Help with Humanitarian Aid

Some of you have asked how you can help with humanitarian aid, which we will take with us on our first trip in October. Here are two ways:

1. Donate items for us to take to our adoption agency's foster care centers. (This is where Myles spent five out of his first six months.) Some current needs are:
a. Infant clothing (new); Boys and Girls; sizes 0-2 years.
b. Huggies Snug and Dry Diapers, Extra Large Case – Sizes 1, 2, 3 and 4
c. Huggies Natural Care Wipes (Unscented); 576 count
d. Purell Hand Sanitizer NXT Refill, 1000ml
e. Toys & Activities for Older Children (Art Books, Crayons, Colored Pencils,
Markers, Manipulative Toys like Puzzles).

2. Make a donation to provide a meal for kids at a government orphanage. (This is where L has been for about four years.) Recommended gifts: 1 cow ($300-$400), 3-5 goats or sheep (about $40-$70 each), oranges and bananas for everyone (kids and caregivers) at the orphanage (about $25 total), soda for everyone (kids and caregivers) at the orphanage (about $30 total).

If you'd like to help in some way, please let Chris or me know!

What?!? A month?

A quick glance at my calendar tells me that a mere five short weeks from now we may be on a plane bound for Ethiopia. Where has the time gone? For our friends and family, here's a brief timeline of what's about to happen:

Oct. 4 - Chris's birthday and our MOWA date. This is a court date for which we don't have to appear. MOWA must issue a positive opinion on this day for us to keep our next court date.

(Oct. 9 - The day we are scheduled to leave for Ethiopia if MOWA issues a positive opinion. Yes, we will have less than five days notice if we are actually leaving this day.)

Oct. 11 - My birthday, hopefully in Ethiopia?!?

Oct. 14 - The date in which we are scheduled to appear in court in Ethiopia.

2-6 weeks after passing court - When we will return for our second trip to bring L home.

With only a little over a month until all this craziness begins, I'm beginning to panic about all that needs to be done! :) From little things like cleaning out L's closet to big things like, oh, I don't know, learning some Amharic phrases, there's so much to think about. Where did the time go, I ask?

Summer Fun

Hope you're all enjoying your summer!

Court Dates!

Natalie from our adoption agency called us today to tell us we already have court dates for the next court season, after the rainy season closures.

Our first date is October 4th (Chris's birthday!); we don't appear for this one. The ministry of the Ethiopian goverment that oversees adoptions will issue an opinion or request more information, and L's family member must appear to relinquish rights.

If all goes well, our court date in which we will appear to legally become L's parents is scheduled for October 14th. We will have to be in Addis on the 10th and leave on the 17th (my birthday is the 11th!). There is still a chance this second trip could be delayed. But I'm so excited to have a concrete date to look forward to!!!!

If you're a family traveling the same week, e-mail me! DMichelC at aol dot com.

P.S. Once we pass court, we will travel 2-6 weeks later to bring L home.

The Court Date Wait

Sorry I haven't had much to post lately. We're still just waiting for a court date. I've been hopeful that we will get a court date before the closures, but I realize it's July 1st and it's less likely that's going to happen as each day passes. I'm really okay either way (at least today, ha!). Surely we will at least have a court date within the next four months, right?

A little part of me hoped we would get our court date this week. We got our referrals for our boys on the same day, so I hoped we would get the court date calls on the same day also (June 28). We didn't ever get to have our first court date (July 22), though, because of some closures. We found out about our second court date on July 14 (August 7th court date), so maybe there's still hope.

A year ago we were praying for Myles's court date, and the same prayer requests hold true today:

1. That we will be assigned a court date, and fast!
2. That all of the paperwork will be in order, that there's electricity, that all the judges are present, and that all of those other little details will fall into place so we can pass court on the first try and before rainy season.
3. That God will give us peace and comfort if we have to wait a little longer and that the waiting flies by.
4. That L will stay healthy and strong while he waits for us to come get him.

A couple weeks ago we got to meet Amy Curtis, our post-adoption coordinator at Gladney. It was so great to meet a Gladney staffer in person since we're all the way in Tennessee! Amy was wonderful and a great resource for us. She has met L, so she was able to thoroughly prepare us for some issues we may have when he gets home. We are so thankful to have her!

Happy Referral Day!

June 3rd is apparently a big day in the Hollomon family.

Yesterday was busy and stressful, as we took Myles to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital to be circumcised. Because he's older, he had to be put under general anesthesia, which was scary for me. The surgeon assured us most boys his age do extremely well and are up and about within 24 hours as if nothing ever happened. The surgery went well, although Myles had a rough time post-op. After a long nap and his first meal of the day, he was doing so much better.

While Myles was napping, I took a nap also and missed a call from our caseworker. So she called Chris, and we found out she had our official referral for L! We got to know more about him and see new pictures. He's getting so grown-up looking! I can't wait to show you.

A little while later, I got a text from my friend Nancy, who reminded me that June 3rd was also the day we got our referral for Myles. Isn't that amazing?!? In all the craziness leading up to his surgery, it had completely slipped my mind.

So on June 3, 2009, we saw this little 2.5-month-old face for the first time.



And on June 3, 2010, we said yes to L.

Praying for a quick court date!

Quick Pics

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