Almost Done!

Well, 10 days to go! Here is a picture of the progress on the bunk bed. It's looking good! We will move it in the house this afternoon or tomorrow. Grace got Anteneh a little toy snake yesterday and when we got home pulled out ALL the wrapping paper and bows(literally all of it-all over the living room) and wrapped it up and stuck a big bow on top...her gift for Anteneh when he gets here. She is such a good sister. And Luke is now convinced that Anteneh's middle name should be "GaBoomBoom" (his made up word for anything manly)...to give you a little background on gaboomboom, it began as his made up word for construction equipment. Then it slowly evolved into all things manly (policemen, fourwheelers, muscles). And now it is what he says when he wants to do something he thinks is brave. Like when he was a little scared to get on and off the elevator, he would get a really tough look on his face, yell, "GaBoomBoom!!!" and jump off the elevator! He also yells it when he jumps off the couch, or when 'just the guys' (Daryn and Luke) get to do something together. So, of course when we asked the kids what we should use for Anteneh's middle name, he wants to name him GaBoomBoom. We might consider it. It would be a special name. Haha

Paper Chains

Today Grace and I made a paper chain to keep track of how many days it will be until she and Luke meet Anteneh...it's only 20 chains long! And that is days until they meet him...it's only 14 days until Daryn and I leave to go meet him! Crazy...

This is a link to a UTube 3 minute part of a speech by the woman who wrote "There is No Me Without You", the book I was talking about a few posts back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXi2pLQyp8s
It's very interesting and inspirational. I really have a lot of respect for Melissa Fay Greene.
Daryn is making progress on the bunkbed!!! He disappears into the garage for a while every day and every time I open the door and see his progress, I get more and more excited-like once he gets the bed done this will all be real or something...similar to the feeling of: since we don't have our plane tickets in our hands, it feels like we aren't really going to Africa...it's all in my crazy head! Haha!

WE ARE APPROVED!!!

FINALLY!!!!!!!! Our 4th court case went through! We are finally approved...Praise God for Anteneh's biological mother who, despite her circumstances, made the long trip all the way back to Addis Ababa with her ID yesterday...Praise God for our agency who worked so hard to get our case to court quickly (4 times!) Praise God for the judge who said that Anteneh should now be referred to as Anteneh West! and Praise God for His timing-there is some reason that he made us wait through 4 court cases-maybe just to develop my patience (I keep telling God it doesn't really work so please quit trying to teach me patience but He just never quits-haha) Yahoo! We are buying our plane tickets today! I got the email this morning and didn't tell Daryn at first. I woke Grace up and told her the good news so she could tell Daryn...it's so amazing to see how excited she gets for every step of this process. It's like she is so much older-at almost 5 years old she seems to grasp everything like an adult. She went into the kitchen and said, "Hey, Daddy-guess what? The court case went well!" Daryn was so excited-I felt like we were telling him we were pregnant or something-WE ARE NOT pregnant, just so that there is no confusion:) We celebrated with Huevos Rancheros for breakfast then of course I had to run upstairs and update the blog! I have been spending way too much time on the computer lately but I think in a way I feel that it's my connection to Anteneh-updating this blog and looking at other parent's Ethiopian adoption blogs...it's becoming an addiction-I'm sure it will stop when we get home w/ him and I'll have him for real in my hands to squeeze! Haha!
Well, I think I will post a picture of each of the kids just in case someone is reading this that has never met them...plus they are so cute that I can't help but brag on them just a little:) Luke is flexing b/c he had just put on his new superman shirt that Uncle Derek and Aunt Megan got him for Christmas! Well, this is a great start to the day!!!

