150 days

at #4 on the baby girl list. Who woulda thunk?



We are still hanging on and know it will happen for us some day. If we hit 200 days, you might find me in a padded room and wearing a straight jacket :)

Random Pics

Company picnic at the Lake

Sack races - I think I came in second

Best way to get cool is to give your 2-year old a squirt bottle

Favorite cat in the world - Reese

This is monkey. Cole used to call him "daddy." Coincidence???
Love those blue eyes.
adorable...or creepy, I can't decide

Adoption T-shirt for Texans

If you are in Texas...you should check this out!

My friend has designed a T-shirt and is collecting orders HERE until July 26th.

Tips for your Ethiopia trip

I just finished a really good travellers guide about Ethiopia and recommend it to anybody going to pick up their sweethearts. It is from the Culture Smart series and written by Sarah Howard.

Here are just a few of the interesting facts and travel tips I have learned from this book:

* Half the estimated population of Ethiopia (77 million) is under 20 years old.
* Remember to use the right hand to eat the injera and wot. The left is considered unclean.
* Time follows the traditional Middle Eastern twelve hour clock. The hours start at dawn (6:00). So, twelve noon is 6:00 in Ethiopian time. Be sure to ask which time somebody is giving you for your major appointment or court date.
* It is also a good idea to leave a small piece of food left on your plate. This shows the host that you are graciously full.
* Buna bet or "coffee house" is not what you think. These are usually bars that might also have hotels and prostitutes.
* Ethiopians often greet each other with an embrace, then a kiss on each cheek, and then again on the first cheek.
* Children will walk up to nine miles a day to attend school.
* Orthodox Ethiopians will fast on Wednesdays and Fridays and during the holidays. Fasting means only having one meal a day, usually after 3:00 and abstaining from dairy and meat products. As many as 250 days a year can be kept as fast days.
* Swimming pools at the Hilton and Ghion hotels are heated by natural springs.
* Public latrines are so public, they are called "en plein air." Bring your own toilet paper.

Prescription for Contentment

Most of the email forwards you receive get about 1 minute of your attention. They are either sent on or deleted, rarely to be pondered again. The other day, I received a short one from a friend and I can't stop thinking about it. Very simple, very true, and very hard to do when you are on the adoption roller coaster. But maybe I should try...

Prescription for Contentment:

1. Never allow yourself to complain about anything - not even the weather.

2. Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else.

3. Never compare your lot with another's.

4. Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.

5. Never dwell on tomorrow - remember that tomorrow is God's, not ours.

Court Closure???

Another agency's website stated that the Ethiopian Court will officially be closed from August 6th - September 27.

I have heard many dates for the court closure, but this is the first time I've seen an agency comfirm any of them...

Addendum - IAN just confirmed August 9th to the end of September

Announcement from our agency

Beginning July 15, 2010 IAN will only be accepting new families into the Ethiopia program who are open to children age two years and older. This new policy will not have any impact on families who are already a part of the program.

As all of you know, the combination fewer infant referrals coming out of Ethiopia and growing interest in the program has resulted in a much longer waiting list and longer wait times. It is our hope that this limit on new families will be temporary and we will again accept all families when the wait time is more reasonable.

Wow. I guess this means nobody will be added to the infant lists for a while. I'm sad that this limits families who are joining our agency. But, also relieved that IAN is open and honest about our wait times. They are not willing to "sign people up" when they know the wait will be a lot longer than normal. Of course, in the world of international adoption, everything is a guesstimate.

We are happy about the new baby boy referral yesterday and three more older boys on the waiting list. I hope this a good sign that things might be moving again.

4th of July pictures

This weekend, we drove out to Granbury and had some good old-fashioned fun with my father and sister.

My sweet kidsThe great-niece
My sisterCole
Waiting for the fireworks
My niecesSilly Mike
Adrian
Ka boom
Riding the motorcycle at Main Event (4 kabillion times)
I wouldn't let this guy drive your car

9 months paper pregnant!

As I looked at the calender (and counted on my fingers), I realized it is nine months today since we have been on the list. I guess that means I get to eat cookies today to celebrate :) You see, I'm trying to gain some weight so you can tell I'm pregnant. That's my story that I'm sticking to...

Here is a funny picture I found:

It says "Oh, I'm sorry...You couldn't adopt?"