Now add in some music...maestro, something with a little octane...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

What You're Really Here For...

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Ethiopia Conference Call!

I'm on my first conference call for families waiting for a referral from Ethiopia with our agency. It just makes it all seem more REAL! Exciting, exciting!

Prayers for Sick Babies!

Several of the Ethiopia babies who came home with families from our agency within the last week or so are very sick. Please pray for them to be healed, for the families, and the medical staff that's working with them. I remember how scared I was when Zeke went through his bad illnesses last winter. Just pray for their quick healing.

Moon River and Me

I got to meet Andy Williams yesterday. I went backstage at his theater and waited for him in his dressing room/apartment. He actually lives in this swanky little space right off stage. His apartment is tastefully decorated with wall art and sculptures. He and his wife have a really nice home on a nearby lake but he has the option to stay at the theater when necessary. Anyway, he was super nice and very charming. An NPR reporter interviewed Andy about his new memoir "Moon River and Me." He told some really great stories during the interview. He would give me a sly smile when he told some of the amusing tales as I sat there recording him. I'll post a link when the story airs and is posted online.

Why You Can't Adopt from Vietnam Right Now

    HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - A Vietnamese court official says six people have been sentenced to up to 4 1/2 years in prison for
arranging more than 300 fraudulent adoptions.

    Among those sentenced were the heads of two welfare centers who helped persuade unwed pregnant mothers to give up their babies in exchange for free food and shelter.

    Chief judge Dang Viet Hung of Nam Dinh provincial court says the six were convicted of "abuse of power and authority." Ten others were given suspended sentences in the scam, which involved filing false paperwork for 323 babies.

    Many of the babies are believed to have been adopted by parents in the United States and Italy.
   
    (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

All About Hair

One of the fun parts of being Quilla's mom will be doing her hair. What mom doesn't look forward to playing with her daughter's hair?!?! Well, it is a little intimidating considering I can't even seem to get my own hair to look decent half the time...and that's why I'm glad I found this website where an adoptive mom demonstrates hair techniques on her daughter. Check it out by clicking here. It's great!

Zeke is such a squirrel. He woke up at 11PM last night, crying, didn't want his "didi" (pacifier) and just wanted me to pick him up. So, I did and I turned on the lamp to see what was wrong. I asked him what he wanted and, looking as pitiful as possible, he pointed to the hallway. I set his feet on the ground and asked him to show mommy what he wanted. He led me down the hallway to the guest bedroom and stood by the bed. Yep, he wanted mommy and Zeke to lie down in the big bed. So, I did for a little while. Once he was asleep, I moved him back to the crib and he slept the rest of the night. We will have to figure out a way to wean him off this because he needs to go back to sleeping all night in his crib, which he did most of the summer without any problems.

Pumpkins!

We went to the Rutledge-Wilson Harvest Days Saturday with Zeke. We have some fabulous photos of him in the pumpkin patch and sitting on a big old tractor (his favorite part of the day!)...but as usual, we are slow uploading them. I'll try to get them posted today or tomorrow. We also took Zeke to his first college football game. He almost lasted an entire quarter. I don't blame him for being fidgety...he was sleepy and feel asleep once we got him in the car. That allowed me and Brad to have a quiet, late lunch at a favorite restaurant while Zeke snoozed in his stroller. All in all, it was a great weekend.

It feels like fall here and I'm loving it!

I'm working on an NPR story this week...Will let you know when it's going to air...Maybe Friday or early next week.

T Shirts

So, for Mother's Day this year, we got the grandmothers these hip t-shirts. Missy's mom (Lolo) got a cool beach-y tee from Old Navy and Brad's mom (TT) got this cool Paul Frank shirt:

I really wanted to get one of these tees for myself but when I ordered TT's, it was the last one in the size I needed. So imagine my pleasant surprise when some internet roaming led me to discover this very tee, in my size on sale!! Woot! So, it's on its way to me now. Sweet! It's the little things, ya know?

Anyone else watching Survivor? On the first episode, we laughed so hard at the woman who goes by the name "Shambo." Does it get any better than that?!?! And how about that evil Russell? Burning the socks of another player and dumping their clean water...what a mean guy!

Happy for Two Families!

Two families with our agency got THE call yesterday. One family was matched to a baby girl and the other family was matched to a young girl. I'm so happy for them! The first moment you see that beautiful face looking back at you through the glow of the computer screen is amazing...the only thing that tops it is the first time you see your child in person and hold your child for the first time!

