Aunt Kristen and cousins L., D., and G. gave us these presents:
Our celebratory dinner included lasagna and pumpkin pecan pie:
Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. His mercy endures forever. Psalm 107:1
October 30, 2010
We Passed Court!
Our preliminary court hearing was held on October 29 (late night October 28 Pacific time). While Matthew, Grandma and I were our way to visit my sister, we received the call from our Case Manager - the paperwork was in order, everything went well, and we passed! We are one step closer to bringing Isabella home.
Aunt Kristen and cousins L., D., and G. gave us these presents:
How cute is that tutu? I can't wait to see Isabella crawling across the floor in it! The story behind the bib: 4-year old cousin G. saw it and was convinced that Isabella had to have it. When G. resorted to tears, Aunt Kristen relented. I love it!
Our celebratory dinner included lasagna and pumpkin pecan pie:
Next steps: leave November 25 (Thanksgiving) to travel 8,471 miles to Ethiopia...
...to hold Isabella for the first time on November 28, and attend our second and final court hearing on November 30!
Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. His mercy endures forever. Psalm 107:1
Aunt Kristen and cousins L., D., and G. gave us these presents:
Our celebratory dinner included lasagna and pumpkin pecan pie:
Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. His mercy endures forever. Psalm 107:1
October 28, 2010
The Travel Box
I met Sarah (titus-home.blogspot.com) and picked up the two tubs of supplies that we are taking to Project 61. Sarah also gave me the infamous Travel Box -- a box of supplies that she created that is passed from family to family, to take on the gotcha-day trip:
The Travel Box comes complete with everything from chest rub lotion to power converters to diaper covers... all of those things that you take "just in case" or only use once. When we are done, we add a photo of our daughter, then pass it on to the next family on the list. It is fun to see all of the adoption journeys that the Travel Box has been a part of. Sara even gave us a gift for Isabella. Thank you, Sarah - we love your generosity and heart!
Here are the two tubs of supplies bound for Project 61/Korah, along with the three tubs of supplies bound for Hannah's Hope:
These tubs have everything from 100+ pieces of toddler - teen clothing (mostly jeans and shirts) to diapers, baby wipes, deodorant, and toys, including these dolls:
Thank you to everyone who has contributed. If you haven't gotten around to it, it's not too late to participate-- we have 3+ tubs left to fill! The latest request list includes toys for 4 - 16 mo. kids, especially those that make noise and are engaging, Avent-brand bottles, diapers, rice cereals, laptop computer (new or used) , adult UV sunglasses (worn when they take the kids outside, which they do often), adult-sized slippers, and organic flaxseed, unground.
Here are the two tubs of supplies bound for Project 61/Korah, along with the three tubs of supplies bound for Hannah's Hope:
October 26, 2010
Baby Shower
My friend Maureen bought a cooking class with a professional chef in an auction to support the Rogers' adoption. She generously used the class to host a baby shower for me. We had so much fun - I'm still smiling!
There were custom, handmade aprons with "Isabella" stiched on the pockets:
There were even little aprons for Isabella and Cheri's daughter Magdalyn:
(If you simply must have your own personalized aprons or pillows (see below), visit my friend's Etsy store at http://www.etsy.com/shop/GretaBag. Her creations are amazing, and she takes custom orders!)
There was a lot of cooking...
...and a lot of laughter.
Dinner was delicious...
The group photo was fun...
...and the presents were adorable!
We even received bags of diapers, clothes, dolls, and so much more to add to the donation tubs...
...and leftovers went into our freezer to feed Jon and Matthew when I travel to court (in 30 days).
Thank you, sweet friends, for a wonderful day!
