REFERRAL!!!

Oh happy day!! This morning, our wonderful adoption coordinator, Leah, called us with the best news ever. We are going to be parents once again! Our new son is 3 years old and just the most precious little boy. His Ethiopian name is "Shimeles". I can't post any photos of him until we pass our court date, which will be sometime in September (hopefully). If all goes well, we hope to have him home by Christmas. But trust me, he's just beautiful.

Now, onto the interminable wait until a court date and finally, traveling to Addis Ababa to bring him HOME! We'll keep you posted....

Our new baby is here! (No, not THAT one!)

Yes, he's here. I went and picked up our newest baby at the airport on Monday. He came courtesy of Sleekats Cattery in Massachusetts (thank you Donna!), and we just couldn't be more thrilled. Ok, maybe with a referral, but this filled the need for just a minute or three. We have named him "Cosmo", and he already has a fan base built up at our veterinarian's office. He and Vincent have become fast friends after a moderately testy 2 hours where Cosmo would try to be nice and cuddly and Vincent would hiss, followed by a slap to his hiney from one of us.



I even sought out one of those God-awful "doggie boutiques". You know the ones. They are the shops that sell a tiny piece of pink felt for $30 to stupid blond girls from California who fancy carrying some yappy little beast around in one designer bag or another while shopping, probably for more dog couture. Now, while I WILL do most anything for a sweet new LV bag, I've always said that I would never dress up a dog. So, I can still stand by my conviction. I would never do that to a dog. Sorry, Cosmo. Here's the deal -- he's BALD! Which means he shivers like the 2 pound rodent-like creature that he is. I couldn't very well have that, now could I? And I found him one with orange on one side and camouflage on the other. Manly, right? Pics to follow.... And I'm really sorry about the stupid blond remark. Not sorry enough to edit it out, but sorry nonetheless. I'm also confident that NO ONE who reads this blog is one of those ladies, but you might know one. If so, don't let her read this.

Oh Binkie!

Ok people, this is an open, unabashed call for advice -- whether I know you or not! Our Ian is 3 1/2. He has PDD (otherwise known as a Touch O' the Autism), and is language delayed. And he LOVES his Binkie. I mean, LOVES it. He calls out for it forlornly -- "BBIIINNKIIIEEEEE!!!" when he doesn't have it. We've pretty much established that Binkies are for sleeping times, but at night -- oh my. His therapists and speech pathologists (and dentist) all claim that The Binkie is Satan himself, and his language will be SO much better once he lets go of it. Now, I'm not convinced that Binkie is the entire problem, but it is time to let go of it. Bear in mind that Ian doesn't communicate very well, and we're not exactly sure of how much of our short explanations register with him. But he is a smart little boy (read: manipulative and sneaky), so I know he understands a lot. Here's what we've tried:

1. Cold turkey. This kid has some staying power. He cried for over an hour when I tried it and I gave in. My mommy heart just couldn't take it.

2. Cutting the tips off Binkie. This didn't work about a year ago -- he just turned it on its side and inserted the entire thing into his pie hole. So, when faced with the decision: Binkie vs. choking hazard, I chose Binkie.

3. Revisiting cutting the tips off Binkie. We've been doing this for 3 days now. He's incredibly pissed off. He's consumed with it. Now, the flip side is, with Binkie in its current, amputated state, he can no longer stick his tongue out when it's in his mouth (therapists say "tongue thrust" is a big issue) -- he has to close his lips or teeth around it to hold it in. But man oh man, is he angry about it! He's started screaming at bedtime, when up until now (well, since he "learned" to go to sleep well) he's RUN to bed happy as can be. The screaming goes on and on until Mommy goes in and snuggles him, which believe me, I love. But I also realize that's not a great habit to get into. And then there's the waking at 4:30am, again pissed off beyond belief, followed by a visit from me, followed by awake for good at 5:30am. Ick.

So, advice??? I'm not in favor of putting nasty tasting stuff on Binkie (as suggested by Zorka as the preferred method in her country) -- that's just mean, right? He's not conversational enough to "give" Binkie to some unnamed baby who "needs" it more than he does, and he doesn't understand the quid pro quo involved in bribery/extortion. So, do I just stick to my current guns? Do I gradually cut more and more off of Binkie until it's just a nub? Is there a better way?? Help, please. Ian and I need an intervention!

