Feeling a little better...

This afternoon, Dave and I visited with a couple who have recently adopted from Ethiopia.  We asked numerous questions about their trip that we were unsure of.  We asked questions about the flight over and back, how many outfits do we need to pack for Maya, how many bottles do we need, etc.  I also asked about how many photos they took.  I heard about one family who took 1800 photos during their trip.  I want to ensure I have plenty of memory cards along.  We did make a stop at Best Buy today and purchased another battery pack and memory card.  Dave says we should be good but I'm not so sure. 

 

Hope you all had a great weekend.  Only 5 more days at work for me before I begin my personal leave.  I am taking 10 weeks off from work so I can bond with Maya before she begins daycare.  I'm looking forward to it.

 

Theresa

Getting Closer

On Thursday of last week, Dave and I got the last of our shots and boy did they hurt!  My arms ached for a solid two days!!  We also got some prescriptions to take with us which we have filled from the pharmacy.  On Friday night we did a little fall shopping for Maya.  We ended up purchasing some really cute fall clothes.  Of course we had no will power and bought more than we intended.  We also did some shopping at Target.  According to our packing list that has been given to us by previous travelers, it appears we have what we need to take with us.  The only thing missing is an extra memory card and battery pack for the camera (which is crucial!).  

 

Now that the shopping and the laundry is done, we now need to start packing.  I'm feeling better today about the trip now that so much is done and we have purchased what we need.   Regarding packing, I learned yesterday that I need to bring two long skirts along.  One is for our trip south and one is for the trip to the embassy.  This will be a challenge as I don't own very many skirts and what I do own is mostly knee length.  If anyone is out there reading this and has something I could borrow, please let me know

 

Hope you all are having a great weekend.  Until next time...

 

Theresa

Update on Maya!

Just a quick note today - hope everyone is doing well.

We received an update on Maya yesterday and she continues to grow consistently. She now weighs around 13 pounds and 22.44 inches long. Per U.S. standards she is very small but her wiight is at the 80% ranking in Ethiopia.

 

We leave in two weeks - can you believe it??

 

 

Here is our only photo of Maya at this time - she is 2 months old in this photo. Isn't she absolutely adoreable....!!! 

Good News!

We are officially parents!  Maya finally made it through court and we are now set to travel August 22.  We are over the moon!!  Dave left town for work early Monday morning and I told him not to tell me the news until we talk in the evening.  Of course I was an emotional wreck all morning worrying that she wouldn't make it through court.  I finally called Dave on my way home for lunch to see if he had heard.  Dave  had heard but didn't want to tell me.  He reminded me of how impatient I am but I didn't care.  Dave finally told me the good news.  I started to scream and cry.  I quickly pulled over as I was still driving home when he told me the news. 

 

Our tickets are booked and we are flying Ethiopian Air.  We will fly into Washington DC on the 22nd and depart for Addis early on the 24th.  We decided to spend a full day in Washington DC. 

 

This weekend we will be hosting Dave's family at the lake.  Starting next week we will need to kick it into high gear.  We still have lots of shopping to do as well as packing.  My sister is planning on driving to Fargo for a day to help me finish my packing.  Since she is a mom of three she will know exactly what I need to bring.  We do hope we will get a medical update on Maya before we travel but no gaurantee.

 

Lastly, I know many of you are dying to see a picture of our precious little girl.  I will have Dave post one once he is back home.  I'm not very savvy with computers, sorry.

 

Theresa

Update

Hello everyone,

 

Today we had our first meeting with Nejbya's pediatrician to find out if we need to get any precriptions for our trip.   She was a very nice woman with a good personality and is originally from Russia.  She had good things to say about Ethiopia and the people.  She also reviewed Nejbya's medical information and stated she seems very healthy.  We did not get any prescriptions but she did tell us to make an appointment for a check-up once we are home. 

 

Last week Dave and I took a two hour parenting class at the local hospital.  It was very strange being the only female without a belly.  We felt like we had to explain ourselves to the class.  The class did tell us that we knew more than we thought.  However, it was nice to learn about bathing, car seats, child safety, etc.  We also got some great brochures.  Tomorrow night we attend our CPR and First Aid class.  I have taken those classes in the past but Dave has not.  I thought it would be a good thing for us to know just in case.

 

Yesterday we spent some time at Target.  Luckily for us (well maybe me) most of the baby department was on clearance.  I went a little nuts on buying onesies and sleepers.  I figure we can never have enough right?  Well maybe I didn't need all of them but now there is no need to do laundry every single day :)  I am now working on organizing what I do have so I can get starting on my packing.  I am hopeful that we will still travel late August.  Since we like to spend our weekends at the lake, it doesn't give me too much time to wash everything and to pack. 

 

We will keep updating the site as we have information.  Again, our new court date is July 30th.  Please keep us in your prayers that Nejbya will make it through. 

 

Theresa

 

 

Another Postponement...

Well we recieved more bad news yesterday. Maya Nejbya was missing a piece of paperwork during her court visit this week and was once again rescheduled, this time not until July 30th.

 

This is significant for two reasons, one is that the court officially closes on Aug 6th and the other is that with the Millenium and increased capacity due to the agency pushing more children through before the court closer, we may be experience a much longer delay to travel.

We are optimistic that we will still travel in August if she gets through the court in August - but there is a chance that it could be Sept/Oct if things don't go our way.

Obviously we are very disappointed with the latest delay and I am sure we won't be thinking of much else until we hear the status on July 30th. Let's hope we have used up our delays and the process will go much smoother from this point on.

 

Cheers,

David and Theresa