Meet Me At the Airport!!!

Friends and family are absolutely welcome to meet Ahnya and me at the airport on Friday, May 22nd @ 4:01 p.m. Hopefully the flight is on-time and we arrive quickly and safely home! we'll have already gone through immigration in Chicago O'Hare, so we'll meet you at the bottom of the escalators by baggage claim. What an emotional journey this will be....and one I (we) couldn't do without the support and encouragement of our loving family and friends.

For those of you who are in Marshall and family and friends who have time to spare....come check on the girls and give them lots of hugs and kisses from mommy! It's going to be hard being away from them for 10 days. Go ahead and spoil them with candy and kisses....don't listen to Ryan! Thanks for everyone who is helping Ryan out when I am gone. Angie and Terese, you both are lifesavers! Grandma Peg and Nana, thank you for watching the girls during the day and doing everything to make it a smooth transition for them! I appreciate all and everything from ALL of you!!!!!!!!

Hope to see you at the airport! Hugs and smooches!

The Packing List

I'm packed!! What a sweet relief!!! Ryan almost had a heart attack watching me pack!!! We packed and then RE-pacted AGAIN because he is a control freak and of course wasn't done right! I never said I was an expert packer! Regardless, baby Ahnya and I are packed along with donation to the orphange! Here's the packing list....

Adult Medications: Malaria meds, Imodium, Pepto tabs, Advil, sleeping pills, Benadryl, Claratin, my inhaler for asthma, tums, Immodium AD, vitamins, neosporin, band aids, anti-fungal cream, hydrocortizone cream.

Clothing for Me: 8 pairs underwear, 4 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of capris, 1 khaki pant, 1 long sleeve linen blouse, 2 long skirts, 10 t-shirts, 2 sundresses, 1 pair leggings, 4 mid-calf skirts, 4 long sleeve T's, 2 pairs of yoga pants with jackets, raincoat, pajamas, tennis shoes, 3 sets of workout clothing (top, bottom, socks), sandals(brown and black), flip flops for shower shoes, sunglasses, 3 sundresses, 2 scarves.

Baby Meds: Infant Motrin, Infant Tylenol, Delphsom (cough medicine), Baby benadryl, Baby Orajel, Mylacon (gas drops), diaper rash cream, petroleum jelly, lotion, baby wash.

Toiletries/personal care: 3 Kleenex purse packs, hand sanitizer, shampoo/conditioner, soap, deodorant, toothbrush/toothpaste, razors, chapstick, foundation, saline solution, glasses and extra pair of contacts, face wash cloths, sunscreen, bug spray, lotion, day/night face moisturizer, mascara, lip gloss, bronzer, brush, hair jel, toilet paper, blow dryer, and iron (again, no judging!)

Baby care: 48 diapers, 2 packs of diaper wipes, disposable bibs, baby lotion, nail clippers, hair accessories, 2 hooded towels, 4 wash cloths

Baby clothes: 3 sleepers, 10 day time outfits, 10 onesies, 10 pair socks, 2 pair shoes, 2 booties, 3 hats, 4 blankets, 1 sheet, Ergo baby carrier, Ring sling, 20 disposable bibs, 4 dresses, hair pretties!

Food/baby feeding: 1 can soy formula, 6 bottles, 50 + drop in liners, 2 fast flow nipples, 2 medium flow nipples, 1 slow flow nipple, nipple cleaning brush, 2 pacifiers (latex), 2 pacifiers (silicone), 2 burp cloths

Adult snacks: Honey Grams cereal :) , granola bars, 2 refillable water bottles, gum, certs, chips, peanut butter, jerky, chocoate, triskits.

22 in roller (carry-on): Video camera, dvr disks, charger, Digital camera, extra memory sticks, charger, flash drive, travel neck-pillow, magazines, spending money, journal, book, i-pod/head phones, and toiletry bag!

Back pack (carry-on): gum, chapstick, tylenol pm, advil, inhaler, large folder case with all our adoption documents, lap top, lap-top charger, eye mask (don't judge)

Miscellaneous: Hand sanitizer, tide stain packs, phone calling cards, plug adapters and converters, gift for birth mother with tissue and bag, clay hand-print kit, air freshner (don't ask either), hat

Everything except my husband and the girls...............Glad I'm packed!

Travel Schedule

Some people have asked for our travel schedule...so here is our itinerary!!! Can't believe we board the airplane in less than 3 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, May 13th: Leave MSP airport on Wednesday at 10:25 a.m.

Thursday, May 14th: Arrive in Amsterdam @ 6:00 a.m. 4 hour layover there. Depart Amsterdam at 10:35 a.m. to Khartoum. Arrive in Khartoum @ 5:55 p.m Finally arrive in Addis Ababa @ 9:05 p.m. Our agency has their own guest house so we will stay there and have most of our meals there also.

Friday, May 15th: Orientation and meet Ahnya for the first time that morning. We cannot tape this meeting but our agency does for us.

Saturday, May 16: Visit to the care center and observe the nannies and learn Ahnya's routine. In the afternoon we go on a shopping trip and then that evening we go to a traditional Ethiopian dinner and show.

