tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81950315154179356102011-07-07T21:07:14.947-04:00Our Ethiopian Adoption JourneyKrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.comBlogger631100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-2178961891996821502010-01-26T21:13:00.004-05:002010-01-26T21:17:45.481-05:00

Minna is teething. Come on little toofers... break through already! Little mouth...BIG OUCH.

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-13031951554895830092010-01-18T15:48:00.004-05:002010-01-18T16:32:59.697-05:00

Minna was in for her nine month check-up last week and she is doing great! She's up to 17.1 pounds! Way to eat Min! She's in the 25th percentile for height, 15% for weight and 75% for head circumference. And the best news is that she's finally gardia-free! Yeah for a happy, healthy baby! Oh and she's got skills too... She can clap her hands, blow kisses, cluck her tongue, pitch a royal fit, self-

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-9142057319717387502009-11-21T00:00:00.012-05:002009-11-21T13:42:36.369-05:00

Phew, who new it would be so hard to find time to upload photos. Three months later... this is what we all look like... hope you enjoy their sweet faces as much as I do!!!Mina the sweet is a strong sitter with no more wobbles. She's started solid foods and so far green beans are her favorite. The sides of her hair are growing in but her daddy still thinks her mohawk is pretty hard core awesome...

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-52206782026485785872009-11-12T20:48:00.003-05:002009-11-12T21:48:21.612-05:00

In case you were wondering, I didn't take an oath to avoid the blog for three months. It's just that I seriously don't sit anymore. And if I do sit, I'm liable to fall asleep and even if I can stay awake it is difficult to think clearly with all of the activity around me. The couple of time I did sit down I couldn't come up with words for all the emotions I was feeling at the time and stared at

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-21086916585941318772009-08-17T14:07:00.004-04:002009-08-17T21:36:19.245-04:00

We are home. The kids are great...so precious and wonderful. Hailemicael has really taken to his Daddy. All three big kids plus some neighbors are out playing soccer (futbol) in the front yard. Ben is the goalie. Minalush is happily napping in her room. She seems to be handling the time change (7 hours) just fine with a tendency for one long nap in the afternoon and another long nap or two

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-75727564117406737392009-08-11T15:01:00.001-04:002009-08-11T15:01:32.045-04:00

So... the connection here is a bit slow for all these photos.  I'll give it another try and hope they post...  I can't get the nicest ones to download tonight... I'll try again later.  One more bottle for Minalush and then it's off to bed with me.

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-52950139788931147422009-08-11T14:43:00.001-04:002009-08-11T14:43:37.218-04:00

Ben and two of our wonderful children are sleeping and our tour guide doesn't have us running around anywhere so I thought I'd post some pictures.  Immediately before meeting the kiddos I thought that I would surely faint or throw up or something equally embarrassing but I pulled it together an just cried a muffled cry.  I was trembling uncontrollably and overwhelmed with emotion.  We have had

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-85970211007792653502009-08-10T16:30:00.001-04:002009-08-10T16:30:23.116-04:00

I'll start by saying that there is so much to write, I wil in no way do justice to how things went today.  Here are a few thoughts:   We arrived at the transition home this afternoon after filling out paperwork and having lunch with the other families.  Everyone was nervous.  So much waiting on this moment.  We knew we would be going first since families meet their children in alphabetical order.

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-92129227878431437242009-08-08T16:36:00.001-04:002009-08-08T16:36:23.545-04:00

Hello everyone. We made it safe and sound to our hotel and our driver and guide are wonderful.  One of our bags is still in Amsterdam which we should get by tomorrow at midnight.  Our donation bins have been taken by someone to get a permit from the government or something and we hope to see them again at somepoint this trip.  Please pray that all these bumps would smooth out in the long run.  At

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-37751458721539965862009-08-07T11:22:00.003-04:002009-08-07T11:25:14.079-04:00

We are packed and ready to go...next time I blog I will be on the other side of the world! Thank you everyone for your prayers and encouragement along the way. Love to you all!

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-89304169417028142532009-08-06T12:07:00.001-04:002009-08-06T12:07:21.630-04:00

This is a test.  I am testing emailing the blog because in ET often people have difficulty getting onto blogger...so here goes.   THIS IS A TEST.....

