IT'S OFFICIAL!!

...as of February 25, 2009, the Nesters are on the waiting list!
Our dossier was sent to Ethiopia (DTE) yesterday!!

Here was the email I received today:

HI Katie,

Your Dossier was assembled and shipped yesterday. Susan is sending you an email explaining what to expect from this point on.

So, there you have it! DTE 2.25.09...it feels so wonderful to actually have a date now. We know that this is just the beginning of another wait. But this is the fun wait...it's like the second trimester.

You know, the first trimester of pregnancy is filled with excitement and "brand new" news to tell everyone. But it's also filled with fatigue and throwing up. - Much like making the decision to adopt, researching countries and agencies, and telling everyone...but also being faced with a mountain of paperwork that you have to get EXACTLY right (even if it means returning something 3 times to do it)!

And the last trimester is mixed too. Because at this point you know your baby. You know the gender and how they react to your voice, and their sweet movements...and you so so long to meet them. But your maternity clothes don't fit, and you keep hearing people say "Wow, are you due tomorrow? You look like you're ready to pop!" (grrr!) - Much like (and this I've only witnessed, not yet experienced) seeing your baby's pictures and knowing all their information, but yet to meet them face-to-face...all the while waiting for court dates and embassy dates, and travel dates...etc, before actually getting your baby!

But for now, we're in the second trimester. :) Which was my favorite trimester. Everyone (including strangers) know your pregnant now, not just 'getting fat.' And you get to wear the cute maternity clothes, and give people fun information. - Much like I feel now. Just happy. Happy to know that we have a date to refer to, and we dont have to do anymore paperwork right now...((just a few checkups)), etc. Yes, I'm going to enjoy this time because it went all too quickly the first time!

OH YEAH! WE'RE SO PUMPED!!

My Timmy

Since this blog will be a journal for our future baby, I wanted him/her to know a little bit about their Daddy. So, in honor of Valentine's Day month (since I missed posting this on the actual day) I present to you:

How well do I know my Husband?
(and yes, I stole this from another person's blog!)

1. Your spouse is sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?

24, Heros, The Office, American Idol, LOST, Chuck

2. Who takes longer showers, you or him?

Me, especially when I have to wash my hair and shave my legs (that time adds up!)

3. What is one food your spouse doesn't like?
Fruit desserts. (he has stated that the reason is this "I do not like warm fruit out of it's original form")

4. What would your husband say is the first thing that caught his eye about you?

Probably my face. When we first got together we looked WAY different...but I think it's true what they say, that couples tend to look more like each other as they get older. Weird!

This picture was taken after we'd been together for about 3 1/2 years, so it's not one of the originals, but even still, it was the oldest one I had uploaded on the computer.

5. Where did he go to high school?

Cedarville High School, Cedarville, Ohio

6. What is his shoe size?

10 1/2-11

7. If he was to collect something, what would it be?

Oh, good glory...definitely movies! We have so many, it's just crazy! We have 2 entertainment units full of them.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
Any type with bacon. He's a big meat eater, so add in some meat and cheese and it's a go!

9. How does he take his coffee?

Well, he doesn't really drink it, unless his dad's around. His dad makes it half regular and half flavored. (and the flavors vary)

10. What is his favorite cereal?

Kix, Cinnamon Chex, Trix, Cocoa Puffs, Honey Bunches of O's, Honeycomb, Lucky Charms, Fruity Pebbles...really, the list could go on and on.

11. Where did he go to college?

Cedarville University, in Cedarville, Ohio

12. What is his favorite sports team?

Penn State!! He has a SHOCKING knowledge of the team and all that goes on with the players, coaches, games, bowls, etc. We could also decorate an entire room with his paraphernalia. My Mom buys him most of it. Each Christmas and birthday he looks forward to more fan fare item from her.