Supplies

As we pray and wait for the court case to happen...Daryn and I are trying to collect some supplies to take with us as a gift to Layla House, the orphanage Anteneh is at now. I contacted them and the number one thing they could use right now is art supplies. I love how this orphanage is so committed to really giving the kids there a stimulating, fun environment. They are running terribly low on these things and say they would be VERY appreciated! Here is a list in case any of you have anything you would like to donate for us to take with us when we leave in a few weeks. Please don't feel obligated but what a cool way to bless the kids there at Layla!
Paints/Brushes
Finger Paints
Stickers
Crocheting/Knitting needles and Yarn
Fabric/Needles/Thread
Cross-Stitch Kits
Markers
Art foam
Pipe Cleaners
Shaky/googly eyes
Glitter
Popsicle sticks
Pom Poms
Beads/Beading wire
Molding Clay
Play Dough
Decorative craft scissors
Markers
Pastels
Tissue paper
Scrapbook Crafting paper (with designs)
Glitter Glue
Feathers
Starch
Food Coloring
Stencils
Stamps/Stamp pads
Pasta with Holes (for necklaces and such)
Colored Straws
Paper Bags (lunch size)
Any other craft/arts items you can think of!!!

If any of you would like to donate any craft items, you can just give them to us or I'd be happy to come pick them up from you. How exciting to take a suitcase full of fun stuff for the children there!

His presents

This day is looking up a little! We got a picture in the mail of Anteneh with his presents!!! Look-he's got the shirt on that Tracey made and he is holding the book that we sent-pushing the buttons that make the noises...and the picture album is open to the picture of Daryn and me-and it has the matchbox car on it!!! So cool! That is an encouragement we needed....

Special Days

Daryn and I decided to apply to adopt Anteneh on November 7th, 2005. Turns out that was exactly 6 years from the day we sat in a coffee shop at Purdue and said, "Let's get married-well, maybe we should date for a few months first." That was November 7th, 1999. Exactly 6 years.

I was just looking at the dates again-if this court case goes well, we will meet Anteneh exactly 7 years from the day Daryn asked me to marry him! He asked me on February 12, 2000. We will meet Anteneh on February 12, 2007.

Isn't that amazing? Biblically, the 7th year is a year of rest. And the end of the 7th year is the time of 'completion', 'perfection', 'maturity'. So, the first 7 years of our marriage culminates at February 12, 2007-the day we meet our third child. And we begin the 8th year-the year of New Beginnings. Now, that gives me some peace-maybe this court date will go well...seems to be perfect timing!

How many court cases will it take?

Well, here we go again...Apparently we have had 3 court dates that have gone poorly in Addis. The first was in December and there was a problem with our paperwork. The second was last Friday and there was a problem translating the Ethiopian calendar to the Gregorian Calendar...so then we got a 3rd court case that was yesterday and there was another problem. Apparently, Anteneh does have a living mother (we were told both parents were deceiced). There is a new law that the biological parents have to show up at the court case with ID and testify that they have already given up parental rights. Well, Anteneh's poor mother traveled from her town to Addis and didn't bring ID... so, we now have a FOURTH court date (this is getting crazy) set for the 24th of January. Now we have to change our plane tickets and we can't travel now until the 10th of February. This is fine but disappointing. We are packed and ready and thought we were leaving in 10 days. Our major concern is that this court case will go well. When the agency first called and said there'd been a problem and mentioned that Anteneh still has a living biological mother, my heart about leaped out of my chest. I was worried that she'd changed her mind or something. Still, I'm a little worried that she won't come all the way back to Addis for court again (especially b/c she is probably very poor or ill to give up her child). I just hope she physically can get there. SO, PLEASE PLEASE BE PRAYING THAT OUR COURT DATE WILL GO WELL WEDNESDAY THE 24TH OF JANUARY!!!!!! It's our #1 concern right now. And please pray for a peace for us...Daryn is more even keeled but I'm a tad high strung about this all...now I've got to redo plane tickets and rework the babysitting schedule (that is now over Valentine's Day so hopefully won't interfere with our babysitter's schedules)...So, please just keep us in your prayers!!!

What Anteneh is doing right now...

