Home Again...

We are home, Lidiya has a family and all is well! When I have time, I'll post details and photos...

Tickets Booked!

Friday morning, we received an email from the US Embassy in Addis Ababa confirming our interview on Tuesday September 13th. The final phase of our adoption process is about to be completed. Shira's sister, Andrea, is traveling with Shira to bring Lidiya home, and they leave Friday September 9th. Now, it's real.

CLEARED!!

Friday morning at 4:39 am, an email arrived from the American Embassy in Addis Ababa with the subject line "Cleared Case". I read it in the pre-dawn darkness to see if it was what I thought it was...and it was! We must now submit three preferred dates after September 6th and await confirmation of one of those dates from the Embassy. We can't believe it! There has been so much emailing and paperwork over the past couple of years, and our last visit with Lidiya was almost 6 months ago - in a way, it still doesn't seem real. Once we submit our dates and receive our assigned interview, once the tickets are booked, we believe it will begin to feel like it's really going to happen.

We've been telling Maya that Lidiya is coming "soon", but she's been hearing that since February. In February, "soon" was the truth. Who knew that we'd see so many changes to the Ethiopian adoption program (for the better) to prolong (not so great) this "soon" for all of us? Now when Maya asks us, we tell her soon and mean it, but she's probably to the point where she just thinks to herself, "tell me something I don't know", poor kid.

Maya has been talking daily about her baby sister coming from "Eefiopia", "Addis Abababa" and Africa, "which is way far away - we can't see Africa". She knows that Mommy will get on a big plane and fly a long time to pick Lidiya up, just like Mommy and Daddy did when Maya came home. She talks about Lidiya's nannies and her nannies being one in the same. She has stopped wondering where Lidiya's mommy and daddy are going to sleep when they all get here and now talks about Maya's Mommy and Daddy being Lidiya's Mommy and Daddy, too. So, even if she probably doesn't think this is ever going to happen, at least we know she's starting to get it.

"I can't wait to see the new baby!" she said. "Soon, soon," said the mommy and daddy together. "You will see the baby very soon." -Over the Moom, Karen Katz

Happy Birthday to You!

Today is Lidiya's first birthday, and WE are the ones that got the present! Our caseworker sent us 5 new pictures and an update. Take a look at this happy birthday girl, all 22 inches and 28.85 pounds of her:

Hello, This is the US Embassy Calling

We received an email this morning that the US Embassy has received the telephone number it requested. Now, we wait for a telephone call between the US Embassy and an Ethiopian policeman to take place. Will this be it? I will keep checking my email as soon as I wake up in the morning. There is nothing I've grown to love more than seeing an email in my inbox that was sent at 4:30am from Ethiopia. With each one I read there is progress being made.

More, Please...

This is what's been happening in Ethiopia while we sleep at night: additional documentation is requested, submitted and reviewed. More documentation is requested, submitted and reviewed. A phone number in Addis is requested. It will be submitted. A phone call will take place between the US Embassy and the Ethiopian police. A decision may or may not be made.

No Surprise

This morning around 3:30 am, while we were sleeping soundly with air conditioners ablazing, the US Embassy in Addis Ababa was working on Lidiya's file. They sent an email out to Gladney, of which we also received a copy, indicating the need for two additional documents that were to have originated in Ethiopia. Both are a reasonable request to ensure the ethics of our adoption, and we hope they are easily obtainable. But then again, not much in adoption is easy of late. We've reason to believe that, once these documents are provided, we will be cleared for travel! FIngers crossed...

In the meantime, we will spend today celebrating Maya's third birthday! She's been talking so much about Lidiya, going to get Lidiya in "Eefiopia", Mommy going on a plane for a long time, etc. She continues to kiss her pictures on the computer screen. Maya even thought Lidiya might be at daycare this morning when I dropped her off. That would have been a nice birthday surprise for us all.

Submitted!!

We received an email last week from our social worker, Kristin Tipping. She informed us that Lidiya's file has been submitted to the US Embassy! This is done so her visa may be obtained to allow her to enter the US. One of two things will happen: they'll approve the file and issue our travel date or they will request more paperwork/documentation. We are expecting the latter of the two. Either way, we are one more huge step closer to seeing Lidiya again. We should hear something this week...

Finally!

Introducing...

So, I had this plan to post the movie I made introducing our daughter. Then, I encountered technical difficulties. Blogger won't let me upload my movie! Please stand by...

We Passed!!

We got the email at 12:59pm today. We are hers! Celebrating, collecting our thoughts, more to follow...

