Swiped Post

This post sums up Ethiopian adoption, Michael Somebody wrote it, Jules swiped it, I liked it, I swiped it.
http://ajuleslife.blogspot.com/2008/12/ethiopian-adoption-in-52-easy-steps.html

Please pray...

http://azhderianfamily.blogspot.com/
Please pray for this family, I don't know them, but have a burden on my heart for them. They were in process to adopt a daughter from Guatemala and had gotten as far as having the Gautemalan birth certificate listing them as the new parents of this 5 yr old girl. However, she was killed in a home invasion there in Guatemala and had not yet even come to her new home. She was already loved by her parents and siblings, they are grieving their lost daughter. She is with Jesus now.

The Latest from Our Coffey House

We're doing well here at The Coffey House. SJ is settling in nicely and communicating her desires more and more. B is also well, but unfortunately for him, the squeaky Ethiopian wheel gets the grease.

On Wed, I took both of the kids to our MOPS playgroup at Michelle's. SJ lasted 1.5 hrs before she was ready to go. In that time, though, she ate 5 cinnamon muffins. The girl can eat! Miss Michelle was sweet and offered to keep B for the afternoon. I took her up on the offer and had a guilt free nap with SJ. We went to church that night, and the sweetest thing- SJ held Jelly's face and gave her a kiss. Due to poor planning on my part, they got to bed late, setting us up for Thursday...

Thursday was our worst day so far, by a long shot. SJ and B woke up grumpy and stayed grumpy. SJ has fallen deeply in love with Super Daddy, which is a good thing, but then Super Daddy had the nerve to leave for work. SJ had a 2.5 hr fit over Super Daddy's leaving! She ran to check every car that drove by, saying "Daddy!". Later, B was pulled from the tub and put in timeout naked and dripping. SJ glared at me and peed in the floor. I could go on and on. I barely survived the day, called my bestie Abby to whine, and put the kids to bed early.

On Friday, the kids were much better. We took B to Granny and Papa's for his regular Friday visit. Granny fed us blueberry pancakes and bacon, B's favorite meal. SJ had 3 pancakes, thrilling Granny. While B was with Granny and Papa, I took SJ to Children's Hosp for routine international adoptee bloodwork. Poor kid, I had to hold her down while they drew vial after vial. She was fine by the time we got to the car though. Daddy got home from work early, so the whole family got to play in the yard. B and SJ got to take turns on the swing, chase each other around, and get lots of hugs. It was a terrific evening. That night, I was able to put SJ down to sleep without her crying! SJ does sleep wonderfully, 11-13 hrs per night with a 2 hour nap in the day.

So, that's the latest. We're doing well and feel good. We are ready for visitors and phone calls and would love to get out a little too. Give me a call or email please! We'd love to show off our kids!

Another Snag

Another snag, SJ's birth certificate has the wrong birthdate. We were supposed to have received a travel date by last Wednesday, 3/26. Birth certificates are running 1 week behind in Ethiopia and now ours is wrong. Our social worker said we cannot be given a travel date without the corrected certficate, so add on at least another week.
I am so sad because J, who I had so looked forward to travelling with, is going on 4/17. I doubt we'll make that trip. It's going to be rough until we get a date, I'm just so sad. I am sad that we're delayed in meeting our girl. I am sad because I want to know when we leave. I am sad because I want to travel with J. I am sad that I sit here for at least 2 more weeks over a silly mistake. Be warned, I'm grumpy and will remain so.

More Sleepless Nights

I am an occassional insomniac. It comes and goes and usually ties in with major life events. So, here I am again, about to travel to Ethiopia to get our daughter and the insomnia is back. Did I mention that I am a beast without sleep!? Tylenol PM and a warm bath, maybe that will work...

We FINALLY got The Call! Referral Day Story

After 6.5 months of waiting, our Social Worker called (Wed, 1/23) with the wonderful news that we had been matched with a little girl. Thankfully Super Daddy was home and we were both able to hear the information. I had decided to stay calm until we were sure we could accept the referral, but calm didn't last long. See, our computer was on the fritz (again) and I couldn't locate a friend who was home AND had an operational computer AND printer AND internet access. I ended up at the local library, and yes, their printers were down too! I then drove to Kinkos and yes, their internet was down. I then proceeded to stand in the middle of the Kinkos and sob. The manager asked me to try the computer in his office and EUREKA, we got through and I could see her face. I got everything printed off and stopped by our pediatrician's office to drop off the medical files. Then, back home to wait for the Dr to call...

Hard Times

I've had a hard time during our waiting period, honestly. I'm conflicted about my joy and our daughter's tragedy, my plenty and Ethiopia's want, my desire to mother a daughter and my daughter losing a mother.
This is hard to admit, but I'm having a hard time being happy for people getting referrals. I'm jealous and want it to be us. And when people say "We've been waiting 2 whole months", I have a difficult time mustering sympathy. I've been wanting to adopt since I was 8 years old, we've been in the process for 2 years, we wasted 16 months on a path that didn't work out.
I'm praying for my little girl during this tragic time in her life and in her birth family's life. I find it hard to wish for her to come to us, when it takes a tragedy to bring her here. It feels quite selfish.
I know in my head that God has a plan and our daughter isn't ready to come to us-blah blah blah, but it still stinks. I'm looking forward to remembering this time and laughing about my sorrows. I'm just not there yet...