Surprise For Me!!

On the morning of December 16, it was snowing like crazy. My drive to work is usually a 30 minute commute with no traffic. This particular morning it took me over an hour to get to work. My day was supposed to start at 8 am. This day I got there at 8:30. I immediately took the kiddos to school on the bus. When I finally got back to school, I was ready to just sit back and relax. The teacher that I worked with, Heather, was asking me if I needed to go into the kitchen for anything. "Nope, I'm good." Usually I would be in the kitchen fixing my oatmeal for breakfast, but that day I changed it up and fixed breakfast at home. After another 10 minutes, Heather asked me to help her in the kitchen with a snack that we were going to make as an activity for the kids. "Sure! Let's go."  When I walked into the kitchen, this is what I saw:

Yummy food!

Look at this cake!

That's when Heather said to me "This is a surprise baby shower for you!"


I couldn't believe it. I started bawling (fortunately there's no pictures of that). I was overwhelmed. My director was crying. My assistant director was crying. It was great! I think in that moment, it started feeling real. I am actually going to be a mom. And it's going to happen in the next couple of months.


After I made my rounds to all the classrooms to tell everyone Thanks, I finally settled back into my classroom with my kids. A few minutes later, Heather, the owner of the School, my Assistant Director, and the Administrative Assistant all came walking in...oh boy! They handed me this card and watched me open it.

Every single one of my coworkers signed it.

And these are what fell out of it when I opened it!

So it stands to reason that I started crying all over again. All week I had prepared myself for keeping it together on my last day. Here I was, the day before my last day, just bawling. It hit me then...how much I enjoyed my job, how much I was going to miss everyone, how blessed I felt. It was truly a great day!

When I got home that evening this is what was sitting on our front porch:

A gift from AGCI (journal & announcement card). We also received our travel packet for when we go to Ethiopia in January.  How cute is this stuffed animal? And it's so soft!

Next Step....Court Date

I've have been meaning to fill everyone in on the latest updates that we've received DAYS ago to no avail. My work week is just so busy and then when the weekend rolls around I'm busy playing "catch-up"! Here goes:

November 22: Brandi informed me that she had received our referral packet in the mail (We mailed it out on 11/19!) She is still waiting for the paperwork from our social worker to arrive.

November 23: I had my "Next Steps" call with Brandi. I was taking notes like crazy. On that call we learned about what paperwork needed to be turned in to the courts in order for a court date to be set. We also talked about the travel itineraries and were given some "assignments" to keep us busy. One of our assignments is to put together a photo album for Baby E to be taken with us on the 1st trip. We will have to put together an album for the birth family as well, also to be taken on the 1st trip. I think I'm going to do that in the form of an actual photo book. My creative juices are starting to flow. The last thing we have to do is write a letter to the birth family. Oh My! I already know that's going to be difficult.

November 30: Brandi called. It just so happened that I had just dropped off one of my kiddos at afternoon Kindergarten. I was back in the classroom settling back in when I felt my phone buzz. When I looked at it and saw "AGCI Brandi" I jumped up and told my co-worker "I gotta get this!" I ran out of the room, past the front office and down the hallway to the break room. We were just chatting away. I was expecting her to tell me that she received the paperwork from my social worker...NOPE!

B: I have a court date for you.
Me: WHAT!!?? Oh my God...Are you serious?? (slight squealing going on)
B: (Laughing at me) I'm sure she gets a kick out of my sound effects.

*Our court date is February 1, 2011*

Right after Brandi told me what our court date is, I started freaking out: "Oh my God we're going to be there for her birthday are we going to be there for her birthday that would be so great if we could be there for her birthday! (breath) Okay, I'll be quiet now so you can actually tell me what I need to know."
B: (Laughing at me again)

Unfortunately we can't stay until her birthday which is February 4th. How I so wanted to be able to celebrate her 1st birthday there with her. Oh well..we'll be there close enough.

After I hung up with Brandi, I immediately called John.  Then.. I think I started skipping down the hallway towards the office. I started squealing again, telling my supervisors about the court date. I literally started jumping like a rabbit from the office back to my classroom. I was totally high for the rest of the day.

