Morning Always Comes

People ask us all the time whats going on with the adoption.  


And I LOVE it.  Pregnant woman get asked all the time because you can see them progressing.  They are beautiful and clearly have a baby on the way.  For me, its not so obvious.  So when people ask, I beam.  


But lately, I just don't know what to say.  Its so hard to talk about this amazing, exciting, life changing event because there is so much up in the air.  We have no idea what our time line is now.  We have no idea when we will get a referral.  Or how long after that we will get a court date.  And then an embassy date.  


We used to say to each other, "this time next year we'll have a little one."  "When we have a baby next year, will we go here?" "When should we start the nursery?"  But now, we just don't know.  We have no time line.  We have no idea.  We feel so very much in the dark.


We know we've been led on this journey toward our child for a reason.  And we are staying the course.  Because one thing I know is that no matter how hard it is to be in the dark, the morning always comes.  


And if you've ever seen the sun rise, you know its worth the wait.   

I know the sunrise is coming.  I don't know when, but it is coming.  And its going to be amazing.  


Thank you all for standing by us as we wait. 

I'll be humming this until I can enjoy that beautiful sunrise…


Here comes the sun, doo doo doo doo
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's alright

Little darling
It's been a long, cold, lonely winter
Little darling
It feels like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say

It's alright

Little darling
The smiles returning to the faces
Little darling
It seems like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's alright

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes

Little darling

I see the ice is slowly melting
Little darling
It seems like years since it's been clear

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun and i say,
It's alright 

Its alright

March Numbers in April

 I'm a little behind.

I haven't written since my birthday.  So apparently I'm not very inspired at the age of 29.   I have plenty to say and write - just no time to do it.  But now its my spring break, and David and I are happily at home with nothing but time on our hands.  At least for a few more days.  So my blogging habits will hopefully get back to normal.

On to our MARCH numbers.  I'm thrilled that I'm posting these before we get April numbers.  Thrilled… and incredibly hopeful that when I post April numbers this month they will be WAY different.  Hoping, hoping, hoping….


For girls we are currently….

For boys we are….

For siblings we are….

Seriously.  My tardiness in posting numbers will NOT happen again :)  Happy April!

Today is my Birthday

Today is my birthday.  29 years of fun.  Its been a really great day, starting off with breakfast with my husband, lunch with a great friend, and even a surprise mini celebration from my first graders!  It was great!  I even made some AMAZING 'made from scratch' cupcakes with amazing 'made from scratch' frosting.  BEST. CUPCAKES. EVER.

I'll write more about my birthday extravaganza this weekend.

Right now I just want to say that the best birthday gift EVER is that SO MANY people I love, adore, work with, live near, sort of know, met once, or don't know at all signed the petition for Ethiopian children.  I'm blown away by your support.  Thank you for spreading the word to the people you know as well.  You are an amazing support group.

And in case you haven't signed this petition yet… do it now :)  Just click HERE.  It only takes a few seconds.  Thank you in advance :)

David and I have a million questions right now that we won't get the answers to for awhile.  We are hoping this change with the Ministry of Woman's Affairs is temporary.  We hope any day now we'll get an email that things are back to normal.

But in the mean time, we are clinging to our knowledge that this is the path God has put us on, and we are on it for a reason.  His timing is perfect, and every hiccup we cross in this journey happens with purpose.  We have been overjoyed over the past two days with news of referrals even during this time of unknowns.  We rejoice with the families who now know who their sweet babies are.  And we are looking forward to our turn.  Whenever that may be.

READ this… You can help!!!

I can't even begin to write about how I am feeling about this, or how it will effect David and I, not to mention the children of Ethiopia.  We need your help.   Please read below what our agency sent us from the Joint Council on International Children's Services (JCICS) and then click the link and sign the petition.  I know it is a lot to read.  But it would mean so much to us if you did.  We cannot even begin wrap our heads around this right now.  


And we need your prayers.  For Ethiopia, and the Ministry of Woman's Affairs, and for the right decisions to be made, and for peace of mind while this is going on.  

Post from Tom DiFilipo, Executive Director of JCICS

Dear Colleagues,

Attached is a statement by Joint Council on the recent announcement by the Ethiopian Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs plan to reduce intercountry adoption by 90%. The text of our statement is also included below.

We are also preparing an advocacy, education and awareness campaign which will launch on the morning of Wednesday, March 9th. Details will be provided to you tomorrow, Tuesday, March 8th.

We hope you will join us in advocating for the continuation of intercountry adoption in Ethiopia.

