Matched!!!

We have confirmation that we have been 'matched' with 'a child'.

 

This means that they have found a child they consider to be a good match for our family. They are now simply waiting on paperwork before they will be able to give us our referral. Likely medical tests etc...

 

We expect to recieve the referral late next week or the following week.

 

EEEK!

 

We are so eager to learn about her, and to lay eyes on her face for the first time... but also so scared and nervous.

ANXIOUS!

 

 

Decompression & Anxiety

Adoption is a challenge, but many people say that all the real work begins when you bring baby home.

This process has been so consuming of our lives for the last 18 months. A battle that we fought every day... and now it has come to an end. Granted, we still have court and visa to contend with, but the process to our daughter is 99% complete.

So after a big deep sigh of relief, you are left saying, "Now what?".

Now enter anxiety.

For 18 months all I had to worry about was getting one step closer to our daughter. One more hurdle, one more piece of paper. Now, I am faced with the reality that this actually going to happen.

We are moving to Kenya.

We are leaving our business here.

We are going to add a new member to our family. A new member who has come from a 'hard place' and requires a lot of work.

Anxiety looks like:

Complete heartbreak at the thought of having to leave our dog who is so attached to me. My shadow. Whom we have not found an absolute 'ideal' foster home for.

Money... trying to scrape up the funds for our next large set of fees, airfare and living expenses.

9 trips to the dentist in a month. Cleanings, fillings.

1 trip to the Orthodontist.

4 trips to the eye Doctor.

2 trips to the family Doctor.

3 trips to the travel clinic. $1000 worth of vaccines.

Trying to start the process of packing, and not really knowing what to bring for Zahra as we don't know her age.

Pulling out closet contents etc. to sort through and pack away... and then having to shove it all back in closets, under beds etc... to show the house to potential renters.

Passport renewals, to which I have left too late and now have to drive 4 hours there and 4 hours back to get 10 day service, so I have enough time to purchase Kenyan visas.

Homeschooling - I have to research and find a program that works for us.

Business... I have to complete this years taxes etc... finalize everything, make sure everyone is paid up etc.

Cancel all of our utilities etc, MSP, insurance, phones etc.

Find a home for our bird and chickens.

Pack up the house and clean it. This is HUGE.

Research and purchase travel insurance.

Book flights - just found out that Sept/Oct is super busy for humanitarian fares which means $$$.

Find a house to rent in Kenya, and not knowing if it will be furnished or not. Do I pack the bed sheets?

Worry about having my hubby gone for weeks at a time to come back for work. Tracy can I come stay with you?? Being alone in a house without at least a dog in the house scares the jeepers out of me.

I need to cleanse, detox and lose some extra pounds.

.. and a million other things that I simply haven't thought about yet - All in 5 weeks.

Soo.

A lump in my throat and and tightened chest, I think this is what anxiety feels like. No worries - I do have a Dr's appointment just to make sure that I am not suffering from high blood pressure, or heart failure. Sheesh...

I am wishing now that I had done many more preparations before - but after 2.5 yrs, I really didn't trust that this would ever happen.

Crunch time.

I feel a bit lost some of the times, not knowing what to do next. Don't be surprised if you don't see a lot of me in the upcoming month.

I will however keep you updated with any news... so keep checking in!. :)

Keep Calm & Carry On.

A doll suited for a Princess

Remember when I told you about my latest obsession?

Well, I have completed her.

Meet Zari... (Swahili meaning beautiful - I'm sure Zahra will rename her)

She was sent to me like this. Well almost - I gave her a belly button.

I also gave her a bum.

And gave her a cap to latch the hair onto.

I had a local lady dye and spin me some fabulous yarns for her hair. Merino Wool, Falkland Wool, and Romney Locks.

I gave her a dress, an updo and blushed her cheeks.

And here she is...

Standing 12" tall, with open arms, she awaits the love of a little girl.

Honey up a Chicken's butt.

Aside from the odd stumbling onto a pile of fresh chicken poop in your bare feet... 

There is one thing I NEVER thought I would do. 

What is that?

Stick my finger up a chicken's butt. 

Yep. 

Let me put the cherry on that by telling you I also inserted honey up that chicken's butt.

Have I lost you? Perhaps you think I've lost it...

Let me back up and explain myself. 

This is May.

 Do you remember when we first got her?

She is an Ameraucana Bantie and lays small green eggs that we love!

She was born on Muffin's bday, and was her birthday gift. 

She is very much loved in this house. 

A few weeks ago, we noticed that she wasn't laying regularly. Shortly after, I noticed that her butt was covered in 'white'. I brought her inside to clean her up and investigate the situation.

Prolapsed vent. (I will spare you the photos of that.)

This can sometimes be remedied, but often times not. It can cause infection, egg binding and will eventually lead to death.