13. Where was your first date?

You know what? This question was on Facebook awhile back and I couldn't remember then, and I can't remember now. Don't think too poorly of me though, I asked Tim and he couldn't remember either! :)

14. What is something I do that he wishes I wouldn't?

Ooh, there are a few things: two of which make me sound grosse, so I won't add them, but there are others...I like to use a clean dishrag every day, so I take the day before's...ring it out, and then put it on the corner of the floor in our kitchen. It stays in the same spot, but Tim always tends to step on it, and he hates getting his socks wet.
What else? I take my biteguard out in the morning and put in it my water cup in our bathroom to soak. 9 times out of 10 Tim almost drinks out of it. And the other time, he does. HAHA!

15. What is his heritage?

French, American, Irish. I'm not exactly sure...but I know he's a mut, like I am. :)

16. You bake him a cake for his birthday, what kind is it?

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate frosting...OR to save time (even though I do like to bake) I buy it from a bakery; because, let's face, they do it better!

17. What could he spend hours doing?

Playing video games...and he does!! He keeps in touch with some old college buddies through XBox Live. We also own the Wii and he has downloaded a bunch of old games to play. He'll admit to you he's a nerd.

18. What is one unique talent he has?

It may not be unique, but he plays the guitar and sings REALLY well! He is the worship Pastor at our church and some weeks it just hits me, that he's got real talent...I'm so proud of him!

19. Where is his favorite place he has traveled?

Austrailia, as a teenager...but then again, he does have very fond memories of when he lived in Hungary with family as a child. I guess it's a tie.

20. What is a clothing item he would never wear?

Probably a pink shirt.

An Interview

((asked by me, answered by me))
please note: Q = question
A = answer

Q: Where are you in the adoption process right now?
A: Well, on Saturday we sent our dossier to our agency, who will in turn check and see if every document is present and correct, and they will send it to Ethiopia.

Q: What happens next?
A: Once our dossier arrives in Ethiopia, we begin the several month wait to be matched with a child (our referral). Typically the wait is between 3-4 months. We are soooo looking forward to this day!

Q: Do I wish time would go faster so that we could get a referral sooner?
A: Yes! But, then I think of the huge amount of money that is due upon accepting the referral, and it makes me a little bit more happy for some time (not alot!) that we have to recover from what was already spent.

Q: Do you know who your baby is yet?
A: No, but our agency has a 'shared' photo album on snapfish which allows us to view the babies that are in the AAI Ethiopian orphanages, and the pictures make my heart melt. I can actually only log on once or twice a week because it makes me really anxious to wonder if any of those babies might be ours!

Q: Can you post pictures of these babies for everyone to see?
A: No. I really wish that I was able to post pictures and add specific information only privvy to adopting families, but it's not allowed. There are privacy rules, and for good reason, but I would love it if everyone could these darling faces, and get a sense of where our hearts are! It's hard for some people to be as interested in our new addition because they do not see me pregnant, and so it's not an obvious thing, but we LOVE to talk about our adoption and welcome any questions.

Q: Do you ever feel like some people don't support your decision to adopt?
A: Maybe, but you never know. It could be that, or it could be the fact that they don't understand why we would want to adopt. I'm trying not to take things personally. It's a work-in-progress. :)

Q: Are you adopting because you cannot have more biological children?
A: No! We are adopting because we want to add to our family. There are so many children in the world that don't have families...and that breaks my heart. God has blessed us with a son and we will plan to have more biological children down the road. But for now, we are just as excited to be adopting as I was when I was pregnant! We're so pumped to be able to bring a child that has a different story, with a different culture to our family.

Q: Why Ethiopia?
A: Well, we knew we wanted a healthy young baby, but we didn't really feel a strong need to be matched by race. As we researched more about adoption and countries, we found Ethiopia to be of the highest need...which pulled at our hearts and as we persued it, things just fell into place and we haven't changed our minds. We know with God's help we can be good parents to this baby and we know we can love in any color.

Q: You say you will probably have more biological children; what about a second adoption? Have you considered adopting again in the future?
A: Actually, yes. Lord willing we would love to have another biological child and another adopted child. We have no "magic" number, and we could very well be one of those families that have a bunch of kids. Our plan, once this baby is home and settled (which could be over a year from now) is to try to have another biological child.

