The Word's In - We're Heading Back to Ethiopia in 9 Days!

I've been a wreck the past week.  The scheduled January 26th Embassy Date has been hanging over my head.  It's all I have been able to think about.  Will our case be approved?  Will we find out in time?  Will there be enough time to purchase plane tickets?  Why does this process have to be so tortuous?  I miss our kids SO MUCH I can't take it any longer; I definitely can't wait until the next embassy date on Feb. 9th.

On Wednesday I broke down and called our agency.  I have been pretty good about not bugging them because I know answering questions from impatient parents can just bog everything down, but I had to get an update.  I learned on Wednesday that our case had been submitted to the Embassy, but that our agency wasn't sure if they were going to require any additional information.  They hoped they would know by Friday (today) and promised to keep me posted.  I waited patiently this morning, unable to concentrate on anything else, my head feeling like it was going to explode, until 10 am.  Then I sent a quick email.  Then I waited patiently until noon, vowing to call after I got back from my lunch break.  Just as I was heading out for lunch, I checked my email one last time (probably the 100th time already) and saw the subject line: EMBASSY.

But the email was ambiguous.  It basically said we were scheduled for the Embassy Date on the 26th, but that there was one piece of paper that need to be corrected so not to buy plane tickets until next week.  So I called.  I explained that we were planning on staying in Ethiopia almost 2 weeks anyway so we would be around the following Wednesday if the Embassy preferred to see us then.  (I had learned the night before from another adoptive mom that, to free up a pretty huge back log, the Embassy was starting to offer dates every week rather than every other.)  That was all the agency needed to hear.  Buy your tickets then!

So I did.  We're leaving Sunday, January 23rd.  We'll have Ashagre and Elsa back with us stateside on February 4th!  We leave in 9 days!  I have 3 more days of work until I'm on family leave!  I can't believe it.  Brent, as usual, summed it up perfectly when I called to tell him the news, "I'm going to be a dad in a week?!" (Yes, legally he's already a dad, but you know what he meant...)

Time to start packing!

Oh, and for those of you that (probably rightfully so) worry about the fact that I just posted the dates we will be away from home on the internet, remember we have pit bulls that will be staying home with some of their friends (human friends, not just the chickens).  Yes they are as docile and snuggly and lovable and kid-friendly and chicken tolerant as we describe them to be, unless, of course, you are the mail lady, or the UPS man, or anyone else that they think should not be coming to our door or windows.  Believe me, you don't want to be that person.