We're still here...again...

Hopefully next week I'll be able to actually post a proper update, but for now:

-We're here but very tired
-Huge job changes for me
-B starts school (3 day a week daycare/preschool) next week--insert big sniffs and tears from mama and ababa, our little man is growing up and venturing into the world--we are nervous about this as it could negatively impact the attachment and bonding that our family has been building. Please pray that this is instead a positive experience for him and for us.  We did a lot of research and picked what we hope is the best school for him in our area and have been preparing him for going to school.  He's 3 and we've been a family for almost 7 months, but it feels so soon and so fast for him to "leave the nest"...we're just barely starting to come out of the cocooning phase!!! But, this is what has to happen for our family right now if at all possible (we have a plan B if it absolutely doesn't work, but we're hoping that it goes well)
-Ababa starts school next week
-I started back to school last week

Did I mention that we are tired?!?!?!?!?

On a lighter note, today B clipped a clothes pin onto each side of his collar (so there was a pin hanging down from each collar point).  We had no idea why he did this until he seriously explained, "mommy, those are my windshield wipers" and they kind of did look like that:-)

We gave him his tea set last week (I bought it while we were in the adoption process and it's been sitting in the closet ever since) and he loves it.  Many, many tea parties each day and we have to pray before each one!  It's so sweet.  The other day he and Ababa were having a tea party when I was at class and he made Ababa pray before "tea" and said, "Daddy, we have to pray for mommy".  That put a smile on my face in and in my heart for the rest of the day!

Christmas According to B...

B: "Mommy, Baby Jesus is toilet man..."
Me: "Um..what?"
B: "God is toilet man...Baby Jesus is God...Jesus is toilet man"
Me. "?!?!?!?!?"
Ababa: "?!?!??!?"
B: "Mo-om-my, Jesus is toilet God and toilet man"
Me: "Oh!!! Jesus is totally God and totally man, yep, you got it!"

When he see anything Christmassy--lights, trees, stockings, etc.  B exclaims "look mommy, CHRISTMAS! Christmas is baby Jesus, fire, Kissmas tree, and pwesents"

His favorite phrases right now are:

 -Gwory Gwory highest...(insert hysterical laughing...not sure why, but he thinks this is HILARIOUS (Glory to God in the highest)
-Dashaway, dashaway, dashaway all...(more hysterical laughing)
-Free Hench Chens (oh yeah, Three french hens, we're singing A LOT of The 12 Days of Christmas around these parts thanks to this awesome book.

We have some good nativity books in the mail too:- )

The Theater:-)

Still busy, still can't find my camera cable to transfer photos to my laptop, still tired...but today was magic.

I wasn't working (yay!), I was just spending time with my baby while Ababa tackled Mount Laundry.  We all slept in, had a leisurely bottle/breakfast, got dressed, and then B and I took the A-train, and went to "the theater"!

We went to see a holiday dance tradition in NYC (not the one you are probably thinking of:-) and B LOVED it!!!!  He "looked with his eyes, listened with his ears, and whispered any questions to mommy".  He was a total champ!  ADORABLE to see him clapping after each piece, unable to hide his gleeful dancing and finger tapping in the seat with his eyes as big as saucers and a huge grin on his face.

And then...he got a backstage tour, got to meet some of the dancers, and got to walk out on to the stage.

Then...the day got even better.  We went to Whole Foods (his first time there and my first time there since before we went to Africa), we got vegan (Egg-free) chocolate chip cookies that are actually REALLY yummy and brought home the fixings for a delicious dinner:

Frozen organic pizza
arugula salad (that also used up some leftover mozerella cheese and apples we had at home)
the aforementioned vegan chocolate chip cookies

Yes, I feel like a total yuppie, but we had a great time!

B has been dancing around with a huge smile on his face all day...and...for one of the few days since I went back to work I actually feel relaxed and like I got to spend some real quality time with my son!

He was great, especially in terms of bonding/attachment stuff--held my hand (as opposed to me holding his), checked-in with me, watched me if I wasn't holding his hand, stayed near me when I let go of his hand to put something in our grocery basket...no tantrums, no whining, no brushing my kisses off, no tensing up when I touch him, even though he didn't have a nap and had a crazy, overstimulating day...just smiles, happy talking, eye contact, and giggles...I'm sure we'll have more tough days ahead, but today was just awesome!

So happy!!!

Thank you God for this amazing blessing!