Best Wishes,

Tom DiFilipo

March 7, 2011

Statement on the Pending Reduction of Intercountry Adoption in Ethiopia

Last week the Ethiopian Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs announced their intention to reduce intercountry adoptions by 90% beginning March 10, 2011. The Ministry’s plan for a dramatic reduction is apparently based on two primary issues; 1) the assumption that corruption in intercountry adoption is systemic and rampant and 2) the Ministry’s resources should be focused on the children for whom intercountry adoption is not an option. Without further announcements by the Government of Ethiopia, it is our understanding that the Ministry’s plan will be initiated this week.

The Ministry’s plan is a tragic, unnecessary and disproportionate reaction to concerns of isolated abuses in the adoption process and fails to reflect the overwhelmingly positive, ethical and legal services provided to children and families through intercountry adoption. Rather than eliminate the right of Ethiopian children to a permanent family, we encourage the Ministry to accept the partnerships offered by governments, NGOs, and foundations. Such partnerships could increase the Ministry’s capacity to regulate service providers and further ensure ethical adoptions.

The Ministry’s plan, which calls for the processing of only five adoption cases per work day, will result not only in systemic and lasting damage to a large sector of social services, but will have an immediate impact on the lives and futures of children. Moving from over 4,000 adoptions per year to less than 500 will result in thousands of children languishing in under-regulated and poorly resourced institutions for years. For those children who are currently institutionalized and legally available for adoption, the Ministry’s plan will increase their time languishing in institutions for up to 7-years.

Joint Council respectfully urges the Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs to reconsider their plan and to partner with governments, NGOs and foundations to achieve their goals and avoid the coming tragedy for children and families.

JCICS Call to Action

March 8, 2011

Joint Council: Emergency Campaign for Ethiopian Children

What You Can Do:

1) Sign the petition to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi – and pass it on!

2) Have you adopted from Ethiopia? Please send us up to 3 photos and 50 words or less with what you would like the Ministry to know about your child – we’ll compile the information and send a book to the Ministry of Woman’s Affairs. Send your photos and stories to advocate@jointcouncil.org bySunday, March 12, 2011 to be included. Please note that sending photos and stories gives Joint Council unrestricted right to use the information you provide.

3) Share…Please send this Call to Action to family members, other adoptive parents, and everyone you know! Post, forward and share your adoption stories via Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. Make sure you include us in your posts so we can all hear your stories! Here’s links to our pages: Facebook,Twitter and our our blog.

4) Stay informed: Get up-to-date information regarding the situation in Ethiopia by signing up to receive information from us: click here to do so, make sure you choose “country and issues specific information” and “Ethiopia.” And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and our our blog.

5) Help ensure our advocacy can continue: Joint Council is a non-profit and receives no government funding. Please join us in ensuring more children live in safe, permanent and loving families. Donatetoday!

Please spread the word in every way that you know how.  

Something Delicious

This week I made something delicious for dinner.   I read about this great dish HERE on a friend's blog.  It looked great, and easy to make so I set out to recreate her masterpiece.  I told Dave I was going to make a kind of "slider", so as not to get a negative reaction before he tried it.

It shouldn't have been an issue.  Just last night we went out to our Valentine's dinner, and he ordered the scallops.  The description for scallops said "ask your server how today's selection is prepared."  But he just ordered them without asking.  So I said, "don't you want to know how they are prepared?"  He says, "no.  I just want them."  Well, his scallops were fantastic.  His risk was well worth it.

But then he started asking questions about my slider dinner.  "So we're having sliders?" he asked.  I told him "sort of."  Him: "What do you mean?"  Me: "Don't worry, it will be good."  Him: (and this is where he makes NO sense) "You have to tell me what we're having.  Nobody wants to have a surprise dinner and not know what it is."

I kindly reminded him of the NIGHT BEFORE where he did want a surprise dinner.  He just laughed.  but then he made me tell him.  So I told him we were having Turkey burgers.  (Yes - a variation from Jane's recipe… but my grocery store's choices were limited.)
"Turkey burgers?!  Do you know I HATE turkey burgers?!"  Okay friends… I'm pretty confident my husband has never had turkey burgers in his 29 years of life.  This is not the first time he has hated something before he tried it.  I just tried to convince him it would be fine, and to relax.  Which he did not.  He was already planning what kind of cereal he would have after my disaster dinner.

Then he comes in the kitchen while I'm cooking and mentions, "Well, it does smell pretty good."  Because it did - it was the turkey burgers cooking.  You know, the ones he HATES.

