AniMural

Its official.  The mural is underway.

Maybe you remember reading about the sketches, in this post.  We were blown away by our friend Adrian's talent.  But then he started on the actual wall.  And again… Dave and I?  Blown away.

He started by transferring his sketches.  To the wall.  They're huge.  And amazing.  And more than I every imagined they would be.

Now he has begun painting.  He's only just started, but you can already tell its going to be outstanding.  Each day he comes, a little more of the mural comes to life.  I'll keep posting as he goes… and I'm going to try to get some action shots while he's here… if he's not opposed to being online on the coolest blog ever.

Okay… enjoy some photos of the process so far.  I've taken 1 million, but I've only included a small portion here.  You will have to excuse the pictures that include me.  I was trying to show you the 'scale' of the animals.  So focus on that, and not my sweaty, fresh from the gym, self.  Thanks.

Blank Wall - pre Adrian

Can you see the light sketches?

My favorite elephant...

Why Hello, sweet Giraffe!

How about a little black paint?

Splash of color…   

My friend, Giraffe, with beautiful eyes. 

The Giraffe is smelling my sweaty hair. 

The wall.  Its going to be SO great. Large animals.  Amazing Art. 

Adrian will be back next week.  I'll snag some more pictures.  I try to give him some "artistic space" while he's here.  I shut the bedroom door, and keep the dogs away, and try not to bother him.  Then, the second he's done, I RACE up the stairs to check it out. And then I gush about how great it is.

Sometimes Dave and I just stand in there.  And try to imagine how we'll fit two cribs in the room without covering up something awesome on the wall.  But its a small room, so that might be impossible.  

Because Adrian is very talented.  And every part is amazing.  

So when Dave puts the cribs together - SCRATCH THAT - when I put the cribs together, I'll just have to work extra hard to honor those sweet animals the best I can.

Court Closure

Today was the last day the courts were open in Ethiopia until after the rainy season.  We were hoping, hoping, hoping to have a court date by now, but it didn't happen.

But its okay.  I have faith in God's timing.  I know our boys will be in our arms at exactly the moment they are supposed to be.

And many of you have seen their pictures, but many of you have not.  So let me tell you something.  My boys are the most beautiful boys there are.  I look at them every day.  I dream about holding them.  Seriously.  I do.  I dream about people asking to hold my boys and I tell them no.  I dream about carrying them in slings.  Which is probably because I researched the pants off those things.  And then I wake up SO happy and excited.  Its like Christmas when you're little, only BIGGER.  Like you can feel the excitement growing in your tummy, and its so overwhelming you have to distract yourself before you lose it.

I imagine what I will do when they are both crying and I'm the only one home.  Or when its 2:00 am and I'm so tired I'm crying along with the babies.  I can't WAIT for that.  I imagine kissing their sweet faces and counting their fingers and toes.  I think about walking around the neighborhood in the AMAZING stroller I picked out.

Its in our garage.

And it calls to me.  Begging me to put it together.

But I restrain.  Mostly because I might actually push it around the neighborhood before the boys are home.

And that would be weird.

I wonder how big they'll be in my arms.  I wonder what their first words will be.  I wonder if I'll really need two of everything.

I really WANT two of everything.  But my logical husband has been trying to talk me out of a second this or that.  But what if I NEED it?  What if the boys need it?  They might both want to swing at the same time, or bounce in a seat, or sit in a bumbo at the same time.  I need to be prepared for these moments. How am I every supposed to shower if I can't get them both strapped into a "something" with a mobile over their head while I peek out of the shower every couple minutes?

So I'm keeping myself busy while I wait for a court date.  Thinking about all this stuff and so much  more.  And enjoying my last nights of sleeping when I want to, and waking up late.  My last days of skipping meals or grabbing a yogurt on my way out the door.  My last days of having cute little diapers in the house, but not actually having to use them.

I can't wait.  I really can't.  But I'm hanging in there.  Keeping my mind going with lists of things I have to do before two little twin babies are going to live here and take over my heart and my world.

