Easter is coming and there have been many bunnies in the yard to prove it. They like to scavenge the discarded birdseed from the feeder, there were 2 of them there this morning. Judging from the poop on the shed of our backyard neighbours, the raccoon/s are back too. Luckily no one has eaten my crocuses this year, at least not yet. Someone had a nibble on one of my tulips but I can't say who it was for certain.
Last weekend was auspicious for 2 reasons - the first was Evie's first birthday party. She was such a cutie in her pleated pink dress! And she was soooo well behaved, even though you could tell she was exhausted. She was covered head to toe in icing, but most of that was her aunt's doing (not me, her other aunt). It was good to spend time with the family, even though we had to rush off to the other auspicious event - the Celebration of Hope, which celebrated the first 6 months in operation of the resurrected Imagine Adoption. It was a good time - good food, good speeches, good music, and lots of adopted cuties!
We're heading down to the homeland for Easter, and according to the weatherman it's going to be a ripper of a weekend - over 22 degrees for 3 days straight! Enjoy the holiday, folks! And Vicki - enjoy the caravan park!
Lilypie Birthday tickers
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The road is a pain in the ARSE
Not the road to Wren, though that does have its challenges. With the current rate of referrals (or the complete lack thereof) it'll be years before we meet our daughter. And that's okay. Good things come to those who wait. I do not speak of a metaphorical road, I speak of the literal road. In the past 3 drives to work I have apparently become a bad driver magnet. I'm not saying I'm the best driver ever, I'm not that delusional. But seriously, I've had no less than 3 people drift into my lane, one of them was on a cellphone & would have hit me head-on had I not honked. Then another driver casually drifted into my lane this morning, going no more than 100km/hr (I was going 115km/hr) & kept coming until I honked my horn at him. And don't get me started about the 18-wheelers that change lanes right in front of me, going a lot slower than I'm going. Doesn't anyone check their blind spot anymore? I just don't see why people can't frakkin' pay attention when they're behind the wheel of a multi-ton vehicle. Last week 3 Canada geese took off from the ditch right beside my off-ramp right in front of me, and trust me, you don't want to hit one Canada goose, let alone 3 of them. Maybe this is a sign. Maybe I should stay in the slow lane.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
So, it looks like we're going to have to travel to Ethiopia twice, once we receive our referral (which is looking like it won't be for quite some time). Apparently, the federal courts in Ethiopia announced yesterday that adoptive parents will now have to travel to Addis Ababa to appear in person for their court date. While this means that we will get to meet our girl sooner rather than later, it's really going to put a sizeable dent in our pocketbook. Previously families only had to travel once, when the adoption was finalized & the visa to travel had been received. This goes into effect immediately for anyone who doesn't already have a court date. That would be us. We don't even have a referral yet. In addition, MOWA (the Ministry of Women's Affairs) have made a decision to not issue "letters of adoption" to relinquished children from some areas of Ethiopia. Unfortunately, of the 4 orphanages the agency deals with, 3 of them are in those regions. They will only issue letters for abandoned children. The hope is that this decision is temporary, because it has drastically reduced the number of referrals. I understand the logic behind the decision, as every effort must be made to ensure these children have been given up for the "right" reasons & that they haven't been taken from their parents under false pretenses. It still stings a little, though, knowing that our referral could now be years away, instead of just a year or so. Oh well, just another bump in the road to Wren.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Good times
So, last weekend was our babysitting weekend. Because my brother & sister-in-law were part of her sister’s wedding (which was GORGEOUS, by the way – the bride & the reception venue, anyway, we didn’t see the actual wedding), we had our niece for Saturday night until Sunday afternoon. All in all, I’d say it was very successful. We started Saturday by assembling the crib – which was easier said than done. Most of the assembly went as it should, until we got to the last bracket holding the mattress base to the crib. We could not get the screw through the bottom of the bracket no matter what we tried. Finally, I had to get under the crib (like I was changing the oil in a car) and push against the bracket with all the strength in my thumb (which isn’t all that much) so we could get the screw in all the way. What realistically should have taken us 30 min took us 2 HOURS. There were angry eyes all around. Finally, it was ready for its trial run.