December 4: I think I have all the pics that I want to put in the baby's photo book. I've chosen a few for the birth family but will work more on that next weekend.

Can you believe I haven't gotten our travel itinerary yet?

Thanksgiving in Review

This past Thanksgiving it was nice and quiet. My 3-day work week was extrememly busy so I was very glad to be able to decompress on Thanksgiving Day. John worked his regular shift and then worked his overnight part-time job. I did absolutely no cooking!! We ordered a Farmhouse Feast from Bob Evans and I only spent a couple of hours heating everyting up. Unfortunately I wasn't able to even enjoy it that evening because of an upset stomach. It only lasted until Friday evening.

My coworker said something to me the Wednesday before Thanksgiving that just made me smile. She said "This is the last Thanksgiving without your baby." She's absolutely right. That's why it was okay that John and I didn't spend a lot of time together that day. We see the bigger picture and that picture includes Baby E. in it.


Here is a recap of everything that I've been thankful for for the month of November:


1: I am thankful to come home to a roof over my head and food in the cupboards.


2: I am thankful that I can hear my alarm clock in the morning, hear my granddaughter ring the door bell when she gets dropped off every morning, & listen to my praise music on the way to work.


3: I'm thankful that I can put one foot in front of the other without the aid of a crutch, cane, walker or wheelchair...and without any pain!


4: I'm thankful that after 7 years of marriage, my husband and I still enjoy each other's company and can make each other laugh.


5: I'm thankful for the great ladies that I work with at G School. Everyday that put forth their best. I want you to know that your hard work is greatly appreciated!


6: I'm thankful that while I'm sleeping I am being looked after, protected and kept safe by my Heavenly Father. Thank you Jesus!


7: I am thankful to all of my wonderful family and friends who have given us love, support and encouragement throughout our adoption journey.


8: I am thankful that all day, every day, at any time of the day, there is clean, clear water in my home (cold or hot).


9: I am thankful that drama and chaos DO NOT rule my day. An uneventful day is a good day!


10: I am thankful that I was able to fill up my SUV tank (from E to F) for $6.50!! Yahoo!! Thank you Fuelperks :-)


11: I'm thankful for my Grandfather, son-in-law, husband and the thousands of other men & women who risked their life for this country. Without them I might still need permission and papers to go about on my own. I'm thankful that I can walk into a store through the front door, go wherever I want to go, and sit in a restaurant with my husband and have a good meal. Thank you Veterans!!


12: I'm thankful that I am granted traveling mercies everytime I get in my G school bus to take the kiddos to and from school.

13: I am thankful for quiet days filled with relaxation :-)


14:  I am thankful that we RECEIVED OUR ADOPTION REFERRAL!!


15: I am thankful for all the hugs that I get everyday from all my kiddos, in my classroom and the other classrooms. Those squeezes make my day :-)


16: I am thankful that my car starts every time I turn the key in the ingition.


17: I am thankful for my neighbor, Lisa. She has been the one who has notarized ALL of our adoption paperwork from Day 1! After a 10-12 hour workday, she would come over in the evening with a smile on her face and sign/stamp whatever, even if it was just one piece of paper. She's truly a blessing...thanks Lisa! :-)


18: I'm thankful that even though I'm congested, sneezing, coughing, and achy, God is restoring my health to 100%.


19: I'm thankful for being with my husband exactly 9 years today.. Anniversary of first kiss and getting engaged on this date. He's the best...Love you babe! :-)

10 months old

Today our Baby E. is 10 months old. It puts a smile on my face to wonder how she's doing, how much bigger she's gotten since the referral pictures.

We're thinking about you Baby. You're in our prayers. We can't wait to meet you sweetheart :-)

Referral Projects

Now that we have our referral and have completed the next round of paperwork, I am now highly motivated to tackle 2 projects that have just been sitting in a corner waiting on me.

