The 29th!

Yes.... you read that correctly.  We have an Embassy date of the 29th of June!!!! We will be on a jet plane headed back to Addis Ababa exactly 1 month from our Court Date! Praise the Lord, we are so excited to really begin our journey as a family of 5!  But before that can happen I have to frantically search for flights, call travel agents and try not to notice the $$ signs that are attached to the flights.  Although, when we look at Elle's little face all the $$'s and (most of) the craziness melt away!!

**Do you think I could have used more exclamation marks in a single paragraph?!

Clear!!!!

More exciting news to share with you all!  We were cleared this morning by the U.S. Embassy to come and pick up Elizabeth!! WOOT!!!! We have submitted our top 3 choices of dates (29th, 30th and the 4th) for our official meeting with the Embassy and are waiting to hear which of those is available.  Of course, we are hoping for the 29th and are also hoping that we find out tomorrow.  Keep in  mind it is already tomorrow in Ethiopia, so we just might have to set our alarm for an ungodly hour, to check our email and see if we have a date!  This is really happening and I can hardly believe it. :-)

Oh My Goodness, Oh My Goodness!!!

I feel like the little orphan girl in Annie, "Oh My Goodness!"  But I just can't wrap my head around our latest news.  We were submitted to Embassy today (Yes, I am jumping up and down) and if everything goes smoothly we will be back in Addis Ababa by the end of the month!!!!! Needless to say, we were completely surprised to be hearing this news so soon after traveling for court, but are completely ecstatic (and a little freaked out)! Please be praying that all the documents are correct and that Embassy does not require anything further.  We should know by Tuesday if all is well and we can travel to pick our little girl up! Praise the Lord!!
 
It sure is a good thing that I ordered the girls their bunk beds today.  I am sure that Elle is anticipating some place to at least lay her little head at night.  :-)

18,282 miles!!!!

Yes,  you read that correctly!  We are finally home after traveling over 18,000 miles!  It is no wonder that I woke up this morning and did not know where I was.  It took a minute to remember that I was in my own bed (at last!) and that the language spoken was English and the currency the dollar.  Ha, ha!
But, really.... we had a fantastic trip and our prayers were answered, we are the official parents of Elizabeth Alale Blair!!  Thank you for all of your prayers.  Our trip was long, joyous, surreal and absolutely a blessing.  We were able to spend the first week visiting Elle everyday at the Care Center and the second week we traveled south to the region that she was born.  Our entire trip was priceless and we consider it such a blessing that we were able to gather as much information and pictures as we did.  I have attached a few of our favorites for you all at the bottom of this post.
Now I know that you are all wanting to know more about Elle and our time with her, so I will try to put into words some of our experiences.  The day we first arrived and met her, she just woke and the nannies washed her little face and sent her over to meet us.  We only had about 15-20 minutes with her, because we had to go to Court.  Our flight had some delays and rerouting which caused us to not be able to spend anytime with her on Tuesday like we planned.  And in order to pass court we had to meet her, so this is the reason for the brief first encounter.  OK, back to the story... Elle came right over to us and let me hold her.  After a few minutes I decided I should share with Brandon and he held her for the remainder of the time until we were told we had to go.  She was very quiet and curious and I am sure, overwhelmed!
After our Court hearing we went back to the Care Center and were able to spend a couple more hours with her.  When our van pulled into the court yard and Elizabeth spotted us climbing out, she RAN over to me with a huge grin and I swept her up.  I will never forget that moment! :-)  From then forward, Brandon and I were "her property" and she did not want to other kiddos close.
She is a spunky, funny little girl who is full of smiles and giggles.  And if corrected, she knows how to give a grin that would win over the strictest judge.  After meeting her, I am 100% sure that she and Addie are going to be trouble together and Ian is going to have his hands full (we won't talk about Brandon and I)!
Our trip to the Rift Valley Lakes area was wonderful and really gave us a better idea of what life is like for some Ethiopians.  First of all, Ethiopia was nothing like I expected it to be.  For some reason, I pictured an arid land with desert like conditions.  Now it does have desert areas, but the places we saw reminded me more of Hawaii believe it or not, and we saw some 500 miles of it!  The people are friendly and happy.  The food is spicy and the traffic is crazy.  There were a couple of times I was sure our driver was trying to hit people, ha ha!  Overall life seems hard and very different than mine in the States, but you can see that they value each other and in particular their children.  These, especially, are traits I wish I saw more often here.
Now you may ask, "When do we bring her home? What happens next?"  Well, we have to wait, imagine that?!  It is now the U.S. government that we will be waiting on and you all know how uncertain that can be.  They will be verifying all of Elle's info and making sure that the adoption is legal by U.S. standards before they will issue a visa.  So our new prayer is that this part would happen quickly and that sometime in July we will be making another and a final trip, to bring her home.  You can rest assured that I will update with information as we receive it!
Well, I need to go because nap time is almost over and Ian will be calling crying soon.  Enjoy the pictures and thank you again for all of your prayers and support.

