Trick or Treat

15 years ago last night, Kai and I went on our first date....awwww.

So, when I got the list for October shows at work, I saw that Living Colour was playing on 10/30 and immediately put our names on the list. Little did I know that this past week was going to be one of the most exhausting ones EVAH and I would be completely worn out by Wednesday.

It seems everyone in the tri-state area is in bed with the flu and it's knocking them down for a minimum of three days. Oof. I'm popping vitamins and taking preventative measures like you wouldn't believe, including slathering hand sanitizer on all exposed skin each morning after my germ-infested commute and then again before heading home. I think it's working.

We had an amazing time at the show last night, but I awoke realizing my body had finally had it. I slept 12 hours last night and then took a two hour nap this afternoon. This is unheard of. This being said, there will be no Halloween parties in our future this evening. We're soaking in the cozy rainy evening at home and the orangy glow of the Empire State Building. The warm & fuzziest bit of all is that next year at this time, we'll be out and about trick or treating with our little guy in full costume!!!

Hold on to your hats...We are #6

Running late and must jump in the shower but had to post this. I just received a message from one of my new adoption-blogging-BFFs. They got their referral!!!! After a quick scream, outburst of laughter and tears, Kai came running in to see what was happening. I told him. His response..."and now we're six?" That's when I screamed again, since it hadn't crossed my mind initially. Woohooo!!!!

A Gladney humanitarian aide video. Our agency rocks.

7

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Another referral has been issued, which pops us up yet another spot on the unofficial list.

This is happening at warp speed, considering what we had imagined. My guess is that because the courts have reopened, cases are being heard and this may have caused a little dam to have opened. This is purely hypothetical, but seems feasible, no?

A few have mentioned 'a Christmas baby'. That is a near impossible scenario, but something to address so everyone is in the loop on our remaining steps in the process.

• get The Call, aka The Referral: the phone call from our caseworker stating they have matched a baby boy with our family (that's what we are #7 in line for)
• receive pix & medical records of referred infant and forward to international adoption specialist to guide and advise us with decision and (most certainly) accept the referral...yay!!!
• wait for our court date in Ethiopia (approx 1-2 months from accepting referral)
• once we pass court (not uncommon to have multiple court attempts) we'll receive a travel date from our agency (2-3 weeks from passing court)

So what does all this mean? It means we must GET BUSY. So much to do.

Yes, the stroller. If anyone has any suggestions for a one-handed operational model, please forward your info. We don't have a car and have no plans of getting one, considering where we live a car tends to be more of a pain in the neck than it does a luxury. This stroller will be our car and taken very seriously when making this purchase. Any city mom out there who has shlepped up & down the train stations and in & out of the subways with baby in one arm and stroller in the other, knows what I'm talking about.

I've been doing loads of research on this and keep coming back to the Inglesina. They even have a clip on YouTube, demonstrating the one-hand function. At first, I was prepared to plunk down the ridiculous dollars needed for a Bugaboo. Thinking, if a manufacturer is asking this much for a stroller, it MUST do everything I need. That was a hot minute of insanity and when I came back to my senses, I found the lovely Zippy Inglesina. Turns out the Bugaboo isn't that fabulous in the one-hand collapsing function. It is a beautiful stroller, just not for us.

So, the requirements for a commuter baby's wheels? One hand function and all terrain build (for city sidewalks, potholes), lightweight with loads of storage.

We are open to suggestions.

Thanks all! And a huge congratulations to everyone receiving their referrals. Our thoughts go out for a peaceful final wait. Come on court dates!!!

We are now #8...hmmm

Unofficially. (I must always state that)

Becoming number eight seemed a bit different somehow. I didn't yell to Kai immediately as I opened up the list at 6am, as I do every morning (and then open it as soon as I get to work and click refresh throughout the day). I think this is my obsession until travel date.

Anyway, something was different. I think I'm entering whatever stage follows the 'everything is bliss and I can be as naive as I wanna be' stage. My first thought was for a woman I've never met and who lives a world away from us. In that world, she is experiencing great hardship right now with drought and famine. She is also nearing a decision that will result in separation from her newborn son.

