25 Shopping Days Til Christmas

And still no presents purchased. That will change today one way or another. I'm not sure why, but making that first purchase always makes me feel better :-)

I haven't done an update on Ryan recently but we did go visit him yesterday, so this would be a great time for an update.

While I wish I could gush over how much better he's doing, I really can't. Dave and I were disappointed to see that even off the Dilantin, his balance is still really bad. At least it was yesterday. He needed assistance walking and we even put him in a wheelchair to get through shopping. We had hoped that he could keep his balance by pushing the cart, but he would just lean to one side and begin to pull the cart that way. Honestly, he is on so many medications right now, it's hard to tell what is causing this problem. Since he hasn't had any seizures in almost a month now, they seem to be doing their job in that department, but the balance thing is still very concerning.

On a bright note though, he was very obviously happy to be with us yesterday. The last time we saw him was in the hospital and it was great to take him out for a bite to eat. We took him to a restaurant for some queso and chips. The staff at his home said he hasn't been eating well, but he made up for it yesterday.

No news on the adoption front. This Wednesday will mark 3 weeks since referral and we are hoping to get word on our court date soon. I would love to hear something this week, but I'm not holding my breath. What I will be doing over the next couple of days is putting together a gift bag and mailing it to a family who is traveling to Ethiopia next week. They have graciously offered to deliver it for us and I'm so excited about sending some thing to our precious baby girl.

On the 27th Day of Christmas

I hope everyone had a wonderful, family filled Thanksgiving.

We had family arrive from the Dallas area on Wednesday and they are now on their way back home. I'm always a little sad to see them leave. We have such a great time and the visits seem so short. Our niece and her husband are currently waiting on their referral from Ethiopia. It's exciting to think that next Thanksgiving we'll not only be celebrating with Lili and Naomi, but also a new little niece or nephew.

Now Thanksgiving is over and our attentions are turning toward Christmas. 27 days folks! On the 27th day of Christmas I have yet to purchase a gift. I did not participate in "Black Friday" activities. Thanksgiving at our house is busy and with family here we tend to stay up late playing games and/or visiting. Getting up a few hours later to stand in the cold, force my way through crowds and then stand in line to pay just isn't appealing to me any longer.

With or without 'Black Friday' shopping, we'll have a great Christmas this year.

Here are some Lili photos from the last couple of days.

We put all the food out buffet style in the kitchen, fill our plates and move into the dining room for our meal. Lili's was served first and decided to do the taste test before digging in. You know, put your finger in the gravy and taste before eating :-)

Notice Lili's red cheeks? She started running a little fever. No other symptoms at all, just the fever. I finally remembered that she had gotten her MMR the week before and the side effects sheet mentioned a fever, rash, etc. etc. could occur during this time period. The fever is now gone and still no other symptoms so my educated guess in the shot.

Lili taking a picture with her invisible camera.

Just trying to get a good picture of Lili. She really wasn't into getting her picture taken though.

Until she posed like this and then she wanted me to take her picture. LOL!

Giving Thanks

The next few days are going to be full of preparation and family time and as a result my blog time will most likely be non-existent. So, I want to share some of my thoughts and feelings about this Thanksgiving holiday while I have the time.

Despite a rough few months for our family, especially Ryan, I certainly have a lot to be thankful for. Here are just a few of those things.

1. My husband - I don't tell him this nearly enough, but I have an awesome husband. He works hard to provide for his family. He is a great dad and my very best friend in life. He sent me a quote yesterday that sums up my thoughts about my husband and our marriage.
"A good marriage is when you're married not to someone you can live with, but to someone you really cannot live without." -- Dr. Howard Hendricks

2. My children - My kids have made sure that my life is never dull in both good and bad ways. Through all the good times and the bad , they have taught me much about life, the world, and have helped make me a better person. Because of my kids, I've learned that I'm a much stronger person than I ever dreamed possible and my heart overflows with love because of them.

3. Naomi - I'm not sure words can express how thankful I am that this precious baby girl will one day be part of our family and how excited I am to know that another plate will be set at our Thanksgiving table next year.

4. My house - About 14 years ago we built our house and although it's not perfect, we've managed to turn our house into a home. We've entertained many of our friends and family in our home over the years and have tried hard to make our home a place where everyone who steps through the door always feels welcome.

5. Friends and family - I can't imagine what my life would be life without friends and family. In one way or another, each of them (you) has helped shape and guide me as I have maneuvered my way through this life. My hope is that in some small way I have been able give back at least a portion of what each of them has given to me.

6. My country - As I get ready to start my cooking and baking for the Thanksgiving holiday, I am reminded of how grateful I am that I live in the U.S. Despite all it's faults, it is a country with great history, wonderful resources and beautiful diversity. Very few places in this world can compare.

I wish each of you a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!!!!

JCICS

I've been checking the JCICS site regularly waiting on information from their recent trip to Ethiopia. I was very pleased to read the following information regarding adoption Standards of Practice in Ethiopia. Kuddos to JCICS!

November 23, 2009

Following is an update on Joint Council’s advocacy efforts in Ethiopia including our October trip. As always, our advocacy efforts, including our recent trip, serve to advance every child’s right to a permanent and safe family.

Standards of Practice
During separate meetings, Joint Council presented the Standards of Practice for Non-Governmental Organizations with Respect to Permanency Services in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia – Second Edition to the:

Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Women’s Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affair, Consular Section
Ministry of Foreign Affair, Women’s Empowerment Sections,
Ministry of Justice Charities and Societies Division
Network of Adoption Service Providers
French Consular Officer
Australian Consular Office
U.S. Consular Office

The Standards were well received by all. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, the U.S. Consular office and French Consular office were particularly interested in the Standards, including those adoption service providers choosing to be a signatory to the Standards. We extend our congratulations to those adoption service providers choosing to elevate their services to families and children via the Joint Council Standards.

