

2

2008-07-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

Today is exactly TWO months, TWO weeks and TWO days waiting for our little girl to come home to us.

Today is also TWO weeks until our court date!!

WE HAVE A COURT DATE!!!!

2008-07-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

August 5th!!

That's the day that little Ms. K could really truly for always become ours!! I can't tell you how happy we are to have finally, finally gotten this news!!

Please pray, send good vibes or cross your fingers for us - whichever you choose - we really need to pass court on that day since they are closing Aug. 8th. (I know, who doesn't have that date seared into their brains at this point I've mentioned it so much - so hey why stop now?!)

Oh and did I mention that 10, that's right 10, families passed court yesterday!!

Things are looking up in a spectacular way!

***Update...2 more families successfully passed court today!!***

Updates - I LOVE Updates!

2008-07-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

We got an update today on Little Ms. K!! I am really starting to live for these updates and Joanna in ET continues to be one of my all time favorite people for providing them!! Here is some of what she had to say...

"What a smile! K's grins will burn a permanent picture in anybody's memory! She may have heard how cute they were because she is smiling a lot more. K is a happy baby and that is undoubtedly helping her develop! K is a 'girly girl' so bring plenty of pink!

And OH the photo they sent!! When I opened the new photo of her, N said 'She's sooo cute!' which I thought was soooo cute! Spoken like a true big brother!! Little Ms. K was laughing in the photo and I could see some of her new baby teeth! And her toes!! I love baby toes! There is always something so sweet about them. And in today's photo her little toes were front and center. I can't wait to kiss each and every one of them! Not that I'm prejudice or anything but Ms. K is simply a beautiful little girl!

Please everyone keep your fingers crossed for us a court date comes soon and we manage to pass on our first try!! We can't wait to bring our baby girl home!

I think we can!

2008-07-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

IT happened today!!! Opinions are starting to be given out for court and Gladney let loose in a big way with Referrals!! 7 Families saw photos of their children for the first time this afternoon!! SEVEN! There is a lot of happiness for us and all the Gladney families tonight after so many long, long weeks of stress, uncertainty and worry. And like the little engine that could... I think we can, I think we can, I think we can actually make it through court before Aug. 8th if we get a court date soon!! Come on Court date!! We are waiting with all our hearts to bring Little Ms. K home!!! And I really think WE CAN!!

You REALLY better get ready to dance!

2008-07-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

Little Ms. K's mom has signed all the needed paperwork, a court date has been officially requested for us AND, it looks like Gladney cases are going to start proceeding again very soon and all this in the last two days!!! People, we actually have a shot at passing court before Aug. 8th! Can you believe it!!

I'm telling you, if you weren't doing the happy dancing before, you had better let me see you move it now!!

She Made It!

2008-07-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

Out of the blue I got an e-mail from our Gladney rep today. (OK people prepare to get your dancin' shoes out!) Little Ms. K's mom met with the Gladney staff person today! Alright! Everyone, Let me see your happy dance!!

Gladney is sending over a social worker to meet with her tomorrow to have her sign final paperwork and once that is done - they can finally ask for a court date for us!! And while the larger problem still continues to delay anyone from getting through court, I don't even care today because (come on HAPPY DANCE people!) Little Ms. K's mom is alright and is going to sign the final papers!

No Much Needed Good News

2008-06-26T00:59:00.000-07:00

Little Ms. K's mother missed her meeting today. I'm not sure what that means for us or little Ms. K except more delays. We are frustrated, disappointed. Jessica is going to ask Belay what has happened in the past with situations like this and see what his gut feeling is about us even getting a court date before Aug. 8th. We're hoping to hear by Friday. Up and down and up and down....

Phone Calls

2008-06-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

The conference call.

Yesterday was the Monday Gladney conference call and for the first time it included ALL of the Gladney families adopting from ET. The Q&A portion was hard to hear - a lot of background noise and such. But - and here was the punch I never saw coming - towards the very end of the call, Natalie, one of Gladney's African caseworker, explained that last year some families that didn't make the cut off before the close of court didn't get to travel for their children until mid December! AND, they are expecting the travel to perhaps be longer this year because of the ongoing situation. We are now talking perhaps JANUARY! OMG!

I lost it. Joe got the first tearful message. When I thought I had recovered enough and could sound composed I called our caseworker Jessica. She got the following message.. "Jessica - at this point I knew I hadn't recovered enough but it was to late I was already in - (voice quivering) please (little sniffle) call me tomorrow. (clearly trying not to cry now) Please call me I really (quiver, sniff) need to talk to you." Yeah, so much for composure. Oh and by the way did I mention this was all happening at the center where N gets therapy? I'm literally out in the hallway with all the other moms and kids walking past me while N's in PT . Thank goodness he also had playgroup so I dropped him off and went home where my friend Mackenzie got treated to a 20 minute tear-filled phone call rant. (Thank you Mackenzie for listening and being so patient!)

