WE PASSED!!

I found out today that we passed court.  I am a MOM!  He is mine.  I also found out that my immigration approval is in the mail today.  Its been a big day!

The next steps...

The immigration approval has to get to Ethiopia to the US Embassy before I can be assigned a Visa date for Gman.
I have to have a visa date before I can book my plane ticket. 
Each agency has certain days that they get visa appointments.  They have 10 appointments each day.  So I have to wait to for immigration approval before I can take one of the 10 appointments.  There have also been mutliple court passings from my agency in the last few weeks (YIPPEEE!!!! for all of us), but that does mean that I will have to wait (as patiently as possible) for my turn.  I'm thinking end of July, early August, but no guarantees for that one. 

So that is the latest. 

Stalking the Mailbox and Court

So I've been stalking the mailbox for the last 2 or 3 weeks.  Everyday I come home and check the mailbox looking for the USCIS return address.  But everyday nothing.  I am waiting for the 171H.  This form is my permission to bring an orphan into the US.  So the deal is that if I was to pass court this Thursday I can't plan to travel to bring him home until I have my 171H and its been sent to the US Embassy in Addis.  So I wait and stalk the mailbox.  I'm about to become a major pest to the local USCIS office!

In regards to court:  there are a few things that could affect passing court on Thursday. 

• Gman's birth mother is required at court.  Its about an 8 hour drive from where she lives to Addis.  My placement agency takes care of helping her get there, but there is still always the possiblity she won't be there.
• MOWA (Ministry of Women's Affairs) in Ethiopia is over adoptions.  They have to have a letter filed with the courts giving permission for the adoption to proceed.  Adoptions in Ethiopia have mutliplied in the last several years, but the personelle for MOWA has not. So its not unusual not to have the letter there.
• Electricity is iffy in Ethiopia.  
• Their being enough time in the day.  There are a lot of court cases scheduled for that day so they might just run out of time. 

I've been trying to stay calm and not get my hopes up and until these last couple of days I've been doing well at this.  But now the hopes are rising, so if you don't mind sending up a prayer for these things, or a positive thought or whatever you may believe in I would be eternally grateful!  Here's to patience and finding out the results of court sooner rather than later!

My Arms Hurt!

Today I went to the travel clinic and had 7 shots.  My arms are sore!!!!  What we do for our children.  I am ready now to head for Ethiopia.  If I had to leave tomorrow, I think I could.  My house is not ready. My job is not ready.  My heart is more than ready (okay if I'm really honest its still a little overwhelmed by it all). But I can't wait to have him in my arms.

Sunday is Mother's day. And it has a whole new meaning to me.  Last year's mother's day was hard for me.  I just wasn't anywhere near where I thought I wanted to be in my life. But  this year even though he's on the other side of the world, I'm still feeling excited and happy about mother's day. 

But when I think of his birth mom.  I'm pretty sure they don't have mother's day in Ethiopia, but I think about her, what she must feel everyday.  And my heart hurts for her. 

Court Date!

I found out today that we have been assigned a court date.  May 20th.  That's 20 days away. 20 days.  Wow.  Can I tell you how glad I am right now that I'm not having to travel twice.  I would be freaking out right now (well even more than I am right now).  There are a lot of other cases scheduled for the 20th so there is a good chance that our case will not be heard.  But as my mother has said this is going way faster than we ever thought, so just be prepared! One good thing is that I'm pretty sure my case will be heard before the rainy season begins, even if its not heard on May 20th.  For those of you who do not know Ethiopia has a rainy season August and September and the courts close down.  So if your case hasn't passed before rainy season then you have to wait for rainy season to be over before it will be heard again.  So by having our court date schedule on May 20th, I'm relatively sure that it will at least be heard prior to rainy season.  SWEET!!!! 

If we were to pass court on May 20th this could mean traveling as early as mid-July.  Oh my! So much to do.  I have a niece who is due at the end of July and while I would love to be there for her birth, G-man I'm coming to get you if I can.  Sweet niece I'll see you when I get home :).  

So much to do now, daycare, paint a bedroom, shots (not fun) get work stuff in order to be off for 2 to 3 months.  But now I know so I can get started.  If you've got a paint brush, bring it on!

Two Weeks changes everything

Its been two weeks since I saw his face.  Two weeks.  How is that possible?  I guess in some ways I'm still in shock.  It doesn't seem like its been two weeks.  It seems like its been 2 days.  Maybe.  Two weeks since my life has changed forever.    

A Different Wait

This wait is different.  I know your face.  I imagine your laugh, gosh I hope you are laughing.  So much has happened in your short three years of life.  I wonder what you are doing, who you are playing with?  What your favorite food is?  Are you sleeping through the night? I lie in bed and all these thoughts run through my head.  My mind races.  The things I need to do to get ready for you to come home.  Painting a bedroom, figuring out the "theme" for the room.  I think about getting to know you, how hard, how easy that will be.  If you'll understand me, if I'll understand you.  I'm waiting, but this wait is different.

I found my HEART!

So I've been trying to right this post for days.  I sit down to write it and then get sidetracked looking at this little boy's picture.  So I shall try again.  Good Friday was an amazing day.  At 4:14pm I got the CALL.  My phone rang and it was my placement agency,  I had spoken with them earlier that day asking some random questions, so I KNEW, I just knew that it was the call.  I walked outside to be alone.  My worker said they have an appropriate referral.  OH MY GOD!!!! That was my response while literally jumping up and down!  It was happening.  I wasn't expecting it for months, months I tell you.  G-man is 3 years old.  He is very malnourished, as most children in Ethiopia are (especially those who have been placed for adoption).  But the worker says he seems to be healthy otherwise.  The call lasted for 1 minute 49 seconds.  The call that will change my life 1 minute 49 seconds.  I was at my brother's house.  I came back in the house, and there must have been this look on my face, because my sister-in-law asked what was wrong.  I screamed ( I believe, although honestly its kinda blur) I got a REFERRAL.  My sister was visiting, she came out and gave me a big hug, and says call your mother.  Mind blank. My mind was blank.  People say you get pregnancy brain, I am a full believer now in Referral brain.  That is what I had, referral brain.  So I get on a computer and pull up his picture.  Its about an inch and half big.  And he is beautiful.  Absolutely beautiful and in that moment I'm gone. 

So G-man is sitting on my computer looking at me with these big brown eyes.  He's amazing.  And tiny! 

I wish you could all see him and see how beautiful he is, but I am not allowed until he is legally mine. 

So now I've found my heart and he's waiting for me in Ethiopia!