Pluggin' Along...

Well, we have been working hard all week on getting things done. I started with a huge list, and I am slowly whittling it down. Whew! This adoption thing is kinda hard work! I am getting ready to just be home with the babies and to settle into our new routine. If all goes as planned with my leave from work, then I will be off until Oct 22nd or so. :)

My sister, April, went shopping with me today and we picked out a stroller for the babies (see pic of stoller above). My sister-in-law, who has twins, recommended the side by side since I guess when they are front and back they pull each other's hair. Plus, when I was pushing around the front and back stroller I kinda felt like I was driving a Semi! Hopefully this one will be compact and easy to use, I hope. Plus, my sister is da bomb because she had a 15% off coupon...cha-ching! Can anyone say "savings?!"

Sometime this weekend, Tony and I are going to do the big Target run to get all the other things we are going to need....formula, diapers, babyfood, etc. Trying to think of what we need, but wanting to keep the packing light! Good luck when we are packing for 2 babies of relatively unknown size and dietary status! And yesterday I washed and folded their little clothes. I spent the time dreaming about them and what they will be like.

Meanwhile, Eliana is all excited to go visit her grandparents while we are gone...She keeps repeating, "Mommy, Daddy go on plane. Ana (that's what she calls herself) go see Grammy and Grandpa and Riley." I guess I don't need to worry about her as much as I thought! After 4 days with the Beckman grandparents, she heads over to the Geselle grandparents. What a lucky kid!

Anyway, I thought I would post our travel itinerary so you would all know where we are and when.

We leave on Thursday, July 26th, on a NW flight out of MN at 4pm
We arrive in Washington DC at 7pm or so. We will be spending the night in DC at a hotel.
Then, we leave from Washington Dulles airport at 9:25am on Friday, July 27th, on the Ethiopian Airlines.

The flight goes to Rome where it refuels and then we continue on to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We get into Ethiopia at 8am or so their time on Saturday, July 28th. And we will be picked up and brought to the guest house (where we will be staying), which is in the same compound as the baby home. So, we will be meeting our sweet little babies on that first day!

Monday is the US embassy appointment, and Friday we have the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony where the nannies say goodbye to the kids. We stay at the guest house until Saturday, Aug 4th, when we will head for home at around 10:30 pm Ethiopian time (this should be good for the babies 'cuz hopefully they will sleep!), and then we fly the same path home through Rome.

We get to Washington, Dulles at around 8am on Sunday, Aug 5th, and it is there we will go through customs, etc. Then, our NW flight leaves for MN at 2pm or so, and we get in at Minneapolis at 4:09pm on Sunday, Aug 5th!

Of course, all of this is "God willin' and the crik don't rise", as my Mom would say. You never know what might happen, but this whole thing is a great big God adventure anyway. He's the One is charge!

By the time we arrive I am sure we will be VERY tired and ready for bed!

Love ya,
Jill and Tony and Eliana