Yeaaaaayyyyyy ... pictures and an update!!!!

Today a good friend of mine, and adoptive mom, returned back from Ethiopia and was able to give me two pics and an update about our little girl. She was wrapped up in the blankey we sent her and was holding the doll we sent and really looked happy ..... she was smiling all over her cute little face. Lord, I wish it was me in front of her seeing her in person and hugging her and kissing her. But it was my friend and for that I am truly thankful and consider ourselves blessed for getting this gift from this travelling mom and friend who selflessly sacrificed her time with her new daughter to take pictures of other families' children, spend time with them and put a little smile on their faces. I am so thankful to her. I cannot share the pictures yet, as we have yet to pass court in Ethiopia, but here's what my friend wrote about our little girl:


"She's very warm and cuddly. The staff told me she loves to give kisses. She came to me very easily and LOVED the package you sent."

This meant so much to us .... no words can discribe this feeling. Thank you Elisa so much!!!

Thanksgiving Holidays

This Thanksgiving Holiday, as opposed to the last year's one when we went to St. Louis MO, Nana came down to spend the Thanksgiving Holiday with us. We don't get to see her much, but are always glad to have her when she can make it. Following are just randomly snapped pictures throughout the last couple of days over the holiday. .... saying good-bye .... the last day ......

Nana and Jalen getting the green beans ready ......

..... chillin' and digestin'

Nana and Jalen doing some homework .....

There are many things I was thankful for these Holidays ... but here are the main ones in no particular order:

1. Thankful for this goofy little boy, Toti --- he's everything I'd want a son to be ... and lately he tells me: "Mama, you're the best Mama in history!" ... he's so funny, and smart, and just a wonderful little boy ..... he was sick over the holidays and we took him to the doctor today and it turned out he has a tonsilitis. He's on antibiotics now and is already feeling better .... praise God!

2. Thankful for my wonderful husband .... there's much I could say about him but it would take me several paragraphs and it still wouldn't do him any justice ..... let me just put it this way ..... he's everything I'd want a husband and father to my son to be ... and one day to our daughter!

3. Thankful for my daughter whom I never met yet but already love deeply in my heart. She is in an orphanage in Ethiopia right now and is cared for by other people I have never met before. I have to trust God and have faith in Him that she is ok. I'm also, waiting patiently for a friend of mine who just returned today from Ethiopia and the orphanage our daughter is in to send me some pictures and maybe even some video of her .... oh, I can't wait.


4. I'm thankful for Jalen's older brother ... we never see him but we think about him and talk about him a lot and have his pictures up throughout our house ... Jalen and his brother not only look so much alike but even seem so much alike - just mellow and laid-back like their daddy and loving animals - got a picture of both each taken at different times and different places petting a lamb at a petting zoo and it's amazing how much alike they look ... almost scary ... but in a good way ... I only hope that one day they get to meet and get to be close and love each other, as brothers should.

My list could go on and on of whom or what I'm thankful for ... I have a great supportive family on two continents and about 3-4 different countries; I have a great network of friends and other adoptive moms who have been supporting me and encouraging me throughout this process and from whom I draw a lot of strength and motivation and know that they are only a phone call away. I'm thankful for finishing up my Master's Degree before the referral because I wouldn't have been able to concentrate on school and going through an adoption. I'm thankful for both Geno and I having a job .... that's not to be taken for granted in today's economy .... I'm thankful for the nice house we don't own yet but hopefully soon in a couple of years .... I'm thankful for not having any debt and not owing anybody any money except our mortgage company .... and last but not least and probably most importantly I'm thankful for our health.

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving Holiday.

..... only 5 more days!!!!!!!!!

........only 5 more days!!!! A very dear friend of mine and also adoptive mom is travelling to Ethiopia in 5 days .... this coming Saturday .... to pick up her precious little princess after waiting a very very long time. This alone is bringing me so much joy and happinness to see that this family will finally hold their daughter in their arms in such a very short future.

However, my joy is also a little selfish as my friend's travel to Ethiopia is also so intertwined with our family, as she will be the first person I know who will lay eyes on our little girl (she is in the same orphanage as her daughter) will touch her, hug her, talk to her ...... and will take a few picture to bring back to me... Oh, I can't wait for her to get back safely and to share the pics with me. So far, and pretty typical for an international adoption, I only have two pictures of my little girl and I don't know how recent they are. But with my friend travelling ... I now will have most updated pictures ... and maybe even a little report of her first impression of my little girl .... oh, the end of November just can't get here fast enough.

As if it wasn't already enough that my friend will bring me back pictures of my little girl, but she also agreed to take a little something to her in Ethiopia. So, this is what I have sent her: a small album with us and her in it, a blanky embroidered with her Ethiopian name and a little doll. I can't believe that all these items I just recently had in my possession, cherished and squeezed and hugged and held near to my heart, and prayed over .... will be held by my daughter. I get emotional just thinking about it ..... this is such a miracle ....

THANK YOU SO MUCH ELISA .... FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!!!!!!!! May you all have a smooth journey to Ethiopia and may you all return safely with your precious little princess!

The Best Surprise Ever!!!!!

