Hey - its been while. Quite honestly - that whole CBC thing totally freaked me out and wore me down. Not sure if i believe that it has 'blown over' -there doesn't seem to be an apparent back lash - but its the whole perception of international adoption that has been damaged and especially Ethiopian adoption. ugh. nuff said - no more CBC talk.
Last week i got to have dinner with a good friend. She and her hubby have gone through alot of the same stuff we went through and much more. They are now considering adoption - and its so cool to have someone close by to share with!!! i am really looking forward to journeying (is that a word??) together.
I had a beautifully quiet weekend!! On Saturday i had the house to myself and indulged in one of my favorite pass times- baking. i love to bake. the only real issue is that we eat what i bake...and so i try to limit myself. I like to do things big - and make a few things at a time. But this time i only made 2 things - banana muffins - so good and cream puffs - so VERY good. i wish i had more time to bake - i have a wonderful Pillsbury baking cook book and every time i open it i find more recipes to try. I really look forward to doing the 'stay at home' mom thing and baking regularly!
I have also been busy trying to plan for summer vacation. Ugh - its so hard to know when to take time off and what we will be doing! I get about 3 more weeks vacation than mike does - so its kind of a drag. Also with 'month end' happening in my life, it kind of limits vacation planning. i think that today i have found the perfect get away for a good friend and myself in early July. Now i just need to talk her into it...don't really think it will be a problem. We are also going away on Easter weekend to PA. I am soooo looking forward to it!!! We are going to the Sight and Sound Theatre and doing some serious shopping. I can hardly wait. It is so great to have fun things to look forward to!!!
As far as adoption stuff goes - no news. There haven't been any referrals for quite a while - which is kind of scaring me. There are quite a few people travelling now and i hope that means that more spaces will open up and that referrals will happen soon. If not... than our 1 year referral wait if probably going to get much longer. ugh. Someone asked my on Sunday how i am handling the unknown and the wait getting longer and longer. Some days are easier than others and i just have to keep reminding myself that it will all be so worth it - Karen i might need to borrow that t-shirt from Phoebe!!! God's time is perfect and we need to believe that and hold on to it. That's about all we can do.
Now - where are those muffins...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
the good and the bad
Well, do you wanna hear the good or the 'bad' first?
Lets start with the good. We had a very busy and good weekend. We got to see some family that we don't see too often and it was a good time! Its a shame that our lives get so busy. I need to remind myself that we need to take more time with the ones that we love - and not worry if our house is spotless or if we have a gourmet meal to offer - just do it!!! Had a great time and hope we can do it again soon!!
Now for the bad. I wasn't going to write about this ... but thought i better. On Friday night the CBC "National" ran a story on Ethiopian adoption. We knew it was coming - got some warning from our agency which is Imagine Adoption. However, we really didn't know what exactly the story would be about. I am not so computer savvy and don't know how to give you a link-but if you go on the CBC site and search for Ethiopian Adoption or CAFAC - you will probably find it. Basically its allegations of fraud in certain Ethiopian adoptions, dealing with one particular agency(NOT the one we are with). Its very upsetting to me. I have 100% faith in our agency and trust that we will not have to deal with such a situation as the families in this story did. i am not going to say much more about it - i believe it was fairly one sided - but anyway. What is scary is the impact this story could have on our and other people's adoption. The focus needs to be on the children and what is best for them and i hope that this story doesn't hold up adoptions or make kids wait in orphanages for longer than they need to. Other folks have done a much better job at explaining the whole thing. It makes me very sad and tired just thinking about it. Another potential road block to having a family. I understand that the stories need to be 'heard' but i just hope its not at the expense of the children.
Lets start with the good. We had a very busy and good weekend. We got to see some family that we don't see too often and it was a good time! Its a shame that our lives get so busy. I need to remind myself that we need to take more time with the ones that we love - and not worry if our house is spotless or if we have a gourmet meal to offer - just do it!!! Had a great time and hope we can do it again soon!!
