if its not one thing- its another

Well i was hoping to get to court by the end of the year...who knows if it will happen. The new snafu is that HOLT doesnt want our dossier until 17H/immigration is done...this is per the email yesterday to the ET families. What the heck? if its not one thing, its another. We were planning on sending our dossier out Monday. I emailed Pat about it....so lets see what happens. I at least want them to have the dossier and review it b/c god knows I will have left somethign out or done something wrong.... why wait to submit?!

any warrants?

apparently neither john nor i have any active warrants in Columbia SC and we now have documentation stating as much. We both got our police clearance letters yesterday....Monday I make a trip to our state's sec of state office to get the homestudy certified....then we have a notary party later next week (with johns friend or our local banker guy) and this dossier should be ready to set sail!!!!

In funner news (yes, i just said funner) gabe and i are going to the water park this week....the small one at ft jackson and then on to better amusement parks and water parks next weekend :)
Odds/Ins:I finally got to go to a doggy adoption day today- i am no longer working on Saturdays. I brought my two fosters with me. I hope Tipper and Sally get homes soon...they are both very very sweet.
John made dinner tonight- it was great! Time for a movie....date night is in :)
The rescue i help with :)
http://www.caretoadopt.org/

HOUSTON- WE HAVE HOLT COURT DATES!!!!!

I am so thrilled for today,...seriously at 4am last night i woke up (due to dog craziness)- but i was not able to go back to sleep. I kept thinking "Ethiopia, Holt, court dates" over and over...it was like i was counting sheep. And then today i find out that the first two groups of 2 trippers have their court dates!!! woo hooo I want/need/am so anxious to see how ths new system will work. It seems these families got thier dates about 3 months after submitting the request to the courrt. Soooo if we submit mid-September then mid Dec or early Jan is when we will get to go for our first trip (i hope)...amazing...its getting much more real for me now. All the official paperwork this week, new pictures, immigration, and now court dates! Wow!!!! I just want Little Man S here for spring break for our huge easter brunch and neighborhood egg hunt (i have a super big yard and lots of flowering trees so we always have a hunt here, with brunch and such)...i know many hope for their kids to be here by the end of the year or xmas ...i just hope for easter .

FEDEX

Yesterday i sent out the I 600A - FEDEX and today my friend FEDEX worker delivered my big package from HOLT with the travle disclosure, dossier invoice, programinvoice and placement agreement...this has , by far, made it feel the most formal and "real"- we also got some more medical updates for S- i totally did not get thier notes from June, but everything else has been emailed.
We got our bank letters and doctors letter waiting, along with the MOWA letter, pass port copies, and well..i need to check the list. I am trying to remember off the top of my head......so much stuff...
Oh i need to get the new letters of reference....grrr...
ok well i am planning a big notary trip soon- i have some local notary helpers i mind. I hope by this time next week I can put this dossier and check in the mail.....ugh

Homestudy out now I 600 A out!

Holt emailed me and said they have recieved our homestudy and now is the time to  get out our immigration packet- well duh!. I had to wait on a copy of my social workers liscense, i got that today and we are ready to roll. Grrrr my check for $830 is also rolling right on with it. At least adoption costs are sectioned out, and not all at once.... i average spending an extra $1,000 every other month. Coming up soon will be the dossier fee...ugh. But its all a sign of progress. What i am dreading more about is returning to school- both to teach and starting my PhD work. My ideal situation is to teach full time this last year (except after S arrives- then its FMLA leave time). Then the following shcool year work more on research/ teach part time. This way S can go to the half day Montessori and I can pick him up. We may do a homnecare situation here, should I have evening classes. I am way too much of a planner....in college i used to never be this way.

I still hope/wonder if we will get to court before the end of the year...its so very discouraging when i have yet to see any 2-trippers get thieir travel/court dates...i really do not want to doubt my agency- but i am just confused as to what is being done over in ET to push the 2-trippers court cases forward. Our agency really does focus on optimal care for thew children, i think the admin side of our staff is kinda underwater. Why are other agencies getting thier two-trippers out? Will HOLT still just focus on all the one-trippers who have to go pick up kids before they have 2-trippers go? This is the downside of such a huge agency, I fear.