And I'll let you know as soon as well know our court date.  But in the meantime… pray for it to happen as soon as absolutely possible!   Thanks in advance :)

G.O.A.T.

You might not understand why I would name this post GOAT.  Because I don't really understand it.  It was Dave's pick.

And I know David's ENTIRE family is shaking their heads in shame that I didn't know what GOAT was all about.  Because one thing I do not share with the Stefanich family is knowledge of all things sports related.

You would think I would have some sports knowledge, having two brothers.  But I do not.  I've resisted the opportunity to be sports savvy since a young age of barbie dolls and awkward feet.  I don't like watching sports on TV, and I like talking about professional sports and athletes even less.

I do know some things though.  Or at least 'heard' of some sports things.  I do a basketball bracket each year - but I sort of have to.  I know that Duke and NC are rivals, and I better cheer for Duke or face the Stefanich wrath.  I know there is such a thing as the Fab Five, and movies have been made about them. The Stefanich's may have even made one themselves.  And I know that LeBron is despised in Cleveland.

So I think I'm doing pretty good.

So lets fast forward to Monday.  David's parents came over, and since last Thursday they have been physically unable to come to our house without bringing gifts for the boys.  They shop non-stop.  And Monday was no exception. They came over with a box for us, and being the humble and patient daughter in law that I am, I tore into it.

A splash of red and black caught my eye.  I quick shut the box and told David he better open it first.  (Because I might not know much about sports, but I wasn't born in a box.)  Here is what he saw.

Oh my WORD did that daddy smile.  Its like he was imagining the pickup games in the driveway, and the late nights watching final four basketball games.   And coaching whatever the basketball equivalent to little league is.  He was so excited.

And the booties!  Two pairs for four tiny feet.  My boys are going to look SO stinkin' cute in these little outfits.  Or uniforms.  Or whatever.

If you are like me, you know Michael Jordan is pretty amazing.  David has so MANY times said that 23 is a number associated with greatness.   (Our boys were born on the 23rd by the way…)

But did you know he is the greatest of all time?  I mean, I guess I knew that.  Apparently Jordan is kind of a big deal, so greatest of all time seems appropriate.  And if you are a true sports fanatic, you know that greatest of all time (Michael Jordan) can be acronymed into G.O.A.T.

To me, that's dumb.

But to my husband and his family, it's iconic.

Proud Mama Moment

I've had a few already. Like EVERY time I share their pictures with somebody, or tell them our good news.  Or look at their pictures myself.

I am a very proud mama.

But today something super cute happened at Walgreens.

I went to pick up some new photos another AGCI mom emailed me from her trip.  And they are ADORABLE.  So the guy hands me my pictures and says, do you want to look through them?

Um, yes.

so I'm looking through them, and there is this 50 something guy peering over my shoulder.  Peeking at my photos.  And here is what happened next...

Man:  Twins?
Me: Yes.
Man:  Good job.
Me: Thanks.

and I BEAMED.

Twice as Nice

 We Got Our Referral!!!

Yes, its true.  This day has FINALLY arrived!

David and I were babysitting on Thursday for some friends.  They have a 6 year old, a 4 year old, and a 2 year old.  We had just walked to a school close to our house to play, and were on our way home.  David's phone rang, and the caller ID said AGCI.  He looked at me and I was like, "Well, answer it."

We both expected this to be our monthly update call.  As you probably know, we just got the email that we were #5 for siblings and boys and #10 for girls.  We always get the email first, and then our caseworker calls us a couple days later to see if we have any questions and to check in.

I listened to David go through the usual "hellos" and "how are yous".  Then he looked up and said, "Nooo!" (Like the surprised kind, not the mad kind...).

I momentarily considered tackling him to the ground and ripping the phone from his hand to hear what was going on.

But I kept my cool.   Sort of.

Instead, like an annoying child, I said, "What? What? What?" until he answered me.