Tick tock, episode 2....

Well, yesterday officially marked the passing of us being at #1 on the waiting list for 2 MONTHS! Fortunately, I'm hugely distracted from the wait by the good fortune of selling our house! We move out on August 1st, so I've got plenty to do. But seriously, a referral would be awesome!

Big thanks go out to my wonderful parents who volunteered to fly out from San Diego to help us pack up our house. AND, when they leave, they're going to take my oldest, Kai, with them back to San Diego to play with them for about a week! So I should be able to get a lot of moving into the new house done with less distractions. How awesome is that??

So, wish us luck in out move, and pics of our new house will follow!

I love this....

This is a video made by MochaClub.org, an organization that does amazing things in Africa. I love their video, I love their statement, and I love the shirt! I admit that I found this on another blog that I read, but that's the whole point, right? Here is their statement:

When I think of Africa, the following images immediately come to mind: Starvation. AIDS. Child soldiers. Genocide. Sex slaves. Orphans. From there, my thoughts naturally turn to how I can help, how I can make a difference. "I am needed here," I think. "They have so little, and I have so much." It's true, there are great tragedies playing out in Africa everyday. There is often a level of suffering here that is unimaginable until you have seen it, and even then it is difficult to believe. But what is even harder is reconciling the challenges that many Africans face with the joy I see in those same people. It's a joy that comes from somewhere I cannot fathom, not within the framework that has been my life to this day.

The images spilling out of my television showed circumstances that could seemingly only equal misery, and I was fooled. I bought into the lie that circumstance defines happiness. The truth is, in Africa I find hearts full of victory, indomitable spirits. In places where despair should thrive, instead I find adults dancing and singing, and children playing soccer with a ball crafted of tied up trash. Instead of payback, I find grace. Here, weekend getaways are not options to provide relief from the pains of daily life. Relationships and faith provide joy. Love is sovereign.

My new reality… I know now that my joy should have no regard for my circumstances. I'm ashamed by my lack of faith, but at the very same moment I am excited by my new pursuit. I'm forced to redefine the meaning of having much or having little. I'm uneasy with the prospect of change and of letting go, but just the thought of freedom is liberating. I want what I have learned to trickle down from my head into my heart - I no longer want to need the "next thing" to have joy.

I'm not saying that Africa does not need our efforts. It absolutely does need our partnership. But for me, I've come to understand that I NEED AFRICA MORE THAN AFRICA NEEDS ME. Why? Because it is Africa that has taught me that possessions in my hands will never be as valuable as peace in my heart. I've learned that I don't need what I have and that I have what I need. These are just a few of this continent's many lessons. I came here to serve and yet I've found that I have so much to learn, and Africa, with all its need, has much to teach me.

Here is a link to their video -- I admit that I couldn't figure out a way to embed the video -- trust me, it's worth watching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAB-zJPsJjs

My 4th of July boys!

Ok, I'll be the first to admit that we Briola's aren't the most patriotic bunch (or should I say, "nationalistic"), but the boys got all dolled up for the neighborhood 4th of July tricycle parade.  I couldn't tell if they looked patriotic or like we were on our way to a Willie Nelson look-alike contest, but either way, very cute.

Tick tock.....

Ok, I decided to make myself a little bit crazier and actually look at the calendar to see how long we've been languishing at #1 on our waiting list.  6 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS!!  C'mon, already people!  I keep hearing that everyone wants an infant girl, and that our category (toddler boy) is the least requested -- but all I keep seeing are the infant girl referrals flying by.  Now, don't get me wrong -- I am VERY happy that there are babies finding forever families, and am anxiously waiting for our new IAN friends (and neighbors -- Sachse shout out!), Matt & Heather Prestenberg to receive the best news of their lives.  They are #1 on BOTH the infant girl and infant twins lists!  

But the images I've seen of Ethiopian orphanages literally full of little boys keeps haunting me.  I know our son is there.  I know he is waiting for us.  And I know it will happen when all the timing is just perfect.  But I am still human, still impatient, and still OCD.  So yes, I compulsively check email, blogs, the answering machine, and my voicemail.  And yes, I count days on a calendar.  But very soon, I'll be counting the days until we get to go bring our African prince home.  I'm sure of it.  Ok, I feel better now.  :-)