Know someone who needs help with cover letters, resumes or papers for class?

I'm offering my services as an editor. If you know someone who might want me to review a paper or essay, have them email me at this address: youreasyedit@gmail.com Since we can do everything electronically, I can help any student, anywhere. I have very reasonable rates ($1/page for class papers and essays), accept Paypal, and since I do this for a living, you're guaranteed to get meaningful feedback. For a fee of $5 per document, I'm willing to review cover letters and resumes. (It's a higher price because it's more specialized writing.) My cover letters have quite a reputation...my boss STILL talks about how good my cover letter was after more than a decade!

Here are my qualifications: I've worked more than 10 years writing and editing in professional newsrooms. I taught journalism/writing courses for a state university for more than 5 years. I've reviewed resumes and cover letters for students and professionals for more than 10 years.

Just some thoughts on when-Quilla

While I hope that we get our referral by next July or earlier, it's possible it could be more like August. That would mean we'd likely get caught in the court closure. Courts in Ethiopia close for August and September. That would add some time to our wait to bring her home. So, when anyone asks when we expect to have her home, here's the way to say it...Quilla should be home in time for Christmas next year. I think that allows time for a little bit later referral and also for the possibility of not getting a court date until October. All that being said, I know the timing, whatever it is, will be perfect!

Like a Hungry Person Coming to a Feast

That's how I slept last night. Thank goodness! Zeke slept through the night. He was stirring a little this morning when I was getting ready for work but he was quiet when I left the house.

We booked the pavilion at a local park yesterday afternoon for Zeke's birthday party. It was well timed because apparently, another family had expressed interest in reserving it for the same day and time. But since I was there in person, ready to pay for the reservation, I got it! I felt kind of bad but I had no idea anyone else wanted that same day and time. I already have the invitations for Zeke's party...Halloween-themed of course. I think we will once again encourage guests to wear costumes or Halloween-y clothes. FUN!

The package I sent Zeke's birthmom is in Vietnam and has cleared customs. I'm hopeful it will get delivered to her soon!

Sleep Troubles

It seems Zeke will have several weeks of good sleep, where he won't wake up in the middle of the night and require parental attention. I think these are times of bliss for him as well as us. He seems well rested and is happy during the day. I expect he'll be grumpy today...like his mom who was on duty last night. Zeke woke up multiple times with prolonged crying fits. I think that antibiotic he's on for his sinus infection is causing him to have an upset tummy. Poor baby! We only have 3-4 more days left of medicine so I hope this gets better soon. We're feeding him a meal plus yogurt with the medicine, per our pediatrician's suggestion to help with the upset stomach. Any other ideas?

Happy Forever Family Day!

Scenes from One Year Ago...Outside the orphanage in Lang Son...

Meeting Zeke

Nanny holds Zeke at the Giving and Receiving Ceremony
Zeke's getting tired.
Our first family photo!!
Zeke giving Mom a once-over.
Two women who love this baby very much! Nanny and Mom
Getting ready to leave Lang Son...We had a Baby Einstein Touch and Feel Animals Book.
Mom can't help staring at the baby!
Baby starts to conk out...

Halloweeny Pajamas

Just in time for the UT-Florida game, Zeke's Big Orange Pajamas.







We think he looks like Tim Burton's Oompa Loompa..

One month down...10 to go!

The first month of our official wait for Quilla is behind us. If the current wait times hold, we should see her sweet face 10 months from now. That's so amazing to imagine! Please pray that God will continue to prepare our hearts for her and will be with her birth family in the months ahead. Based on the age we are requesting, I'd say she hasn't even been born yet.

Tomorrow is our Forever Family Day!

