SHE’S OURS!!!!!!!!! Belane is officially our daughter as of August 4, 2006. To say we are excited is an understatement…

I had started to get nervous last night…it is very common for there to be a minor “glitch” in the paperwork when the cases go to court, and for that case to then be “bumped” back a week. Well, there is no “next week” in court until October now, and I started to wonder what we’d do if our case didn’t pass today and we had to wait until after the court closure after all. Josh kept telling me it would be fine and not to make... more

WOO HOO!!!!

I got the best phone call this morning. Our I171H is IN THE MAIL!!!!!

We had run into a brick wall with our USCIS office, and our social worker was not getting any response from them when she called and left messages. USCIS has had our application, homestudy and fingerprints for almost three months, and we keep hearing how they are very timely for families in one state that they “service” and that families in the other state that they “service” are seeing long delays. (I am using the word service loosely here).

Knowing... more

Time for another adoption update. Let’s see…our court date is on Friday, which means if all goes well, as of Friday, Belane will legally be our daughter. We’ll be anxiously awaiting that good news from Ethiopia, and I’ll be sure to pass it on as soon as we get it.

On another issue, I wanted to share with you all how amazingly grateful Josh and I are and how blessed we are feeling. If you read my posts on “Deciding to Adopt Belane” you know that money was one... more

My eight year old just informed me that today is opposite day...that was his reasoning when questioned as to why he was calling me “Dad”, why his socks were on his hands and why when I asked if he wanted breakfast he said “no” and then went and sat in his seat at the table. Ahhhhhhhh….there is nothing quite like eight year old boys.

But, in the spirit of things, I decided that instead of an “un-photographable” today, (since it is opposite day) I would share a photo with you.

Here is my angel Belane, sleeping. Isn’t she gorgeous?

I... more

Ok, so I promised you an update on Belane today, and it is well past bedtime so I better get to it!

These new pictures are from the documentary crew that just got back from Addis. I am pretty sure I have mentioned that we are participating in a documentary being filmed on adoption and HIV, and the overwhelming need for parents to open their hearts to these children. The crew just spent over a week in Addis filming at AHOPE (Belane’s orphanage) and other relevant places.

They are coming out to our home in the next few weeks. Gosh,... more

We got awesome news today that our adoption case has been submitted to the courts in Ethiopia! We made it into the last group that our agency is going to submit before the courts close for their annual summer closure (this is typically early August to early October). We knew that we were right up against the court closure with our paperwork and were hoping and praying that our case would be approved before the closure. If we didn't get through before the closure, it would have added an extra two to three months to the wait to bring Belane home, so this is really, really welcomed... more

Lots of people ask Josh and I how our extended family members feel about our family. I know a lot of people have family members who are not always supportive of their adoptions (although I know lots of people who have very supportive extended families too).

Well, today I am going to talk about my Dad and my Auntie, just to show you how supportive they are. My Dad is a single father, and he is really amazing. My Auntie has pretty much taken over the role of “Mom” in my life, and she is the Aileen we are naming Belane Anna Aileen after.

When we told them that we were adopting another child and that she was HIV+, they were outrageously supportive. I am sure they have their concerns,... more

I didn’t think that there would be a lot to update in regards to Belane’s adoption, but things keep happening.

First off, we heard from AAI (our adoption agency) yesterday and they have given us a $3,000 grant to lower the adoption fees for Belane’s adoption. That was great news and definitely “made” my Fourth of July. AAI has a GRACE fund, which stands for “Giving Reduces Adoption Costs in Ethiopia”, and the fund is used to lower fees for older children, special needs children or children who are otherwise harder... more

I want to say thanks to all of you who have offered words of support about Belane, whether it was by comment on this blog or by email. We truly appreciate the support of so many of you and it means so much to me. This picture was taken a few months ago by some volunteers from NY who were working at AHOPE. I love the dress! (I think she is quite girlie, as I have yet to get a picture of her in pants or shorts...only dresses!)

I wanted to share a recent great experience we had regarding Belane’s adoption. One of my biggest worries has been finding the right doctor to treat... more

(This is continued from earlier posts...to see them all, click on the category "Belane's adoption" to the right and scroll down, as earlier posts are at the bottom of the page)

On my birthday (March 24) I wrote Josh a long letter and told him everything I had been feeling since our trip. I’ve never been good at talking about things that bother me. My head is full of what I want to say, but somehow my mouth just can’t or won’t say it. What comes out is just pieces of what I really want to say, and once I start crying, it’s over with. I needed to make sure Josh knew exactly everything I was thinking and had to say, and I knew writing it was the only way I would get that done.

I... more