Merry Christmas - Ethiopian Style

January 7th is Christmas Day in Ethiopia. (They still follow the ancient Julian calendar, so Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7).  Here are some interesting facts that I found about a traditional Ethiopian Christmas. We are trying to learn as much as we can about E's culture.

• The Ethiopian Christmas known as Ganna

• The day before Ganna, people fast all day.

• The next morning at dawn, everyone dresses in white. Most Ethiopians wear a traditional shamma, a thin, white cotton wrap with brightly colored stripes across the ends.

• People receive candles as they enter the church. After lighting the candles everyone walks around the church three times, then stands throughout the mass, which may last up to three hours.

• Food served at Christmas usually includes injera, a sourdough pancake like bread. Injera serves as both plate and fork. Doro wat, a spicy chicken stew might be the main meal. A piece of the injera is used to scoop up the wat.

• Twelve days after Ganna, on January 19, Ethiopians begin the three-day celebration called Timkat, which commemorates the baptism of Christ.

• Ganna and Timkat are not occasions for giving gifts in Ethiopia. If a child receives any gift at all, it is usually a small gift of clothing. Religious observances, feasting, and games are the focus of the season.

መልካም ገና - Melkam Gena

(Merry Christmas in Amharic)

Coffee Party

We had our first coffee party on New Year’s Eve Day, and it was quite fun! We had over 30 people stop by to sample some of our JustLove Coffee. We brewed over 8 pots of coffee (that’s 96 cups of coffee)! Needless to say, the energy level was very high in our house that day and I’m sure most who came didn’t have a problem staying up until the ball dropped at Midnight!

Thanks to all who stopped by to have a taste of Ethiopia! It was great to have some coffee, cookies and conversation!   Feel free to click our link on the sidebar to order some JustLove Coffee of your own and help us with our travel expenses! 

11 Months Waiting

December 22nd marked 11 months waiting for us.  Wow a lot has happened in 11 months. 

Webster's defines "Waiting" as:  to stay in place in expectation of; to remain inactive . . .

I must be doing something else then. I don’t feel like I’m inactive or in a place of expectation. I feel like every day that goes by is one less day of waiting instead of one more day of waiting… if that makes sense. We’ve also been crazy busy with pregnancy stuff, constant appointments and preparing for Baby Faith, but I have not one day felt inactive in our adoption process.  We have never felt like Baby E is not going to come.  Baby E is still very much a part of our family. The boys talk about her constantly. We refer to Faith and E as “the girls” and it’s so funny to hear us say that after it just been us and ‘the boys’ for so many years. The girls’ room is quickly becoming a paradise of pink, posies, butterflies and dainty little things. We continue to collect things for E, as we are purchasing things for Faith. Oh what a happy day when these 2 girls finally meet… and how wonderful that God chose them to be sisters. We are beyond thrilled!  I recently saw this quote, and I think I’m going to get it for their room as I think this has such a unique meaning for these 2 little girls:

Sisters are different flowers from the same garden.

I must admit, however, that in a world of instant gratification, I’d love to snap my fingers and have both of the girls here right now. But, Faith’s not quite ready to enter the world yet, and E is not yet ready for our family yet. I fully believe that God’s already chosen her for our family, but have no idea if she's already born, still in her mommy's tummy, or what her circumstance is.  But, trusting God is the only thing I can do.  I think the transition from having 2 children to 4 will be good to happen in stages as well, and God is fully aware of that. Plus, as a mommy who now has 2 pretty self-sufficient boys, going back to the infant stage and sleepless nights is going to be a slight challenge. God knew that as well and He has it all perfectly under control. (I hope I do when we have these 2 little girls)

So, as we wait, and have many things to keep us busy, the reality is, it’s still not our timing so we will see what God has in the plan for 2011. We are desperately hoping to have E home by next Christmas, but we know all the twists and turns international adoption can take, so we will continue to wait and hope. Once Faith arrives (in less than 4 weeks, hopefully!!), we will be back in adoption-mode full force getting our home study amended and re-doing most of our dossier documents. Hopefully, we should be back on the list and receive our referral in August or September.

In the meantime, I’ll lean on the one scripture that keeps me focused:

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.


Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;


but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;


they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.    Isaiah 40:29-31

Tax Deductible Donations Directly to Our Agency

It's that time of year again, and a few of you have asked, so I thought I'd do a post about tax deductible donations towards our adoption.  Even though we are on 'hold status' with our Agency, tax deductible donations can still be sent directly to our agency or to us to forward to our Agency. {make sure the checks are made payable to Christian World Foundation or CWF}  Any money received in excess of our Agency fees (which are already paid) will be held in escrow until we are ready to travel.  Once we get our 1st travel date, they will send us the check for the donations received so that we can use it towards our travel expenses or towards our current adoption loan.  