He looked up with tears in his eyes and said, "Boys....  TWINS!...  3 months old!"

I was stunned.  I couldn't move.  I couldn't believe it!  This was seriously our referral call.  That I had played through my mind again and again.  And it was here.  And we got SIBLINGS!  What we hoped and prayed for all along, and were mentally prepared not to get.  But somehow we were so lucky and these boys could be OURS!  And I wanted to know more... Like RIGHT now.  But Dave was hanging up the phone and saying we had to call her back when we got home and had access to the computer.  WHAT?!

That's when I remembered there were 3 children with us that we were taking care of.  Who were also incredibly confused by what was going on.  So instead of explaining it to them (which might seem logical to you - but somehow didn't even cross our minds) we raced home as fast as we could - children in tow.  Meanwhile, David and I have the silliest, biggest grins on our face, and tears in our eyes just laughing and saying, "Twins!  Boys!  Babies! We're parents!"

Thank goodness David's dad was at our house, and after we shared the good news with him, he took the kids to the basement to play while we learned all about our beautiful boys.

God is so great.  All along he had these boys chosen for us, and they could not be more perfect.  The wait was SO worth it.  The are amazing.  Absolutely perfect.  And I wish so much that I could show you their beautiful little faces and tell you their names, but I can't. (We are not allowed to post pictures or names online anywhere including Facebook and blogs.)  That will have to wait until they are home with us.  In the meantime, David and I keep looking at each other and saying their names.  Their beautiful Ethiopian names.  And smile.  And think about how amazing our life will be once they are here in our arms.

SINGLE DIGITS!!

 Yes... that is right.... SINGLE DIGITS!!!

I have the biggest... dorkiest smile on my face right now.  I just got the email with our July numbers, and I'm THRILLED!

So while I throw a little party for myself (and David) in our living room... here are our numbers.

For girls we went from 17 to....

For boys we went from 11 to....

For siblings we went from 11 to....

I know.  This is HUGE.   Single digits make a referral seem SO close.  I'm so excited.  I ran right outside and interrupted David's lawn mowing to share the great news :)

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!

For Your Entertainment...

Picture this…

Me.

 In workout pants, and a tank top.  Stretching out on a yoga mat.

I'm at a pilates class.  For the first time ever.  

Feeling really cool.  Because I've done pilates.  I have a video.  Its a 20 minute one - I've done it at least 10 times.  Maybe more.

Zero of which have been in the last 2 years, but still.  I know how to do pilates.

So the class starts and we're stretching and I'm feeling good.  I'm looking around at the 20 somethings - thinking… "Whatever, I've got this."  Then I glance around to the 50 and 60 somethings thinking, "OH yeah.  I've GOT this."

Fast forward 7 minutes.  Now picture me sweating.

Profusely.

I have a little rubber ball between my ankles, my feet are extended at a 45 degree angle and I'm attempting to do some kind of sit up while breathing gracefully.  But my legs are shaking uncontrollably. And I'm gasping for breath.  And I can't do the sit up part without actually using my hands to sit myself up.  And then the ball slips out from my ankles and goes bouncing across the room.

As I duck my head and crouch through the dimly lit room chasing my ball, hearing Enya cry out to me in the background, I realize something.   All those 50 and 60 year old woman I judged as I rolled in there with my sweat towel that would later save me from drowning…. Yeah.  They TOTALLY rocked it.  Like legs of steel and smooth movement and calm breathing and everything.

And for one minute, I hated those woman with their spandex pants and cute bobs with sweatbands and glistening smiles.

I was a mess.  And I wanted to run away.  But I couldn't, because it would be so obvious.  So I had to tough it out for 50 more minutes.  Yeah, thats right.  50 more minutes of muscles so tired they shake and do not do what your mind is telling them to do.  Of hair falling out of a pony tail because instead of keeping my shoulders "engaged" like you are supposed to, my head is floppy and hitting the yoga mat every other move.  I'm pretty sure I have a rats nest of knots and sweat.  And embarrassment.