Fun with Stickers

Some good laughs!

I painted the girls finger nails on a rainy afternoon.

First introductions.

First introductions.

Leaving to go to Court.

Our bags are packed!

And can you believe that we could still check one more bag!?! Now just to figure out how to get through the Airport, Hmmm.....

Surreal....

So I am sitting here on this Sunday night, surrounded by to-do lists, piles of official papers and a veritable mountain of donations and personal items to pack, and I can hardly that we leave this week!!! As that reality began to sink in, I thought that I had better post one last blog before we leave.  I am not sure that I will be able to post much until we return, as time and internet connections will probably be commodities, but I do truly  hope that we will be able to blog at least once to say, "We are the proud parents of 3 beautiful children!"
This whole week seems quite surreal.  I actually paused before printing off the packing checklist and thought, "Is it really time to use this?!"  We began this journey just over a year ago and at the time, the thought of waiting one year seemed like forever.  But just like so many things in life, that year has flown by! There have definitely been slow moments, but that is exactly what they were...moments.  I hope that the next couple months of waiting will be remembered in the same way, as mere blinks of an eye, when we finally have Elizabeth in our home.  
We are just praising God for the blessing of anticipating another child in our home.  More laughter and giggles, more hair bows, shoes and frilly dresses, more arguments and whining, more bedtime hugs, and more opportunities to realize the love that God has for me as his child.  And in all this expectation, I have found that I truly miss a little girl that I have yet to meet.  I hear her laughter and giggles when Addie and Ian are being silly.  I feel her absence when we have family jumps on the trampoline. And I wish I could hold her little hand when I am ushering the kids through the parking lot at the store. All of these things will happen in God's perfect timing, I know, I just pray He gives me peace beyond understanding and grace as we walk through the next several months. 
I also want to thank everyone who is helping us as we prepare to leave.  Thank you for watching the house, the dogs, taking us to and from the airport and praying for our safe journeys as we travel to meet Elizabeth.  We are beyond blessed to have such wonderful and attentive friends and family.  I hope that upon our return we have excellent news and pictures to post of our sweet little Elle! God Bless you all.
Now I am going to crawl back into the middle of the pile I escaped from and get ready to "leave on a jet plane!"

13, 16, 17, 18.....

13 Days until we board a plane and head to TN to drop the kiddos off with Grandparents (they really do make the best baby sitters)!
16 Days until we board a plane headed for Ethiopia!
17 Days until we MEET ELIZABETH for the first time, face to face!!!!
18 Days until COURT, where we will hopefully become her parents!!!!