Now for the bad. I wasn't going to write about this ... but thought i better. On Friday night the CBC "National" ran a story on Ethiopian adoption. We knew it was coming - got some warning from our agency which is Imagine Adoption. However, we really didn't know what exactly the story would be about. I am not so computer savvy and don't know how to give you a link-but if you go on the CBC site and search for Ethiopian Adoption or CAFAC - you will probably find it. Basically its allegations of fraud in certain Ethiopian adoptions, dealing with one particular agency(NOT the one we are with). Its very upsetting to me. I have 100% faith in our agency and trust that we will not have to deal with such a situation as the families in this story did. i am not going to say much more about it - i believe it was fairly one sided - but anyway. What is scary is the impact this story could have on our and other people's adoption. The focus needs to be on the children and what is best for them and i hope that this story doesn't hold up adoptions or make kids wait in orphanages for longer than they need to. Other folks have done a much better job at explaining the whole thing. It makes me very sad and tired just thinking about it. Another potential road block to having a family. I understand that the stories need to be 'heard' but i just hope its not at the expense of the children.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sad News
Today I learned that Hargewoin Teferra has passed away. You may have remembered me talking about the book 'There is no me without you" by Melissa Faye Green. It's the true story of Hargewoin, who started to take in orphaned children in Ethiopia. if you are up for a good read, check it out.
She definitely made a difference in her world. When others were turning their backs on these little orphans, she welcomed them into her home and provided for them.
May she rest in peace and be rewarded greatly for her generous spirit.
She definitely made a difference in her world. When others were turning their backs on these little orphans, she welcomed them into her home and provided for them.
May she rest in peace and be rewarded greatly for her generous spirit.
Friday, March 13, 2009
home day
So, today i am home. I am 'officially' giving care to my poor hubby. Before you all freak out - he really is ok - but it is an amusing story.
I am sure you have seen photos of mike - and will notice the lack of hair on his head. It is partly his choosing and partly because there are a few spots that just don't have any hair - and well - its best that it all looks the same. i have never seen mike with hair - only in photos - and i hardly recognize him. Anyhoo - all that to say that he often comes home from work with scrapes and cuts on his head - it just happens and i am sort of used to it. Its a bit of a game we play - how long will it take for me to notice he has a new scar on his head - unfortunately, sometimes is a few days.
Yesterday, however was a different story. Mike works nights and is usually home when i get home from work. Yesterday he had a physio appointment. he has been having trouble with tennis elbow and was going to his second appointment. Its in walking distance - most things are in our little town. When he did get home - he had 2 new abrasions on his forehead above his left eyebrow. Hmm i thought -WHAT happened to you?? Apparently - and this part still has me fuming and i am not exactly sure how we will handle it - he got acupuncture - oh i said - then he passed out and fell out of his chair and woke up on the floor. Again with the WHAT??!!!! I won't bore you with the rest of the details -as i said - we are still working on how we are dealing with all this. So, i called my trusty sister in law Val who is a medical wonder and she advised that we head to the Dr as Mike was showing signs of a concussion. The Dr saw us right away and said that mike does have a mild concussion. So, i stayed home today to observe and make sure all is well. Apparently he shouldn't be left alone for 24hrs -and you know - us wives will stretch that out abit just to be sure all is well. We had to wake up every 3 hours last night to be sure all was well - but the funny part is that the alarm clock is on his side - so he looked after it going off and resetting it and I just gave a grunt every once in a while to make sure he was ok.
Mike sees it all as a funny story - and plans to go back for his next appointment. I don't really think i want to sue the guy - but it was a major opps on their end for a lot of reasons!!!!! I think i will see it as a funny story in a month or so. Right now i am the worried/over protective wife, who must soon go and wake her hubby up again.
I am sure you have seen photos of mike - and will notice the lack of hair on his head. It is partly his choosing and partly because there are a few spots that just don't have any hair - and well - its best that it all looks the same. i have never seen mike with hair - only in photos - and i hardly recognize him. Anyhoo - all that to say that he often comes home from work with scrapes and cuts on his head - it just happens and i am sort of used to it. Its a bit of a game we play - how long will it take for me to notice he has a new scar on his head - unfortunately, sometimes is a few days.