We picked up Evie around 5pm, with a few rushed instructions & the hand-over of many many bags (I’ve suggested they invest in a hockey bag for all her accoutrements). We were on the road more than 5 minutes when she was asleep. She slept until we got to our place, then she got her second wind & crawled around the living room for a while. She’s been teething, so we gave her the baby Motrin, then set to trying to put her down for the night. That was also easier said than done, she was so over-tired & over-stimulated that she had a good old cry session for about an hour. She finally gave up her fight & fell asleep at 8.15pm, after an hour & a half of rocking & bouncing & a poopy diaper change & a bottle. At one point I thought, “we’ve just wasted a lot of money to adopt one of these”. Then I pinched a nerve in my neck reaching into the crib to pat her on the back. Note to self – remove wheels from crib, they are not compatible with 2 people who are only a couple inches this side of 5 feet.
She had a great night’s sleep – 10 hours, though I did not (the light on the baby monitor kept me awake, as did the “state of constant readiness”). I was on a hair-trigger, waiting for the slightest whimper to rush to her aid. Turns out she’s a great sleeper, especially since the tooth she’s been cutting lately finally broke through this weekend. So we were all up bright & early, with another diaper change & another bottle. Andrew is a champion bottle-man, she loves men with beards, so she stared lovingly into his eyes the whole time – SO CUTE! An hour & a half of crawling & cruising later & it was time for cereal with bananas, which I let Andrew feed her to get the practice. It went as well as can be expected with a baby who likes to feed herself. Yes, some of it did end up in her hair. Then we wiped her down (tell me, is there a kid in the world that LIKES to have their face wiped, because I have not met one) and changed her out of her sleeper (and ANOTHER poopy diaper). Andrew managed to get her down for 2 30 minute naps between 6am & 12.30pm, when her parents arrived to pick her up. He got a lot of valuable practice, and it was beyond wonderful to see him practicing his daddy skills.
All told, it was a great weekend. Sunday was spent napping & watching the Oscars (which I rather enjoyed, I though the hosts did a great job). We both took Monday off & went to see Alice in Wonderland (which we really really liked), had lunch out & did some other chores. And the weather was great, which does good things to your emotional state. Now, if referrals would just pick up (a lot), like would be GRAND.
We picked up Evie around 5pm, with a few rushed instructions & the hand-over of many many bags (I’ve suggested they invest in a hockey bag for all her accoutrements). We were on the road more than 5 minutes when she was asleep. She slept until we got to our place, then she got her second wind & crawled around the living room for a while. She’s been teething, so we gave her the baby Motrin, then set to trying to put her down for the night. That was also easier said than done, she was so over-tired & over-stimulated that she had a good old cry session for about an hour. She finally gave up her fight & fell asleep at 8.15pm, after an hour & a half of rocking & bouncing & a poopy diaper change & a bottle. At one point I thought, “we’ve just wasted a lot of money to adopt one of these”. Then I pinched a nerve in my neck reaching into the crib to pat her on the back. Note to self – remove wheels from crib, they are not compatible with 2 people who are only a couple inches this side of 5 feet.
She had a great night’s sleep – 10 hours, though I did not (the light on the baby monitor kept me awake, as did the “state of constant readiness”). I was on a hair-trigger, waiting for the slightest whimper to rush to her aid. Turns out she’s a great sleeper, especially since the tooth she’s been cutting lately finally broke through this weekend. So we were all up bright & early, with another diaper change & another bottle. Andrew is a champion bottle-man, she loves men with beards, so she stared lovingly into his eyes the whole time – SO CUTE! An hour & a half of crawling & cruising later & it was time for cereal with bananas, which I let Andrew feed her to get the practice. It went as well as can be expected with a baby who likes to feed herself. Yes, some of it did end up in her hair. Then we wiped her down (tell me, is there a kid in the world that LIKES to have their face wiped, because I have not met one) and changed her out of her sleeper (and ANOTHER poopy diaper). Andrew managed to get her down for 2 30 minute naps between 6am & 12.30pm, when her parents arrived to pick her up. He got a lot of valuable practice, and it was beyond wonderful to see him practicing his daddy skills.
All told, it was a great weekend. Sunday was spent napping & watching the Oscars (which I rather enjoyed, I though the hosts did a great job). We both took Monday off & went to see Alice in Wonderland (which we really really liked), had lunch out & did some other chores. And the weather was great, which does good things to your emotional state. Now, if referrals would just pick up (a lot), like would be GRAND.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
1 year DTE
Check out that ticker!