I know... she is just a chicken, and we eat chicken. I can't tell you the irony of treating a chicken by bathing it with tender love in a giant roaster while a chicken roasts over my BBQ. One gets a medicated finger up the butt, and the other a beer can. I get how silly that all is... and perhaps it sounds naive. However, she is our pet and we need to give her a good shot at overcoming this.

The remedy? (Honestly, this may not be of any interest to you at all - so please do not read any further, unless you are interested in the gruesome details. ;)

Well we first put her in quarantine. A large dog kennel with clean shavings and a blanket to cover her at night. This kennel restricts the amount of sunlight... keeping her in the dark so she doesn't get the urge to lay anymore eggs.

Then we give her a good long warm water soak (yes, a roasting pan works perfectly! lol). We follow that up giving her a bum a good scrubbing to get all that poop off. Then I spray her with an expensive vet spray antibiotic.

Here comes the good part... are you ready?

This is wear I put on my latex gloves and gently smear her prolapse with Preparation H... yes, hemorrhoid cream to encourage shrinking. Then even more gently... push her rectum back inside while Muffin keeps her in a trance by softly stroking her head. We then follow that up by applying Preparation H inside her vent.

Then, we get up in the morning and do it all over - because it's hanging out again.

One week, and we have not been able to fix her. I have now moved on to using honey instead of Preparation H. Don't ask... I don't know why honey - it is just what 'they' recommend.

I fear that this is not going to work. I believe what she really needs is a stitch. I think she may have torn her vent a little somewhere along the line and that is what is causing her butt to fall out. (Very technical terminology)

But what adopting parents can afford a couple hundred dollar vet bill? Ugh... Dan and I have seriously spoken about how or if we could do it ourselves... but I don't think there is a youtube tutorial for that one.

( One more week of treatment before we abandoned hope. Well wishes appreciated - as I have a little girl who has had two hamsters die of cancer, dog die of cancer... replaced with a bird for her (thinking  long life span, low chance of cancer), to have the bird bond with her brother only... she can't get near him without him biting her. So she is very sad. Out of the 3 chickens we have... hers was the one who gets ill. )

Diapers have landed in Kenya!

A couple weeks ago, I sorted out the best AIO's and Motherease cloth diapers (about 50) from the stash that you all have kindly donated.

We boxed them up...

Drove them across the border into the US.

And shipped them off the Kenya via USPS. Sorry Canada Post - you are way too expensive! $55 priority is what it cost for 20lbs, and they were there within a week! Next time I will ship Regular Parcel for $25.

Metaline Falls is about an hour away from us. Apparently, you can drive a golf cart to work, ...  while the rest of the town sleeps or is just completely vacant. A ghost town... or Twilight Zone... There were vehicles, but not a soul in sight.

So, we figured since the entire town (with the exception of the lady at the Post Office) was gobbled up by aliens, that no one would mind if we just moved on in to this cute little cottage that was for sale.

But, as it appears, the aliens took the keys too! ;)

KEEP SENDING THOSE DIAPERS!

I have many more to ship, and have been in contact with a few orphanages who are very much in need.

AIO's or fitteds is what will work best for these homes. So if you have some that are in good shape to spare, please send them our way so we can at least help keep a baby dry at night.

NAC meet today!

I had originally posted that the NAC meet was on the 16th.... but we have found out that they met this morning in Kenya - the 15th.

Hardly any files were seen during the last meet. We seem to have won the lottery by being approved last month... I don't personally know of anyone else that was. So blessed by this, and it is true what they say... that just as you reach your breaking point - you are lifted.

Good luck to all of you waiting to be seen! I hope they sat extra long to clear up this back log!

Just when I thought I was busted...

The Tooth Fairy doesn't exactly have the greatest repuation in this house... in fact many complaints have been made.

Yet, despite her attendance or lack thereof, teeth continue to come out.

She is currently 2 teeth behind.

Tonight, after asking Muffin to put something away in my jewelry box, she discovered the stash hidden secretly in the back corner. All the baby teeth that I had been saving... (just couldn't bare to chuck them!).

'Mom! Why are there teeth hidden in your jewelry box??'

'Never mind, and let the dog in...'

So I played the game of distraction, because I just didn't know what to say. She is 9 after all, and this charade will not last too long.

A few minutes later, I overheard her telling her brother....

The verdict? (according to them)

I stole the teeth from the Tooth Fairy.

Yes, I am officially known as the "Teeth Thief"...

(go ahead and say that 3 times fast!)

Is this really happening?

Really, last night and today have been such a blur! I am still in shock as I really wasn't expecting to get approval news at all this week.

Yesterday, I had gone to the worksite to deliver paycheques just as our crew was wrapping things up at 5pm. The developers had bought the crew some cold beers for all their hard work... so I hung around for a few minutes talking to them. One of our employees started to talk about his ex wife (this gets really good... lol)... just as my phone rang.

