I asked and you delivered!!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the donation collection for the children in Ethiopia (and thank you to those who ran out of time but are working on collections for the next time). Keep it coming - we still have one more trip in the new year!!


My packing is well underway and I actually think everything will fit!! I am nervous, excited, and anxious all at the same time.

I am overwhelmed by the many people who are supporting and encouraging us along the way. We are not done yet, BUT this trip is certainly one giant leap in the right direction.

Bon Voyeur to All.

ONE MORE SLEEP!!!!!!

P.S. I'm teaching Chad how to post on the blog, so if you see a new one in the next week, he got it right!!

I knew it was too good to be true...

F#%@ Buckets!!! Always a glitch. Always a problem. Always a catch. Always a delay. Always something. Always. Always. Always.

We have just been informed that we will NOT pass court on November 5, 2010. WHY? Let me explain...

So here is the deal, our agency is in the middle of renewing their licence with the Ontario Government - a formality that happens annually. We have been told that the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in Ethiopia will not provide the support letter for a family until this licence has been renewed. We can still make our appearance in court next week (thank goodness), but the adoption order will not be granted until the judge receives the support letter.

What this means for us next week...

I will (only) observe Seth prior to court, but will not have a visit with him after court. I am going to plead and beg to get at least couple pictures at the observation, even though technically we are not allowed.

And another kicker...We will be assigned another court date (after I am home) and the judge will grant the adoption order during that court date when the letter is present. However, it is very possible that our original court date of Dec 7 will remain as this new court date, which puts us no further ahead than before.

The bright side, cuz I have to look for one right now...

* At least we know now. No surprises on the day of court. It is what it is.

* If we knew this information on Monday, when our court date changed (BTW, we had a choice to keep our Dec 7th date), we would have still chosen to go next week.

* I will not have to say goodbye to him.

* The first time I hold Seth, I will be with my family - Chad, Sara, me, and our boy, all together.

"Put it in your heart"

Mommy: "Oh, I hope I sleep tonight, I'm so tired."
Sara: "Why won't you sleep?"
Mommy: "Oh, just thinking about all the things I need to do before I go and all the things I will be doing when I'm in Ethiopia, like meeting Seth."
Sara: "Why don't you just dream about all that instead?"
Mommy: "Sometimes it's hard to get to sleep when you have lots on your mind."
Sara: "Well, what you need to do is take it out of your mind and put it all into your heart and then save it for when you see Seth. So, just put your hand on your head, like this, and take it from your head and then put it to your heart. See, now you can sleep!!!"

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Mommy: "Will you share your toys with the new baby?"
Sara: "Well, only the soft ones, like stuffies, so he can't hurt himself on all my good toys."

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Daddy: "What do you think we will say to the baby when we see him for the first time?"
Sara: "Party's over!! Time to go!!"

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Daddy: "Remember Sara, it might take our baby a bit of time to get used to daddy, and might want to be with mommy a lot."
Sara: "OK, but as soon as he is not scared of you anymore, I get to go back on mommy's team."

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And for a good chuckle...

After a lengthy discussion of different body parts...
Sara: "I know where babies grow too!"
Mommy: "Where?"
Sara: "In the mommy's tummy."
Mommy: "Well, not in the tummy, but under the tummy in the uterus."
Sara: "And you did not grow a baby in your tummy, right?"
Mommy: "That's right, my uterus cannot grow a baby."
Sara: "Hey, Mommy!!!! Did you and Daddy try that lovin' thing to get a baby? Maybe that might work!!!"
Mommy: "Do you mean 'make love'?"
Sara: "Yes, like when you go into bed and a baby comes out?"
Mommy: "We tried that, but it didn't work..."

OMG, I LEAVE ON SUNDAY

That's right, you're reading it, just as I am still processing it!!!! Long story, BUT we have now been granted the opportunity to appear in court the same day as Seth's birthmom, which is NOVEMBER 5!!!!!! The judge originally wanted the Birthfamily and Adoption family court dates a month apart, BUT the judge changed her mind.

I found out only this morning. I have offically changed my flights and I leave on Oct 31 in the morning!!!!

IN ONE WEEK I AM GOING TO SEE MY BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT DO I NEED TO DO????? My brain is mush.

PLEASE DONATE - Crocs, Socks, and Underwear

ETHIOPIA ORPHANAGE DONATION

As part of my travels to Ethiopia, I plan to visit several orphanages. WITH YOUR HELP, I am hoping to collect several key items/supplies that orphanages are in desperate need of.

