First Weekend of the "Summer"

Names...just for kicks

Brad and I think we have settled on a first name for our baby girl from Ethiopia (wouldn't you love to know what it is?). However, we are in the process of choosing a middle name. I'm going to list a few that I like and I'd love to get your feedback!

Rose (my sister's middle name)
Ruth (though we had planned on naming our China baby Lily Ruth)
Helen (Brad's mom's middle name and his grandmother's first name)
Helena
Esther
Naomi
Maeve (Brad says he's going to veto this one but I still love it!)
Belle
Mignon (min-YAHN...it's French for "pretty")
Finn (I'm only so-so on this one.)

Do you have any suggestions or are you wild about any of these?

Unless you call out, who will open the door?

We called out to God to open the door for a child to come into our family. Well, Zeke broke the door down! And now, we want to invite another child into our family and we are turning to Ethiopia. The title of this post is an Ethiopian proverb. We have started the process of opening the door by submitting our application today to America World Adoption Agency. We are so excited! We are requesting a healthy baby girl. We feel very strongly that Zeke needs a sibling. If you met him, you'll understand why I say that. He's so social and loves being around other children. I know he will be an excellent big brother! You probably have some questions about the process...here are some answers:

*How long will it take to compile your dossier? The agency advises it will take 6 months. That was the same timeline we were given for China but I got it done in about 3 months. So, we'll see. Let's split the difference and say 4 and a half months.
*Once your dossier goes to Ethiopia, how long before you are matched with a child (i.e. receive your referral)? We are requesting a healthy baby girl. Current wait time is about 12 months to be matched with a baby girl. I'm going to say 18 months just to be safe. If we get our dossier to Ethiopia by October of this year, I expect we would get a referral in the first half of 2011. I'm giving you very conservative time frames that are longer than our agency is projecting. It's better to anticipate a longer wait and then be pleasantly surprised if it's shorter.
*How long until you travel to get your child after you're matched to a baby? The wait is approximately 6 weeks. After your get your referral, you must "pass court" in Ethiopia. Court is closed at different times of the year for holidays and for other reasons. So, the 6 weeks is approximate. Still, that's WAY better than what we experienced with Vietnam so I've got no complaints.
*So, what's your timeline? Conservatively, I would expect to have our baby home in late spring/summer 2011 (Zeke would be 3.5 years old...the baby would probably be 6 months old...PERFECT!). Optimistically, I'd say late 2010/early 2011. I'll have a better idea after I see how long it takes to get our dossier to Ethiopia.

I'll close with another Ethiopian proverb: Anticipate the good so that you may enjoy it. Amen.

Happy (Belated) Mother's Day!

Mother's Day was so special! I was getting out of the shower and I heard a light knock on the bathroom door. I opened it up and there was my beloved Zeke. He was holding my mother's day card. He had colored all over it. It was perfect! I am so totally in love with this little boy and I feel blessed beyond belief to have him as my own. It's hard to imagine loving another child the way I love Zeke but I know that when we bring home baby #2 (whenever that happens!), our hearts will expand to envelop that dear child. I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day, whether it was basking in the love of your children or dreaming of the day you hold your child for the first time.

Batter Up!

Shots before and during a recent Cards game.

Warmer Weather

The weather is getting warmer each week and we love it! Zeke LOVES being outside so it's been fun to be outside with him. We took him to his first baseball game a couple of weekends ago. He enjoyed the first couple of innings and I had him all decked out in his baseball gear. I will post photos soon. Hope you have a chance to enjoy the great weather!!

Weed and Court Visit--Photos

Missy's sister Weed and friend Court are in town. Here are some photos from the adventure files.

We are weaning off the plug but it's a still a "must have" in the car.

The Office trivia game was fun. (That's what she said.)

Little Bud got some love.

Missy, Court and Rachel chillin' at Mudlounge.

Auntie Weed and Zeke.

