Wonder what he looks like...

.

Maybe like this?

This is what we came up with when asked to sketch him in the adoption prep workbook way back in February.

We'll probably all laugh looking back at this with him someday.

Can you tell where my thoughts are? Jeez I'm such a nerd.

P.S. Christie said she might scan her sketch and post. Would be lots of fun to see everyone else's sketches from the WEWO workbook, if you feel inclined!

Kerempt

Ethiopia is in the midst of its rainy season, called The Monsoon. Each year, the rains fall hard in July and August and continue into September. It is the season of the kerempt or "big rains", and the sky is often overcast. There is so much rain that sunlight during these months is reduced to about 2 hours/day. Those gray skies sound like Milwaukee in the winter on a good day!

The rains are important agriculturally, as well as for power generation, but it sounds like they also take a toll on daily living. A friend suggested this could partially explain why the courts close each year, as the rains turn roads into swamps and make transportation difficult. Apparently if someone is looking grumpy you can call them "kerempt fit" which means summer face - to reflect the icky weather!

I checked the weather. It's raining hard in Addis today. It will rain again tomorrow, and probably for the next several days, maybe the next several weeks. And here I sit so far away. Just thinking about rain in Africa...and wondering about a little guy.

Baby Nubbins

A few months ago, we heard this story on This American Life while driving to church. I guess This American Life is not the most reverant of things to listen to on the way to church, but we had it on. I was only partially listening in the beginning but the story eventually had me pretty riveted. It's a true story, told by an actress about her part time job at FAO Schwartz one summer in NYC. She was paid to act as a "nanny" at a "baby" hospital where little girls came in to adopt expensive lifelike baby dolls. The story starts out strangely funny as she talks about Baby Nubbins, who she calls the factory reject monster baby. About half way through, the story takes an unexpected turn. It's not exactly a happy ending, not exactly sad. Well ok, somewhat sad, pretty uncomfortable, but really just makes you think about issues of color.

I want to be careful and sensitive in posting it. I surely don't mean it as a political or moral statement. I hope it doesn't come across that way. I thought it would be appropriate to share with my adoption friends realizing some of us might be facing challenges that we probably can't imagine right now. And some of you with kids home probably already are.

If you decide to listen, it's worth the 16 minutes. The link takes you to an entire episode of This American Life which contains 3 different stories. This particular story starts at 40:00 minutes so you need to drag the arrow on the time bar several times to get to 40:00.

To listen click
http://audio.thisamericanlife.org/player/CPRadio_player.php?podcast=http://www.thisamericanlife.org/xmlfeeds/347.xml&proxyloc=http://audio.thisamericanlife.org/player/customproxy.php

I'd be interested to know what you think after listening.

An Exciting Week for AGCI Families

I've been working a lot the past couple weeks so haven't been able to log in for blogging and email as much as I would like. But each time I do there is incredibly exciting news. So many families are sharing news they've passed court! This, in August when the Ethiopian courts are traditionally closed for the rainy season, is a miracle. I think, but am not certain, that all the families caught in the abandoment freeze have passed court and have travel dates to pick up their kids! Our AGCI email update from Julie this week said there are 18 families traveling this month to Hannah's Hope to bring kids home! 18 families!!

And then there's the news of the referrals. Each time I click on a blog or open an email and see the words...."we got the call"....I just about fall out of my chair with excitement. A referral itself is so exciting, and when it's a family you've been watching, waiting, and/or comiserating with for months, it's thrilling!

This wonderfully supportive little community is a byproduct of the adoption process I hadn't planned for. We are all rooting for eachother knowing that good news for one means good news for all. I am so grateful for this. The waiting and not knowing would be agonizing if it weren't for this community and all the love, news and information it provides. And my goodness, it's terribly exciting!

So Friday night, my friend Steph came over for dinner and I showed her our blog and introduced her to blogland. I clicked on A&B's blog to show her another example of a family's experience and couldn't believe my eyes....those words...."we got the call!" I screamed and hugged Steph and screamed some more. A&B were referred 5 month old Mr. Handsome (Audrey, you have a way with words!) on Friday. Congratulations guys! We are so happy to see God's plan for your family unfold before our eyes!

After I settled down it started to dawn on me. If A&B got their referral, we could very likely, unofficially, be #3! And if there are 18 families traveling this month, that could mean 18 new babies at Hannah's Hope very soon. Although you never can tell, there could be signficant news coming our way shortly. See how all this works? This was when Steph said, ok I get it...this is really cool stuff.

Congratulations everyone! I think I've cried joy tears each time I've logged on in the past 2 weeks. And for everyone still waiting, I hope all this good news is encouragement that things will move for you soon too. Better go now. Have some serious work to do in case there's a little person coming our way fast!

New Numbers and the Tree

August numbers came yesterday. Glad to report a little progress.

#6 on boys list

#8 on siblings list

In other news, Dodd has been carefully tending to the new tree in our backyard. He planted a Bur Oak so that you can see it squarely from the nursery window. He wants it to grow with our children, knowing it will continue to live long after we are gone. The poor tree was uprooted this spring and moved to our property. It's been a rough summer as it tries to grow its roots in the new soil and fend off an attack of the Two Lined Chestnut Borer. But, with some TLC from Dodd, it seems to be adapting to its new home. I love my sentimental husband for this and find this tree symbolic in so many ways.

Tree at my window, window tree,

My sash is lowered when night comes on;

But let there never be curtain drawn

Between you and me.

- Robert Frost

.

happy 13th anniversary doddster

.

Brief Moment of Reckoning

We filled out paperwork to go on another wait list. This time for daycare. It takes several months of waiting to get in so we need to get started now.

I had a brief, out of body experience while filling out the daycare sign up form. You know those moments when the reality of something smacks you in the face, then sinks in a little further.

I wrote my name in the "Mother" box.

I had to look at it a few times. Blink a few times. My name and mother....these two have never showed up together in quite this way. There's a lot of adoption paperwork where I am listed as the "adoptive mother", or we are the "adoptive parents." Kind of impersonal and always qualified with the word adoptive. We filled out that paperwork asking to be considered as parents. This form felt different. This form was not for us, it was for our kid. It didn't didn't care about all that legal adoption stuff. It just wanted to know who the kid's mom is.

By Jove! That's me.

I looked at Dodd. Showed him his name in the "Father" box. Are you ready, I asked? "Oh yeah!!"

Someday soon we will be able to erase the question mark we had to write in the kid box and replace it with an actual name. Maybe it will be two names. What a marvelous day that will be.

To conclude this post, I leave you with the coming home video of an AGCI baby girl named Lucy Lane. Her mom has been generous enough to share this video. For all the AGCI families out there, you've probably already cheered and cried watching it. But for our family and friends who don't cruise the other blogs, I would love to share this with you. I hope you enjoy it.

New Numbers and Progress

We are excited to report progress on the Miller Family Expansion Project. We are now:

#7 on the boys list

#9 on the siblings list

The really cool thing is that progress in our situation means several children have gone home.

Speaking of going home. There are at least 12 AGCI children who will be going home soon to their families who have been waiting, waiting, waiting through a very difficult time. Ethiopia put a freeze on the adoption process for children who were considered abandoned. Many of these kids were already matched with their families and had scheduled court dates when the freeze went into effect. These families have had to wait this spring and summer without knowing what would happen or if they would be able to bring their kids home.

Recently there has been good news. Our caseworker said today that all AGCI cases have been released and court dates have been scheduled. Ethiopian courts normally close in August and September but for the first time, are staying open so these adoptions can be finalized and the kids can go home.

This is an answer to many fervent prayers. We are so happy for these families! Now we pray they pass court quickly!