Day in Court

Well the good news is that Zoe and John's application was approved without any glitches. The bad news is that the MOWA letter was not ready and might not be ready for 1-2 weeks. It was definitely an emotional day for everyone and hard to not hear the words "the girls are yours" but it was at least a relief that the application is okay. Hopefully the next trip will not be delayed due to the letter and I'll get to meet my new nieces in a few weeks :) Zoe says that the trip has been amazing, other than the emotional ups and downs but I'll let her describe it for everyone when she gets back. They will be back on Christmas Eve and probably needing some Hot Toddies to recover!

Sunbathing and Eggs

Well, my sister just called from Ethiopia with the first updates from their trip. Zoe, John and Emma have had 2 visits with the girls so far. On visit number one, they were naked on a matt (the girls, not Zoe, John and Emma) doing some sunbathing with the other babies. Both girls are very smiley, quite adorable and easy going. Zoe had thought from pictures that Rachel had a birthmark on her forehead but found that Isabel has the same birthmark and they are completely identical! Isabel is an avid eater with her one tooth but Rachel did not find the egg-whites too appealing. Based on Emma's reaction to the smell of the eggs, Rachel might have the right idea. Tomorrow is the official court date, so keep your fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly. Hopefully I'll hear from Zoe tomorrow and can post some good news...

Getting there

The wait list, as we all know, seems to be interminable. Then there's the wait for a court date. Even worse! Then the court date seems so far away, but I can say that the last two weeks before traveling have whizzed by so fast it's frightening! We're mostly packed and super excited. It really seems surreal that after all this waiting we are actually going to get on a plane, arrive in Ethiopia to meet great people we've only read about in blogs and meet these sweet little dumplings that we've stared at in photos and videos! Unreal and so cool! We're hoping to be able to keep in touch with my sister while we're there and she has offered to update our blog - yay!

As for the rest of our lives...Refingerprinting was finally accomplished. It's not good to stab a fingertip badly when you need to do that! The ridges needed to grow back. Now we're just hoping they were good enough to pass muster, and get rushed to Addis. I have to say so far the NBC has been very co-operative and helpful so far. The projects are finished on the house except we're painting the Beans room right after Christmas. John and I have painted the rest of the house. New carpet is in, the girls bathroom now has a bathtub and more storage, we have a front yard fence to coral babies and dogs in, and a pool fence to keep babies and dogs out. My plan is that this now starts the normalcy again in our lives after all the drama of the year. Thanksgiving night marked the one year anniversary of the house fire at our old house. I am so thankful to have survived that year. So much loss, but much was also gained. An understanding of who your true friends are, knowledge that John and I have an awfully good marriage if we can get through most of life top stressors multiple times in a year and still like, respect and laugh with each other. The Bean mentioned the anniversary several times on Thanksgiving so I think it's really weighed on her too. We now need normal lives. The simplicity of school, making lunches and dinners, naps, errands, lie on the floor with babies and having the time to catch up with friends again. Aahh. The plane ride sounds like a dream right now. So many hours where I have to sit, read, watch movies, someone else serves me meals and cleans up afterwards, and a call button. AAAhhh.

Please think good thoughts for us especially the night of the 21st, since we'll be in court then which'll be the 22nd there. We're excited to meet up with Heather and Rolyn there - they'll be at court with us. I can't wait to be able to share about our little butterbugs! In the meantime, Merry Christmas!