Thankful for the many blessings

Loving the view but needing a nap (note the favorite blankie that used to be mine)!
Don't forget me! Yipee!
All tuckered out after the Wacky Bear experience=)
Mommy and her sweet boy!

Where do I start? Bad news first. Belay informed Natalie that our dossier will not be ready to submit to the courts prior to the closure. That insures a Nov/Dec travel. This makes us very sad that we most likely will not be with M* on her birthday. The waiting will be very difficult but we are understanding of the immense amount of work the in-country staff is doing to help SO many families be united with their children. God's timing. Apparently He has something in store for us or our sweetie girl in the meantime. So we wait and pray.

The good news. I am thoroughly entertained by a world class comedian, actor, singer, musician, and A number one ham! The fabulous, amazing, Ian. He keeps my cheeks sore from smiling and laughing at the quirky little things that he never stops doing! Cute baby story: Last night I got Ian out of the tub and wrapped him up in a towel. Cortney was getting ready for bed in the bathroom. As we left the bathroom, un-cued, Ian says, "Bye Da-Da". He is 1, when did he start speaking in sentences??? Appropriate rhetoric at age 13 months? We were both laughing so hard and Ian started fake laughing because he wasn't sure what was funny! Amused I tell you...thoroughly amused!

We got an update on our sweetie girl. She said that she was a little scared about the adoption and to tell her family that she loves us. We also got her sizes and she is oh so small. Cortney's good cooking will put some much needed weight on her quickly I am sure. Since we were in the Smokey Mountains this weekend we got to do some serious shopping for our little darling. I went nuts! Girls stuff is wonderful! I loved each little outfit I put together and all of the accessories! It was kind of like some much needed therapy! Then I brought all of the clothes home and put them in the closet that will not be used for at least 4 months=(

Ok, so there is the update. The good, bad and not so ugly. I am counting my many blessings tonight and praying that God will love and keep our daughter, displaced by many miles. I have to admit that this is the feeling that I most dreaded of the whole process. Preparing the dossier is tedious, time consuming process but at least it takes your mind off of the fact that you have a child 9000 miles away.

Reading baby and why won't my book close?

Seriously Mommy? Put the camera away=)

I think the video I have uploaded shows the benefits of reading to even the youngest of babies! We have always read to Ian and in the beginning a book was judged most on taste but now we are starting to look at content!!!

Last night was the first night since we came home that Ian slept all night without waking up any and in his own bed!!! I got up at 4am so startled because he was still asleep in his own bed! I ran over and checked to make sure he was okay then with a big smile stretched out in my bed! It was a good sleep for all of us!!

I tried taking pictures of Ian in his little Ethiopian outfit the past two mornings. He is less than amused by my photo shoots and tells me off while I'm chasing him around snapping pictures. I am inspired by the recent photos on the Breedlove blog. She does such a good job of capturing the true essence of her subject. I have always tried to get that picture that really stands out above all the other million snapshots I run around taking! I think 50% of my problem is me but I have to give some discredit to my camera...time for a new one!!!

Our dossier is in Ethiopia as of yesterday. It will spend the next few weeks getting translated into Amharic. In the meantime I am trying to put together a photo album with all of the things M* may see when she gets home. I read somewhere that it is good to send photos of everything so she can get familiarized with her new home even before she sees it in person. Hopefully there will be some families traveling before the shut-down and maybe we can send it by one of them if they aren't already overloaded with stuff!!!

Until next time...enjoy the video of Ian reading his book and figuring out why it just won't close!! I probably should have helped him, but it made a great video watching him figure it out!

Moving right along

Our dossier is in transit to Addis Ababa and is scheduled to arrive on July 7th. At that point there is nothing we can do except wait. Unfortunately, I anticipate our travel to be in Nov/Dec due to the rainy season and usual backlog of cases after the government closure. I am prepared for this and I am trying to enjoy the final months of our family of three!

Ian is doing so many things now. I was watching some old video today while uploading this video and I was amazed at how much he has changed in just 1 month. He is so much more steady now when he walks and he is repeating and mimicking every single thing he sees. He is such a little chatter box!

I have been reading some books on older child adoption and I catch myself being very naive at times. I have never parented an 8 year old child so I guess I just don't really know what to expect. Our social worker was very persistent in making certain that we are aware of all challenges we may be up against, but I keep thinking how it just won't be like that for us. Don't get me wrong, I know that she will probably have many issues with boundaries and defiance. I also know that grief and loss cause a whole host of issues. But in my mind at the end of the day I picture her being loving and happy to be part of our family. Check back in 6 months and I may be singing a different tune!

For now, enjoy this video of Ian admiring a picture of his sister-to-be. Be amazed at my nearly 13 month old son acting like a big boy.