Dear Tesi,
If you don’t want to cry, here is a running list to remind you what not to do:
-Don’t watch Extreme Home Makeover
-Don’t watch The Big Give
-Don’t open emails from new friends who want to donate money towards your adoption
-Don’t talk to Africans
-Don’t go to worship when Andy leads
-Don’t read about orphans, the AIDS epidemic, really, just stay away from Africa-related topics altogether.
-Edited to add: Don’t watch brothers on The Biggest Loser (thanks, Cassie for the reminder)

This will be ongoing so don’t get too comfortable in only those.

Sincerely,
Yourself

It’s 63 degrees outside. The windows are open. I hear the snow melting from our roof. The house is almost done, Dailah is sleeping and Trysten is preparing to go outside. This is, I think, what people are referring to when they say, “Life is beautiful.”

You thought I was talking about something else in the subject line didn’t you?

So..today was kind of a crazy day. It started with my getting pulled over for speeding. Interesting story, not appropriate for blogging.

But I was also looking at the calendar and realized the 13th is just 12 days away and the 20th is, obviously, 19 days away. NOT LONG at all. Not that I’ve been promised that we’ll travel then, but I should certainly be somewhat prepared.

First thing I did was email a travel agent we had talked to earlier in the post-referral process. It looks like tickets are around $1990 A PERSON!!!!!! That’s about $500 more than last time I had looked. We are hoping to take a route that would enable us to use frequent flyer miles. We actually don’t have any frequent flyer miles, but this way we could rack some up big time. Until then, we are going to start saving money like it’s our business as we didn’t have quite that much set aside for tickets alone. Even Tariku’s ticket is $1195 ONE WAY!! He’s worth it right? Dad, how much longer until we get our tax money back? teehee.

Second thing I did was start loading up a suitcase with some of the stuff that can be put in a suitcase for awhile. Sunscreen will obviously not be used this Iowan winter. Neither will the special shampoo and conditioner I bought for Tariku. Okay, okay, I did, in fact pack all of Tariku’s clothes that I have as well. I couldn’t help it, Trysten and Dailah were helping me and they were both excited.

I’m wanting to go shopping tomorrow to get other things we need. One of those things is a map of the world with a line from Iowa to Ethiopia. If we are able to meet any of Tariku’s birth family while we’re there, we will give them a map and a picture for them to keep.

I’ve been thinking about Tariku’s birth family a lot lately. Jody and I have been talking about moms. Moms who adopt special needs kids, moms who foster kids with lots of issues or just lots of kids in general. Just moms. I can’t help but think of Tariku’s mom all the time. I don’t know the differences between us but we have such a deep, special sameness and that is a deep love for our son. It’s strange, to think of him as “our” son, but that’s who he is. He will always be hers as he is mine. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. I hope God gives me the wisdom to raise Tariku in a way that will make his mom proud of both of us. I hope I raise him in a way that will honor his birth family as well as his birth country.

I honestly feel like I’ve prepared myself the best I can to do those things. All that’s left is the first step in raising him and that is getting him here. And for that, I must continue to pack, continue to do laundry. But most of all, continue to storm the gates of heaven with the prayers of my heart for little Tariku.

Dailah says a lot of words. Her newest, as of tonight, is “Kapeesch”. Thanks, Uncle Jesse.

And that, my friends, is my first (and possibly last) Full House mention in this entire blog.

So I have filled our travel prescriptions (travel diarrhea anyone? mmmm) I have checked my schedule, turns out I’m free any week in March to travel to Ethiopia. (Imagine that) I started washing the few 3-yr-old clothes that I have. Tonight I will seek and find Zach and my passports. I will also figure out which of our suitcases we will be using. I’m pacing myself, but I have always been more of a sprinter than a marthoner which just goes to show you that by Sunday I will be packed with the bags at the door.