(and Ababa had a relaxing day at home doing lots of laundry but taking a break from B which he was most ready for!!!)

World AIDS Day

 I am pretty fried right now with work, family, church, holidays, and other important but energy-sucking stuff, but I wanted to highlight World AIDS Day.  I think it is really important to remember where we have been and how far we have to go in regards to HIV and AIDS (not just on December 1, but it's a start).  I have realized the global significance of HIV and AIDS in a much more personal and powerful way over the past year.  Since I can't seem to string together a coherent sentence, I will just link you to Nikki's awesome blog, give a shout-out for an awesome and eye opening book, and highlight positivelyadopted, an information site for families blessed to adopt HIV+ children (read the facts, think about it, pray about it, and figure out where you are led, but really HIV is so manageable with early treatment and the medicines we have available...consider it!):


Nikki's post on World AIDS Day (basically what I would have written, but better:-)
http://rowanfamilytree.com/2011/12/01/world-aids-day-meaning-words/

28 Stories of AIDS in Africa
http://28stories.com/home/default.asp
http://www.amazon.com/28-Stories-Africa-Stephanie-Nolen/dp/0802715982

Positively Adopted
http://www.positivelyadopted.com/

Important Update from USCIS re visa processing

I'm posting this for all my friends (and friends I haven't met yet:-) who are still in process in case they haven't seen it yet...

Dear Stakeholder-

A USCIS team of four officers arrived in Ethiopia and began working
at Embassy Addis Ababa on November 7, 2011. As of the date of this
notice, the team has received 63 "not clearly approvable"
cases from Embassy Addis, and expects to receive at least 1 more case
before they depart on Friday, November 18, 2011. The following provides
a summary of the results of the team's review of the cases as of
November 15, 2011:

Approvals Issued: 36

Requests for Evidence Issued: 9

Notices of Intent to Deny Issued: 1

Under USCIS Team Review 9

Pending Birth Relative Interview 8

Pending Physical Transfer 1

During the team's first days in Addis, they began reviewing the
cases, and established procedures necessary for completing
adjudication and issuing notices. Embassy Addis is providing the
resources necessary for USCIS to be able to adjudicate the not clearly
approvable cases. Although the team has encountered some technological
challenges, the team has been issuing decisions and notices as soon as
they are able.

All cases that the team is able to approve before they depart from
Addis Ababa will stay with the Consular Section in Embassy Addis Ababa,
for immediate scheduling of immigrant visa processing. Families that
receive an approval notice will be contacted directly by the U.S.
Embassy within three business days. We strongly recommend that
families wait to be contacted regarding an immigrant visa interview
before making travel arrangements. Cases that require a Request for
Evidence or a Notice of Intent to Deny will be sent to the USCIS Rome
District Office for further processing.

Each family that received a Request for Evidence or a Notice of Intent
to Deny should carefully read the instructions regarding where to send
additional evidence to avoid delays in processing that could be caused
by sending the evidence to the incorrect USCIS Office. USCIS has
decided to utilize additional resources at the Rome District Office in
the ongoing processing of some of the affected cases in an effort to
ensure that they are processed to completion as quickly as possible.

In the coming weeks, USCIS and DOS will schedule another stakeholder
call to provide a briefing on the team's work in Addis Ababa, and
an update on how processing will proceed going forward for any new
cases identified by Embassy Addis Ababa as not clearly approvable.

Kind Regards,

Office of Public Engagement

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

www.uscis.gov <http://www.uscis.gov/>



November 16, 2011
Notice: Procedure for Processing Adoption Cases
This notice provides supplemental information to the adoption notice
of October 7, 2011, adding additional details on the process
applicable to orphan petitions filed with a U.S. Embassy Consular
Section overseas. While the description has been tailored to answer
inquiries specific to Ethiopia, the steps described in this
explanation apply to all non-Hague countries. This notice only
describes the process for Forms I-600 filed with U.S. Embassy Addis
Ababa. For processing information on cases filed domestically with
USCIS through the National Benefits Center (NBC), please refer to the
USCIS website at www.uscis.gov.

Once adoptive parents are in possession of the final adoption decree
from the Federal First Instance Court, approval letters from the
Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs, the child's birth
certificate and Ethiopian passport, and all other required Form I-600
supporting documentation, they (or their authorized agent) may file
Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, with
the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa if they have met the physical
presence requirements for filing a Form I-600 petition overseas.