Yesterday, however was a different story. Mike works nights and is usually home when i get home from work. Yesterday he had a physio appointment. he has been having trouble with tennis elbow and was going to his second appointment. Its in walking distance - most things are in our little town. When he did get home - he had 2 new abrasions on his forehead above his left eyebrow. Hmm i thought -WHAT happened to you?? Apparently - and this part still has me fuming and i am not exactly sure how we will handle it - he got acupuncture - oh i said - then he passed out and fell out of his chair and woke up on the floor. Again with the WHAT??!!!! I won't bore you with the rest of the details -as i said - we are still working on how we are dealing with all this. So, i called my trusty sister in law Val who is a medical wonder and she advised that we head to the Dr as Mike was showing signs of a concussion. The Dr saw us right away and said that mike does have a mild concussion. So, i stayed home today to observe and make sure all is well. Apparently he shouldn't be left alone for 24hrs -and you know - us wives will stretch that out abit just to be sure all is well. We had to wake up every 3 hours last night to be sure all was well - but the funny part is that the alarm clock is on his side - so he looked after it going off and resetting it and I just gave a grunt every once in a while to make sure he was ok.
Mike sees it all as a funny story - and plans to go back for his next appointment. I don't really think i want to sue the guy - but it was a major opps on their end for a lot of reasons!!!!! I think i will see it as a funny story in a month or so. Right now i am the worried/over protective wife, who must soon go and wake her hubby up again.
Mikey Likes it
Yes - we know that Mikey will eat anything... But we really did enjoy our Ethiopian food the other night!!! It is near a Red Lobster and on the way there i kept thinking that - maybe it will be closed and we will have to go to the Red Lobster instead. But lo and behold they were not closed. The restaurant itself is a bit sketchy - apparently you don't go for the atmosphere. The food however was excellent!!! now - i was nervous about it all day and not exactly looking forward to it. When my boss made his version - it as a thick mushy stew (not much flavour) and injera was a thick, pancake like thing - and it was gritty. that was the part i could hardly choke down. We really didn't know exactly what we were ordering - but we each got our own injera (which was more like a crepe than a thick pancake). I ordered 'special tibsy' and it was so good!!! It was a bit spicy but more flavorful than hot. I really enjoyed it!!!! We all tried some of each others but i think i had the best - i forget what mike had - but my mom had the doro wat - and it was good too.
So, i need to relax now - its not at all what i thought. i have been told that Ethiopian food is some of the best African food you can eat! I have limited experience but i would say they might be right. If you in my neck of the woods, I would be pleased to go for Ethiopian with you!!!!
So, i need to relax now - its not at all what i thought. i have been told that Ethiopian food is some of the best African food you can eat! I have limited experience but i would say they might be right. If you in my neck of the woods, I would be pleased to go for Ethiopian with you!!!!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Celebrations x2
Well - today is our one year anniversary. Last year at this time we were so very excited, our adoption officially began!!!!!
After months of research and reading and talking and figuring out what we were going to do - we took the plunge and started our file with Imagine. We definitely felt(and still do) God calling us to build our family through adoption and specifically from Ethiopia. It was such a relief to be done with meds and Dr's and all that jazz and to have made a decision. It wasn't an easy decision to make - how will we pay for this??? bring a black baby to small town Ontario??? can we handle this??? are we crazy??? But we stepped out in faith and here we are one year later.
I thought the stress of the home study would kill me. i had totally convinced myself that #1 our adoption pract. would fail us or #2 the ministry would turn us down. However, our home study was done in record time and our ministry approval also was done way sooner than we had expected.
We have read alot of books, attended a few seminars and read alot of blogs over the last year. I have said before - that i didn't count on 'meeting' so many friends along the way - but i am so grateful!! To have others who have been there - or are getting there with us - is such a blessing to me. You have all been such an encouragement to me!! thanks!
So - here's to year one being done - done done done!!! When we started they said that an adoption usually takes 12-18 months. Now we know that the time lines keep moving - don't get me started on that one - but we are confidant -that year #2 will bring our baby to our family!
I should also throw in that this week we are also celebrating 5 months of waiting for our referral. 5 months - sometimes i wonder where it all went! We are 42% of the way there!! Here is hoping that the next 5 months fly by!!!!!!!!!
We are celebrating tomorrow night with Ethiopian food. Confession - this is my first real Ethiopian meal. Shock and awe - i know. I have been so afraid to try it in case i don't like it!!! A few years ago my former boss made us Ethiopian food for lunch and i hated it. I had to choke it down - i was literally gaging. I really hope that he was just a bad cook. I am not very adventurous when it comes to food but i am very willing to give it a try and for our kids sake i really want to like it!!