Check out Jody’s blog (it’s on the side “Jody III”). She and I were talking about her latest entry on the way to the restaurant a couple of days ago. If you have a heart, you’ll cry when you think about it. I guess you know how I feel about the situation.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention one fascinating thing. So I went to my doctor’s office the other day after they drew some blood for a spleen “situation” I’m having. Anyway, he said basically, “It’s really weird, you’re not pregnant but a lot of your hormonal levels are mimicing pregnancy. I’ve seen it before in adoption.” Isn’t that crazy? At least I’m not gaining weight at mach speed, watching baby story every time it’s on or crying at anything…oh wait, yes I am doing those last two anyway and the first is teetering dangerously. Either way, very fascinating indeed!

So, blog friends, I’m going to ask something specific from you today.

That same day I got the word that it would be 5-6 weeks, I emailed and “negotiated” a bit as that was just too long for me. I was told by our ET coordinator that if the piece of paper that we’re waiting on to arrive to the Ethiopian Embassy arrives anytime next week, we would be allowed to travel March 13th or 20th. Obviously this makes me squeal with excitement.

So, also obviously, it’s been on my mind ALL the time since. I know a lot of you are pray-ers. I know some of you aren’t. I could actually care less at this point. If you think good things come to those who stand on their heads and sing a Celine Dion Top 40 hit, then let me know and I’ll try that too. But I’m asking all of you, quite selfishly, to pray for that itty bitty piece of paper to make it to the Ethiopian Embassy by next Wednesday. Specific enough? That way we’ll for sure get word sometime next week.

Thanks so much for being an encouragement and support. Some of you have gone before me in this adoption world, others are close friends/family that seem to give me a call or a hug when I need it the most. I figure, as good of people as you are, God has no choice but to answer our prayers (or songs) right?

So last night was girls night with Jody, Leslie and myself. And on last night, when I needed it the most, a dream of mine came true.

To set the stage, my sister-in-law, Leslie, is a freelance writer and has been asked to do a piece on local restaurants. So we went to one that was brand new this Monday called “Graze”. Well when we got there and she said she was from QC Magazine, we got the VIP treatment! We ordered this little thing called “Graze 101” which in laymens terms is “fancy buffet” and it was great. BUT the chef was even nicer than that. He literally had people from all over the restaurant bringing us plate, after plate, after plate of food. There was so much food, I thought about crying (but I had cried all my tears earlier over Tariku).

That’s been my dream, to sit down, and just be served a ridiculous amount of delicious food and it happened last night. Here’s a picture of the dessert (which came after approximately 20 rounds of food before that). Do you see the look in my eye? The eyes are a little dull because of all the food I had eaten, seriously.

Now pair that with amazingly great conversation, lots of great laughs and some time spent at Borders reading silly magazines without kids, that was a great night.

Here’s a surefire way to get me happy. Show me pictures of these people…Trysten’s birthday pictures.

Just got off the phone with our agency. In short, it looks like we’ll have another 2-3 weeks until we get a travel date (which means, we won’t actually travel for 5-6 weeks). Needless to say, there are no words for how unbelievably sad I am.

I was surprised at how easily I fell in love with Tariku by a picture. The bad part to that is that I’ve loved him as my son for 4 months now. Having him so far away feels about as bad as it would (God forbid) if anyone took Trysten or Dailah for that long. Hearing we’d have to wait so much longer, well it’s pretty much unacceptable to me right now. I’ve already put in a call to a travel agent to see how much it would cost to fly me, possibly Zach, and the two kids to Ethiopia so we can live there as a family until the Government can figure out how to make this family complete.

I’m just ready. Have I said that yet?

Look at Tariku over on the side there. Isn’t he precious?

So I knew before that I couldn’t be around Africans until Tariku comes home. After Biggest Loser tonight, I can no longer watch/see brothers either. Brothers reminds me of Trysten and Tariku. Brothers are no good for my psyche either. Note to self, you will cry when you see brothers.