Good News

Over the past couple of weeks I have had a hard time answering the "How are things going with the adoption" question. There were several things that had changed my typical roll-with-the-flow attitude. All abandonment cases in the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital city, had been stopped indefinitely. The specialist, from CHSFS, we have been working with (and used with Mehandis) was suddenly changed with the reason of lack of referrals as part of the explanation. In addition referrals and predicted "wait times" were getting fewer and longer. As a result my answer to "How are things going with the adoption" was getting longer and I wanted to discuss it with fewer people.

Last week one of the specialists from CHSFS sent out information as to why referrals were continuing to be slow. The information shared is as follows:

There are over 400 families waiting with CHSFS right now.
Children's paperwork prior to referral is taking longer.
Bethel orphanage is changing from MOLSA to MOWA.
More agencies working in ET, particularly in the south.
More international child welfare assistance (meaning more families assisted to stay intact).
Last summer there were only a handful of referrals, which slowed things down.
Large number of families submitted dossiers in July-Oct last year.
As a result, likely 16 months until referral for those whose dossier's were submitted from July-Oct of last year (ours was September 2 of last year)

Well, that was the news I knew last week. This week feels different due to it being kicked off with several referrals... including sets of siblings for those waiting about 15 months. I am happy to see the wheels moving again and now feel back myself as it comes to waiting. So things are good... that is the answer to "How the adoption is going". Still is complicated, as it always is, but my response is much more simple again.

My parents, who have been spending the last several weeks in Bloomington, shared their good news as well. My father's proton treatment for his cancer is going well. Only side effect thus far noted is a dry elbow ;) They are enjoying their time together and getting to know the area's churches, concerts and wineries! I am having fun sharing my simple, healthy recipes with my parents as they are looking for some new nutritious options. So happy that my dad is feeling well and that they are making the best of their new temporary summer home.

My mom is also an avid "Forum" follower and "List" tracker... so she was the one to let me know that we are now officially #51 on the unofficial waiting list. They researched facts on '51 and these are the year's events:

The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, limiting Presidents to two terms, is ratified.
The new United Nations headquarters officially opens in New York City.
The comic strip Dennis the Menace appears in newspapers across the U.S. for the first time.
The King and I opens on Broadway and runs for 3 years.
Walt Disney's animated feature, Alice in Wonderland, is released
The Catcher in the Rye is first published
A blue sun is seen over Europe: the effect is due to ash coming from the Canadian forest fires 4 months previously.
I Love Lucy makes its début on CBS
CBS' Eye logo premieres on air.
Scrooge opens in England. Later that year it, opens in the United States under the title of Charles Dickens's original novel, A Christmas Carol.
Direct dial coast-to-coast telephone service begins in the United States.
1st woman (Florence Chadwick) swum across the English Channel in each direction.
Stockholm, Sweden – An 18-year-old sailor is fined for kissing in public. The court calls his actions “obnoxious behavior repulsive to the public morals.”
Dad & I were born – along with Robin Williams, Phil Collins, Jane Seymour, Sally Ride, Kurt Russell, Tommy Hilfilger and Dale Earnhardt.

If you're happy and you know it...

I think these tell a lot about Mehandis. The first captures his happy nature and shows off his great giggle. His well loved Thomas is seen on the floor behind him. He made sure this particular hat was part of his outfit as well.

Cue in the guitar and Obama bag. Sunday morning Mehandis started playing "Puff the Magic Dragon" on the guitar (well actually more singing it) and I swear the Rolling Stones "Satisfaction"... he kept singing "and I try, and I try". He incorporate a new dance move while playing the guitar as well, looks like a leg kick forward while leaning back.

I had to apologize to a gentleman at the grocery store, because Mehandis was pointing to him excitedly and saying "Obama flag" because of the small American flag patch on his Harley leather jacket. I just wasn't sure of his political leanings and didn't know what he would make of our pint size Obama fan.

Looks like Mehandis is taking song requests. Got any?

What a weekend!

Last weekend brought many reasons to celebrate... Erin came for a visit while taking a break from her work in Mexico, Aunt Rita and Uncle JR celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary and Mother's Day was spent together with both sides of the family.

Mehandis surprised me with wishing me Happy Mother's Day spontaneously during our car ride home... the night of Mother's Day. Very nice gift :)


Here we are at Lilac Park... in Illinois. I think they should rename it as Tulip Park.

Mehandis loved exploring this park with his Aunt Erin. It was right next to Metra train stop and I think at least 10 trains came by in the hour and a half we were there. His aunt allowed him to get close to the water fall and stick his feet in the flowing stream. They had lots of fun together.

Later in the day we met my parents for a get together at Lake Ellyn. We had a nice walk around the lake and Mehandis enjoyed his sliding time. Quite a find was had curb side though, where I spotted a Little Tikes car. Mehandis drove the car home and we then piled it into our trunk for Wisconsin.

More outdoor fun was had the night before at Kathy and Eric's. Mehandis actually "borrowed" their neighbors' Little Tikes car and had a blast with back yard slide and buffet array.

