ETHIOPIA HERE WE COME!!!

Packed and ready to go. There is actually another green suitcase that you can't see. So much stuff it wouldn't fit in frame :) All bags have been weighed and we are under the 50lb weight limit:)

I am still in shock that this is actually happening. I am going to Ethiopia. I am bringing home my beautiful daughter. YEAH!!!!!

We were also blessed with a growth update today. Peanut now weighs 12lbs and is 23.5 inches long. WOOHOO!

Will I sleep tonight? I hope so but I am not sure. We took our first dose of Malarone today to ward off Malaria. So far so good. No crazy side effects. We both felt a little out of it about an hour after taking it but after that nothing. Let's hope that continues. In reality, I am not really worried about getting Malaria since we will be at such a high elevation for most of our trip but I thought better safe than sorry since we are leaving Addis for a day.

I cannot access my blog while in Ethiopia but I can email posts to it so that is the plan. I don't know how often I will be able to get on the computer but I will do my best to post as often as I can. I will also have a journal with me to write down things as they happen and as a record of things that I won't post here on the blog for privacy reasons.

Ethiopia here we come!!! Hang on baby girl Mom and Dad are a little more than 15 hours away from boarding that plane. Can't wait to meet you and kiss those adorable little cheeks.

Packing list

So we have packed just about everything but the kitchen sink so hang on tight this is a LONG list.

Adult Medications: antibiotics (Zithromax), Malaria meds, Imodium, Pepto, Advil, sleeping pills, allergy medicine, neosporin, band aids, anti-fungal cream, hydrocortizone cream

Baby Meds: Infant Motrin, Baby Orajel, Mylacon (gas drops), diaper rash cream, petroleum jelly, eczema cream

Toiletries/personal care: Kleenex purse packs, hand sanitizer, shampoo/conditioner, soap, deodorant, toothbrush/toothpaste, razors, chapstick, foundation, saline solution (hubby wears contacts), glasses and extra pair of contacts, face wash cloths, sunscreen, bug spray, lotion, brush, hair goop, toilet paper (not available in public places like airport, etc.)

Baby care: 90 diapers, 3 packs of diaper wipes, Huggies baby wash cloths, baby lotion, nail clippers, hair accessories, 2 hooded towels, 4 wash cloths

Clothing for Me: 8 pairs underwear, 6 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of capris, 2 long skirts (bought at Savers/thrift store), 10 t-shirts, 3 pairs of yoga pants, light weight jacket, pajamas, tennis shoes, sandals, flip flops for shower shoes, sunglasses

Hubby's clothes: 8 pair underwear, 8 pair of socks, 1 pair khaki pants, 2 pair jeans, 3 pair shorts, 2 button down/polo shirts, 8 t-shirts, jacket, pajama pants, 1 pair of shoes, flip flops for shower shoes, sunglasses

Baby cloths: 8 sleepers, 15 day time outfits, 2 baby jackets, 15 onesies, 10 pair socks, 2 pair shoes/booties, 2 hats, 4 blankets, Ergo baby carrier, 20 disposable bibs, 2 dresses,

Food/baby feeding: 1 can soy formula or hypo allergenic formula in case of digestive issues, 3 bottles, 50 + drop in liners, 2 fast flow nipples, 2 medium flow nipples, 1 slow flow nipple, nipple cleaning brush, 2 pacifiers (latex), 2 pacifiers (silicone), burp cloths, sippy cup just in case

Adult snacks: Trail mix, granola bars, 2 refillable water bottles, gum, raisins, protein bars

Miscellaneous: Ziploc bags (lots), garbage bags, dish soap, laundry soap, diaper bag fully loaded, video camera, digital camera, extra memory cards, plug adapters and converters, photo copy of passport and credit card, books, spending money, journal, alarm clock, travel pillows

Donations: Our agency is accepting donations of soy formula, infant vitamin drops, diapers and diaper wipes. We are bringing 6 large cans of soy formula and one small can and 28 boxes of infant vitamin drops. As for AHOPE, I have well over 35 boxes of gloves and some bibs and hair ties that a friend asked us to pass along.

See I told you it was a lot. Now coming soon will be pictures of the luggage. I have 4 suitcases, 2 carry on bags, a diaper bag and a lap top bag to get ready. Almost there....