A lot can happen in a year. A lot has happened since the day our dossier arrived in Ethiopia, so I thought I would put it all down here, so as not to forget.
March 3, 2009 – Our dossier arrives in Ethiopia. What a great day that was, and for someone whose lucky number is 3, the date was perfect – 3/3/09.
April 1, 2009 – My beautiful niece, Evamarie, is born. She’s turning out to have as dynamic a personality as her parents, which is a great thing, trust me. She’s going to have a GREAT sense of humour (it’s genetic, don’t you know?). It’s also Andrew’s birthday month.
May 2009 – My birthday month, the month that Andrew & I went back to the UK for the first time since we met there in 1992, and the month that my dad had the operation to remove part of his right kidney (and the cancerous tumour it contained).
June 2009 – A pretty quiet month, which was good considering what happened in July. I think this was the month we were given a crib & pack n play by our friends (their kids had outgrown them).
July 2009 – On the 13th we received the phone call that stopped our hearts for a second. The adoption agency was in bankruptcy. For a few days it was stunned silence and tears. Then, as the news reports started to come in, white hot anger. That weekend, we attended a meeting with what turned out to be the FIA (Families of Imagine Adoption) – families with hope. Andrew & I made our national debut on CBC – The Journal. At the end of the month we attending the creditors meeting with the bankruptcy trustee.
August 2009 – I don’t recall much happening in August, which I guess is a good thing. Just worrying about if we would ever be a family.
September 2009 – We had a much needed long weekend away with my parents in Eastern Ontario. On the 21st, the families & creditors affected by the bankruptcy voted overwhelmingly to revive the agency. Of 270 families, 248 voted yes! On the 29th, the proposal was approved by the courts.
October 2009 – On the 1st, the agency was officially back up & running. At the end of the month we celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in Niagara Falls. I’m also pretty sure that it was this month that I found out that my best friend ever was pregnant, after years of hoping & trying. I could not be happier for her, though I’m also INSANELY JEALOUS.
November 2009 – Nothing much happened, that I recall.
December 2009 – Our first Christmas with a baby in the house, though it was our niece – not our baby. How wonderful to experience Christmas through a child’s eyes. Next year will be even better, when she’s old enough to know what’s going on.
January 2010 – We welcomed the new year with friends (2 of our fellow adopting couples) & a lot of Wii Sports Resort. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet month.
February 2010 – Not much happened personally, but Canada RULED THE WORLD in the Olympics! Yay Canada, I knew you could do it! Now, if I never hear that I Believe song again, I will NOT be disappointed.
March 2010 – Well, here we are again. March 3. It’s a gorgeous sunny day, and I’m one year closer to meeting my daughter. We’re going out for dinner tonight to celebrate, and then we’re going to Babies R Us to pick up a crib sheet in preparation for Evie babysitting duties this weekend. Life is pretty sweet!
A lot can happen in a year. A lot has happened since the day our dossier arrived in Ethiopia, so I thought I would put it all down here, so as not to forget.
March 3, 2009 – Our dossier arrives in Ethiopia. What a great day that was, and for someone whose lucky number is 3, the date was perfect – 3/3/09.
April 1, 2009 – My beautiful niece, Evamarie, is born. She’s turning out to have as dynamic a personality as her parents, which is a great thing, trust me. She’s going to have a GREAT sense of humour (it’s genetic, don’t you know?). It’s also Andrew’s birthday month.
May 2009 – My birthday month, the month that Andrew & I went back to the UK for the first time since we met there in 1992, and the month that my dad had the operation to remove part of his right kidney (and the cancerous tumour it contained).
June 2009 – A pretty quiet month, which was good considering what happened in July. I think this was the month we were given a crib & pack n play by our friends (their kids had outgrown them).
July 2009 – On the 13th we received the phone call that stopped our hearts for a second. The adoption agency was in bankruptcy. For a few days it was stunned silence and tears. Then, as the news reports started to come in, white hot anger. That weekend, we attended a meeting with what turned out to be the FIA (Families of Imagine Adoption) – families with hope. Andrew & I made our national debut on CBC – The Journal. At the end of the month we attending the creditors meeting with the bankruptcy trustee.
August 2009 – I don’t recall much happening in August, which I guess is a good thing. Just worrying about if we would ever be a family.
