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!