The Big Day in the adoption world is almost like the day you give birth because it's the first time you see your child .... even if just in a picture. It's an amazing feeling and unlike anything I have experienced before in my life. This is how it all went down:

The day starts out as usual, getting ready for work and getting Jalen ready for school and dropping him off. Geno's out of town for 5 weeks for training so it's just me and Jalen. I get to work and stay until about 1:10 pm at which time I have to leave because I have to pick up Jalen and make it to his 2:00 pm dental appointment. We go to the dentist, get out a little after 3 pm and then head on to the park/playground b/c it's a beautiful day in the mid 70s.

So as I'm going about my business, CHI's been calling me and emailing me and even calling Geno. CHI is our adoption agency. But Geno couldn't talk long to our adoption consultant because he was on his 10 min break from class and had to go back to class. So I don't even know all of this is happening. Around 4 pm or so it's starting to get a little dark and I'm wondering what time it is. So I'm going to the car to get my phone out of my purse and that's when I saw that I missed some calles, one of them was CHI's phone call. Now I'm starting to shake, wondering could this be the day??? They never really call out of the blue. So I call back right away and get a hold of our adoption consultant and she tells me to my absolute amazement and surprise that they called us because they have a referral for us. She tells me all kinds of other stuff too, and I even say something back, but now, I can't remember what that conversation was all about ..... all I could think of: little girl, [name: absolutely beautiful], 4 years old ...... that's all I could digest at the time... Now I've been through military boot-camp and all kinds of pressures and crazy moments .... but nothing compares to how I felt during that phone call ... I just absolutely couldn't concentrate on what was being said to me or what I was even saying or asking.

So the phone conversation ends eventually, and I'm in a fog ..... what has just happened? .... I can't call Geno b/c he's still in class .... I don't want to call anyone other than him ...... so I'm just watching Jalen play ... all the while thinking that OMG, today we received a referral. Well, it was dark by the time we came home, I wanted to wait until after 5 pm for Geno to get out of class so that we can set it up to where we'll look at her ... our future babygirl darling daughter at the same time.

Once at home, Jalen and I get on the computer with the phone in our hand, and Geno gets on the computer in his hotel lobby also with the phone in his hand and at the same time ..... we saw her, we looked at her ...... she was soooo beautiful .... Geno said: "Baby, she is sooo cute!" and Jalen put his hands on the laptop screen, looked at me and smiled a shy smile kinda of way and said something I did not expect from him and caught me off guard, but was sooo beautiful; he said: "she is perfect, like Peaches!" Peaches is the mamoth babygirl in the movie Ice Age - Dawn of the Dinosaurs..... so anyway, it was so cute so unexpected of him, it brought tears to my eyes .... so exciting .... we just stared at her ..... and then after a while we started reading the report.

Eventually we got off the phone because I had to get dinner ready for Jalen, get him bathed and in the bed. Once he fell asleep ..... I was soooo wound up I thought I was going to explode. I talked to Geno some more, I talked to my mom-in-law (who was soooo happy for us) ... and then I emailed a few friends of mine from my adoption circle of friends and even got on the phone with one of my friends and we talked forever - even thought this was supposed to be her time to unwind from a hard day's work - but no, she stayed and talked to me on the phone until she got home. Thank you so much, Amanda .... love ya girl...... Needless to say it was a sleepless night until about 2:30 in the morning. After talking to my friend, I called Geno again, and then I called my Mom in Germany and talked for quite a while ..... don't even want to think of the phone bill right now :). But she was soooo happy for us too, and completely caught off guard as well.

Eventually, I was sooo tired and just went to bed. This was too much. Never in a million years would I have thought that yesterday - 2 November 2009 - was meant to be OUR DAY .... especially since our adoption consultant let me know at about the 6 or 7 months waiting mark, that the way it looks, we should not expect anything before our 1 year waiting mark which would be in February of next year. So, that devastated me at the time, but I came to terms with it eventually .... well, what other choice is there .... those in the adoption world know what I mean. Now, in a weird way I'm glad she said that to me, because when that call came yesterday, it was completely, utterly, and absolutely ... THE BEST SURPRISE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!

So now what's next? Well, now we wait, and wait and wait some more for a court date ...... but at least now, while I'm waiting I got this beautiful little face I can stare at and day dream about .... I can't wait to share her with everyone and call her MY DAUGHTER .... for real...... Please pray for us that we get a court date soon, and that we pass the first time around. GOD is sooo good to me .... all my life I felt his presence, and I'm not even a church going person .... but I talk to him and feel him ....he's bailed me out so many times from trouble that could've found me, and never did ..... all this time I have prayed for "a referral before Christmas this year" .... all the while not even really believing it myself ..... and he granted me the wish. I am in awe and amazement .... I feel so humbled. I can't believe I know now who my daughter is.

Huhhh, I needed this blog outlet to let it all out .....

Halloween and Fall in AL

Last year, for Halloween, Jalen was a Zombie. This year he wanted to be the Optimus Prime transformer. Lori went trick or treating with us.

*Dieses Jahr war Toti ein Transformer, der Optimus Prime. Die Lori ist auch mit uns mitgegangen zum Trick or Treat.

Here are some pictures of Fall in AL with leave in the yard.

*Drunter koennt ihr Herbst Photos vom Toti sehen.