You can make tax deductible donations directly to our Agency in three ways:

1. On Line donation

• Go to www.cwa.org website;
• Click on the “Donate Now to CWA” link; Provide requested information;
• In the “Optional” section, select “CWA Family” from the drop down box.
• Please list our family (Baxter) so that we get proper credit for your donation.

2. Send a check made out to:
Christian World Foundation or CWF with a note indicating “Baxter Adoption Fund.” You can mail it directly to CWA, 777 South Allen Road, Flat Rock, NC 28731.


3. You can send the check (made payable to Christian World Foundation) to us and we will forward it for you.

** keep a copy of your check for your taxes.  I'm not certain if they send a receipt out or not. 


Note: Even though CWA/CWF must tell donors that the funds are “accepted on an unrestricted basis,” 100% of the donations will go to our account. That’s just a disclaimer because of their non-profit status.  

Thanks so much!! 

Our Journey to E (so far!) at OneTrueMedia.com

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

First Check from JustLove Coffee!

We just received our first check in the mail for $22.00 from JustLove Coffee! How cool is that? We just registered our store on November 27th and have already received a check.  Very good service!  If you purchased from us… THANK YOU SO MUCH! We purchased some as well to try, and it is AWESOME! We especially like the Fa La La La La Holiday Blend Coffee. We are not, by far, coffee connoisseurs, but this coffee hits your palate strong then has a sweet and almost holiday-ish taste.. it’s very smooth… almost hard to explain unless you try it. (add a little candy-cane creamer and it is yum-meee). 


For those of you who are local, we are planning a Holiday Open House on New Year’s Eve from 3 – 6 p.m. to sample some of the various coffees from JustLove Coffee Roasters. Please feel free to stop in and enjoy some coffee, cookies, and conversation! We’d love to see you!


If you still need some gifts, there’s time to purchase before Christmas, but you need to hurry! It took about a week after we placed our order for it to arrive. Besides coffee, there is also apparel, mugs and sample packages available on-line for purchase. Here's our link again, or you can click the icon to the right of the blog.   http://www.justlovecoffee.com/BaxterFamily6


Thanks again to everyone who helped us out this month! Hope you enjoy the coffee!

P.S.  If you are an adoptive family looking for a fundraiser -- this one is an excellent one to try!

Dossier Do-Over

We recently read in our Agency correspondence the following

. . .The Ethiopian Ministry of Women, Children and Youth (MoWCY) has now begun enforcing a guideline that dossier documents have an expiration date of two years from their date of origination (i.e. the date when they were notarized or issued as certified copies). Documents need to be current at the time they are submitted to court. . .

Yuck! Most of our documents were dated November or December 2009. We most-likely will not go to court until November or December 2011. So this means in addition to having our Home Study amended for $750, we now have to do most, if not all of our dossier again. What does this mean exactly? Well, it means we have to have all of our employment letters, medical clearances, banking letters, personal references, local law enforcement clearances, photos, certified marriage and birth certificates, etc., all re-issued, re-dated and re-notarized, AND THEN go through the Authentication process again with the state and federal departments as well as the Ethiopian Embassy. Oh yeah, and PAY for it all again too. Then it will be sent to Ethiopia to be added to our paperwork so that everything is in order and up-to-date when we go to court.   Humph… We will also have to apply for a USCIS extension of our paperwork and fingerprints, as they will expire in August.  We are hoping and praying that they will grant the one-time extension to us.  If not, we can add another $1,000 for the reprocessing of that paperwork. So basically, it's as if we are starting the adoption process all over again-- well, sort of. 


Although it sounds like I’m complaining, I really don’t mean to. Truth is, we’ve done it once already, so the second time should be a lot easier, right? The dossier process really wasn’t that bad for us and I had a very systematic process to do it. In fact, I said that I enjoyed it so much that I should help other families put their dossier packages together. Although last time we did all this paperwork, we didn’t have a newborn baby in tow!  And, we did enjoy our trip to the Ethiopian Embassy and talked about visiting it again, so here’s our chance.  So, despite having to pay for the authentication process again, I guess it won’t be too bad. And, we won't have to start over on the wait list again.  Our Dossier submittal date is still January 2010 -- that won't change. 