In other news Gabe got a large package of books and a cd of all his pictures while in Ms. Ancone's class (4k and 5k monetssori)- it was so sweet. I hope Ms. Ancone has S. She is not your avegerage lovey-fuzzy kindergarden teacher, but i think thats what makes her class work so well. Shes all about establishing independence and routine at the same time.

Ok gotta get this bad boy in the mail and get some other work done. I think THURSDAY will be my Charlotte/ET lunch day :)

Houston we have a HOME STUDY!

Well I am excited to say that Sharon from our home study agency is doe with the small amount of edits and currently homestudies are in the mail...one to HOLT and two to moi. One of the ones coming to me will be the one to be included in our dossier...next week: Bank letters, police letters, letter to MOWA- amended letters of reference, contact doctors regarding needing their reports on letter- head and then a mass notary visit once again....lordy lordy
I hope that by the 2nd week of August the dossier will be at HOLTS office.

then we wait for court....

Mission of Charity Center- guinea pigs

Well it has come to my attention that we are possibly the 3rd or 4th family to be matched with a child from the Sister's Mission of Charity care Center. The first family has put in their request for a court date, but nothing yet. So no actual adoption has been completed from this center. We got an email today stating that there was a meeting with HOLT staff and those at the Mission Center last week, along with some evaluations. At this point HOLT -Eugene is waiting on the fed-ex package of pictures and documents. I hope and pray that by next week we have more pictures/evaluations on Little-Man S. In more interesting news, our adoption procedures will differ than the usual Holt families- in that our child will not be moved to the transition center. As per the guidelines of the Mission Center- children stay with them until everything is finalized. We will visit him there, and assume custody at this center, not at the HOLT center. So no Durame home visit (S is totally abandoned- know family is known)- and possibly no farewell ceremony, since we will not be at the HOLT Transition Center.  However, I am happy to be able to visit this historic place- it was opened by Mother Theresa, after all! I will be more than happy to take donations to this historic center, who also helps with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ethiopia. Plus little-man S will be with those he knows best, in his comfortable surroundings- of course until we come and take him away from all he has ever known!!! (yikes- makes me feel so sad for him, but know its for the best).
Other news- we are still awaiting the ok from HOLT on our home-study to have it formalized and start our immigration process....ugh more paper work..more waiting...of course MORE MONEY!!
happy happy, joy joy

pictures- North Carolina

TWEETSIE RAIL ROAD AMUSEMENT PARK

WE ARE REALLY HIGH IN THE CHAIR LIFT!

His smile is so adorable! We were onthe ferris wheel

NEXT STOP- A MILE IN THE SKY, AT GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN!

WILL WE BRAVE THE BRIDGE?










IT WAS REALLY WINDY:
*Gabe took this picture :)

ON THE BIRDGE!!

on the other side:

Where am i?

Have I really not posted since June 25th? Oh my...well i have some catching up to do. I have had lots of questions and congratulations when I tell friends and family about being matched with Little Man S-...my family in Ohio were quite interested. Gabe and I went to visit them from June 29th until just yesterday.... Gabe I am went to Boone NC first to tour around the Blue Ride Parkway- go to the Tweetsie Railroad Amusement Park and go see Grandfather Mountain- all very cool! Gabe had a blast. Seeing my moms side of the family was great. Gabe played with his 12 year old second cousin a whole lot...gabe is only 6- but it did show me the wonders of an older boy really taking the time to play with a younger one. Since Gabe and S will be about 4 years apart :)
I was told by Jennifer at HOLT that one of the HOLT CARE CENTER directors(or doctors?) was going to see S at the Mother Theresa Care Center last week...but I havent heard back about what was done or had any new photos or medical reports....hmmm
GOOD NEWS: Last Friday i was emailed our final copy of the homestudy!!! So excited. I should be getting the notarized copies in the mail soon...well after I pay the 2nd half of the payment (my agency is great and divides it up)
Ok I am going to finally post some pictures from the beach- I will add some from NC and OH in the next post

Gabe learned how to "boogie board" pretty well

John is lounging and talking....he was not thrilled with this picture :) hehehe

This one is better :)

Ross and Gabe looking for shells- they played all day.

Getting ready to go to the pier/dinner

Sunset ...with no sun...hehe ok- "dusk"

Ross and Gabe looking over the side












Shark cought by a fisher man guy