Change We Can All Believe In

Hear no Evil, Speak No Evil, and See no Evil

Don't have anything to write a/b on this topic yet!!!!!!!!! however I am more than sure I will in the months to come. I saw the graphic and decided to tuck it away for when I needed it............

Almost how we do our shoe thingy ladies...........

IN THE DAYS TO COME............

Wow!!! does it really get this bad???



Well I thought before I had everything I needed for the dossier come to find out I need one more piece of paper...........It is the local police check.........I should have some time this week. I am happy I did ask if this needed to be in my dossier, b/c it was addressed in the homestudy. Well come to find out, I do need it. I requested it on the 4th of June and it should be here any day now........Then I'm ready for SOS. I am going over this dossier w/a fine tooth comb, b/c I want to make sure I have everything I need.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!

YEAH BABY.............Homestudy is in my hands as I type...........

Last piece to the puzzel, now on Monday my dossier will be on it's way to SOS

It's safe to say............

The HS is APPROVED....................

I should have it in my hands no later than Friday.......

Ok, on to the next step.......which is the SOS (secretary of State) then the Assistant Stork in Washington, DC, then onto Ethiopia....... and then the hard part starts...........which is the waiting.

I feel like dancing.....


Well I don't know a/b all that..........I feel the moves in my heart b/c my body ain't doing nothing of this nature no time soon.... :)

Happy Thoughts

As the new week rolls in I have nothing but happy thoughts that this snag in the HS will pass............

Snag in the HS process

I hit a snag and I am to frustrated to talk a/b it, I am just jotting this down so later I can come back to visit and write my thoughts on it, w/hopes of a solution to this problem

:(



Ok, now I feel much better w/the support from the Hope Adoption Group, and the sound advice from my mom.......NOW I can blog a/b what the snag was all about in the HS process w/o bleeping every other word.. ;)

Well.......I was told the HS would be done and I should have it by middle to end of June, then there was a 3rd visit that had to be done, which was state required.......The first supervisor I spoke with said she needed more info on my support system, child care arrangements........ok, that was done and over with, I was still told by the end of June the HS would be sent in the mail.....In less than 4 days after talking w/the first supervisor she up and left the company and now there is a new supervisor who wants even more info and maybe a 4th visit........To make a long story short I won't have a approved completed HS by the end of June.......

but I realized it is not in my timing but GOD's timing.........and nothing happens w/o his permission.

Guess What Folks???

I got word that my HS should be in the mail this week or early next week. Did not want to count my chickens before they actually got here.........but I am excited of all 5 items needed to complete my dossier, 4 of them are comming w/the HS. The last and final item to complete the dossier is the local police check which I should have this week or early next week, then it is onto the next step.

For those that are following my journey, once the approved HS is done and sent to me i take or send it to the the secretary of state for authentication, where they look over the documents w/a fine tooth comb, and put their stamp and offical seal on it, once that is done, I then send my documents to Washington, DC for authentication at the Embassy level where they put their offical stamp and seal on the documents, then they are off to Ethiopia for translation, once translated into the ET language I am offically a waiting parent, waiting to be matched w/a child (waiting on a referral).

If all goes right and ther are not to many people ahead of me on the wait list.......I shoudd look to travel Jan/Feb/March, this is only true if things go well in court in Ethiopia, and sometimes cases can be postponed due to paperwork issues. I know some are thinking that is a long time from now but the reason for this wait is b/c the courts in ET close in July/Agust to October/November due to their rainy season, so that puts a hold on all court cases for a good 3-4 months. Once the courts reopen there is like a mob scene of agencies trying to file their papers for parents that are waiting all over the world to travel and pick up their child/children. So during the wait I plan to get the baby's room ready, and just try to enjoy the nerve racking, emotional wait and prepare all the things I need to do to get ready for my trip around the world to bring home my little baby....

Some Random Thoughts

TIME IS WINDING DOWN!!!!





Now that I am going to be "offically waiting" which simply means I am waiitng for the referral of a child once my paper work is over in Ethiopia (ET)which should be around July/August.. So here are some of my random thoughts

Well here we go..........

I am in the final days of........

Sleeping late.....

Taking naps when ever I want to......

Eating out 4 days out of week and making P&J sandwiches when to tired to cook....

