That Was A Whopper!!!

Last night we had a whopper of a storm....and pretty much it was centralized over our fair city.

In fact, there were severe thunderstorm warnings for most of the evening and for about an hour we were under a tornado warning as well.

Now the storm rolled thru other areas but when they showed the radar for the storm moving thru the province it all looked pretty good and then you saw the big, red square covering only our area.....it's about the only time I wished I lived in Regina :) (oh just kidding - I never wished I lived in Regina - Hee!)

They call it tornadic winds - I was making fun of the radio announcer for using that term "tornadic winds - is that even a word - I think not! Why would he just make up a word like that, what an ass!"

Then Yvan googled "Tornadic Winds" and lo and behold it is a real word:

Main Entry: tor·na·dic
Pronunciation: \tȯr-ˈnā-dik, -ˈna-\
Function: adjective
Date: 1884
: relating to, characteristic of, or constituting a tornado

Guess the only ass around here is me!

So, we did what anyone would do when there are tornadic winds in the area - we headed to the basement. What do you mean not everyone did that? In our house, if you are married to my husband, you go to the basement!

We had our sleeping blankets,candles, radio, cell phone, water and all 4 fur babies snuggled on the floor in our basement! HA!

After the warning was downgraded we went back upstairs and back to bed!

If you want to see what a torrential down pour looks like after oh 3 hours of storms you can go here.

All right - I am going to catch up on Z's at my desk and await the onslaught of revenge emails from friends in Regina!

Learning to Cook Ethiopian Style

Last night I got together with two beautiful ladies who are also adopting from Ethiopia to learn how to cook Ethiopian food.

We did an evening class so we only had time for 2 dishes and let me tell you it takes some time to make this delicious food but it is worth it.

We made:

1. Alcha

2. Doro Wat

S and me stirring the pots full of goodness while Saba watches

(so you all don't think I'm a giant who is 7' tall - I was standing on a bench)

S & S & me - ummmmm...it was really hot in the kitchen and it wasn't because we looked so smokin' in our hair nets either ;)

After our feast - we were so hungry and excited to eat what we made that we forgot to take a photo - ha!

Thanks gals!! That was fun - can't wait to do it again!!

Calling, Emailing and Filling out Paperwork

The last 3 weeks have been accompanied by a sense of relief....relief because after months and months of waiting we finally passed court.

But the wait isn't over yet. On no, not by a long shot.

In fact, this wait, the one we are in now, the visa wait...it is gearing up to be the hardest wait yet I do believe.

Because there isn't anything I can do. Since we got our referral there has been paperwork and emails, and then more paperwork followed by more emails with some phone calls thrown in for good measure and more paperwork and...well you get the picture.

Now, I actually have to sit by and just wait without doing something.

Don't get me wrong.

There are things to be done.

But the things needing to be done aren't things that pertain to me calling, emailing, filling out paperwork and repeating for months on end.

That is all done for now.

Now I just sit and wait for someone to call me and say "You can go get your son".

At that point I will be able to start calling, emailing, and filling out paperwork again for flights, and hotels etc....

...but for now I can only wait.

Oh we are getting his room ready, the house ready, the yard ready...and that is all fine stuff to be doing.

However, since July of last year I have been calling and emailing and filling out paperwork and it made me feel like I was doing my part for my child who is half way around the world being cared by others.

As stressful as it was, it made me feel like I was a part of the process.

I could do some more calling and emailing I suppose to say "Have you heard anything yet?"

But honestly, I think those people need at least 3 1/2 weeks free of me calling and emailing and insisting I send paperwork!

Now, well now I feel like my hands are truly tied....and here I sit, at my computer, searching the blogs, message boards and the Internets for something to make me feel useful.

So if anyone needs someone to do some calling or emailing or filling out paperwork..well you know where to find me.

With A Little Help From My Friends

As you may know by now - we love to go to concerts - music is very big in our lives.

For me, life is marked by certain songs and brings back memories of key moments of my youth and adult life.

Tonight, we are on our way to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - who I love, love, love!

But the man who is opening for them is legendary and I am more than excited to see him!

Joe Cocker has always been a musician I adore...and his voice is instantly recognizable.

"With A Little Help From My Friends" is one of my favourite songs....and it is certainly poignant for this particular time in my life because I couldn't have survived the last year without the help from my friends near and far!

A Nice Little Sunday

My nice little Sunday consisted of:

1. Baking 6 loaves of bread and a dozen buns
2. Going to the gym
3. Hosting a potluck birthday brunch for my bro-in-law JG (Happy Birthday Bro)
4. Going for a bike ride
5. Going for supper with friends
6. Greeting friends at the airport as they arrive home from Ethiopia with their daughter (photos to follow)

All done in that order.

Man, am I glad the weekend is over! I'm exhausted!

Moon Reach

In December, I decided to slowly start buying stuff for Ade's room. I didn't want to buy too much until we had passed court but I was starting to look.

If you remember from this post we had, by way of an accident at a work function and a gift from fabulous friends, decided to do a giraffe theme for our, then unknown, kidlet.

Well, I happened to be on Etsy and found a fantastic baby blanket called "Moon Reach" and I couldn't turn it down. (Alright, I probably could have but I didn't want to.)

