Market/Birthday

October 1- Yesterday we celebrated Mekebo's 4th birthday. What an exciting day for him! I can't believe he is 4 years old. Every year on his birthday I think especially hard about his birth mother. What an amazing woman she is. And I also thank God for letting us be a part of his life. I can't imagine our lives without the spark that he adds.

Yesterday morning we woke up really early so the boys could set up their stand at the Viroqua Farmer's Market. They sold birdhouse gourds, pumpkins, raspberries and okra. Elijah made the above sign and along side of it sat a picture of Kokeb.

After the Market, Mekebo had a birthday party at the pool. It was a fun time and I have to say that his friends have to be the best kids ever. It was a breeze.

Emotions

Sad, mad, happy, blessed= all of the emotions that I felt, very strongly, all in one day.

It was 4am last Monday and I woke up to Brian rubbing my back like he had something to tell me. He had just checked my e-mail (which had been very common for the past 3 weeks since we were submitted to the US Embassy and were waiting to receive news) and he informed me that the US Embassy was requesting more information and paperwork re: Kokeb. We were not cleared to bring her home at this time.

Sad. I started to cry and didn't stop until I got out of the shower at 8:30am. I am ready to hold her in my arms. Her brothers are constantly talking about when their sister is coming home. Isn't 3 years long enough? But, for some reason, now is not the time.

Mad. After crying for so many hours, my tears were all dried up. I started to get mad at anyone involved in Kokeb's adoption especially regarding her paperwork. They have had 12 months to get her paperwork completed. Aghhhhh!

Happy. My friend, Jessica, with whom we met when we traveled with to Ethiopia in June, informed me that they were cleared to go and pick up their daughter. Their daughter is best friends with Kokeb. Jessica and Jason have been through a long adoption process and they are going to be wonderful parents. I can't wait for them to come home with their little princess.

Blessed. The night before we received the e-mail from the Embassy, one of my friends from Madison called and asked if they could come up for the day. So, God knew what he was doing and placed some wonderful friends in my life on Monday to cheer me up and keep me optimistic. I am blessed to have great friends. I am blessed to have my family. I am blessed that this will be an ethical adoption.

I know that God is orchestrating this from Above. I know there is a reason for all of this. I haven't felt this sad in a very long time, but I also haven't felt this blessed in a very long time. I pray that Kokeb is safe, is healthy, and is loved.

We have no idea how much longer "this" road may be. But, then again, our whole life is one big adventure and the road never ends.

A Little Girl's Room: Evidence of Love

Today as I was finishing up hanging the final flowers on Kokeb's wall, I was looking around and realizing that this room means so much to me. It is a room full of love. Although Kokeb will probably not sleep in this room for many many months (because she will, of course, be sleeping with her mom and dad), it is symbolic of the last three years. For three years we have been waiting to bring home our princess. For the past three years we have had family and friends who have been thinking about us and praying for Kokeb's arrival into our family.

Here is some evidence...

My sister Pam gave us the dresser and mirror. All I had to do was paint it to make it a little more feminine.

All I have to do is tell my friend Amanda that I am in need of something and she is sure to go digging for one. She is letting us borrow her car seat (don't worry, her kids still have car seats). I can't wait to get it all buckled in the van.

My friend Melissa gave us a soft purple-flowered blanket and a soft book. It is in Koki's crib...you just can't see it. She is so thoughtful.

My dear friend Terri brought the pink bunny and carrot the day that we received our referral for Kokeb. It touched my heart and brought me such joy that someone would understand the excitement we had on that day.

My sister-in-law Cathy and my niece, Haley , gave Kokeb the green "Scentsy" frog to go along with the Princess and the Frog doll that she has. I can't wait to put the scent in when she arrives home!

This was totally a Daddy's purchase for Kokeb's first birthday. Of course his little princess would want a doll house, right? It was a good deal at a second-hand store in Minnesota. We hope she will play with it when she gets older (and doesn't want to eat the furniture).

Of course, I have to put another plug in for Brian. He took out the windows in her room and just finished installing them. He did a great job!

Ikea. I was looking at this light for a year and decided that it had a place in Kokeb's room. Love it. It is totally girlie.

And the closet. Ahhh... Some days I just open the closet and peek in. I don't think I have had to purchase more than a couple of articles of clothing. My friend Terri totally hooked me up. My sister-in-law Kristina also handed me some of her daughter's clothes. And yesterday, my friend Ingrid gave me some of her darling daughter's clothes and shoes. I am set. She is going to be a beautiful little girl.

Also, during the past month we have received a lot of donations to bring to the orphanage in Ethiopia. Thank you to Kelly, Melissa, Ingrid, my parents, the Bendels, Helen and the numerous others that have donated items and money for us to bring. It WILL make a difference in the life of a child.