So, as I sit here geniunely pleased to be this much closer to forming our new family, these now become bittersweet steps we're taking. Because with each one we make, someone else is a step closer to losing a part of their family.

Well, now this has become a complete downer of a post which was not my intention at all. The next post will be about strollers, much lighter.

Bibs during the Nor'easter

The weather folks are in a frenzy reporting on our current nor'easter and I don't think NYC is listening. It's rainy and dreary but there's not a whole lot happening out there to justify one to stock up on milk, eggs and hunker down.

In any event, we made no plans for today due to the impending storm - which has resulted in a very productive day. I got a jump on my "things to do before baby comes home" list. First task was to take stock of all items in our downstairs storage area in preparation for reorganizing to make room for necessary baby-gear. This was done with husband in tow in case any creepy crawlers decided to set up shop in my boxes. (upon moving in last year, I threw a ton of bags of fabric & sewing supplies down there which haven't been touched since)

I was very impressed to find out that not one bag was damp or infested. I saw one spider which was no big deal. Not really sure what I was expecting, but you think a dark little storage space running under the stairs has potential for a plethora of nastiness.

Hauling all these bags of fabric upstairs had my brain on overdrive, with at least a handful of new designs in mind before reaching the top of the stairs. The first being bibs. What a perfect way to utilize so many remnants.

And what better way to spend a rainy day? All those PAPs out there know that any little thing you do that makes you feel more connected to bringing your child/ren home, is a fabulous use of time.

Take a peek...(the insets are a shot of the reverse side; strap is elastic lace)

The Business Baby: men's pinstripe suiting with a black lace smile

The Dinner Party Baby

Punk Rock Baby: pleather snakeskin with "Niko"

Cashmere & The Crusty Cheerio

Pretty self-explanatory, no?

Our nephews are the perfect little guinea pigs as we begin to dip our toes into the unknown; this new world called parenthood. Everytime we're with one of them, I walk away with a bit more insight into what this new world holds for us.

The latest? Bringing a little remnant from our weekend toddler-extravaganza to the office. I had just finished presenting my portion of the project to approximately ten others in the conference room. As I glance down at my notes to make sure I covered everything, I notice a shriveled up, crusty Cheerio dangling (by what is some sticky substance that only a 4-year-old can create) to my cashmere hoodie. OMG. This has been here ALL day. Because it's a hoodie (and did I mention it's cashmere?) I certainly wear it more than once before it hits the dry-cleaner.

For those who don't know me, I am not a fancy-schmancy label-whore. In fact, I find much more pleasure in styling pieces from the local thrift shop with ones I've made myself, so this isn't a snob-thing. It's that this sweater was a gift and one I've had for YEARS. It's my go-to piece for making my own creations look a little more "serious". And now there is a crusty Cheerio stuck to it and I can't stop laughing! This is my new life.

And if I ever write a book, I think I found the title...Cashmere & The Crusty Cheerio.

Month 3 on the Wait List

Yes, more numbers. Unfortunately, I think all posts from now until travel time will include some form of a count down.

And today's number children, is the number three. We were officially placed on the Wait List three months ago today, on 7/10/09. I say officially because it was documented on paper with our agency on that day.

All this recent bumping up to the next place in line is UNofficial because it has nothing to do with our agency's wait list records. The unofficial numbers are all calculcated by us, the blogging adoption world. And this great database is maintained by an amazing woman who maintains the FBI (Forensic Blogging Initiative); all for the sole purpose of our need to know what everyone else is doing, what position we're currently holding and how we're each handling our current status. It is a wonderful thing!

Tam recently referred to us as The Gladney Girls, which I personally think should stick. Gladney is our agency and we're all following every move the other one makes. Of course there are families without blogs because they want to remain a bit more private. How dare they! (just kidding)

So for the rest of the Gladney Girls letting it all hang out and spilling every neuroses to the world wide web, I tip my hat to you and thank you for making the first three months of our wait that much more bearable.

Accessorizing #9

What else is a girl to do?

