Childhood Memories

I found this old photo on our computer. This was taken when we lived in Ethiopia. It reminded me again how neat it is to be adopting from the same country my siblings and I were born in. I think I even have one our Ethiopian outfits somewhere in storage. I will have to try and dig it out. There is still no news on the adoption but I feel more peaceful with the wait so prayer is being answered.

Hormones and Hair

I got totally bummed out last week for no real reason other than evil hormones. It seems forever ago but I did take hormones for fertility reasons up until June of this year. They have caused me to get really really sad for no reason. I mean sometimes there is a reason, like a delay in the adoption or I run out of chocolate:). Other times I am having a great day and will be overcome with sadness and gloom. I hate it, as it is not normal for me at all. Every month it is getting less and less. It confirms in my heart that Ben and I made the right choice to stop fertility treatments. I am not a very moody person, especially for a girl. I have gained much sympathy for women with PMS now as I can honestly say that normally I don't get bothered by it.

Anyways, so last week when I was in the dumps I went to the Navy base to pick up some groceries. I was trudging through the store ready to cry for no reason feeling as if there was nothing to smile about EVER again, wishing I was 2 years old and could sit in a cart and wail like kids in a grocery store always do. I hadn't really done my hair and was wearing sweats and must have looked quite the slob. This older gentleman, obviously retired military, sees me and makes eye contact.

He laughs and says, "Man, talk about Hair-R_Us."

My hair was big and it almost got a smile out of me even in my gloom. Now my fro of hair has caused many jokes over the years. My dad would pick me up, turn me upside down and pretend to mop the floor with it. When people lost items, keys, purses, dogs, my brother would always ask, "Have you checked Moira's hair?" In Jr. high I went through a series of nic-names, Poodle, Tornado and Jon Bon Moira. So I am used to jokes aimed at my hair, but I think I am reaching a new level when polite, older, strangers feel free to yell stuff at me:).

Friends

Friendship is important no matter who you are, but in our crazy world of travels it is so important to maintain friendships over the long distance.

When I was in California I got to spend one night with two of my favorite sisters:). Vicki and Viv have been apart of my life now for almost 10 years. I met Vicki first and knew right away I had another soul mate friend. We just GET each other. Then I roomed with her sister Viv. We had so much fun, we could laugh at anything. They took BART over to have dinner with my mom and I. It was definitely a high light of the CA trip. It made me sad that I live so stinking far way from them, but the sadness reminded me how lucky I am to have these ladies in my life. Thanks guys for your friendship.



When I got back to Virginia, Ben and I joined a ton of friends down at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. These are all friends that I gained when Ben and I started dating. Most of the people in this picture were in Naples Italy with Ben. I got to know them a bit over there. Now we all somehow ended up in the same area. These guys kept me sane last year through Ben's many absences. It really was a blast to relax and hang out with them all.

The whole gang!!


At the beach - a bit cold for most of us but of course Ben went in.



The kids buried Ben and I made him into a peg leg pirate.

Then I dusted him off with a special message.


The pier where the little guys went fishing. Not really but they thought they were.







The playground where the BIG kids played.

Walking to town.

Modeling local merchandise.

Nice memories!

Decisions and God

This last weekend held a big decision for Ben and I. We found out that there were 2 year old twins in Ethiopia ready to be adopted NOW. It would have relieved so many unknowns as all their paperwork is ready to go. However, we have been waiting for two other brothers ages 1 and 3. They are not quite ready to be adopted as some paperwork needs to be finished on them. We are estimating it will be another 3 months before they are ready, but the timeline is VERY unknown. We asked for tons of prayer and then talked through all that we knew about both sets of brothers. I can't even imagine making this choice without God in my life. It literally came down to doing what we felt was "right", which is to wait for the brothers we were originally assigned. Once the decision was made I was so peaceful that I knew we had made the right choice. I also felt the power of prayer over the whole process. Hopefully we have good news on our boys to send your way soon:). Believe it or not the wait somehow seems easier now that it was sort of self imposed.

Auntie Mo is my favorite name.

Ok so I am WAY behind on so much news that I will limit myself to one post a day in order not to overwhelm my blog fan club. Ha ha.

I might not have been able to see Jordan in person while in CA, but I did get to see the other 8 nieces and nephews on my side of the family. I am hoping to get to see the 2 nieces on Ben's side sometime this fall. I became an aunt when I was 16 and it has been the greatest role!! Sometimes when it looks like Ben and I won't ever be parents, my one comforting thought is I was able to be an aunt. I know how it is to love a child so much it hurts, because that is how I love my nieces and nephews. Many of my best memories are because of them. I was able to get pretty good pictures of them all, except for Riah (being a senior in high school, she was pretty busy when I was there) so I borrowed one of her. Here they are in order of oldest to youngest.

Welcome Baby Jordan

Born October 10th at 12:15 am. 12 hours after her poor Auntie Mo had to leave to go home. When she is old enough I will make sure to scold her for making me wait to meet her. I am so sad to have missed seeing her, holding her and snuggling her in person. My sister Meg was amazing through a long two week wait past her due date and a very difficult labor. I saw one perk of adoption as I watched my big sister, who is way tougher than I, go through some serious pain. Today baby and mommy went home to start the adventure of family life.

Welcome little one. I love you already!!

Waiting for Baby Jordan

My sister was due to have her baby on September 27th. I flew out to CA on the 26th to be here for the big day and hopefully be a help to her and her husband. But little Jordan, my new niece, is proving to be shy. I now leave to go home in 4 days and I sure am hoping selfishly for myself and very much for my poor uncomfortable sister that Jordan comes soon. What do you do while you wait for a baby to come into the world? Here is what we have done.

My sister enjoys the sun with her completed baby announcements on her belly. Yes, I said completed baby announcements. Well at least they are addressed and stamped waiting for the babies weight, length and birthdate:).

Bailey the dog sits and just waits patiently.

We drink good wine and eat yummy dinners.

Mom and Tom work on puzzles.

Meg and my sister-in-law Becky compare belly size.

Finally, the poor Meg drinks Castor Oil. It did not induce labor but gave her a nasty stomach ache:(.

Tomorrow she goes into the hospital to be induced. We are all hoping the waiting is over. Especially for Meg. We are ready to meet baby Jordan and love her to bits.