October 25, 2010
Sweet Update
A wonderful gal I have never met but count as a friend (she is a month ahead of us, also adopting a baby girl) attended her court hearing last week, and travels next month to bring her daughter home. She sent us this note:
We just got back last night, but wanted to let you know that I spent a good amount of time with [Isabella]. She is SSSOOOO stinking adorable! She was one of the happiest babies there. And so beautiful! She will really blow you away! Her face has really filled out since the referral pic that you have. She has a big, beautiful smile and a really great personality. I got video and pics. ... I was so happy to get to old her and love on her and play with her. She is super happy! I am so excited for you to meet her....she is a dream!
I was laughing and crying happy tears while reading this. We are looking forward to recent photos and video of the newest member of our family. What an incredible blessing to have someone take time out of their own all-too-short visit to bless us by loving on our daughter.
We just got back last night, but wanted to let you know that I spent a good amount of time with [Isabella]. She is SSSOOOO stinking adorable! She was one of the happiest babies there. And so beautiful! She will really blow you away! Her face has really filled out since the referral pic that you have. She has a big, beautiful smile and a really great personality. I got video and pics. ... I was so happy to get to old her and love on her and play with her. She is super happy! I am so excited for you to meet her....she is a dream!
I was laughing and crying happy tears while reading this. We are looking forward to recent photos and video of the newest member of our family. What an incredible blessing to have someone take time out of their own all-too-short visit to bless us by loving on our daughter.
October 20, 2010
Pumpkin Patch
We had a fun lunch at the pumpkin patch!
As we were pulling out of the parking lot, what did we say? "Next year, we'll have Isabella with us! I wonder what she'll think of the pumpkin patch...?"
October 17, 2010
Midnight on a Sunday
Daughter of our dreams, girl of our hearts
So far away this evening, as we stare into the dark
We count the stars and wonder, does your birth mom do the same
We will forever share you, yet we do not know her name
She gave you life, she loved you, when we were not around
It broke her heart to let you go, yet we rejoiced when you were found
Soon Daddy and I will come to you and bring you home at last
Your future is bright and shining, though bitterness tinged your past
You may not be an angel, for angels never fall
But you are our precious baby, and you’ll soar above it all
May He who blessed us with you watch over you tonight
As we take comfort in the knowledge that all will work out right
So far away this evening, as we stare into the dark
We count the stars and wonder, does your birth mom do the same
We will forever share you, yet we do not know her name
She gave you life, she loved you, when we were not around
It broke her heart to let you go, yet we rejoiced when you were found
Soon Daddy and I will come to you and bring you home at last
Your future is bright and shining, though bitterness tinged your past
You may not be an angel, for angels never fall
But you are our precious baby, and you’ll soar above it all
May He who blessed us with you watch over you tonight
As we take comfort in the knowledge that all will work out right
October 15, 2010
Matthew Loves his Baby Sister
Matthew has grown from wanting to help, to actually being a big helper when it comes to chores. Each day he vacuums, picks up all of his toys, feeds Mittens, and completes a "mommy's choice" task, earning an allowance of 25 cents. Every few months, he sets a new goal of something that he wants to work and save for.
Several weeks ago, out of the blue, Matthew announced "Mommy, I want to buy my baby sister a doll!" I explained that he didn't have to do that, and that if he spends his $ on Isabella, he will have less money to spend on himself. To my surprise (and motherly pride), he has stuck to his goal, and constantly reiterates it as he completes his chores and collects the coveted quarter.
Well... Matthew's 4th birthday last week gave him a cash windfall, and today we counted up his money. He has enough saved to buy a doll for Isabella and the Toy Story 2 DVD for himself. He is thrilled.
Several weeks ago, out of the blue, Matthew announced "Mommy, I want to buy my baby sister a doll!" I explained that he didn't have to do that, and that if he spends his $ on Isabella, he will have less money to spend on himself. To my surprise (and motherly pride), he has stuck to his goal, and constantly reiterates it as he completes his chores and collects the coveted quarter.
Well... Matthew's 4th birthday last week gave him a cash windfall, and today we counted up his money. He has enough saved to buy a doll for Isabella and the Toy Story 2 DVD for himself. He is thrilled.
