What Lies Ahead

look at these cheeks!

We're still in a whirlwind since receiving our court date. What a surprise this is! Of course I expected to be excited but never to this extent. I thought our court date call would resemble that of our caseworker holding a little flag and waving us through to the next stage. Oh, it's SO much more! Because of the new two trip law, we are going to MEET HIM in a matter of weeks. WOW!!!

Remember those monthly updates we receive that I mentioned being a little bittersweet recently? Well, we received one yesterday and I think that's what made it all fit so perfectly. Seeing his little tufts of hair coming in and what his new habits are...they're all a part of our very near future - in person. I can't wait!

So, the dirt that everyone wants to know...what lies ahead for two-trip families.

I have no idea if the itinerary we were given is agency-specific or applies to all those operating in Ethiopia. This is simply what we'll be doing over the next few weeks.

We were issued two court dates: 6/30 and 7/14.

• 6/30: MOWA's date to review our file and hopefully issue a favorable opinion. The lapse in time between 6/30 and 7/14 allows some padding for MOWA to gather any additional paperwork or details, should they require it. This (hopefully) ensures all is in order by the time we travel and appear in court on 7/14.

• 7/14: Our day to appear in court (IF the above occurs in a timely manner).


• 7/12-7/19: approx dates in-country for trip #1


• mid-late August: approx timeframe for trip #2 for U.S. Embassy appt and bring home Baby N

We're advised to hold off on purchasing airline tickets until MOWA gives us the final okay on 6/30. Should they need additional time to review our file, say their opinion doesn't come until 7/5, we would most likely still have our 7/14 court date. However, should they close unexpectedly or simply need more time on our file, we would forfeit our 7/14 court date and await a reissue.

Once our adoption is approved and finalized in the Ethiopian courts, we're anticipating a return to pick up our little boy 3-6 weeks later. During this time his court decree, passport, birth certificate and other required travel & immigration docs will be processed. It is required to have all this in order upon our return for our U.S. Embassy appointment in Ethiopia. That trip will also be approximately seven days in-country, solely focused on bonding with our son.

Beause I am convinced to have been a travel agent in a past life, I will most likely be moving forward with purchasing our tickets once I find the perfect deal. Many times a change fee is more cost effective than a new purchase only days before departure. We'll see.

p.s. Did I mention that 6/30 is my grandfather's birthday? Hoping for good stuff.

Ma & Pa Gittens

Who doesn't love Little House on the Prairie?

pi·o·neer:

one who is first or among the earliest in any field of inquiry, enterprise, or progress –noun

to take part in the beginnings of - verb

When your head is so deeply buried in something, it's hard to see anything objectively from the outside looking in. So, when a handful of various friends, family and supporters have referred to us as 'pioneers' I would simply look at them with a quizzical look. Well, now I get it.

As one of the first families proceeding under the newly enacted Ethiopian International Adoption laws (effective 5/9/10) we now see that our recent lull was directly related to being one of these so-called pioneer families. So, while I was pulling my hair out as others flew by us on the wait list (including a family who received their referral on the same day as us, who are now in-country picking up their child) our files were being brought up to speed to meet these new requirements.

Since receiving an update yesterday and gaining some insight into our case, I feel our heads are no longer buried and we can look at our situation as others do. You see, our paperwork WAS submitted to court. However, it was denied because the court requested further documentation specific to our case that wasn't a requirement under the previous law. It has now been produced and our file will be submitted to court over the week to request a court date. Now why couldn't I have simply recognized that we ARE among the pioneers and will most likely face a delay here or there due to the new policies in place? Well, because what I'm realizing is that when it's your baby at the other end of this - there will be no reasoning or rationale!

So, now that we're in the loop and know what is expected for the next step, we're exhaling a little bit. It's very possible we'll experience further blips, as the courts are becoming more rigorous under the new laws, but we'll deal with that later if we need to. Right now our focus is receiving a court date and crossing our fingers that it's before rainy season.

And in the true spirit of saving the best for last...

Happy Birthday Baby N!!!!

Sending loads of hugs & kisses on your 7 month birthday and a big squeeze to those humungo cheeks!

A Candle and a Care Package

A candle was lit last night in honor of Heidi and Mark who we've all showered over the past few days with tips, poems and a potpourri of congratulations as they departed today for Ethiopia. Over the next two weeks they will soak in the country of their twins as they compile their story through images, conversations, tears and much joy. We're all awaiting the image of all four of them together...finally!

Along this journey they will make a pitstop at Baby N's crib to drop a care package, possibly grab a video snippet and steal a quick minute for some much needed little hugs on our behalf. The current care package includes a few items that were chosen based solely on their comfort level. They seem like very soft & cuddly lounge wear which will come in handy for all children after Baby N who will wear them. Once these items go into the care centers, they stay there so we wanted to ensure we sent items that will benefit all. The teething ring is self-explanatory, as each picture of Baby N shows major signs of teething. Hopefully this is good on the gums.

Lastly, the giraffe. This guy is a gift from Nana and has been in our bedroom for months, soaking in our smell. It's now stuffed into a ZipLock baggie and on a plane to Addis where BN will play with it and begin to smell our scent. Nana was especially smart on this purchase by showing up with two giraffes; one for the current trip and one to remain here for BN to have upon his arrival in his new room.



And the bear suit is just, well - adorable.



Another traveling mother offered some hugging for our little guy with a picture. When sending it to us, she described it as 'salve for a waiting mama's heart'...indeed. I couldn't describe it better.

When Kai & I receive these emails from traveling families, my heart races as I see them appear in my inbox. They feel like that missing little bulb in a string of holiday lights that make all the rest light up; like we were a dwindling, twinkle-weakling headed for the end of holiday rubbage. Suddenly, we have more life than ever before and are sparkling our little hearts out.

Hopefully on some level, Baby N understands that two crazy people are here waiting for his arrival and he will know someday that random shots of his chubby little cheeks were the fuel for these crazy people as they waited for him.

Vocal & Bouncy

LOVING these updates from Baby N's caretakers in Ethiopia! (and thanks to Lori for the amazing photo) I know I said I wouldn't be posting anymore images of him, but how could I not share this?

I got a big case of the LOLs and the warm & fuzzies when I read yesterday's update that stated Baby N is 'vocal & bouncy' and has a 'wide gummy smile'. And apparently he's very social. He's six months old - ha!

The warm & fuzzies quickly turned to a butterfly'ish stomach flip when I read next that his caretaker is working with him on standing up. Nooooooooooo. That's what we're suppose to be doing. As we await a court date, my plan to remain as ambivalent as possible is slowly going out the window with each update that comes our way. I want him home NOW. In the meantime, I will take a deep breath and regain my sanity, knowing there is no better place for Baby N to be right now while he also awaits our court date. His level of care could not be better.

We're only days (four) away from finding out if we travel once or twice. If we don't have a court date by Friday, we'll be traveling twice. Other families awaiting big news...Heidi's court date is tomorrow!!!! and Emily's referral should be ANY minute now.

Come on court passings, referrals and court dates!!!!

Six Month Old Cheeks...

I think I even see a dimple. Can you see it?

Our little guy is six months old today! As you know, we're not allowed to post his name or any identifiable mentions. This will be the only picture we post. How can we not share these fabulous cheeks (well, a portion of)?

Happy Birthday Baby N! It's heavy on the heart right now, knowing you're so far away but there are plenty of birthdays to come and we will be there for EVERY one of them! Every one of them, until you're too cool for us and want to hang with your buddies instead :)

...and we'll still be there