Updated pics of Mebira...Finally!

We finally got updated pictures of Mebira. I'm so excited to post them and show you what she looks like now. These are all pictures of her in the Transition House, opening the care package we left her.

I'm shocked that they didn't shave her head again (like I was expecting). Maybe they still will, or maybe I just need to get "brushed up" on how to do hair!!

We left her a backpack full of fun things, and put it in this big, blue bag. We were nervous it would get lost but I'm so glad she got it!

I love her cute smile!

Oh...the anticipation!

Cabbage Patch doll (above), crocs (bel0w)

Girly crafts (below) and a pink blanket we all took turns sleeping with.

Looks like she's getting into it now (below)

Stickers and felts (below)

A photo album with pictures of us and our home

I LOVE this picture. Her first glimpses of us...and the snow! :-)

We got her a Canada shirt and a dress...they weren't meant to be worn together, but oh well.

Playing with the mp3 player...I hope they put the earphones in!

Welcome to Mebira Hope Schimke

I am still so excited. Thank you to the many of you who have called, emailed, texted and posted. We are blessed!

I've attached the referral pictures we received. These were taken back in August or so, and she looks quite a bit different now. I hope to get new pictures that we can post next week.

I didn't write too much about Mebira the day we met her in Addis. I'll try to fill you in on what little we know about her. We do have some family background and the reasons why she was brought to the orphanage, but based on the reading we've been doing from various experts, we're not sharing any of that info until she is ready to do so herself.

The day we met her we noticed that she was quite shy. She wasn't totally in there with the other kids, but was a bit more subdued. Some of the kids were quite aggressive, trying to get as many balls/balloons as they could, but she stayed back a bit more. At one point, she either dropped her ball (or someone took it), and another boy ended up with it. She just stood there and cried...she didn't go right after him and pummel him, like some kids might have. Well, my momma bear instincts kicked in, I went to the boy, got her ball back and gave it back to her and she gave me a big smile in return.

Although we played with her quite a bit, she often kept disappearing into their little eating room/TV room/classroom. She seemed to like the TV, and the quiet of the room, instead of the chaos outside. I asked the caregivers about her, and if she had changed a lot since she was brought in. They said she was very quiet and reserved at first and mostly just watched and stood back, but that she plays with the kids now. She also came from the Wolayta region, and didn't speak Amharic. By the time we got there in February, she had already learned Amharic in those 4 months. So those are all good signs.

I know we got such a short glimpse into her personality, and that the longer she is in an institution the longer she can pick up bad habits, etc, and the true test will be when she experiences so much change in a few months...but we really enjoyed what we saw of her. She seemed to have a really sweet spirit. We can't wait to bring her home!

It's official - Mebira is ours!

I am so excited to be able to post the news that we passed court today!

While I was dropping off the girls at school I got a call from our adoption agency, saying that we had received the MOWA letter. I am sooo thrilled! I was able to pull the girls out of their classrooms and told them in the hallway while I broke down in tears.

I am at work now (good thing I have a very understanding boss who knows I need to tell the world before I get busy) so I don't have any pictures on this computer to post. I will be sure to do that as soon as we get home.

As a recap for those of you who may have missed my last few posts, we now need to wait for the court documents, passport and birth certificate to get to Canadian Citizenship and Immigration in Nairobi (this will take about 4-5 weeks). After that, it's up to CIC to issue the visa. We're hoping this whole process will take 3-4 months, meaning that we'll be able to pick her up in June/July...I hope.

OK, I should get back to it here...thanks for your support through all of the ups and downs! This is definitely the best "up" we've had!!!

Court news

We got an email from Imagine Adoption this morning. As expected, we were able to "pass" the court part, but the adoption is not completed yet as we are waiting for an approval letter from MOWA (the Ministry of Women's Affairs). Recently, MOWA decided they would write only about 5 letters a day, which is significantly down from the 50 letters a day they said they were writing. Since it has been 11 days since this ruling, you can imagine the backlog. There have been rumors that MOWA will start clearing the backlog, or writing more letters a day but so far there has been no official announcement. We have not been given another court date - once MOWA writes the letter it is presented to the court and we are then officially Mebira's parents. So the good news is we don't have to wait for another far off court date, and the staff in Ethiopia think it won't be long (a week or two). The bad news is that there is no court date to put pressure on MOWA to write the letter...so we are even more at their mercy now.