Shopping until I drop....for clothes, shoes, and house items.....not to mention QVC/HSN :)

Watching TV uninterrupted.........

Last Holidays Childless..........

Last days of waking just in enough time to get myself ready for work......

On The computer for however many hours uninterrupted....

Taking a bath or shower w/o being disturbed..................


But the weird part of all this is that I am looking foward to the all I have mentioned and I simply can not wait........I think when you adopt you have a different appreciation and understanding, especially if you have no children, b/c you know how familiar it is not have to have expereinced those things..........

So I say bring it on...........I'm ready!!!

Now Onto The Travel Shots

I have to get.........

Typhoid Fever Pill Form for 4 days

Injections of Hep A & B

Mengitis

Polio Booster

Malaria Pill Form

I think that is it

These shots are not done all in one day....

I hear they hurt ;(

The Hep A and B is given 6 months apart....

I'm not to sure how the others work

YIKES!!!

3rd and FINAL HS Tonight

SW is on her way and this will be the last and final HS...........

Not nevervous considering the house is upside down due to the painting of three rooms, but if she does not mind, neither do I, now if this was the first visit then that would be a different story but this is the stinky third visit I was not suppose to have.

OOOOH I hope she is not alergic to paint b/c that is all you smell when you walk through the front door. :)

Now That I have Composed Myself

Now that I have calmed down and accepted the fact that I need one more HS visit that will most likely take place this week...............I have looked over my needed Dossier requirements and saw I only need my approved completed home study and post adoption agreement, which all comes from the HS agency to make the dossier complete!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can not believe how things have come together and how quickly......

I don't want to think to far ahead and assume that I will have all this stuff by the end of the month or middle of July..........but it sure would be nice

Soon we will have something to celebrate.......

KNEW IT WAS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE

WELL, I GUESS SOMETHING HAS TO GO WRONG...........

WELL IT IS NO BIG DEAL, BUT I HAVE TO HAVE THREE HS VISITS INSTEAD OF JUST TWO. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WILL HOLD ANYTHING UP FOR ME BUT I JUST HOPE TO GET THE VISIT DONE THIS WEEK. :(


THIS MESSAGE IS IN ALL CAPS FOR A REASON............

The Almighty Dollar!!!

I have tried to think of a nice way to address this question, and to keep this blog loving, happy, and refreshing, but I guess I have to go there........

As I address this question please keep in mind there is no ill intent intended and that some things are private, and should not be asked......

How much did it/will it cost for you to adopt a child from over seas?

Are you rich?

Why spend all that money when you can get one from the foster care system free?

I wish people would think twice before they ask questions..... or have a real sincere reason behind asking such questions.....

I know people are curious and excited, however think of this before you ask the next question a/b the process....

would you ask a women who is caring a child how much did it cost her to get pregnant w/o feeling awkward?

Would you ask her why did she decide to get pregnant by that guy if you did not approve of her choice?

I don't mind answering questions, but just chill out regarding the money questions. We here in the good old USA have money to do whatever we desire to do with it. If we want to finance a car for $30,000 we just get up and do it no questions asked, if want to buy a house with a $300,000 mortgage we just do it no questions asked, so why should there be so many questions surroundeing And cost of this blessing?

Now that is out of the way here is the Golden Rule..........Never ask a adoptive parent a question that would make you feel silly, awkward, uneasy,embarrassed, down right rude, or belligerent when asking.....

And by the way I'm not rich either...........Just a desire in my heart to make a difference.........I have God on my side and a strong understanding of what it means to step out on faith and believe..............

Ok Everybody, Say It With Me.....Check!!!

YES, ANOTHER CHECK OFF THE LIST

Today I went to the immigration office and had the biometrics done.

It was really cool to see all the people who come from all different countries from all over the world, there to get fingerprints done also. I sat and just watched as their numbers were called, trying to see If I could guess what country they were from. I love to people watch!!! I watched sons and daughters bring their elders to the immigration to FP(finger printing) I watched younger people come in and much older people who were alone doing this deed. I just sat and wondered a/b their story and how they made or got to America and then as I walked out of the building I realized that this is the land of the free, this is the land that so many people from so many diferent places risk their lives and life savings to come to America where there is such hope, promise and opportunity. I walked away feeling like no matter how much I complain about the current situation here w/gas prices, the economy and proterty taxes it could be a lot worse.

