One Month on the Wait List

Yesterday, 8/10/09, marked one month on the official Wait List. I still don't know if this term is one word or two. Maybe it's hyphenated. For the purposes of our blog today, I will list it as two with each being capitalized...and for no reason at all, I will use the italic feature.

So the stand-out moment over the past two weeks has to be (free) floor seats to AC/DC and seeing Angus' sweat, smile and talent so up close and personal that I thought my head blew off my body when the techs set off the confetti cannon. Little did I know, it was strategically positioned directly under the stage on our side and programmed loud enough to be heard in the upper deck of Giants Stadium. I think my earplugs landed three seats to my left. A good time was had by all.

Okay, back to the adoption world...my follow up appointment for travel shots was at 8:30am today. When I had my initial Hep A shot in February, I was instructed to make the follow up for sometime in August. Sometime in August?! That's six months away - two full seasons from now!!! That was one of the moments I realized what a long and winding road lies ahead.

So, it's now August. Today's travel shots included: Polio and the second/final Hep A with a prescription for Typhoid. The Typhoid prescription consists of a refrigerated medication taken every other day for 8 days. October brings round three: Yellow Fever, Meningitis and Tetanus. Because Addis Ababa is not a high risk Malaria zone, my doctor suggested having a Malaria prescription on hand but only to take if necessary. You see, if we are fortunate enough to receive any information on the baby's birth village and/or family - we most definitely plan to visit that area and/or family. It's very possible that village is in a remote area far from Addis, which may require the meds.

To note for families reading this for informational purposes for their current or upcoming adoptions...These vaccines are not crucial to do so early in the Wait List process. Some families get their vaccines much closer to their travel dates. On the advice of our doctors, we began our vaccines early. If for no other reason than to simply avoid sore arms and a pile of side effects close to our travel date, should any effects occur at all.