One year ago tomorrow, we adopted Zeke. It was also the first time we got to see him in person, the first time we held him, the first time we saw him smile...so many firsts were bundled up in that one day. I love thinking about how Zeke nestled onto my chest and fell asleep in the van on our way back to Hanoi. It was so comforting to know he felt comfortable enough to do that. It also gave me a feeling of immense peace after what was probably the most emotional experience of my life (meeting my child for the first time and meeting his birth mother). When we first met him at the orphanage, he came right to me. He definitely gave us a look like he was "inspecting" us. The only time he cried at that first meeting was when I tried to set him on the floor to see if he would crawl--the nanny told us he loved to crawl. I love to remember how Zeke acted the first night in our hotel room. We put him on the big, white, fluffy comforter on our bed. He put his face against it and just rubbed his hand over the soft surface. It was like he had never felt anything like it before. That thought made me sad because babies should just be enveloped in softness. Since then, we have done our best to overcome those first 11 months he spent in the orphanage (though it was clear his nanny loved him very much and had spent time working with him on his development). After a year, I think we can safely say that Zeke is absolutely thriving on all levels. He's moved up several percentiles with his weight. He's putting words together more and more and he's getting more articulate when he talks. He's very nimble on his feet, running and climbing and monkeying around as much as (maybe more than) any child his age.

We will be celebrating tomorrow by taking Zeke to the zoo. Zeke loves animals and we hope he enjoys our little excursion. He certainly enjoyed the zoo we visited in Pennsylvania with TT! So, it will be a fun, low key day...but our hearts will be full as we reflect on all those events that happened a year ago on our Forever Family Day.

Thanks!

Thanks for the prayers and good thoughts...they're definitely working! I had a great rehearsal for my TV show and I feel like everything will go well tonight. And at the end of this long day, I get to go home to my Brad and my Zeke. That makes me happy and thankful.

A Rough Day

This is Missy here. I'm having a really rough day...and it's not even 3PM! I spent most of the morning with Zeke...he was wonderful and that has been the highlight of my day. But I've had two really cruddy things happen that just...well, you know what it's like to have two things really rain (and I mean pour buckets of rain) on your parade. Anyway, I have an important work thing I have to do tonight...say a prayer that I'll be able to just shrug off this junk and not carry it with me anymore. Bad vibes be gone!

Package is headed to Vietnam

I sent a package of two photo albums to Zeke's birthmom yesterday. I pray that they arrive safely and that she will find comfort in seeing how well the "baby" is doing. As you may recall, I sent photos late last year and they were delivered to her on Christmas Day. She then sent me a lovely letter, thanking me for the photos and remarking on how much the baby has grown. I'm thankful that I'm able to maintain a connection with her. We pray for her and hope that she is having a successful life. I'm reminded of what we told her the day we got Zeke (one year ago this Saturday): "I will never forget that our joy is possible because of the very difficult decision you made. We will never forget you and we will teach Zeke to honor and respect you."

Adoption and Race

I've encountered a number of topics on yahoo groups about adoption and race...mostly in the context of white families adopting children from Ethiopia. Obviously, I'm very interested in these discussions. My internet wanderings took me to this article by a mom of a boy adopted from Vietnam. I've read about half of it. I look forward to finishing it later today. It certainly raises important issues about how to incorporate birth culture in a meaningful way while also addressing issues of race and what it means to grow up as an ethnic minority in America. Though Zeke's racial difference is literally lost on me when I look at him (I just see Zeke, I don't see a child who "looks Vietnamese"), there will be people who only see how he's physically different from "white folk." It's too bad. Like Martin Luther King, Jr. said....I want people to judge him on the content of his character, not on the color of his skin. My heart breaks to think my children will face any kind of unkindness, discrimination or hatred. No parent wants that. We pray for wisdom to know how to equip Zeke and Quilla to love themselves as beautiful children of God and to know how to deal with stupid people. And God grant me the patience not to punch the idiot who has the audacity to be a jerk to my children.

We Laugh and We Cry

First the laughing...



Now for crying..

An Audio Postcard from Paris

Click here. Reminds me of our (belated) honeymoon in Paris--September, 2000.

Quilla Clothes and Zeke the Cowardly Lion

First, a preview of Zeke's halloween costume...We have his costume hanging up in his room where he can see it. He likes to go up to the costume and growl or roar. It's so cute!



Now, some things I've bought for Quilla as summer clothes are going on sale. Love the colors and prints! Can't wait to see our little girl wearing these!! The first two are dresses. The third is a tank top.

It Starts with Blueberry Pancakes

We've decided that as long as we are able, each September 12 will start with blueberry pancakes.

That's how the day started on September 12, 2008. It's not often we have cump'ny. So when we do, we try to make them feel at home. That means something special for breakfast.

On that morning, rather than going to the well for some orange-pecan French toast casserole, I optd for the tried and true blueberry pancake for guests - Brad's brother and mom. They were en route to Flagstaff, Ariz., to re-locate Travis and his wife. We were also headed out on an trip that hasn't ended yet.

