YES YES YES YES YES

We are leaving in 2 days. 2!!!! I can't possibly begin to describe my excitement at the thought of holding my girl. I have missed her so very much. She gives the best hugs in the whole world and I am dying to get one! I can't wait to introduce my husband and kids to her as well! We are about 90% packed and I think I only have a couple of errands to run. I did panic this morning and beg a dermatologist to see me to tell me the spot on my face was not skin cancer (that would be some cruel twist of fate - spend two years waiting to adopt and find out 2 days before leaving I have skin cancer), but alas, it is an "irritated freckle". I do, unfortunately have a raging sinus infection, but I have an appointment in an hour, so i will likely have an antibiotic soon. Ironically this happened just before I went over in November too.

We are looking forward to bringing care packages and taking pictures for several families. I know how much it meant to us when others would love on Samantha and send us new pictures. We also vow to keep working with our agency and our government to improve the process of inter-country adoption. It must get better!

ok... have a great day!

And the Drama Continues...

The US Embassy did not meet with AWAA today, so we still don't know if we can travel Friday. They are supposed to meet tomorrow. AWAA's email indicated we should "guard our hearts and expect delays". Really, guard my heart? My heart that has been loving my daughter since September? Guard it?

This is our own government. It isn't like it is the Ethiopian Gov't at fault here. UGHHHHHHHHHH

Yet another disappointment...

Just got an email from the agency that there is now only a "small" chance we will be able to travel when we were scheduled - ONE WEEK from today. Seriously? I am so tired of this journey. We passed court a month ago. It is time to bring our girl home. Ohhhhh, I am sick.

And the Countdown Begins!!!

9 days. 9 days until we board a plane and head to Africa. YIPEE. Ok, so we don't really have confirmed travel, but we booked it and we are going. Naturally I have been excited for months, but this morning I woke up at 5 am and immediately my brain starting thinking about Samantha and logistics and packing, etc. This weekend I finished her room. It is so cute! It is very girlie - which is a welcome addition in our home. Two boys, a husband, and a teenaged male exchange student. This lady is ready for some girl power. I had a very sweet conversation with my 6 year old last night. He was in my lap cuddled under a blanket watching TV. I commented on how our dog Betty gets very jealous whenever I pet Harold and Betty tries to climb in my lap. I told Colby that Samantha will likely take a lot of lap time at first, and that she won't have the words to express her own jealousy. Colby teared up a little and said, "How long will she get your lap?" I told him that he does have the words to tell me he is jealous, and it is perfectly ok to admit - and that if I know he is feeling jealous, I can ask Daddy and Reilly to help a little more with Samantha so that I can make room in my lap for Colby. His quiet little smile was adorable. He is already having some adjustment issues - he has been extra clingy lately. I am a little stressed about leaving him behind for the week, although I know it is the best thing for him. He will have a ball with Grampy, his favorite person!

So... tickets are booked, packing has begun and will be 80% this weekend. Now I am attending to details... I cannot wait to squeeze my girl!

To Book, or Not to Book... that is the Question...

I just held tickets on Emirates airlines for Feb 26 - March 6th. They were willing to do this until Monday at noon. There is a good chance we still will not have travel confirmed by then, but if we don't book them, the price jumps and availability becomes increasingly limited. I have had a knot in my stomach all day. What do we do? The US Embassy is being completely illogical; they want to review the paperwork on families sent for visa's two weeks prior to appointments. The agency won't confirm travel until these documents have been approved and confirmed. This would mean that all future families could get as little as a week's notice on travel. How devastated will families be if flights are full? This just seems so ridiculous. I feel bad because I know we are putting undo pressure on our agency, and they are not controlling this policy, but it is so hard to sit back and wait.

so... do I take the leap and book them and assume it will all work out? That is the way I am leaning, but it makes me a little nervous. aghhhhhh There really is not enough chocolate in the world for this.

Still Waiting...

We are still waiting for travel confirmation. The US Embassy has not yet told our agency which visas will be issued the week of March 1st. Another day passes and we can't book tickets. We are supposed to leave in 16 days. I would REALLY like to book those tickets.

On a positive note, I had a proud mommy moment. Our oldest son, Reilly, is a sweetheart. He is so very bright, but struggles with focus and organization. His teacher emailed and said that he lost his spelling notebook and his homework folder, etc. She also mentioned he had a verbal altercation on the playground that upset him. I was scolding him for not telling me he lost the notebook (and mad at myself for not buying 10 of them in August, knowing full well he would lose a few...) and he was getting upset - he is extremely tenderhearted. I asked what happened on the playground, and he explained that the class "bully" was being mean to another one of the boys (the only boy in the class who is not REALLY into sports). Reilly stood up to the bully and told him he was being mean and told him to stop! I WAS SO PROUD. How cool is it that my 8 year old felt the confidence to stand up for what is right. That is so hard. I just finished reading Jodee Blanco's book "Please Stop Laughing At Me" and my own son demonstrated the entire lesson of the book. Yay Reilly. If you haven't read the book - do so. It is fantastic. I will require all of the students in the program I run, as well as all of the field hockey players I coach, to read it. All middle and high school students should read it. Kids are so cruel and this book really makes one think.

Anyway, here is to hoping tomorrow brings confirmed travel dates!

One Step Forward... Two Steps Back...

In our two year process of adopting sweet Samantha, there have been many procedural and/or process changes invoked by the Ethiopian government as well as the US Embassy in Ethiopia. We have literally been 2 weeks behind on every single one of them - so each and every one has affected our case. Seriously - it is like going on a cross country trip and hitting every red light encountered. So very frustrating! Right now we have tentative dates to travel Feb. 26- March 6th, but we can't book our tickets because the US Embassy can't confirm that we will have a visa appointment that week. It is in 3 weeks! I have so much to do before we travel (including lining up child care, which involves flying my dad in for two weeks, which he would like a little prep time to plan for!). I feel badly for our agency staff - I know it is not their fault, and I end up bugging them to no end. But really? How can the US Embassy in Ethiopia be so poorly run? Really, the inefficiency is baffling.

At this point, I am aching to go. We are so close, and I just want to book those tickets!!!!