A Million Details. One Purpose.

Since we found out 6 days ago that we'll be leaving for Ethiopia in 2 days, we've been at Mach 2. Immediately 5 pages of lists started forming to get "things-to-do" out of my head and onto a checklist.

"Overwhelmed" doesn't begin to describe how Brian and I have been feeling. Overwhelmed at what we need to do to get on a plane. Overwhelmed to figure out work stuff while we're gone. Overwhelmed at the reality that we'll be holding our babies a couple months sooner than we anticipated. Overwhelmed at how God's re-written systems and policies enabling us and other families to be united with their babies sooner. Ovewhelmed that we might have a Christmas miracle in the form of the kiddos home! Overwhelmed at the prayers, comments, texts, calls, tweets, and messages from people like you exclaiming celebration, hope, prayers, and belief. Overwhelmed at a few incredibly sacrificial gifts allowing us to travel without any debt. Overwhelmed at the manna God's providing us every day. Overwhelmed at ridiculous offers to help us get outta here and get the kids' room ready. Overwhelmed that this is REALLY happening!!!

We are taking off for our trip on Thursday, and if you'd like to pray us through the journey here are a couple ways:

• Our court date on the 10th - pray that all that needs to happen in court on that day would be successful and that'd we'd become Lil' A and Baby T's legal parents that day.
• Bonding with our kids - we get to spend a few hours on a few days with our kids. Pray that God would knit our hearts together and allow that time together to to begin connecting our family together.
• Stayover in Germany - Brian and I have been gifted with a couple days to spend in Germany after Ethiopia. We hope to use those couple days together to celebrate, rest, and process our time in Ethiopia with our kiddos. Pray this time would be well spent, fun, and enlivening as we officially begin our journey as co-parents.
• Smooth Logistics - this isn't the most important thing, but obviously problems with flights, hotels, transportation, language, or courts could be really discouraging and unnecessary in our trip. Pray that satan wouldn't have a foothold in any of that stuff and we could have a smooth trip.
• Health and Rest - I've been fighting a cold for the past several days. Both of us haven't been sleeping well. We've found ourselves wide awake in the middle of the night. Needless to say, we're tired and a little under the weather. Not the best way to start a 24-hour trip to Ethiopia.

We hope to post while we're in Ethiopia. See ya on the flip side! :)

SHOCKING COURT DATES

God is ridiculously good! We received a court date - NOVEMBER 7th!!! The judge approved our 2 Ethiopian court dates to be combined into 1 date!!! We are leaving to see our babies next week!!!!! Unreal. We are in shock.

Here's my best attempt at coherently communicating our news today...

• TODAY :: Received a phone call at 8:00 this morning from our case manager letting me know of our court dates. They normally just email this information, but because it's so last minute she needed to call me to see if it's even an option to go this soon. I screamed on the phone and then started crying! Of course, we said "if it's at all possible, we'll go!"
• November 4th :: We plan to leave next Thursday for Ethiopia. CRAZY! A very generous person has gifted us with miles to pay for our tickets. Overwhelmed by radical generosity.
  
• November 8-9th :: We will visit our kiddos for sure, but we'll spend as much time with them as we are allowed.
• November 10th :: COURT! In the morning, the judge will see the police or any bio family to confirm these children are eligible for adoption. We go to court in the afternoon to testify before the judge. We hope to become their legal parents on this day!
• November 11th :: We will fly out of Ethiopia.
• November 11-13th :: We will take a 48 hour layover (or so) somewhere in Europe together. We want to use this moment in time to wrap our heads and hearts around our new family as a couple. We feel like taking a couple days before we step back onto U.S soil, to baby preparation craziness will be good for our souls and family.
• Court to Embassy Timeline :: Our case manager told us this morning that it's "very realistic to believe that we'll have them home by the end of the year". It's been taking between 4-6 weeks between successful court dates and Embassy to bring them home. This reality is beyond me. Mountains being moved. Systems being changed. Policies revisited. Amazing act of God. Having our adoption finalized in 2010 has been our prayer for MONTHS, but I really stopped believing it could happen! We were told in August not to expect court dates until 2011. So all this is a huge mental shift...exciting and overwhelming and sooooo good!
  During this 4-6 weeks, our kiddos will receive their U.S passports, visas, birth certificates, immunizations, and prepared to come home.
  

