Shifting the Energy!

Imagine, if you will, a husband and wife sitting on their comfortable sofa feeling completely frustrated, helpless, and restless because of unforeseen circumstances beyond their control. They are worried about money, tired from stress, and feeling horribly sorry for themselves. This husband and wife are the "mover and shaker" types, the people with personalities of the"if-it's-not-happening-make-it-happen" persuasion. What happens when this couple runs up against a brick wall that they cannot move no matter how hard they try? They shift the energy!!!! If you haven't already figured it out, Tony and I are that couple, and we were experiencing that exact scenario last Saturday. This new Ethiopian court procedure coupled with the anxiety of waiting for a referral is that brick wall for us. How did we shift the energy you ask? We moved all of Laurel and Willow's new clothes, blankets, and room decorations into the closet of their new room! By the way, the babies will be named Laurel Kathryn and Willow Louise for anyone who is interested. We don't have the money right now to start on their nursery (we need to possibly pay for two round-trip plane tickets to Ethiopia), but moving what we do have for them into their closet really helped us settle our nerves and shift our thinking and energy. Just walking into their room and looking into their closet is a wonderful affirmation that they WILL come home! I like to think of that closet as a sort of hope chest but instead of a box with a lid, it is a bigger box with doors. We also thoroughly vacuumed their room and took out all unnecessary things. The only objects we have left in there are two beds for our guests. The room has a reassuring echo to it that is full of promise rather than emptiness. It reminds me that sooner rather than later, that echo will be replaced with the sounds of our sweet babies! For anyone who reads this, I ask that you keep the following in your good thoughts and prayers: Please let Laurel and Willow come home as safely, smoothly, and easily as possible!

Updates!

Well. . .yesterday our agency emailed us a new "adoption alert" about the new court protocols for families adopting from Ethiopia. Apparently, the new court procedures won't be implemented until May 8, 2010, but our agency mentioned that "The Network" (all agencies who assist families in adopting Ethiopian children) is attempting to negotiate a later implementation date to coincide with the annual court closures that take place in August due to the heavy Ethiopian rainy season. We are hoping for the August date because we will have received our referral with a court date scheduled before the court closures. I'm all for the new court protocols in order for the protection of innocent children, but financially speaking, we would be better off taking one trip. We have been typing in hypothetical trips to Addis Ababa with multiple airlines, and it looks as if round trip airfare is around $1,500 if we book several months ahead. The guest house costs $1,000 per couple per week. I don't even want to think about the cost if we have to book a flight quickly! However, if the courts decide to go ahead with the May 8th date, we will do what ever is necessary for us to get our babies home!!!!

The Purpose of This Blog!

The purpose of this blog is to give me a place to write about our Ethiopian adoption. My husband and I have been involved in adopting two baby girls from the Toukoul orphanage with the help of our adoption agency, Dove Adoptions. We have been waiting for a referral for 3 1/2 months, and, to be honest, the suspense is killing me!!!! Add the news that the Ethiopian government, as of yesterday, now requires adopting families to make two trips to Ethiopia, one to meet the child(ren) and appear at court and one to pick up the child(ren) and be present at the American embassy appointment. Before this new policy, adopting parents were required to make one trip to pick up their children and go to the embassy for visa processing. Power of attorney was given to our lawyer who would go to court on our behalf. This new policy was put into place for a VERY good reason, one that I am in complete agreement with. Apparently, before the new policy, some adopting parents were granted parental custody of the children, and when they went to pick up their child(ren), they, for some reason that is beyond me, would leave the country WITHOUT their new family member(s). A big HUH????? is in order here along with some severe head scratching and incredulous looks!!! For the life of me, I cannot understand why people would go through the grueling process of international adoption only to abandon their child(ren) in their birth country. For those people who have committed such a terrible act, I ask you WHY? In some ways, I am glad about taking two trips. I get to see my beautiful daughters earlier than I anticipated, and I get to spend more time in Ethiopia getting to know the country of my daughters' birth. Also, there may be an opportunity to meet members of their birth families when we go to court which is always a plus. On the down side, we have to leave our precious daughters behind after we love, kiss, hug, hold, cuddle, feed, talk, and diaper them while we wait for their visas to be issued at the American embassy. Yikes!!! I'm sure I'll be in tears and my momma heart will be breaking!!! Also, the added expense of two trips makes my heart palpitate wildly! It is a stretch to pay for one trip let alone two! I keep praying to God that He will see this through for us. I suppose that this new policy is meant to strengthen our faith even more. I ask you to keep our family in your prayers so we can smoothly and easily be united with our two new daughters.