As I mentioned earlier, I am a scrapbook fiend! I absolutely love it and it totally relaxes me. I especially love going to crop parties at my favorite store Archivers. The people there energize me and watching their creativity at work gives me such good ideas for things that I would never think to do. Unfortunately with life, work, & classes that I took at the local community college during the '09-'10 school year, I haven't cropped anything in almost a year!! But that's all about to change!! Back in the spring I found the perfect photo album that I affectionately call The Adoption Scrapbook. I can't wait to get started :-)

Before scrapbooking/cropping was ever a thought though, I used to crochet. I learned about 10 years ago (Wow! It's been that long!) when I used to work as a police dispatcher in the Radio Room. Crocheting was one of the only crafts that we were allowed to do on our down time. My mom crocheted for years. She made some amazing blankets when I was a little girl. I still have one that I cuddle up in when I'm watching TV. I never thought I would be a person who liked to crochet but I love it. So here's the blanket that I'm working on for Baby E.

I got it started just enough to make sure that I could follow the pattern.

 Stay tuned for the results :-)

Referral Packet, The "Other" Call, My daughter

All 3 of these things happened this past week....not necessarily in that order. Maybe it's best to start at the beginning.

Monday we had our call with Emily for the "Transition Plan" phone call. It was so informative. So much to think about. I have yet to read all of the articles that she sent me.  That afternoon our Referral Packet came via UPS. We were so excited that we went out for Ethiopian that night! (We have been going out for Ethiopian at least once a week for the last 9 or 10 months. I'm a pro at eating it, just not cooking it....yet). Our friends there were so excited for us. We wasted no time at all signing paperwork!

The next morning I sent a text message to my neighbor, friend, Lisa asking her to notarize our documents. She was able to come over that evening. What a blessing she has been to us!!

Wednesday morning on the way to work, I stopped at CVS for some throat lozenges. I frequent this particular CVS, so when the A.M. employee sees me, we usually exchange pleasantries.  While I'm cashing out at the register, we start chit-chatting and before I could realize what I was saying, it was coming out of my face: "You want to see a picture of my daughter?" Of course I pushed the pictures in his face before he could even think to respond. I jabbered on, he made a couple of nice comments and I'm off to work. While I was at work I was able to fax the paperwork to our Social Worker that she needed to sign.

Our letter from the International Pediatrician finally arrived on Thursday. That evening I scanned all of the Referral Packet documents for our files.

Friday afternoon during my lunch break, I mailed off the referral packet. As I'm making sure that I'm writing the address down correctly, I looked up at the lady behind the counter and said "You know, that's my daughter."  Once again it just came out of my face.

My daughter. It's a phrase that's been 40+ years in the making. At one point in my life I didn't think I would ever have children. This adoption process has been long. For over 18 months, it's just been paperwork, phone calls, interviews, and e-mails. And even though we now have a picture of Baby E it still seems surreal. We're here. She's way over there. We've been preparing our hearts and minds. We've been preparing our house. But she has no clue who we are or what we're about. At what point is she truly my daughter? At the beginning of the process? Officially on the waitlist? Referral acceptance? Seeing her picture? I've wanted this for so many years. Have I wanted it too long? So long that now I don't know how to truly accept it? It's been at arm's length for so long and now she's almost in my arms....just a couple of months away. My daughter. I have to keep saying it over and over again. Get used to saying it and get used to hearing myself say it. My daughter. It's a new concept for me. But I like it. I like it a lot. And now I have a face to go along with the phrase. Everything takes time, huh? And with God's perfect timing, I guess everything will be alright.

It's 11 19!

It's a phrase Hubby and I have been saying to each other everyday for the last 9 years.

We met under pretty sad circumstances; a mutual friend of ours' mother passed away just a few weeks after we met. November 19, 2001 was the first time we kissed each other.

Since that day, we have been inseparable. Twice a day since that first kiss, we make sure that we recognize the time of 11:19. We'll call and talk to each other or leave a voicemail or send each other a text at that time. During the times that we are together, we'll shout out "It's 11:19!" and then kiss and hug. We can get pretty corny and goober-like but that's how we keep the fun in our marriage. We'll make up songs and talk about how Baby E will be a goober just like us one day :-)

It doesn't matter where we are or what we're doing, we make time for 11 19. Add all that to us also getting engaged on this date and you can understand why today is an especially important day for us. Today, it doesn't matter what time it is, it's 11 19 ALL day!

