News from afar.....

I got some precious news...from Diann, a momma just returning from Ethiopia...who visited with Mame:

I know you will be getting lots of updates, but I wanted to tell you of my experience with your BEAUTIFUL daughter, Olivia Mame.

I hope that this brings you comfort and joy and please know that I continue to pray your time to travel will come soon. She is going to be a magnificent addition to your family.

This little lady just captures your heart in the first moment that you meet her. She has a sweet, gentle spirit about her and is very much the mother and caretaker of the kids. She is SMART! The kids all said their ABC's, counted to 40 (when I stopped them), said their days of the week, months of the year and all their body parts. And if my Bizunesh is any indication, she will know a lot more English than she will let on at first. (That has been a hoot!)

Mame is very affectionate and explained through a gentleman there that she thinks of you often. After receiving your package, she was adamant that he translate a letter to be sent to you. I want to mail this letter to you, but I also wanted to send the contents via e-mail so you would have it sooner!

Hello Mom. I love you mom and all the family. I am eager to see all my American family. I missed you and again I love you. Thank you for the present.

He also told me that she kept telling him to tell you I love you and Thank you. But that he only wrote it once in the letter. She loved her hat and shirt, although I would go a size larger on the shirt. She really is beauty. What a gift from above.

__________________________________________________

Isn't that the most precious thing!!? Hang on dear Mame.....I will get there as soon as I can!

Moodshifting: dresses and smiles....

I can feel my mood shifting. From one of irritation, dismay, to one of expectancy and excitement.

Nothing on the news landscape has changed...but my mind has moved from "WHEN??!" and "What now!"....to, oh Olivia will look cute in that, and oh this will be so fun for Olivia and Mary to do together...

I see little girls Olivia's age with their little summer dresses and leggings, and it takes all my might not to go shopping! lol.

I have moved to thinking, "soon. It will be soon." Knowing soon is a relative term. But no more dispair! Prayers of friends and family must be working.

A little insight from another mother made me smile today. She said her two daughters in Ethiopia, that she is in the process of bringing home this week, moved to their English names within two days. She said they "love their English names!".

So...that was thrilling to know. I have heard from others too, that the older children really look forward to their English names. :) So Olivia.....I hope you will love your name.....

Happy hearted waiting.

PS...and that cute dress above is from Garnet Hill.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PSS. I got an update from Kathleen, who is in Ethiopia right now....on Olivia Mame. She said she is in a happier mood today. She said:

She is 68 pounds
54 1/4 inches tall
size 10/12 would be much better!!!
Her hat fit.
She was so much happier today to see us and she felt much better with her package!!!!!

Update...

Well, I wasn't going to talk about it, but since I have two updates....I guess I will. The first is that Ethiopian Adoptions regarding abandoned children are temporarily on hold. Some agencies are being investigated. I understand our agency is already in the clear, but all are being held up until the investigations are over. I have no clue how long this dealy will be.

On a bittersweet note, I heard from Kathleen, who is bringing home her two daughters and is in Ethiopia this week. Her older daughter is Mame's bunk mate. This is part of what she wrote, talking about her daughter and then Mame:

She ran off and got Mame. Mame was very sad. ...Mame and Kalkidan (Laura Faith) share the same bed, school and Mame does K and D's hair and gets her things daily. Mom kept insisting that the driver translate that Mame and Wubitu and Henery kids parents are hoping they get out soon.

Mame hung out the whole time 9 am until 115pm with us. Wubitu left to play with others.
Mame is the one that takes good care of our girls. She took it extremely hard that K was leaving. I had to really coax a smile. The water bottle and coffee ceremoney cheered Mame up.

All the kids were preparing notes and letters for K and D..Mame did not as she was with us.
Mame read the letters and they all laughed. one boy said it was good for k but bad for him as he will miss her so much. the kids were all giggles.

Ahhh.....pray for my little girl, as she lost her best friend this week! Pray that things will clear up quickly and I will get to bring her home quickly!

Drawn from Water from Drawn From Water on Vimeo.

Wait and Pray

I know God is working so I just wait and pray!!

(encouraging words..from Joanie Rubash)

Rrrrring.....in Jazzy tones.

I have this new Jazzy Tone as my ringer on my cell. It is so mellow and "cool", that often it does not sink in that my cell phone is ringing.

I was in a meeting this am, just got out of it and in the middle my cell phone started playing.

I thought, this is it, this is it...in the middle of this meeting today, I am going to find out that Mame is mine!

I hardly ever get phone calls at work in the am on my phone. My calls are either my mom, kids or our au pair and they normally happen in the afternoon or evening. SO a ring is something special!

I scramble for my purse....thinking how to do keep facilitating this meeting and handle my phone call....I find the phone, look at the screen to see if it is that non-memorized phone number from Grace......

It was not. :(

I was just so sure today would be the day. This is the week I NEED it to be, for all my summer plans. This is the week that Wednesday are the open case days. I have been an open case (not basket case, open case :) ) for 68 days now. Can't imagine there are ones open longer...... But they probably are. Plus I doubt if they are going on a first in first out bases. Who knows if my paperwork is even done. I am clueless...

But in the words of Joanie Rubash, on another matter on my heart:

I know God is working so I just wait and pray!!

Amen....and listen for that Jazzy tone on my cellphone.

Some hopeful news....

I got some hopeful news today, from the office manager, (I think that is her title) from our agency. She said, regarding the cases that are sitting open at court:

"Due to the huge amount of open cases the courts have right now, they aredesignating Wednesday as open case day. They will hear open cases part of the day Wednesdays until they are through them all.This doesn't mean this upcoming Wednesday they will hear all, obviously, we have at least 15 open cases right now and every other agency has as many so it will take some time to get to all of us. At least they recognize the problem and have come up with a plan!"

I know the chances of us being in the first batch is slim, and I don't know if they go be who has been waiting the longest, I kind of doubt it....but wouldn't if be glorious if THIS Wednesday we actually passed court??!!!!

This Sunday, my three little ones and I went back for prayer during the service...and our prayer with the pastor, was that Mame would pass court so we can take the next step to bring her home.

Keep praying with us please..... Also pray for Wubitu and Henery....Mame's best friend. They have court tomorrow Monday. Pray we hear awesome news!