Getting Ready

We decided we should probably start getting everything ready for the baby and our trip to Ethiopia. I will be going back to work in a little over 3 weeks (ugh) and I would like everything completed before I go back to work. I am really hoping for a mid-September travel date! I have decided to start off the school year and begin my leave when we travel to pick him up. I will then go back to work on Jan. 5.

We were given lists of items that we should bring with us to Ethiopia. Once of the lists included medications that we should pack in case we get sick. Needless to say, I bought all of the medications that were suggested on the list. I now have a small tuperware filled with medicine and first aid supplies:). We also bought all the items that the baby may need while we are in Ethiopia. This week we will begin to get his nursery ready. We have finally figured out how to have a nursery/office.

We also had a phone conference about traveling to Ethiopia with one of our adoption specialists and several other families. The conference was to let us know what to expect when we travel down south to meet our son's birth family. It sounds like a wonderful experience and I am looking forward to it.

I was hoping to get his birth certificate this week but it looks like we will have to wait at least another week before we receive it. We are now just waiting for his birth certificate and then we will be given a travel date. When we get his birth certificate, we will get an updated picture of him. I am really excited to see how much he has changed. Now that he is officially ours, I will be able to post his picture on my blog!

Friends!

I am very blessed to have great friends and I was able to either talk, e-mail, blog, or hang out with many of them this week. My husband always jokes about my busy social life but I would not have it any other way. There is nothing better than talking to my girlfriends and getting their perspectives and encouragement. I have also been getting in touch with some friends that I have not talked to in a long time. It is funny how even though I may not see them or talk to them as much as I would like, we seem to be able to pick up where we left off. Having friends in your 30s sure seems a lot easier than in your teens and 20s.

I am also very lucky that my friends and family have been so supportive of our adoption. They are always asking me about our baby and for updates. Adoption can be a difficult road. There are many ups and downs and even more unknowns. Since we are adopting from Ethiopia, we will need to raise a son who is proud of his race and his ethnicity. My husband and I have friends and family that have been so supportive of our decision to adopt from another country. It has really made our journey to our son much easier for us.

We did not receive any updates on our adoption or our baby this week. However, with every passing week we are getting closer to meeting our baby boy for the first time. We are now down to 6 - 10 weeks until we travel. I am really getting excited to travel to Ethiopia. I never dreamt that I would have the opportunity to travel to Africa!

Another Week

We have not heard anything this week regarding our son. I do not expect to hear anything new for another 4 weeks or so.

The kids and I had a great week though. The kids had swimming, tennis, and karate in the mornings and then we spent our afternoons with their friends or just hanging out at home. My daughter had two sleep overs and is a little cranky today because she is so tired. It was fun to just have a lazy and relaxing week. Sometimes I get pretty focused on things that need to get done and forget to slow down and just enjoy the summer. However, next week I need to start getting ready for the baby. I don't really have anything except for some clothes that my sister gave me and a few outfits that I bought, a high chair, and a crib. So, I better start stocking up on bottles, bibs, diapers, and other baby things....it will be fun to start buying those things. I did not want to buy anything before we made it through court just in case something went wrong but now I feel more comfortable going ahead and getting the baby's room ready. I also need to get ready for our trip to Ethiopia. The recommended packing list is quite extensive and we need to bring everything and anything that our baby may need including diapers, bottles, medicine, clothes, blankets, toys, and books. Plus we have a big list for ourselves. I am sure the weeks will go by very quickly now!

He Is Ours!!!

We made it through court yesterday! We are proud parents of a baby boy and are very excited!! The only down side is that we are going to have to wait longer to get him. In the past, once you made it through court the wait time to travel was 6 - 8 weeks. Now the wait time has been increased to 8 - 12 weeks (which probably means 10 - 12 weeks) However, we are just excited that he is officially our son!!

Update

We received an update on our baby right before leaving for the 4th of July weekend on Thursday. He continues to gain weight and he has grown 1 cm. All good news!! Thursday is the big day when we go to court in Ethiopia. Hopefully everything will go well. I am hoping to hear something on Friday before we leave for the weekend.....but we may not hear until Monday or Tuesday.