After months of research and reading and talking and figuring out what we were going to do - we took the plunge and started our file with Imagine. We definitely felt(and still do) God calling us to build our family through adoption and specifically from Ethiopia. It was such a relief to be done with meds and Dr's and all that jazz and to have made a decision. It wasn't an easy decision to make - how will we pay for this??? bring a black baby to small town Ontario??? can we handle this??? are we crazy??? But we stepped out in faith and here we are one year later.
I thought the stress of the home study would kill me. i had totally convinced myself that #1 our adoption pract. would fail us or #2 the ministry would turn us down. However, our home study was done in record time and our ministry approval also was done way sooner than we had expected.
We have read alot of books, attended a few seminars and read alot of blogs over the last year. I have said before - that i didn't count on 'meeting' so many friends along the way - but i am so grateful!! To have others who have been there - or are getting there with us - is such a blessing to me. You have all been such an encouragement to me!! thanks!
So - here's to year one being done - done done done!!! When we started they said that an adoption usually takes 12-18 months. Now we know that the time lines keep moving - don't get me started on that one - but we are confidant -that year #2 will bring our baby to our family!
I should also throw in that this week we are also celebrating 5 months of waiting for our referral. 5 months - sometimes i wonder where it all went! We are 42% of the way there!! Here is hoping that the next 5 months fly by!!!!!!!!!
We are celebrating tomorrow night with Ethiopian food. Confession - this is my first real Ethiopian meal. Shock and awe - i know. I have been so afraid to try it in case i don't like it!!! A few years ago my former boss made us Ethiopian food for lunch and i hated it. I had to choke it down - i was literally gaging. I really hope that he was just a bad cook. I am not very adventurous when it comes to food but i am very willing to give it a try and for our kids sake i really want to like it!!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Jr Youth and sightings at Swiss Chalet
So - here we are with 2 posts in one day. After such a dry spell, i guess i do have a few things to say.
One is that Mike and i have started helping with the Jr Youth at our church. Now, this has been Mike's thing for years. He loves it!!! He really does and it always baffled me. Up until now i have said to him - 'well, that's your thing - go and have fun'!! He gets to run around and act goofy - and he has a whole closet full of youth approved crazy t-shirts. Well, the opportunity came up and they needed female leaders too - so i thought - well, I will give it a try and see how it goes. It was great!! I am having a great time!! The kids are fun and i think i might be having a better time than mike - :) well i doubt it but it might be a close tie. So, you never know how God is going to use you - or sometimes saying yes to Him can be so sweet.
Ok - now totally unrelated - lets switch gears. I am really starting to feel like a stalker!! First of all i stalk peoples blogs and stare at their kids - i really don't have a mental problem (i think) and you don't need to call the cops - but i really get alot of hope from seeing their little faces. In the past month i have seen 2 families out and about with i am assuming adopted African kidlets. Now, this is an assumption and i could be very wrong (which is one of the reasons that i don't go over and gush and say 'we are adopting too!!' - that and i can be very shy). The first time was at Rona in Kitchener. Mike and i were debating over light fixtures and in strolls a very proud looking dad with beautiful baby boy. They were checking out the lights - and i was just standing there with my jaw hitting the floor - what do we do - do we go over, don't we, what do we do??? We didn't go over - a combo of feeling shy and silly and maybe worried about saying the wrong thing. Then today at Swiss Chalet (yes we didn't stay for lunch at church - sorry church buddies)- there is a mom and dad and sweet baby girl. I know my mom would have marched right over there and introduced herself. But once again the shy/what if we say something stupid/what if she isn't adopted took over and i just admired from afar and smiled. I know that there are lots of adopting families in our area but if you were at Swiss Chalet today - you have a beautiful daughter!! and it made me dream when we will be asking for a table for 3. If you were at Rona with your tiny baby boy a couple of saturdays ago and saw a crazy lady in the lighting departement with tears in her eyes it was me.