Pray for the seemingly hundreds of things that we need to do between now and next Thursday. My mind is swimming. My face is glowing. My heart is racing. Amazing. THANK YOU for your prayers and support.

I can't believe I get to hold and kiss Baby T and Lil' A in less than 2 weeks. Shaking with amazement...

Excited about 2 Trips

I was talking to my mom this weekend about my excitement for the 2 trips to Ethiopia, and she acted a little shocked. She said that was news to her and requested a blog post about it. Yes, Momma, I will obey.Since finding out in April 2010 that we'd have to make 2 trips to Ethiopia instead of just 1 trip to pick up our kiddos, I've been adjusting to this idea. On one hand, it's really hard to know that we'll have to leave our kids in Ethiopia for another 4-8 weeks and that a 2nd trip will cost an additional $5000 [or so]. On the other hand, there are a number of perks that come with 2 trips.

• We won't have to jump head first into the deep end of parenting. We get to hang out for a few days with each other but not have to instantaneously be with each other. After 9+ years of marriage, we consider this a gift from God to slowly mess up our routines and expectations about our next stage of marriage!!
  
• Adoption experts affirm that - especially for Lil' A - meeting each other, spending a few days as a family of 4, then bringing them home at a later date is best for his transitions and attachment. I can't imagine the grieving this little guy will do. So the time gifted between court dates and bringing him home [Embassy date] will be good for his soul. After the court date, we will leave him a photo book which also helps in attachment and transition.
  
• We'll be able to get a glimpse into their personalities and needs. This will even help with creating their room and buying stuff for them/their room.
  
• On the first trip, we'll be able to purchase gifts for our kids as they grow up to reinforce their heritage and explore their birth country.
  
• Brian and I LOVE traveling and LOVE Africa - so this is a gift for us. We'll be able to soak in Ethiopian culture all the more by spending 2 weeks in Ethiopia versus 1 week.
  
• We'll get a dry run in traveling without kids before we have to do it with them. We'll work out whatever kinks exist to make the 2nd trip home as good as possible!
• Our church has a partnership with Lifesong for Orphans and Gobena Coffee. During our first trip, we will get to see what these 2 amazing organizations are doing in Ethiopia. We hope to get some video and photos of how our church is making a difference in Ethiopia.
• After the 1st trip, we'll be able to tie up lose ends in our jobs to prepare for our maternity and paternity leave. I'll be taking a 3 month maternity leave, so this enables me to prepare my team, delegate responsibilities and "leave well" for a few months.
• The time between trips will also be great to prepare our village for the imminent reality of having 2 Diaz babies home!
  
• We'll be able to focus the 2nd trip entirely on our kiddos! We won't need to travel, purchase anything, or go anywhere. The 2nd time in Ethiopia will be all about bonding and transition.

One of the HARDEST things for me [a planner!!!] about adoption is not having an end. When you're pregnant, you more or less know your due date. Planning and mental preparation are made possible because of this due date. With our adoption we've been in a state of limbo for most of 2010. We haven't made significant travel plans, committed to events or opportunities, committed to added responsibilities, or even completed a nursery because we haven't known when we might need to travel - TWICE - to Ethiopia. It just throws off everything.

Yet, having a couple trips has allowed me to settle into the future labor and delivery that will take place. It's my ultrasound of sorts. It's my version of contractions that's allowing me to settle into our new family.

Finally, all along we've known that our adoption is much bigger us or the 2 little ones who will become Diaz's. We really feel like these 2 trips will also enlarge our communities' hearts for our kids and awareness of adoption. We are praying that's true!