Last night I completed the Hague Training (for me and for Billy)! At the end of the training it said the certificate would arrive in the mail in 3-4 weeks, so I'm glad we got it done because 4 weeks from now is the end of March and we could get a referral any time from late March through April (or later, but I'd rather not think about that!).
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Another Referral, Hague Training COMPLETE and a Conference Call in 10 Minutes!
Posted by Cindy Foote at 12:52 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Preparing Libby for Ethiopia AND Sisterhood!
I have been thinking a lot about our trip to Ethiopia - even though I have NO IDEA when it will be. I've purchased several great travel toys/books for Libby so I can entertain her on the long flight. We fly all the time, but we've never taken Libby on a flight quite as long as this one will be. So I thought it best to have some new toys and books that she won't see or even know about until the day we travel. A while back I created a Life Book for Libby that tells her entire adoption story. She loves it and the book started a whole new love in my heart. A love for writing "books" just for Libby that address whatever issues or lessons on which we need to concentrate. I've written one about princesses - about being a REAL princess of the King. I am still working on that one. And I have some other ideas for the near future. But the following "book" became priority so Libby can be as prepared as possible for the big trip to Ethiopia and for becoming a sister. The actual "book" is full of pictures that go along with the story. But it would take too long to post all that here. I couldn't figure out how to share the file on this blog so I just cut and paste the story. I went to UPS today and had the pages laminated and bound with a simple plastic spiral. It's kid-friendly enough for Libby to hold it and play with it. I dropped off the pages and came back to pick it up a few hours later. The employees at UPS were so sweet when we came back to pick it up. They were in love with the story and the whole idea behind it. That was really encouraging. It has been fun making personal stories just for Libby, but for anyone traveling to Ethiopia - or on any adoption adventure - with little ones I thought this idea might work for you too. Just wanted to share. Enjoy! I’m Flying to Ethiopia! (and becoming a Big Sister too) By: Cindy Foote I am 3 years old. Mommy and Daddy think I’m becoming a big girl. They even think I am big enough to become a Big Sister! I was adopted from China. My baby sister is coming from Ethiopia! Even though we are from very different countries, our adoption stories are almost the same. Just like mommy and daddy flew on a plane for a very long time to get me in China, we will fly on a plane for a very long time to get Lulu. We are flying to Ethiopia! -3- Mommy is already gathering special toys and surprises so I have plenty to play with on the plane. We are even taking some special movies and snacks! This is going to be FUN! -4- Mommy and Daddy say that Ethiopia will be very different from any other place I’ve visited. The people will look different from me and will look different from mommy and daddy too. Many of them will have darker skin and curly black hair – like this: -5- Many people in Ethiopia are poor. Many of them do not have homes like mine. They live on the street. Mommy says that many of the people in Ethiopia do not have money or food. They might even ask us for help by tapping us on the shoulder or holding out their hands. This is the only way they know how to live because they are so poor they need help. Mommy and daddy say that we will PRAY for them because they have so many needs. -6- -7- -8- I used to be a baby. I drank milk from a bottle many times every day. I could not walk or even crawl. I wore a diaper and even pooped in my diaper! Sometimes I cried a lot because that is the only way a baby knows how to talk. Mommy and daddy tell me that Lulu will do these things too. Mommy and daddy will have to hold Lulu a lot. Sometimes I might get jealous and want to be held too. I will have to be a BIG GIRL and wait my turn. Having a sister means I have to share my mommy and daddy. Sometimes this will be very hard. But mommy and daddy say I will soon love Lulu so much that I won’t mind sharing my mommy and daddy with her. -9- -10- We will be in Ethiopia for one whole week and just when we are getting used to it all, we will have to get on a plane again for another very long plane ride home. At this point we will be VERY, VERY, VERY tired! We call this “dog tired!” We will all have to be KIND to each other and PATIENT so we can have a FUN plane ride home! This plane ride will be different from the plane ride to Ethiopia. It will be different because it will be our first plane ride with my new baby sister. Mommy and daddy will have more to carry. We will have to take turns being held by mommy and daddy. Lulu will need her bottles of milk and her diaper changed often. And mommy and daddy will be very busy taking care of Lulu and me. We will play again with our special travel toys and watch our special movies again too. And then – FINALLY – we will be home in San Antonio with my new baby sister! -11- For several days after coming home we will all be tired. Lulu might not sleep very well at night because the sun will be down in San Antonio when it’s up in Ethiopia. She will think it is daytime when the sun goes down. But soon, she will learn to sleep at night. A lot of people will want to come see my baby sister Lulu. She will be new and little and everyone loves to look at babies. Sometimes I might want people to look at me and pay attention to me. That is okay. I just need to tell mommy and daddy how I am feeling. They will understand. Lulu might get some presents. I can help her open them. The great thing about being a BIG sister is that I can teach her how to use her new toys. I also get to teach Lulu English. It will take her a long time to talk, but I will be a big part of her learning how to say words like, “Momma”, “Dada” and “Libby”! -12- Even though I will have to share them with Lulu I know they will love me just as much as they did before Lulu joined our family. I can’t wait to fly to Ethiopia and become a big sister!! I love you, Lulu!