Then the moment of truth.  He takes a bite and begins chewing.

I watch as a little smile creeps on his face.  He turns to me and starts nodding.    Imagine that.  The man who HATES turkey burgers is enjoying my little sliders.

I can't contain my enthusiasm :)

He wanted to know all about them.  And requested that we have them again.  And I just smiled a smile of victory.

It made MY turkey burger sliders taste even better.


So here's some pictures…  and if you want to try these little morsels yourself, check out the recipe at Admissions of a Suburban Philosopher.  Easy and delicious.

Children's Sizes!

 JUST in case you love t-shirts that are awesome, and you want your children to wear them as well…..

We have children's sizes!!

Aren't they cute?!

They are available in XS, Sm, and Med, but we have them in limited quantities.

Also, the children's sizes come in black, while the adult sizes are in Navy - ALTHOUGH we have a few adult sizes in black also (L, XL, and XXL - also in limited quantity.)

Child sizes are $15 and Adult are $20.  I'm sorry about the multiple choices when you order.  I'm not sure of a better way to do it - but if you know one, I'm open to suggestions!

You can buy ANY of the shirts on the side bar where there is a picture of our shirt.  Remember - if you are local you can choose "deliver" and you don't have to pay for shipping!   Just make sure you pay attention to colors and delivery when you order so you get what you want!  :)

OR you can just buy them here:

Delivery Method

Adult Size Mail Delivery $23.99 Child Size Mail Delivery $18.99 Adult Size Drop Off $20.00 Child Size Drop Off $15.00

Sizes

Child's Xtra Small - Black Child's Small - Black Child's Medium - Black Adult Small -Navy Adult Medium - Navy Adult Large - Navy Adult Large - Black Adult XL - Navy Adult XL - Black Adult XXL - Black

And if you are interested in purchasing more than one, you can email me at mackenziestefanich(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll tell you how to do it with one payment instead of multiple.

Thanks for your support!  

February Numbers

Well, February is here, and with it are our new numbers.  I'm a little delayed in posting them because I'm less than enthusiastic about our movement I'm overwhelmed with grad class and grading and a million other things.

There wasn't a ton of movement this month, but we were assured this is just the "ebb and flow" of the adoption process.  We've been told this before during slow months.  In the months where there are TONS of referrals, we LOVE the ebb and flow.  But in months like this, with very little movement, the phrase ebb and flow is our Kryptonite (note the superhero reference for my darling husband ….) In fact, ebb and flow is a phrase we use in a joking manner just to help keep our spirits high.

Like the ebb and flow of how often I cook.
Dave:"Are you making dinner tonight?"
Me:  "No. I'm so tired.   Lets just have cereal."
Dave: "but you made that great (Fill in the blank with something wonderful) last week."
Me. "Well, thats just the ebb and flow of dinners I guess."


Or, my favorite, the ebb and flow of our netflix movies.
Me:  "When is our next movie coming?"
Dave: "Well we just got one"
Me: "But that doesn't matter, sometimes they come quick."
Dave: "And sometimes they don't.  I guess thats just the ebb and flow of netflix."


So anyway, here are our February numbers.  You will notice only the girl number changed.  But let me assure you that is just part of the ebb and flow of adoption numbers :)  Here's to a bigger moving March!

Our Girl Number

Our Boy Number

Our Sibling Number

So there you go :)  I'd love to hear some other fabulous ways to use that fascinating little phrase - so if you have some, please share!

 

What I do While I Wait...

So during this time… when things seem to be going in slow motion…  I have to keep myself busy.  With projects.  And I'm proud to say that I'm somewhat handy.   I guess my mom and dad taught me well… and because of them I know my way around a tool or two.

So around Christmastime, one of my fabulous Uncles mentioned that he replaced his home's thermostat with a digital one.  And he told me that he saved a TON on his heating bill.  I know it sounds like a commercial, but I asked him how to do it, and he said I'd be able to, no problem.  So that is what I did this weekend.

David and I went to a lovely little home improvement chain that is going out of business in our neck of the woods.  And lucky for us, the delightful little thermostats were 30-40% off.  Yay for deals!

First I had to take the old thermostat off the wall.  I wish I would have thought of taking a "before" picture.  But I didn't.


So here it is on the counter.

Here is my handy tool box.  But really all I even used was a screw driver.  I just included this picture because it makes me feel cool.

And now here is the hole on the wall - wires sticking out at all.  I had to paint the "circle" behind the old thermostat because it wouldn't be covered by the new thermostat.

