First trip and court dates scheduled!!

I got an email last Monday from Sally at AAI....she said that we have court dates! The first one is November 1. I don't go for that one. At that meeting, the birth mother and the Ministry of Women's Affairs officially declare A-man to be an orphan, available for adoption. The second court date is set for November 18, assuming all goes well at the first court. This is the trip I make. The plan now is to leave Birmingham November 10, arrive November 11...meet A November 12, travel and sightsee in Ethiopia the next several days, then return to Addis to see A again and then the court date on the 18th. I will board a plane that evening to head home. Only a few weeks away! I'm excited and a bit frantic...trying to figure out how much money to bring, what gifts to bring to donate to the orphanage and to thank the people there, best flight options, what clothes to bring, who will travel with me, etc. Not to mention--how do I take care of my bands at UAB while focussing all my energy on the adoption and travel!? So--lots on my mind! To add to that--Sally called on Wednesday last week and told me that they could move my hearing to November 1 if I wanted to travel this week!! That would likely move up A's homecoming date. THAT is exciting...but I just don't think it's practical for me to make this trip happen in a week. I haven't had any immunizations yet....my parents couldn't go if I went this week....it's just too much. So...ultimately, I've decided to wait for the original dates. This way, I at least have a couple of weeks at home to get my act together. Either way--A will probably be home before New Year's if all goes well!! Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Ethio-American Gathering!!

Friday night, I experienced my first get together with other Ethio-Adopt families here in Birmingham. The 3 boys that were there are all around the same age (2-3), and it was absolutely beautiful to watch them play with each other, to play independently, and to interact with all of the adults as well. The first picture here shows the 3 boys holding a picture of my little guy--so we were all there in spirit! Lots of smiles all around, some great conversations with everyone, and the opportunity to build lasting relationships for our unique families!! Love it!!

Another care package!!

There is another couple from my agency going on their first trip to Ethiopia on October 20th. They have graciously agreed to take a care package to A and to take pictures. I bought him 3 onesies and a cloth photo album! In the photo album, I put pictures of me, of grandma and grandpa, and of one of the doggies. I hope that some of the great folks visiting him will show him the pictures and talk to him about it and that the nannies will too!

There are 3 other AAI families that are currently in country and visiting A's orphanage. I sent them his referral photo, so hopefully, they will find him and take some updated pictures for me. I'm getting a bit anxious for an update. I called Sally at the agency, and she said I may expect something around the end of the month!! I'm looking forward to that.

Tomorrow night, I will get together with other families in Birmingham who have adopted Ethiopian children. I'm really excited to have the opportunity to interact with all of the parents and kids!! I hope to develop relationships with these folks who all share a unique bond so that A has a connection with other Ethiopian Americans.

Can't wait to share more about that!!

More connections....

I was thrilled that A and B were able to deliver a package to my little guy in Addis. However, they were rushed at the orphanage, and they were only able to snap one quick picture of A-man, and he was sleeping! SO...you can't see much. It was less than I hoped for, but at least it was something!! At least I know that my little guy sleeps peacefully, with his mouth wide open, and that he has the cutest ears!:-)

I am working on making some more connections through the AAI Yahoo group with folks who will be traveling in October or November. People are so wonderful in offering to deliver packages and take pictures!! The adoption community seems to be full of incredible human beings!!

I have started acquiring furniture for A-man's room. My friend, Val, gave me a beautiful changing table, and last weekend, I bought a crib to match!! I just need to buy a rocker, and then I can decide how I'm going to paint and decorate the room!! I hope to get the room together by the end of October. This part will be fun!

First care package!

A couple using my agency will travel on Tuesday, September 7 to pick up their daughter from the same orphanage where my little guy is. They agreed to deliver a care package to my guy as well as to take pictures!! Very exciting! I just love the connections within the adoption community! Anyway, I bought a couple of outfits, a blanket, and a small toy for A-man (guess that's what we'll call him here!). I packed it up and sent it to them yesterday. Here are a few pics of A-man's first gifts from his mommy!

UNBELIEVABLE--A REFERRAL!!!

Yesterday, after work, I looked at my cell, and there was a missed call from my adoption agency. I thought to myself--this is either really good news or possibly bad news......but my gut said "this is your referral!" This morning, I got the call from Sally! She told me I had a referral....a 2-month old boy that she described as a "cute little peanut." I couldn't breathe--excited, amazed, scared, thrilled! I started to cry immediately, but tried to hold it together while Sally gave me details about his health ("healthy baby"), his birth mom, where he was born, and where he is now. I asked her about possible travel, and she explained that the courts are closed in September. It will take a few weeks for them to assign me a court date when they return at the end of the month. She anticipates that those of us accepting referrals today will travel around the holidays for the first trip. This is perfect!! Very exciting news! I called mom and dad, brothers and sisters, friends, other adoptive parents, my local agency, etc. So fun to share the good news! She sent me an email with a picture of him as well as his orphanage and medical info. I decided to send all of that to the International Adoption Clinic here so that Dr. Chambers can give me her input, but I did accept the referral pending her evaluation!! Sally also put me in touch with a family that's traveling to my guy's orphanage next week, and I talked with them tonight. I'm going to send them a care package to deliver to my "peanut," and they agreed to take some more pictures for me! So exciting and so fortunate!!! What a great day! My birthday is in 5 days--happy birthday to me!:-)

Time to wait for a referral!

My dossier is officially in Ethiopia and has been for a couple of weeks now. My agency told me this week that there is only one other family ahead of me for an infant referral, either gender! This is great news! They estimate that I should hear something in 2-3 months. That means that I should be matched to my baby by Thanksgiving! Once that happens, then I would travel 2-3 months after that to meet the baby and for court approvals.....and then about 6 weeks later, I will make a second trip to bring the baby home. A possible hold up in the timeline could be that the Ethiopian courts close completely for about 6 weeks from August 6th until mid September. So, this timeline could be pushed back another 6 weeks. Either way is fine with me....I'm just hoping to have a baby home by this spring!!

In the meantime, I have plenty to keep busy. My students come back this Saturday, and we have band camp for a week...and then school and the busy football season begins! Plenty to do while I wait for a referral!