One is that Mike and i have started helping with the Jr Youth at our church. Now, this has been Mike's thing for years. He loves it!!! He really does and it always baffled me. Up until now i have said to him - 'well, that's your thing - go and have fun'!! He gets to run around and act goofy - and he has a whole closet full of youth approved crazy t-shirts. Well, the opportunity came up and they needed female leaders too - so i thought - well, I will give it a try and see how it goes. It was great!! I am having a great time!! The kids are fun and i think i might be having a better time than mike - :) well i doubt it but it might be a close tie. So, you never know how God is going to use you - or sometimes saying yes to Him can be so sweet.
Ok - now totally unrelated - lets switch gears. I am really starting to feel like a stalker!! First of all i stalk peoples blogs and stare at their kids - i really don't have a mental problem (i think) and you don't need to call the cops - but i really get alot of hope from seeing their little faces. In the past month i have seen 2 families out and about with i am assuming adopted African kidlets. Now, this is an assumption and i could be very wrong (which is one of the reasons that i don't go over and gush and say 'we are adopting too!!' - that and i can be very shy). The first time was at Rona in Kitchener. Mike and i were debating over light fixtures and in strolls a very proud looking dad with beautiful baby boy. They were checking out the lights - and i was just standing there with my jaw hitting the floor - what do we do - do we go over, don't we, what do we do??? We didn't go over - a combo of feeling shy and silly and maybe worried about saying the wrong thing. Then today at Swiss Chalet (yes we didn't stay for lunch at church - sorry church buddies)- there is a mom and dad and sweet baby girl. I know my mom would have marched right over there and introduced herself. But once again the shy/what if we say something stupid/what if she isn't adopted took over and i just admired from afar and smiled. I know that there are lots of adopting families in our area but if you were at Swiss Chalet today - you have a beautiful daughter!! and it made me dream when we will be asking for a table for 3. If you were at Rona with your tiny baby boy a couple of saturdays ago and saw a crazy lady in the lighting departement with tears in her eyes it was me.
free time
Do you remember at summer camp when you got 'free time'. For me it was one of the best parts of the day cause you got to do exactly what you wanted to do.
Well, yesterday we got a bit of 'free time'. We had been planning for a long time to head to Paul and Terri's for a visit. Unfortunately they have one of those nasty flu bugs that are going around (please get better soon!!!) and so our visit has been postponed. Hmm - a free day. what will we do?? My loving husband - who not only posts on this blog in my absence - happened to clean the house on Friday afternoon - guess i don't need to clean (and no i am not trading him in or getting rid of him anytime soon!!!). Then i thought - well i could get back to sanding my trim work - hmmm that could wait since technically this is free time and i will be back on schedule next week... So, we had a wonderful lazy day. Naps all around, comfort food (yes i cooked and even baked - apple dumplings mmmmm!!) we watched silly tv and a half decent movie. It was so perfect - no huge demands on our time and just doing what we wanted. I suppose there are lots of things we 'should' have done - but there is always next weekend for that.
When i was sitting on the couch i was remembering that we won't have days like this with a toddler mucking about - so i enjoyed it.
Well, yesterday we got a bit of 'free time'. We had been planning for a long time to head to Paul and Terri's for a visit. Unfortunately they have one of those nasty flu bugs that are going around (please get better soon!!!) and so our visit has been postponed. Hmm - a free day. what will we do?? My loving husband - who not only posts on this blog in my absence - happened to clean the house on Friday afternoon - guess i don't need to clean (and no i am not trading him in or getting rid of him anytime soon!!!). Then i thought - well i could get back to sanding my trim work - hmmm that could wait since technically this is free time and i will be back on schedule next week... So, we had a wonderful lazy day. Naps all around, comfort food (yes i cooked and even baked - apple dumplings mmmmm!!) we watched silly tv and a half decent movie. It was so perfect - no huge demands on our time and just doing what we wanted. I suppose there are lots of things we 'should' have done - but there is always next weekend for that.
When i was sitting on the couch i was remembering that we won't have days like this with a toddler mucking about - so i enjoyed it.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
still here
Yep i am still alive. Been a while since i felt inspired to write anything. Have even started stuff and just deleted it cause i didn't figure it was worth it. Yep, i have been in an adoption funk. I know all there is to do is wait...so we are waiting. The thing right now that really keeps me going and excited is to hear the stories and see the photos of kids that are home. So, thanks for letting me stalk your blogs and watch your families from afar. i look forward to returning the favor to others some day.
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