All my love to my one and only sweetheart, husband, best friend. I look forward to millions more "It's 11:19!" as we grow old together. I love you :-)

The Newest "little" Mancini

So I realize that many of you have been waiting to hear the details of our Referral Call. In all honesty, the call came as a complete surprise. But there's a good reason for that. Here's how the past week went:

On Monday I already had scheduled the day off from work. John was working that day. There was no anticipation of receiving The Phone Call that day. I had decided not to let that anxious feeling get the best of me, so I put it out of my head. I had changed the ringtone of AGCI to that Motown song "My Girl".

Tuesday evening around dinnertime I was sitting in front on the tv when the cell phone rang. It was a regular ring tone so when I looked down and saw *AGCI Brandi* I stopped for a second and caught my breath. Oh Boy!! Is this it!! John's not home yet. Answer the call already!! It was the follow-up phone call to the e-mail stating that we are officially #1. We had great conversation and at the end of the conversation discussed age parameters. I was seriously considering changing them from 6 to 24 months to 0 to 24 months. As soon as we got off the phone I called and talked to John about it. He was fine with it as well and we both had great peace about the whole thing. Later that evening I e-mailed my social worker about filing an addendum to revise the age parameters.

Wednesday morning I followed up my e-mail to the social worker with a phone call and left a voicemail. My day went along as usual. When I got home there was no answered e-mail or voicemail from my social worker. However Brandi had been sending me e-mail to follow up on the addendum paperwork.

Thursday......just like any other day. Feeling a bit excited that the age parameters were going to be changed, thereby quickening the referral call. I left work  a little bit after 5 pm with my granddaughter K in the car. We were on the road for about 10 minutes when I felt the phone vibrating underneath my leg. As I looked at it and saw *AGCI Brandi* I was not at all phased. I just thought Brandi wanted to talk to me more about age parameters, social worker, anything other than a referral. But then she said those words:
"Do you have a few minutes, I'd like to talk to you about a little girl?"
Me: Brandi, are you serious?
B: Yes.
Me: What!? Oh my God! AAHHHHHHH!! (yes I actually squealed on the phone)
B: (laughing her butt off at me)
Me: I'm on my way home from work.
B: So I guess you're not near a computer then, huh?
Me: No. I'm about 30 minutes from home. I just left work a few minutes ago.
B: Okay. Do you want me to tell you a little bit about her and then you can call me once you get home?
Me: Uh, no, better not. I'm still aways from home and I have my granddaughter in the car with me and I need to focus on the road. If you start talking to me I won't concentrate on driving and that's not safe.
B: I agree. Okay. Give me a call once you get home.

We hung up and I immediately called John. He was at a friend's place during his lunch break having coffee. I screamed into the phone "We have a Reeefffferrrraaaallll!!" I was screaming so loud he couldn't understand a word I was saying. I had to say it 3 or 4 times for it to register in his mind. He then went back to his substation to get approval to get the rest of his shift off.

My granddaughter K was looking at me like I had lost my mind. "Na-na, are you okay? (she's 4 1/2). Once I explained that we could see pictures of the baby she was as excited as us. "Oh I wish I could see pictures of the baby!!" So she came over too.

When we got home it was about 5:40. I turned on the computer, let the dogs out, fed them, let them back out, and gave K her markers and coloring books. I called John to see where he was. He was making his way home. I decided not to call Brandi back until he got home. When he got home at 6:20, I called Brandi back. Voicemail. Called again. Voicemail. For 35 minutes I got her voicemail. I started panicking. Are we going to talk to her tonight? When they close at 4, is she going to go home? Oh man, we're going to have to wait till tomorrow, or worse yet, Monday for the referral. I was panicking, hitting the send/receive button on the computer every 15 seconds, hoping for something, anything to pop up. At 6:58 pm EST, my cell phone rang. It was Brandi. Thank God! At this point, John wasn't home. He was taking K home. Fortunately she only lives 30 seconds away. At 7:03 pm we were finally both listening to Brandi tell us about our little girl.

