Two weeks to Ethiopia!

We will be in Ethiopia two weeks from today!!! I can't even believe it! It's so sureal! But we are beyond excited, as I'm sure you know!

The buying is almost done. I'm hoping to get it all wrapped up today after church. Then this week I can focus on getting everything in suitcases and making sure I distribute the weight correctly. And then next weekend will be all about cleaning the house. The dogs and house/dog sitter will still be here, so it's not like it will be spotless when I get back. But, still it should be in decent shape (I hope)!

I will be leaving to drop off Maddie in 9 days! And we'll be leaving for Dubai in 10 days! WAHOOOO! We're coming Eli!

August Update!!

Families don't usually receive an update if they've passed court. However, since we had never recived one, we were still able to get one this month!!!

Here's what we have learned:

Measurements:

Taken on: August 24,2009

Weight: 13 pounds

Height: 61.5 cm

Head Circumference: 40.4 cm

Eating/Health: He takes 5 ounces of formula seven times per day. He has been healthy.

Development/Physical: He can lift his head and chest up while on tummy. He rolls over. He

bubbles says ete, etate….

Personality/Other Comments: He is a happy baby. He smiles a lot! He gets fussy when he wants to sleep. He likes to get cuddled to fall sleep but once he is asleep, he sleeps well.

Questions

1. What type of formula is Hossana using the most frequently and is he tolerating it well?

A formula with a name Bebelac -1. Yes he is tolerating it well.

2. Is Hossana bonding well with his Nurse/Nanny?

Yes

3. Will you please provide an updated head circumference and the date of measurement, per IA Dr. request?

See on update

4. Will you please let me know what developmental milestones Hossana has achieved, in addition to smiling (ie. lifting head when on stomach, rolling, babbling, grasping toys, laughing, etc.)?

He lifts his head and chest when on stomach, rolls over very often(very active while rolling),

smiles a lot, babbles.

5. Will you please describe Hossana's personality (ie. serious, playful, happy, inquisitive, etc.)?

He is very easy going, happy and playful.

More pictures

Here are some more pictures of Eli from our family friend that was able to visit him!

Three weeks...

Three weeks from today Eli will be in our hotel room!!! And two weeks from today I will be leaving Charlotte on our 1.5 week trek around the world! We will be vacationing in Dubai for 2 days on our trip over (since our flight goes through there anyway, why not enjoy the ..."culture?" Or at least the beaches).

We think we will book our flights tomorrow. We already have the itineraries set and on-hold. Guess tomorrow we pull the plug and part with a few thousand, GULP! I assure you, the big checks don't get ANY easier. Quite the opposite, actually! But it is all worth it. I know that now and I only have pictures of my sweet boy!

We hope to post from Addis, but probably won't be posting any pictures until our return. We'll see what the technology, our exhaustion and our lil' man will allow! Make sure you blog stalk so you can enjoy the end of one journey and the beginning of a new one!!!

We are currently planned to arrive back in Charlotte Saturday afternoon. Don't expect to see too much activity on here for a while! Just a little warning. We will need to get us all adjusted to the time, the new and improved family, recover from possible illnesses, have a few visits from family, etc. But know that we will be thinking of you all and praying for you all! MUCH LOVE TO MY PEEPS! Haha!

"Face" Paint!

Here are some pictures of my sweet Maddie when she came downstairs from her "nap" today! I should point out that she's a little Houdini because I saw her trying to take paint and paintbrushes upstairs for nap, but I said she could only take the brushes. I saw her put the paint back...but somehow it still found a way upstairs!

Also, the only thing she's wearing that is the same as before she went

upstairs for her "nap" is her shirt. She came down

with new socks, a tutu, new underwear, new barettes and 2 new bandaids! When I went upstairs to see if she got paint on anything I found the water running in her sink in to a large container holding her toothbrushes and a nice painting on my sheets! What a sweetheart! ;o)

Just think, in a few short weeks she could paint Eli during naptime...Oh my, I think I should go back to Mommy 101! This is surely not a good reflection on my ability to keep my kids under control! But, it's still hilarious!!!

More Eli pictures!

Courtesy of the Pace family!

These are the first pictures where we can see Eli's arms and legs!!!! Looks like he has some weight to him! That's a GOOD thing!

Introducing.....

Elias Kingsley Hossana Lanzillotta!!! It is with immeasurable joy that I can share that we passed court today and Eli is officially ours! We hope to travel mid-September to pick him up! We should have firm dates later this week or early next week.

Now, to share the photos of our precious son!!!!

Here is the first photo we saw of Hossana (his Ethiopian name)

And our second referral picture

A few pictures taken by another adoptive family (Thank you Portillas)...yes, he's wearing pink ;o)

And here are some pictures from TODAY! Can you believe it?! Our friend who was in Ethiopia for 3 weeks just happened to go by the day we passed court! What a blessing!

We should have a few more pictures later today or this week! And then a few more later this month! We will be sure to share! Much love and thanks to all who have been with us on this journey! It has meant so much to us!

Throwing out my plan!

Well, I feel like my last post may have sounded pesimistic. That's not quite the tone I was looking for, so I will clarify :o) I have been working on guarding my heart against what could happen. One of the things we learned before we even got in to the adoption process is that there are ups and downs. After going through a few ups and downs that didn't necessarily agree with MY plan, I have abandoned MY plan! Not sure what I was thinking in the first place!

I have complete faith in God to get Eli home on time. Yes, I wish I knew when that was, but not knowing does not keep me from loving Eli with all of my heart and soul! And, yes, I hope we pass court this first time around and travel in September, but I trust in God's plan. And He has given me many things over the last few weeks (like putting everything in perspective) to remind me that He is with us and He will bring us together when it is time!

Sure, I will still be disappointed if we don't pass court. And I will miss Eli like crazy! But I have strength and peace knowing that things are in the hands of One much better than I! I like to think I'm a pretty good planner, but, trust me, I got nothing on the Big Man! ;o)

So, please don't think me pessimistic! I'm at complete peace and quite happy! And I have lots of projects planned if we don't pass court. And if we do pass...well, then they can wait!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt0WluTpFTg