Flights Are Booked!

I can't even believe that we actually booked our flights today! In a little over 2 months we are going to ETHIOPIA! We will meet our daughter! WOW!

Her bedroom furniture came today too.. it is sooo cute! I'll have to take a picture once I get some bedding on the bed (on order already heehee)! I started going through some of the things I have in her closet that I haven't looked at in a while, I have some clothes that are probably too small for her, which I can probably donate to the care center or orphanage. I found things I forgot I had packed away, picture frames, hair accessories, dolls. It was like going shopping without leaving the room! 

Now I think some additional outside shopping/retail therapy is required this weekend as well! WooHoo!

COURT DATE!

We officially have a court date!!! October 19th we will be in Addis Ababa for our court date! I can't even process that right now! It was a surprise to say the least to hear from our coordinator today. All of a sudden I have a TON of things to do! LOL That's less than 3 months from now. WOW! I better get busy!

While we wait...

I know I know, I haven't written anything since our referral.. there is sooo much going on in my head! LOL I'll throw some things out here real quick as I want to try to get to bed early today! 

I think I have posted that we had chosen an American name for baby girl (can't use her ET name here), which is Alicia and we'll probably make that her first name and her ET name her middle name, but that's not decided yet. So I'll call her Alicia on the blog for now, but I also have several nicknames using her ET name too, which I won't use here yet.

So now we are waiting to get our court date. I believe the courts are closed for the rainy season from August 9th thru Sept 18th (give or take a few days) so it would be awesome if we found out what our court date will be before the rainy season, assuming it will be in October some time. I hope we hear something soon!

Yesterday we purchased the bedroom set for Alicia's room! We ordered a twin sleigh bed, dresser and nightstand in an off white color. It's soooo cute. I've changed my mind so many times on the bedroom set that it feels good to have finally settled on one! Here's a link to the picture of the set.. we can't get the mirror for the dresser though because it won't fit in the room with our lovely second floor cape style ceilings.. bummer. But I'll find another option for the mirror.

http://legacyclassickids.com/furniture/furniture-collections/?cat_id=30&sub=all&page=2 

The furniture gets delivered in about 3 weeks! I figured we'd get the twin bed because she is probably going to be over 2 1/2 by the time she comes home, and if she does need to be in a crib (I think she may be in one now) then we can get a crib till she's ready for the twin. I also need to get a bed rail for the twin.

We received some additional pictures of our little one and I can't wait to go scoop her up!!!

Ok I can't stop yawning so it's bedtime!  Good night!

REFERRAL!!!!!

WE ACCEPTED A REFERRAL TODAY!! She is a little over 2 years old!!! I can't post any identifying info until we pass court - SORRY! But she is adorable and I can't wait to go get her!!!!! Since the courts are going to be closing for the rainy season we probably won't travel for court till October or November, HOPEFULLY!

I's still in shock! We didn't think too much of it when our coordinator called us yesterday to get some info, although she did say we were getting close but as much as I stalk the agency's blog I had an idea of where we were and I was even off by one of each list. Then today, I took a half day from work and right after I signed off the phone was started ringing with a 303 area code (agency) and hubby thought it was a referral because he thought it was strange she was calling again after we spoke to her yesterday, but our coordinator just wanted a copy of some paperwork. After that, hubby seemed to think that we were going to get a referral either today or next week because of the way she worded things, like if we could fax the paperwork to her right away it would be good.. LOL  I wasn't about to get my hopes up and just KNEW that we weren't THAT close to getting a referral. Sure enough, the phone started ringing again a few hours later. It was our coordinator AGAIN! WITH THE REFERRAL OF OUR DAUGHTER!!


To be continued...

Correction..

Just spoke to our coordinator and we are still # 10 on baby girl list (7 families on hold) and #7 on toddler girl list (4 families on hold), so just documenting that here since I thought we were a spot lower on each, but still that puts us at unofficially #3 on both lists!!!  She just wanted to confirm our age range/preference, which is the entire range we are approved for by USCIS of 0-36 months.

And on a side note, I was very calm when the phone rang and I saw it was a 303 area code (our agency #). Although now, after the fact, I'm kind of freaking out!!!  LOL

MORE Ethiopia Wait List Movement

I think these are our numbers as of today. When hubby spoke to our coordinator today right after the blog update she said we were still 10/7, but there was more movement today so I think we just asked her too soon.. LOL (or it's wishful thinking lol)   I am a little speechless right now. I can't wait to find out who our daughter is and it seems like the end of the road is rolling up on us soooo fast this week. We still have a few more spots to go (unless some families come off of hold, but even then..we're almost there), but it could be soon, very soon, or it could be several more months. WOW!

MORE Ethiopia Wait List Movement !!!!

There have been sooooo many referrals this week I can't keep up!! We spoke to our coordinator today and confirmed our numbers and was also told that on the baby girl list there are 7 families on hold and 3 families on hold on the toddler girl list.. OH MY.. That unofficially makes us #3 on baby girl list and #4 on toddler girl list. WOW! I can't believe that we went on the baby girl list on May 10th last year and are down to #10!!!

We also have to go get our "new" I171H certified again because of a little USCIS glitch, but we're working on that now and hopefully will be able to send that off to our agency next week. All of a sudden I feel an urgent need to get that done! LOL

Wait List Movement!!

Ethiopia Wait List Movement

Wait List Movement!!

Wait List Movement!!

Woohoo! Finally after a few weeks of no referrals, we have some movement! SINGLE DIGITS BABY!!!!! We are now #9 on the Toddler Girl List! O....M....G....! :)

4 Years Oh My & Ethiopia Status

 

It's been 48 months since we were logged in with China on April 17th 2007. W.O.W.   This time last year the CCAA, now apparently the CCCWA had referred up to 4/17/06. As of today they've referred up to 6/15/06.  Only 306 LIDs to go.

For Ethiopia, we are moving right along.. Found out last week we are actually #18 on the Baby Girl List, so I must have missed a referral somewhere in my wait list stalking.. haha!  Still #10 on the Toddler Girl List. As of today we have been on the Toddler Girl list for 7 months and have gone down 12 spots. We've been on the Baby Girl list for a little over 11 months and have gone down 32 spots.

Not much else to write about right now. Been working on the basement, redoing some walls, painting and such so it'll be a nice playroom/TV room once the little one gets here. It's starting to feel more real now! #10 woohoo!

Ethiopia Wait List Movement

Another Move!!

More Wait List Movement!

More Wait List Movement!

Wait List Movement

Wait List Movement

Wait List Movement

General Stuff

I haven't actually posted anything in a while except for updates every time we move up on one of the wait lists. I haven't had too much to say really and I felt like I needed to distance myself a bit from the blog world for a little while. I don't know if it's information overload, tired of some of the drama out there or a little of both. I think maybe it's also just wanting to not spend every waking minute thinking about the adoption, hoping things will just move forward and before you know it we'll be there at the top of one of the lists. Which doesn't really make any sense since I do stalk the agency's website to look for list movement! LOL  Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. I can't be the only one.. you know who you are! LOL