Next, I connected the wires to the new thermostat, screwed it in, and Ta Da!!  All set to save us some big bucks :)  I'm not sure why the wall in the picture above and the wall in the picture below look like completely different colors.  But they truly are the same wall.

So.  Thats what keeps me busy while we wait.    I know.  Very exciting to read about.   But maybe now you can save some big money too?!

Yummy Injera...

The only time David and I ever have Injera is when we go out and get Ethiopian food.  But we had a bit of a treat last week.

David works with a man who has a daughter from Ethiopia.  And he picked up some injera for his family the other day when he was near a market that sells it.  The best part was he picked up some for us too!  We got a plethera of chinese food that we thought would taste great with injera, and had a feast.  It was really good.  And since its just another form of bread, David's been eating it with just about everything.  Sometimes I come in the kitchen and he's just tearing off a piece and eating it.

Injera is this bread like pancake/pita thing that is eaten in Ethiopia.  You can see us eating it  here and here and here.  And probably many more posts in the future.

Now that we know its so easy to come by, I think we'll be eating it with dinner on a much more regular basis.  And this will be a great little comfort of Ethiopia when our little one(s) come home.

Yes, they look a little bit like pancakes.  But they're much bigger.  I should've put my hand in there so you could see.  There is a styrofoam plate underneath, and the injera is bigger than that, if that helps with the size.  And its cold.  And tastes more bread like than pancake like.   But yummy :)

SO cute :)

ANOTHER cute Christmas gift :)

I know these last two post have been about Christmas gifts - but in my defense, they were gifts that were given in January.  So while my posting is belated... its not THAT belated.

Last weekend as I was driving through my subdivision on my way to get my oil changed I saw two lovely joggers waving to me.  I assumed they were neighbors, so I waved and tried to figure out who they were.  Thats when I realized it was my brother and his wife jogging to my house.

Well.  Its Michigan.  And its snowy and COLD.  And its about 3.25 miles between our houses - full of hills.  So I am incredibly impressed with their venture.  They asked me to drive them home so they wouldn't have to run that whole way back - which I gladly did.   But the best part was they had an addition to the great books they got us (remember?).  It was this ADORABLE hat for their future niece/nephew.  LOVE it!

Thanks Cody and Liz!  I'm excited to have a baby to put in this cute hat!

A Work of Art

Well, let me just say that David and I have some pretty great people in our lives.  And for Christmas this year, our friends Chad and Alisha gave us a pretty great gift.  You might remember from our Auction, Chad is pretty handy with the woodworking.  He made an amazing cutting board that we auctioned off.  If you don't remember, you can see it again, here.

This year for Christmas they gave us another of Chad's great works of art.  Seriously - a work of art.  And its amazing.  He made us this beautiful piece of art for our wall.  Its made out of Zebra Wood, which is imported from Africa.  Its amazing, and David and I have been arguing over where to put it up.  He doesn't exactly trust my decorating skills.  So for now its sitting on our bookshelf, on display until we find the perfect place on the wall.

Thanks Chad and Alisha!  We LOVE it!!

I'm going to post... I'm going to post...

 Okay, well I'm writing this right now mostly to hold myself accountable.  I have been meaning to post for quite awhile.  But work, and grad school, and being a wife, and going to an AMAZING poetry workshop (Yes, I sure did...)  has kept me distracted.

So I'm posting this to tell you there is more to come.  TODAY.  I have some delightful family time to attend to (It was David's birthday last week!!), grocery shopping, grading, homework, AND some blogging to do.  So stay tuned...  :)

New Year, New NUMBERS!!

Well my friends, its that time again!  I just mentioned to a couple people today that we were waiting for our January numbers, and then checked my phone on break and I had an email from our caseworker.  This is a "phone call" month, but she likes to send our numbers in an email 'while we wait'.  LOVE that!
So....

GIRLS:

BOYS:

SIBLINGS:

Yes.  TEENS!!!  What a great day today is :)  I never knew a teen number would make me so excited, but it has :)  And I'm going to enjoy this high as long as I can!

What 2011 Could Be....

2011 promises so many things for David and I.  I would be lying if I told you we weren't incredibly excited for the year to come.  There are so many great things that could potentially happen for us.  But here are just a few things we are looking forward to in 2011:

OBVIOUSLY we hope to bring home a sweet baby or two this year.  (HOPE, HOPE, HOPE!!!)

We are (HOPING TO) travel to Ethiopia twice and see an amazing country, and our child(ren).