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-47244432241192857152009-08-06T07:08:00.005-04:002009-08-06T07:29:26.204-04:00

Well, actually it's tomorrow, but we don't leave until later in the day so I'm counting tomorrow as a full day. That way I feel like we have more time to pack. :)We will be meeting our precious children on Monday morning... a concept that is still very difficult to grasp. It's so exciting I can hardly believe it's really happening!Please pray for safe travel, our health (not feeling too well this

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-73275754147688710172009-08-05T06:43:00.005-04:002009-08-05T06:57:40.606-04:00

We are leaving in 3 days and today is all about my kids here at home. They have been VERY patient over the past year and a half of paperwork, often getting told "no, sorry not right now" to many things because we were not spending any money on anything... and they are just so ready to do something FUN! So, last night I took them out to Steak 'N' Shake and told them they could order any shake they

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-37879324939292843002009-08-04T21:51:00.003-04:002009-08-04T22:21:00.073-04:00

Four more days. We will be on a plane for 20 hours. Then we will get off that plane and have to wait two days until we see the kids. Those two days are going to seem like the longest days yet. It's a good thing I know without a doubt that God's timing is perfect and mine is not. What's that.. you want proof of this? OK here's an example... today for instance when the Executive Director of A Child

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-1485269966919406682009-08-03T06:38:00.003-04:002009-08-03T07:00:01.259-04:00

It's 1:20 in the afternoon in Addis Ababa as I write this.... 6:30 AM here at my desk. Five days from now I will be waking to start my day when it is 1:00 AM here at my desk. But then again all these time zones are meaningless considering our daughter eats every three and a half hours. :) I think we will just sleep whenever we can without regard to what time it is in Addis or even here, at my

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-80295844119949322482009-07-31T20:48:00.006-04:002009-07-31T21:14:01.259-04:00

Are they beautiful or what? Min has an awesome mohawk in these photos because the nurse had to shave her head for her IV meds when she had pneumonia. She has since had her entire head shaved for her passport photos, so we will be bringing home a sweet little baldy. We also heard she weighed mere 10 pounds at 4 months and she eats four ounces 7 times a day. The update also said that she is doing

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-53788690075084283632009-07-31T18:55:00.003-04:002009-07-31T20:13:57.365-04:00

This is the REAL DEAL!!! Our tentative travel dates are now concrete!!!!!!!!!!!!We are going to Africa to meet our kiddos (and to bring them home!) one week from today! I've been holding my breath for two weeks and now I can let loose and celebrate (and pack and finish overhauling my house)! Plus we have new pictures and updates on Haile and Min. Plus we have like 10 cases of children's medicine

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-43895519749648702622009-07-27T09:38:00.005-04:002009-07-27T09:55:16.738-04:00

Hailemicael and Minalush... how would YOU pronounce these names? We have been working on pronunciations for the last two months and finally think we've got it. A friend of a friend who has lived in Addis for several years emailed me with her take on the pronunciations. She seemed pretty confident about it too. So these are the names of our kiddos...Minalush... say min-ah-looshHailemicael... say

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-35031341790426517512009-07-15T11:10:00.006-04:002009-07-15T15:57:59.018-04:00

After an agonizing weekend we received word from Minalush's physician that her lungs are clear and she is doing well now. Phew, I can breathe again. God is good! I often wonder what would have happened to our beautiful girl if she had not been at our agency's transition home during this sickness. She may not have had any access to medical care or the necessary medications. I recently read that

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-71141635157710450802009-07-08T22:12:00.011-04:002009-07-08T23:02:45.284-04:00

It's my great honor to introduce the rest of our family...Our son Hailemicael AndrewsHailemicael with a fellow adoptive parent looking at our photos for the first time. I wonder what he thinks about us??Hailemicael showing his WMU spirit!Our daughter Minalush Andrews at 4 months old (this beautiful photo was just taken a few days ago)Minalush's referral photo taken at around 3 monthsSo sleepy!So

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-62729622929908051652009-07-08T18:31:00.002-04:002009-07-08T18:33:08.255-04:00

We got a call from our agency that we passed court today. The judge looked over the papers and ruled that they are our children...officially! I will post pics and more info soon. Whooohooo! God is Good.