At some point during our journey to Vietnam, which started on that memorable Friday and ended sometime on Sunday, Brad noted, "Didn't this day started with pancakes?" It was a long day, a long trip and one we will savor the rest of our lives. Just like blueberry pancakes.

The footnote in this story is what happened to Travis & Terry. While traveling in Oklahoma somwhere between Nowhere and Parts Unknown, they hydroplaned and totaled Travis' beloved Jetta. By God's grace, they emerged from the MVA unscathed. It turned out alright - Travis & his wife learned how to live as a one-car couple and make a smaller carbon footprint on the planet.

Ethiopia Fundraiser!

We're going to take Zeke to a local gym tomorrow where he'll get to run wild and play. The really cool part is it's a fundraiser for a children's home in Ethiopia. It will be a good chance to visit with other families that are "in process" to adopt from Ethiopia or have their children home. Oh, how we love to see kids home with their forever families!

Also tomorrow, we'll head to the Lake for a nice dinner with one of my former professors and his wife at one of my favorite restaurants. I hope Zeke is cooperative and sits nicely through dinner. We did this last fall and Zeke was very well behaved. He really charmed my prof and his wife so they're eager to see him again.

And coming soon...a really cool fundraiser for our adoption! It involves fair trade coffee...need I say more?!?! Learn more about the company we'll be working with by clicking here.

And because you can't get enough Zeke, here's another photo from our recent trip to Pennsylvania:

Thoughts on Entertainment Options

Even with our busy lives, we manage to read books, catch a TV show and occasionally watch a movie after Zeke goes to bed. I'm still struggling through the Russian novel "Anna Karenina." It's only getting mildly better and I'm approaching the half way mark. Can't wait to be done with it so I can go on to "A Summer Affair" by Elin Hilderbrand. Anyway, I thought I'd pass along some reviews and thoughts on some recent flicks we've seen.

*Glee (TV show)-It's about showchoir kids in high school. So, how could we not watch this show? We were looking forward to seeing a new episode Wednesday night. We were not very satisfied with what we saw. The show really lacks heart. Heart is what made shows like "Scrubs" and "Freaks and Geeks" so much fun to watch. Some of the characters on Glee are just mean. There's very little in the show that's sweet (again, to see sweet done right, check out Scrubs and Fs&Gs). We'll keep watching because it's about showchoir but I sure hope it gets better. I suppose it will tide us over until Survivor starts up again. Survivor and Lost are about the only "must see" TV for us.

*Darjeeling Limited-It's much better than Wes Anderson's other films (The Life Aquatic and Royal Tenenbaums were both blah). This film at least has an interesting setting and better characters. Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman work well as the three brothers. The soundtrack alone makes this movie a winner. Thanks for the recommendation, Auntie Wee-Wee!

*Happy Go Lucky-A top-notch film that definitely deserves to be watched. Like me, you'll fall in love with the lovely Poppy who has such a wonderful attitude about other people and life in general. It's a British film, so you'll want to listen carefully so you catch all the really clever lines. Ahhh, I love how British people use language.

*The Time Traveler's Wife-Loved the book...LOVED the book. The first time I read it, I didn't get it. Upon reading it a second and third times, it became one of my faves. So, I was pumped to see the film adaptation. While Eric Bana delivers as Henry (kind of), the movie itself falls flat and never gives the emotional punch that makes the book so great.

*Sleuth-It's like watching a play on film. The directing is good but at times, feels forced. However, kudos to Jude Law for a solid performance. Michael Cain is looking OLD.

*Can't wait to see "New Moon" (yes, of the Twilight series)! That's really the only movie I'm pumped to see this fall. The upcoming movie release has Brad reading through the book. His only comment so far? "I like the happy Bella better than the depressed Bella." Yes, New Moon is my least favorite of the four books. Still, it's an important part of the bigger story and is necessary to set up all the interesting plot lines that follow in the last 2 books.

*I'm curious how "The Lovely Bones" will translate to the big screen. The book was ok, the story is inventive and the movie is directed by the very capable Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong). So, we'll see. We saw a trailer for it. I'm interested.

The Truman Show

Zeke was not too cooperative when I wanted to take his photo with Truman the Tiger. Here's the best I could do:





This is just a random close-up of the baby...so cute!

