It's raining, it's pouring...

We got hit with a whopper of a rain storm yesterday, first one of the season. Good thing Mama had purchased rain gear over the weekend. Amara was over the top about her new raincoat, boots, umbrella ensemble :) So, after school, we took a walk in the very rainy, blustery weather. We had a ball. I thought some of the family might enjoy this video.

Pumpkin patch

We did our annual pumpkin picking this weekend. It was fun to see Amara making her way through the pumpkins and making sure that Charlie and Benny got a pumpkin, too. I could not help but think back to last year's outing at the same farm. What a difference a year makes. I feel like Amara is such a little girl now. Here's a comparison from last year. See what I mean?

We also got to enjoy a picnic at the beach on Sunday, with our local Ethiopia adopt group. Fun, fun, fun for all.

It's getting cool. Fall is definitely here and we're expecting a huge rain tomorrow. Good thing I bought Amara some rain boots this weekend :)

Take care!

Wah, wah, wah

Okay, I know, terrible poster that I am. Working full time and having a toddler makes for little time for mama. But, I promise, I'll do better.

Amara is going through a real separation anxiety phase right now. I think some of it is the "twos" but I think it also has to do with a couple of other things: 1. Mom's sorrow and guilt for not being able to be home with her more and 2. we're talking about adoption #2. On the latter, I think it's really bringing, to the forefront, the reality of Amara's own story, the fact that her birthmom left her and, frankly, that I might. She's a very smart girl and I think it's all coming together. Our social worker (from our homestudy agency) has been a great resource to provide some good tips on ways to help. I'll list them below as I think they could help others, too. Regardless of where your child is in the cycle, these are great things to do:

* You're always in my heart and I'm always in yours: We have this great book called, "In My Heart". It talks about how, when mom goes to work, no matter what is going on in her day, her daughter is always in her heart. It talks about the reverse, as well. How Mom, Dad, doggies, are all in the daughter's heart, no matter what she's doing in the day. So, we talk about that a lot when Amara is feeling sad and clinging to me like I'm going to melt away. It helps.

* Laminated photo: When Amara is at school, she can have a laminated photo of me in her cubby or pocket. Whenever she's feeling sad or wants to "see" me, she can take it out and kiss it. Sweet.

* I will always be here: My intention is to always be with Amara. So, talking about milestones in life, and how I'll be there to share them with her, is also great. Time is abstract right now but talking about how I'll be there when she starts in the new preschool classroom, or when she goes to college or gets married or has a baby...they may all seem long-term but it helps show that mama is here forever. I tried this last night and she seemed to like that conversation.

* For the next adoption, in addition to talking about it now (via books, etc.), once we have the photo, we talk about how Amara will love baby sister, how Mama will love baby sister, Papa too, how Mama will love Amara, Papa will love Amara, how we'll now be a family of four. It's getting her used to the idea that Mama and Papa will love baby #2 but so will she. We'll kiss that photo a lot too. It's setting the stage for how we'll all love and share when our family expands.

I love these ideas and, I have to say, her advice is always spot on. We're lucky to have her.

Anyway, on to fun stuff....

We got to meet some long-time internet friends last weekend, at the beach. We met M3 when we originally started our adoption process with China. Then, she adopted twins from China and we have not seen her since. Ya, her life got a little crazy. So, it was catch up time and an opportunity for her girls, Ro and Ree, to meet Amara. And what fun they had! Check out the photos below. You can also see a few cuties on her blog as well:

Finally, a few photos from the past couple of months. Random but cute. How Amara is growing!

No news on the adoption front right now but, as you can see from the ticker, we're pretty close to a potential referral. (4-6 month wait.) So, who knows, maybe you'll see an exciting post sometime soon.

Happy Fall everyone!

-jen

Santa Cruz Fire

Some of you have asked about the fires going on in our neck of the woods. We're not near it, first of all, well not really. We're "in town" whereas the fire started in the mountains, Boulder Creek, which is about 15 miles from here. But, it's burned across the ridge and into Bonny Doon which is being evacuated. So, Hwy 1 up and over is at risk.