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-10364540310583428172009-07-07T17:24:00.005-04:002009-07-07T18:01:08.133-04:00

Well my fellow blogstalkers... we got some sad news yesterday. I couldn't really bring myself to post about it until now. We did not pass court, but we did not fail either. The judge wants to take a closer look at the paperwork before she makes a decision. She is not requesting further documentation or testimony, just more time to go over the paperwork. So, in theory we do not as of yet need

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-47949454761444378592009-07-05T18:56:00.002-04:002009-07-05T19:03:51.357-04:00

It's currently 2AM in Addis and while I'm pretty sure they aren't hearing our case quite yet, they will hear it today! Please pray for our kiddos and all that "paperwork". We are trusting God tonight so PLEASE go to Him on our behalf and ask Him to bring our kiddos home. Today is also the day they will receive our packages and see our faces for the first time in the photo books we sent them. I

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-22062703484123799512009-06-29T17:43:00.004-04:002009-06-30T08:06:30.403-04:00

Although we still have one week until our court date our agency allows us to send care packages to the kids via other adoptive families who are traveling before us. We have also signed a release to allow this wonderful family to take pictures of the kids recieving the gifts. We spent quite a bit of time putting these together and we pray that our kids will be encouraged and excited to get them.

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-36453715250634802572009-06-22T00:20:00.004-04:002009-06-22T00:39:53.132-04:00

I had been going crazy waiting for the phone to ring and then Ben received an e-mail last week with news of court date. It is exactly 2 weeks from today! On July 6th, our case will be heard in Ethiopian court and we are praying that we will pass the first time through, of course, because I want to go get those kids and bring them home and take care of them! After court it's an approximate 2-4

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-83698241804062440582009-06-14T22:29:00.002-04:002009-06-14T22:56:08.407-04:00

Now that I have stopped freaking out and started eating and sleeping on a bit more of a normal schedule, I've started focusing my efforts on getting our home ready for the new additions. There's lots to do and now that I know a baby's coming and I won't be able to get anything done around here for like the next three years, I'm going to town. I mowed the lawn and power washed the deck this

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-6539637563365533872009-06-11T19:14:00.004-04:002009-06-11T20:03:16.481-04:00

After two days of virtually no sleep (because my mind was racing all night and all day long) we have signed our acceptance of the referral of our two children! I am exhausted and I ready for a vacation. It was crazy. The referral call didn't come when I was planning on it, the kids were different ages than I thought they would be, my emotions were different than I expected, plus through all this

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-62824616116703851142009-06-09T23:18:00.003-04:002009-06-09T23:57:12.567-04:00

If I had to choose one word for how I have been feeling for the majority of the day I would say that I have felt SHOCKED! Of course this is not the only emotion I felt as I have expanded upon below...First of all, today is my Dad's 59th birthday (Happy Birthday Dad...you ROCK!), but we all kind of saw that one coming thus it wasn't much of a shocker. So do you want to hear what really shocked me

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-51181892909791199342009-05-20T14:54:00.003-04:002009-05-20T14:57:30.654-04:00

Today marks three months since our paperwork was sent to Ethiopia. Time is flying by!

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-78098630591254147512009-04-24T12:53:00.003-04:002009-04-24T13:10:45.080-04:00

It was in the mailbox today! When I first looked at the envelope it was light and thin, seeming to only contain one sheet of paper. I had a moment sadness thinking, if they had chosen us for the grant it would be thicker, right? I ripped into the envelope and quickly scanned the letter until at the bottom of the first paragraph I saw it. $4000.00. I yelped. I did a little happy dance. I whoohooed

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-17252158058427107442009-04-22T12:17:00.005-04:002009-04-22T13:09:19.475-04:00

It's 80 degrees with 25% humidity and a 13 mph eastern/ southeastern wind in Addis Ababa right now. All week there's a high around 80 and a low of 51 degrees. Also, their clocks are seven hours ahead of ours. So is their sun...well I guess it's the same sun but you know what I mean.