I can hardly believe that we are now inside of two weeks till turning to the next chapter of this story!  There are so many emotions, that I can barely sort through them.  The first thought is, "YAY!" and that is quickly followed with a, "YIKES!"  We are about to become responsible for another little person and that is always exciting and scary.  Thankfully, I recognize these feelings because I did the same thing while pregnant with Addie and Ian.  And, thankfully, I know that once Elizabeth is part of our family I won't remember what it was like to not have her as ours (just like with Addie and Ian).  It is a funny thing... kids have a way of doing that to your life. They quickly become such a part of it, that life prior to being a parent seems foggy and looking back at it convinces you that they really were always there, you just had not met them yet.
As much as I am trusting God to fill all the gaps and give us an unconditional love for Elle, I am still bracing myself for the fact that she might not want anything to do with us when we meet her.  And she would have every right to feel this way!  Poor thing, she has been left in a strange place, that has become her home over the past 5 months and now she is getting ready to meet some odd looking people, that don't speak her language and will soon be taking her to another strange place!  My prayer, and I ask for yours too, is that God would be preparing her little heart to allow us to love her and trust us with her every care.
I do so hope that we have a wonderful first "meeting!"  I mean, it can't be worse than the day we met Ian for the first time - the boy screamed bloody murder for the first 10 hours!! In fact....I think I can hear him now. :-)

Thank you Friends!

Well, I just want to say a HUGE, "Thank you" to all the ladies that came out to the Adoption Shower today.  We had a great time, were adventurous with the foods we ate and decorated T-shirts to take to the kiddos.  And best of all, because of your generosity, we have filled one and a half of our big green bins with donations!  On that note I will leave you with some pictures from the Shower.  :-)

                                                                                    

Come Eat Cake!

Just a friendly reminder for those in the San Antonio Area to come and join us for cake at the Adoption Shower tomorrow, from 1-3pm!!  I am excited to see all the friendly faces gathered to give blessings to the sweet children in Ethiopia.  See you all there. :-)

Tidbits...

Wow!! Only 3 weeks till we head out from Texas and begin our first journey to Ethiopia.  My head is buzzing with all the tasks and planning that has yet to be done.  I go to bed at night thinking of all the things I need to do and then wake in the morning and can't remember what to do first!
Thankfully, we have most of the "big" pieces in place.  The airline tickets are purchased, the tour of Elizabeth's home region is secured, the lodging is confirmed and we have begun to collect a small mountain of items to take with us.  We have worked hard over the past year to save money and have been blessed by the generosity of others, but "OUCH" it hurts to see it all going like water through a sieve! I have to just keep reminding myself that we have planned for all this.
In addition to everything above, I am also putting the final touches on the plans for the Adoption Shower.  If you are in the local area, you really must come.  It is going to be a fun gathering of ladies and I hope it will be a blessing to the children in Ethiopia.  So don't forget... Saturday at 1pm! 
Alright, I really should get back to doing something more productive.  Just wish I could remember what it was....

Amazing Fundraiser!

Well, it was not exactly our intention to begin another fundraiser right now, but this is just too cool to pass up!  My sister, Whitney, clued me into this amazing organization that provides fundraising opportunities to adopting families and also helps widows and orphans in Africa.  These beautiful necklaces have such an amazing "full circle story of the body of Christ."  I am so thrilled to be able to help and receive the help from such a unique organization.  For more information, please check out the "Orphan Beads Fundraiser" page at the top our blog! And while you read, keep in mind that Mother's Day is just around the corner and these would make beautiful gifts. ;-) 

Court Date Change!!

Yikes, it sounds scary, doesn't it?!  I just received a call from our coordinator and was informed that our Court Date has been bumped up! Thankfully... it is just by one day, but still - Crazy.  So now we are the only family with a May 25th date and there will be a small group of 4-5 other families on the 26th.  Really, in my mind, this is rather minor.  We do not have to change our flight **Sigh of relief**, as we will still have one full day in Ethiopia prior to court.  And on the bright side, it may give us one more day to pass court while we are in country, rather than when we arrive back home!
Since I am writing, I just want to add... 37 DAYS TILL WE LEAVE!!!!

Ready to take flight...

Flight booked - Check.
Malaria Medicine - Check.
Vaccinations - Check.
Packing List Made - Check.

YAY!!! It is becoming official!!! Everything is starting to fall into place.  I just booked our airline tickets to Addis Ababa! Paying for them was not fun, but it will be so worth it when we get to hear Elizabeth's little giggle in person.  I can hardly wait!  Do you think the airline will mind if I go ahead and wait in line?! :-) 

A Shameless Plug....