He didn't think the entertainment, his Nanni, Bampa and Aunt D, were too bad either. Cheers to Rita and JR on their 40th anniversary. The party brought many memorable cheers as well

It was great weekend... time with family, sunny walks and fire side chats. Good prep for summer!

Walking, Talking and Sleeping

This past weekend Mehandis and I participated in the Walk-a-Mile (actually 3K) event for the Guest House. This organization has housed and fed thousands of homeless men in downtown Milwaukee for over 10 years. About a month ago Michael and I participated in one of their meal programs and then learned of the upcoming walk. Since Michael was out of town for the weekend, Mehandis and I represented our family and enjoyed the event. Here we are pictured below with some other walkers from our church.



Although Mehandis more "strolled" than walked during the previous event... he continues to talk up a storm! Some funny recent quotables:

As riding by McDonald's -
M: "McDoughnut's!"
Mom: "McDonald's?"
M: "No! McWaffle's. McPancakes. McDoughnut's!"

When giving me a high 5- "Rocking!"

While waiting for Dad to come home-
M: "Daddy at office?"
Mom: "Yes, he'll be home soon."
M: "Daddy in Mexico?"

As I type this Mehandis is narrating this portion of the blog. He is saying "That's my new bed! I see my new bed. Look at choo choo's". Yes, he is correct. No more crib for our 2 year old. He has successfully transitioned into a toddler bed. We tried to make it as enticing as possible for Mehandis so we also Incorporated a new Thomas the Tank blanket. Worked like a charm the first night... laid him down, read a book and he slept the whole night through. Michael even got him out of bed in the morning.

Since that time, Mehandis celebrates his new freedom by bringing 3 to 5 books from his bookshelf into bed with him. He has learned that he can get out of bed and go downstairs on his own (until we learned to lock the door at the top of the stairs). Only one night did he climb out of bed in the middle of the night. Thank goodness that I wake up as soon as I hear his door knob turn. Can't imagine waking up to a little face staring at me.

And yes, there are days that he makes multiple attempts at getting out of bed... right after being put down. As seen above! But although he looks determined he easily gives up after checking the immovable door knob one to two times - thank goodness he doesn't know that it takes one of us on the other side of the knob to make it immovable!

Next step potty training. Hmm...

Hallelujah, look what Easter brought!

Although we could not share in singing "Jesus Christ Has Risen Today...", due to volunteering for nursery duty during our church service. And Mehandis missed out on doughnuts following church (no treats on Easter Sunday since brunch is served by the youth). We joyfully celebrated Easter together.


Michael's parents were kind enough to bring the fixings for most of the Easter Brunch I served. They also were quite generous in the Easter Basket department!

While Michael and I continued our 10 year tradition of an egg hunt for each other, this was the first year Mehandis joined in on the fun. He was excited to look for the colorful eggs that showed up in our front yard.

While egg hunting lasted only that morning, his hunt for "W's" continues... as in BMW. You can see his grandparents "W" on our driveway. He can spot a BMW from yards away!

It was a very happy Easter that brought very happy bellies!

Spring Break '09

While this past spring break was a little different than those of college years in Cancun and Padre, I was super looking forward to Spring Break '09 in Chicago! Mehandis and I took the train to Union Station early in the week and then had my friend Dara come in on Wednesday, to join my parents and I.

Dara and I greatly enjoyed our sidewalk cafe luncheon. She introduced me to steamed oysters and the yummy broth they create. I was happy that the lemony dessert was a hit... as I always push for fruity versus chocolatey. We both were proud of finishing the bottle of wine :)

My dad actually joined us late in the week, Saturday evening. We fit in our share of fun though... with homemade Ethiopian cuisine, fireside chats and an outing the Museum of Science and Industry. Mehandis made a bee-line to the farming exhibit.

Mehandis wasn't quite sure where Grandma was taking him on this plane exhibit. But he was happy he didn't need to be buckled in!

Mehandis would be happy to go anywhere with Grandpa on the tractor (or the BMW).

We were all transfixed by the huge model train exhibit. Then Mehandis and I headed home on the real thing, reading our Gordon and Percy books while wearing a Thomas the Tank T-shirt.

Hooray for Spring Break '09. Thanks again to Kerbie, Jenn and Mom Wolaver who traveled into the city to make a visit. And to my roommate (for 1/3 of the time) Dara. As well as my parents who are extremely accommodating hosts!

Nearing to 2nd?

Okay... so it seems that I stand corrected in stating that we are half way done with waiting for the referral of Mehandis's little brother or sister. Yes, so far it has been about 8 months of officially waiting since our dossier acceptance. Yes, our agency did project 12 months as the anticipated "wait time"... but about a month ago they changed this to 14 to 18 months. In taking the conservative thought process I am now likening this to being between 1st and 2nd base. Home plate (traveling to Ethiopia) comes on average 3 months after receiving the referral. Guess I was trying to steal to second and the umpire caught me? Look at all I have learned about baseball since having two males in the house! Cute picture above of Mehandis, playing his favorite sport with one of his favorite cousins, taken a few weeks back.


The following photo series is on a completely different topic. It documents silliness in mom's robe. Mehandis kept asking me to put my robe on him... a little large for our little man but we made it work.


Kisses and cuddles!

Handsome in a house coat. Wish I looked that cute in it.