And when it was all over - the instructor said to me (Yes, very obviously right square in my eyes, to me…), "Come back again… it does get easier…"

Yep.  Everybody in that room knew that I got owned by pilates.

And I dragged my tired rear end out of there as quickly as I could.

Nursery Talk...

We have started the nursery!

Well… sort of.

We've started thinking about the nursery and how we want it to look.  No crib or bed yet, or dresser/changing table, or lamps or cutesy stuffed animals and picture frames.

Just walls.  But walls are important.  You see, walls hold in all the necessary items.  Like warmth.  And comfort.  And love.  Most of all, love.

And walls keep out all the baddies.  Like rain, and cold, and even occasional monsters, I'm sure.

And they are what you see when you are just lying there waiting for your mom and dad to wake up out a dead sleep to come and rock you and cuddle you and make you feel better.  Or just feed you a bottle and whisper cute mom and dad things in your ears.  They keep you company while you wait.

So walls are important.  And we decided what we put on the walls is important.  So we're putting a mural on one of the walls, and I'm SUPER excited about it.  Its an African themed mural (I know - how did we ever think of that?!)  But its original artwork, and I'm so stinkin' geeked about it you don't even know.

I should clarify that when I say we are putting a mural on the wall what I really mean is our incredibly talented friend, Adrian, who has skills beyond the scope of first grade stick people will be doing the actual "putting".



Exhibit A:  My mural sketch.

I know what you're thinking.  Why would I look elsewhere, when my skills are so clearly refined.  Its obvious art is a natural talent of mine.  But I humbly turn your attention to the sketches of our friend.




Exhibit B:  Adrian's sketches.

Seriously… do you see that baby elephant frolicking?  Doesn't it just melt your heart?  I know.  Mine too.  And its just in pencil.  I cannot wait to see all the little pieces put together.

And the giraffe.  Who wouldn't LOVE that giraffe?  I think that very giraffe might be our someday child's very best friend.  I know if it was on my wall, he would be who I told all my secrets to.

I'm so in love with these sketches.  I can't wait until Adrian starts the process of putting it all together on the wall.  Don't worry - I'll take lots of pictures to document the whole thing.

Right now its still just a plain wall.  But knowing what it will turn into is incredibly exciting.  Lots of planning and anticipation.  David wants to wait a little longer before unleashing Adrian on the wall.  I want him to start NOW.  So we'll see :)  Either way, its going to be great.

Our June Numbers

Yes, yes.  June numbers are here.  Not a ton of movement this month, which is super disappointing of course.   We are quickly approaching our 1 year anniversary of getting on the waitlist, and we just want to be in single digits!  (Okay - to be fair, we don't "just" want that.  We also want a referral. And a court date. And an embassy date.  And a baby home with us. But you know what I mean... )

So here are our June numbers…

For Girls we didn't move… we're still…

For boys we went from 13 to…

For siblings we also didn't move.  Still…

One of the reasons there was no movement for girls and siblings this month is that some people changed their age requirements or the lists they were on.  For example, they may have decided to jump on the siblings list now that they have been waiting awhile.  Or change their age parameters.  So if they jump on a new list, and they were technically 'ahead' of us on the other lists, then they are ahead of us on their new list too.  Which is super for those families - that they don't have to start from scratch.  Not so super for us when we are trying with all our might to get closer to our referral :)

Our caseworker likened our wait to a marathon race (hence the race numbers above).  In the beginning, you are all excited and have energy and are looking forward to the race ahead.  Then in the end (which is where I feel like we are) you feel like you can't go on, and you're so tired, and the last miles stretch and stretch and you just want to be done SO BAD.  Well, I've never run a marathon.  And I can say with confidence that I probably never will.  But this adoption marathon is a real bugger.  And I'm ready to be done waiting.

I've got baby fever in a real way.  And now that I'm on summer break and not distracted by my job each day, my marathon is going to feel like its slowing way down.  And I'm not thrilled.

