"What's In a Name?

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Did I ever tell you that I majored in English Education? I should mention here, that I probably shouldn't have. I still can't use a comma properly (I make my engineering husband, "Mr. Numbers" proofread my stuff...clearly not the blog, but other things...that's how bad I am). Well, I took a Shakespeare class, like any other self-respecting English major. So, in thinking about the name of our daughter, this above 'Romeo and Juliet' quote keeps coming back to me. I really think that Juliet was saying that the substance of someone matters, not what they are called. It's easy to agree with her logic. She was blind with young love. She didn't care what his name was, she loved him for who he was. Okay, let me bring the Shakespeare lesson back to the name of our daughter. 

Months before we knew if we would be referred a boy or a girl, we picked names like so many other expectant parents. We had many reasons for choosing a "new" name for out child and we knew we would use his/her birth name as a middle name. We were positive of our decision. We excitedly announced this to family and friends. Ever since February 11th, they have referred to our daughter by the name we chose. Well, this whole naming business just seemed so abstract before traveling to Ethiopia and meeting our daughter in person. It hit us so clearly that she has a history, her birth name has a beautiful meaning, she responds to her birth name, her birth name is full of beauty, her birth name was chosen out of pure love and adoration, she is going to lose her birth country, culture and everything familiar to her when we bring her to her new home to live with us. We discussed all of these things at length on our way back home from our court trip. Our decision was clear pretty early on, but nothing in this process has been without chaos, so I think the hardest part was pulling the rug out from our friends and family again. Well, friends and family...consider the rug pulled. We are keeping her birth name as her first name and will use the name we chose as her middle name, and no...it isn't Cupcake ;). Cupcake's birth name has a pretty cute nickname when you shorten it up, and we think it is kind of cute that it rhymes with her oldest cousin's first name (thankfully, she gave us her blessing over this...such a kind-hearted 7 year old). Everyone has hung in on this crazy journey so far, and after having told our family of our decision over the long weekend, and it going over fairly well, we feel confident that everyone will adjust. 

Thanks for all of your love and support in this process. It is impossible to measure what it has meant to us. We couldn't have come this far without you all! Leaving in just over a week to go pick her up! Woooo hooooo! (Still.must.buy.diapers.) 

 

While We Wait: Part 2

As of 5 minutes ago (depending on when you are reading this), the nursery became something that I felt comfortable enough to show. There are still some tweaks to be made, but aren't there always? So, in a rare more, this will be more pictures than words. Enjoy that while it lasts!

We thought it would be best to show the entire "process." :)

It started as an office (obviously at some point it became a disaster area)

The room all cleaned out!

Not a great pic, but I had to document the old light fixture.

In the background, you can see the first yellow we tried out on the walls, but we didn't like it because it made the room glow in the dark. IN the foreground, we had a little paint meets carpet incident. I'm not going to name names, but it wasn't me or the dog. It's actually a really funny story (3 weeks after the fact). He wasn't appreciative of the photo... oh well!

The trusty, currently handicapable Diogee as he supervises the carpet cleaning process.

Building the crib after the carpet is cleaned and the proper color is on the walls!

Let me know your thoughts (but only if you really like it. Kidding! Kind of).
Happy 4th of July weekend to you and yours!

It Looks Like

We are headed back here:

 To pick up this: 

 Yes, we have travel clearance to pick up, "Cupcake!" We can hardly believe it! Thank you for your love, prayers, support and positive affirmations! We couldn't have come to this point without all of the wonderful people in our lives. We can't wait to introduce her to the world, because even though that cupcake picture looks good, she is even yummier!!!!!!!!!!

XOXO

While We Wait: Part 1

So, summer vacation is here (and has been for a few weeks), which means that I have waaaaaay too much time on my hands. When you combine that with weather that isn't actually representative of summer, a dog that is suppose to have constant supervision when not in a kennel due to back surgery, and waiting for an e-mail that says you can FINALLY head back to Ethiopia and pick up your daughter, you get a restless heart. 

Again, I wish the pictures were of a finished nursery, but I tend to be fairly indecisive when it comes to a room that I want to be completely PERFECT. I'm waiting on a few pieces of furniture to arrive that I purchased, and then we should be able to finish organizing the closet and hanging things on the wall. THEN, I should have pictures...I'm still looking for the 'perfect chair' for the room too. Blah...

So, We have 2.5 bathrooms in this house. They all needed some updating with paint and some fixtures. I truthfully thought this 'project' for all 3 bathrooms would take a weekend. It ended up taking a little less than a week, and we only did 2 of the bathrooms instead. There were some surprise holes in the bathroom walls, hidden by different things, so we ended up doing some wall repairs. We also couldn't get 2 more of the mirrors we wanted right away, so that is another good reason to hold off on the 3 bathroom (it's the one connected to the master bedroom, so it isn't like anyone sees it besides us?)

I forgot to take good "before" pics, but all of the bathrooms had the same color and decor, so I just snapped one of the medicine cabinet of the master bedroom. Pic below:

Master bathroom with the old 'fixtures' and messy counter...

Main floor 1/2 bath. We kept all of the walls the same color, except that blue one! It got a fresh coat on the other walls, because the previous owners picked nice colors, but they thought they were the king and queen of one coat, and it bothered me that we could see the white behind it in many places...

New mirror and light fixture, plus towel holder (not that you can tell the towel ring is new?!)

Same new fixtures upstairs...plus some serious olive green paint! It looks different in the room than in this picture...I think.