Here is the doll that he picked:
Isn't she adorable?! I love Matthew's heart, and I smile thinking of Isabella playing with the doll that her big brother gave her. I can also almost hear Isabella saying "but MOMMY! I don't want to watch THAT movie again, I want to watch The Frog Princess. PLEASE... it's MY TURN to pick!"
Good times to look forward to!
October 12, 2010
Making Plans and Traveling Light... and Heavy!
The "Making Plans" part: We have booked our flight! Jon cannot travel on this first trip to attend the court hearing, so my sister is going with me. We leave on Thanksgiving Day, connect through Chicago (only an hour between flights has me a bit nervous), then on to Paris, where we have a 22 hour layover. This will be Kristen's first trip to Europe, so despite wanting to fall into bed and sleep as soon as we step off of the plane, we are going to push ourselves to see Paris in a day. (Yes, I know - good luck with that!) Then we will crash for a few hours at the hotel at the airport. From Paris, we connect through Frankfurt and arrive in Addis late Saturday night (local time).
The "Traveling Light" part: Over the next 44 days (but who's counting?), we will pack, plan, and pack some more. I delight in traveling fast and light, and my sister is agreeable -- she either shares my backpack-and-laptop-only obsession, or she is too afraid of me to object! Either way, it makes me happy that we will be able to use all of our checked luggage allotment to carry donations to Hannah's Hope and Project 61.
Which brings us to...
The "Traveling Heavy" part: We will be allowed to check four luggage items on each trip. With careful measurement, this amounts to a total of eight 22-gallon tubs of donations (up to 50 pounds each). That's 400 pounds! If we are blessed with more donations, it will be a good problem to have. Our agency will provide us with a donation letter and, God-willing, we will convince the Lufthansa ticket agent to waive the $250 excess luggage fee. Pray for more donations, and for a soft-hearted person behind the ticker counter that we end up at...
So far, we have collected four tubs of donations, including:
- Two tubs of washable cloth feminine sanitary pads and underwear for Project 61. http://www.p61.org/ Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, has over 3 million residents. Korah, the community built up around the city dump outside of Addis Ababa, started as a colony of outcasts suffering from leprosy. Korah is now called home by tens of thousands of the poorest of the poor, including the ill, elderly, widows and orphans, who forage the dump each day to salvage waste to subsist on.
Education offers the best hope for many of these children. While over 55% of children in Ethiopia do not attend primary school, the numbers are much, much higher in Korah; statistically, girls who do attend school drop out sooner than boys.
A group of adoptive moms, some of whom sponsor Project 61 students, recently visited Korah and learned that many girls drop out of school when they hit puberty because they do not have basic sanitary supplies. These moms came home and went to work, finding a pattern and sewing washable pads and waterproof carrying bags for each student. These simple supplies will make a difference in the lives of dozens of girls who are working hard to overcome their circumstances.
It is our privilege to carry two tubs of these supplies to Project 61 on our first trip in November. If you would like to participate, please visit www.p61.org/sponsorship.html to sponsor a child and/or contact me directly to donate underwear (there is still some room in the tubs that we are taking).
- Two tubs of new shoes and clothing for toddler, youth and teen girls and boys at Hannah's Hope. Hannah’s Hope is a home for orphans age 0 - 15 years, operated by our adoption agency, All God’s Children International. www.allgodschildren.org/sponsorship/ AGCI and Hannah’s Hope also provide families and children in the community with sponsorship and support. Because of the exhorbitant cost of shipping between the U.S. and Ethiopia ($200 for a small package), Hannah’s Hope relies on adoptive families to courier donations of food, clothing, and supplies, many of which are not available for purchase in Ethiopia.
While we are so excited to bring Isabella home, the children at Hannah’s Hope who continue to wait are close to our hearts. If you would like to help fill the remaining 4+ tubs, please let me know. (See list below - Costco sizes work well... :)
And so I continue to plan, pack, and give thanks: I will be traveling with my dear sister to Ethiopia to hold the daughter of my dreams for the first time. This trip is going to be filled with tears, laughter, heartache, joy, and probably a lot of other emotions that I cannot begin to fathom as I sit on my couch surrounded by all of the comforts of home.
