Here we go...

OK, so I am a blog virgin. I have read plenty of blogs, but never have I felt the need to write my own. I am still not feeling particularly called, but it has been raining for days and I am procrastinating on getting any meaningful work or household chores done. I have absolutely no idea the journey this blog will take in the future, so it may be meaningless drivel that no one wants to read - and you know what, that is totally fine. More than anything, I am just glad to notice there is a spell check button. I am a former English teacher and current school administrator, but I am not a naturally strong speller. I have an irrational fear of posting something with horrific spelling errors and looking foolish.

My brain is going a thousand miles an hour trying to come up with something witty and intelligent to write about. Apparently the synapses aren't all firing, because I am drawing a blank. I swear, when I was running this morning, I was on fire. Had anyone been there to listen, they surely would have been wildly entertained. Instead it was just me and my thoughts - and my slightly asthmatic lungs attempting to breathe as I finally get back to running. Oh well. So, I guess with the thought in mind that in the future the only folks who might stumble upon this are family and friends who are mildly interested in a peek into our lives, I will make today's post about the topic of converstation that comes up the most - the adoption of our Ethiopian little girl.

As I have told many of you, a few weeks ago the Ethiopian government began investigating the cases of abandoned children in Addis. MOWA stopped writing letters of endorsement for the court system as well. It is impossible to pass court without a letter from MOWA. Thus, the referrals have dramatically slowed down and so many families are stuck in limbo waiting to pass court so they can be united with their children. We are entering into our 7th month of waiting for "the call" since getting our paperwork overseas. This process is so much harder than I ever anticipated. I am crossing my fingers that come July, we learn who our little girl is. Unfortunately, the courts shut down anually for August and September, so we likely would not get to travel until late fall - making it an 18 month "pregnancy". I have learned a great deal during this journey. I suppose the greatest life lesson I have gleaned is that patience truly is a virtue. I can't control the course of events, so I just need to learn to step back and let it all happen. Yes, this is WAY harder than it sounds. Especially for me - who is a self proclaimed control freak. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Reilly, when he was probably 4 years old. I remember telling him, "Reilly, sometimes you just need to go with the flow" to which he responded, "Mommy, I do NOT like the flow" as he balled his little fists up in frustration. Well, Buddy, I too am not a fan of the flow, but such is life.
Everyone asks us what we will name our daughter. Last year, when we first began talking about it with the boys, Colby really wanted to name her "Pikachu" after his favorite Pokemon. While that will not be her formal name, we have yet to settle in on a favorite. We have a short list at this point, but we can't seem to agree. (Ok, I pretend it is a democracy, but I am fully aware that I give my own vote far more weight than anyone elses... but we can pretend). I really am longing to hold her. I have done a fairly good job of managing my emotions during this process, as I knew up front it would be long. But now I am simply ready - ready for gummy smiles, belly laughs, and baby kisses. Yes, I know the adjustment will be hard, but really do I need to focus on that in my daydreams?
So, I will sign off for now and get to work. When I have a brilliant - ok, even not so brilliant- thought about some other random topic, I will post. Believe me, my brain swirls with a bevy of thoughts - from my uncharacteristic love of the TV show "Tori and Dean" to my thoughts as to why there are clearly genetic differences in genders (c'mon, we all know that women are programmed to nag and men can't unload a dishwasher...). Adios for now...