Worried Nana

I got a phone call from my mom last night. It started with a phrase I never imagined I'd hear my mom say:

"Lisa, I've been doing online research about haircare products for African hair..."

My MOM??? Doing ONLINE RESEARCH??? About products for AFRICAN HAIR???

Umm, Mom? Do you remember that I nannied for an African-American girl for four years while I was in college? I think I can handle the hair. But I truly appreciate your concern.

"Well, I just want to make sure my grandchildren look their best!"

She has also told me that I need to make sure to use suncscreen on the kids, even though they are black, because "that musician Bob Marley, do you know who that is? He died of melanoma, so you need to be careful."

Yes, mom, I do know who "that musician Bob Marley" is. And don't worry. I will take good care of your grandchildren. I promise!

THE GREATEST NEWS EVER!!!

We’re doing it!

We are adopting a waiting sibling pair from Ethiopia!!!!

I wish I could share pictures with everyone, but I can’t just yet. Take my word for it, though, they are GORGEOUS!!!

Amanuel is a six-year-old boy with a sweet face and the cutest earlobes you’ve ever seen. He’s very protective of his three-year-old sister, Meseret, whose cheeks are so kissable I can’t stand it! They are from the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

Amani and Mezzy will be coming home to Maine (hopefully) before the end of the year. They are currently living in an orphanage in Mekele, Ethiopia.

I don’t know what else to say about it…Nate and I are simply too excited for words!

Oh, one note: we had to change agencies. Amani and Mezzy are waiting children with an agency that we were not using. So we lost money to our original agency and are having to re-do our dossier, but it will be worth it because we KNOW that these are OUR CHILDREN!!!!!

Reflections, New Friends, and Frustration

I am completely in love.

His name is Petros, and he's 4 years old. My husband is in love with him, too. And so are his parents. He is the son of Tiffany and Dan, friends we have made as a result of our plans to adopt from Ethiopia.

Petros came home to Maine from Ethiopia about ten months ago, and if ever there was an ambassador for Ethiopian adoption, it is him. Then again, I could say the same about Bezabeh... and Jack... and Gus... and Abenezer... and Meskarem... and every other child I've met through this process.

Maybe I just have a heart for Ethiopia. Maybe it's just that I'm supposed to adopt. Maybe I just love kids. Maybe it's all of those things. And maybe I'm just a bit crazy. All I know is that every time I am around Ethiopian children, it just feels exactly right.

I'm feeling that way about Ethiopia as a whole. I've been hanging out with my new friend Zewdu, an Ethiopian woman introduced to me through a mutual friend. She has been so warm and welcoming, and really supportive of our adoption plans. Her 13-year-old son sat with me over dinner last week and provided me with advice about traveling in Ethiopia. Zewdu also included Nate and me (and our friends Tiffany, Dan and Petros) in her family get-together this past Saturday. My heart is just bursting with gratitude and excitement.

The more I get excited, though, the more impatient I'm getting with our adoption agency. There have been some major changes of late at the agency, and I'm finding it really frustrating. From week to week, the wait times seem to be getting longer instead of shorter. I'm not sure what to do about it. Changing agencies might make things go faster, but there really isn't a guarantee. So for now, I am just waiting. Stuck in limbo. Hoping and praying that something will happen, not just for me, but for my friends (like Shannon and the Soucys) who are waiting, too. Hoping and praying that the children who will eventually be mine are healthy and happy and being loved. Hoping and praying that the adoption will happen while my dad is still healthy enough to enjoy being a grandfather. Hoping and praying and hoping and praying.

What a day!

I woke up this morning to a bunch of Sheriff's department vehicles (including a mobile command unit) outside my house...and armed, camoflaged men coming out of them. I was quite relieved when they put out a big sign that said, "Training in Progess" -- but wish they had done that BEFORE I had a heart attack. I swear, it looked like Osama bin Laden was hiding in the woods across the street! Freaked me right out. You'd think they would have let us know about that in advance, wouldn't you?

In other news, I had Ethiopian food TWICE this week. The first time, I took my friend Nancy to Asmara, an Eritrean/Ethiopian restaurant in Portland. She'd never tried Ethiopian cuisine before, and she loved it! The spices are so good...mmmmm...I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. The second time was last night. My friend Shalom had been telling me for a while that I needed to meet her Ethiopian friend Zewdu, and I called her last night. Immediately, Zewdu was giving me directions to her house, telling me to come right over. I sat in her living room and talked to her for about three hours, and she is such a delightful woman. I feel incredibly blessed to have met her. She's a mom, and a grandmother...and she is very excited that I will be adopting two Ethiopian children.

While I was there, she asked me if I liked spicy food, and once I said yes, she brought out the most amazing food! Homemade doro wat, injera, and all sorts of other delicious stuff. She was so welcoming and kind. She also offered lots of advice about raising Ethiopian children...clearly, I will need her help to do so properly! I'll be getting together with her regularly, because she has offered to teach me some Amharic, and I am going to help her learn to read and write in English! I'm hoping to get some recipes, too! :)

Looks like my kids will have an Ethiopian grandmother here in the U.S.!!! :)

One more thing: earlier today, one of the overhead fluorescent light fixtures in our office came crashing down from the ceiling and hit my co-worker Patty in the head. Sounded like a bomb went off…she staggered forward a few feet and went unconscious on the floor. She came to a few minutes later, and they took her to the hospital in the ambulance to make sure she was OK (she is, thank heavens).

HOLY COW, I'm ready for the weekend!

What it means to live in Maine, volume 2

First off (before I get to the Maine story), I have to tell you that WAITING IS FOR THE BIRDS! I just want news about my kids! NOW! Alas, I can't run this show, so I'm spending a lot of time praying for patience. I need patience. It could be a long wait!

Anyhow, I have moments every now and again when I am reminded that Maine is nothing but a small town. They talk about six degrees of separation...in Maine, it's one or two degrees that separate you from any other Mainer.

Case in point:

I had my annual physical today (ladies, you know what this means). My regular doctor is delivering a child, so her nurse practicioner comes in to do my exam. I'm in the, ummm, regular position for this when she says to me, "You look so familiar to me. OH, I KNOW, you run that Thanksgiving craft fair in Standish!" She had been one of my crafters!!!

Immediately after that part of the exam, I had to go in for my mammogram. Yes, I am 40 this year, which means that I have to do this every year now. Joy, joy, joy! So I'm in the midst of being squashed and prodded, and the technician asks, "Where do you work?" I told her, and she said, "Oh, you must know..." and laid out a litany of names of my co-workers. Seems her son received a scholarship from our organization, and I knew him well, too!

It was a bit disconcerting to run into these people in those settings, but it goes to show that you can't be anonymous in Maine. Therefore, I think I will make a point of behaving like word will get back to mom if I do anything wrong. :)

It's official!

The word from our adoption caseworker:

"Congratulations!!! You are officially waiting for your Ethiopian children as of today 4/21/09!"

Next step is to fill out our I-600A, then fingerprinting and LOTS of vaccinations.

One more milestone down! I wonder how long we'll be waiting...

I hope it's not too long!

What it means to be from Maine

My co-worker came into the office this morning and said, "Spring is finally here! I shaved my legs."

Now THAT'S Maine!