Joint Council and the French Consular Office discussed opportunities for collaboration on the Standards and training programs for local government officials and service providers. The French initiated these programs including staff dedicated solely to permanency programs and a $120,000 USD budget.

Joint Council extends its appreciation to the Governments of Australia, Ethiopia, France, and United States for the time, courtesy, support, and collaboration demonstrated as we collectively seek to protect the right of every child to a safe and permanent family.

Review and Assessment
As part of our ongoing advocacy and at the request of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Joint Council is formally providing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and Ministry of Justice with information related to those adoption service providers licensed by the Government of Ethiopia. This information includes the status of each adoption service provider as Hague accredited, denied or non-accredited. Additionally, the status of each adoption service provider as a signatory or non-signatory to the Joint Council Standards. A summary of the review is available on the here. Identical information has also been provided to the U.S. Department of State.

Joint Council participated in meetings with numerous adoption service providers, most being Joint Council Member Organizations and a number of non-Member organizations. Consular officers from the U.S. Department of State participated in some of these site visits including programs dedicated to aid and development. Such site visits by government officials helps to elevate the understanding of the growing role adoption service providers play in services dedicated to permanency, aid, and development.

Given Joint Council’s policies and the sensitivities related to our ongoing assessment of intercountry adoption services in Ethiopia, including programs of the French, Australian and other governments, we are choosing to refrain from detailing the service providers with whom we met. While the review is ongoing, and complex, it should be noted that to date, the Joint Council Grievance Procedure has not been initiated for any Member Organization. Joint Council will continue its review and to adhere to our detailed and publicly available Grievance Procedure.

While some have questioned Joint Council as to why findings of the review have not been published, it remains Joint Council’s policy to publish information only when it is appropriate and incompliance with Joint Council internal policies and procedures and in alignment with our Mission. Our ongoing goal is not related to a specific date. The goal is to remain true to our Mission and protect the rights of families and children. As always, information that serves these goals and is compliant with our policies will be published and made available to Joint Council Member Organizations, adoptive families and the public.

Joint Council extends its appreciation to those Joint Council Members who assisted in our advocacy trip, including site visits. We are pleased that to date, all Joint Council Members have eagerly and transparently provided their assistance.

My Life Is Never Dull

We have always seemed to have more than our fair share of 'stuff' going on, but typically it is something related to the humans in our family. Now it's related to the canines in the family or at least one of them.
Be prepared for some grossness . . . .

Lexie, the canine baby of the family, had a foul smell. My first reaction was "You need a bath." However, this was worse than the typical 'doggie needs a bath smell' and I was picking up clumps of dog hair. Upon examination I found that the area around her tail was bald, red, swollen, oozing and had a really foul odor. I had never seen anything like this in my life so I immediately ran to the Internet and started researching. I came across some really ugly possibilities, but the main cause of the problem seemed to be coming from what is referred to as a "hot spot." The best way to describe this, for those who don't already know, is an irritation to the skin that causes the most normal of dogs (not saying that my dog is normal) to suddenly turn OCD. They will bite, lick, and scratch at this area causing a bald spot which eventually becomes red, swollen, and oozy. Also smelly!!! To treat the hot spot it is best to use gentle compressions on the area with a cold, wet cloth. Much like a human would do for a minor burn or poison ivy.

The compressions seemed to be helping as she wasn't bothering the area as much, but then I noticed that one of her eyes was red and oozing. Our other dog, Jada, has allergies and I immediately assumed Lexie was having some allergy problems so I started giving her Benedryl. I think the Benedryl actually helped the itching from the hot spot, but didn't seem to do much for the eye and by yesterday both eyes were really red and watery. Then the area around the eyes became really red. I again ran to the Internet and found a number of thing that could potentially be causing the eye problem, but the one thing that became very clear during my research is that Ms. Lexie needed to go visit the vet and the sooner the better. So, this morning we headed off to see the vet and the expression on his face when he looked at her spoke volumes. This was not a good thing and it needed to be treated. Bottom line, the area around her tail is a good old fashioned hot spot and easily treated. However, he's not completely sure what's going on with the eyes. It's not uncommon for a dog to get an infection of the eyes that will cause them to become red and oozy, but it's not necessarily common for the area around the eyes to get red the way Lexie's have. The vet thinks she has an auto immune infection, which could also explain the reason for the hot spot, but he's not completely sure at this point. He is treating her with antibiotics, ointments and eye drops for now and if things don't get worse and begin to improve in a couple days, then we're good. If not, we're back in to see the vet which will most likely mean some tests to try and figure out what's going on. We're just going to hope that the current treatment does the trick and that our Lexie is back to her old self in no time.

Life around here is never dull, but is always an adventure. Boy are we living one adventurous life!!!!!!

Day 22

So far, so good. I've blogged every day this month. However, the challenge is going to be this week. We have company arriving from out of state early Wednesday and staying for a few days. I love having company come stay with us. Hostess is my middle name :-) As a result, it's quite possible that I may miss a few days of blogging. Sorry to say that I may not pass the NaBloPoMo test this month, but duty calls :-)

Congratulations are in order to my blog friend Mel and her hubby. After several weeks of waiting, they finally received their court date. December 16th is the big day for them. I have to admit that I was selfishly happy to hear their news. They received their referral exactly 3 weeks to the day before we did. That also means their court date is exactly 8 weeks after their referral date. Could that possibly mean that we won't have to wait 4 months for a court date, but maybe only 2 months? Who knows? Still, it's exciting to hear that a court date recently scheduled is only 2 months out. It does give us some hope that we might not wait as long as we thought.