Q: Will you adopt again from Ethiopia?
A: That remains up in the air. Of course with it being several years down the road that this may take place, it could change. We don't have any strong feelings against it, but we may decide to add another culture to our family at that point. Again, we'll see where the Lord leads us. As a child, Tim was a missionary in Hungary and still feels a tie to Eastern-European culture, so perhaps we may choose a country that reflects that part of his heart.

Interviewer: Okay, well thanks so much for your time. I hope this enlightens our readers a little bit. It was wonderful to get an update from you. We look forward to hearing from you in the future! Congratulations and good luck.
Interviewee: Thanks so much for having me. I'd love to update again sometime. This was fun!



Alright, so perhaps it's a little weird that I interviewed myself. But since I've been hearing that alot of different people having been reading our blog...(WHICH I LOVE)...it makes me want to share EVERYTHING so they can be apart of it! Those were just a few questions that I get on a regular basis. If anyone has any more...bring them on! I can't promise great answers, but they are truthful. :)

hmmm...

So, I haven't been 'feeling' a good post lately. Nothing really new is going on. We're REALLY close, but no big news yet (and "big news" at this point would mean our dossier is in Ethiopia). I guess I'm just getting frustrated by the time it is taking to get things done. We got the last piece of the puzzle in a couple days ago, and we realized that the notary who verified the document actually did not SIGN the document! Yes, the notary, that watches people sign stuff, didn't sign it himself. This letter was an employment letter from Tim's employer and there is some weird mix-up stuff where his employer doesn't remember where he got it notarized, so we have to do it all over again. It's really been hard for me to keep it together! I'm so anxious to get on the waiting list. I know there will be so many more ups and downs from here, but at least no more paper-chasing! :)
Alrighty, on to better and brighter topics:
My dad came to visit, which was very nice. It was a short stay, because he had to go and visit my sister in Michigan, but our time together was nice. He was affectionately called "Boppy" by Cale, which my Dad seemed to really like. It's hard not having my parents not live near us. Cale only sees them a few times each year.
It's also hard to know that he has a brother or sister halfway across the world that we haven't seen yet!
Cale really needs a sibling! We had his buddy, Hogan, over for a play-date, and the two of them were so funny together. They've been "buddies" since birth (they're only 3 weeks apart), so they're very comfortable together. Here are some fun pictures from Hogie's visit:
1. dressing up...2. watching blues clues...3. eating ice cream...4. taking a bath



In this video, Hogan is trying to help Cale by emptying the boat of water, but can't figure out why it keeps filling back up. Awe! they're such good buddies! (and it's true, they actually never fight :)
They were so cute, doing everything together! Can you tell that Cale needs a little brother? :)

Police Clearance

Well, one of the last pieces of the dossier puzzle have been put into place! We got our Police Clearance from the Aurora Police Dept this morning. A depressing place to say the least, but the people working there were really nice. Tim and I kept trying to keep Cale from touching things there, but you know boys...EVERYTHING is a toy...including trash.
All we have left to do before now, before we can send our dossier to Ethiopia is file for the I600A. While that sounds easy enough, it costs a whopping $830 to do that...and it cannot be put on a credit card. Cashier's or travelers checks only! Yuck. I have been praying so hard about this recently, and it's all I can do not to lose my mind. Patience Lord, please!
And as an added bonus, we recently found out that Tim's car has a broken right suspension, and some other fun mechanic-y problems costing, well, over $650...making my dream of filing for this thing move further out of site! :( Uggh.
If anyone is reading this and would like to pray for me specifically, for patience, I would be truly honored!

I really hate for everything to be centered around money. It makes me uncomfortable. You know, for awhile, after Tim and I got married, I did "try" to take care of the bills...as far as sending out payments and what-not. I was successful, but it stressed me out so much, that Tim took over the responsibility of it (and yes, added it to his list of other office things to do! thank the Lord!). I am not cut out to focus on money, it bums me out. So...when all of this is said and done, I will feel much lighter (and hey, maybe I'll even lose a couple unwanted "stress" pounds!!) :)

But it's good that we're moving along. More slowly than I would like, but like the old saying goes:

"Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can,
Seldom found in women, never found in men!"
Haha. Not always accurate, but still funny!