The call today.

I got a hold of Jessica this morning and she told me she'd just heard from the staff in ET and K's mother is back! (First, thank God she is alright - we were truly worried about her) Belay, the Gladney staff person in ET, is going to met with her tomorrow to see what happened, and to arrange for her to sign all the final needed paperwork. As Jessica said, this is VERY good news!! At least we may find out if we can get going on even requesting a court date. I told Jessica we weren't expecting to clear court but we REALLY, REALLY want to have a court date before Aug. 8th so we could perhaps travel much sooner then January.

I guess we'll have to see what Belay has to say tomorrow after speaking to K's mother. Please keep your fingers crossed that tomorrow's phone call brings some much needed good news!

Nada on the good news

2008-06-22T23:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in awhile because I just don't have any good news to share. Nothing is moving forward on any front. On the personal front, the staff in ET is debating now whether to have a family member go to court or whether it would better to file an abandoned child report. Subsequently, Gladney still hasn't been able to asked for a court date for us. TICK TICK TICK.... August 8th looms large. And even though I know realistically there is no way we are going to get through court at this point a little (ok BIG) part of me still can't help but hope that we do somehow. Joe and I just want little Ms. K home. Period. And I just can't believe how frustrating, fear invoking, and messy this has all become.

1

2008-06-14T00:27:00.000-07:00

Today is exactly ONE month, ONE week and ONE day waiting for our little girl to come home to us.

A Bright Spot

2008-06-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

Jessica just sent me an update on our girl this afternoon. Here is what Joanna, the Gladney staff member in ET had to say....

K is definitely princess material! First of all, she loves jewelry! Bracelets, necklaces and rings! She like them all and does not like giving them back or sharing! K likes to play gently, games like patty-cake and such but comes across as more of an intellect! She is quietly inquisitive and mostly an observer. And with her beauty, she will have most things in life!

Likes jewelry? Princess material? She is sooo going to fit right in! Jessica also sent a new photo of our little Ms. K. She is such a little beauty! I'm so grateful Jessica sent this today because we needed a little happy news! And Joanna has officially become one of my favorite people!

Update.....And it doesn't look good

2008-06-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well the news wasn't great today. Jessica called to tell me that the staff in ET thinks they are going to need 10 days to even be ready to request a court date to have a family member declared responsible for K. Then we have to wait for the courts to assign a court date to consider this. Then if that court date goes OK on the first try Gladney can finally request a court date for us. Then we have to wait to be assigned a court date. Then we have to get through court on our first try (which a lot of families don't do). And all this by August 8th. You can see where I'm going with this. We are, in all likelihood, NOT going to make this August 8th deadline before the courts close for the rainy season. This means we are looking at November or maybe even DECEMBER at the earliest to go and get our girl. By then, K will be 15 or 16 months old. We will have missed her first birthday and her first steps. We will have missed all those sweet milestones babies make between now and then. But we are most frustrated at the thought of K sitting there the extra 3-5 months. Because as good as the Gladney foster care home is - and it is - it is still a facility not a real home. So we have no choice but to hope and pray that we get the miracle of good timing and maybe, just maybe, we will be able to get her home before the end of the summer but it doesn't look good right now folks.

Houston We have A Problem - Part II

2008-06-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

Gladney had a conference call today for all the families who already have court dates and those, like us, who are waiting for their court dates. The Gladney staff pretty much went over the situation in ET again and were, for the most part, reassuring that things should be moving along in another week (they hope). OK that part was pretty good. Here's the part were things got a little rocky. I spoke directly with Jessica, our Gladney caseworker, and she had some not so good news for us. No one can locate K's mother. Not even her family knows where she is. This is a big issue since the birth mother is required to go to court to relinquish parental rights to complete an adoption. Jessica has informed us that the staff in ET will now be looking for another family member to go to court to take legal responsibility for K. Once that is done, this family member could relinquish parental rights when we finally get a court date. In a nutshell, they need someone to take responsibility for K so that that someone can relinquish responsibility for K. Tomorrow I'm supposed to find out how long the Gladney staff in ET thinks this may take. In the meantime we are truly concerned about K's birth mother's welfare - we are hoping she is alright!!

The Swear Jar (Updated)

2008-06-08T09:23:00.001-07:00

For absolutely no reason other then I think this is REALLY funny! (And for those of you who know me well - no big surprise there!)