This also means we need to do something to bump up our fundraising efforts. We are still selling raffle tickets for a chance to win an Xbox 360 Elite console. We really would like to sell at least 100 more tickets if at all possible, but not sure how to go about getting them sold.

We also have a goal of selling at least 800 bags of coffee through our Just Love Coffee store front in the next two months. This is a "LOFTY" goal to say the least considering we've only sold 31 bags to date. Again, we're at a loss on how we can get people excited and interested in buying coffee.

Speaking of Just Love Coffee though, they have added some new coffees and will most likely be adding teas in the not too distant future. They have also put together some Christmas packs of coffee. If you or anyone you know is looking for some good gifts ideas, please visit our store front and make a purchase. And if anyone has any great ideas on how we can make our fundraising efforts more successful, please share them as well.

Because I haven't posted any pictures of Lili lately, I thought I'd share some today. She did a little modeling for me shortly before her nap today, so she was in a goofy mood.

Tah Dah! Here's Lili!!!
I have no idea why she wanted to pose like this, but she really did.

Just being cute!!

Funny Lili Sayings

Lili's language continues to amaze us. There are still many things she says that is not understood by any human on earth, except for maybe mom. I frequently hear Lili having conversation with daddy and daddy saying, "Honey, a little help here!" In other words, "What the heck is she trying to say" Many times I can figure it out, but at times it's impossible. However, some of the phrases we've been able to understand lately have had us laughing out loud. Like last week when we were getting ready to go somewhere and she shouted, "Hurry, hurry amanos." And if you didn't figure it out, amanos is vamanos. Thank you Dora! And for the last few days she's been saying, "Help you! Chirp chirp." She means help me, but I have no idea where chirp chirp came from. Still it's really funny and will probably become a new phrase in the house.

The age of 2 is frustrating and amazing all at the same time for both parents and child. Thus the reason it's called the 'terrible twos.'

This is Tough

Blogging everyday is harder than I thought it would be and I'll probably rattle on about things that most won't even care to read about, but here it goes anyway.

The travel clinic called to tell us that the doctor wants us to wait six months before having the last shot. They said we needed to wait six months in between. Really? Apparently they wanted us to come in in August to get round 2 and then wanted us to have the 3rd round 5 months later. So why do we have to wait six months now? So Dave and I did a little research on our own and here is what we discovered.

The Hep A immunization should be administered in two doses with the second dose at least six months after the first. If that's the case, then we should be getting our next one in January since the first was in July. What they gave us in July was the Hep A/B combo and what they gave us yesterday was the Hep A/B combo. Apparently it didn't matter that we had just had the first one 4 months earlier. And they had planned to do all 3 as combo shots from the beginning, so the combo wasn't done because we didn't come in 30 days later.

The Hep B immunization schedule is a little more involved. The 2nd dose needs to be administered a minimum of 4 weeks after the 1st. To me the operative word here is 'minimum.' We got the first one in July which means the soonest we would have needed to go back for #2 was August. We waited until November. The 3rd shot should be given at least 8 weeks after the 2nd shot. This means we could go back the end of January to get the 3rd round. Hum, that's the same time we should be able to go back for the Hep A.

Seriously, I don't get it. We hope to have been to Ethiopia and back by the time we would need round #3. And if we get it right before we leave, how much good is that going to do? There has to be a good reason for waiting at least 30 days in between shots. It's all so confusing and I really think I need a second opinion on this.

And then there are all the other recommended travel shots to consider. Honestly, since we are not planning to travel outside Addis Ababa, I think we'll just stick with the Hep A/B and be done with it, but would love to hear thoughts from others who have traveled or will be traveling to Ethiopia in the future.

Wasn't that exciting reading?!!!!!!!

They're Back

Apparently I just needed to post a question regarding the missing 'Followers' from my blog. As of today they are back :-)

Dave and I went to get our 2nd round of Hep A/B shots today. Apparently I misunderstood the instructions from the nurse who gave us our first round or misunderstood the travel doc. I remember being told that we needed to wait at least 30 days before we came in again and they gave us reminder cards letting us know when we could come in for our next round. I also remember being told that our last shots of the series would be January, but again we needed at least 30 days in between. Our first round was in July and 4 months later we got round #2. That means we have at least 60 days between this round and our last. However, the nurse that gave us our shots today seemed to be under the impression that we needed to come in 30 days after the first and since we didn't, the first of the series may not count. She is going to talk to the travel doc this afternoon and call us with further instructions. In the meantime, I'll be doing my own research to see what I can find out. Of course if anyone out in blog land knows, please share.

That's all the excitement I have to report today. Aren't you glad you checked in? :-)

Two Things

Does anyone know why 'Followers' aren't showing up on Blogger? It's been like this for a couple days now.

Also, a note to all Toukoul adoptive families. The TAFRU blog now has hotel information listed. Please make sure to check it out.

Thanks to my Doggie Babies

Before we decided to adopt Lili, we adopted 2 beautiful Keeshond puppies. At the time, we weren't expecting to add little people to the family, but having younger nieces around from time to time, it was important that any breed we choose be good with kids. Our doggie babies really are good with Lili. She loves her doggies the way many 2 year old do. She hugs them, pets them, hits them, pulls their tails, etc. and Jada is the one who typically gets the most love from Lili. The reason why is that she's willing to just take it, where Lexie will run outside or to the other room to avoid getting some of Lili's love. I would have to say Lexie might be the smarter one of the two when it comes to Lili :-) Still, they have handled the changes in their lives pretty well and I'm thankful that they are able to handle Lili's affection. Little do they know, they'll be sharing that affection with Naomi one day.

Lexie accepting a little Lili love.

Jada taking a break from a little Lili love.

Some Good News, Finally

I have an update on Ryan.