Sunday, May 17: We leave very early for our trip to Hossana in the southern region. We will meet Ahnya's birth mother and family and visit the intake center where Ahnya spent her first few weeks. Whew--talk about emotional day. We don't get to see Ahnya that day.

Monday, May 18: In the morning we go to care center to hang out with Ahnya some more. In the afternoon we go to a museum and some other sights. We get to visit AHOPE. We will also get to tour CHSFS Ethiopia facilities.

Tuesday, May 19th: In the morning we will enjoy a special going away celebration with the nannies. We then take custody of Ahnya and have an Embassy appointment in the afternoon.

Wednesday, May 20th: Free day to hang out at the guest house with Ahnya and the other 9 families in our group. Possible extra shopping trip. There is also a hair braiding class in the afternoon.

Thursday, May 21: There will be an Ethiopian cooking class in the morning. The rest of the day will be spent packing and getting ready to leave that evening. Depart Addis Ababa @ 10:50 p.m.

Friday May 22nd: Arrive in Amsterdam @ 5:45 a.m. Yah!!!!!!!!!!!! 4 1/2 hour layover in Amsterdam!!!!!! Leave Amsterdam @ 10:30 a.m. and arrive in Chicago O'Hare @ 11:55 a.m. Depart Chicago O'Hare @ 2:25 and arrive at MSP airport @ 4:01 p.m. We'll go through immigration in Chicago already...so we'll meet friends and family at the bottom of the escalators!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bring kleenex!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see all our lovies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah!! Travel Date is official!!!

It's almost surreal....can't believe it's really happening. I got the last OFFICAL call from our specialist today from the agency. The roller coaster ride is DONE!!!!!!!!!!! Let me just say the waiting, more waiting, and endless WAITING is done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a sweet relief!!!!!!

Our specialist from the adoption agency said "...This is IT! Here's the words you've been waiting to hear! You're going to Ethiopia in 20 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" This was at 12:40 p.m.!!!!!!!!!!So........ excited as I was...I had to quick take a picture of me taking to her on the phone about travel plans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bad picture....good memory!!!!!!!!! Where's my blonde travel friend?

Okay, so Kirstie and I leave for Ethiopia, Africa on Wednesday, May 13th at 10:25 a.m. We're flying NWA/KLM!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to our wonderful husbands for transferring their frequent flier miles to us so we'll be able to fly first class both ways and have that extra leg room for us (Kirstie mostly!) and more space for baby Ahnya on the way home!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We'll arrive in Addis Ababa 26 hours later on Thursday, May 14th in the evening. Kirstie and I will spend 7 nights and 8 days in beautiful Ethiopia, and leave Thursday, May 21st in the evening to depart for home! Our flight arrives in Minneapolis @4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 22nd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All our dear friends and family are invited to join us at the airport for the arrival of baby Ahnya! I'll post more about this later, but something to start thinking about now. We'd love to see you and introduce you to our new baby in person before hibernating with Ahnya at home and adjusting together as a family!

We're finalizing fight tickets now!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More to follow soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Tentative" Travel Date!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yippie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm thrilled to say that we have a "tentative" travel date of Wednesday, May 13th!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's "tentative" right now because we're just (again) waiting on our agency as they are making final arrangements for our group to travel. We'll know in 1-2 days for confirmation. But, it's pretty sure a go! We have to wait to book flights until we get the confirmation from our agency....but other than that....this is the news we have been waiting for. FINALLY, I'm able to plan, prepare, and organize around TRAVEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't begin to explain what a relief it is to KNOW when I get to travel and see Ahnya. Now, I'm able to visualize and really "see" myself leaving for the airport, walking into the orphanage and seeing her in the nursery for the first time, etc, etc, etc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I haven't let my mind go there because it just was too far away for me.

So this is wonderful news and pretty much the last step before I get on that plane! The roller coaster ride of the WAIT is almost done. It's been 23 months of this ride...and I'm so tired of it!Now, I'll wait to hear back from the agency in a couple days and then we book flights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Until then I'm filled with peace, joy, and the realization that it's really happening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally have her Birth Certificate...

We finally got it!!!!!!!! We got Ahnya's Birth Certificate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now we'll know in 1-2 days when we travel. Tentatively looking at May 6th for a possible travel date...and that's 19 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm pooping my pants and so excited to be only ONE STEP AWAY before getting on a plane.

Please pray that we get a quick travel date and are able to bring Ahnya home sooooooonnnn. I'm tired from this 23 month journey...and just want our baby home with daddy and the little girls. I hope to be able to announce when we travel Friday or next Monday, April 20th. Keep Ahnya and our speedy travel in your prayers.

Travel Webinar

On Wednesday, April 15th Kirstie and I viewed the Travel Webinar that's manditory for anyone who is traveling to ET and planning on meeting birth family. This was a great piece of info and especially the pictures what we could show our kids, too! Much of the information we already knew, but as always it's nice to have that "refresher" too!

Of course, anyone who knows us will vouch that when we get nervous, anxious or excited we tend to get giddy and obnoxious! So, we had some laughs and brushed off the stress with giddiness! "Friends that Laugh Together, Stay Together" is our motto. Thanks for watching to webinar with me doll, I love ya!