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today, we received the email letting us know we were cleared to go adopt Zeke. It was the final hurdle we had to pass before traveling. I can't even describe to you the utter relief I felt in seeing that email. It was like a huge weight had been lifted. The email arrived on a Monday and we were on a plane that Friday. What a whirlwind the last year has been! This is the first of several "one year ago today" posts to mark the first anniversary of the events that brought our family together.

Zeke and I had a nice day yesterday. I was off work. We ran some errands, went to a park, and waited for Da-da to get home. He was able to work a short day so we enjoyed a nice afternoon once he got home. We had a gift certificate to Build-A-Bear. Brad thought building a stuffed animal would be a nice way to celebrate all these one year anniversaries related to Zeke's arrival. So, we went and in the end, Zeke chose a tiger. He watched the lady at the store stuff it and he helped pick out a heart that got sewn into the tiger. Since he got a tiger (and we had plenty left over on our gift card), we decided to outfit the tiger in a Mizzou football uniform, complete with miniature football and helmet. Zeke was quite amused by all this, especially by the little football. Of course, we named the tiger Truman (after Mizzou's mascot) and Zeke held him all the way home. I'll have to post a photo of Truman later today. He's quite cute!

With Labor Day behind us, it seems more official that we're moving away from summer and into fall. The weather here has been fall-like for several weeks now. Nice!

10 Years and Counting...

We will look back on our 10th anniversary and appreciate its simplicity: Sunday school, church, a nap for Zeke, three innings of a Springfield Cardinals game, some time in the park, a bystander's gaze at another outdoor wedding, leftover pizza for dinner; a good barometer for our lives at this time.

One can appreciate how challenging marriage and why so many do not succeed. It takes forgiveness, patience, perspective, what Brad likes to call "proportional response" and above all else -- love. That's an oversimplification, sure. But a marriage is like a fingerprint: no two are alike and each requires something different to make it special, to make it work. No one can tell you what that one thing is; it's not the same thing that made two people work as a couple. You have to figure it out on your own with your partner. And you have to give yourself enough time to figure that out. A lot of people don't and never do. The good ones use those fundamentals to help navigate the path. I'm also sure what ever it is NOW will be different that what it is 1 year, 5 years, 10 years from now.


One thing to note: the upside of being married 10 years: we've now earned a few more moments on the dance floor at other wedding receptions when the DJ plays Kenny Roger's "Through the Years."

Kenny Rogers - Through The Years

Download this Mp3 @ Booster MP3

Ten Years!

Brad and I will celebrate our ten year anniversary Sunday. Here's a little something Missy created in anticipation of the big day.

Car Woes

Our car is on its last leg and we're going to do our research this weekend to figure out what kind of "new" car we might get (it's likely to be a gently used car). Pray that we find the right car for us, that it will be a good investment and it will be safe. We're hoping to get something a bit more child and parent friendly.

He's at it again!

Brad has done it again...sent me some beautiful flowers...this time, it's not so much out of the blue. It's an early celebration of our ten year anniversary, which is coming up this Sunday! How blessed am I to have such an amazing husband??? The lilies are significant because I carried stargazer lilies when I walked down the aisle at our wedding...*sigh*...can't believe it's been 10 years!!

Vote for a Super Cute Baby (Adopted from Ethiopia!) for GMA's Babytalk Contest

Go here and vote for Rowan. He is SUCH a cutie pie!

Halloween Musings

Brad and I love Halloween. And with the weather being unusually fall-like here, I've had a hankering to look at fall and Halloween decor. We also checked out costume possibilities for Zeke this weekend at Target. He could be a "bee" again. In fact, we found a matching bee costume for Da-da to wear with him! But I'm partial to a little dragon costume. It's quite cute. But when I look at the prices of these costumes, it really makes me wish I could sew. And where are the little plastic top and pants suits with plastic masks that I used to wear when I was small? I guess they weren't flame resistant or something. Most of the costumes now are plush outfits. They're cute but a bit pricey. Oh well. I'll let you know what we end up doing. Of course, we'll have plenty o' pics too. And I know...I know. It IS too early to be talking about Halloween!

Where We Are

Based on an unofficial list of waiting families, it looks like we are 12th in line for a baby girl! Our agency doesn't give out numbers but our yahoo group keeps an unofficial tally of families that are waiting. Anyway, I think 12 sounds like a good number! I'm hopeful that some of the families at the top of the list will get referral calls soon. They've been at the top of the list too long! *smile*