9 days

That's right we have officially hit the single digits. WE LEAVE IN 9 DAYS!!!!!

My to do list is starting to get smaller. Dave laughed at me yesterday as I was cleaning out the spice cabinet. Way over due on that one so since I am in full nesting/cleaning mode I figured why not.

We were able to cross moving the wine rack to the basement off the list this weekend which was good as that was bugging me. We have this nice wine rack that holds glassware as well but is so not child friendly so I wanted it moved to the basement before we left.

As for packing, I don't know what I would do without space saver bags. The only person in the family that is fully packed is Peanut. Wow, I like the sound of that.

I am working on packing Dave and I but some things we may still wear so can't pack those yet. My latest issues is shoes. If you know me, then you know that I LOVE shoes and I HATE socks. I know things will be dusty in Ethiopia but also warm during the day and chillier in the morning and evening. I have packed flip flops for the shower and am thinking I will pack another pair of shoes and then obviously wear a pair so three pairs total. That is pretty good for me. I can pack 2 pairs of shoes just for a weekend away. I just don't know what shoes to pack. Something comfy, easy to get on and off, breathable, cute...this is going to be a work in progress.

Exciting that I am to the point where I am thinking about what shoes to pack!!! I have all our paperwork done and ready to go and in my carry on. I have 2 suitcases full of donations that are packed, weighed and ready to go.

I still can't believe this is all happening. I am going to Ethiopia and I am coming home with my daughter. I think about this and smile. I even started to tear up in the grocery store when buying yogurt. I was looking at the expiration dates and figuring out which ones I had to eat before we leave. That little thing brought tears to my eyes. That was most likely my last grocery shopping experience without my daughter in tow. HOLY COW!!!

Fingers crossed and say prays please for a dear friend whose court date is today and for another friend who now has court on Friday. Off to run errands for the dogs--I still need to get them packed up and ready for their little vacation.

Loving the countdown

I am in full countdown mode. I am counting down everything. How many days until we leave, how many shifts I have left at work, etc. It's fun.

So here are my favorite things to countdown:

16 days until we get on a plane
18 days until I get to hold my little girl
11 shifts left at work (at least until August that is)
14 weeks the length of my maternity leave
10 days that I will be without my pugs :(
9 days until baby girl is 5 months old

See once I get started counting down things it just never ends. I even have a countdown going for a friend, Kate, who is leaving for Ethiopia today you see she will get to meet her baby girl in 4 days. Then there is my friend, Leah, who has her court date in 7 days.

Other then obsessively counting things, I am in full packing mode. Suitcase are all out and open. Some things are being placed in them, piles are starting to form near them. I haven't packed for a trip like this ever so I am learning as I go especially in this post 9/11 era. So many rules that weren't there before....

And who knew how hard it was to pack for an infant...I think she will have more stuff than I will. I don't know what will fit her so I am bringing various sizes and hopefully enough to get us through if we do have the joy of experiencing multiple blow out diapers.

One of the toughest things about packing is the dogs. They aren't super helpful and I feel bad. They know something is up just not sure what it is. We are trying to give them some extra loving and catch little Badger when he decides that Peanut's things are really his things. He ran off yesterday with a package of pacifiers. Very cute.

Travel plans

Well I have spent the better part of the day on the phone but here is a list of things we can check off of the very long to do list.

1) Buy plane tickets--done :)
2) travel insurance--done:)
3) make reservations to have the dogs boarded--done
4) make Peanut's first doctor's appointment--done
5) schedule first post placement meeting with social worker--done
6)wait for travel approval letter from state of WI--got it
7) finish paperwork needed for embassy appointment--done
8) get Peanut on health insurance--done
9) pack--working on it
10) breathe--trying to
11) eat--oh yeah should probably do that

These next few weeks are going to be a whirlwind of activity. We have to pack, go to Rocketfest (4 yr olds birthday party), go to a wedding and make sure we spend extra time with the pugs since we will be boarding them for 10 days.