So, I took a leap of faith and ordered one and had her add Ade's name on it so that it would be a keep sake for him when he was older (both Yvan and I still have our cuddle blankets from when we were babies).

It came in the mail about a week after we found out there was some paperwork problems with Ade's file and they weren't sure what the outcome would be or if we would be able to bring him home.

I cried for my boy and put the blanket away deep in the back of a closet so I couldn't see it or remember it.

Today, I pulled it out and we are going to finally start on his room...

..and it will have Giraffes in it ...

...and one day, in the not-so-distant future, that room will have Ade in it too...

...cuddled-up, sleeping under this blanket, dreaming of reaching for the moon.

What Took So Long To Say We Passed?

What took me so long to post that we had passed...well let me tell you.

Our court date was actually on Monday, May 31. Originally we had been told it was Sunday, May 30 but we knew court wasn't open on Sundays and when we asked about this they told us our actual date would be the Monday.

Monday came and we were anxious!!

Ummmmm...I was actually crawling the walls...I think Carolyn and I set a record pace for the number of emails we have sent each other in a given day in the first 2 hours of the morning.

Finally, about 10:30a.m. I called Yvan and asked him to call and find out if there was news on court.

He phoned me back and said he was told "you had court today and everything was really good but they have set another date for tomorrow because the consent from MOWA was not in."

O.k. we knew this could happen and both of us were o.k. with it. We were reassured this was very good news.

Later in the afternoon I decided, because as a woman it's my right, that I needed to talk to our agency myself...ask some more indepth questions (ha, not sure what they would have been it was just an excuse to call them)

Call them I did and they said "oh after we talked to Yvan we talked to R and she said the consent from MOWA is there it just came in after your court appearance so that is why they re-booked you for tomorrow. We will call you tomorrow once we have the actual confirm that the judge has officially passed our case"

OK - this is good I thought. And you would say I would relax a bit and you would be right.

Then Tuesday morning came and we thought "right, we should hear by 10:30a.m. Well, that time came and went...so I made Yvan phone again (I was too scared in case it was bad news).

No luck - they hadn't heard anything. So, I emailed and said "is there anyway you can call them or text or email" and they said "we already tried but can't get a hold of them"

By 3:30 I was distraught - what if they changed their minds and decided we weren't going to be good parents, what if the judge got really sick and couldn't come to court...what if, what if what if!

Wednesday morning I was so sad.....I didn't sleep very well...I got up and was making myself breakfast thinking "let it go, you have to just let it go...what will be will be" This has been my new mantra for the last - oh - 5 1/2 months...

And then at 7:55a.m. .....THE PHONE RANG!

I looked at it and it had our agency's name on it and I just about passed out!

So, I said 'hello' all shaky and nervous like....and they said right away "CONGRATULATIONS MOM, YOU PASSED COURT! YOU AND YVAN ARE OFFICIALLY PARENTS"

I must have been squawking pretty loud because Yvan came downstairs and I said "YOU'RE A DAD" and he started crying which in turn got me crying (because until then I was in a state of shock) and I think we almost got our Agency's rep crying too.

After that it was a whirlwind of phone calls to Moms and dads, and siblings and Aunties...and oh boy did the Mommas cry :)

This day was pretty much the best day of our lives.

I want to say THANK YOU to all you who emailed me leading up to court and just before we shared our news.

I had wanted to post what was happening as it was happening but I was so scared of jinxing anything....I was honestly emotionally paralysed and just couldn't answer an email or make a post until we knew 100% what was going on.

And you waited.

The adoption community is like nothing else in the world. Full of love and support!

So, many of you were thinking of us and sending prayers and positive thoughts. Some of you were worried we hadn't passed and were reaching out to let us know you were there for us!

THANK YOU!!

I couldn't have made it through this without all of you - even though I haven't been blogging much and had taken a step back from reading other blogs too...you were still there for us!

Amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

For Carolyn and Adam

Thank you!

You were our inspiration to keep on when things didn't look so good.

You supported us when we were going through our darkest days even though you were struggling more than we can ever know.

You hoped for us when you had little hope for yourselves at times.

You cared about us, even though we have never met in person, you cared!

Never have I seen such determination and dedication in all my life.

You knew in your hearts Leul was your son and you never gave up hope.

Even when you made the agonizing decision to wait for another referral you still thought of him.

You worried what would become of him and where he would live.

When you were told the option to adopt him was open again...you didn't even hesitate.

Well, now we know what will become of him and where he will live!

He will become your son and he will come home to live with you.

He will be loved, nurtured and cared for by two of the most amazing people I have ever had the privilege of knowing.

We are humbled and honoured to be on this journey with you and we know we will meet you in person in Ethiopia!

Carolyn, I could not have made it through this without your daily emails and support. Yvan also thanks you for it ;)


We send the hugest Congratulations to you - sweet family of 3!!!

See these toes...

and this little nose...

and these little lips


..along with the cutest finger tips...


and the eyes....oh my!!!




Well, they belong to our son......




officially our son!!!!




Today we offically became a family!!!



The courts declared it so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!