We Have a New Bedroom!

When we decided to adopt one of the first things we talked about was where to put the baby. I had an open office at the top of our stairs and we decided to add a wall and convert that space into another bedroom.

We were worried about the cost for the wall and then Jed's dad, Marty, offered to fly out from California and build the wall. Marty (who is all-around awesome) is one of those people that is amazing with his hands. Over the years he has built our dining room table and a bookshelf for Jared. Then Marty changed one of the spare rooms in his house into a kids' bedroom complete with a handmade bunk bed that has a tube phone from the top bunk to the bottom.

In December Marty and his wife, Melinda, spent several days with us. Marty and Jed worked on the wall and I got to spend some time with Melinda (one of my favorite people in the world).



This is the view from the top of the stairs, before they began their work.



Father and son at work.






Grandpa Marty even let Laine and Jared write on the inside of the walls! We drew outlines of the kids and they put some mementos inside the wall.

This week we had a contractor come out and put the finishing touches on the wall. He did some electrical and drywall work and now it is finished!




Today I picked up primer and paint and I will start painting tomorrow. We decided to move Jared into the new room and his old room will be the baby's room. Jared is super excited to get a new room and secretly happy that he will be on the other side of the house from the girls' rooms.

Read more...

Finally!

For the past 7 weeks we haven't seen any movement on the waitlist. Today we moved up one spot! Now I know that may not seem like a lot, but we are just super thankful that there has been any movement. Usually, when there is one referral there is a couple of referrals. We are crossing our fingers that we move up more in the upcoming days.


I have been going a little crazy during the wait (and we aren't even into the teens yet!). I have definitely been "nesting." I have reorganized our house (see picture of my ridiculously neat pantry above) and cleaned things like they have never been cleaned before. Jared keeps asking me if we are having company. I don't think the kids are used to everything being so tidy.

Read more...

216 days

216 days.

That is how long we have been on the waitlist to be matched to our daughter. That is 7 months and 2 days. When we joined our agency the approximate wait time was 6-8 months. By the time our paperwork was finished they had changed the estimate to 8-10 months. Well, we know we won't be getting matched in a month. But I am still holding out some hope that it will be within the 10 month time frame.

224 days.

That is how long I was pregnant with Laine. It may seem weird that I know the exact number of days. I was on vacation in France without Jed and we know I got pregnant the night I came home. We don't know why Laine came early. Although if you know Laine's personality you know that she is not the most patient person.

I don't remember the 224 days with Laine going by so slowly. But like most painful things in motherhood, I am sure the joy of our new daughter will completely overshadow this long wait.

Read more...

One Year Ago Today

Read more...

Sometimes things just work out . . .

I have really been struggling the last month with the long wait and delays from Ethiopia. I am really a positive, upbeat person but there have been recent days when it is a struggle. A couple of months ago I learned about a conference for adoptive mamas in Atlanta in February. I really wanted to go and be surrounded by other women who have adopted or are in the process. It is a Christian conference and I longed for the fellowship. But, of course, there was no way I could afford to go since we are still working hard to pay for the adoption.

Then a few weeks ago I got a statement for my Alaska Airlines visa. We got the visa a few years ago when we thought we might end up living in Seattle and I almost never use it. The statement was showing that they were billing me for an annual fee. So I called to cancel the card and the customer service rep said she would lower the fee to $10 and give me 10,000 bonus miles to keep the card. She pointed out that I would then have enough for a free flight with limited destination and date choices. I asked if it could be used to go to Atlanta during the conference. Her answer: yes!

So I contacted the organizer of the conference to see if there were any spots open. I knew the conference had sold out but I was hoping a spot had opened. I got an email from the organizer. There was an open spot!

I talked it over with Jed and he really wanted me to go. Even though I only had to pay for my hotel and the small conference fee I was still not sure. Jed said I should go for it. So I made all the reservations and started to get excited. But I was still worried about the money.

Then I opened the mail today and found a refund from our school district. It looks like we over payed on a school bond a while back. The check was for the exact amount I need for the conference!

This conference seems like just what I need to get me back on track emotionally and help me prepare for the next several months of waiting.

Read more...

January Number

We are number 28 on the waitlist! I thought we were going to be number 29 so I was pretty excited to get the email from our case worker letting us know we were even lower.

Things are still moving very slowly in Ethiopia. We just have to continue being patient.

Read more...

Happy New Year!

I truly can't believe how things have changed from New Year's Day 2010 to New Year's Day 2011. If I could go back in time I would tell myself to hold on tight for the amazing roller coaster ride that was to come. It's hard to imagine now, but we weren't even planning to adopt at this time last year.

The start of a new year always brings resolutions and a special hopefulness that the year will go well. It seems we are off to a good start. We were very happy to learn that most of the families from our agency that had been delayed by the new embassy changes are now on planes to Ethiopia to pick up their children! What a wonderful way for them to start 2011.

Read more...