'Blocked Number'

Who the heck is calling me from a blocked number? Must be telemarketers...

So I press the answer button, just as our employee says '...and she's a real facetious B*tch!'

'Hello?'

'Hello Jo, this is Mary from the agency, have I caught you a bad time?'

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? That is totally my luck!! She couldn't have called 2 second earlier or later...no she called right at the '...facetious B*tch' part, and there is just no way that she did not hear it! Oh my...

'No, I was just up at the job site delivering cheques..' (How. Embarrassing.)
I don't really recall the rest of the conversation... something along the lines of... We finally have the results of the last NAC meeting, you were approved ... followed by the details of our approval etc..

By this time, I'm across the street... hiding out in some bushes. (Far from further worksite conversation.) The surge of adrenalin rushes through me...
OMG! This is really happening!! This is all real now! Within 2 months we are going to set eyes on our child!

I immediately update my facebook status - announcing to the world - APPROVED!... because I am that person. Then I messaged my dear friend Tracy, who lay fast asleep in her bed in Kenya. I wiped the few tears that were collecting in my eyes and tried to collect myself. My husband and children... across the street carrying on, with no knowledge of what was going on.

As I took a few deep breaths, Hubby had come around the corner to see what I was doing. I tried my darndest to hold in the tears... and softly said... 'That was Mary, we have been approved.'
'Your kidding me, we're approved?!'.... as he too tried to choke down some tears.
We kissed and hugged and set off to join the crew to share our news.

Muffin, not even privy to the adoption process, was the most excited. To her, she viewed this as our permission to move to Kenya. 'WE ARE? We get to move to Kenya now then right!!? YAY!!!'

It's an amazing feeling. I didn't think it would be this emotional... but really we have been trying to get approved since March and it was the one last thing that stood between us and our child. We never fully believed that it would ever happen. Hubby says he didn't expect it to be this emotional either. He says he felt the exact same thing when I told him I was pregnant with our first.

On the flip side of this approval... unfortunately, no one else in our group has been approved or at least received news of approval. Many files were not seen, so it seems as there might be a small backlog again.

Hang in there you all... it's going to be back for review next week already. NAC meet on the 16th.

Now that we are approved, I am opening this blog back up to the public! Yay! I missed sharing with the world, and meeting new adoption folk... not to mention it was not doing much for my blogging motivation either.

Thank you all for hanging in with me! Now is the beginning of the 'fun' part of the process...

I will leave you with Tracy's response to my middle of the night text (because it's too cute not to share.)

'Oh ....... Jolene is moving to Kenya! It's going to be awesome (please sing along!) Jolene is moving to Kenya! It will be so awesome she's getting a baby girl soon. 'Mister' and 'Muffin' are going to be awesome big siblings. Did you pass out from shock????'

APPROVAL!!!

Yes... the word is in.

APPROVAL!!!

Only for one child...but I will take anything at this point! :)

Congratulations for everyone who is currently getting thier approvals!!

I will post a more indepth feeling post later - hubby is experiencing a lot of emotion!

NAC news for those who are waiting...

Day 21

I recieved news last night that the problem the NAC was having is now fixed. They should have already started stamping those letters while those of us in the Western world slept.

Typically, we expect to hear news in 1-2 weeks. According to policy, they have 30 days to get approval/deferral news to us.

We should all start to hear about official news coming in for those waiting for approvals and those waiting to finalize their adoptions to go back home.

Bring it on!

Summer Days... Piece O' Paradise

Although summer is typically always crazy for us on the business end of things, and with having the kids home full time... we have found a new little love that occupies all of our spare time, whenever we can squeak it in. ;)

Erie Lake... and it is only 30 minutes from us.

This place is special for so many reasons...

First of all... it is stocked full of Perch. (My favorite fish to eat!! Yumm!)

... and Brook Trout

And they are big, good eaten ones too.... one of these will feed our entire family. :)

Not only is the fishing good, but the wildlife is abundant as well.

There are Painted Turtles...

Snakes...

No worries... not venomous or dangerous.

Just a Garter.

We love to canoe around and spot other wildlife such as Otters, Beavers, Blue Heron, Ducks of all kinds, baby Coyotes drinking from the water's edge, Cormorants, Loons, and a Bald Eagle who fishes along side of us.

If my children were a little more stable in our rocky white water canoe, I would consider bringing the Canon to capture these!

Last but not least, this lake is special because we usually have it all to ourselves.

That's right, a secret little paradise.

Shhhhhh...

14 days...

... and still no news. No one from any country (that I am aware of), has heard results from the July meet. Typically news starts to trickle in after a week... so we are not sure what is going on.

The next NAC meet is scheduled for August 16th. Hopefully this date will not be needed for us.

The good thing is that referral news is starting to hit our little group... I am living vicariously through them all right now. I share their tears and excitement... and I hang onto their every single word. It's been an honor to share these special moments with these lovely ladies.