Tuesday, June 28, 2011

T-Minus 13

We are leaving for Addis Ababa in 13 days. We are CRAZY busy. Here's just a small list of what we've accomplished in the last week or so:
  • Cleaned out BBS's (Baby Boy Stone's) room
  • Painted mural in BBS's room
  • Shopped for and bought crib (thanks Carolyn!)
  • Bought cutest little table for BBS to draw at w/daddy (")
  • Bought used Tripp-Trapp high chair
  • Bought clearance baby boy clothes
  • Had garage sale
  • Registered at Babies R Us and REI
  • Picked up used pack and play (thanks Lynn!!)
  • Took leftover items to Habitat for Humanity and consignment
  • Preparing lists of invitees for 3 baby showers
  • Each have had multiple immunizations
  • Researched and booked flights
  • Researched travel insurance
  • Researched and booked hotel rooms
  • Researched additional travel to N. Ethiopia
  • Researched gliders (thanks Liz!)
  • Researched rain boots that are functional, cheap and cute, no luck
  • Got multiple prescriptions for trip
  • Put together medical kit
  • Shopped REI for travel-related items like chlorine tablets for H2O
  • Started packing list
  • Made a list for friend who offered to shop additional garage sales (thanks Julie!)
  • Answered 10,000 questions about the adoption process now that it's happening (ok, maybe 100)
  • Talked with my mom at least 10 times
  • Wrote multiple thank you notes
  • Found a Jackson-sitter (thanks Ann and Ross!)
  • Got photo album for BBS and decided on pictures to take
  • ...
I am too tired to finish this list. You get the picture. 

Oh... I forgot to mention that then there's my full-time job! (Fortunately, I love my job and the people I work with, so it's a pleasant distraction. And my boss, who I adore, let me work from home last week which was a LIFESAVER!) And the women I work (who I also adore) with are laughing at the"baby-brain" taking over my usual hyper-diligence.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

My fryendra til the endrya.

This blog post is dedicated to my friend Kyndra.

Kyndra and her husband have 2 gorgeous kids who also happened to be adopted. I mention they're adopted because she's walked this very path before me. Kyndra has been - as so many people have - amazingly supportive in our journey. (But that's another blog post...)

I met Kyndra at a Nepal potluck more than two years ago and liked her immediately. And in that time, she has: talked me through the ups and downs of Nepal, helped me through the closure of Nepal, helped me come back from kind of losing my mind when we lost our child in Nepal, talked me through the ups and downs of Ethiopia, suggested our international adoption doctor, shopped multiple garage sales for me, found me a tripp trapp high-chair (new for a used price), found me other used baby items, talked me through travel questions, helped with nursery decisions (she's an awesome interior designer if you need one!), offered to host a baby shower, been available for questions at any hour - the list goes on!

OK. I will mention here that I'm a pretty productive person. (I'd even say in the 90th percentile in terms of what I can get done when I put my mind to it.) But today, I was put in my place. I was humbled.

Kyndra did one of the most helpful things a friend could do today. She took me to Babies R Us, and walked me through every single aisle. In less than one hour, we registered for 69 items.

I will admit that, prior to today, I had tried to register on my own, and came up with 4 things I thought we probably needed. Yup. 4. I did learn that of those 4 well-thought out items I worked so freaking hard to register for, we only need 3. Oh, yeah, I also learned this weekend that babies don't use "sheet sets". They have only a bottom fitted sheet. This, after searching in vain for sheets sets and being confused as to why I couldn't just buy the fitted sheet, the top sheet and the pillow cases in one package! And - there is no "6-9 months" size. It doesn't exist. 0-3, 3-6, some 6-12, 12-18, 18-24. No 6-9. Whatever. I think these things are to make people like me feel unfit to be a parent. And it's working.

Anyway. Kyndra knows what one needs when bringing home a close-to-one year-old. She knows the layout of the store. She knows I want mostly natural and BPA-free stuff. She knows my nursery colors and, mostly, she knows that I know nothing about any of this. We had a tight timeline, and we were practically a tornado in that store. We checked in, I was handed a scanner gun, and off we went. (There are seriously very few people who could have handled the pace physically or emotionally.) At one point, I started to ask a question about an item. Kyndra didn't stop what she was doing, held up the item in question with one hand while reaching for the next necessary item with the other, and said: "Point and shoot, Anne. Point and shoot."

