Posted on :
8/29/2010
| By :
Joanna
We were very blessed to be a part of the group welcoming Lily Workinesh home. I managed not to cry hysterically, like I thought I would, and only teared up a couple of times. One of those times is when Sharon, having only just hugged her boys, turned to me and said, "Your daughter is gorgeous!" Thank you again, Sharon for looking in on her. Tell Lily we'll have a little friend home for her in a few months!
Isn't she soooo cute?
Posted on :
8/29/2010
| By :
Joanna
I've been lucky enough to make some awesome friends through our adoption process, and I've actually been lucky enough to meet a few of them in person. :)
Heather and I met for lunch on Saturday and had a great time. We really wished Betsy could be there...and she would be, were it not for the plane ride it would require. Don't worry, Betsy, we'll do it again in the Spring if you get to come visit. First round of margaritas is on me!
If you know me, you know I like to make stuff (house projects, baking, cooking, crocheting...and lately, sewing). I've been making bibs as gifts for my adoptive mom friends (Surprise, Betsy! I haven't given you yours yet). I forgot to take pics of the ones I gave to Shannon and Heather, but here are the ones I gave to Sharon for Lily.
A few reversible flannel and one vinyl crumb catcher.
Posted on :
8/29/2010
| By :
Joanna
My friend Sharon just got home from Ethiopia picking up her little girl (look for a later blog). She had good luck with the dial up internet, and I was actually able to chat with her through gmail and couple of times. She looked in on baby M for us and even got to hold her for a little bit.
Here's on of our chats:
me: Loving your updates. Can't wait to see you Sat! :)
Sharon: I saw your baby girl!!!!
me: :))))))
Sharon: She is gorgeous. has definitely grown some
She is social. She cried when they put her in her bed because he wanted to be out with EVERYBODY
me: oh good. Her last update said she had gained 3 lbs in a month
any hair?
Sharon: I also spied her crawling and attacking another baby. lol
yes a little hair
And then she surprised me with an email:
Ok so I got another final look at her yesterday after the farewell
ceremony. I got to hold her and she does definitely weight more than
Lily. I would say she probably weighs around 20 lbs and at this point
would wear a 6-9 month outfit. She's shorter than mine but chunkier.
She has the prettiest eyes. I couldn't get her to smile at me because
I think I scared her, but she is very very curious. I told her that
her mommy is coming to see her soon and I patted her head with that
short little hair :) :)
Seriously, when we can't be there ourselves and get so little information, every little glimpse is like gold!
Thank you so much, Sharon!
Posted on :
8/29/2010
| By :
Joanna
I've been a bit behind in my blogging. :( We received lab reports that went with the last medical update (when she was moved to Addis Ababa at the beginning of July). Everything looked pretty good except that she was a little anemic and was given iron supplements.
We then got another medical/developmental update at the beginning of August. We really didn't expect one so soon. I guessing we got it because she was treated for diarrhea. She's actually doing really well though. They are saying she gained 3 pounds in one month. I'm not sure I believe it, so we'll just have to wait and see. She has two little center bottom teeth and can stand up while holding on to furniture. She's trying to take steps, but isn't quite ready yet. She crawls and creeps well, is selective about her caregivers, and does not like it when her peers take her toys. :) (Who does?!)
Posted on :
8/29/2010
| By :
Joanna
Friday I hosted a "Lunch & Learn" at work. I provided the lasagna, salad, and a little education about Ethiopia...and my co-workers donated $10 per plate toward donations for us to take when we travel to Ethiopia at the end of September. Everyone loved the opportunity to learn about our soon-to-be daughter's country, despite nearly everyone being brought to tears at the end. :(
Thank you to everyone for your great generosity and your kind words of encouragement. We netted approximately $300 ...and the Charity Committee is donating another $250 on behalf of corporate! We will be so proud to arrive in Addis Ababa with suitcases full of clothes, medications, teaching materials, and toys. (I"ll be posting later about all of the donations we get to take.)
Thanks to Lawrence for the watermelon carving and the heart cake!
Thanks to Phyllis for helping me set up and serve.
Posted on :
8/09/2010
| By :
Joanna
We got a medical update on baby M last week. It was from early July, so she would have been almost 9 months old at the time. She weighed almost 17lbs and was almost 27 inches long .She's been gaining about a pound a month since she came into care and is tracking well along the US growth charts. It seems that her pneumonia has cleared up. The big news with this update is that she was moved to the care center in Addis Ababa (the capital city) in preparation for our court date. This is a definite sign that we are near the finish line, but I am sad that she has to go through another transition.The nurse described her as "very playful and affectionate."
As expected, the courts in Ethiopia closed last Friday-ish. Happily, there was a flood of news on the Yahoo board of families being submitted to court, so at least they know that things are moving forward, and maybe they'll receive word about a scheduled court date shortly after the courts re-open at the end of September. BUT the most exciting news was that two of my good friends (who by the way, got their referrals for their kids as much as 5 weeks before us) FINALLY got assigned court dates! I was praying so hard, as I know many other were, that they would not have to wait through the 2 month court closures not having any idea when they would be traveling for their court dates. At the last possible moment, the word came through. I was crying and thanking God for showing me repeatedly through this journey that he does answer prayer. Now they can at least plan and count down the days...like we are :)
I went shopping for clothes for the first time. JCPenny had a great sale, and I had a "Friends and Family" coupon (thanks Becky!). Mark's mom sent her a swim suit all the way from Ireland. It's super cute. I can't wait to have a little person in these!
This is the close up of the one on the far right. When you cry over an outfit in the middle of a store, you have to buy it :)
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