Dossier on its way!

I just opened my e-mail and found a note from the adoption agency that our dossier is on its way to Ethiopia! Finally things are happening! We all yelled for joy and the boys both yelled, "I'm so excited to see our baby!" I heard James telling his little brother in the bath tub "The dossier is going and we'll have our baby soon". It's funny to hear a 4-year-old using the term "dossier". What a relief to have some positive news. I've had so much support from other adoptive families and I don't know what I would have done without them during the past several months. We've had some great friends' support, too. Thanks to all of you!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back...

Ugh! Our updated dossier paperwork got to our agency this morning, but one of the forms was not done correctly so I have to do another one and send it again overnight mail, if it's possible to have it done today. None of this would be happening if our first agency had done things right or had sent the paperwork from the beginning! The drama continues...

Not Waiting Quietly

It was still snowing a month ago, but I happened to look at the spring clothes that had just come out and I just couldn't resist buying some of them! They're so cute! Of course I have no idea what size to buy, but I got a range of them. I'm not exactly known to wait patiently...

What a week!

After two months of frustration and heartache, we have an agency on our side. Most people adopting from Ethiopia have referrals by now, but our process has taken much longer due to problems with our home study agency. We switched from China program in February. Still, our dossier should have traveled in March. Now we are fully in capable hands with our placement agency and I no longer feel like I'll go insane.

On the up side, I received my shipment of hair stuff from another mom online selling her daughter's things, as she no longer wants beads & snaps in her hair. I think I got a great deal. Maybe during all the waiting I'll get a mannequin head & practice! I found some great teaching videos on YouTube on doing all kinds of braids and hair styles. Let me tell you, I was really afraid that I would ruin our daughter's hair or not be able to do anything with it. After watching some of those videos, I feel empowered. I can do it!

Tommy's 3rd Birthday!

It's hard to believe that our baby boy is already three! He's starting to ask where his sister is. We're all so anxious and we don't even have a referral yet!

Yellowstone National Park

This is our annual trip to Yellowstone National Park in April, before vehicles are allowed on the roads. We're only 90 miles from West Yellowstone. We could have bicycled or walked and this year we walked. Although we had a lot of snow this spring, this particular day was very warm. A bison calf (in the second picture) had been born that morning on the road. The snow was too deep for the mother to give birth elsewhere. She was trying to find something to graze down the road, and the baby was still wobbly and decided to take a nap. We were concerned at first that she showed little interest, but later she finally turned back and called him until he responded and stood up. What a great day! We are so lucky to be able to live here!

Discouraged

We can't get any answers from our agency. I've e-mailed or called them almost every day for the last month and nothing's happened. They told me our dossier would be going to the placement agency this week, but that never happened. I have to ask and ask to get anything. When I expressed my frustration, they were snippy. What are they doing?!

Ethiopia!

We have decided to adopt from Ethiopia. Everything just felt right, even though we ran into a lot of opposition about our decision. We've read about the country, the people, read adoption stories, and she's there. Now we're frustrated with our agency because they have all of our dossier paperwork, but still haven't changed the home study. I've joined a blog group online and I'm learning tons. We thought we may have her escorted from Ethiopia, but now we're thinking we should go and see where she came from and see the country. I got a catalogue the other day with the cutest girls' clothes in it. It's all I can do not to buy a bunch of stuff right now. I've been obsessively looking at videos of families picking up their children from Ethiopia. They make me cry!