5 month anniversary

Today marks the day of our 5 month anniversary of waiting. When we started the journey we thought we'd have our referral by now for sure. Good thing we can't see the future, and it's not in our hands anyway! The courts, contradictory to what I'd previously thought, are still not open. Our agency sent out a mass e-mail a couple of days ago stating that the courts really aren't open and probably will not be until later this week. At this point much of their information I'm taking with a grain of salt and not holding fast to it. They have been wrong before and until EVERY agency can collaboratively state that the courts are open I will not believe it. Sometimes I feel like we're being told what we want to hear, not what is factual. I've gotten my hopes up for the last time in this process. I am very leary of quoted timeframes at this point. We have been told to expect a referral by Feb/March. This, too, I am hesitant to believe. The proof is in the puddin' baby! I'm ready to go the distance, whatever it takes for my daughter. If it takes more than 6 months, so be it. I just don't want to be patronized with "best case scenario" timeframes any longer. I don't want another phone call from the agency until it's THE CALL. Don't call me to tell me I'll be waiting longer, I already expect to. Just call me when you have my daugher. If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all.

P.S. I'm not really trying to be nasty and I'm not mad at the agency. I'm just putting my game face on.

Keep your eye on the stork

See this stork ^ ? Watch him sprinting to the right. Go Stork Go! Thats how long we "expect" to wait for a referral at this point. Our agency forum had a referral today! Hooray Scott and Lisa : a beautiful baby boy 4 mos old. They waited 7 mos. We are 2 months behind them as far as the "official" wait date is concerned, but there's no way of knowing how many others there are that haven't registered on the forum. It really is a great support network and a great way to find out what month is up for referrals.

Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!?

Not so sure about that today. We just received info from the adoption agency that our wait will be extended yet again. They expect us to wait another 5-6 months. How and why?? I was told that based on last years numbers, how many infants can be processed in a month, and how many waiters fit our same mold this is the best guess they can give to our family. So now here we go on the uphill climb once again. Just shy of having waited half way. There's got to be a punch line here somewhere, right?

C'Mon Baby

Week 20! That's half of a pregnancy! This adoption thing, however, is WAY harder than being pregnant. The courts re-open this week, so I am told. Things should start moving along again within the next couple of weeks. Prayerfully, we will be close to a referral.

Flippity's first day of pre-school. He had a blast, of course. His birthday is coming up. He has requested a Power Ranger's Dino Thunder birthday theme and cake. Aunt E always makes the birthday cake for him, so she has a challenge on her hands this year. Already the theme has switched from Doodlebops to Wallace and Grommit, and now Power Ranger's. And yes, there are like 5 different Power Ranger sub-categories. It's not just plain old PR anymore baby!

Fast approaching week 19

Soon, a couple of weeks I think, the courts will re-open in Ethiopia. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I just want so badly for us to have our baby girl home by Christmas. I don't know how likely it will be, but I keep praying for it. I am an emotional wreck right now. I can't even hardly talk about the adoption without becoming choked up. I know we need to have patience, and we do, but I can't help the emotional turmoil during it all.

Flippity starts pre-school a week from Monday. He is so excited, and so am I. He needs the interaction with other kids. Hopefully by the time we bring home our daughter he will be totally ready to share (yeah right!). It makes me sad to look at all the baby pictures of him and think where did the time go? I've been a stay at home mom for the past 4 years and still I'm baffled by how the time slips through my grasp, and before you know it: pre-school. That was never going to happen to me, I would never be the mom who said where did the time go? and they just grow up so fast! Well, here I am saying it and feeling it.