Many adoptive parents take small items with them when they travel to leave behind for their children in between Court and Embassy.  Some of these items are things such as a photo book, photo collage, stuffed animal, small cuddly blanket, ect.  We would also like to leave something for Elizabeth to remember us by and to help her become familiar with her new family.  However, we have heard that it is not uncommon for other children to steal some of these items, for them to be misplaced or for the nannies to put these items away in a safe place, so as not to have the aforementioned things happen.  It was suggested by some of other adoptive parents, that if you chose to leave some items behind that the child be able to keep them in a pocket or on their person. 
This is where my friend Shannon comes in! She makes jewlery and as you can see above, she makes personalized charms.  We sent her a couple of pictures and she made them into these cute "picture tile" charms!  Our hope is that Elle will be able to keep up with this necklace during her remaining time at the Care Center.  This way, she will have a tangable reminder that we are coming back for her and love her. 
We also hope to give one to her Birth mom if we are able to meet her.  It seems to be a rare thing for Ethiopians to have access to pictures and is likely that her mom does not have a picture of Elizabeth. Something for all of you other adoptive parents to consider (hint, hint)! ;-)
If you are interested you can contact Shannon through her blog or Etsy site.  She is traveling in two days for her court hearing and to meet her sweet little boy!  I know that your purchase of a charm would help her as she returns home and prepares to travel for Embassy. 

Hear, Hear!

Would all gathered please rise..... We are ecstatic to announce that we have a COURT DATE!!!!!!  I think that I could just fill the page with exclamation marks right now, but I will spare you and try to keep them to an acceptable level!  (Although it might not work.)
May 26th is the big date!  So, roughly 7 weeks from tomorrow we will be on our way to Addis Ababa to meet our new daughter, Elizabeth.  I can barely contain my excitement, so if you happen to glance my way and see a big grin on my face, you now know why. :-) 
OK, since my head is still spinning and buzzing from adrenalin and since I am likely to just break out with more exclamation marks, I will end this post and promise to update further in the near future!  And in the meantime, if anyone happens to visit Addis Ababa, tell Elle, "WE ARE COMING!"  

This little piggy...

Elizabeth's foot print!

Again...It's the small things in life!  A family that recently traveled to pick up their little one and bring them home, took some time to do a small "art project" with some of the kids at our agency's Care Center.  So, as you can see, the result for us is a tangible little gift that puts a smile a "foot" wide on our faces!  It has been fun for Addie and Ian to see something other than pictures.  I think it helps make Elle seem more "real."  And it gives me an idea of what size shoes she will need.  Therefore, a little bit of shoe shopping may be in order.....

You're Invited!

We are having a party, an Adoption Shower to be exact! A dear friend has offered to host the shower at her home here in San Antonio on April 30th from 1pm-3pm.  Instead of bringing gifts for Elizabeth or us, like a traditional shower, we are asking that each person bring a donation for our agency's Care Center and we will take it over on our first trip.  I am so excited about this and to invite you all to help these sweet children and their dutiful nannies at the orphanage.  We have been blessed with so much in this country and have an unique opportunity to help others in need.  I would love to see you all on April 30th.  However...if you are not able to make it or would like to send a donation to us here in TX we will gladly take it with us.  (Please contact me personally and I will give you our information.)
I have listed below, some of the needs that the Care Center currently has.  If you chose to send or bring something to the shower, please keep these things in mind:
1. Our space is limited to 2 totes that will be checked at the airport
2. There are many children at the orphanage of all ages, therefore, toys need to be safe for little ones
3. Multiples of any toys are good, that way every child will receive one (matchbox cars, jelly bracelets, inflatable balls, hairbands, bouncy balls, ect).