September 2009 – We had a much needed long weekend away with my parents in Eastern Ontario. On the 21st, the families & creditors affected by the bankruptcy voted overwhelmingly to revive the agency. Of 270 families, 248 voted yes! On the 29th, the proposal was approved by the courts.
October 2009 – On the 1st, the agency was officially back up & running. At the end of the month we celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in Niagara Falls. I’m also pretty sure that it was this month that I found out that my best friend ever was pregnant, after years of hoping & trying. I could not be happier for her, though I’m also INSANELY JEALOUS.
November 2009 – Nothing much happened, that I recall.
December 2009 – Our first Christmas with a baby in the house, though it was our niece – not our baby. How wonderful to experience Christmas through a child’s eyes. Next year will be even better, when she’s old enough to know what’s going on.
January 2010 – We welcomed the new year with friends (2 of our fellow adopting couples) & a lot of Wii Sports Resort. Other than that, it was a pretty quiet month.
February 2010 – Not much happened personally, but Canada RULED THE WORLD in the Olympics! Yay Canada, I knew you could do it! Now, if I never hear that I Believe song again, I will NOT be disappointed.
March 2010 – Well, here we are again. March 3. It’s a gorgeous sunny day, and I’m one year closer to meeting my daughter. We’re going out for dinner tonight to celebrate, and then we’re going to Babies R Us to pick up a crib sheet in preparation for Evie babysitting duties this weekend. Life is pretty sweet!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Kitchen Makeover
Not really. We did go to Ikea yesterday (we got there right when they opened at 10am, and the crowds got steadily worse the longer we were there - the cafeteria was crazy-town) and get some new canisters (glass cylinder-shaped with stainless steel lids) to replace the "old" cow canisters. Nothing wrong with the cows, they just take up half the available bench-space. So we cleaned all the dust & detritus off the counter (amazing what builds up when you're too lazy to clean it), arranged all the single recipes in a desk organizer, and it's like we have a new kitchen! At least, on the left hand side of the kitchen. The right side could definitely use some work. That's where everything goes when we don't have room in the cupboard.
We also bought a dresser for the baby's room at Ikea - it's really nice. I had originally wanted to get a low, pine dresser so we could use it as a change-table too, but when we say this dresser we fell love (well, Andrew did, which is unusual for him!). It's the Aspelund 3 drawer dresser, in case you're interested (which I know you are). The only thing that I would change about it would be for it to be wood-grain instead of white, so it would go with the rest of the furniture. That said, we can always paint the crib white (which is looking more attractive the more I think about it). The bookcase is already a very light wood, so if the crib is white it will tie everything together. I can't wait to get the couch out of there so we can start putting everything together!!!! Evie, my niece, is staying the night on Saturday, so maybe we should put the crib together now (we can always take it apart again) as I hear she doesn't like to sleep in a playpen. Picky girl. I'm actually a bit nervous about taking care of her ourselves, but I'm looking forward to the practice too!
There was an article over the weekend in the Kitchener Record, about That Nasty Blonde Lady who took our money & spent it on herself. Check it out - even after all these months it still makes my blood boil -http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/677204. One of these days I'm gonna need to learn how to include links.
We also bought a dresser for the baby's room at Ikea - it's really nice. I had originally wanted to get a low, pine dresser so we could use it as a change-table too, but when we say this dresser we fell love (well, Andrew did, which is unusual for him!). It's the Aspelund 3 drawer dresser, in case you're interested (which I know you are). The only thing that I would change about it would be for it to be wood-grain instead of white, so it would go with the rest of the furniture. That said, we can always paint the crib white (which is looking more attractive the more I think about it). The bookcase is already a very light wood, so if the crib is white it will tie everything together. I can't wait to get the couch out of there so we can start putting everything together!!!! Evie, my niece, is staying the night on Saturday, so maybe we should put the crib together now (we can always take it apart again) as I hear she doesn't like to sleep in a playpen. Picky girl. I'm actually a bit nervous about taking care of her ourselves, but I'm looking forward to the practice too!
There was an article over the weekend in the Kitchener Record, about That Nasty Blonde Lady who took our money & spent it on herself. Check it out - even after all these months it still makes my blood boil -http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/677204. One of these days I'm gonna need to learn how to include links.
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