Anyway, I'll report back if things change. We know a lot of folks in those areas so we're keeping tabs. More here: www.santacruzsentinel.com

On other fronts, let's see. Well I see my little ticker shows 2 months of waiting now! Hard to believe. I have to say doing this the second time around is different. Amara keeps us so busy, along with my job, that I am not seizing the moments as I'd like. I wonder if this is foreshadowing for the whole 2-kid thing :) So, we're possibly half way through our wait (dependin on a 4-6 month referral time.) That's crazy.

We're still struggling with our travel arrangements. Amara can't go on this trip. The long plane trip is too much for her age. 3 years old on a 17-hr flight from DC...shoot me. So, we either have her stay with my sis that week or my DH stays here, with her, sticks to the routine and I go with someone. I'm leaning towards the latter as I am having a hard time picturing us both leaving for a week and coming back with a baby. With him here, at least she'd have him. I, on the other hand, can't imagine leaving her for that long. We're so connected and she's really attached these days, not wanting to be away from mom. So, I think, either way, me leaving is going to be tough on both of us. Ah, the struggles of doing this with a little one at home.

What else can I tell you? We're going back east to visit "grandpa" at the end of this month. That should be nice. I'm taking a week and Amara will get to spend time with him. This will be only the second time he's met her. The first was on our way back from Ethiopia, on a 6-hr stopover. Oh how she's changed. I think he'll get a real kick out of Amara. She's so funny. So, I'm looking forward to that. The plane trip should be interesting but we'll deal. I can 5 hours after having done 24! :)

Take care everyone!

Sunshine

So, I think we need a little sunshine today! I'm posting a little video of Amara. She's getting so big now. No longer does she repeat sentences, she's formulating all her own thoughts and, I have to say, they are so damn cute. Her personality continues to shine as she lights our way.

This one's for LR.....

We're officially "waiting"

So, I'm watching the DHL tracking site to see where our dossier packet is....as it makes its way to Ethiopia! We got the word, Friday, that it had been shipped. This means we are now "officially" waiting. The dossier has been approved by our agency, the needed documents authenticated by the Ethiopian embassy in DC and all the other boxes checked. It's funny how a 3.5 pound packet of papers can have such meaning.

So, now I'll bore you with what's in a dossier. Many folks ask. Our dossier is as complete a picture of us as the Ethiopian government and orphanage can have. It includes: authorized home study (social worker's lengthy report on our life, psychological state, ability to raise a child, approval for certain age, all our relationship issues, feelings about our parents, etc....no I'm not kidding)...about 12 pages, medical reports for all of us, financial statements, tax returns, criminal clearance, immigration approval, photos, deed of our house, proof of education (online classes, live workshops and reading of books on adoption), CPR certification, letters of reference, bank letter, verification of employment, letter from us to the Ethiopian govt, letter from us to the Board of the orphanage, power of attorney for the lawyer in Ethiopia, and more. Oh, and all of those things are notarized IN TRIPLICATE.

Now you know why this process is not for the faint of heart or those that are not totally dedicated. It's a lot of work and, even though this is our second adoption, we still have to do almost everything again! Crazy.

So, now we wait. I wonder when I should tell my work we're adopting another child? Always a perplexing question...

Oh, and did I mention that I'm going through phases of sheer panic and excitement? Panic seems to be winning lately but hopefully excitement will override soon. Many of the same feelings arise as last time. This is such a leap of faith.

Have a great weekend!

jen

Okay I can't contain myself...

Yup, the ticker has gone up and the countdown starts.....we've submitted our dossier for child #2. I realized my puzzle had a lot of "threes" in it but, no, we're not adopting two more. I would love it but I think my husband would fall over dead if we did that :) I remember mentioning that a while back and all I remember is this hysterical sort of deranged laughter.

Anyway, we've been working the process for the last months and we finally got it all together. I can't believe it really. Sort of surreal. We're excited, yes, but also scared &$%*@ -less. But, that's to be expected. So, hold onto your hats as the blogging will begin again soon as we start down this road again.

I have to say it's a little easier this time as I know what to expect and we have Amara to keep us more than occupied. But, it's still hard and all the same stuff comes up during the wait.

As you recall from last time, there's not much to post until we actuallly get our referral. But I'll be sure to bore you with my emotional ramblings. Our agency is telling us the wait will be 4-6 months from now. Of course we all know that could change but we stay hopeful. Then, like before, it's 6-8 weeks after that for our court date and another 6-8 weeks until travel. So, I'm guessing we'll be looking at the new year, approx.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!