Citizenship - PART 1 - Approved!!

WE have waited four months for a process that is supposed to take 2-4 weeks. During those four months we have called the CIC office once a week for the last 9 weeks and the response was always the same - "we can tell you NOTHING about your file - we don't know anything about it." UMMMM HUH? After 9 weeks of that, I escalate within the immigration office and the "top dog" responds with, "I can tell you nothing - I don't know anything about it." WE then sign a "release of information form" allowing our MP (who IS the Minister of Immigration) permission to check in and escalate our file and we hear back, "I can tell you nothing - I can't seem to find anyone who knows anything about it". wooooooooooow So, after all of this, we recieved a call today from Canandian Immigration, telling us that we have been approved as sponsors for our baby!! So relieved that our file is not under a desk somewhere. So happy that our persistence paid off. WE can now travel to Ethiopia without extending our trip for an infinite amount of time and having to worry about when that will be processed and THAT FEELS GOOD! Now, we wait until next Friday, November 1st - our MOWA court date. Please send all your positivity our way for a successful court date next week! Because if that court date is successful we will be travelling shortly after that. CRUNCH TIME FOLKS!! YEah!

Good News - Not the BEST news - But Still Good!

It’s been a fabulous day today. I woke this morning with positive vibes (a rarity for me). I knew it was going to be a great day – and it has been! I received two great news bits from our Agency. First , dun, dun, dun…. Our first (MOWA) court date is scheduled for November 1st. What does that mean? Well, it means that the day before Amanuel’s first birthday, the Ministry of Woman’s Affairs will be attending court in Ethiopia and approving (hopefully) our adoption. A week or two after that, we will know our court date. So happy things are moving along – not so happy about the pace at which they are…. However, we do know that our file is being actively worked on and that no one has forgotten about us and we will be travelling very, very soon! And….For a couple of weeks now, we have been very worried about the risk of Amanuel contracting TB and not being there to nurture him if sick. WE found out today that all the kids have been tested and Amanuel is clear (for now). The weight of the world feels off our shoulders today. I spent the weekend packing and shopping with my dad. It was great. So now we have to make it through a couple more weeks and we will know. Getting REALLY excited. Love to you all, Annie

Like getting a 30 day long, non-stop, bikini wax...

while plucking your fingernails out one at a time (without anesthetic). I honestly can't think of another form of torture worse than that. Except.... Waiting to hear about your court date. It has almost been four months since we saw his face for the first time and I want to be with him. Worry is consuming me. I want to be his Mum. Yesterday! Knowing we could get the court date any day now is torturous. I take the phone to the shower with me. I jump every time it rings. I think about him constantly and about a week or two ago I started dreaming about him - specifically him - with his face and fingers and his wonky legs. That's new. I loved it and never wanted to wake up. But the truth is, once we hear - we will know and all this panic will have been for not. We will be headed to Ethiopia to parent our beautiful son and learn all about his culture. For now, I will continue to occupy my time by conjuring up images of torture worse than this. Perhaps dangling from a 52nd story balcony by my hair....

Court File Number Received!!!

WE got an email today, advising that we have received our court file number from the Ethiopian courts. Now, you may be wondering what that means... Well, it means we are close. It means our file has been translated, authenticated and submitted to the courts in Ethiopia. It means that someone, across the world, has processed our file and now we are one step closer to our Amanuel. In a couple-few weeks we will hear of our court date and soon after that we will travel to meet him.

To the Moon and Back

I've created this blog as a means to share with you all, information on our travels to bring our baby Amanuel home. It is not meant to be a literary masterpiece. I have thought much about sharing my feelings here but I struggle with how much of this story is mine, and how much is Amanuel's. For this purpose, this blog will keep you informed. It will be literal. It will be honest. However, it will not tell you HIS story. Just ours, as a family, beginning with us.