Enjoy, because in the interest of good taste (which I guess if I had any this wouldn't be here in the first place), the video will be coming down at some point.

(Update* Well, like they say, all good things must come to an end ;) I did warn you it was going to go!)

Kind People with Cameras Part II

2008-06-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

WooHoo for e-mail!! Yesterday I got an e-mail from a great couple who just got back from picking up their new son in ET. Tara (she of the great couple) sent me 13 (that's right 13!) new photos of our beautiful little Ms. K! And Tara wrote this about her:

Let me tell you about your sweet K! She is obviously just lovely, but she also has the sweetest personality! As you will see in the first picture, she was peering her little head outside of her bed so that she could look and smile at us in the hallway. It was so cute that she was trying to get our attention and when she finally did, we picked her up and played with her a long time. She looked and stared with huge eyes at her picture book you sent and seemed enthralled with it :)

We just loved your sweet baby girl!!!

And yes little Ms. K is just lovely! And no we CAN'T WAIT to hold her ourselves! Now as for being enthralled with the picture book well, the look on little Ms. K's face (as she was staring at a baby photo album of pictures of us and grandma and cousins) was more the look of 'who ARE these people?' It totally cracked me up!

We are so grateful to Tara and her husband for taking over our gifts to K and for the gift Tara gave us of all those amazing photos of K. They are kind people with cameras and we are very thankful!

The Girl Effect

2008-06-05T21:54:00.001-07:00

To learn more about The Girl Effect (and to see an extremely well done PSA that contains no images just words) click on their logo in the right-side banner.

To give more, and I hope all my fellow sisters out there will, please click here.

Houston I think we have a problem.....

2008-06-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

I received a phone call from Jessica, our Gladney caseworker, yesterday telling me that a problem has developed that is going to put on hold all pending cases in the courts and probably delay our getting a court date. I am literally sick to my stomach. August 8th looms large and there is no way to tell how long the delays may last.

So we will just have to wait and wait some more and hope and pray things move along quickly and that we are holding little Ms. K in our arms very soon.

IMPATIENT (the definition)

2008-05-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

1. restlessly eager : they are impatient for change [with infinitive] he was impatient to be on his way.

And WE ARE!!

Still no court date. Checked the phone - working. Checked to make sure Gladney has our correct phone numbers - yep. And still NO CALL WITH A COURT DATE! Today is exactly 3 weeks and 1 day waiting for this date. I'm not a patient person (OK family stop nodding your heads in total agreement and laughing) and the wait is killing me. No court date means we are getting closer to not making the August cut off for the close of courts. No court date means we may be looking at a really LONG wait to get little Ms. K. Urrrrrrrrrrrr!

On the plus side I have baby proofers coming today to put the latches on the cabinets and bolt the tall furniture to the walls. So I will just have to be satisfied with the small steps. But please, that phone better ring soon!

Waiting AGAIN

2008-05-22T09:29:00.001-07:00

It's been two weeks since we accepted our referral for little Ms. K and waiting for a court date officially sucks! In a lot of ways this is sooo much worse then waiting for our referral because we have a beautiful face, a name, a little girl who is waiting for us now to! Plus, I am so anxious about beating the August deadline when the courts close for the rainy season. Don't they know I simply can't wait until OCTOBER to get our girl! I keep willing the phone to ring but so far silence. So here we are again - WAITING! Keep your fingers and toes crossed for us that the phone rings soon.

Draught and Starvation in the Horn Of Africa

2008-05-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

We care because our daughter is coming from Ethiopia. We care because we are parents. We care because how can you read any of this, see any of this on the news and not care. The words, the images are heartbreaking and overwhelming.

This article about the draught and starvation taking place in the Horn of Africa appeared in the NY Times Saturday. CNN ran this article today about the starvation taking place in Ethiopia. The situation is clearly turning into a major humanitarian disaster and the hardest hit are the children. You can go to the UNICEF information page to learn more about what is happening. And, if you can, please, PLEASE make a donation to UNICEF's Ethiopian famine relief fund. ( Click here for a link to that site) Or donate to UNICEF's Horn of Africa drought relief fund. (Click here for a link to that site)

Anything will help.

A Walk To Beautiful

2008-05-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

Nova aired the documentary 'A Walk To Beautiful' tonight. The documentary followed the plight of five women who had suffered injuries during childbirth called fistulas (fistulas are holes through which urine and sometimes fecal matter leak uncontrollably through the vaginal opening). The women were abandoned by husbands and shunned by communities and families.

It was amazing to see the courage, perseverance and grace all these women showed in their determination to be healed as well as witness the work of the hospital staff -the doctors and nurses who worked with the women and treated them with such compassion and humanity.