Thank you, Kristen, for getting umpteen immunizations and taking this journey with me. Thank you to your mother-in-law for watching your girls for over a week, to Aaron and the girls for sharing you with me, to Grandma for staying at our home to take better care of Matthew than I do, and to Jon and Matthew, for promising to miss me while I'm gone. Thank you, too, to each of you, our friends and family near and far-- we covet your prayers and appreciate your love and encouragement more than you know.
Needed Supplies:
■ Disposable Diapers - all sizes including preemie. Disposable diapers are used when children are ill, and are in high demand; cloth diapers, washed by hand like all laundry, are used the rest of the time.
■ Disposable baby wipes
■ Bibs
■ Hand sanitizer
■ Infant and children’s vitamins
■ Formula: vegetable based Similac, soy based Similac as well as regular formula
■ Avent-brand bottles for both 8 and 12 ounce feedings
■ Rice Cereal
■ New children’s shoes (i.e. sandals, sport, and Crocs), underwear and spring/summer/lightweight fall clothing for boys and girls in sizes 5 - 12 (slim or adjustable waist please)
■ Diaper rash cream: Desitin is preferred
■ Baby shampoos and baby oil
■ Shampoo, conditioner and lotion for older children
■ Development toys for infants and toddlers (manual only, not electrical/battery operated please)
■ Inflatable balls
■ Children's DVDs
■ Men and women’s deodorant
■ Good quality electric shavers
■ Rechargeable Camping Lanterns (for when electricity is out)
■ Twin sheets (flats) in solid colors and/or children’s print patterns of pink, purple, red, blue, and green
The "Traveling Light" part: Over the next 44 days (but who's counting?), we will pack, plan, and pack some more. I delight in traveling fast and light, and my sister is agreeable -- she either shares my backpack-and-laptop-only obsession, or she is too afraid of me to object! Either way, it makes me happy that we will be able to use all of our checked luggage allotment to carry donations to Hannah's Hope and Project 61.
Which brings us to...
The "Traveling Heavy" part: We will be allowed to check four luggage items on each trip. With careful measurement, this amounts to a total of eight 22-gallon tubs of donations (up to 50 pounds each). That's 400 pounds! If we are blessed with more donations, it will be a good problem to have. Our agency will provide us with a donation letter and, God-willing, we will convince the Lufthansa ticket agent to waive the $250 excess luggage fee. Pray for more donations, and for a soft-hearted person behind the ticker counter that we end up at...
So far, we have collected four tubs of donations, including:
- Two tubs of washable cloth feminine sanitary pads and underwear for Project 61. http://www.p61.org/ Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, has over 3 million residents. Korah, the community built up around the city dump outside of Addis Ababa, started as a colony of outcasts suffering from leprosy. Korah is now called home by tens of thousands of the poorest of the poor, including the ill, elderly, widows and orphans, who forage the dump each day to salvage waste to subsist on.
Project 61 is a privately sponsored mission and school serving the Korah community. This non-profit organization connects sponsors with families and children, providing a boarding school, clothing, and family support while working with local organizations to develop broader educational programs, community sponsorships, community centers, and income-generating strategies. Through feeding programs and child sponsorships, urgent needs are met to allow for development of long-term solutions.
Education offers the best hope for many of these children. While over 55% of children in Ethiopia do not attend primary school, the numbers are much, much higher in Korah; statistically, girls who do attend school drop out sooner than boys.
A group of adoptive moms, some of whom sponsor Project 61 students, recently visited Korah and learned that many girls drop out of school when they hit puberty because they do not have basic sanitary supplies. These moms came home and went to work, finding a pattern and sewing washable pads and waterproof carrying bags for each student. These simple supplies will make a difference in the lives of dozens of girls who are working hard to overcome their circumstances.
