And the saga continues

It was two weeks from yesterday we were to fly out. Well, scrap that.

Because things have worked so smoothly from day one, we were due for just a little bump in the road, right?
Well, to add insult to injury, our embassy date was moved back 2 weeks to March 29th. We have no idea why. Not one. Of course, they tell us this less than 2 weeks before we fly out (we just found out). We will now fly out March 25th. I guess they figure if we're willing to wait 10 months, they'll be willing to wait another 2 weeks. The good news is we've been told this is final. It will not change again. YEAH RIGHT! Anyone willing to put even money bets on that one?

They also admonished that this is why we must make sure our plans are flexible. Yeah right. Because THAT'S possible. Yes, we've purchased refundable airline tickets, but refundable tickets still come with a hefty cancellation price. And that is just something we're going to have to absorb. Also, there's arranging things with work (FMLA for Jules, etc.) and the flights of others who are coming to visit. Sometimes, people just need to know when things are, and need time before they change. I suppose next time, we'll wait until the day we fly out to purchase our tickets and just hope nothing changes in the 2 days it takes to get to Ethiopia.

So many plans to change. So much more work to do.
At least we have two more weeks now to get it all done!

3 Weeks

21 days from today we fly out. It's almost unbelievable.

To say we're excited it to put it mildly.

I got my third and final Hepatitis B vaccination today. Also picked up prescriptions for all sorts of stuff (just in case): a cream for scabies in Chloe has that, antibiotics for Julee and I, antibiotics for Chloe, and those pills that make flying just a little bit less terrifying (for me).

The amount of crap we have to bring just in case is boggling. Nix for lice, just in case. Pedialyte, just in case. The above antibiotics, and the scabies cream, decongestants, Benadryl, cold medicines, all just in case. We'll be a traveling pharmacy for crying out loud.

Anyway, just 3 weeks left. And weekends don't count right?

It's practically nothing.

Latest update

We received Chloe's latest height and weight measurements. As of February 2, 2010, Chloe is 27.6 inches long and 20.7 pounds. She's not yet teething but has begun imitating sounds and babbles.

T minus 24 days.

Tickets, and two new photos

We've purchased our plane tickets!

This all seems to final, now. Much more final than we thought it would ever be. It's both nice and scary. Calming and exhilarating. Strange.

I knew Ethiopia was far away from Salt Lake, what with it being 9 hours ahead of us and all, but does it really take THAT long to fly there? Layover in LA, then DC, then Rome, then final leg to Addis Ababa, for a total of about 36 hours travel time. Yikes. The way back is similar (except from DC to Atlanta and then back home) but with the extended layover in DC (for customs) it balloons to a 41 hour travel time. Nearly 2 full days. With a toddler. Who we just picked up. Talk about an adventure.

We just received new photos of Chloe taken last week. She's looking older. It's a little sad. Already sitting up. Hopefully she won't take her first step until we get her. Seems we'll be needing to get her a prom dress before too long.

Anyway, enjoy:

Phew!

It's been a long 9 months. Long.

But, the hurdles have all been cleared and all the remains is a short sprint to the finish line.

In short, Chloe passed court today. We are now officially parents. It's surreal. It's exciting and wonderful and scary (a little) and we are so very happy.

Last night wasn't too bad. We stayed up as long as we could, then slept pretty soundly. We received an email this morning informing us that the court in Ethiopia ruled in our favor.

Next, we have an embassy date for March 15, where we will apply for a visa for Little Miss C. We will likely fly out of Utah on the 12th. We'll fly back home on the 19th.

Then, we can commence with the rest of our lives.

We don't know how many people read this blog. But, we do appreciate all of your support. It's been an arduous, and sometimes painful, 12 months, especially the last 9. There were times we didn't think this would happen. Times we were certain it wouldn't. Now that it has, we're unsure what to do with ourselves. For now, we're content just being happy and enjoying time with each other without stress and the specter of "the adoption" (dunh dunh dunh) hanging over our heads.

Thank you, all of you, for taking this journey with us.