He has been seizure free since November 4th. He is on a new seizure medication that replaced a medication we felt was causing him significant balance problems and now his balance is improving :-) His agency also reports that he is finally able to begin working on his vocational skills in day training.

After all the months of trying to find a new agency, transitioning him to the new agency, moving him to the new agency and then the seizures, I can't even begin to express how welcome this news was today.

Ryan turns 29 this Thursday and after 8 years of unsuccessful attempts at finding an agency that would provide Ryan with the tools necessary to reach his full potential, we finally feel that we've found just that. Our hope is that the next 29 years bring him nothing but success. He deserves it!!

Court Date and Travel?

I sent several questions out to our agency yesterday and wasn't thrilled with the response I got to my question regarding court dates. At this point, court dates are scheduled approximately 4 months after the referral is accepted. Yes, I said 4 months :-( Travel post referral is currently 6-8 weeks. This means we are currently looking at another 5 - 6 month wait until Naomi is in our arms.

I waited 9 1/2 months post referral for Lili to come home, so certainly I can be patient and wait 5-6 months for Naomi to come home, right?

Maybe I should start mailing out fliers about our coffee fundraiser to see if we can raise enough money for Lili and I to fly over early and just wait in out in Ethiopia? If we can sell 1500 bags of coffee within the next 2-3 months, I think we can afford for Lili and I to go early.

Okay, apparently I'm going to struggle with patience.

To Go or Not to Go Private

In an earlier post I explained my reasons for going private. It was something that I had considered for several months after reading a post on the Guatadopt information site and since going private others have told me that they have wondered if they should make their blogs private as well. I thought I'd share the information that originally got me thinking about making my blog private. Even if you never make your blog private, there are some really good points made that I think you might find helpful as you post to your personal blog.

Blogging Considerations

When I first got involved in blogging, it was only really popular among techies. Like others, it was such a great way to have the software manage quick posts to your site.....and it was how Guatadopt got started. Yeah, it was just me back then and I was posting information that I found during my own adoption research. My intent back then was just to provide updates and information for friends, family and the occasional question about the process. But blogging can be powerful and with it, there is a certain amount of responsibility for the blogger.

Today, blogging is the #1 way for online family journals and it is a wonderful way to journal about adoption. There are now thousands and thousands of adoption blogs on the Internet and with it are thousands of links to other adoption blogs! But there are unseen risks and considerations that families should be aware of....

If you are blogging or considering it, here are some things that you should think about:
1) Unless you have it configured to be private, it is public to the world.
2) Most public blogging sites have very good webcrawlers that will catalog phrases, names, etc. from your site. That includes full names, birth names, embarrassing comments, etc.
3) It will also catalog photos (by your comments). So, before you load them, would you show those same photos/posts on your blog to a stranger in the supermarket? How about the US or Guatemalan government?
4) Can a child predator trace your child to your home if they found your site? Is your schedule of daily events visible?
5) Did you know that semi naked pictures from innocent family blogs have circulated the web? Look again at those wonderful pictures of your kids!!!

I know many of us blog with the thought that unless you advertise it, its really just going to be friends and family. However, that is not really the case. So please, please be careful out there. While most of our readers enjoy sharing our experiences with other adoptive parents....we may be sharing a bit too much!

General tips:
Avoid posting full names
Don't use last names or identifying information in your blogs
If you are using it as a personal journal, consider making some posts private if that is an option
Make sure the pictures posted are decent
Use aliases for family members

Day 161

Our dossier arrived in Ethiopia on June 4, 2009 and 161 days later, on Veteran's Day, which would have also been my mother-in-law's 75th birthday, we received pictures of a beautiful baby girl with a note telling us that if we say yes, she will one day become Naomi Aster Weeks. We said yes without hesitation, but also wanted feedback from an adoption doc so we could prepare ourselves if they saw anything that was of concern. I sent all her information and photos to the U of MN Adoption Clinic and here is the report we received from the doctor who reviewed her information.

We use the CDC growth charts to assess growth. She is small but not far off the normal growth chart and it would be nice to see updates as they come to make sure that she continues to grow well.

Her developmental milestones as reported sound fine, though babies this age do not do much. It would be good to get updates as they come. I’d like to see her rolling over and doing some vocalizing by the next update.

Her lab results were negative for HIV, syphilis and Hepatitis. We need the Hep B testing to have been done after 4-6 mo of age to be reliable so this will need to be repeated at sometime now. The prevalence of HepB in the general population there is about 5%. She tested positive for salmonella in her stool. This was treated.

We screen all referrals for signs of alcohol exposure. There can be brain changes associated with prenatal alcohol use without changes in facial features and we have missed the diagnosis in the past, but we like to get an idea of risk. Her facial features are lovely and not consistent with significant exposure.

Everything looks and sounds good so far and did you notice what the doctor said? "Her facial features are lovely." We now have confirmation that not only does she appear to be doing well health-wise, but we're not biased in our opinion that she's beautiful. As far as I'm concerned lovely and beautiful are the same :-) and it doesn't matter that this comment was made in reference to FAS. She really does have lovely facial features.

I felt as if we were being really patient during the wait for her referral. Okay, in comparison to some, our wait to referral really wasn't long and if you've been following my blog for the last several months, you know we've had a lot on our plates and our minds have been occupied with other pressing matters. However, as I expected, now that we have our referral I'm becoming more and more anxious about the following steps.

How long will it take for us to get a court date?

How soon will our court date be?

Will we have any problems passing court?

How quickly will we travel after court?

If I had to guess the best case scenario I would say that our court date will be sometime in the next six weeks and we will be traveling six weeks later to bring Naomi home. But if there is one thing I've learned, IA is unpredictable.