It is our privilege to carry two tubs of these supplies to Project 61 on our first trip in November. If you would like to participate, please visit www.p61.org/sponsorship.html to sponsor a child and/or contact me directly to donate underwear (there is still some room in the tubs that we are taking).
- Two tubs of new shoes and clothing for toddler, youth and teen girls and boys at Hannah's Hope. Hannah’s Hope is a home for orphans age 0 - 15 years, operated by our adoption agency, All God’s Children International. www.allgodschildren.org/sponsorship/ AGCI and Hannah’s Hope also provide families and children in the community with sponsorship and support. Because of the exhorbitant cost of shipping between the U.S. and Ethiopia ($200 for a small package), Hannah’s Hope relies on adoptive families to courier donations of food, clothing, and supplies, many of which are not available for purchase in Ethiopia.
While we are so excited to bring Isabella home, the children at Hannah’s Hope who continue to wait are close to our hearts. If you would like to help fill the remaining 4+ tubs, please let me know. (See list below - Costco sizes work well... :)
And so I continue to plan, pack, and give thanks: I will be traveling with my dear sister to Ethiopia to hold the daughter of my dreams for the first time. This trip is going to be filled with tears, laughter, heartache, joy, and probably a lot of other emotions that I cannot begin to fathom as I sit on my couch surrounded by all of the comforts of home.
Thank you, Kristen, for getting umpteen immunizations and taking this journey with me. Thank you to your mother-in-law for watching your girls for over a week, to Aaron and the girls for sharing you with me, to Grandma for staying at our home to take better care of Matthew than I do, and to Jon and Matthew, for promising to miss me while I'm gone. Thank you, too, to each of you, our friends and family near and far-- we covet your prayers and appreciate your love and encouragement more than you know.
Needed Supplies:
■ Disposable Diapers - all sizes including preemie. Disposable diapers are used when children are ill, and are in high demand; cloth diapers, washed by hand like all laundry, are used the rest of the time.
■ Disposable baby wipes
■ Bibs
■ Hand sanitizer
■ Infant and children’s vitamins
■ Formula: vegetable based Similac, soy based Similac as well as regular formula
■ Avent-brand bottles for both 8 and 12 ounce feedings
■ Rice Cereal
■ New children’s shoes (i.e. sandals, sport, and Crocs), underwear and spring/summer/lightweight fall clothing for boys and girls in sizes 5 - 12 (slim or adjustable waist please)
■ Diaper rash cream: Desitin is preferred
■ Baby shampoos and baby oil
■ Shampoo, conditioner and lotion for older children
■ Development toys for infants and toddlers (manual only, not electrical/battery operated please)
■ Inflatable balls
■ Children's DVDs
■ Men and women’s deodorant
■ Good quality electric shavers
■ Rechargeable Camping Lanterns (for when electricity is out)
■ Twin sheets (flats) in solid colors and/or children’s print patterns of pink, purple, red, blue, and green
October 7, 2010
Court Dates
I just got the call from our new Case Manager, Kiersten (Julie is on maternity leave). We have court dates!
Preliminary hearing 10/29
2nd court hearing 11/30!
We are so excited that we might get to bring Isabella home by the end of the year. If we pass court and make the 12/27 embassy appointment, we could be flying home on 12/31 (my birthday). I can't stop smiling. God is good!
We have our travel conference call in 30 minutes, and then I get to start calling travel agents to price out tickets and create a preliminary itinerary!
*still smiling*
Preliminary hearing 10/29
2nd court hearing 11/30!
We are so excited that we might get to bring Isabella home by the end of the year. If we pass court and make the 12/27 embassy appointment, we could be flying home on 12/31 (my birthday). I can't stop smiling. God is good!
We have our travel conference call in 30 minutes, and then I get to start calling travel agents to price out tickets and create a preliminary itinerary!
*still smiling*
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