What happens when we get this letter? Well, after a big celebration on our end, we can then post pictures of Mebira on our blog as she is officially our child. The court documents, birth certificate, and passport need to be sent to the Canadian embassy in Nairobi (which in recent cases took about a month, however, with the recent MOWA changes I have no idea), then, when they get to it, the Canadian embassy looks at our file and gives Mebira a permanent residency visa. Once we get this, we can immediately travel and bring her home. Taking a wild guess, we're hoping this will be about 3 to 5 months after we get the letter.

What about Mebira? A day or two after the MOWA letter is received, she will be moved to a Transition House, operated by our adoption agency in Ethiopia. They will be giving her the presents, clothes and photo album we left for her and telling her about our family. We will FINALLY start getting update pictures and measurements each month, and they will start to prepare her for the adoption and life in Canada.

I can't wait to bring Mebira home. The ups and downs have been more than I can take sometimes. I am glad we were able to check off another requirement in the process today, but this journey is still long from being over...thanks for journeying with us!

Tonight's the Night

Well, tonight while we're sleeping MOWA and the court will decide on our adoption. For details on our first court date, my friend Ruth has allowed me to link you to her blog. We all had court on the same day, and she described everything in great detail. So if you're interested, check it out here: http://ruths-rambles.blogspot.com/2011/03/judgment-day-of-court.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Do I think we'll pass tomorrow? Not really. If I took a guess, I would guess that the court will "pass" us, but that MOWA won't have our letter ready, which means the adoption won't be finalized and Mebira will not be moved to the Transition House yet. If it's better news then that, I'll be thrilled. But given the recent updates from Ethiopia, I think we'll be waiting for the MOWA letter, with no idea as to a timeline for its completion...

I mostly feel at peace right now. I have no control over this situation and have come to accept that. Feeling tense or angry or worried about it hasn't helped but to make me (and probably my family at times) miserable. I am choosing to accept that God is in control and is sovereign, and I have chosen to enjoy these days as much as I can. My previous focus was really on the adoption - on not passing court, or worrying about what it will be like when we bring her home. And I forgot to live in the moment.

Some of the things I'm thankful for:
- A great husband who has been wonderful through this adoption. From letting me vent, to dreaming with me, to speculating, to listening, he is amazing. He truly is my best friend. Just last week (when the State Department indicated delays could be up to a year) I was so frustrated...but he came home with a beautiful pandora charm and a nice, encouraging note. Isn't he a nice guy? :-)

- The girls. I'll admit, sometimes I can't handle the noise and need my breaks, but they are such a joy in my life. I love them to pieces. I am sometimes nervous about how this adoption will affect our family life...it will change for sure, so I'm trying to soak up every day.

- Friends and Family. We are surrounded by so many supportive people and it makes such a difference. People who have posted or stopped me or called or written cards and have said they're praying or sending positive vibes...all of you mean so much to me. Thanks so much!

- Our jobs. Arvid and I are blessed with wonderful jobs and wonderful places to work. Not only do we get paid, but we both enjoy what we do and who we do it with.

- Living in Canada. Ethiopia was beautiful, but man, life is good in Canada! Now if only Spring would start. :-)

Anyway, I'll update more tomorrow morning, as soon as I hear from Imagine.

Confession Friday, March 18

Well, this is my first Confession Friday post...hmmm...let me think...

- I confess I had a really tough week last week. I am not one who easily rolls with the punches, and this time the punches knocked me down. I found it hard to see how having Mebira stay in an orphanage longer could be part of anyone's plan, least of all God's. However, after much wrestling, some tears, lots of reading and praying I feel like I've come through it a bit. I am choosing to wait on God and His timing, and have acknowledged that He is God and I am not. I feel much more at peace now, although I still REALLY want to pass court on Monday.

- I confess that I often compare myself to those who were just before us...those who passed court the first time and were able to travel 2 months later to pick up their kids, and those who passed court 2 days before us, and those who passed a few days after us. Although I am happy for them, it is a fast way to get myself feeling grumpy again, if that makes any sense. Sometimes, though, I compare myself to those who don't have referrals yet or those who are still waiting for court dates...and it makes me smarten up. (Not to make anyone in that position feel bad...I am just thankful we have a referral, etc.)