So what do you think? Any predictions on a court date and/or travel?

Blogging Goals

I have a busy day on tap so this is going to be a short post. However, I am participating in NaBloPoMo this month and want to make sure I don't miss posting due to a long list of things that need to be done today.

A few months after I started blogging, I added a counter to my blog page. I was curious to know how many hits my blog was receiving. To date there have been over 46,000 hits. Granted, I've been blogging for about 2 1/2 years now, but that is more traffic than I expected at this point. I also expect that the hits will slow down considerably now that my blog is private, but I had 2 goals in mind when I started my blog.

1. I wanted a quick and easy way to keep friends and family up-to-date on our adoption journeys and our life. My blog does that.

2. I wanted to keep a journal of the different milestones we hit along the way. My blog does that as well.

It's nice to know that my blog goals are being achieved.

And if you haven't added your name to the followers list, please do so. I know my blog is private, but it's still fun to see how many are actually following along in our life :-)

It's All Sinking In

Now that we have seen Naomi's pretty little face, we are having discussion about a future trip to Ethiopia. Granted, we have a few months before that will happen, but there are things to do.

1. We need to finish our travel shots. Therefore, sometime next week Dave and I need to get into the travel clinic and get our next round of Hep A/B so we can finish that before we leave. We're still on the fence about some of the others, but will make that decision before it's time to make actual travel arrangements.
2. We also need to figure out the financial aspects of travel. Ryan's needs over the last several months put a huge strain on the wallet, thus the need for us to do some fundraising. If there is anyone out there in blog land who would be willing to help us out, please visit our Just Love Coffee storefront (they have recently added some new coffees and Christmas coffee packs) or please buy a raffle ticket or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or more for the chance to win an Xbox 360 Elite. Email me for more information - debweeks@mchsi.com.
3. I've not even started on Naomi's nursery. Honestly, I really don't think I'm going to start on it until after the holidays. It will eventually get done though and when it is done I'll post pictures here.
4. Other than getting all the money in place for travel, the other big thing now is preparing Lili for the arrival of her little sister. I asked her last night if she is going to be a big sister and she told me yes. I then asked what her baby sister's name is and she told me "Maomi." (That's not a typo) For those of you who haven't met Lili, there is a good chance that she's not going to handle sharing the attention well :- Especially sharing mommy's attention. We have some work to do which needs to include spending a lot more time around babies and other children with mommy paying attention to those babies and children. Wish us luck!!!!

The News You've All Been Waiting For

Everyone has already figured this one out but here is our news . . . . . . .

Naomi has arrived!!!!!!!

I want everyone to know that I wasn't trying to make you suffer needlessly, but I was waiting for the okay from our agency to post this information on my blog. They specifically asked that we not post anything on blogs and I assumed they meant public blogs and forums. I assumed right and now have their permission to post our news since my blog is now private. I guess that's another good reason to go private with my blog :-)

So let me share the story with everyone.

Dave left for work prepared for a busy day full of meetings. Lili wasn't feeling well and I was trying to keep up with nose wiping, laundry and all the other things on my to-do list. Okay, nose wiping wasn't on my to-do list, but it had to be done yesterday.

We had just finished lunch and I was cleaning up the kitchen when I noticed that I had a new message on the computer. I opened email and saw a message from our agency title "baby girl for you." My first reaction was a scream, followed by shaking and me saying over and over again, "Oh my God, Oh my God." I then realized that I needed to call Dave to let him know our referral had arrived. After all, it wouldn't be fair for me to look at her pictures and information without him. He didn't answer his phone so I immediately made the decision that I was looking at her pictures and info without him. But being the nice wife that I am, I forwarded the information to him before I looked at it. I opened the first photo attachment and immediately the tears started flowing. I was standing in my kitchen seeing my baby girl for the first time with tears streaming down my cheeks. I then called for Lili to come see Baby Naomi and she ran into the kitchen, looked at her picture, then patted me on the arm and said "Okay mommy." She then got down and ran back into the family room to play. I, however, continued to stand in my kitchen crying while I stared at my baby girl's pictures and began to read through her information. Eventually I regained my composure and then Dave called to let me know that he had gotten the information. We congratulated each other and then he was off to his next meeting.

Here is what we know about our little Naomi.

She is 4 1/2 months old and has big beautiful dark eyes that just melt my heart. She has a little bit of chub going on and I'm so anxious to kiss her cheeks and a mouth perfect for mommy kisses. Let me just say, she's beautiful!!!!

She was found abandoned in August near a church in Dessie and they estimate her birth date to be June 16th or 17th. Both dates are listed on our paperwork, so we'll need to get that corrected at some point I'm sure.

Currently she weighs about 12 1/2 lbs and is 22 inches long. She tested positive for salmonella and has been treated accordingly, but all her other tests results have come back fine. We did send her information to the U of MN Adoption Clinic for review but not as a determining factor on whether or not we would accept her referral. We just wanted an adoption doc's opinion on her health so we can be prepared if they have concerns.

The name given to her in Ethiopia is Aster which means 'star.' We plan on keeping Aster as her middle name so she will be Naomi Aster Weeks. In case you're interested, Naomi means 'pleasant' so she is our pleasant star.

We emailed Tree of Life yesterday telling them that we were accepting our referral and our money is being overnighted to them tomorrow.

The next step is getting a court date and as soon as I have that information I'll be sure to post it here.

The one thing that I am not allowed to do yet is post Naomi's pictures on my blog. Once she is legally our daughter though, I'll be posting her pictures for all my readers to see. We are one happy family right now, that's for sure!!!!

Dessie

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dessie (also spelled Dese or Dessye) is a city and a woreda in north-central Ethiopia. Located on the paved Addis Ababa - Asmara highway in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, this city has a latitude and longitude of 11°8′N 39°38′E / 11.133°N 39.633°E / 11.133; 39.633 with an elevation between 2470 and 2550 meters above sea level.