We will both be turning 29 this year.  It will be the beginning of our LAST year in our 20s.  I am dreading this a bit.  Today I was looking at some old pictures, and saw a guy I went to high school with. I thought to myself, "He looks like he's 30!"

And then I realized.  There is little difference between 28 and 30.  I probably look like I'm 30.  And I was immediately embarrassed.  But just inside my head, because none of this conversation actually happened out loud.

I'm not sure why, but in my head I still feel like I'm in my early 20s.  I actually think I'm cooler than what I really am.  And because people in their early 20s are cooler than people that are almost 30 - I of course couldn't be almost 30.  In my head.

I will have a rude awakening in 2012.

But back to 2011 -

We will be getting travel vaccines.  And lots of them.  And do you know that these shots are NOT cheap?  I had no idea.  I called the lady at the health department, and she said it could be around $400 per person.  Whoa.  Those are some serious shots.

We'll decorate a nursery!

We'll put together a crib (or a bed - depending on age.  Maybe BOTH!)

David is going to run the RiverBank Run - I'm trying to get him to do the 10K.  He's tall. With long legs. And he runs circles around me.  I'll be there to cheer him on.  And MAYBE do the 5K.  But only if I'm confident I can finish before he's done with the 10K :)

I'm going to be a Girls on the Run Coach again this year - Yay GOTR!!

We'll be preparing for Brian and Elizabeth's wedding - which is actually happening in 2012.  But 2011 will hold lots of planning, talking about, and growing excitement!

And probably SO much more that I don't even know about.

I can't WAIT for this great year!!

Unexpected Christmas...

This Christmas didn't go exactly as planned.  It was amazing and beautiful and wonderful.  But it didn't go as planned.

It started with both of us getting sick.  I mean SICK.  I was throwing up every 2 hours.  We woke up, the morning of Christmas Eve feeling like we were dying.

We were celebrating at my mom's house on Christmas Eve.  We were planning on getting there by noon.  But we couldn't get out of bed.  Somehow we managed to get cleaned up, but we didn't make it until around 5:30.  And we were struggling.  I started feeling a little better, but didn't really leave my post on the couch.  David was really struggling.

We made it for presents, and thats about it.  We went home and went to bed by 7:30.   But, as a perk, baby Stefanich even got some gifts!  Aunt Liz and Uncle Cody bought their new niece/nephew some great books!  And cousin Eddie helped break them in :)

Then Christmas morning came.  

Christmas morning we woke up to the news that  my Grandpa has passed away at 6:45am.  I can't even begin to tell you the impact this man had on my life.  But he couldn't have chosen a better time.  He got to meet Jesus on his birthday, and he got to celebrate in the best way known.  And on top of that, he got to see my dad once again.  

Words can't describe the loss my family and my sweet Grandma feel.  He was the love of her life for 53 years, and their love and relationship is an amazing model for David and I.  He was a man of God, and he was the kind of grandpa that would both hug you and harass you by stealing your last bite of brownie.  He was an amazing man.  Amazing.  And the amount he will be missed cannot be explained in words.  

But like I said, it was also very beautiful.  I knew my Grandpa was now spending Christmas with my dad, and with Jesus.  And his passing was a peaceful and beautiful thing.  He was surrounded by family that loves him, and I can't imagine a better way to spend your last minutes on Earth and your first moments in heaven.    

On Christmas morning we drove to David's parent's house to spend Christmas with them.  I wasn't really feeling better, and had lost 5 pounds in the last 24 hours.  But I was able to keep toast and sprite in my system, so I was on the mend.  

We had a really great couple of days with his family, and would you believe Baby Stefanich got some more gifts?  I think those gifts were my favorite ones to open.  

We got a darling pug receiving blanket, a superman onsie (of course, one of Dave's favorites), a Duke bib (another Stefanich family favorite) and the final onsie you will see is MY favorite. 

So while this Christmas was nothing like I would have planned or expected, it was amazing, and beautiful and wonderful.

It was amazing because I got to spend a lot of time the last couple of weeks with family members that I love.  You can't beat family.

It was beautiful because I got to celebrate the life of an amazing man.  And man who made the kind of impact that cannot be measured. 

And wonderful because I can look forward to Christmases where there will be sweet babies in those onsies.  Babies to cuddle and love, read stories to, and tell all about their Grandpa and Great Grandpa who are looking down on them from heaven.  

I feel lucky.  Because now my child(ren) have another guardian angel looking over them until they are safely in my arms.  And that gives me a feeling of peace.  

This was a great Christmas.  A Christmas like no other.  And I'll never forget it.