We currently have a high class problem on our hands and I'm not about to complain, just express my shock-ed-ness. It wasn't long ago that we moved from 15 to 12 on the unofficial list, at which point my brother jokingly said, "..better get that nursery ready because there is a baby on the way!" That's when I repeated the whole schpeel about a 9 month wait, rainy season, unpredictability, unknown hurdles, etc. and I'm not taking anything too seriously until we hit the single digits.

Well, after posting our #10 move on Monday and then quickly updating it with our bump to #9 yesterday...drumroll....we're in single digits folks. No more messing around. Operation Nursery is beginning this weekend.

Things are moving too smoothly, too quickly and we MUST keep up. We will combat this with what we know best...accessorizing. We're pulling out the bedding and the stuffed animals. The painting I did will be hung. Curtains will be sewn. And then we will look for more accessories...the much needed urban stroller (key for city dwellers w/out a car), the rain shield for the stroller, the perfect diapers for the flight home, the rug for his room and we may even hang the wooden blinds still in the office corner that were purchased so he can sleep a bit sounder. And the list will go on as long as we wish. This is the attitude we've decided to take.

We've heard some very unpleasant Waiting stories and are not dismissing them by any means. For some reason, to this point our wait is simply that...a wait. It's not dragging and it's not close to unbearable (yet). We're also only three months in (this Saturday). So at this very surreal moment, we are happy to no longer be #10 while pleasantly satisfied to bask in the moment of #9, not yet rushing to #8 while we take a moment to accessorize.

The only sense I can make of this stage is that, you can have fun with it. You don't have the stress of being next in line and taking your eye off the phone for fright of missing The Call, yet your dependence on the notary & fingerprinting is behind you because your paperwork is now complete. My advice to any new families is enjoy this time. Take advantage of being able to prepare for the biggest thing EVER that is about to happen within a matter of months. And don't lose your sense of humor.

My mother in law gave me the best advice when we were at the beginning stages of IVF. After giving her full support (as always), she said we must always remember to maintain our sense of humor. It's a stong part of our relationship and she knows that. Her advice is the same advice I would give to anyone in the Waiting Stage (or any stage).

Unofficially #9

Tesiatu, ዘጠኝ Neuve, Neuf, Neun, תשע, Nove, девять, níu, 九つ

Another Family Hoopla...The Sis' Wedding

A whole lot can happen in a few days.

I boarded a plane last Thursday (Kai came Friday) for my sister's wedding reception in GA, very content to be sitting in the #12 position on the unofficial Wait List. I must note that a few days prior to that we were at #15, so all in all there was much excitement yet a teeny bit of "oh my, this is picking up rather quickly".

Fast forward two days. I take a break early Saturday morning from my reception to-do list to check the computer. (aren't we all Wait-List-checking-addicts at this point?) I scream, "MOOOMMMMMM!!!" I ask her to please double check my counting skills. (she's a retired teacher) It's official. There have been two more referrals posted on the unofficial list and we are now #10. An utter state of confusion takes over. Is this how it works? Will we now wait two-three months with no movement on the list? How else will this take eight/nine months? Are four referrals a week normal????

I quickly move into to-do list mode - and it's not for the reception on hand that is taking place in a matter of hours. My head is spinning with a brand new to-do list; one that only a natural born control freak can understand. Back to reality...my sister is celebrating her wedding reception this weekend, following a bride/groom only ceremony that took place in Jamaica last month. I MUST focus. This pace must simply be a rare little surge.

So enough about my hysteria...on to my sister's. Ha! It was a huge success. She was a beautiful bride and we're so happy to welcome Brian to the family!

Unfortunately, our dad couldn't make it but the majority of the family attended which was wonderful! Such a GREAT time. Our family is amazing and did I mention a bit on the large side? My mother (3 bio kids) remarried Glen (4 bio kids), producing quite an ecclectic blended crew that will make for an amazing new family for our newest little addition.

And those characters are...

(They requested Aunt Tam do their hair)

and then of course, there is US

and then me and The Nana (note the blow-up jumping machine in the background that was brought in for the kiddies)

We are now #10