Summer Has Arrived

I have been complaining about our Central IL weather for weeks and weeks and weeks. We have had enough rain to last me until next spring. The weather hasn't even been that warm, which means getting the pool ready has been a real challenge. Of course having a 2 year old helper adds to the challenge of getting anything done :-) While we weren't rain free over the weekend, the temps certainly became summer like and I was able to get out and get some real cleaning done on the pool. It needs to be vacuumed again (that never ends), but the water looks really good and the water temp is in the 80's. Wonderful for a 90+ degree day!!!! Lili and I will be spending a lot of time in the pool this summer.

Dave, Lili and I also took a trip to a local zoo on Saturday and met up with some other Ethiopia adoptive families. It's so nice to build those relationships now and to know that Naomi will have Ethiopian friends nearby.

This weekend we're leaving to visit a place we've never been . . . . . . Memphis!! By this time Saturday, I'll be 'walkin in Memphis.' One of Dave's sisters and her man are going to drive over from the Dallas area to meet up with us in Memphis for a 2 1/2 day visit. We are planning a visit to the Memphis Zoo and Graceland, but the most highly anticipated part of the trip is the BBQ. I will take lots of pictures, so stay tuned for Memphis photos in a couple weeks.

After Memphis we're heading to the Dallas area for a few days to continue our family visit. Our niece and her husband are also in the process of adopting from Ethiopia, which is very exciting. They have offered to take us to an Ethiopian restaurant for dinner one evening, which will be our introduction to Ethiopian cuisine. I'm very much looking forward to trying it out.

This may be my last blog post pre-vacation, but I should have lots to talk about post-vacation so check in from time to time.

Dossier Update

I found out a couple days ago that our dossier registration has been delayed. Although I'm not exactly sure why, I have a sneaky suspicion that it's due to an increased number of dossiers that were recently sent to the attorney. Our agency consultant told me that there were a lot of dossiers going out at the same time which would slow down the process a bit. Not only does the attorney have work to do on each of the dossiers, but he has to have all of them translated and then registered. Anytime there is a significant increase in work load, it will slow down the process.

We anticipate having our dossier registered sometime before the end of the month, but at this time we aren't officially a waiting family. I'm okay with this. In the big picture, waiting a few more weeks isn't that big and if we're being delayed because of an increase in dossiers, that means there will be an increase in the number of children who find their forever families. That's a good thing.

Host A Foreign Exchange Student

I was contacted by a woman from here in Central IL who works with Forte International Exchange Association. They are looking for families who would like to host a foreign exchange student for the 2009-2010 school year. You do not have to live in the State of Illinois. It is open to families across the U.S. For more information you can visit their website at http://www.freewebs.com/forte-il-in/home.htm and there is a list of the students currently looking for a host family here http://www.freewebs.com/forte-il-in/. If you would like more information, please contact Cathy Newbury cathyn@forteexchange.org.

Random Cuteness

Just posting some photos of Lili, just because she's so darn cute.

Yummy icing!!!

Waiting for daddy at the airport.Still waiting!

His plane landed!!!! Yeah!!!!

Another Update

I just received word from our agency that our dossier will be registered this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally, we will be officially waiting for Naomi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It Has Arrived

I've been stalking our Fed Ex account since last week waiting to see that our dossier has been shipped to Ethiopia. Apparently, Fed Ex doesn't update the accounts on a daily basis because our dossier left Washington D.C. on June 1st and arrived to its destination in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on June 4th. I'm just thrilled to know that its there!!!

The next step is translation and then onto the Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA) for registration. Once our dossier is registered we are officially a waiting family. We're very close now and shortly we can begin the countdown to referral. At this point our agency is still telling us we'll have a 5-6 month wait so we anticipate having a referral sometime in November or December. Unfortunately, that means we won't have Naomi here for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but should leave to pick her up in March or April of 2010. Right now that seems like a long ways away, but I realize that one day I'll look back and realize just how quickly the time passed.

We've Been Wondering

Just how long it would take before Lili tried out the doggie door.
The answer is 1 year, 2 months, and 5 days from when she came home.