-1-
Posted by Cindy Foote at 4:52 PM 5 comments
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT LIST!!!!!!!!!!!!
WAITING FOR REFERRAL
Top 12 (that we know of) waiting for referral:
Bullington (DTE 4/28/08) – infant boy (0 – 12 mos)
Bayly (DTE 5/2/08) – either infant (0 – 12 mos)
Precopia (DTE 5/2/08) – either infant (0 – 12 mos)
Garner (DTE 5/2/08) – infant girl (0 – 18 mos)
Pickard (DTE 5/9/09) – infant girl (0 – 12 mos)
Delfosse (DTE 5/9/09) – infant girl(s) (0 – 18 mos)
Bartley (DTE 5/30/09) – infant girl (0 – 12 mos)
Bushre (DTE 5/30/09) – either infant (0 – 6 mos)
Low (DTE 5/30/09) – boy (3 – 36 mos)
I believe we are only 2 referrals away from being on this list!!!
Posted by Cindy Foote at 6:44 PM 4 comments
Thursday, February 12, 2009
8 months!
Just a quick note to say tomorrow will mark EIGHT (8) months of waiting. I'm really ready to see some more referrals move out this month so we can have a referral by April (please, oh please?). Oh - and as Feb 22 approaches I am remembering that four years ago on that day a group of Karamajong, African women prayed over me while I held an African baby that God would give me a child. And I'm still thinking about how cool it would be if our baby was born on that date Feb. 22, 2009 - 4 years later... it's possible.
Posted by Cindy Foote at 1:41 PM 2 comments
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' Keep Referrals Rollin'
3 Referrals went out today. The Stacklers who have been on our list for either a boy or girl received a referral for a boy. The Gillmans received a sibling group - a 5 year old girl and a 2 1/2 to 3 year old boy! And the Dragovich family received a referral for a 6 year old boy and a 2 1/2 year old girl.
Bullington (DTE 4/28/08) – infant boy (0 – 12 mos)
Bayly (DTE 5/2/08) – either infant (0 – 12 mos)
Precopia (DTE 5/2/08) – either infant (0 – 12 mos)
Garner (DTE 5/2/08) – infant girl (0 – 18 mos)
Pickard (DTE 5/9/09) – infant girl (0 – 12 mos)
Delfosse (DTE 5/9/09) – infant girl (0 – 18 mos)
Posted by Cindy Foote at 9:28 PM 2 comments
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Mystery Family Discovered -We're Back to #9
I rarely check my home voicemail. Most of the messages on there are from people trying to sell something. So, today I did my first voicemail check in at least 2 weeks time and received a sweet voice mail from a lady named Heidi Garner. Heidi lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and, I think, 4 bio-children. She is adopting from Ethiopia and has been following this blog for a long time. She was calling to "confess" (as she put it) that she is in line ahead of us for an infant girl. In the voice mail she kept apologizing for this saying that she is not on the YG or any other group/list to be accounted for. Poor thing! So I called her back today and she was so sweet and apologized again saying that she feels like she's "cutting in line" even though she's been DTE since May 2. I told her not to worry about it and it's no big deal. We had a great conversation and she sounds like an awesome woman/mom. I told her that it's way better to know now that she is ahead of us so we can account for it and not be surprised later. But either way, the truth is, God has already ordained who Lulu is for our family and no number in line can change that. This is not a surprise to the One in control of it all.
Posted by Cindy Foote at 4:14 PM 5 comments
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
February Referrals Have Begun!
We've been in Nashville for the last 2 days and I missed so much! I discovered this evening on our YG that there were 2 girl referrals this week. The Heinrichs had just switched their request from "girl only" to "either", but they received a referral for a girl!!! And the Eckhardts also received a referral for a girl. So, since I had already subtracted the Heinrichs from the list (thinking they would get a boy since they switched their request), we move up one more in line to number 8 in the "girl only" line this week.
Posted by Cindy Foote at 8:44 PM 5 comments
Monday, February 2, 2009
Successful Court Date Today for 3 Families!
The Chan, Black and Reno families passed court today and that is a great relief not only to these families, but to everyone waiting for referrals and court dates! It seemed like no one was passing (at least, it felt like that) until today! The Martin family did not pass, but the good news is that there is only one piece of paperwork missing and they have a new court date of Feb. 16!
Posted by Cindy Foote at 2:25 PM 1 comments
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Moving up in line!
Just read on our YG that the Heinrich family is changing their request from girl only to "either" or "Boy only". So that moves us up the list before referrals even start rolling out for February. I'm not sure why the family changed their request because they were only number 2 in line waiting for a girl. My curiosity is growing? hmmmmm...
Posted by Cindy Foote at 8:43 AM 1 comments