Sigh...

We were notified this morning that our court hearing took place as planned, and MOWA did review our file but have yet to issue their letter. Belay, Gladney's in-country coordinator, indicated that he suspects MOWA will issue an opinion the early part of next week. Thanks to those of you who sent your positive thoughts! At least MOWA isn't requesting any additional documentation before issuing an opinion on our case!

Well,...

...we received word today that MOWA has reviewed our marriage license and finds it acceptable. We can, at this point, expect a favorable letter. Our court date is this Friday, but we have been told that there is a chance MOWA may not be able to complete our letter by that time. Court will proceed, regardless of whether MOWA is able to issue our letter by Friday. If MOWA is able to complete our letter by Friday, then we pass! If not, then we must wait for MOWA to do so. We appreciate any positive thoughts you may want to send toward Addis Ababa for Friday!

New Court Date

Our second court date has been scheduled for June 24th. The courts are expected to review the requested marriage license and issue another opinion on our case. At this point, we've been given no reason to believe the courts will change their once favorable opinion of our adopting Baby L. Let's hope second time's a charm!

Another Court Date

Last week we sent Ethiopia a copy of our marriage license. At the end of last week, we were told that because of this additional piece of documentation, MOWA will request that the court review our file again. That means we must wait for the assignment of another court date. Thankfully, we don't have to travel and be present for this second court date. Not that we wouldn't love to return to Ethiopia for another week, but logistically it would be a tough one to finagle. Our agency told us they hope to hear this week of a new court date for our case. It gives me pause to think that Baby L is completely unaware of the transcontinental goings-on that will determine her life long fate. We hope that, in time, she finds that we were worth all of this.

We..Are...Almost...There...

Yesterday just before noon, I received a call from our new Gladney caseworker, Kristin. I nonchalantly answered the phone upon seeing the 817 area code sure to indicate a call from Gladney, even though I thought to myself, "This could be it!". Nonchalance pays off. It wasn't. But it almost was! Apparently, while we were sleeping on Sunday night MOWA was reviewing Baby L's case. They indicated that they need an additional document from us that was not an initial requirement. So, Krisitn and I brainstormed on how to best get a copy of our unusually sized marriage license to Ethiopia as fast as possible. Up to Staples I went to shrink down our license to a normal 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper. FAXed it to Texas where Gladney is based. Kristin then FAXed it to the appropriate hands in Ethiopia. Hopefully, MOWA reviewed this last night while we slept and we hear something today!

The Top Ten

We received notice today from Gladney that three more backlogged cases have been processed. That means we are in the "final ten": ten cases that have already had a successful court hearing and are awaiting MOWA approval in order to finalize the adoption. We are hopeful that we may hear something next week. After all, MOWA miraculously processed eleven cases this week alone. Thank you MOWA! A total of ten cases next week we now know is not completely impossible...

...Or Yet...

Our case is still a portion of a backlog of cases that have had a successful court hearing (like we did on March 17th) but are waiting for the letter of approval to finalize the adoption from the Ministry of Womens Affairs (MOWA). There were 31 cases total when the work on this backlog began. Yesterday, I received an email telling us that of the 31 cases, 14 have received their MOWA letters. So, there are 17 cases left. We could be the 15th letter to be issued or the 31st and final letter to be issued. Either way, we feel we are very, very close...

Until then, here is the latest update we received on Baby L:

"Baby L is just too incredibly adorable—you have to love the toothy smile she is sporting in the photo!!

Lidiya’s measurements:
Head circumference: 43.9 cm = 17.28 in
Weight: 8.8 kg = 19.4 lbs
Height: 67.5 cm = 26.57 in"

Do Not Pass Go...Yet...

Oh dear, where do I start? Do you want the long story long or the long story longer? Let me guess, you want the long story short, right? Here goes...

We traveled to Ethiopia in March with my sisters and sister-in-law, and we had a fantastic time. It was a much different trip this time around for Mark and I because we didn't have to start taking care of a baby 60 minutes after our arrival. Travis (Gladney staff) met us and our mountain of humanitarian aide at the airport in Addis Ababa. Travis wondered if we'd packed any clothing for ourselves! It was here that we met our driver, Abey. He was our driver, our haggling coach, our macchiato finder, our patient navigator. Here we are standing with Abey in the yard of our guest house on our last day in Ethiopia:



Abey was our lifeline. He not only took us to those places we requested to see, he also suggested those things he thought we should see before we left. He was our lifeline with an ever-present smile and a good sense of humor.

