The Call-Long POST!!!

First, thank you to all the well wishers. Bart and I enjoyed reading the comments-it just keeps that referral high going!

Second, because I know everyone is waiting with baited breath for details here are the vitals: We love his name- Biyadegelegn, he is 3 months old-will be 4 months pretty soon, healthy, beautiful big brown eyes with lonnnnnng eyelashes, long skinny fingers (piano player fingers perhaps???) and already the biggest joy in my life. I carry his picture everywhere with me just to remember that this is real. I also practice saying his name a lot- it pretty well rolls off the tongue now but it took some practice. I would love to know if anyone has heard it before or knows its meaning as I have been unable to find it referenced anywhere.

Third-The Call!!!!
I was at work when the school secretary buzzed my room and asked if I wanted to take a phone call. (I almost said "take a message" but it was close to recess so decided just to go for it and let my student teacher handle the kiddos.) I get down to the staff room and answer the phone. When I realized it was CAFAC calling my first thought was that there was a problem with the money order I had sent (which there was)and that's how the conversation began. I HAD NO CLUE PEOPLE. Then J. started asking when Bart and I would be getting home etc and I still DIDN'T CLUE IN. Meanwhile the staff room is filling up with people on their break. I asked if there was something wrong with the paperwork that was delaying us and if that was why she wanted us together and she says-"No, Steph....but can you handle getting good news at work today?" well I starting sobbing and stutter out "is this THE CALL" and it was!!! I think I said something like "I just want to know if its a boy or girl and how old!" which led to a funny conversation where she told me he was three months and I kept trying to convince her that she must have read the paperwork wrong because he should be three years old(ok I was a bit hysterical and we never allowed ourselves to imagine that we would be referred an infant).

Of course the staff room was dead silent as people tried to figure out why I was sobbing like a freak. I then told J. that I would have to find Bart because he had the day and was running around town doing "Manly things". But that We would call her as soon as we came home. I hung up, shouted "I'm a MOMMY" to the room in general and was then tackled and hugged to death by my wonderful co-workers who have supported me through the whole process. A whole lot more crying ensued.

I couldn't track down THAT MAN anywhere! He doesn't beleive in carrying a cell phone so you can imagine how that went. Finally I called my girlfriend and asked her to check our haouse bacause I knew that if he was outside working on the yard he wouldn't hear the phone. She also had instructions to lie to him tell him I was sick and come pick me up at the school. Which is exactly how that all played out.

About twenty minutes later he pulled up in the car and I walked out of the school holding a big sign that said "IT"S A BOY!". His first thought? "If she bought a puppy she is in so much trouble" (does this tell you how little we were expecting this call?) Then he sees the tears streaming down my face and finally catches on, forgets to put the car into park as he tries to get out, fumbles the car into park and then BIG hug time. Bart can't actually cry (side effect of a long ago surgery) but believe me he was that emotional.

We raced home, called the agency, and saw our sons' face for the first time. We immediately knew he was ours. Now we jsut need to figure out what comes next, and pray that it goes smoothly waiting for and passing our court date.

THE BIG WAIT IS OVER!!!

We have a referral for a beautiful little boy. He is 3 months old and absolutely perfect. I am being very careful with info etc as we are so new to this but OMG I am so happy!!!!!! We will be very careful about not sharing photos until all is official but let me tell you he is one handsome dude. I am going to go cry some more happy tears now!

Steph's Tips for Keeping Busy During "THE BIG WAIT"

I have become as expert at keeping myself busy while waiting for my adoption process to reach its full maturity. Here is a list of what I have tried (for better or worse) and things I will try in the coming months:

1) One Hundred Good Wishes Quilt-excellent project can draw it out for months-or years depending on how fast family and friends respond

2) Painting-baby's room, whole house, pictures whatever keeps the hands busy

3) Crocheting-I did 4 baby blankets in one particularly tough summer of waiting

4) Babysit other people's children- not only is it good practice but then after they start screaming and go home I don't mind the quiet in my house so much!

5) Read read read-adoption, attachment, on Ethiopia

6) Blog blog blog- great support, find other people who truly understand what you are going through

7)Try new hobbies-I became a certified Zumba instructor and now teach classes 3-4 nights per week. This has been the greatest for my sanity and I am helping other people get fit while I work on my own fitness!

8) Belly dance-course I used to be a "professional" but now I just dabble to keep myself up on my skills. Good way to kill a long Sunday though. I am throwing a belly dance themed baby shower for my good friend next month!

9) Pierce something! Yep this was great-had my nose done last year-unfortunately I lost it one day teaching gym class to my little ones and the hole closed before I could get back to the piercing place. UP side=now I can get it re-pierced. It doesn't hardly hurt at all to get it done.

