Andrew's room

Here are a few pics of the nearly-completed room! I can't wait to bring my adorable boy home to his adorable room!!

No news......

.....is good news?? I'm hoping so. I was supposed to hear confirmation of my Embassy appointment yesterday, but I have heard nothing yet. Sally says we should she have a response tomorrow. Fingers crossed and positive vibes out there!!

HAPPY 6 MONTH BIRTHDAY TO ANDREW!!

I actually finished decorating his room today--it looks great! I'm so excited to get him home and into his room. It's an adorable room for my adorable boy!

update

I haven't posted anything in a couple of weeks....so I thought I would write a bit tonight. The good news is that I have received copies of Andrew's birth certificate, court documents, and passport. It appears that we're on track for our December 30th Embassy appointment. It's not definite yet, as we have to wait to hear confirmation of the appointment on Monday, December 20th. I'll be a little nervous until I hear about that.

I'm in a little better position than some other families though, and I'm worried for them. A wonderful family that I met last month in Ethiopia has not received their documents for their little girl yet. They are planning to travel the same time as I am, but without any word on their documents, it's a bit scary. I feel for them, and I'm hoping and praying that they get copies of their documents in the next day or so. I will be heartbroken for them if they are delayed for some reason.

In the past several weeks, I have had 2 showers, and my friends, colleagues, and family have been so generous. We have almost everything we need for Andrew's homecoming at this point. Just a few more things for me to buy (that I can think of, anyway!). I'm still working on his room, but I should have it ready to go by the end of this weekend. It's going to be beautiful.

I was able to go ahead and get Andrew added to my health insurance since I have his birth certificate! This means that the meds I will bring over are covered and that we can get him set up at the International Adoption Clinic and his new pediatrician as soon as we get home!

I thought I would post this picture here of my smiling boy! I can't wait until he's in my arms, and I can make him smile like that!

Embassy appointment

It looks like my Embassy Appointment will be December 30...we are still waiting on absolute confirmation, but I was told to start looking for flights. So, it looks like I will head back to Addis right after Christmas and will bring Andrew home on January 2!!

The day after I returned from Ethiopia, my dear friend and surrogate daughter, Janetta, threw me a shower--there were about 30 friends and family there. We all dressed in the colors of the Ethiopian flag, ate Ethiopian food (My friend Andrea brought from Atlanta), and played some creative games. Then, this afternoon, my UAB Band family had a surprise shower for me! So many people are excited to share in the celebration of bringing Andrew into our world! I am so appreciative!!

Court Passed--he is officially my son!

On Thursday, November 18, at around 10 am in Addis Ababa, "A" became my son! I am finally able to share a couple of pictures with you here! He is a beautiful, sweet baby...being well-cared for....and I am in love! I have lots more to share about our experiences in Ethiopia, but I'll need a few days to get back to normal before I post! Suffice it to say--it was a fantastic experience--full of a wide range of emotions, some occasional tears, lots of laughter and joy. If all goes well, I should return in about 4 weeks to bring my son, Andrew home!

On the way to meet my little boy!!

Just a short note here to say that we (my parents and I) leave for Ethiopia at 1:30 tomorrow! We have a long flight ahead, but I'm excited about the adventure. I need to go throw some things in a suitcase, but I wanted to document the day!! More from Addis!!

First Court Passed!

On this past Monday, our first court hearing took place in Addis. This is the one when the birth mother officially relinquishes A to the orphanage/government so that I can come adopt him on November 18th!! All went smoothly, so my official travel dates are November 10-20, with court on the 18th. My mom and dad are going with me for this first trip. We're all really excited! We had all of our shots ($$$), I've been collecting donations for the orphanage, and I will pack this weekend. We leave one week from today!!

Recently, I have received several new pictures from families who have seen my little guy, and the pictures are phenomenal!! I'm so appreciative. I wish I could post the pics here, because I'm telling you--my little "peanut" is one good-looking kid:-) When I opened one of the new pictures last night that had him with a giant smile on his face, I just burst into tears! (Of course, pretty much anything related to this process makes me cry these days!) All good!!!