Dessie has postal service (a post office was established in the 1920s), and telephone service from at least as early as 1954. The city has had electrical power since at least 1963 when a new diesel-powered electric power station with a power line to Kombolcha was completed, at a cost of Eth$ 110,000.[1] Intercity bus service is provided by the Selam Bus Line Share Company. Dessie shares Combolcha Airport (ICAO code HADC, IATA DSE) with neighbouring Kombolcha.

Dessie is home to a museum, in the former home of Dejazmach Yoseph Biru. It also has a zawiya of the Qadiriyya order of Islam, which was the first Sufi order to be introduced into north-east Africa.[1]

History:

While camping here in 1882, Emperor Yohannes IV was so impressed by his sight of a comet, which he interpreted as a wondrous event, he decided to found a city here, and named it Dessie (Amharic "My Joy").[1] Prior to Dessie's foundation, the major settlement in this area was Wasal, first mentioned in an early 16th century Italian itinerary,[2]

Dessie's location led to the telegraph line the Italians constructed between 1902 and 1904 from Asmara south to Addis Ababa passing through the city, and giving it a local telegraph office. Also in 1904, the Italian Giuseppe Bonaiuti took part in constructing a fair-weather road connecting the city to Addis Ababa.[1]

Dessie increased in importance when Ras Mikael Ali, son-in-law to Emperor Menelik II, made it his base. The city was where his son, the Emperor Iyasus V, crowned Mikael negus around 1915. During his residence in Dessie, the Negus built a palace and the church Enda Medhane Alem, said to be placed on the site of a church destroyed by Imam Ahmed Gragn. The church is decorated with paintings which include portraits of Ras Mikael and his son.[1]

After the defeat of his father Negus Mikael, Lij Iyasu took refuge in Dessie beginning on 8 November 1916 while unsuccessfully seeking support from Ras Wolde Giyorgis and other major nobles of northern Ethiopia. However, Ras Wolde Giyorgis used these overtures to extract concessions from the central government, then marched on Dessie which Lij Iyasu fled 10 December.[3]

During the Italian invasion, Dessie was first bombed 6 December 1935; the American Hospital was one of the buildings damaged in the attack. Emperor Haile Selassie was photographed personally machine-gunning the raiding planes. The city was occupied by the Italians 15 April 1936.[1]

Dessie became an important administrative center under the Italian occupation, and after the Second World War, the town continued in importance as the capital of the province of Wollo until the province's abolition in 1995.

The Italian garrison of the city surrendered 26 April 1941 to Brigadier Pienaar's 1st South African Brigade and 500 arbegnoch.[1]

In a decree of 1942, Dessie is listed as one of only six "Schedule A" municipalities in Ethiopia, while there were about a hundred in "Schedule B". Artist Essaye Gebre-Medhin Fikre was born in Dessie in 1949. He gained a B.A. in Addis Ababa and an M.A. in Paris but was self-taught as an artist. In 1955, a public address system was installed in the central square which was used to re-broadcast announcements on Radio Addis Ababa to the public. In 1957, Dessie had one of 9 provincial secondary schools (excluding Eritrea) in Ethiopia, named after Woizero Sehine the daughter of Negus Mikael.[1]

In February 1973, a crowd of 1,500 peasants marched from Dessie to the capital to make the authorities notice the famine in Wollo. They were stopped by police on the outskirts of Addis Ababa and forced to return. Following the Ethiopian revolution, one of the few major encounters between rebels and government forces took place north-west of Dessie in October 1976. Instigated by the local landlord, a large group of peasants marched on the city; troops of the Derg fired into the crowd. Reports of the death toll vary widely, from several hundred to nearly a thousand. In October 1989 Dessie was almost captured by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).[1] The EPRDF took permanent control of the city on 18 May 1990, as part of Operation Wallelign.[4]

Demographics:

One of the largest cities in Ethiopia, based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Dessie has an estimated total population of 169,104 of whom 86,167 are men and 82,937 are women. The woreda has an estimated area of 15.08 square kilometers, which gives the city a density of 11,213.79 people per square kilometer.[5]

The 1994 national census reported a total population for Dessie of 97,314 in 17,426 households, of whom 45,337 were men and 51,977 were women. The two largest ethnic groups reported in this town were the Amhara (92.83%), and the Tigrayan (4.49%); all other ethnic groups made up 2.68% of the population. Amharic was spoken as a first language by 94.89%, and 3.79% spoke Tigrinya; the remaining 0.67% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 60.42% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 38.5% of the population said they were Muslim.

Predictions

Mel is the winner!!!!

Anyone want to guess what this means?

Day 160

160 Days ago, our dossier arrived in Ethiopia. If you've been following my blog for the last few months, you know we've had some real ups and downs while waiting on our referral. There are certainly some things that I wish had not happened, such as Ryan's seizures and hospitalization, but all of these things have allowed me to focus on something else other than when our referral would arrive.

Ryan has now been out of the hospital for 5 days which is a record for the last month. His agency reports that he hasn't had any seizures, but is still having problems with his balance. We go to see his neurologist on Thursday and I'm hoping he'll be able to tell us that this is a temporary problem that will improve after his medications are leveled out.

Now that things are starting to settle down, I'm trying to focus on some things here at home. I didn't get my fall cleaning done, so yesterday Lili and I began to tackle that chore. Yes, Lili actually did help a bit. She enjoys having her own rag for dusting and of course it's always fun to see what treasures mom is going to pull out from under the bed or out of a closet.

We have company coming for Thanksgiving again this year and it will soon be time to begin planning and preparing for our Thanksgiving meal.