Upon receipt of the Form I-600 and accompanying documentation, the U.S.
Embassy begins the Form I-604, Determination on Child for Adoption,
orphan status investigation – the process to determine if the child
meets the definition of an orphan under U.S. immigration law. The time
frame for completion of the Form I-604 determination depends on the
circumstances of each case, but can take up to several weeks or
months. During this time, additional information or documentation may
be requested by the U.S. Embassy for cases with insufficient or
deficient supporting evidence to determine orphan status.

In certain cases it may be necessary to interview the child's
Ethiopian birth parent(s) or guardian, or the individual who found an
abandoned child, to resolve errors or discrepancies discovered in the
case file. The U.S. Embassy conducts such interviews for cases in
which the consular officer deems interview(s) necessary to make a
determination on the child's orphan status. Birth relative and
other interviews are often an integral part of the Form I-604
determination.

The U.S. Embassy must then determine whether the case is clearly
approvable. If a case is clearly approvable, the U.S. Embassy approves
the Form I-600 petition and issues an immigrant visa. If there are
questions regarding the child's orphan status or the information is
insufficient to make a determination, federal regulation requires that
the U.S. Embassy forwards the case as "not clearly approvable"
to the USCIS Field Office in Nairobi, Kenya, for further processing.
When this occurs, the U.S. Embassy sends out a transfer notice to the
petitioners when the case is physically forwarded to USCIS Nairobi, and
provides contact information for further questions.

Upon receipt of a petition identified as "not clearly
approvable," the USCIS Nairobi Field Office notifies the
parent(s) that the case has been received and issues requests for
additional evidence and other notices, if necessary. Upon review of
all available evidence including any response to a Request for
Evidence or Notice of Intent to Deny, USCIS issues a decision and
notify the petitioners. For details of the USCIS process, please
visit USCIS' Ethiopia Q&A page
<http://www.uscis. gov/portal/ site/uscis/ menuitem. 5af9bb95919f35e6 6f61417\
6543f6d1a/?vgnextoi d=7c82d1f2465ae2 10VgnVCM10000008 2ca60aRCRD& vgnextchan\
nel=ecab18a1f8b7321 0VgnVCM100000082 ca60aRCRD> .

If the case is approved, USCIS Nairobi returns the case to the U.S. Embassy for visa
processing. http://adoption. state.gov/ country_informat ion/country_ specific_ alerts_no\
tices.php?alert_ notice_type= notices&alert_ notice_file= ethiopia_ 13
<http://adoption. state.gov/ country_informat ion/country_ specific_ alerts_n\
otices.php?alert_ notice_type= notices&alert_ notice_file= ethiopia_ 13>

Families stick together!

We had our first post-placement visit tonight.  Everything went really well and B was in a great mood, just talking to me the whole time.  He really wasn't interested at all in talking to the social worker.  it was nice to see him want to stick with us and not try to reach out to strangers!

But oh, my heart...after she left Ababa gave me a hug in the kitchen which B saw so he ran over to hug us too (he has started doing this recently, we love it, it's a big family hug!) and B gets a shy but huge grin on his face and says "families stick together" while he stretches his arms around Ababa and me!   

Dasicho Bib!

Betcha don't know what a dasicho bib is:-)  All in good time...all in good time...

We have had a big past few days:

• B's Dr's appt--where he had his first blood test
• Finding out that B has lost 2 pounds since we got home
• scooping vials of poop at home for a stool sample (this was all Ababa)
• family pictures by a professional photographer (really hope they come out well as B's undertaker look was in full swing
• B's baptism-very exciting for us and our church, but a little stressful for B so we're trying to make time for extra cuddles today
• a big Fresh Direct order...hey, that's major excitement in our house, especially since our elevator has been being replaced for the past month so we currently live in a 4th floor walk-up:-)

I'll probably post about each with photos (oh yeah, I totally took pics of the poop vials)...but for now, just know that we've been busy... very, very busy and our gem of the week in terms of B-isms is "Dasicho Bib".

What is a dasicho bib you may ask?  Well, "dasicho" means "bug" in Amharic, "bib" is pretty self-explanatory.  So, what's a "bug bib"?

Well...when B was getting his blood drawn at the Dr. they told him it would feel like a bug bite.  Then they put a bandaid over the draw site.  For some reason B decided this was a bib.  So, he started calling all bandaids "dasicho bibs"...

That's my funny, funny little boy!:-)