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-54476262116564087552009-04-19T20:55:00.008-04:002009-04-20T12:03:19.880-04:00

On a more cheery note, Ethiopian language seems very interesting to me. Although there are MANY languages used throughout Ethiopia, Amharic appears to be the main language used in Addis Ababa. (See the map below to check out all the other languages. FYI: if you click on it it will show a larger view.) Amharic uses a different alphabet than English. The "letters" are very different looking and so

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-39822622178939558202009-04-14T15:21:00.004-04:002009-04-14T22:24:46.743-04:00

A few tidbits on Ethiopia...Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia and this is where we will travel to pick up our children. For most Ethiopians life is not a walk in the park.39% of the population lives below the international poverty line of $1.25US per day (2007).Ethiopian life expectancy at birth has gone up from from 43 years (in 1970) to 53 years (in 2007).The risk of maternal death is

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-31078724119600638572009-04-08T13:08:00.011-04:002009-04-09T07:44:18.365-04:00

Since I can't complain about pregnancy pains, or even paperwork pains anymore I was thinking that I should do something useful. And thus, the "Ethiopia 101" idea for a series of posts was conceived. I truly enjoy learning about Ethiopia and her people and hope you will join me as I post what I have learned in hopes of becoming better acquainted with the country two of our children call home. So

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-14491429942694381732009-04-07T17:24:00.004-04:002009-04-08T12:37:26.317-04:00

We have been DTE for about a month and a half. It feels weird to just be waiting. When I was pregnant with Noah and Lydia there were cravings and pains to talk about. There were vitamins to be taken, healthy diets to follow, names to choose and on and on. This time around seems awfully quiet and somewhat surreal. On that note, I'm off on a date with my hubby. Probably won't be doing that this

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-67648007757236327612009-02-25T22:51:00.004-05:002009-02-26T18:01:13.061-05:00

Our "Dossier" was delivered in Addis Ababa, ET today at 3:10 pm local time. Next comes translation and a 9-11 month wait for "the phone call." Time to start cleaning and organizing this house. Gotta make room for two more people! And if you know me, you know it will take me about that long to get everything situated "just right." I don't like to be in a hurry! Now if I can just manage not to "

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-54094284194837184012009-02-24T12:54:00.003-05:002009-02-24T13:03:22.255-05:00

View Larger MapOur package arrived in Dubai, AE 6:17 pm local time today. It's getting closer!

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-43939544111183081052009-02-23T15:48:00.008-05:002009-02-23T22:05:07.485-05:00

... our beloved Dossier arrived for it's layover in Paris, France at 9:18 am today. How great is that!

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-10000332858181937402009-02-21T21:18:00.005-05:002009-02-21T21:32:53.010-05:00

Our Dossier that we put so much love into is on it's way. It has been notarized, certified and authenticated. Those wonderful FedEx people are taking it to our agency's office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It spend yesterday in Herndon, VA and today in Newark, NJ. We will keep you posted on it's whereabouts as I am sure you are dying to know! Perhaps it's flying over the Atlantic as I type this. That

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-86956889927050532662009-02-04T21:14:00.005-05:002009-02-04T21:21:13.871-05:00

Ben is hoping to get "The Dossier" State Certified tomorrow. "What does this mean?," one may ask. This means... the paperwork is done. Those words are music to my ears, and my soul and my brain and my life. This seriously the most relaxed I've felt in months.

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-32829704800747085792009-01-12T17:50:00.009-05:002009-01-12T20:14:24.886-05:00

Our USCIS papers arrived this Saturday after only 4 weeks of waiting! This is two months earlier that I had anticipated. Yea! for the U.S. Government...they are so on top of things! But this means we need to scramble to get our last few papers in order. Please pray for our redone medicals to be filled out quickly and for all of our notarizations and certification to be done correctly. Also pray

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-49892594270131882512009-01-01T22:10:00.003-05:002009-01-01T22:21:06.864-05:00

A sincere thank you to each one of you who has responded to the letter we sent out this month. We have been blown away the the generosity of our dear friends and family. Because of you we have reached the 40% mark of what is needed to cover the expenses of the adoption process. We are almost half way there!Who knows...maybe 2009 will be the year that in which we will have the pleasure of

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-70012351279061943292008-12-20T11:49:00.003-05:002008-12-20T12:13:02.267-05:00

Some days I don't check the mail. It's been so cold lately that if I'm not leaving the house for another reason I just leave the mail until the next day. If figure it's not going anywhere and as long as no one tries to steal my identity, it should be fine. So the other day, as I gathered two days worth of mail on my way to run errands with the kids, I saw two envelopes from The Department of

