Caleb's First NFL related Peice of Clothing

YES! Today I bid on and won that beautiful Tedy Bruschi jersey. Its 12 month so I'm hoping he will be able to fit it around football season! How cute is he going to look at the GA Dome when the Falcons lose to the Patriots next yr?? hahahaha I haven't been this excited about a piece of his clothing hehehe


GO PATS!

-S

Guatemala to Ethiopia

So after further emails with the I600A women its our understanding that Guatemala embassy is going to receive our approved I600A and that they are going to send it to Ethiopia AND (this is the worst part) we cant check to make sure thats happened only our agency can. I sure hope this information is not correct. Because i really don't have much faith that Guatemala would send it to Ethiopia and that it will get in the correct hands. We will have our copy in hand but i would like the embassy to have one asap as well. blah what a headache!

P.S.

When we called the agency to tell them the correct I600A was on the way the lady who answered the phone pulled out file to make the notes. She said before Sari hung up "hey you are about half way through your wait" Then Sari said "Yes May correct" and she said "Thats very realistic" Is it just me or does very realistic sound like it might be before that???!?!
I know i keep talking about timelines and dates of referral. You all are probably like "yes Courtney May we get it" lol. Its just there are only 9 weekends left its getting close and i am excited!

Maybe fixed?

So we think we might have fixed the I600A problem. Only took one day of pure madness and freaking out to do it (we are good LOL) We hunted down the women who made the mistake (we are so sneaky LOL) and she said she would fix the problem and send us a new one asap. Now the reason i say it might be fixed is cause i still have to follow up with INS to make sure they dont send my info to Guatemala.
Hey its closer to being fixed then it was and there is nothing i can do now but wait and pray for no more mess ups (please god no more I600A mess ups)

Nothing is ever easy

So the agency emailed us and said the homestudy people are the one who should take care of the I600A mess up. Sucks i could not get them to fix their mess up the social worker sure as hell is not going to fix someones else's. SO we are stuck trying to fix this ourselves yet again :-(
I am so frustrated!!!!!!!!!!!
Sari called today. The normal I600A approval location moved and we don't have the number so we called the general INS (USCIS) number and they directed me to the National Visa Center, they haven't received the approval yet so they dont even have us on file. We are supposed to call the visa people everyday to see if we can catch it before they send it to Guatemala (seriously they have no better idea then for us to call everyday?) meanwhile we are still trying to get a hold of the original I600A lady (the one who messed up) to see what she can do (i am not holding me breath)
Confused yet?!?! I know i am!!!! I am so so so pissed this is an important piece of paper we started this over 5 months ago and its still messed up and none of it our fault!

Paint and Pups

We bought the supplies for the room yesterday :-)
$100 in paint! The room is going to look great the colors!!!! Dr Seuss really is amazing!


Another note one of the pups was adopted and the other one came home with us for another week. The Vet did not think her cold was healed enough for her to be adopted just yet (and i agree)I am glad she is back with us and trying so hard not to get too attached (ya right)

Adoption Agency is on it!

So yesterday I scanned the I-797 (which is the new name for the I-171h which is the approved I600A)and sent it to the adoption agency because of the Guatemala City thing. I got a reply this morning and she did confirm that this is a mess up, that it should have been sent to Addis Ababa and she would get someone on it first thing Monday morning! She also said that it had happened before and she doesn't recall it being a big deal to get it resent. I feel a lot better knowing that the agency knows whats up and what to do to fix it. I thought it was going to be a stressful weekend, but i feel a little better, and I'm REALLY glad she checks her email on Saturdays! I love our agency. When the social worker/ homestudy people messed up we had to fix it ourselves and it took a month and a lot of stress/drama. This time we notified our agency of the mess up (which is not their fault)and they replied on a Saturday we will take care of it on Monday. They are the bomb!

On another note, we took the puppies to Petsmart for the adoption, I was so sad to see them go but I know they will be happy wherever they end up. Judy (the coordinator)is going to call at 3:30 (when it ends) and if they weren't adopted, we can take them back if we want. Here's hoping that someone with a big yard a good family adopts the pups :)

-S

Another I600A mess up :-(

Well after a closer look looks they messed up the I600A GGRRRR!!! Looks like the sent it to Guatemala instead of Ethiopia. I am so pissed!!! This is the 2nd I600A mess up since we started this form 5 months ago! 1 form 5 months (thus far) its crazy!
Blah

I600A WOOT

We received the homeland security approval today!!!!
After all that drama last month we are done WOOT!
We are forwarding a copy to our agency just to double check since we did have some bumps in the road already.
YAY :-)

Do you like Green Eggs and Ham

Would you eat them on a wall??

