LEAVING ON A JET PLANE!

Yippee!  We fly out of Toronto airport on Tues, Oct 19th, through to Germany, then on to Addis.  I can't wait to meet our little girl!  I've packed her stuff and have no room for my stuff.  I'll just wear the same stuff over and over, all of my pics will be of her, and Scott, so it won't matter!

I can't believe we are at this point in this gut-wrenching, long, long process.  Way too long, ridiculously long.  I'm sure the waiting and crying and hoping, and crying, will be forgotten once she's in my arms.  I've learned alot through this process.  I've been amazed at how I've changed.  Remember the Grinch who had a tiny heart, and then he had a moment of realizing what love and caring was, and then his heart grew BIG?  Well, that's me, my ability to love and care has grown HUGELY, not just towards my own little girl, but for all of the orphans and people in poor countries struggling to stay alive, but carrying on and trying to enjoy life all the same.  I don't change the channel quickly anymore when the "save the children" ads come on; now I really believe it IS happening, and I'm saddened that I can't bring all the children home.

Aside from that, the GREATEST thing, besides Addison, to come out of this process, has been having amazing people to share this with, who REALLY understand (or at least try to).  You know you have a true friend when you openly bawl your eyes out to someone, and then, they keep calling and show up at your door to give you even more support.  All I can say is Wow...when you find a true friend, who stays with you and hands you more kleenex when life is crappy, keep them in your life cause they are who will get you through the tough times.  Thank you my friends, you are the best and I love you dearly....and I will be there for you again and again, like you have been for me...

A Canadian Citizen!

Addison is now a Canadian Citizen!  I received an e-mail back yesterday from the Immigration office that it is now official, and "a letter is on its way"!  We're hoping her Visa arrives in Addis Ababa next week to allow us to travel either Friday evening or Saturday.  I'm so excited I can hardly think about anything else!

So it looks like she WILL be home for Halloween after all...hmmmm, now what to dress her up as?  Perhaps a maple leaf since she's a new Canadian?  (the tree kind, not the hockey kind - she would have to be a Montreal Canadien before a Toronto Maple Leaf - her Daddy wouldn't have it any other way!)  I will of course post Halloween pics for everyone to see (that is, if she's not too scared to go outside dressed up, might be a little overwhelming, we'll see).  Here's a new picture of her we just received.  She looks so grown up already!