So I'll try to blog about some happy, flowery, keep my mind busy, kinds of things.  

Starting tomorrow.

So come back then for a sneak peak of something wonderful...

We Are One

David and I are extremely blessed to not only have jobs in this economy, but to have jobs we love.  Working in schools is one of the most rewarding jobs out there.   This year David moved from being a 4th grade teacher to the principal of the school that he has taught in for the past five years.  Each year his school has a theme, and the music teacher writes a song to go with that theme.

This year the theme was We Are One.  Not only is it an incredible message, but the song is absolutely beautiful.  It was sung by all the students in the school, and the staff as well.  The musicians in the background are teachers and students too - David is even playing the guitar if you listen closely :)

So what does all of this have to do with adoption?  Well, the point of the song is to spread the message that We Are One.  One school, one community, and one world.  Or in the words of the famous Black Eyed Peas "one tribe y'all."

Bad Night of Sleep

Two nights ago David and I were abruptly woken up at 2:30am.  Somebody was ringing our doorbell over and over again.

So logically, we assumed it was a robber.  Because what better way to get in the house than ring the doorbell?

Like you would have, we woke up with clear minds and decided the best thing to do at that point was sneak downstairs and look out the window.  Obviously there was nobody there.  Because if a robber wanted to get in the house and he rang the doorbell, he might realize his mistake and then hide.  When we saw nobody was there, we opened the door to have a closer look.  (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!  We absolutely did NOT open the door.)

But we did the next most logical thing.  We searched our house from top to bottom, steak knife in hand for good measures.  We checked in every closet, under the beds, and behind the shower curtains.  Because IF the robber rang the doorbell and somehow managed to get in the house without our security system going off, those are the places he might hide.

Oh wait - did I mention before that we had a security system?  Yeah.  It has a motion sensor in our basement, its on all the doors, and it has a 'glass break' system so it would go off if somebody broke in that way.  Yeah, but still - robbers are sneaky.   So you never know.  Hence the steak knife search.

Then we made our way back to our bedroom and decided it must have been some crazy hoodlum teenagers ding dong ditching.   I mean, obviously that was it.  Because we found no robber.

Back in bed at 3:00am.
______________

Fast forward to 4:30…

Crash, bang, splash.

David spills his glass of water all over the dresser.  Lights on.  I'm out of bed, drying off comic books and jewelry and the other random things that don't actually belong on our dresser, but found a home there over time.

Exasperated sigh.

Back to bed by 4:37am
______________

9:30am.  I'm up.  I roll over and tell David that this was the worst night of sleep I've ever had.

His response?

"Just wait 'til we have kids."

May Numbers...

Yes… that is correct.  We have May numbers.  And we are SO close to single digits I could SCREAM.  Like skin crawling excited.  And really it means nothing.  It will take however long it takes no matter what our numbers are.  We have no way of knowing if we'll have to wait until we are number 1 for a referral, or if it will happen sooner than that.  But I'm insanely excited.

At this point every little piece of movement there is in the numbers sends me reeling.  I'm thinking about pack and plays and jogging strollers and cute little onesies.  All things we are NOT purchasing until after we get a referral.

Mom and Dad Stefanich bought me this AMAZING 'room spray' that is supposed to be calming and wonderful for Mother's Day.  She read about it in a magazine, and some A-list celebrity swears by it.  Its for the baby - you know to help the baby feel calm in our house.  Maybe we could take it to Ethiopia on our first trip, and the baby can connect the smell with us, and all things peaceful.  And then feel all that peace and love wrapped up in a room spray when he/she/they get home.

But it really does smell great, and I've been using it to calm my own crazy self :)  I know there is still a wait ahead of us, but my mind is reeling with lists, and I need some serenity sprays every now and again.  Hopefully I can make this stuff last!!

At this point, I'm sure most people have skipped my blah, blah, blah and jumped ahead to the numbers.  But if you waited and read in order, I commend and thank you for listening to my ramblings :)

Here are our May numbers…

For Girls… we went from 21 to

For boys we went from 14 to...