Christmas is approaching all to quickly again this year and Santa has just started on his list for the Weeks' house. Last year was our first Christmas with Lili, but I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to this Christmas even more. There is just something very special about Christmas when viewed through the eyes of a child that has a better understanding of the holiday. And then next Christmas will be that much better having Lili and Naomi both here.

And now for no special reason, here are some pictures of Lili decorating daddy with stickers.

Dinner in Chicago

After our visit to the museum on Saturday we decided to make our way to Navy Pier for a short visit before dinner. For those who live in Chicago or visit Chicago you know that parking can be a challenge and 'expensive.' On top of that, it was around 70 degrees in Chicago which meant that EVERYONE was at Navy Pier. We drove around looking for a place to park and the only parking we could find nearby was $17 for 0-1 hour. At this point we didn't even have an hour to spare and Lili had fallen asleep, so we made the decision that it just wasn't that important that we go to Navy Pier. Since we were going to dinner in an unfamiliar part of Chicago, we decided to head that direction. I'm really glad we did since it gave Lili time to get in a decent nap before dinner.


Dinner was at a restaurant called Ethiopian Diamond. Dave, Lili and I had not had Ethiopian food since our visit to Dallas over the summer and I was really looking forward to it. My sister-in-law and her daughter had never had Ethiopian food, so it was going to be a new experience for them. The other exciting part of dinner is that a fellow Ethiopia AP/blogger, her husband and son were meeting us there for dinner. I have been following her blog for several months and their son was in Toukoul which is where Naomi will be living until we go pick her up. I was very excited to finally be meeting my cyber friend Meg and her family. We had a lovely dinner or as lovely as a dinner can be with a 1 year old and a 2 year old in tow :-) We had good conversation and Meg's little guy Sammy, is just as cute as can be.


I wanted to get some pictures of Meg and I so Dave took a couple for me. Unfortunately, Sammy was a little fussy and his daddy had already taken him to the car, but next time we'll be sure to include him in the photo op. Thanks Meg, Gregg and Sammy for joining us for dinner. It was wonderful to finally meet the family that I have gotten to know via the wonderful world of blogging.

A Day at the Museum

Dave, Lili, my sister-in-law, our niece and I spent a wonderful day at the Museum of Science and Industry yesterday. Dave and I have been to the museum within the last 3 years, but it had been a few decades since my SIL had been there and it was a first for Lili and her cousin. For a matter-of-fact, it was Lili's first trip to Chicago. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and the museum was packed. They have a new exhibit called "You! The Experience" which was awesome. We visited the 'Smart Home' and now have some new "green" ideas for our own home. Our niece participated in 'MSI Hospital' and got a tiny taste of what it would be like to be a doctor. We also spent some time in the 'Henry Crown Space Center' and learned a little bit about space. Workers were busy decorating trees for the 'Christmas Around the World' exhibit and I so want to go back for a visit to see all the beautiful trees and take Lili to visit the exhibits that we just didn't have time to get to.

If you are ever in the Chicago area, make sure you visit the Museum of Science and Industry. It's well worth the trip.

Here are a few pictures from our day at the museum.

Just clowning around with my niece.

Lili and her cousin just clowning around.

Landing a space craft is much harder than it looks.
Of course it would probably help is the pilot was a little taller.

This hands on stuff is really fun.


There is more fun stuff to share about our trip to Chicago, but I think I'll leave that one until tomorrow.

A Day Away

In a few minutes we'll be jumping in the van and heading north to Chicago to do some of my favorite things.

- Visiting the Museum of Science and Industry
- Walking along Michigan Ave.
- Having dinner at Ethiopian Diamond

Okay, I've never had dinner at Ethiopian Diamond, but my mouth is watering just thinking about having Ethiopian food for dinner.

Hopefully I'll have some good photos to share with everyone tomorrow.

Yiyi's Banket and Chicago

A couple weeks ago I met up with my long lost best friend from high school. Not only did we have a wonderful time trying to catch up on the last 30 years, but she had also made a beautiful quilt for Lili. Lili loves her new quilt and frequently tells me, "Yiyi's banket." I confirmed, "Yes, that's Lili's blanket." Everyday she takes her nap covered up with her new quilt and enjoys laying in our over-sized chair all covered up watching Dora. A few days ago I finally broke out the camera and snapped a few photos of Lili with her new quilt. Thanks to my friend Krys, Lili has a treasured blanket keepsake.

It was a bit up-in-the-air the last couple of days, but since Ryan is once again out of the hospital and so far doing well (knock on wood), we are heading up to Chicago tomorrow for a day at the Museum of Science and Industry and I have no doubt we'll spend a little time on Michigan Ave. I love being in the Windy City and when I say love and do mean love being in the Windy City. Unfortunately, it's been almost 2 years since I was last in Chicago. It's only about a 2 1/2 hours drive and quite honestly the majority of the time we take Amtrak which makes it a little longer, but a very stress free trip. For several reasons, I just haven't made the trip to Chicago since shortly before Lili came home and I'm so excited to finally be going back and taking Lili for the first time.

I'm also hoping to have dinner at one of the local Ethiopian restaurants. We tried Ethiopian food for the first time in Dallas this summer and discovered that we really enjoy Ethiopian food. There are no Ethiopian restaurants in Central Illinois, so what better opportunity than during our trip to Chicago.

By-the-way, did I tell you how much I love Chicago?!!!!!!

What's Next?

I realized today that a year ago we were in Hawaii enjoying the sun and sand. Oh how I long to be back in Hawaii enjoying the sun and sand. Anyone care to join me?