IT’S EASY TO HELP!!
Just send any of the following items to me by December 1, 2010!!!!
(email me for mailing address lcmorrison@shaw.ca)

NEW or Gently Used Children's Crocs
(Orphanages would like Crocs because they are antibacterial, durable, easy to wash and care for, and fully protect little feet from disease.)

NEW Children's Socks NEW Children's Underwear

Shivers, Butterflies and Plans

On Friday, the day after we received our court date, I was sitting in my office and I had the most intense feeling come over me. I was thinking about everything (as I always do), especially the fact that I would be meeting Seth in less than two months. I suddenly felt my entire body freeze - I had shivers everywhere, all the way from the inside out - my eyes became fuzzy - my head was cloudy - my heart skipped quickly - and the butterflies took over my stomach. It only lasted about a second or two, but it was so intense. It was not a bad or scary feeling, it was an anticipatory overwhelming feeling, like this IS all really happening!
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We have busily been planning our trip to Ethiopia. Well, I should say "I", as I am travelling to court by myself - yikes!

This is how it is suppose to happen:

I am required to be in Ethiopia 3 days before court. I have already BOOKED MY FLIGHT - EEEEEEE, what an amazing feeling... I arrive in Addis Ababa on December 3. As of today, there are 51 days before I leave (but who's counting)...I can do that, right???

Prior to court, I will have an opportunity to see Seth for the first time. This visit will last only about 15 minutes, there is no one-on-one time, and NO pictures can be taken. It is an opportunity for me to observe him and ask few questions about his development.

I appear in front of the judge sometime on December 7. I believe there is no specific time set, I have to arrive in the morning and then just wait for my name to be called.

IF we pass court, we become the legal parents of Seth - AHHHHHH!!! He will be moved from his orphanage to the Imagine Transition Home. Once at the Transition Home, I will have a chance to visit with him. I will spend about 1-2 hours with him (and TH staff), give him his gifts, hopefully play a little, hold him (hug him, kiss him, touch him) if he lets me, and take a MILLION ZILLION pictures and videos.

IF we DO NOT pass court that day (or in other words, the court decision is delayed), I leave on my scheduled departure day, without another visit with Seth and not one single picture of him. Not passing court, does not mean that we will not become Seth's parents - it means that we do not pass court on that particular day (for example, a document is missing or clarification is needed on a document). My appearance/testimony would be logged and we do not have to reappear in court again. However, it may take days or weeks to acquire what is necessary to pass court. I pray that this is not the scenario that we are faced with.

I depart on December 10, arriving home on December 11.

Then what? We have chosen to bring Seth home as a Canadian Citizen (the other option was to bring him home with a Permanent Residency Visa). Seth documents will be sent to the High Commissioner in Nairobi, Kenya that processed immigration for Ethiopia (and several other African countries). Once Seth has been issued the appropriate travel documents, we (Chad, Sara and I) will travel back to Ethiopia to BRING HIM HOME!!! The wait between passing court and finalizing immigration papers can range anywhere from 3-6 months... I hope and pray that Seth is home sometime in March, but it is entirely possible that it may take months longer.

IT'S A DATE!!!!!!

December 7, 2010 - That is the day we have been granted to appear in Ethiopian court to become the legal parents of Seth. I am so so so so so glad to finally know and begin to plan, but a little sad that it is still so far way.

More to come about our plans...

View from the Top

I have had several people ask me "which has been harder, the wait for the referral or the wait now?" Before our referral, I had heard both sides. I had heard some people say that the wait before referral is harder than the wait after referral, and others say the opposite. This is how I see it... (and I give full credit for this analogy to my dear friend Janice).

Receiving a referral is like the view from the top of the tallest and steepest mountain. You have endured every bit of pain humanly possible for the hope of the most exhilarating feeling ever. You have climbed, scaled, tripped, and stumbled along the way, and many times thought of giving up and never thought you would ever actually make it.

But then, when almost all your energy and determination is gone, you reach the top and it is glorious - all the pain and suffering up to this point are (almost) forgotten in one single moment. You scream, celebrate, and throw your arms up in the air in thanks and wonderment and take in all the beauty around you - nothing can break you in this moment, it feels like you could climb the mountain a 100 times over to achieve this euphoric feeling.

Then, when your adrenaline has taken you as far as it can, you sit and contemplate your journey, and realize that although you have made it all the way to the top, you still need to get back down to the bottom.

You know that there is still a risk of injury and hurt, but you have survived all the elements now and going down a mountain is always easier and less exhausting then climbing up. So, right now I have begun my descent - I am still cautious as I round each corner and scale down the cliff, but going down does not look as scary to me as it does going up. I now have a renewed perspective and a definitive purpose to my journey.

My hope is that our court date is just around the next corner...