Once all of our luggage was loaded into our van, Abey took us to our guest house, Ayat House, which is within walking distance of the foster home in which Baby L currently lives. Ayat House was wonderful and I highly recommend it to anyone who may be traveling in the future (I promised the owner, Wagayahu, that I would put that out there, and it's true!). Here is a picture of us standing with Wagayahu and his son Mulu in the front yard on our last day in Ethiopia:



Wagayahu has owned the guest house for several years. He lives there by himself while Zemet also lives there to assist with guests when they arrive:



When larger parties come to stay, Zemet's mother will come to help Zemet:



All were wonderful people. Wagayahu was quiet and kind with a knack for gardening. One never would know that he was a 4 star general in the military at one point in time. His son, Mulu, was visiting with his own son from Germany. This is where Mulu lives. He is fluent in Amharic, English, German and Russian and works at Frankfurt Airport in maintenance. He has siblings who live in Switzerland. We didn't have much opportunity to interact with Zemet and her mother, but any that did arise was pleasant despite the language differences. Oh, and anything that they cooked smelled fantastic!

Once we arrived, we started our sightseeing marathon. We saw so much in the several days we were there and only a few things were places Mark and I had already been. We ate at fantastic restaurants, shopped in the streets of Addis, toured Entoto Mountain, visited the Orthodox Church where Hailee Salassie and his wife are buried, went to the National Museum and saw, among other things, the remains of Lucy, spent an afternoon at the zoo, drank macchiatos, drank more macchiatos, toured Sabahar silk factory, took an afternoon trip to the countryside, the list goes on and I've pictures for it all. You can view them on Snapfish right here (NOTE: If you've never been on Snapfish before, you may have to establish an account before you can view the photos. It's easy to do and it's free). Mark and I are so glad that three more members of Maya's and Baby L's family have been to the country in which they were born, for three more people to be able to talk to them about the beauty of the places and the people and for three more people to be able to share in their culture.

Perhaps our favorite outing, however, was the short walk down the dirt road to Baby L's house! We got to visit with her 3 times while we were there. When we met her for the first time, I couldn't help but notice 2 things immediately: she smelled exactly like Maya did the first time we met her, and she is loved, loved, loved by her caregivers. She loves them, too. It's so very easy to see this in their interactions with one another. So much so that a part of me felt guilty for "intruding" on this family of hers. Unfortunately for you, we are unable to post any photos at this time, but trust me she's healthy, happy and beautiful!

On March 17th we awoke to our court date. All went smoothly and we passed that portion of our court hearing. The part that we've yet to pass is receiving the letter of approval from The Ministry of Womens Affairs (MOWA). O.K., here's where the details come in. If you're following Ethiopian adoptions, then you know why we hit this glitch. If you're not following Ethiopian adoptions, then just know that this is a glitch that many are experiencing due to some changes in the Ethiopian Adoption process. It's long and complicated and may eventually begin to sound like white noise to you, so I'll spare you the details. Sooo, we technically still have not passed court. We are waiting for our letter of approval from MOWA to be forwarded to the judge that heard our case, and once we get that and we pass court, we then receive our embassy date that tells us when our second trip will take place. This is when we bring Baby L home.

We left Baby L on Saturday and it was very hard to do so without knowing when we may see her again. Our consolation is that she is incredibly happy and has no idea who we are. She isn't missing us one bit! We've since received 2 updates on Baby L from in country staff:

April 15th - "Baby L has such a sparkle in her big, beautifully expressive eyes as caught in this sweet photo!

Baby L’s measurements:
Weight: 8.5 kg = 18.7 lbs
Height: 67 cm = 26.4 in
Head Circumference: 43.5 cm = 17.1 in"

May 2nd - "Baby L— Baby L was as cute and charming as she has ever been. She was really engaging and vocal, saying “ah-deh-deh” as she grabbed for my watch. Any time she caught my eye, she would smile wide, her cheeks all bunched up on either side of her face and her four teeth gleaming proudly."

Yep, she's four teeth that appeared since we last saw her! We are anxious to bring her home but know that it will happen when it's meant to happen. As I've heard in the past, "International adoption isn't for sissies". We now know what this really means.