- I confess that Starbucks mochas and Second Cup skinny vanilla bean lattes are starting to taste pretty darn good again...sigh

- I confess that my favourite cold drink in the world is 1/2 coke with 1/2 coke zero. Yum!

- I confess that my mood is very weather dependent. If it's sunny, I'm happy, if it's cloudy and cold it's amazing how much harder it is for me. Good thing we live in sunny Alberta! :-)

- I confess that I really don't like the phone, but I LOVE email. I am generally OK to talk on the phone before 3, but after 3 I dread every time it rings. Arvid and I usually fight over who has to answer it, and normally no one wins so the phone just gets ignored. The best way to get in touch with me after 3 is via email or text. :-)

- I confess that I have 40 youth kids from church coming over for a progressive dinner tonight and I haven't even started getting ready yet...I better get cracking!

Coffee Ceremony

Well, after yesterday's deep thoughts I thought I'd post something a little more fun today. My friend Ruth really eloquently wrote about her experience with Ethiopian coffee. I won't be able to match her writing ability, but I thought I'd write a bit about the Ethiopian coffee ceremony.

I have not been a coffee drinker until very recently. People kept telling me "Oh, wait until you are in University, then you'll start"...didn't happen. Then people said, "Oh, wait until you start work, then you'll start"...didn't happen. Then people said, "Oh, wait until you have kids, then you'll start"...didn't happen. What did it? Having the kids start school full-time (not only did I have to make myself presentable, but pack lunches, organize 2 kids and get out the door so early)! Of course, having a weekly coffee get together with good friends at Starbucks sped the addiction along quickly. My problem was that I didn't like coffee...I liked lattes. And lattes are more expensive, and more fattening...especially when it's a Starbucks mocha with whipped cream! I confess that I was very addicted before we left...I had received some gift cards at Christmas, and might have had 4 or 5 the week before we left for Ethiopia. (This was an exception).

Anyway, I'm digressing again. While in Ethiopia, we were privileged to participate in some coffee ceremonies. Basically, a coffee ceremony is done right in the living room of the home. They take some green coffee beans and roast them right there on some coals. Once the beans are roasted, they crush them (done by hand in the villages, by coffee grinder at the guest house), they add the water and bring that to a boil. While all of this is going on they burn incense, and offer you popcorn, and sometimes barley. The coffee, once boiled, is put into a traditional clay coffee pot called a Jebena. We bought one in Ethiopia for $2 and actually managed to bring it back in one piece!

After a few minutes, the coffee is served in tiny little cups. The "buna" or coffee, is very strong, but very good. It is basically like an espresso, but you add a lot of sugar. Well, not everyone may, but I do. :-) Once everyone has finished round one, they add more water to the grinds and have round 2, then round 3. The whole process takes about one hour. Our guide at KVI, Solomon, told us that in the villages they do this up to 3 times a day. Wives will often make it for husbands before they leave for the day, then it's done two more times with the ladies and kids - sounds like our version of a playdate, but we pick up Starbucks or Tim Hortons on the way!

At our guesthouse they performed this coffee ceremony every time someone left to return back home. Fortunately, we were the last to leave so we were able to enjoy this three times (we missed a few while we were traveling in northern Ethiopia).

The problem is, now that I've returned home, coffee just doesn't taste as good. I have had a few lattes and they just taste so milky. And regular coffee tastes so watered down. We have a cool coffee machine at GE so I had some espresso there the other day...when I added a package of raw sugar it tasted as close as I could get.

Thankfully, we purchased some Ethiopian green coffee beans (round one was a disaster - I don't think we roasted them long enough. Sorry D&B and L&E) and roasted coffee beans and we're starting to work on bringing back the taste...although I have a feeling that it will never taste as good as the coffee we had while on vacation.

Anyway, that's enough rambling for now...I need to keep up my addiction of scrolling through the various Ethiopian adoption forums to see if there is any news on the latest regulation.





Green coffee beans, roasted right over coals in the living room.















The finished beans












Everything you need at a coffee ceremony
















The ground coffee, not as dark as you'd think











The finished product. YUM!