One stressful day...

Well everyone - we are just a few hours away from boarding the plane on the first leg of our journey. We had a major hiccup today after we received Maya's birth certificate (see photo attached!) - we ended up having to spend the day changing airline tickets due to the agency screwing up some paperwork.

Back to our trip - we leave tomorrow for D.C. where we will spend the day - not sure what we will do yet, but at a minimum we will head down the Mall and see the sights there. On Friday AM we board our 17 hour flight to Addis Ababa - Theresa has her DVD player and movies, I have my books and MP3 player - we'll see if we make it there without killing each other...

We finished our packing tonight - we have quite the load with 2 backpacks, 2 carry-on's and 4 checked bags. As a frequent traveler, we will soon be the type of people that I hate when flying (there is a reason I board before everyone else on the plane...) we will take pictures tomorrow and post them for your enjoyment. Theresa's dad told us to pack lightly - let’s just say we failed in that respect.

We will be trying to update this blog throughout the week so keep coming back and reading our story. Keep us in your prayers to arrive safely and have a memorable meeting with our daughter. Thanks for your continued support.

Chat with you soon!

David and Theresa

Last Day at work

Today was my last day at work for 10 weeks.  I am so excited to have a break.  The last time I had more than 2 weeks off from work was when I was in middle school.  Of course this isn't a sit around kind of break as I will be caring for our first child.  We leave on Wednesday of next week which gives me Monday and Tuesday to get some last minute things done.  Of course we still have all the packing to do and hope to get much of it done this weekend.  Dave also has some work to finish up before he feels comfortable leaving.  There is so much to do and plan for when you are away from home for a week and a half.  Luckily for us my mother will be staying at our house and caring for the dogs while we are gone.  I don't think Toby and Sebastian think they are so lucky

 

I can't wait to share photos of Maya and our trip.  I'm sure Maya has changed some since her 2 month picture.  We are sure excited and anxious to travel.  We will meet our precious daughter a week from tomorrow.  YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Theresa

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