We're Leaving on a Jet Plane

This isn't a picture of one of our suitcases...because we haven't even begun packing! We leave this weekend for our court date in Ethiopia. For our first trip, we will be accompanied by my sisters and sister-in-law and a lot of humanitarian aide. Once there, we'll hopefully get to meet Baby L on either Monday the 14th or Tuesday the 15th! Very exciting! We'll be allowed to have three visits with her lasting 1 1/2 hours each. This will have to be enough to hold us over until we get to return for our embassy appointment and to bring her home with us. It will certainly be enough for Baby L. She has no idea who we are and won't miss us one bit once we leave. Reminding ourselves of this fact will help us to get through the unknown period of time that lies ahead of us once we return from Ethiopia.

This all seems to be getting a bit more real for Maya. She talks more often about Baby L, continues doing things for her (like offering the picture of Baby L that we have hanging on our fridge a sip of her drink) and incorporates Baby L into her everyday activities ("I'm gonna do this for Baby L"). She also talks a lot about being a sister...and a mommy to Baby L. Yes, she figures she will be in charge when Baby L arrives. Are we surprised? Not at all. This will be interesting, indeed!

Off to continue preparations for the trip and preparations for Maya while we're gone. Lots to do and only three days left in which to do it!

Our Court Date...

...is March 17th! Yep! Just got the email this morning. We have to be in Ethiopia no later than the Monday the 14th and prepared to meet Baby L March 15th! If all goes well and we pass court, we then return to Ethiopia 3 to 6 weeks after to pick up Baby L. We're so anxious to go back to Ethiopia. Gotta start making plans...

Court Date? Not Yet...

So, we're still waiting for our court date. Our agency continues to estimate a 2-3 month wait period for this from time of referral, and we are headed toward the three month mark. In the meantime, Maya asks regularly if "Baby L comin'?". She proclaims all that she will share with Baby L: "Share blanket with Baby L...share supper with Baby L...share pillow with Baby L...etc". She feeds part of her snack to the picture of Baby L that hangs on our fridge. When the real deal arrives, will it be this congenial? Only time will tell!

Melkam Gena!

January 7th is the day of Ethiopian Christmas! Here's a look into what's going on:

Another Update!

We just received another update today from our Gladney caseworker, Robin. It was written by in-country staff: "What a happy little girl! I visited with her as she sat contently in her Bumbo, waving her arms and cooing. She’s pretty gregarious and when I tried to look away to put something away in my bag, she immediately began vocalizing and grunting, trying to get me to turn back around. She likes a good face-to-face conversation and good eye contact. I also think she raised her eyebrows at me at least a couple of times—inadvertently, perhaps—but she’s still a charmer!"

We showed Maya the new picture. She recognized her little sister immediately and stated, "Aww. How cute!". She then took a container of PlayDough and pretended to talk and play with Baby L while Baby L's picture stayed on the screen of the laptop. Maya is fantastic with her virtual little sister.

Updates!

Yes, I realize we haven't posted anything since November 11, 2010. Yes, I realize we haven't shared any of the updates on Baby L that we've gotten since we received our referral. I also now realize that the holiday season casts a spell over a two year old that gives her a reserve of energy not seen at any other time throughout the year. Accomplishing many things during this time, including blog updates, was only wishful thinking. But now, we're back on track! We've continued to do all that needs to be done to maintain up to date paperwork. As a matter of fact, today we received our fingerprinting appointment for immigration (needs to be updated after one year if the adoption is not yet complete): January 19th. By the time we complete this set of computerized fingerprints, the government will have a total of 7 sets of computerized prints for each of us through both adoptions. Repetetive? Seemingly so. Necessary? Yes. Do we have a choice? No. Off we'll go...

Since our referral, we've received two updates on Baby L. In the first, the in-country staff describe Baby L as "What a doll! L is such a happy, smiley little lady. She laughed easily when I gave her a little tickle on her ribs and grinned with a big, wide, gummy smile. She makes good eye contact and is such a delight. Previously, when I had gone to her room to visit her, she was asleep. She’s quite the sleeper. So when you put it all together, she seems to be a pretty easy-going, happy little girl. What a delight!".

The second was comprised of a fantastic picture (which I am able to post once we pass court), a developmental chart (she seems to be right on target) and her measurements at the time: Head circumference: 40.9 cm = 16.1 in, Weight: 5.4 kg = 11.9 lbs, Height: 61 cm = 24 in. She looks healthy and happy!

Maya is excited! How often we hear, "Baby L comin'!" She has big plans for her little sister, whether Baby L is game or not.

Aside from updating our fingerprints, we continue to wait for our assigned court date. It appears that court dates are now being scheduled for other families with our agency into the beginning of March. It's hard telling when we'll be assigned, so we just patiently wait.

We'll leave you with a look into our Christmas holiday. It was 9pm and Maya was still going strong!