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-36292443616814517742008-12-02T14:43:00.004-05:002008-12-02T15:06:43.222-05:00

Yes, it is TRUE! The USCIS papers are finally in the mail!!!! What does this mean you ask? This means the first part of our adoption rigamaroll is finished, finito, kaput! WOOOOHOOOO! Now we wait 6- 12 weeks to get approval papers back from immigration saying they will allow us to bring the newest members of our family into the US of A. During this 6-12 week wait we will finish (in theory) the

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-28974118428196486362008-12-01T15:42:00.003-05:002008-12-01T15:44:08.036-05:00

All our immigration paperwork is in order. We are just waiting for our social worker to return to her office on Tuesday (tomorrow) so she can get the homestudy signed and in the mail.

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-24433868190695939212008-11-12T21:42:00.002-05:002008-11-12T22:46:16.372-05:00

Ben and I were able to go out to an Ethiopian Restaurant in East Lansing recently. The place is called Altu's and the head cook is none other than Altu herself. The small restaurant was surprisingly busy as we took our place at a table that really looked more like a woven basket. We ordered the meat and vegetable feast for two, thinking that way we could try a bit of everything. The waitress let

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-63559626455604423872008-11-10T19:01:00.005-05:002008-11-10T19:11:39.092-05:00

Good News: the nurse that I have been calling every Friday has sent the doctor's letter. Now we just wait for the Home Study to be approved by our social worker's supervisor (our home study is currently on her desk as I type) and our agency's social worker. It's looking like some time next week we might be able to send in our papers to immigration. Please pray for all the powers that be to be

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-22378532911475430702008-11-05T10:15:00.002-05:002008-11-05T10:23:50.403-05:00

Our adoption agency has notified us of a rate adjustment in our projected adoption fees. It seems that the Ethiopia program is growing exponentially and there is a great need for hiring more social workers, purchasing more computers, hiring more caregivers, etc. After thinking this through it not only seems reasonable, but wonderful that these orphans will have better care and be placed in homes

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-33101480417172004052008-11-03T14:35:00.003-05:002008-11-03T14:57:01.153-05:00

Friday was a great day! I picked up the rough draft of our home study from our social worker. We are supposed to look it over and make sure all the details are correct and then take it back to her on Tuesday. Then, when I got back from the adoption agency I checked our mailbox and found my passport! It only took around a week to get it. Apparently, they haven't had any cutbacks in the US Passport

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-40161801293497414622008-10-21T17:03:00.003-04:002008-10-21T17:16:15.105-04:00

I went to the local post office today to apply for my passport. All went smoothly, and when the pleasantly plump USPS worker as me where I plan to travel, I felt a surge of excitement as I replied, "Ethiopia". When I returned home there was a message on my machine from the local post office. It appears that there was one more paper I need to sign since I held a passport in my maiden name some 15

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-1744097934137858742008-10-15T15:12:00.002-04:002008-10-15T15:18:57.372-04:00

We are so close to having a home study in our hot little hands. Look out immigration we are about to send you a bunch of papers! We are just waiting for our medicals to be sent to our social worker and a doctor's letter and we are on our way to getting somewhere. Yippie! My question is how many times can you call a nurse before she gets really annoyed and decides not to send the letter out of

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-28058305527705466562008-10-05T14:22:00.003-04:002008-10-05T15:02:23.007-04:00

Today was an amazing day. I was told that I would be presented with a check during the church service this morning. I was told to give an update on the progress of the adoption. After the first couple of songs I was called to the front. "I would like to ask Kris Andrews up front with me right now, please." So, up I went. "Kris, I would like to present your family with two checks totaling

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-87281215086241938292008-09-25T13:19:00.006-04:002008-09-25T13:48:33.192-04:00

Our family is honored to be the recipient of the world's greatest baby shower. Our church, The Comstock Church of Christ (service is 10:40 Sunday mornings...you should really come visit us if you haven't had a chance to lately... it's a great place to worship an Amazing God), has blessed us with a matching gift program. The church has committed to match (from the general fund) the amount that

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-56164631435601962472008-09-20T11:13:00.003-04:002008-09-20T11:52:16.744-04:00