Gloves, gloves and more gloves

There it is. My suitcase is full of gloves!!! And I weighed the suitcase and it weighs exactly 50lbs :) Thank you to everyone that has helped me reach my goal. I have another bag full of sterile gloves still to pack but overall my goal was to fill a suitcase and thanks to all of my wonderful friends and family, I did just that. Thank you also to those friends who sent money and infant vitamin drops. The money will be used to buy more infant vitamin drops. Along with the gloves and 4 large cans of soy formula, I will be bringing about 26 boxes of infant vitamin drops.

No news on buying plane tickets. We are waiting for Peanut to have her US Embassy physcial and once that is complete we will get definite travel plans. My specialist is extremely optimistic (her words) that we are traveling in the May 7th group so leaving the US on May 6th.

Her confidence spurred me to go to the basement and get the suitcases and then I packed the gloves. I haven't packed anything else yet but am just about ready to. Peanut's stuff is ready to go as in it is all laid out and just needs to be put in a suitcase.

I am hoping we hear soon about definite travel plans and then I will be more motivated to start packing other things. It was a big step for me to just get those suitcases out of the basement. I have been in a pretty bad mood but I figured I am traveling at some point so I will still have to pack eventually so why not start now.

Busy, busy

Since today was my day off, I decided to run some errands. I started my day with a stop at a local coffee shop for my favorite Iced Americano. I was going to need it as my next stop was Target.

I had my coffee and my list and spent a little over an hour in Target crossing things off my list. The good news is I got just about everything on the list plus some. I still can't find Huggies overnight diapers in a size smaller than 3. I am going to look online for these but who knows maybe they don't come in smaller sizes.

I am ready to pack. I really think I am. I have all the little travel things we need for our carry on bags that are travel approved. We get 1 quart size ziploc bag per carry on and no liquid in that bag can be more than 3 oz. I bought the containers to fill or things we would need to meet those requirements.

We have our travel wallets, pillows and snacks. We have our donations, baby needs and clothes. I haven't actually pulled out our clothes yet but that won't take too long but Miss Peanut's clothes are ready to go.

I also contacted the travel agent today to price things out. As of now we will probably fly NW/KLM as it is cheaper than ET Air and the schedule is a little better.

So come on birth certificate and travel date. I am ready to go.

Preparations and random thoughts

We have started to prepare for our upcoming trip to bring home Peanut. We are gathering formula, diapers and some other much needed items for donations to CHSFS and AHOPE. On Sunday, I pulled out a bunch of Peanut's clothes in an attempt to figure out what we will bring with us. We have our water bottles, our paperwork, our suitcases and hopefully soon our new laptop.

Well all of this preparation stuff led me to stay up way too late last night thinking about some very random but relevant things.

1) What size clothes should we bring for Peanut?? She will most likely be between sizes so she might fit in 0-3 month or she might fit in to 3-6 month and even then that depends on which clothing company you are looking at. Why can't all clothing companies make clothes the same size??

2) Is 20 onesies too many to bring with us? Since I don't know what will fit and what won't what is a Mom supposed to do??? And I am notorious for overpacking....

3) I really need to get some more 1 gallon Ziploc bags. You see other families have suggested packing one baby outfit an a diaper in a Ziploc so when you need to change baby in a tight space you just have to grab the Ziploc and wipes and you are good to go. The bags will also double as a great way to contain the messiness of diaper blowouts that I have heard so much about.

4)We really need to order the new laptop. We have been saving for one and I want to make sure we get it in time to travel. Our current one is VERY old and VERY heavy.

5) At some point I need to figure out how we are going to board the dogs while we are gone. Vet for cheaper or Camp K-9 which will cost more but the dogs will get more attention and they have staff on the premises 24 hours a day. (Can you tell which way I am leaning...)

6) I need to make a list of things we still need to get for both us and for Peanut.

7) Do we have enough freezer containers for food? I am planning on making up a bunch of food before we go so we have home cooked meals and not take out when we come home.

It was a long night of laying awake in bed. I blame daylight savings and the dogs. My schedule is all off because of daylight savings and my dogs were consuming the entire lower half of the bed last night only on my side so I had ZERO leg room.

The preparations will continue and I am sure I will have more random thoughts to put in order and figure out. I am trying to stay ahead of the game since we will only get a few weeks notice for travel. Not sure if that is a good idea or if it will just lead to more random thoughts...