So, she's 9 months old. she's beautiful. She's healthy. She looks like me a little bit. Georgeous smile. Perfect. She arrived at HH on 11/9/10.

First thing Friday morning I made an appointment with an International Pediatrician at Children's Hospital. John and I were both able to get time off to make the appointment. We were so excited about the doctor's report, all good news. All day I showed my coworkers her picture. I was on such a high. Felt great! That night John and I filled out the Transition Plan. We got it notarized tonight and tomorrow it's going to be scanned and e-mailed to AGCI. On Monday we have our other Referral call with Emily. Very busy 3 days and interestingly enough we still have not received our referral packet in the mail even though we should have gotten it on Friday.

We are so excited and yet it still is a bit surreal. Praise God that He already has her in a home where she is loved and well taken care of. I'm excited about getting to meet her in a few months. We have been asked though, not to show any pictures or give any identifying information of her until she is home with us.

Thank you to everyone who was praying especially hard for us in the last several days. God heard you and answered accordingly. Now it's time to celebrate :-)

Thankful

The very last part of the day has been a little difficult for me. A few ups and downs:

Up: Officially

       #1 on the girls waitlist (6-24 months)
Up: I won an Israel Houghton CD from Angela http://hunts4adoption.blogspot.com/ Thanks girl! :-)

Up & Down: My #2 buddy received her referral phone call for her baby girl (YAY) and we're still waiting (SNIFFLES).

A few days ago my coworker/friend posted a challenge on FB to those who could find something to be thankful for every day for the month of November. This is what I have to be thankful for:

November 1: I am thankful to come home to a roof over my head and food in the cupboards.

November 2: I am thankful that I can hear my alarm clock in the morning, hear my granddaughter ring the door bell when she gets dropped off every morning, & listen to my praise music on the way to work.

November 3: I'm thankful that I can put one foot in front of the other without the aid of a crutch, cane, walker or wheelchair...and without any pain!

Today:
I'm thankful that after 7 years of marriage, my husband and I still enjoy each other's company and can make each other laugh.

Halloween Day

This isn't the Halloween Day that happened yesterday. This happened at my school last Thursday, the 28th. It was also our Trick-or-Treat night. I had been debating on what I was going to dress up as for Halloween. I'm not one to dress up and do all of that. Didn't do it last year either. But I really wanted to relish these kinds of moments because I knew it would be the last Halloween with my kiddos.

I looked online everywhere, trying to find something that was reasonably priced because John and I are on a Financial Peace Budget, obeying the word of God and sticking to it. At work 10 days ago, I mentioned all this to my co-teacher. I told her I wanted us to do something together. She agreed and already had these costumes (in storage) ready for us to wear.

This was the only day where the kids did not have to call us Mrs. Heather and Mrs. Shannon. Take a guess....Here's 2 clues: 1) Dr. Suess 2) Cat in the Hat

Figure it out yet?

We were SO comfortable...like being in our PJs all day!

It was around 50 degrees outside, but I gotta tell you, we were feeling no pain :-)

Well, it's unofficial

We're


I am amazingly calm at this point.  We are calm. When John and I first got on the waitlist, we gave ourselves a realistic expectation of receiving a referral by Christmas or the end of the year. We figured it would be the best Christmas gift we could receive. We haven't really talked about how we would handle receving "The Call". I guess we both figured that with both of our working schedules, we probably would not be together when "The Call" came. In any event, it is God's will how and when we will receive "The Call".  And that's good enough for us.                                        

Pumpkin Patch

A couple of weeks ago, on the 11th, I took my granddaughter "K" and met John at Kuhlwein's Farm. My daycare center was having a Family Night. It was such a gorgeous day!! Both "K" and I were excited. I had never been to a pumpkin patch before. John went every single year when he was a little boy. We went on a hayride and were dropped off at the corn maze. When we came came out of the corn maze we were right in the middle of the pumpkn field.

"K" was struggling to get her pumpkin to the tractor!