Here is an excerpt from the book I was talking about, "There Is No Me Without You", by Melissa Fay Greene...The Layla House is the orphanage in Ethiopia where Anteneh is right now... and the picture book she is referring to is something that all of the AAI adoptive families make for their kids. We sent one ahead of us last week..."When she visited the Layla House, the children who had been matched with new families ran to retrieve the photo albums they'd received from America. The fat little albums brimmed with nearly unbelievable images: grinning adults (white Americans or, in about 20 percent of the cases, black Americans) stood on green front yards or beside tremendous vehicles; laughing children sat on slides and swing sets; children in goggles leapt into swimming pools; children in satin uniforms posed with their teams on green fields; children shook hands with a jumbo Mickey Mouse or wrestled with dogs in front of a fireplace or pulled sleds up a snowy hill. The orphans turned the plastic pages slowly, trying to make sense of each image. These had to be fairy tales! Yet the owner of each album had been told it was his or her destiny to leap into these scenes."
I just can't believe it but Anteneh is looking through the album we made for him probably today, wearing the shirt that Tracey embroidered for him that says, "We love you...Daddy,Mommy, Sister, Brother, Doggy"...or putting his Cars stickers on his Cars book that makes peel out sounds that we sent. He's flipping through an album with pictures of Grace and Luke at New Beginnings in front of the lake holding frogs, of Luke in a Powerwheels Jeep, and of Daryn and Me dressed up in front of a fancy Christmas tree. And he's looking at our brick house that must look like a castle to him. And he's seeing the picture of Daryn and Luke laughing and maybe he is thinking 'that is going to be MY daddy'! Wow...it's surreal. I can't wait to leave in 3 weeks!!!!!! Right now I feel like it's all a dream. Is he REALLY half way around the world flipping through his little album, looking at pictures of us? YES! SO cool. So exciting!

Lots of Diseases!

It sure is funny how the adoption agency fails to mention little expenses...like the $600 of shots we have to get to travel to Ethiopia! Haha-I got mine this morning and almost passed out-I had to get Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Meningitis, MMR, Hep A, Hep B, and a flu shot...It was odd-I wasn't scared and it didn't hurt but all of a sudden I got VERY dizzy, very hot, and felt like I was going to throw up in the lady's office-she got me to the bathroom and told me to put my head between my knees and I sat there by the toilet for 10 minutes until it passed! She said it was a common thing that happens to people when they get shots-and she wasn't surprised that it happened to me b/c I got 7-anyway-she assured me it wasn't because of what she injected me with and I feel fine now-but it was kind of scary-then i had to pay them $282 for making me feel like that! Haha-at least I won't get yellow fever, meningitis, hepatitis A or B, typhoid, or measles while in Ethiopia-or the flu! The only reason we didn't have to get immunized against malaria is that Addis is at 7500 ft above sea level and you can't get malaria above 6500 ft...interesting little fact...Daryn is in Jamaica for the week-which is good in a way because I tend to be a little obsessive about planning our trip and I think I drive him crazy talking too much:) There is just so much to plan-all of the paperwork and specific things we have to pack-clothes that need to be bought for Anteneh-and I've got to get babysitters arranged for the kids and write out a massive instruction sheet for the 10 different sets of people who will be watching Grace and Luke while we are gone...there is a lot to do-and as Daryn says, I thrive on the planning and organization of it all-I take after my dad...minus the obsessive compulsive tendencies! Haha....

A GREAT Book

For one of my Christmas presents, Daryn got me a book called 'There is No Me Without You' by Melissa Fay Greene. It is an AMAZING book that gives so much insight into the AIDS orphan problems of Africa. What a unique glimpse it is giving us into the life of Anteneh and literally millions of kids like him! Here is the link to the book's webpage. www.thereisnomewithoutyou.com And here is the website of the lady that the book is about, Haregewoin Teferra, www.awmosa.org . She is an amazing woman who has invested her entire life in caring for the children of Addis Ababa who have been orphaned by AIDS, many of whom have it themselves. What an inspirational story. Daryn and I hope to contact her and meet her while we are in Addis. Another cool thing about the book is that it talks about our agency, (Adoption Advocates, International) and the Layla House where Anteneh lives!

Brooke