when cousins come to visit

plenty of creative play
two tired boys

Cheese!

Twas the night before Christmas...

This weekend was wonderful. My sister came to visit, we did Christmas shopping (I am finished!!), got Ian's picture taken at the mall with Santa (not so fun for him), and ate at the Ethiopian restaurant with the Breedlove family.

I got a chance to reflect on how wonderful my life is this weekend. I am so blessed with amazing family and friends.

Pretty Pictures

My little cutie in his sissy's room! Reading the paper...

Relaxing

Future scholar

Court date, you ask? "No", I say. Irked, you ask? "Yes", I say. Still no court date and as far as we know at this point we are no closer now than we were when our dossier arrived on 7-7-08.

We are looking forward to spending our first Thanksgiving with Ian. He is truly an amazing little spirit. I know that I am supposed to say those things because he is mine but honestly...amazing. He is saying everything. He will try to say anything at least once. He woke us up this morning standing in the bed singing the theme song to Sponge Bob Squarepants. He isn't allowed to watch that show but apparently it has a nice enough ring to it that he remembered the melody of the song from the few times he's heard it! He loves football...calls it buttball! Anything pertaining to football catches his attention and gets a loud buttball screamed out! Too cute for words. He says crazy things like doctor and Pacey and out, up, down, in, shoes,...you get the point. His personality is captivating and I guess I never expected him to be his own little person this early. He makes up songs where momma is the only word in the song and it melts my heart. This was the parenthood I was so ready and waiting for. I love this...every moment...even the nights when Ian thinks that morning has come at 2am and we don't go back to sleep until 30 minutes before I have to get up for work!!! Fun times.

Enjoy the pictures and have a blessed and wonderful holiday season.

a weekend of fun

This weekend was packed with fun! Ian went trick-or-treating for the first time ever and he was a little pro! He didn't seem to understand why we didn't go in all of the houses. Eventually he got the hang of grabbing some candy and leaving! He also got to go to his very first UK basketball game!! He really enjoyed it but again didn't understand why he couldn't play with the ball too!

I wish I had an adoption update to give but even thinking about it at this point is too difficult. Soon, I will talk about the events that have transpired...for now know that we are waiting impatiently for our sweet love to be with us.

From the beginning

One year ago today I was working on a busy Monday and a single phone call changed my life..past, present, and future. With a single sentence a voice on the other end of a phone dubbed us as...parents. Parents to an amazing little adventerous, Ian Parker Surafel. A little boy who was lying on a mattress in front of a foster center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia the first day I ever laid eyes on him. A perfect little face with big brown eyes who looked up at me for the very first time and fell asleep in my arms minutes later. All of these events stem from this day one year ago when I first heard of this 5 month old, 10lbs, baby boy named Surafel meaning seraphin and cheribum from the bible.

If you read our blog you know how much our lives have changed over the past year. Ian has blossomed from this tiny, little, fraile being to a strong-willed, smart, inquisitive, assertive little boy. He steals my heart with every look and re-confirms the power of love with each action. One year of knowing him has brought our family more joy than we could've ever imagined.

Inability to blog

You may have noticed that I haven't updated you on our adoption or shared any cutsie pictures of my precious baby boy. There is a reason. I have resigned from blog stalking, "FBI" watching, sharing, catching up, and anything to do with timelines, time tables, courtdates, etc. I become physically ill at the thought of court being open and our file being out in Never Never Land. My daughter's room is finished, her picture is plastered on every wall of the house, my heart is prepared and we are ready for her arrival. I NEVER wanted to feel this feeling again. My heart racing, pounding, the anticipation of waiting on a phone call and a date that she will officially become ours. I set out to focus on Ian and not think so much about the wait. But Monday, the switch flipped and my ability to wait patiently diminished. So long voice of reason...hello full on panic mode. Pray it ends...soon.

Finally...the Clevingers meet the Bakers!!!

This weekend we got to have a delightful dinner with two amazing people and their stunningly beautiful Ethiopian daughter. Having gone step-by-step through this process alongside this family made this meeting even sweeter. About a year ago we were so excited to find another KY family adopting from Ethiopia...The Bakers. We waited anxiously to receive our I-171Hs and then the tumultuous wait for a referral. We had plans to meet in Addis, as they left and we arrived, however the epic that was our trip delayed us so much that we missed seeing them. So finally, on Friday night, wet met the Bakers and darling Sophia! Ian was a little Romeo at first trying to get an keep her attention. Then he put on a squealing show, stole everything she tried to play with, and ended with some good natured toy throwing! We crawled around in the floor of the restaurant and took lots of pictures of the two of them. It was inexplicably nice to talk to these people. They know our plight. Not necessarily just the adoptive parent aspect, but the new parent aspect. The toddler parent aspect. The interracial family aspect. I am so thankful that Ian and Sophia will be long time friends but I am even more grateful that we finally have the Bakers in our circle to lean on for advice and support during this adventure called parenthood.

This boy knows his way around a computer and a Blackberry!

Dancing baby

Spokesperson for Gold Fish crackers!

He is showing his strong face!

Ian is quite the little dancer these days! He knows its cute so he uses it as a way to divert attention when he is being mischievous!

We don't really have anything to report on the adoption front. The courts are closed and scheduled to reopen the last week of September. We will keep our fingers crossed that we get a court date and travel plans before Christmas. My optimistic side is absent these days. I try to remember that the blessings are the children not my time lines being granted. I was able to send two care packages to our little darling this month. I look so forward to getting some new pictures of her and finding out if she was happy. I know that knowing about us could possibly be taking a toll on her. As children leave the place she is now I worry that she may wonder why we aren't coming. In the letters I send her I tell her that we are trying very hard to get all of the paperwork together. It is a process that is difficult for many adults I know to understand much less a precious child waiting for parents. Where oh where did my positive attitude go??

We are trying to keep busy and doing a great job at it. Playtime around here is 24/7. Ian is trying to get over a nasty little ear infection and runny nose. I think it is mostly allergy related but I dread the coming months of winter sickness.

Ian is doing and saying everything. He is a total mocking bird so you have to be careful about what is said. If I am on the phone griping about something he walks around the room acting like he is fussing at someone. I am teaching him bad habits! Oops! He knows who we all are now and freely points everyone out in pictures. I finally get my own title now. Before I was either Sissy or Daddy. Thank goodness he throws me a bone every now and then! Ian is still sleeping in our bed. He starts every night in the pack and play (since the crib is all the way upstairs and down a hall) and about 1 am he wakes up (completely if I don't hurry) and wants in our bed, wants a cup of juice and wants his mommy to snuggle him up. I have learned to do things in my sleep that I never knew possible and not even remember that I did them until I find evidence the next morning. I have learned that intermittent sleep is better than no sleep. I have learned that the kitchen is a long way from the bed...come prepared for war. I have learned that Ian's back has a spring in it that prohibits him from laying in bed and going to sleep the easy way. I have learned that it isn't bedtime until I have broken a sweat, spilled juice all in the bed, and jiggled my leg until the muscle revolts in fatigue! I have also learned that if it can electrocute, fall on, or otherwise harm, it must be a fun toy, why else would mommy run and shriek every time I get near it?? My day is about keeping him alive and assembled. I am learning the joys of parenting a toddler boy. What a joy this child brings me and what a blessed mother I am. Enjoy the video.