And, honestly, we are grateful that CWA allowed us to go ‘on hold status’ during our pregnancy and will allow us to jump back on the list once Baby Faith is 6 months old.  Many agencies void your contract if you become pregnant during the adoption process, forfeiting all of your fees, clearances, etc. And although, at first, we were upset that we had to be ‘on hold’ for 6 months after Faith is born, we understand the logic and are thankful that we can continue the process in August. So, although we will lose about 7 months of wait time, we are still thankful that we do not have to start over on 'the list.' 


We’ve heard a million times that “…adoption is not for the weak-hearted…” Now we know why everyone says that.  The adoption process is daunting, exhausting and sometimes frustrating.  Many times there is so much red tape and processes that have to be followed that it is probably easier to give up; but, we know those regulations and processes are in place to protect the children, as well as us. We still have people who are surprised that we are still going through with the adoption.  I never once thought of quitting.  It's not like Faith is going to take the place of E.  Both girls are going to be very special blessings in our family, so why on earth would we abandon one or the other?  I'm baffled sometimes at the thought  process of some, but I'm sure that's a two-way street!  Ha!  So anyway, just for the record, we aren’t giving up. We will press forward until we bring sweet E home to her forever family, no matter how many times we have to travel, no matter how many times we have to redo our dossier, and no matter what. 
 
I have to keep remembering the path and that it is not MY plan. Sometimes we might have to take the scenic route through life, but think of all of the things we might have missed along the way if we had taken the short-cut! 

You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.  You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That's right—you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set.

 

Simply "E" Coffee

We are excited to announce one of our new fundraisers - - Just Love Coffee Roasters. Just Love Coffee Roasters is a Fair Trade Certified company. What’s more is that the founder is an adoptive dad of 2 little girls from Ethiopia. Just Love Coffee Roasters is fair trade coffee helping orphans and their forever families. Portions from all purchases from Just Love Coffee go towards a building fund for an orphanage in Ethiopia. Additionally, adoptive families (that’s us!) can sign up and create their own on-line store, and $5.00 from each bag of coffee purchased from their store will go to offset adoption expenses for their individual adoption. Not only are you helping support the African farmers through Fair Trade coffees, and orphans who are in great need, but you are also helping to bring our daughter home. We named our online store front “Simply E Coffee” You can visit our storefront by clicking the logo on the right side of our blog, or by clicking here
.
What is fair trade certified coffee?
Fair Trade means an equitable and fair partnership between consumers in North America and producers in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The chief concern of the Fair Trade movement has been to ensure that the vast majority of the world's coffee farmers (who are small holders) get a fair price for their harvests in order to achieve a decent living wage.

Why is fair trade certified coffee important?
The United States consumes one-fifth of the entire world's coffee, making it the largest consumer in the world. But few Americans realize that agriculture workers in the coffee industry often labor in what can be described as "sweatshops in the fields." Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their coffee that are less than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt. Fair Trade guarantees to poor farmers organized in cooperatives around the world: a living wage (minimum price of $1.26/pound regardless of the volatile market); much needed credit at fair prices; and long term relationships.

How you can help us and Ethiopian farmers:
Visit our on-line store www.justlovecoffee.com/BaxterFamily6 and purchase a bag (or 2) of coffee or sign up for the 2Buy2 Club. Each bag of coffee purchased on our on-line store will generate $5.00 towards our adoption travel expenses. Plus, you will be helping local farmers in Ethiopia through the fair trade cooperation, as well as help to build a school for an orphanage in Ethiopia. You can also order the coffee directly through us, if you would like.

You can get more information on the history and story of Just Love Coffee our on-line store or the
justlovecoffee.com website.

I'm sure if you visit our home over the holidays, you'll be sure to have a taste of our Simply E Coffee (Justlovecoffee)! 

Christmas is coming! Coffee makes a great gift! Especially if it’s a gift that gives back!

One year in process!

This week we passed our ONE YEAR anniversary of beginning the adoption process. I’m not sure how I feel about that, which is probably why this is going to be a babbling post, but this is why we started our blog in the first place… to document our journey and thoughts on Bringing E home.


Let’s do a quick recap of One year in process….

• 10 months waiting for a referral . . .

• But the last 4 of them being “ON HOLD STATUS” . . .

• Due to Biological pregnancy (that was previously considered not-medically possible). . . but

• Baby Faith due in February 2011. . .

• CWA placed us on “Hold Status” until Baby Faith is 6 months old. . .

• Will become on “Active status” again in August of 2011 and will get a referral soon thereafter!