Well, back to my appointment. I had to check in and the guy at the desk, looked at my paper, I had to show my hands to him, palm sides up, and then as he handed my paperwork back to me he said congrats and good luck on your adoption. I smiled and said thank you!!!

A Little ET history For You

Get the Facts
In Ethiopia one in ten children die before their first birthday• One in six children die before their fifth birthday• 44% of the population of Ethiopia is under 15 years old• 60% of children in Ethiopia are stunted because of malnutrition• The median age in Ethiopia is 17.8 years• 1.5 million people are infected with AIDS (6th highest in the world)• There are 4.6 million orphans in Ethiopia.• Per capita, Ethiopia receives less aid than any country in Africa• In the 90s the population (3%) grew faster than food production (2.2%)• Drought struck the country from 2000-2002 (first year no crops, second year no seeds, third year no animals)• Half the children in Ethiopia will never attend school. 88% will never attend secondary school.• Coffee prices (Ethiopia’s only major export) fell 40-60% from 1998-2002.• Ethiopia’s doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000.• In 1993, after 30 long years of war, Eritrea broke from Ethiopia and became an independent nation leaving Ethiopia landlocked without any major seafaring ports.



"Religion that Elohim our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."James 1:27



Ethiopian Culture
Ethiopia has a diverse mix of ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. It is a country with more than 80 different ethnic groups each with its own language, culture, custom and tradition. One of the most significant areas of Ethiopian culture is its literature, which is represented predominantly by translations from ancient Greek and Hebrew religious texts into the ancient language Ge'ez, modern Amharic and Tigrigna languages.Ge'ez is one of the most ancient languages in the world and is still used today by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has its own unique customs and traditions, which have been influenced by Judaism.The Tigrayans' history and culture is derived from the Aksumite Kingdom tradition and culture whereas the history and culture of the Amhara people is derived from the post Aksumite imperial reign of Menelik II and Haile Selassie.



Gender
In Ethiopia, men and women have clearly defined roles. Traditionally men are responsible for providing for the family and for dealing with family contact outside the home whereas women are responsible for domestic work and looking after the children.Parents are stricter with their daughters than their sons; often parents give more freedom to males than females. The traditional view was men neither cook nor do shopping because housework tends to be women's job. This view continues to be held in many areas of the country.Although many people continue to follow these traditional roles, life is constantly evolving including the role of men and women. This can be seen particularly true in urban areas where women are beginning to take a major role in all areas of employment and men are beginning to take a greater role in domestic life.



Ethiopian Food
The Ethiopian national dish is called wat. It is a hot spicy stew accompanied by injera (traditional large spongy pancake made of teff flour and water). Teff is unique to the country and is grown on the Ethiopian highlands. There are many varieties of wat, e.g. chicken, beef, lamb, vegetables, lentils, and ground split peas stewed with hot spice called berbere.Berbere is made of dried red hot pepper, herbs, spices, dried onions, dried garlic and salt ingredients. Wat is served by placing it on top of the injera which is served in a mesob (large basket tray). The food is eaten with fingers by tearing off a piece of injera and dipping it in the wat.Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians do not eat meat and diary products (i.e. egg, butter, milk, and cheese) on Wednesdays and Fridays except the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost, the Fast of the Prophets, the fast of Nineveh, Lent, the Fast of the Apostles and the fast of the Holy Virgin Mary. According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church belief, the faithful must abstain from eating meat and diary products to attain forgiveness of sins committed during the year, and undergo a rigorous schedule of prayers and atonement.Vegetarian meals such as lentils, ground split peas, grains, fruit, varieties of vegetable stew accompanied by injera and/or bread are only eaten during fasting days. Meat and diary products are only eaten on feasting days i.e. Christmas, Epiphany, Easter and at all other times. Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians, Jews and Muslims do not eat pork as it forbidden by their religious beliefs.

One More Check Off The List For The Dossier

Another check off the list.....................

I did not know I had to get a 2nd police check.


I thought the first one would be good enough so I guess the HS agency needed their own copy and the Dossier needed their own speical copy. So I am on my way to get that done w/the sad story and long face.