New shower curtain and curtain rod (one that won't destroy the wall!)

It's kind of a weird bathroom setup...

So, hopefully my deliveries for the nursery arrive soon! I need to find some things to hang in the bathrooms to make them "homey" too! 

Still waiting on travel clearance, but I'm going to try to just have fun this weekend and keep working on a few things here and there! 

A quick update on Diogee... It took him about a week to really look like he could stand up (even though it was about 2.5 seconds). In week 2 of recovery, he could kind of walk on his own (but often fell over like he was drunk). We can tell that he slowly gets balance, stability and stamina back. He still falls over, but not as often, and yesterday, he tried really hard to run at full speed in the backyard (even though he isn't supposed to run, jump or attempt stairs for another 8+ weeks), so I had to get him to stop. He can still be found sleeping on his puppy bed throughout most of the day, but he also wants to get outside! In the morning, he can often be seen looking out the window (and I can just hear him thinking, "Man, I wish someone would take me for a WALK!" We can't even say the word, walk, because he gets way too excited and starts drunkenly throwing his body around. Here's hoping he just continues to get a little stronger each day, (although, if he is a little sluggish when Cupcake makes her debut in the house, that might not be a terrible thing for everyone's adjustment!)

Yay for standing (even if his back paws are bent funny!) He is preparing to bark at the neighbor kids...How dare they walk in front of his house!!!

 Happy weekend to everyone!!!!!

I Was Getting Irritable

AND I was making some demands of my God. I think my prayers sounded something like, "Seriously, I am so sick of waiting. Just do something about this. I have to hear that our case was submitted to the US Embassy." Let's see, pretty sure I ended up in my room and in trouble when I made demands like that from my parents when I was a teenager. Why did I think that He would respond in the way I wanted needed, prayed for, when I sounded like an angsty teen? This wasn't the first time my 'prayers' (can it really be a prayer if I am just demanding things?) sounded like this. I stopped, and humbled myself. I finally fell asleep. 

I've managed to accomplish almost nothing this morning (because I even go to the bathroom with my phone in case an agency e-mail comes...shhhh...let's keep that between us). Well, regardless of my whines, we got the news we were hoping for! OUR CASE HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE US EMBASSY. If I could write it bigger, I would. I'm that excited. I think He knows that Cupcake needs to begin her adjustment into family life, because I don't think He would honor my demands. 

So, what happens next? (besides an awkward happy dance performed by me) We WAIT! Hahahaha! Is my response ever different at any step of this process?
You:"Great, you finished you homestudy, now what?"
Me:"Oh, we wait for our USCIS fingerprint appointment."
You:"Oh, you got your I-171h? Now  what?"
Me:"We send in our dossier and wait for a referral."
You:"OMG, you got your referral, what happens next?"
Me:"We wait for a court date!"
You:"You got your court date, now what?"
Me:"We show up and pray we pass. Then, we come home and wait for our Embassy date."

You get the picture... You know when you are going to bake something, and you need to preheat the oven before (yes, this is a cooking analogy, and I'm the one saying it...just go with me). Sometimes I forget to preheat the oven while I am mixing ingredients, so I get the whole dish ready and then I have to wait for the oven to hit the proper temp. It takes, what, 5 minutes? I always end up cursing under my breath. Why? I HATE WAITING! I'm so freaking impatient. I hate getting gas because it takes 'too long.' I loathe waiting rooms. Although, I'm a little better with my smart phone. Angry Birds is NOT a waste of time. 

I think this is why I struggle with the "right" thing to say to the families that are STILL waiting beyond normal timelines. I want to be all wise and calming, but part of me just wants to flip out, on their behalf. I doubt that my ranting is helpful for them. 

So, seriously, what is our next step? It really is waiting. We are waiting for the US Embassy to e-mail us and our agency notifying us that we are cleared for travel. Based on what we know, our cases "issues" have been worked out. There is some medical testing (and we have no idea if it has been done or has yet to be done), that could potentially create issues (HIV and TB) if Cupcake were to test positive, but there is absolutely no reason to believe that she would (though surprises happen). The only other thing is that the US Embassy staff in Ethiopia has been said to typically cut back July appointments because many staff take vacation, and there are some personnel adjustments happening during July that could create a slowdown. Only TIME will tell. It was proven by a few families that were submitted last week that clearance can come within 2 days, but clearance can also come 4+ months from now. It just depends on the caseload the Embassy can handle and if there are any issues with the case. We are praying that clearance comes swiftly. We would need to rush out and buy a few things (ya know, like a carseat, guess I shouldn't have put off all of those people that offered to throw baby showers, oops.) I'm going to go and finish up Cupcake's room! Yippppeeee!!!!!!

A thank you from the heart for all of the prayers and well-wishes. You all have got us this far, we are FINALLY onto the last step of this process. Did I just say last step???? Wahoooo!!!!!!!!!!!

We still cannot show her face online, but we will be posting a bunch of pics as soon as we take custody! So, here is the back of her freaking cute head. Her daddy looks like he is about to explode with happiness to be holding her. She is probably making a funny face, she has so many cute expressions!

Happy 9 Months, Cupcake

Dear Cupcake,

We are coming. Not as fast as I would like, but we ARE coming. May you have a sense that you are loved by so many on your 9 month birthday. We pray that you feel safe and cared for. We have seen first-hand how well your nannies love on you, and feel confident that you are treated the same way in your new setting. Just one more transition to new caregivers to go, we promise. 

Love,
Mom and Dad