However, while the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital is able to do about 30 surgeries a week, or about 1500 cases a year, they estimated there are another 100,000 cases left untreated in the remote areas of Ethiopia. This is not just an Ethiopian problem. This is a world wide problem - 'a silent and prevalent epidemic' one surgeon called it - of poor women in remote areas all over the developing world.

To learn more, or if you want to make a donation to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, please go to www.fistulafoundation.org.

It's A Girl Thing

2008-05-12T17:59:00.000-07:00

I caved this weekend - TOTALLY caved- and bought our beautiful Ms. K some of the cutest little girly girl outfits you've ever seen!

Shopping for clothes for Nthese last 5 years (oh my gosh my baby is going to be 5!!) I've often looked over at the other substantially larger side of the store (witnessed the 1/3 of the store space allotted to boys clothes vs. the 2/3 space allotted for the girls) and it's oh so cute selections (boys clothes - same T Shirt different frog, truck or surfboard on the front and hey, cargo shorts for everyone!) and had some serious girls clothes envy going on. So after 5 years of built up girls clothes lust, I finally got my fix! AND OH YEAH it was a BIG fix!!

OK in all fairness there are some really cute boy things out there - just not to the level of the girl's stuff . And yes, I've gone crazy buying things for N - he is just such a way cute kid I can't help myself - but Ohmygosh the girl things!!!

Making my first purchases at Gymboree I started thinking about how adorable K is going to look in all the little dresses and jumpers I was buying and that I was really buying them for our new daughter and I chocked up - yep right there at the counter.

Some of the Cute Insanity From This Weekend

Goodie Bag Hell

2008-05-10T08:55:00.001-07:00

In all the excitement and joy of receiving our referral for our daughter, I've been slipping on planning N's birthday party and it kind of caught up with me. Yesterday, I was in complete and total goodie bag hell! Stressing - actually stressing - about what the heck to put in these things that 1) won't cost a mint - because that junk really adds up by the time you've bought enough for 20 kids 2)somehow ties into the theme of N's party (space and planets) and 3) because it kills me to just buy straight crap - locate things that have some kind of interest or educational something about them. YEEEEEEEE - why do I cave on these things every time? Of that's right, the kids expect them and I'm feeling the pressure! So, lord help me, N is getting goodie bags at his party. And they all better appreciate them!

Kind People with Cameras

2008-05-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

I emailed Angie last night- she's a woman who's blog I've been following as she and her husband made their way to Ethiopia and their new son. She had mentioned in her blog that she had pictures of some of the other children in the Gladney home and if you contacted her she would check to see if she had a picture of your little one. So I did! And Angie not only emailed me back, she had THREE of the most beautiful pictures of our little girl!! Laughter, tears, ugly cry!! Then it got even better (if that was even possible!) she and her husband sent me a little video clip of K!!! AMAZING!

Michele, another woman who's blog I've also been following, is on her way to Ethiopia and her new son tomorrow. In the mist of all her last minute packing and making arrangements for her family here, she offered to take photos and check on K for us! These are very kind people with cameras and we are very thankful to them!

Referral Accepted!!

2008-05-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

Joe sent the greatest e-mail to me today (he's been in meetings in Boston and NY through all of this and it's been hard for him to get to phones when calls have come in from Gladney). I e-mailed him this morning what our pediatrician said -- K's reports look fabulous-- and about the additional info Gladney gave us this morning. His one word email? YES! So, we have officially accepted the referral for our beautiful little girl!! Now we move on to the wait for a court date! According to Gladney this wait is typically 4- 6 weeks. Keep your fingers and toes crossed we sail through in this timeline and on the first try!! Joe and I are more then anxious to beat the August 8th closing of the courts for the rainy season. We REALLY REALLY don't want to have to wait until October now that we've seen her - I just want her home with us!

Until a successful court date we are not allowed to post pictures of our little cutie or tell you her name on this blog but, if I haven't sent you a photo yet, just e-mail me and I'll make sure you get to see her! She is so absolutely cute it's ridicules!!

I can't tell you how happy and thrilled we are!!!

REFERRAL!!!

2008-05-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

We Are Overjoyed!

Our families are waiting too....

2008-04-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

My beautiful niece! Came home to her forever family from Guatemala on Dec. 14th!

We're Nesting....

2008-04-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

Brooks and Tanya came today (in the 100 degree heat no less!) to help me finish setting up the baby's room. Here is a shot of the cute wall art they put up for me. Brooks is going to make a special bird print to finish the room that will contain a map of Ethiopia! We are nesting!!

