We got our I-171H Letter and Thanksgiving

Well, I am a little over due with this post!!  We were away for Thanksgiving and I am playing catch up.

We had our final fingerprint appointment on November 16 and not even a week later, on November 22 our I-171H letter was waiting for me when I got home from work!!!!  We immediately made a copy, had a friend Notarize our statement and I raced back to the FedEx box to overnight that baby to KBS Dossier. 

Here is a pic of Eric and I happy as pie with our letter!

 Oh yeah....popped a little bubbly!

After this very exciting night we got on the road the next day to Maine.  We had a wonderful time and were so sad to leave.  It was our first Thanksgiving without eating any animal products and hopefully our last one as a twosome! 

Before I post some pics I want to say everyday I am thankful for so much but this year I am sooo very thankful for the wonderful woman who is most likely growing our little princess for us right now.  I will forever be thankful for Ethiopia and Africa and am so happy that my life has taken this path.

I am sure Mabel is thinking .......WHY Mom, WHY!!

 Turkey helper #1 - B

 Turkey helper #2 - M

 My brothers, Mom and I

 Future Turkey helper #3 - E

 B Loves Uncle Eric

M loved this slide and I think they both went down it for 45 minutes straight! 

Next post will be when we are on the list!  KBS thinks it could be by the end of the week!

Fingerprints are done

Today, Tuesday, November 16, 2010, we were summoned to The Bank of America building in Baltimore at 8AM to have our (dare I say) FINAL set of fingerprints done.  Oh what an experience it was! 

I think I woke up at 4 this morning, anxious, nervous and W-I-D-E awake.  I was so worried that we would over sleep and miss that darn appointment, that I just could not sleep.  Of course my darling husband assured me there would be no traffic and he would even (are you ready for this) park in a garage!  For those who know Eric this is quite a big deal.....Eric is the king of street parking and we often circle block after block looking for a free spot ;).  With our papers in hand we walk up to the room and then I started to feel as though we had done something wrong and were in trouble!  LOL--these people take their jobs VERY seriously!  OF course, everyone was super nice and it only took us about 20 minutes to get in and get out.

I know this is silly but I even got kind of teary eyed!  This is it!  Just one more very important letter and then it is the home stretch.  Many people feel like the wait list is the hardest...but when you have been waiting for 5 years to hold a precious child in your arms, what's another few months!   To me, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel!!

I will leave you with a shot of Mabel--this picture was taken a few years ago during a trip to South Carolina.  We just entered her in the AAA Pet Contest, and I am pretty confident we will win!!!

50 Free Holdiay Cards.....YES PLEASE

I am a lady who rarely says NO to anything free! 

Shutterfly is offering bloggers 50 free Holiday Cards if you do a post in honor of them! I have been browsing Shutterfly's options and have decided that we are going to use our photo's from our recent shoot and create special cards this year!  Just think....possibly next year we will be doing our first family holiday cards with our little princess.  We have been waiting to do this for 5 years, it makes me giggle inside!

Happy Tuesday all!!!

Giving back . . one glass of water at a time . . .

There are many things that the adoption process has taught me, not the least of which is that I kind of complain....a lot!  Well, maybe not A LOT but some, I find myself saying things like, "I wish we had a bigger house", "I wish we had a softer bed", "I need new shoes", oh the list goes on and on.  Since realizing, and now admitting, this about myself I am trying to change.  I realize I am pretty darn lucky!  I have a wonderful husband, we have a beautiful house, a great dog, loving friends and family, good food on the table every night, heat that works, and water to drink whenever we want it!  

I have been thinking a lot about the people in Ethiopia, specifically the strong, courageous women like the one that will (hopefully) soon give birth to our daughter.  She will almost certainly not be as fortunate as we are in not having a house like ours, a soft bed like ours, good and varied food on the table and most importantly a nice clean fresh glass of water to drink when she wants it. If I can do something small for her and her family to thank them for the huge gift they are giving Eric and I, then I am going to do it!

Here are some startling facts:

• The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns.
• Lack of sanitation is the world's biggest cause of infection.
• Every 20 seconds, a child dies from water-related disease.
• In just one day, more than 200 million hours of women's time is consumed for the most basic of human needs--collecting water for domestic use.
• Almost 2 in every 3 people who need safe drinking water survive on less than $2 a day and 1 in 3 on less than $1 a day.

I have spoken to Eric about my dream to to be able to, some day, sponsor a well to be built in our daughter's town in honor of her family.  Now, this dream is somewhere off in the future but there is surely something I can do now!  For only a $25 donation I can give someone in Ethiopia clean water for the rest of their lives.  IMAGINE!! 

So, that is what I plan to do this holiday season.  Eric and I are not getting each other gifts, as we are saving all we can for our adoption BUT we will be donating to a wonderful cause in honor of some of the usual gift recipients on our last this year, a gift we hope they like and don't want to return :)

I will be honest, even though we are not buying gifts I have decided we are each going to purchase one of the water bottles CUTIE PIE Matt Damon is holding below!  All the proceeds go toward a clean water project! 

You too can be as cool as us by clicking on CUTIE PIE Matt Damon below and ordering your very own limited edition water bottle :)

I encourage everyone to check out Water.org, read some facts and get inspired to change someone's life forever!