Check my pumpkin!!

I had so much fun. We got to roast hot dogs, roast marshmallows, make smores. The kids had so much fun. It was great to see them all outside of the classroom just having fun.

Meskel Celebration

It feels like it's been months since the last time I posted something on my blog. I have set a goal this weekend to get current with all my posts. First things first:

On September 25th, I went to my first Meskel celebration. It was held at a church that is just getting on it's feet. A church that a friend of mine belongs to. What a gorgeous day it was. Barely a cloud in the sky. Unfornately, John wasn't able to go with me....work, work, work. There was awesome food there and my friend Tiru was in charge of making the coffee. It was so cool to watch her roast the coffee beans. The aroma alone made my  mouth water. They also had a little area of handmade clothes that the Ethiopian women made that were for sale. Of course, the first thing I looked for was something for my little girl.

Around 5 o'clock or so we all went outside. The priest came out and there was prayer for about 30 to 40 minutes. It was so nice to be there and yet there was a part of me that felt like an outsider. I was honored and humbled to be there. It seemed pretty spiritual even though I didn't understand a word of it.

After the prayers, the bonfire was lit and the celebration began. There was lots of singing and dancing.

Just before the bonfire went out, John was able to show up. Even though he missed the majority of the celebration, he was really excited to be there. Afterwards, we back inside the church and of course, I had to show him the clothes that I found for Baby "E". He, in turn, found a dress for me and an outfit for him. 

Ethiopian Celebration

I am still in the very beginning phase of learning about Ethiopian traditions/celebrations.

There is an Ethiopian festival that is celebrated in Ethiopia on September 17 and September 27 in our country (according to our calendar). It is the celebration of the Finding of the True Cross. There is lots of eating, dancing, and the lighting of a huge bonfire in the evening. The celebration is called Meskel.

In the 4th century, Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great found 3 crosses buried. One was the True Cross that Jesus Christ was crucifed on. She took pieces of the True Cross and distributed them to all the churches, including the Ethiopian church. This piece was then brought back to Ethiopia and later buried at the mountain of Gishen Mariam monastery in Wollo region. The monastery also has a book that has this whole story recorded.

If there's anyone in the Columbus, Ohio area that would like to attend Meskel, please let me know and I will give you information.

God Bless..

Definitely thinking about our referral

Even though I got a good night's rest, I still woke up feeling tired. All I wanted to do was stay in bed. I was sluggish all day long.  But off to work I went.
I work at a daycare center in the School Age classroom. Four times a day a drive the little kiddos to K and back. So I was on my 3rd bus run of the day. I only have to take one kiddo to PM Kindergarten. We get to the bus and I get in, buckle up, turn on the bus, getting ready to put it in reverse and realize that I didn't let my kiddo on the bus yet. So my kiddo gets on, buckles up and away we go. Down the stretch of road we're on I'm thinking about The Referral Call....Will it happen while I'm at work? Will I be able to answer the phone? If I am at work when the call comes, will I be able to go home to see the pictures of our little girl?

Questions, questions questions  :-)

So I make a left turn, going through a neighborhood and realize that I turned too soon and I was getting ready to take my kiddo to the wrong school!! Good Grief. My kiddo says "Ms. Shannon, you're so silly!" She has no idea. No doubt I'll be going to bed early tonight. Hopefully Monday Night Football will lull me to sleep.

Happy New Year....

in Ethiopia.

This is my very first time blogging ever and I must say I never knew there was so much to consider in setting up a blog. Fortunately I'm not overwhelmed.

Back to Ethiopia. We (Hubby & I)  just learned last night while eating at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant (Abyssinia Cafe) that the Ethiopian New Year was being celebrated. How exciting. So now we're learning everything we can about it.

Hubby & I have been going through the adoption process with AGCI now since January '09. We are currently on the waitlist at #13 (just recently updated - YAY) for our little girl. We've been on the waitlist since February of this year. Such a long time to be on the waitlist but we're hoping that we can get a referral by the end of this year.

To all those who read this, please keep us and our little girl in your prayers. God Bless...