And for siblings we went from 14 to...

Hopefully in June we'll have some single digits.  MAYBE a couple single digits.  If that is the case, you can pretty much count on an impromptu party at my house.

Shot, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot….

 Monday.

The day for our immunization shots.

I've been trying to plan these forever, because the Hepatitis A & B shot that we get needs to be done in 3 shots over 6 months. So David - although I asked him again and again - never told me dates that would work.

WAIT. That is a lie.  He told me on our second to last day of Christmas break that we could go before school started up again.  Lovely.  Are you surprised there were not appointments available?

Oh - and he told me the first morning of spring break that any time that week would work. Oddly enough - we couldn't get in on such short notice.  SO WEIRD.

So I planned a personal day and scheduled the shots and crossed my fingers that he would be able to come.  We could have done them on different days, but we saved like $60 in administrative fees if we went together.

Miraculously he made it.  But he was stressed out the whole time because he needed to get back for a meeting that I'm sure just wouldn't happen smoothly without his witty charm and organization skills.  YES - those same organization skills that caused him to keep forgetting to list a few dates for shots, that would not interfere with any meetings.  

So he stressed about going 'first' for a week before the shots and got out of the office a whopping five minutes before me.  Because I had to pay.  Which was actually a little more painful than the shots :)  You'd be surprised to hear how much 7 shots cost us.

We got the shots that our health department suggested. 3 for him, 4 for me.  I needed to get one more "booster" shot than Dave because I can't find my immunization records from childhood.  My mother is CERTAIN she gave them to me at some point.  And although I'm pretty organized at this point in my life, I haven't always been that way.  There's a slight chance I misplaced them in my reckless abandon days.  But don't tell my mom.  I told her I was SURE she had it, and must've lost it :)

So that particular shot was the one that hurt the worst.  SERIOUSLY.  It was an MMR booster.  Because although I probably got the second shot as a child, I didn't have record of it so I might as well be "sure" and get the booster.  The nurse told me this shot is the reason kids cry when they get shots.  Its not the actual SHOT - but the "whatever it is" they are shooting in your arm.  It burns.  And I cringed.  And almost cried like a tiny little baby.

But I didn't.

Fast forward 2 days to my first grade classroom.  A student says, "Mrs. Stefanich, there is a red spot on your arm."  I look, and sure enough - a big red spot the size of a silver dollar.  And here's the weird part. My whole are is normal - "coolish" feeling skin.  But this red spot?  Its hot.  How weird is that?

So obviously I call the health department.
Because I could be dying, of course.  Which is a hilarious preview of how I'll be as a mother whenever my child has an ailment.  Apparently I'm going to be THAT mom.

And of course it was nothing.  Apparently reactions on the arms where you got the shots are normal.  Which I'm skeptical of - because did she hear me say the red spot is warm?  But now I'm left with a large bruise, which is probably appropriate. And my arm hasn't fallen off, so other than a little soreness, I think we're good.

In other news, we're also taking some pills for our Typhoid immunization.  We've heard there can be some nasty side effects.  David had a killer headache after the first pill, but I handled it like a champ. Unlike the way I handle shots.   We'll see how the rest of them go.

I'll keep you updated on my arm.  Although if it gets much worse I'll be typing with just one hand… And that could be tricky :)

April Numbers

 Okay - so I promised to be on the ball with this.  So I am.

We just got our April numbers today, and here I am blogging about it already.  AND on the first work day after spring break.  Go me!

We are pretty excited about these numbers.  We hadn't been hearing of any referrals lately, so these numbers were a bit lower than we expected.  Definitely worthy of a fist pump in the air, if I do say so myself.

Our girl number went from 26 to…

Our boy number went from 19 to….

And our sibling number went from 17 to…

Yep.  Double fist pump for the number 14!

Makes me even more excited for May numbers now….

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.