The Perfect Spot

I found this quiz online today and thought it was interesting. It is supposed to tell you the best places in the U.S. for you to live. Most of mine are in Wisconsin, Vermont, or Massachusetts.... what do you think that says about me?


http://www.findyourspot.com/

Montpelier Vermont is one of my "Top Spots"

What is yours?

Thank you...

Thanks family.
I just read something from a woman who wants to adopt, but is terribly afraid that her family won't accept her child to be. She says they have made lots of derogatory comments about adoption and people of other races and she is afraid they will continue to do so in front of her children. Also, her mother has told her that she will not recognize an adopted child as part of the family.
It really made me think. I wasn't afraid for one second that my family wouldn't accept our children. I knew you would love them and that they would be a part of our family. More than that, you have all supported and helped us SO MUCH already. We are so grateful, and I don't think I say it enough.
So, thanks family. You are wonderful, and I am excited for my children that we can bring them into an extended family that will sit in a circle and smile at them for two days during Christmas and fight over who gets to hold them next. I am so glad that they, like me, will always know that their family loves them.

Yay!!!

We have officially moved on to the next step! We received word that our dossier is on the way to Washington D.C. and the Ethiopian Consulate. Our agency should have it back within two weeks, and then it will be headed to Ethiopia. Everytime we get the next step completed we always say, "Now it finally feels real." Well, it is starting to feel really real. Good thing we picked out a car seat...

I found it!

After months of searching for the perfect car seat, (I have a lot of time on my hands lately) I think I finally found it. It can even recline in case the baby is sleeping and needs their own personal recliner in the car. Wow.

In other news, I had such an exciting night at work tonight. I had to call the behavior therapist 4 times and the Human Rights Specialist 3 times. There were 26 Responder calls (I was the Responder) 11 Crisis Response Team calls, (which I am also required to respond to) 1 AWOL, 10 assaults, lots of destruction and one really big headache for me. I have to keep telling myself, "I love my job...the state of South Dakota pays for all of my benefits..."

Sigh.

2nd Attempt...

We got our re certified documents back from the State Capitol today. Pretty good service, huh? They didn't get it until yesterday, and we already have it back and mailed off to St. Louis today. Keep your fingers crossed for us..

What?!

Okay, Nathan says he isn't voting for Oscar.... so apparently my previously sensible family is. Nathan also requests that you leave a comment if you like the name Ezra for a boy. Apparently he thinks we are adopting a 90 year old man.

In other news, we found out that our agency gave out 8 referals today. Since we are currently about number 20 on the list, this is really big news. As soon as we get the rest of our paperwork in we should be about #12 on the list, and not everybody is waiting for sibling groups. That means we are probably really going to be closer to #5 on the list. As mom says, "I guess that means you had better get busy!" Myr, we would love to have Emily's crib, and anything else that is cluttering up your house and doesn't have much sentimental value; thanks VERY MUCH for offering. We have one, but will most likely need two. Maybe if you take a spring break trip to the area...

Progress...

We finally got our new homestudy in the mail; I sent it to Pierre today. Hopefully, we will get it back on Thursday. South Dakota must not do very many international adoptions, because they usually mail documents out the same day they receive them. Keep your fingers crossed...

Political Compass

Try the political compass quiz on my "favorite links." It is pretty interesting to see where the current political candidates fall.

International Political Figures...

Current primaries candidates...

And here is me... me and Nelson Mandela...

Names...

Myr suggested Sofia and Gus for the baby name poll. I would add them, but it won't let me because people have already voted. That being said, does anyone have any suggestions for names that aren't on my list? Any names you have always liked? Click on the link that tells the number of comments under the 'Names...' post, and I will see if there are any that I haven't thought of that need to be added to the list.

And Myr... Emily said she would kick my butt if I named any of our children Gus. She is little, but she is mean. We will have to take that into consideration, even though we do like both Gus and Sofia.

Kitchen Dogs

We now have kitchen dogs. I feel a little bad about it, because the dogs have always been allowed anyplace they want to go. They are used to being a part of the family. Sadly, they have become humungous. And they are hairy. And they drool. None of these things fit in with my new idea of a clean house. Also, I don't think that the social workers would like it if one of my babies was squashed by a dog. So, they are now kitchen dogs or outside dogs until bed time. I think that we are having a harder time adjusting to our new rules (okay... my new rules). We miss them sitting on our feet to keep us warm while we are watching movies. I don't miss steam cleaning the rug for the third time in a week, and then having them come in and roll around on it. We have also taken to carrying stuffed animals wherever we go so that the dogs stop jumping on us to see if whatever we are carrying is edible. Yes, we look like idiots.

From pampered members of the family....

to banished outside. Sad.

Nesting...

Along with crazy amounts of painting, my nesting period has included cleaning everything in sight...

I have gone from a 'dust whenever someone is going to be visiting person' to a 'dust whenever you might think you see a sign of dust or cobwebs' person. Sadly, Nathan is more of a 'pile things on any flat surface until your wife has a nervous breakdown' kind of person. Or at least he was, until I became a cleaning Nazi. The poor man may be a little surprised at this new development in my personality.

Ummm...

Yes, I realize I said that we wouldn't be creating a blog about our adoption. I am, however, tired of sending out e-mails with pictures of all of the various things we are painting. This way, I can put them on the blog and those parties who are in any way interested can certainly check it out. Here is what we have done so far...

Nursery

Dresser/ Place where the changing pad will go...

Lots of clothes from my friends with big kids and rummage sales...

Still in progress are a lion, a tortise, and several assorted bugs for the walls upstairs. It does seem like over kill, I am sure, but it is really hard to just sit and wait for things to get done... especially when I have no control over anything anymore!

We actually had all of our paperwork in and ready to go to Ethiopia when our agency (CHI) found a mistake that our social worker made in our homestudy. That means that our homestudy has to be redone, we have to redo all of the paperwork based on that homestudy, and then we have to have the newly redone paperwork notarized, mailed to Pierre to be certified, and then recopied and mailed to St. Louis and Kansas City. Keep in mind that the agency had already looked through the homestudy and approved it. Well, first they wanted several changes such as, " you must specify where Nathan's older sister is employed, not just say in Wahpeton, ND" (I guess in case she was employed as a drug dealer or prostitute....?). So, needless to say, we are BEYOND frustrated at this point. We were supposed to be on the waiting list for a referal right now, but instead we are waiting for our homestudy to come in the mail so we can redo all of the paperwork. I keep telling myself that no matter how impatient I am it is not such a bad thing to have to wait. After all, the longer it takes, the more vacation leave and money we will have saved up, and the better the chance we will have sold our 'summer home' in Aberdeen.