10) Closely related to number 9-Tattoo something. I had my first tattoo done last year (took 3 hours-only the last 20 min. was really bad) I am thinking of going back and getting tally marks tattooed for every month of waiting...jk. But I do want more work done.

11) Spend time with your partner. My DH and I have been really enjoying our quality time together. Movie dates, dinner out, long walks. We are trying to get in all the dates that we should have done before we got married (we were a long distance couple so most of our dates were via phone).

12) Scrapbooking-I am SOOOOO not artsy but I am enjoying putting our photos that have been hiding in closets into a fun format. I hope someday to use them to share about our family with our little one. Esp. since we live 3000kms away from most of our extended family.

13) Speaking of closets-clean some! Getting sorted and throwing out collected crap gives a person a feeling of accomplishment. I recently threw out my "fat" clothes-ok, actually I donated them but same principle.

14) Do something that scares you. I joined a theatre group last year and performed with them. Scared me to death- I will shake my half-naked self in front of anyone but DO NOT ask me to speak- YIKES. But I did it and it was so FUN.

15) Take trips. It would be fun to go somewhere exotic but not everyone can afford that. But make small trips fun. I took some girlfriends across the border for a quick overnighter shopping trip sans husbands. It was great!

16) Save up to go somewhere exotic. Seriously-just the saving part can be fun. I have put some of my Zumba earnings aside to attend the International Zumba COnvention in Orlando, FL this summer. Some girlfriends are coming with to split hotel costs and whamo-affordable trip! I got hotel room for $99/night. Flight from Minneapolis for $200 round trip. Can hardly wait :) although Florida in August???? Hmm

17) Have something to look forward to...friends visiting, look for local events and do a countdown to those -having some activity that actually arrives on the promised timeline can do wonders for a person.

Need more ideas? Let me know. Have some great ideas to share? Let me know those too.

Here's to all of us engaged in this long wait...

Serenity

I can hardly wait to get out in a kayak or canoe and enjoy these sights this summer. Great way to keep myself distracted during my "gestation" period.

The 21 Month Freak?

Yep its our 21st month of waiting anniversary. I have been doing pretty good for a while. Starting to feel my frantic side kicking in though. You PAP's and BTDT folks know what I mean. Suddenly it is imperative that I am reading all of the adoption literature again. Checking emails constantly. Reading through the CAFAC materials, checking to see how many people are ahead of me (sadly waaay more than I would like!)on the DTC site, wondering how many people are not on the proboard site so that I can try to figure out some kinda time line. Aiyiyiyiyiyi I think I will be a nut case by the time it finally gets to be my turn for a referral! The way that things keep getting extended I am so afraid that we will be the first couple to hit 30 months waiting...seriously having nightmares about that. In fact, I am way more concerned about the wait than the whole two trips issue everyone keeps talking about.Although of course nothing definitive on that front either. You know, I remember being told how fraught with risk and roller coastery this journey was...I just hoped that was only for other people and NOT ME!!! Hmmmm....back to the search for serenity.

Just to clarify, I am not wishing bad things for others in fact I hope everyone ahead of me gets the perfect child of their dreams...I guess every human just assumes that they will be the one exception to the rules...

My DH is a Closet Photographer

I just had to find something great to blog about for this week. I want to share with the world one of my darling husbands many talents...photography. He has never had a class, but I think he has amazing potential. Here are some samplings of portraits, action, landscape... it was hard to choose just these few (you should be able to click on the photos to enlarge them for better viewing):

I'm Proud of This But Still Tough to Post About

So I am coming fully outta the closet about my weight loss. I hit rock bottom due to massive comfort eating over the adoption and topped out at almost 300lbs last summer folks.


Pause for the shock effect.

I have made a comback in the last 6 months due to my own desire to be fit, my husband unfailing support (he truly is amazing and thought I was beautiful anyway)
and the combined effort of my success on the LA Weight Loss plan and my excercising with Zumba 3+ times per week I have gone from this....




to this


in 6 months.

I have lost 21.5 inches. 11 of them just since January! I feel great, my husband took me out and bought me a celebratory workout outfit that will stay up now! the others kept falling off my hips! I think i even look happier in some of these later photos.

Obviously I still have a ways to go but I want to celebrate anyway. Oh, and forgive the no makeup/glasses/etc in the after-it had been a long day. I have actually lost more inches even since these photos. My waist went from 42 to 36 inches, my hips from 53 to 44 and my bust from 51 to 46.

I just felt the need to share...maybe someone out there will see that this is possible and feel motivated to begin their own journey to a happier existence.