So, that's our mantra for the next phase of our life. "Point and shoot. Point and shoot."

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Thursday, June 23, 2011

A sign of things to come.

I don't miss things. I'm always on time. I have clean floors. I write thank-you notes immediately.

If this week is any indication of how life will be when BBS arrives, and I assume it is, all of the above has gone to hell in a hand-basket. Already.

  • We offered to purchase and have dinner delivered for some friends who just arrived home with their little girl from Ethiopia. I wrote the wrong date on my calendar, leaving them without dinner last night. (I don't miss things like this!)
  • I have been late to 2 appointments today and missed a work meeting. (I am always early! I am obsessive about not missing work meetings and responding to emails in an hour!)
  • My floors are a gross disaster. I walked through Jackson slobber and fur and thought "screw it" (or something similar). (OMG! Ask my husband about my floor freakishness!)
  • My wonderful mother sent me an amazing care-package OVER A MONTH AGO for BBS and I haven't written a thank-you note yet. (I write thank you notes within 24 hours - OR LESS!)
WHO IS THIS PERSON???

Sincerely,
Quickly becoming less of a control freak, whether I like it or not.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Our first trip to Ethiopia - what we know as of 12:55pm on Tuesday:

Here are a few details, although vague:
  • We're trying to book tickets today - turns out this is the high season in Ethiopia - of course! So flights are packed but we'll hope for the best. We may stay overnight in Frankfurt.
  • We will probably fly over *around* the 12th and meet him the day after we arrive.
  • We'll get to see him 3-4 times during this first visit.
  • We have our court date July 18th.
  • We'll either pass court, or they'll ask for more documentation, this will require more court dates.
  • We won't be required for subsequent court hearings in the event they're required - our agency's lawyer will handle.
  • We will then fly home - we might see a bit of the country if we can swing it after our court date
  • We then wait for the US to process him as a citizen.
  • This takes somewhere between 1-3 months after we've passed court
  • And they we fly back over -  to bring him home!!
That's all we know right now - obviously much to do in the next 3 weeks! Thank you so much for everyone's thoughts and prayers. 

(The picture is the mural Terry, his mother and I painted in his room this weekend.)

Monday, June 20, 2011

! ! ! !

Our court date is July 18th! 
We made it before rainy season! 
We're going to meet our son!
So, so, so grateful!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Mama Bear

Until I am this:












I am pretty much this:


I am chalking it up to instincts. Don't get between me and my cub. I am mean and very crazy right now.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Excruciating.

I've now talked to two families who got matches with their children more than a month after us. They both already have court dates for June or July.

We're still hoping to get an initial date in July before the courts close down for rainy season in August/September. 

The uncertainty of this, and of our baby potentially spending 2 extra months in an orphanage, is excruciating. I know I should let go, I know I shouldn't worry. I know I need to be patient. But while I know all of that, I am literally sick to my stomach every time I think about timing. I can't breathe. 

There are times when I feel certain we'll travel soon. There are times my my stomach and heart seem to fall through my feet into the floor because we may not.

Please? 

I'm going to go take the pup for a walk/swim at the river, and try to remember all the good. Yes, take my mind off of it.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Three.

This powerful Celtic symbol dates back to 2500 b.c. It's the oldest known Celtic symbol, and is referred to as a triple spiral, Celtic spiral or the Celtic trilogy.

Some say this symbol represents the 3 stages of life: birth, death and eternity; others see it as land, sea and sky. Pagans view it as a symbol of the triple goddess and believe it represents phases of the moon. Sometimes Christians use the symbol to represent the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I've also seen it referred to as a sign of female power - especially power through transition and growth.

Besides the "three prongs" and the associated meanings above, this mark also implies movement: action, constantly going forward, learning and spiritual growth.

Today, this shape to me means, simply, moving towards our three: Father, Mother and Child.