Suggested Donations:

• anti fungal cream for the scalp
• baby lotion
• baby shampoo
• Bandaids
• Neosporin
• Children and Infants Tylenol or Motrin
• Flip Flops for nannies
• Multivitamin syrup (poly-vi-sol)
• Pedialyte powder
• pajamas of all sizes
• baby clothes
• toddler clothes (pants and shirts)
• diaper covers
• Disposable diapers
• Disposable drinking cups
• Clear bottle nipples (small)
• Sheets for Cribs and Twin Beds
• Shoes (all sizes-toddler to age 14yrs)
• Soccer balls (deflated)
• Board Books and Easy Readers

THANK YOU!  And can't wait to see you at the end of April! :-)

Unexpected Blessing...

I have had several questions about if we have received pictures, updates, ect. of Elizabeth.  The answer is "yes" and the way the process looks is something like this...
We receive one update a month about her physical well being, height, weight and "other comments" from our agency.  With this update or shortly after, we also receive one or two pictures every month. Of course, we receive these with gratitude from our agency and knowing that they have multiple families who are wanting the same thing, we really did not expect to get much more than this.  In fact, at the beginning of this process we did not know if we would ever get more than 1 or 2 pictures of Elle before we traveled to meet her. 
Well, as we became familiar with our agency's process and a Yahoo Loop for families adopting through I.A.N., we discovered that those families traveling before others would volunteer to take pictures and maybe even video of the kids!  And once they arrived home would then update the waiting families.  At first I was a little skeptical, mainly because I felt this was unfair to those families who were there to meet their own children.  Selfishly, I thought, "I don't want to give up my time with my child to take pictures of other kids!" 
Now I can say, " I can't wait to take pictures of as many children as possible and share them with their families waiting in the States!"  You may ask, "Why the sudden change of heart?"  Well, this week we have been the recipient of several pictures and even video of Elizabeth!!!!
This has been such an unexpected blessing and just makes my heart soar to hear stories of her, see pictures and even hear her sing!  I cannot fully express my gratitude to these families for taking the time to meet our daughter, play with her and grab a snapshot for us to pour over until we get to do these things for ourselves. I have been able to ask them questions about her personality and confirm some of the information we have received in our updates and it has been a relief that I never anticipated.
This is a two-fold blessing, because now Elle will have some record, in photographs, of her time in Ethiopia.  We all know how much pleasure we get from capturing our own children on camera and from sharing our childhood photos with them.  Now Elle will have some of the same! The only down side is that this has wet my impatience even more!  But now as we wait, we have a precious video to watch, because someone else gave up a little bit of their time.  I thank the Lord for showing me how big of a difference I can make in someone's day by sacrificing a little bit of my focus when we travel. 
THANK YOU I.A.N FAMILIES!!!!

One month and counting...

It is hard to believe, but 4 weeks ago today we accepted our referral for sweet Elizabeth!  I can attest that these past four weeks have most definitely been a harder wait than everything prior.  Especially for me, as I am a "planner."  I want to plan our trip, get our vaccines, decorate the bedroom, buy clothes that match for Addie and Elle (ha, ha), make packing lists, organize donations to take, ect.  As you can tell there will be a lot to do! 
As we continue to wait for our court date, I have to remind myself that after we travel this waiting will be even harder.  We will meet her, we will have to leave her, and we won't be able to tell her when we are coming back.  So for now, as my impatience grows for the next big phone call, my mantra is, "It is all in God's timing, it is all in God's timing, it is all in God's timing....."

Then there were three...

It's the little things in life, right?!  Well for now, because that is all I can do, that is what is most exciting!  We received Elizabeth's new backpack in the mail today, complete with embroidered name.  About two years ago Addie received hers from Grandma and Granddad and it was such a hit that we asked for one for Ian at Christmas.   Therefore, it was high on my list of things to buy for Elle and low and behold they were on sale last week!!  Well, it was meant to be... so I hit the add to shopping cart button, choose a color for her name and voila, it was on my doorstep today.  I can not wait to pack it with activities, snacks, clothes, ect and take it for her to have on the plane ride home.  Until then it will just have to sit in the slowly growing pile of pink, green and purple!