It was definitely a party at the Andrews' house last night. First we had a stomach flu party, then a carpet cleaning party, followed by another stomach flu party. Now we are having a ginger ale and crackers party and are just about to begin the laundry party! I'm so sorry if you didn't get an invitation, but it's probably for the better.:)The kids were super sweet but it's just so hard to watch

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-11605926203188716032008-09-16T16:47:00.008-04:002008-09-18T20:09:13.883-04:00

Long story short, last Tuesday our appointment with the social worker at her office was relocated to our home. I freaked out. Me, the kids and Ben hurriedly cleaned the house in around two hours. Somewhere in the middle of that we lost track on the dog and as she enjoyed wandering the neighborhood our social worker arrived. Phew, that was a crazy morning. But... I think we passed. Thankfully, our

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-21780691236334066992008-08-31T17:58:00.015-04:002008-08-31T21:48:28.327-04:00

September 1st... tomorrow? What? How did that happen? When did that happen? Apparently I was too busy to notice. What was I up to you ask? Well, let me just tell you about it...I was busy being blessed with opportunities to make and save money for the upcoming adoption expenses. For those of you who might be looking for some ideas to raise funds for your own adoption, here's what we've been

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-3187626530902037682008-07-24T22:40:00.014-04:002008-12-10T05:33:39.590-05:00

Won't you join me for a quick travelogue showcasing our preparations for the big sale....In this first shot we will see mounds of garage sale merchandise. I am blown away by all the donations we've received for the Adoption Benefit Sale at our Church this weekend! We've got piles and piles of great stuff. Thanks for cleaning out your closets everyone! I just want to take a minute and brag on our

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-39629866886803932122008-07-09T17:12:00.012-04:002008-07-09T22:17:40.822-04:00

I'm sure for each adoptive parent the answer to the question "why?" is at least a little bit different. For us there are many reasons, which I will now attempt to explain. It is my hope that this will be helpful to others who are considering adoption. So here goes...First, we think big families are great. Since Noah was young, we have talked about raising as many children as we thought we could

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-78976644483876312772008-06-28T23:39:00.000-04:002008-12-10T05:33:40.710-05:00

Thought I'd post some pics form the sale...just view these photos while sitting in 90 degree temperatures with 98% humidity and it'll almost be like you were there. We found some shade and tried not to drink up all the lemonade. The view from the road... Our two best sales people. Ice cold lemonade and Gram's cookies...yum. Three cheers for mom!!! Gimmie a S! Gimmie a U! Gimmie a E! What's that

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-56869666930102775842008-06-28T18:21:00.000-04:002008-06-29T18:19:13.520-04:00

I'm feeling a bit deflated at the moment...like one of the salmon pink balloons lying on the dining room floor from Lydia's birthday party last Wednesday. It could be the late night tagging merchandise or all that heat and humidity we sat in for the sale yesterday. It could also be the panini sandwich of specialty meats that tasted amazing when I ate it a few hours earlier but isn't sitting to

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-72802796357076689042008-06-22T22:03:00.000-04:002008-06-22T22:55:11.690-04:00

Who doesn't love a good garage sale? I know I love 'em. When I see that florescent pink sign on a corner my car swerves like it's on auto pilot. I believe I inherited this from my mother who inherited it from her Gram, I would guess. But on the other side of the fence is the person putting on the sale. Some would call this a lot of work and very little pay. But to me, there's just something

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-37185402545244175262008-06-19T16:33:00.000-04:002008-06-19T16:37:55.323-04:00

So, we are taking votes on the naming of the blog. So far:BaKaNaLa+Adding AndrewsAnd then there were four or six or whateverThe Andrews AdditionAny ideas out there?

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8195031515417935610.post-63505324256220841402008-06-19T14:44:00.000-04:002008-06-21T21:33:18.371-04:00

Apparently, even I, the daughter-of-two-computer-programmers-who-is-yet-somehow-non-computer-savvy can create a blog. Amazing.The purpose of this blog is to record the happenings of the Andrews family as we embark on the adventure of growing our family through adoption. We hope to keep you, our friends and family, informed of the haps and up to date with where we are in the process. We also hope

Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05690928325445897470noreply@blogger.com1