Home at Last!!!

It has already been a week and two days since we brought the kids home! We passed US Embassy on Monday, April 4th and began the long journey home on Thursday, April 7th. The kids did amazing on the plane-either sleeping or playing. They are adjusting well considering the huge change that just occurred in their lives. They are eating well, sleeping for nine hours a night (most nights), playing together nicely (most of the time) and getting used to their new home. Steve and I are hanging in there and have been good about tag teaming and giving each other breaks. Tucker still isn't so sure about this new arrangement but the kids love him. All is good:D

Happy Happy Day!!!

We found out early yesterday morning that we were approved to travel by the US Embassy. Our Embassy date is Monday! We are so thrilled and so relieved that this long journey to bring our kids home is almost over! Soon, they will be nestled in their beds, snuggling with us, playing with Tucker and exploring their new surroundings...words can not describe how happy and excited we are!

Finally at Embassy

So our journey to bring M. and S. home has been much, much longer than we ever imagined. It has been 15 weeks since our court date. Since our last post, we found out that MOWA (the Ethiopian agency that overseas all adoptions) didn't like the wording of our criminal background letters and wanted new ones. Unfortunately, it isn't as easy as just sending off the letters to Ethiopia. Once they were obtained, we needed to have them notarized, certificated (with the state) then authenticated (at the Ethiopian Embassy in D.C.), all of which takes time. Once MOWA accepted our background letters, we waited to have the kids' birth certificates and passports issued-that finally happened last week. So finally, this past Wednesday all of the proper paperwork was submitted to the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia!

The Embassy has been investigating 90% of adoption cases so the likelihood of our case being investigated is very good. We are a bit anxious because our I-171-H (a critical document issued by the U.S. Immigration Office) expires April 15th. We are hopeful that we can bring M. and S. home before that time as applying for a new I-171-H will add more time to this already lengthy process.

Good friends of ours left on Thursday to meet their little boy who is in the same orphanage as our kids. We have some comfort knowing that M. and S. will get some love and attention from them. In the meantime we are rockin' out some major house projects...the kids' bathroom is getting demo'd this weekend....and enjoying some new pictures we were sent of our kids.

Still Waiting

It has been a while since I last posted. Unfortunately, we have no new news. We are still waiting for a US Embassy date. Fingers crossed that it happens soon. In the meantime we have been busy with house projects and currently are painting the playroom.

Colorado requires 24 hours of parent training for adoptions. The trainings have been very educational and enjoyable. For our family and friends I thought I would post some information that I found interesting about "Positive Adoption Language":

Positive Language.......... Negative Language
Birth parent..........Real parent
Biological parent..........Natural parent
Parent ..........Adoptive parent
My child ..........Adopted child
Birth child..........Own child
Was adopted.......... Is adopted
Terminate parental rights.......... Give up
Child placed for adoption.......... An unwanted child
Make an adoption plan.......... Give away
Waiting child..........Adoptable child; available child
Intercountry adoption.......... Foreign adoption
Child from abroad.......... Foreign child
Court termination.......... Child taken away
Child with special needs.......... Handicapped child
Born to unmarried parents.......... Illegitimate child