Adoption Update

Well, it's been one month since our dossier was sent to Ethiopia. This month has gone by very quickly, thanks to lots of projects and events that have kept us busy. We have submitted our names to our agency's unofficial waiting list and we are happy to report that we're not at the bottom of the list anymore! So even though we haven't really moved-up on the list, it looks as though we have because there are names below ours. Again, we don't want to wish time away but we're really excited to see how the year ahead of us unfolds and remain hopeful that maybe, just maybe, we'll receive our referral by the end of the year.

In the meantime, we've begun looking at vehicles and talking through our options. We each leased a car back in our swingin' single days and now our leases are on the verge of ending. We have decided to become a one car family for the summer, when I (Wendi) turn in my car at the end of May. We'll use Mark's car and his motorcycle for the summer. And during that time, we'll be researching and test driving to see what our best option will be. If anybody has thoughts or words of wisdom on the type of vehicle we should look into, we'd be glad to hear from you! We know that we'll eventually get a small pick-up truck for Mark. But we're debating cars vs. mini-vans vs. a small, hybrid SUV. We're also thinking about, how much room do we really need when we have a baby or two in the next few years; what kind of vehicle is easy to get kids into and out of; and can we be 'green' and find everything we're looking for in a hybrid vehicle. So those are some of our thoughts on cars. Right now, we're most excited about saving money by using just one car this summer!

I also happened across a child care website today and was shocked at day care rates for infants -- WOW! That's something else that we'll be researching and exploring in the coming months. We're so glad to have some flexibility with both of our jobs but we know that we'll also need to find child care. So much to think about!! But it's very energizing and exciting to look forward to.

So that's our adoption update for now. We've got a very busy weekend ahead of us ... we're photographing several hundred little dancers prior to their recital rehearsal on Saturday morning, photographing a prom for Mark's alma mater -- Lewis Cass high school -- on Saturday night, and then flipping pancakes for several hundred students at Harrison Hall on Sunday evening prior to the start of final exams week. Whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it.