I spent the day at the hospital with Ryan. Dave and I felt it was important for me to be there so I could personally visit with his doctors. Overall I'd have to say my visit was successful. I was able to speak with the neurologist about Ryan's medications and ask him why he was released Monday off one of his seizure meds. He didn't know because another doctor released him. Hum!!! That didn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling, but he did write up orders to put him back on the medication. During the same conversation I told him that I wanted Ryan released 'today.' Somehow that information didn't get passed along to Ryan's nurse, which I didn't know until I asked her early in the afternoon how much longer it would be before Ryan could go. She immediately made contact with the neurologist who confirmed he could be released from neurology, but the admitting doctor would have to do the actual release. About 1/2 an hour later the admitting doctor showed up and seemed a bit hesitant to let him go, but I convinced her that it was in everyone's best interest to release him today and to release him on all the correct medications. He finally left the hospital shortly before 6 p.m. and was oh so happy to be leaving. Now we keep our fingers and toes crossed that he's on the right medications and that his seizures are under control.

I was checking my email this evening and had a note from Pay Pal that I really wasn't expecting. Apparently, using Pay Pal for our raffle fundraiser is a violation of their 'Acceptable Use Policy.' They consider it to be gambling/gaming. I wrote them a very nice email explaining that I had no idea our fundraising attempts were considered to be gambling/gaming and did not intentionally violate any policy. As a result though, I've removed the Pay Pal donate button from my blog and am closing out the Pay Pal account. If anyone would like to purchase raffle tickets it will have to be done in person or via the mail. I just hope that it won't be a violation of any U.S. Postal Service 'Acceptable Use Policy.' If any of my blog readers want to purchase raffle tickets, please email me - debweeks@mchsi.com - and I'll give you information on how you can purchase tickets.

Here's hoping the rest of November is better than the last month has been.

No Rest for the Weary

Ryan got out of the hospital Monday and as of late this morning was being trasported back to the hospital. I can't even begin to tell you how absolutely exhausted I am from all of this right now and I'm sure it's not even half the exhaustion Ryan feels at this point.

Still the One 24 Years Later

I've been trying to come up with the right words to express just how thankful and happy I am that 24 years ago today I walked down the aisle and said "I Do" to the most amazing man. However, I'm not sure I have the right words to express just how much strength I gain from having him by my side. I'm not sure I can adequately state how much I really do love this man. We had friends and family that were sceptical of our relationship (Okay, some weren't just sceptical but totally against us getting married, but that's another story for another time). We've been through some really good times and we've been through some really bad times. I can't imagine going through any of the ups and downs with anyone other than my wonderful husband, Dave.

There is a song that makes me think of the man I love every time I hear it. This one's for you honey!!!

Updates, Weekend and More

I haven't posted a Ryan update in a few days. Quite honestly, it was a bit depressing to say "Ryan is still in the hospital." However, that is all I would have been able to post. As of today, Ryan is still in the hospital, but that should change at some point this afternoon :-) He has been seizure free since October 28th. I actually got to talk directly with his neurologist and gave him my unprofessional opinion on the problem. Believe it or not, he agreed and on Friday Ryan started a new seizure med and is coming off the one med that I feel has been causing him more harm than good. Now we'll have to see what happens over the next several weeks.

Our coffee fundraiser has been moving along slowly but surely. To anyone in blogland who has purchased coffee, t-shirts, travel mugs, etc. through our store front , thank you, thank you, thank you.

We also started a 2nd fundraiser yesterday in hopes that it would appeal to those who aren't interested in coffee or coffee products. We are now selling raffle tickets for the chance to win an Xbox 360 Elite console. It comes with two games rated E for Everyone and is valued at $300. Tickets are $5 each and for every 5 tickets that someone purchases, their name will be entered in the drawing for a 6th time free. Tickets can be purchased through the mail or via Pay Pal. We will draw the winner on December 11th and the Xbox will be shipped the same day. We will also be video taping the drawing and posting the video here on my blog to announce the winner. This fundraiser is more of a risk, but we hope it is a success. It's also fun knowing that someone will get an Xbox just in time for Christmas :-)

Yesterday we attended a Day of the Dead celebration with some other Guatemala adoptive families. It was wonderful meeting several new families and their children. We met at a local pizza place with lots of fun games for the kids. Lili got to experience bowling for the first time. It was a game for young kids and she loved it. I'm not sure the bowling lanes liked her technique though since she wanted to throw the ball over hand. Fortunately, the balls were small and lighter than a normal bowling ball.

Just look at that form!

Watching. Watching. Watching. Boy did it take awhile for her ball to make it to the pins.

Then there was Guitar Hero to play. We didn't really turn the game on, but every time she would go push one of the buttons the lights would start flashing, so she thought she was playing.

Most importantly, we all had a great time!

Lili's First Halloween Adventure

Last Halloween was a first for Lili, but I chose not to take her trick-or-treating. Instead I dressed her up as a ladybug and she helped me pass out candy. She had been home 7 months at that point, but I wasn't sure how she would handle all of the costumes and felt it would be better for her to be home in familiar, safe surroundings if she became frightened. None of the costumes frightened her last year so this year we went shopping for a costume and I let her choose.

Yes, she chose a duck costume (although one woman asked her if she was a chicken).

Because we've had so much rain over the last couple of days, I decided to use the stroller and am so glad I did. Not only was water standing in several places, but the temperature felt more like December than October. Having the stroller allowed me to wrap her in a blanket which was a really good thing.

We went out for about 1/2 an hour and then headed back home to wait for my sister-in-law and her daughter 'the vampire' to come and join us. We went out again for another hour and returned home with a nice load of candy.

The only scary part of the evening was the candy bowl with the skeleton hand that tried to grab Lili's hand. My little duck didn't waddle away, but actually ran away from the candy bowl. And I was worried about the costumes scaring her.


Ready to go.