Update on Our Princess

We received an update from Gladney today on Baby N. She will be 3 months old on Friday. I live for these small glimpses of her life in Ethiopia. Here is what the in-country staff had to say.....

“I found Baby N sunning with her friends in the garden of her foster care house. It was a nice morning: the sun was shining brightly and we had a long enough break from the rains that the caregivers could let the babies enjoy some sunshine for a little while. Baby N seemed very content, bathing in sunshine there on a mattress. Some babies were fussing and fretting about it, but she just lay there resting and enjoying some warmer weather. She is such a sweet little baby—very smiley and happy. It’s been fun to watch her fill out over these past few weeks, adding some nice baby fat to her little frame and becoming more and more alert and interactive. What a doll!”

Please....please....please move a little faster Mr. Time. I can't stand this wait for a court date. I know I am whining but indulge me :) This sweet girl has touched our lives so much and has added so much love to our family and she is not even here yet.

I had some great news from the Dean at the School of Nursing. She has graciously given me the freedom to stay in Addis between the court and embassy date if I need to. I am still struggling with the decision, but this has helped a lot. I will continue to teach on-line from there pending Internet access. I am also trying to speak with someone at Addis Ababa University about taking a tour of the nursing school and possibly shadowing a nursing professor for a few days while we are in-country. Jim may do the same with the physics department. I will hopefully be working on an exchange program with the nursing students that would allow 8-10 of our students to visit for 2-3 weeks every other summer. They would be volunteering in the orphanages and practicing their pediatric assessments and skills. Wish me luck.

10 Weeks Old and Growing

Baby N is ten weeks old today and growing..... Unfortunately, we were not able to secure a court date before the closures but are hopeful that we will receive an "official update" soon from Gladney. We are so grateful to the Bentley Family (http://www.bentleysboundforafrica.blogspot.com/) who just returned after passing court. They took a few pictures for us while they were there. I am a little bias, but she is soooo beautiful. I thank God everyday for bringing her into our lives.

The waiting game is really hard right now. It was difficult to wait for a referral but I think it is possibly more difficult to see her face everyday and know she will not be in our arms until sometime in November (I hope). I am desperately trying not to focus on this and have plenty to keep the family busy. Our oldest moved into his own apartment and Nikolaus started 7th grade yesterday. Nikolaus is also playing travel basketball and started practicing already. Jim and I have started teaching preparations for this semester and continue to work on publications.

On a side note.....I stopped at Babies R Us today. Can I just tell you that it was a completely overwhelming experience. I almost had a mini panic attack. Are all of those gadgets necessary? I know I have not had a baby in the house for a while, but seriously..... a spa tub for an infant? Do they really need a toilet seat that talks to them or a mattress that costs over $400 (endorsed by orthopedic surgeons)? It is literally going to take a big glass of wine to recover from the experience. Oh well....I guess I better put my head in the game and prioritize.

Thank you once again to all my Gladney extended family. Your support is much appreciated and helps immensely during this waiting period - Laura