Step by Step

It was a good weekend. We stayed at mom and dads friday night so we could just hop over to the agency on Sat am. Unfor. Z got tummy flu on Fri night and puked all over nana's white bathroom carpet.(jello jigglers and red popsicle...oooh yuck!) Good thing his nana loves him so! Full of mommy guily, E and I headed over to St.Paul and the agency Sat am. Unlike when we were last there for our weekend long intro to adoption, I wasn't a nervous wreck, but rather excited to learn.

The morning was a presentation by two agency staff that shared various cultural aspects of ET and what we might experience in our travels and in our transitions once home. It was great info and the pictures were fabulous. We had a traditional Ethiopian meal for lunch. I am going to struggle with the food. I don't think of myself as a picky eater, but I am going to have to work to learn to love ET food! I like the injera (of course I haven't ever met a bread I didn't like!) and the veggie dish was good...but the meat left me a little leary. I will keep working on it! We met some very nice families and it was great to talk about the "wait" with other waiters! We even ran into a friend from college! The afternoon speaker was amazing. He is Ethiopian, but has lived in the US for 35 years. He is married to a white woman and they have adotpted 3 Ethiopian children. I could have listened to him for days. He talked about racism, and the issues our kids will face and the challenges we as parents must be ready to take on. It was great food for thought.

At the end of the day, I was getting cagey. I think I had overheard one too many conversations about parents waiting, and that dang court closure just loomed. I cornered the program specialist to see if she had any insights. She is hoping there will be several waves of referrals before the court closure on the 15th...and hopes September waiters will get through, but she said to remain prepared for the chance that it might not happen until fall. I so just can't go there...so I am holding out for a May referral.

On other notes, the sun finally came out today and it was gorgeous. I was able to re-claim the front porch...can't wait to relax out there with a nice glass of wine! Also unearthed the patio furniture and began to clean up the backyard. Hoping the weather continues to be nice, so I can keep this momentum!

I am off...great TV is finally back on...more tomorrow!