Tom Shoes - Good Cause Cute Shoes

2008-04-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't already know about Tom shoes I thought I'd share. For every pair of shoes sold by Tom they donate a pair to a child who is shoeless. Infact, they've already given away over 10,000 pairs to indigent children in Argentina and 50,000 pairs were given away this November to children in Africa! A great cause and chic too... the shoes are being sold at Fred Segal (Ann-Marie have you seen them?) and are being picked up by Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom's. They started with men's and women's shoes then added their Tiny Tom line for infants and toddler's. I personally love these little pink camo shoes...too cute! So shop and do good (does it get any better then that?!) - check out Tom shoes here.

And The Wait Goes On (but maybe we're getting close!)

2008-04-24T07:43:00.001-07:00

A little update... Another couple using Gladney who went on the wait list Jan. 4th received their referral for a little boy two days ago! This is good news because Joe and I went on the list Jan. 8th! So keep your fingers crossed we are getting closer even though the wait for girls is supposed to be a little longer then for boys. Soooo, wait mode still - but moving closer to our daughter everyday!

I know I've already asked a number of you already but... it doesn't hurt to ask again....If you (or any anyone you know) have any old suitcases that are still functional (i.e. can survive a flight to Ethiopia still closed!) that you no longer want, we would love to have them to pack humanitarian aid in when we do go to Ethiopia to pick up our little girl. Most importantly, if you have any new or slightly used cloths for children ANY size from 0 - 19 years you could send us to take along - including day clothes, pajamas, underwear, shoes - we would be very grateful for your generosity! All these clothes will be going to the orphanages that Gladney works with in Ethiopia and J and I would like to take as much as we possibly can!

A Good Cause (and cute)

2008-04-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

They're not kidding about what they have printed on their t-shirt. Tiny Revolutionary is giving $20 for every one of these t-shirts sold (adult and children's) directly to the African Aid Foundation to fund a child in a school lunch program in the Buduburam refugee settlement in Ghana for a year. That's one guaranteed meal for a child who is not guaranteed anything! So shop and do good! Click here to buy a shirt.

Our Families are waiting too....

2008-04-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

My beautiful niece, nephew and brother-in-law.

We Are Still Waiting.....

2008-04-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be easier to start a blog to keep all our kind, wonderful and inquiring family and friends up to date on what is going on with our adoption..... so I am officially starting our blog! OK, we are still waiting! We are now within the 'referral' time frame (3 - 5 months of our dossier arriving in Ethiopia according to our adoption agency) and could receive a phone call at any point - but no call yet! And yes, while I started out very zen about the whole thing it is starting to get to me a little. The kind people at Gladney weren't kidding when they warned waiting is the hardest part (and silly me thought it was trying to get fingerprinted and entertain an impatient four year old at the same time!) STAY TUNED!!!

Journey To Our Daughter

One Year

First Day

Go Feel The Joy!!

Hacked!

DVD

HOW JOY GROWS!!!

Six

JOY!

One year ago today....

Our Day In Court

One Month

Rainy Day

Cupcakes and Photos

Some Good Advice Needed!

Merry Christmas!

Finally

Bad Blogger!

Sponsor A Child

Two Months

VOTED

Pumpkins and Halloween

A Late Wordless Wednesday

Tagged

Fire Drill!

Wild Fires

Yep, She Has It

If You Had A Wish What Would It Be?

Weekend Moments

Some Big News At Our House

Part I

Update

Hospitals

Yes, We Are Alive!

We Are On our Way!

One More!

Changes

Packing And More

What's In A Name?

Marathon

1 More Week

E-mail and Snail Mail

Opening the Door

Happy Birthday!! **updated**

Airline Tickets, Baby Carriers and Dental Appointments

Tessa Kidist *updated*

WE MADE IT!!!

Take Two

My Great Kid

Not Yet

WAITING!

One More Day

Weight and Dates

Updates and Court Dates

2

WE HAVE A COURT DATE!!!!

Updates - I LOVE Updates!

I think we can!

You REALLY better get ready to dance!

She Made It!

No Much Needed Good News

Phone Calls

Nada on the good news

1

A Bright Spot

Update.....And it doesn't look good

Houston We have A Problem - Part II

The Swear Jar (Updated)

Kind People with Cameras Part II

The Girl Effect

Houston I think we have a problem.....

IMPATIENT (the definition)

Waiting AGAIN

Draught and Starvation in the Horn Of Africa

A Walk To Beautiful

It's A Girl Thing

Goodie Bag Hell

Kind People with Cameras

Referral Accepted!!

REFERRAL!!!

Happy Birthday!! updated

Tessa Kidist updated