Check-Up

Zeke had his 18 month check-up Thursday. He's 2 ounces away from 20 pounds. Ugg!!! But he's growing taller and his head is growing. We had a visit from our Parents as Teachers lady Tuesday. She gave Zeke a game and Zeke did exactly what was required for the game and she said she had NEVER seen an 18 month old do that!! Of course, Brad and I just laughed and told her we already knew he was a genius! He's more verbal, saying words like cookie, chicken, puppy, baby, cat, and (his favorite) ball. It's funny because I remember when my "little" brother was this age and said "ball" all the time. That's exactly what Zeke is doing. Zeke's receptive language skills are excellent...that just means he understands what we say to him.

So, what's on tap for today? Aerobics, then a Cardinals game, and we're thinking about trying the drive-in. It's about 40 miles outside of town. People usually arrive early so their kids can play on the playground that they have set up in front of the screen. The movie starts at dusk (around 8PM). We think Zeke will be asleep by then so we can enjoy the movie. Honestly, the movie is one that we don't give a flip about seeing (The Fast and the Furious) but I told Brad we needed to try this to see how Zeke does. Next weekend, the drive-in is showing the new Wolverine movie. Weed and Court will be out here and we'll see if they want to go to the drive-in to see it. Brad and I have been chomping at the bit to see the Wolverine movie. Brad and I had so many lovely dates pre-Zeke at the drive-in. It's so much fun to people watch because you're out in this tiny town and the drive-in is THE BIG DEAL in this town. We took my dad to see a movie at the drive-in several years ago when he came out for a visit. It was fun!

Hope you have a super weekend!

Back from Vegas

We had a wonderful time in Vegas and Zeke had so much fun with TT and Big Daddy! We came back to warmer weather than we had last week. Whoo-hoo! This has been a busy week with two trips to Jeff City. Next week, my sister and her friend Court will be coming in for a visit. We can't wait to see them!

Fwd:

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Watch this and witness a British woman's triumph.

Vegas

Brad and I will be heading to Vegas Friday and will come back Monday morning. Zeke will stay here with his grandparents. They're coming in Thursday evening. We're looking forward to our trip but I will be sad to be away from Zeke, even for just a short trip like this. But I think it's great for Zeke to have some one-on-one time with his grandparents.

Good News!

Easter Bunny

Here's Zeke's Easter basket. I took some Easter eggs he already had and packaged them up with a new book about Disney's Cars (his favorite!) and some Oreo Cakesters. These are soft cake-like oreos...3 in a package. We'll see if he likes them. I thought that was enough of a sweet treat and a true surprise since he's never had them before. We'll have Easter lunch at Riverside Inn. We eat there once a year and always for Easter. We really like it. I hope Zeke isn't too nutty and actually eats some good food while we're there!


More photos tomorrow...

To Bunny or Not to Bunny

We had decided not to get Zeke an Easter basket. After all, he wouldn't really "get it" at this age and he eats very little candy. However, I think I will feel bad if we don't give him *something*. So, we'll see. I waited until today to buy his Easter outfit. A button-up shirt and matching sweater vest, along with a linen "pappy hat" were all cheap and deeply discounted this close to Easter. We'll post some photos of Zeke all decked out in his Easter cuteness.

We were at the mall today and while I was in a store, an old lady approached Brad and Zeke (who was asleep in his stroller). Brad said she asked him, "Is his mommy Mexican?" Brad said no and told her that he was adopted from Vietnam. This was about the time I walked up. She asked us "why we didn't have any babies of our own." I replied that he IS our own. She proceeded to tell us she had 5 children, blah, blah, blah. I was really ticked but I maintained a polite and direct approach. Of course, Brad was right when he said she was a crazy old mall lady. Still...it was irritating and I suppose what really annoys me is the possibility (probability?) that someone will say something like that when Zeke is old enough to understand. People are ignorant sometimes...

Home Skillet

We like to think of this as Zeke's urban phase.


Rasta Baby

What up, Home Skillet?

Zeke Videos

I'm a little horse (hoarse).

I've been hoarse since Saturday night. I wonder if I have the congestion/cold that Zeke is just getting over. Oh well. At least I feel ok.

We actually had SNOW Saturday night. Can you believe it?!?!

Zeke is doing better. His cough has decreased significantly. He finished his antibiotics. Here's hoping we're done with coughs and ear infections for a while!!