what we've been up to

Seems like we have lived one week in one day. Every have a day like that? This morning seems like a life time ago.
This morning we went to a workshop put on my Imagine (our agency). It was on "Lifebooks". I learned lots. Lifebooks are a way to share our child's story with them - from birth until they come to live with us. You can do it in a form of a scrap book but its not exactly the same as a baby book. Have I confused you yet? We want to be able to provide good answers to the many questions our child will have about its birth parents, country and how all of it works. This is a pro-active approach to answering those questions. Gave us lots to think about. Now, I am not the scrapbooking type - so I am not sure exactly how it will all turn out but I am looking forward to doing it.
Then from there, we headed to the funeral for my former boss. Marv Frey was CEO of Ten Thousand Villages until brain cancer forced him to step down over a year ago last fall. If I learned anything from Marv it would be to finish well. He was such a Godly man and had an amazing faith. Right down till the end he had total Peace. He was a great boss too - not afraid to get his hands dirty. We miss him but know that a perfect eternal life can't come close to this earthly one.
In between, we ended up being early for the funeral and did some crib shopping. TOO MUCH FUN. Wow - its starting to feel real. Found some really cool stuff.
Then I came home to check out some stuff on the web and found more exciting news about referrals. This week there have been 4 referral announcements including one set of twins. Such an exciting week in the adoption world. What a life changing week for those 4 families!! And to be selfish - it makes our referral all that faster. As babies move out of the 'transition house' there is then room for new babies to come in and so on. Now we all know my job is in accounting - but i bet you didn't think i would have my own referral spreadsheet. its all colour coded and everything. I have been trying to keep up on who gets a referral and who's file makes it to Ethiopia. My limited research has 26 people ahead of us - so lets make that 46 because there are probably lots of people out there that I don't know about. The fact is that we are moving up the line. It is so cool to see progress being made. Lots of the new referrals are little babies - 3 months old. Oh how I hope and pray for a young one like that.
So, it's been one week in one day. Its 6:30 and Mike has fallen asleep on the couch and i feel like i could soon follow. Tomorrow we head to London for an open house to celebrate our new nephew AJ. And - my best friend/cousin is home from Calgary so you never know what will happen this week. I am also planning to take a few days off to do some painting next week. Could be some new reno pictures soon!! Lots going on.

Mike's bargain

Since Mike just had a birthday, he was blessed with gifts and some gift cards. He is the proud new owner of a router bit set - which will help to make trim for our reno project. He also just let me know that he bought HIS first baby purchase. He is the proud new owner of a bicycle trailer! We have a local Homehardware and it has a pretty awesome 'bargain basement'. He checks it out regularly and finds some pretty sweet deals - including a neon-light-up-pool-ball-clock (which i am learning to appreciate), our bola ball game, wheel barrow, rakes and all manner of yard tools. So, he is now into retail therapy too :) I am just wondering if i will fit with the baby and he can take us both for a ride :)

thanksgiving

The news today is that our file arrived safe and sound in Ethiopia yesterday!! It was pretty cool to track the package - from Kitchener to Ohio to New York to Germany to Ethiopia. Those papers sure have been around! Now the waiting really begins. Seems like referrals have been few and far between lately. Hopefully things will pick up soon.
We had a great thanksgiving weekend. Managed to get some more work done on our project. I got most of the baby's room primed. Mike worked on painting the ceiling in the hall. Good news that the colours are all picked for the rest of the rooms - so now we just need the paint and a few good days to get at it.
We enjoyed a family dinner at my parents house on the weekend as well. I feel like we have so much to be thankful for. Its been a long road but we are so much closer to starting our family than we were last year at Thanksgiving.
I found myself daydreaming on the weekend. It's so hard not to sit and imagine - next year we will have a baby home at thanksgiving - we will need to reconfigure the table a bit to get in a high chair, we will have to find a quiet spot (unlikely) for a nap, etc etc. Am I setting myself up for disappointment by imagining 'next year at this time'?? I sure hope not - I can't imagine waiting for 12 more months!!!!!! There are some people with other agencies who have waited over 12 months for a refferal!! I suppose its quite possible that we still have 12 more months as refferal times keep gettting longer and longer. I like to think though that we will be home with baby by next fall.
Some well meaning friends think that since our file is now in Ethiopia maybe we will be getting our baby before Christmas (as in this year). Some times i smile and so 'oh maybe - you never know' and then the rest of the time i launch into 'time lines' and explanations on why it's still going to be a good long while. That would be a nice dream though. For now I will just imagine - 'next year at this time'. Next year at this time I will have forgotten all about how hard it was to wait 'last year at this time'.

leaving on a jet plane!!

Well - its not me or Mike leaving - its our file!!!! Our file has been to Ottawa and back and tomorrow its off to Ethiopia!! DTA is one week. So next week this time we will be on the list of people waiting for referrals!!! In my own time frame i thought it might get to Ethiopia by Christmas - i always pad time frames - i 'built in' time on our wedding day because i really didn't want to be rushed. So its exciting to be ahead a bit more. this said - i know its very possible that our 'extra time' will be eaten up waiting for something else- but for now it feels good!!!
Oh me of little faith, who yesterday was saying that i hate waiting. Well, i still hate waiting, but its all worth the wait!!

nothing new...

So here i go with the - 'there is nothing new' post. Really - nothing new - just plain old waiting. I keep reminding myself that this wait will be short compared to the next one...but it doesn't really help. I just plain hate WAITING!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike did have a birthday last week!!! We celebrated by going to Pumpkinfest -just like how it sounds. Its like a country fair - with all the really good food - too bad for the diet and really HUGE pumpkins. i am talking 1300 pounds!!! The other big draw to Pumpkinfest is the car show- hundreds of classic cars in one town - lots of fun. It was really good weekend away - no laundry, dishes or drywall dust.
We also had our famous Warehouse Sale at work on the weekend and before we left for pumpkintown i bought my first 'baby' stuff. A little wooden bowling set made in Sri Lanka and some very cute picture frames. They probably won't match anything else we buy for the nursery- but it has lessened the urge to buy something baby related(for now). Retail therapy - can't hurt can it??

Here is the #2 pumpkin - over 1300 lbs!!

Veggie Tales eat your heart out

Lots of pies from those fellers!!!