So we are not starting the mural yet (have to paint the walls first) we did get the projector and had a dry run




This drawing is going on the bookshelf we were just trying it out on the wall first.

Overhead Projector and Mural Design

Well we are going to start the room in the next couple weeks. We decide to pick a Dr. Seuss theme and went with Green Eggs and Ham. We chose that one for several reasons

1. its Saris fav
2. we like the colors
3. its well known.


We found these directions on the internet and are going to give it a try. Wish us luck cause we are sure as hell not artists so we might end up with a mess :-)


Using an Overhead Projector to Transfer the Mural Design
Instructions

* STEP 1: Select a design that you'd like to paint on your wall. The design can be one you've drawn yourself or one you've found on a greeting card, in a coloring book or from another source.
* STEP 2: Make a color copy of the image you've selected to use as a reference when you're painting.
* STEP 3: Make a black-and-white photocopy of the image. Use the copy machine to enlarge the image to a size at which you can easily see all the details.
* STEP 4: Make a black-and-white transparency of your design. Ask the clerk at the copy store to help you.
* STEP 5: Place the transparency on an overhead projector.
* STEP 6: Turn the projector on and project the design onto the desired wall area.
* STEP 7: Move the projector closer to or farther from the wall until the design is positioned correctly and is the desired size.
* STEP 8: Mark the position of the projector on the floor with masking tape in case you need to move the projector before you've finished transferring the design.
* STEP 9: Outline the design on the wall carefully with pencil.

Tips & Warnings

* This is the simplest way to transfer the design to the wall surface.
* Select a simple design with a limited number of colors if this is your first mural.
* If you don't have access to an overhead projector, ask your friends. Teachers or others who do visual presentations at work may be able to borrow a projector for you to use.
* If you're planning to paint your design with light colors, use a light-colored pencil to transfer it to the wall. Black pencil lines may show through.
* Position the overhead projector squarely in front of the wall. If it's angled to one side or the other, it will distort the projected image.

Dad Update

Well, this past Thursday dad has his third round of chemo. Surprisingly, the day of chemo he told my mom that he had a hankering for fried pork chops. So my mom took him to Folks (restaurant here that server typical southern food like hush puppies and turnip greens among other stuff) and he ate 2 pork chops and mashed potatoes! Then they went to the grocery store and we didn't have to use the wheelchair. I called my mom the next day to see if they wanted to go to dinner and she said dad was feeling pork chops again so we (me, court, mom, dad, mitch (brother), ashley (brothers g/f) and vanessa (friend of the family)) went and he ate again! I had some hope :) but then the next day he wasn't feeling well, same stuff again... tired, only drinks his nutritional shakes and a couple pieces of toast all day. Monday mom stayed home from work because Sat and Sun they had been up all night with vomiting and diarrhea. I talked to my mom yesterday and it was the same stuff as usual, he sleeps a lot and doesn't eat much. I wish he could have the shot of Procrit everyday. He is still very positive which is so wonderful! If anything changes I will surely post.

-S

Birth Parents

So we have this great adoption book for Caleb. It is wonderful!! Has information on his home country, religion, immunizations, why we chose to adopt, why we picked out his name and (what I am going to write about now) his birth parents.
One of the reasons we choose international is because we did not want to do open adoption. I felt intimidated by the possibility of birth parents. So much so that it actually scared me. Then out of nowhere last night we were going through the adoption book taking out what we didn’t need (like things about foster parents and visiting at the hospital after he was born) and we came across a page titled first time you met my birth parents and Birth family tree 6 months ago I would not have even looked at that page I would have torn it out hoping Caleb would feel the same like all that mattered was us and our family tree. Yesterday I felt so different (when did this happen to me) I want Caleb to have as much information as possible about his family. I would not dream of taking out those pages from the book now. I even found myself truly hoping that we can get that information for him. Its amazing how much the love of your child can change you even before that child is with you. I feel less selfish it’s not about ME being the only parent he knows or ME being the only one he loves and wants to be with. I see the importance of documenting the first time I met his birth mother and definitely the importance of a birth family tree.
Now with this new awakening I just hope I can give that to him. With Ethiopia it could go either way. With an abandoned child you can’t get that information but a child given to the orphanage by the parent’s is often times willing to meet that adopted parents and say goodbye to their child. So let just hope I don’t have to take out those pages.


-C

Closet is Close!