Changes/issues that have arisen in the past 12 months:

• CWA unjustifiably investigated for unethical adoption practices in Ethiopia.
• Thought: what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger! CWA has definitely come out on top.
• Ethiopia changes procedure requiring adoptive parents to travel to Ethiopia 2 times – once for the court hearing and then again for the embassy appointment. (thus doubling travelling fees). 
• Thought – get to meet and bond with Baby E earlier, and soak in the culture of her birth country … not to mention get a dry run of travelling once without baby.. so we will be experts for trip #2! 
• Time frame between court hearing and embassy appointment creeps into 4 – 6 months due to ongoing investigations and embassy-required paperwork, etc.
• Thought: New time frame has just changed to 6-8 weeks or sooner! Also, adoptive parents and any bio parents are now appearing in court on the same day! 
• Adoption Tax Credit is extended to 2011! 
• Thought: hope we get to bring E home by 2011! 
• Surprise Pregnancy with some slight complications!
• God is good and has blessed Baby E with a sister to grow up with!
• CWA is good in that we were able to go on “Hold Status”… we will go back onto the Active List after our Bio baby is 6 months old.. and then will be one of the first ones up for referral (since our dossier will be the oldest!) 
• Keep in mind – some adoption agencies contracts state that if you become pregnant (even if it’s a miracle from God) during the adoption phase or referral phase, your contract is null and void and you lose everything!

And, even will all of this, and everything that has transpired in the past 12 months, we are more thrilled and more excited to bring Baby E home. We are not discouraged, we are not giving up, and we will continue to wait upon the Lord! We continue to get questions from people who think just because we are pregnant we will put this “whole adoption thing to rest…” Ha ha ha… they don’t know us very well… do they?

Did I think one year ago that this is where we would be?? Heck No! But, it’s not my plan, and I’m kinda diggin God’s plan right now. He knows what’s best for us. Things are going to be crazy around here for a while, but what a super-double blessing He has lined up for our family.

Here are some quotes from my posts throughout the last year (before we knew that our path would be changing so dramatically)… funny to read them and see how everything has come full circle, and lined up so beautifully, for purpose and for reason. We can see God’s hand in everything and every twist and turn our path has taken over the last year. But, we wouldn’t have it any other way!

“. . . but I guess it goes back to the whole trust and peace aspect of trusting God in this journey. He is the one who first placed this on our hearts, so He is the one who will help us grow and learn patience and peace through all of this. I must admit, I wince and pout (if truth be known) every time I see a change coming that's going to mess with MY plan, but guess what... it's not MY plan :) . . .”

“. . .I think in a world of instant gratification, it's easy to lose sight of the grand plan of things and get caught up in one little detail or set back. But we have to remember, all those little things and set backs were already figured into the grand scheme of things, unbeknownst to us. These little things are not changing our path or His plan for us or for our family-- He already figured them into the 'package deal.' . . .”

“. . . It's all apart of the plan -- the growing, the stretching, the maturing of our faith. The trusting that things will work out -- perhaps not as we have planned in our human minds -- but exactly how He has planned for it to happen . . .”

Baby Faith in 4-D

Ok, at first I wasn't sure what I would think of a 4-D view into my womb to see our sweet baby girl before she was born.  It's kind of like an invasion of privacy or spoiling a surprise.  BUT, holy cow.. I really like 3/D/4D Ultrasounds.  We saw the most wonderful views of our little one today.  We saw her open her eyes, yawn, and even sucking her fist and  playing peek-a-boo with her hands in front of her face.  The best thing is it's all captured on a CD that I can watch over and over again.  It's really neat to see her and her sweet little face.  We can already see how she looks like a good combination of both of the boys!  Of course, we think she's the most beautiful thing in the world.. but we're not biased at all :) 

So, you'll have to tilt your head slightly and have an idea of what you are looking at. (sort of like an optical illusion of the old woman vs. young woman)  BUT, here is a picture of baby Faith in 4-D.  In this photo, you can see a side view of her face!  You can see one of her eyes, which is closed, her cute button nose and part of her sweet upper and lower lips.  The blob up to the right of her face in the picture is actually her arm and hand.  She was trying to play peek-a-boo with us and the ultrasound tech and we were trying to snap a shot before she put her hands back in front of her face.  She's gonna be a stinker! 

It won't be long until she is here and then we can start our journey to get her sister in Ethiopia!    Makes me a little sad that we won't have a sneak peak into E's world before we meet her, but God already knows who she is, where she is, and when she will be coming home to her forever family.  So, we will just wait and hold on to that hope that she'll be here soon to meet her baby sister and 2 big brothers!