Mail Call!

We received paintings, drawings, and notes from Edelam and Lideta this weekend!

What a delight!

Each member of the family got at least 2 - one from Lideta, and one from Edelam.

"Mom and Dad" ~ What fabulous words!

Ed

Isn't she lovely!?
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Godspeed, FedEx!

We got word today that our dossier is on its way to Ethiopia via FedEx! I had hoped to hear that it was already there and translated, but this is still good news.

Please pray that each step goes quickly ~ every hand which must handle our documents would do so with remarkable efficiency.

The Process From Here

Where we've been:

• Applications to the Placing Agency (Adoption Advocates International) and our Homestudy Agency (Hands Across the Water) submitted and approved
• New homestudy completed = documents gathered, visits with our great social worker done, homestudy submitted, approved, and notarized
• Dossier submitted to AAI = MORE documents gathered, every speck of it notarized, trip to the Secretary of State for 'Certification with the Great State Seal' (Aar, Aar...flap fins together) to certify our notary

Where we are now... waiting for:

• A piece of paper from the State Department in Washington DC, stating that our dossier is good ~ approving our State Seal, which approved our notary, which approved us and all the folks who signed things for us (at least I think that's what it's for)
• Our dossier gets translated into Amharic and is sent to Ethiopia ~ not sure which comes first
• Our paperwork is submitted to a court clerk in Ethiopia, and then routed to a judge who sets a court date for us. When our paperwork is first submitted, we are assigned a group letter (group Y, Z, A, B... whatever).
• COURT DATE ~ a very important day! We are represented in court by someone from AAI. One of the girl's family members or previous guardians must appear, and the government rep. ... or something like that. If everything is in order and the court passes everything, the girls will be legally and officially OURS.
• We wait 3-6 weeks for the adoption order to be translated into English and wait for an appointment date at the US embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• A few days before our appointment, we TRAVEL.
• The morning after we arrive in Addis, we are taken over to Layla house to meet, hug, kiss, weep over, smile with, laugh with, hold like we never want to let them go... OUR girls.
• We spend the next few days getting acquainted with the girls while we wait for our embassy appointment. At the appointment, we smile pretty, hand in a pile of paperwork and some $$, and the nice people give us visas for the girls.
• We have farewell parties for the girls at Layla, and finally travel HOME

Then the REAL work begins!

Three names for Ed

Front and Center

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Here is our sweet Ed (Mo is in the back row). When I look at her I'm pulled right into those beautiful eyes! We hear information about Mo and L from those who've traveled, but rarely hear anything about Ed. Our mystery girl. Her eyes, and that spark in them, remind me of A.

We did get an email from AAI, saying that Ed placed at the top of her class. Above average in every way...

Musician

Pain in the Neck

Poor A has (note I said HAS, and not IS) a pain in her neck! It started yesterday morning and has continued. My most active of children has been drawn to a complete halt, unable to move her head without whimpering and sometimes crying in pain.

Sounds like the probable cause was rolling down a grassy hillside with friends on Tuesday.


She has regained her sense of humor now and then. Her siblings doted on her yesterday ~ Ic named himself her 'assistant.' I just had to go see when I heard her call from the porch, "Where's my tap dancer?" I got there just in time to see E coming out of the porch, removing my Sunday shoes, out of breath and giggling.