Today we went to Target and got a a couple things. As you can see in the picture the closet is almost there! Today we got that tub on the floor for his toys and at the top of the closet those little baskets will ultimately go on the shelf in his changing table to hold diapers and diaper supplies, right now its holding the clothes that we know will be too big when he comes home. Since we decided on the Dr. Seuss room, we've been looking for bolder colors instead of the soft pastels. Whatcha think? :-D

-S

Dr Seuss

So we decided on the nursery :-)
We have been looking at bedding and crap for like a year it was all ok but nothing really hit home. Then today i stumbled across a website that had Dr Seuss murals and knew 100% Dr Seuss nursery!!
We will probably start it in the next month or two. y'all know that i will post pictures every step of the way :-)

Babies R Us

We made our first registry last night :-)
Given its going to be 4 months before our shower so i am sure a lot will change but it was a fun thing to do. Did it all online and got almost everything we need :-) You know its crazy but making a registry really gets ya pumped for a baby. I was smiling the entire time we made it :-)

Here are some of the highlights:

I am sure my mom wishes she had this when i was a kid.. It takes babies temp



This was my favorite LMAO Its for when we change his diaper so he doesnt pee everywhere LOL



This is a book where you need to put cheerios in to finish the pictures. This is something Ima and baby will like cause Ima is a big cheerios fan too



Didn't everyone have one of these as a kid? Its like a right of passage

Not a number BUT...

We talked to the agency (i know its a week early)and we didn't get a number BUT she said "you are 3 months away from referral and you will have your son in your arms this summer" How awesome is that!!! For the last 7 months we have been told "a guess would be 3 to 6 months" or we go on the website and try to guess what the timing will be...well now we have been told a precise answer!!! When people ask we can say MAY 13TH and we can start researching and planing our trip in August how cool!!!!

Foster Mommies

So to kill some baby waiting time we are fostering pets :-)
These pups were going to be put to sleep cause they had a cold :-( so a no kill shelter took them in and we get to foster them for 14 days. After that they get fixed and adopted out. We are having so much fun!!!!!

Raising Money for the Orphanage

So we were thinking of ways to raise money for the orphanage and here is one that you or maybe some of your friends might be interested in.

As you all know (or don't know), I am a Systems Administrator. As a hobby I like to create websites. So if you or anyone you know would like a website I will create one for you for a donation. You will have to buy your own domain (i.e - sampledomain.com) or you can sign up for free ones on Geocities.com among others. I can also create logos or Myspace pages (not the normal type of myspace pages, more like website looking, example: http://myspace.com/thelocomexican) using Photoshop.

Know that this is not for our benefit and all the money WILL be given to the orphanages in Ethiopia. This is a great way to be charitable and get something back for it! If you are interested please comment here with an email address to contact you at or email me at leastcmplicated _at_ gmail (dot) com

Thanks so much!!!

-S

Travel Information

Ethiopia is situated in northeast Africa, bordered by Eritrea, Sudan, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti. The major part of the country in the central area is a vast highland region of volcanic rock forming a watered, temperate zone surrounded by hot, arid, and fascinating desert. Places of interest in the capital, Addis Ababa, include St George’s Cathedral, the Menelik Mausoleum and the large market. AXUM, in the north, was the ancient royal capital of the earliest Ethiopian kingdom. It is renowned for multi-storied ancient carved granite obelisks and for the church which claims to house the Lost Ark of the Covenant. Also in the north, The Blue Nile Waterfalls are spectacular. National parks include the Simien National Park (in the northern mountains) and the Bale Mountains National Park, on high southern moorland country, which has its own unique flora and fauna. Ethiopian food is based on dishes called we’t (meat, chicken or vegetables, cooked in a hot pepper sauce). Local red and dry white wines are worth trying. Talla (Ethiopian beer) has a unique taste.



Best Time To Visit: Ethiopia can provide you with 13 months of sunshine or any kind of weather you like. It depends on the region that you want to visit and/or the activities you want to join.



Natural Features: Highlands including the highest peak Ras Dashan in Simien mountain range. There are dissected plateaus divided by the Great Rift Valley, the dominant feature of the country is the Central plateau which contains a number of river systems like the Blue Nile.

Cant Wait for the Answers!

As i am sure you all know (cause we have posted it 100 times) on Feb 20th we find out where we are on the wait list. We are so freaken excited. Even if we are 6 months away (which i don't think we will be) it will be so nice to get some real answers. A correct timeline to tell people when they ask and a real number to dream about :-)




PS- Update on Saris dad.
He is doing OK good days and bad. They got some hospice care which should start soon and i am sure that will be good for the entire family.

OMG, Halfway Through the Average Wait Time

Ok, so I know we posted one of these a week or so ago, but today I looked at the ticker and its been EXACTLY 2 months since the dossier arrived in Ethiopia. We are halfway to the avg wait time... exciting! (well at least it is for us :D). We should know next month where we are on the list and if the wait has changed at all. But as of right now we are 2 months away from referral :D

-S

P.S. - Happy Superbowl Day!