It has been 3 weeks today that we have been waiting to be "cleared" by the US Embassy in Ethiopia. It is usually a 2-3 week wait. There has been Labor Day and the Ethiopian New Year, so the holidays have slowed it down. We hope that we receive news soon about our travel date.
Thanks for all of your prayers.

Submitted to Embassy

I am sure by now all of our friends and family are sick of hearing about EACH little step we make in our adoption process. So, thank you to all of you who have to listen to me talk on and on about it...it really does help me stay sane. Thank you for not acting annoyed, but rather supporting us every step of the way.

Today we were submitted to the US Embassy. What does this mean? It means that although the Ethiopian Government has deemed us parents of Kokeb, the US Embassy has to approve her paperwork and make sure her birth story is ethical. It is a good thing. Although we have to wait, it is a good thing. So, over the next few weeks they will look through Kokeb's paperwork, including her passport. They will then decide if we need further paperwork or if we are "cleared".

At the point we are "cleared" we will then receive our embassy date. This is the date that we have to appear at the US Embassy with Kokeb. This is usually 2 weeks after being "cleared".

So, there is a possibility that we will travel to Ethiopia in September. I am trying to stay optimistic. I dream about seeing Koki again. I dream about her first real smile and running my hands through her hair. I dream about bringing her home and having her see her best friend face-to-face, Bereket, who will live 2 hours away. Thank you for today God.

Happy Birthday

Today is Koki's 1st birthday. Oh how I wish we were together to celebrate. Oh how I wish we could have sang Happy Birthday to her so she could hear (we did sing to her, but somehow I don't think she heard us some 7000 miles away).

There is something about a 1st birthday. The first taste of cake, learning how to rip open the wrapping and the hope and anticipation of what the next year will bring. Today we didn't get to watch Koki lick the frosting or open her gifts, but I AM filled with hope and anticipation.

So, tonight as I go to bed, I am going to hold on the hope and anticipation of the next year...of the next month. I am going to pray that soon we find out we are submitted to the US Embassy. Thanks also to my friend Jess who today gave me support and a full glass of optimism. Thanks also to my friend Kelly who sent me a box of clothes to donate to the orphanage in Africa. God is great.

O Happy Day!

Today I am proud and (beyond) happy to announce our daughter, Kokeb Marcia Anderson.
Today we passed court in Ethiopia. Yes, we were in Ethiopia for our court appointment on June 30. However, the judge was missing a letter from the Ministry of Womens, Childrens, and Youth Affairs. Today we were told that the letter was received. Now we are considered the legal parents of Kokeb in Ethiopia.

Every day we pray for our daughter. Every day we wish she was home with us and not half-way across the world. Last night was my breaking point and God heard me. I feel like I have been pretty patient over the past 2 1/2 years, but now I am starting to get a little anxious.

Kokeb means "star". She is our star. Elijah and Mekebo love her already and they haven't even met her. Marcia (the "i" is supposed to have an accent over it) is after my mother. She has been so wonderful through each of our adoption processes. She even went with us to Ethiopia to see Kokeb in June. We are so thankful for wonderful, supportive parents.

What is next? We have to do some more waiting. We need to receive her birth certificate, visa and a US Embassy date. The time will seem long without her. To keep our time occupied Brian is going to Canada, the boys and I are going to Kansas to visit my brother, we are remodeling some of our kitchen, and we are reading books on attachment!

Thanks for all of your prayers. Please don't stop!

Court Decision.

I am writing this on Friday night in Ethiopia. Tomorrow we depart Bole Airport at 11pm. I can’t believe how fast the week went…how many things we did in one week.

Yesterday we had court and were presented in front of the Ethiopian judge. We went into the room in groups of 3 families. And the verdict… no MOWA letter. Yes, I cried. None of the six families passed. So, I was really bummed, but our CHSFS representative said that he was going to talk to MOWA. So, now we wait to hear when we get our letter for the rest of the paperwork to proceed. Thank you for your prayers; please continue to pray that we will receive our letter soon.

We transferred yesterday afternoon from the CHSFS guesthouse to the Ethio Comfort Guest House. We are definitely in middle class Ethiopia here. The shops and restaurants are much more Americanized.

Today (Friday) we spent 6.5 hours with our little girl at the Helawi Foundation in Addis. She was a little warmer towards us. I tried to feed her but she wanted none of that. She preferred Brian over me. She is going to be his little princess. I can’t wait to post pictures once we pass court! We tried to figure out what size she wears…the onesie she was wearing was newborn size and her pants were 4T. So, figure that one out! She showed us how she crawls. She also was talking to the nannies today. We were able to sit outside with her for about 10 minutes.

Eli and Mekebo, you are going to be able to make your little sister laugh and smile better than Mom and Dad I think. We can’t wait for you to hug and kiss her. She is going to be perfect in our family. We have waited so long for her to be a part of our family! We will see you in 2 days. Please remember that your little sister will not be with us. Next time…Have fun with Uncle Matt and Aunt Cathy.