Doctors and Derby

This week, we went to the doctor a lot. Jeremy got a fiberglass wrap over his plaster splint so that he has a "real" cast now. His bone had moved some since his last x-ray at the hospital, so we needed to go back on Friday for more x-rays. (You can see a little bit of the bright green in the photo.) Later that day, he saw the pediatrician to get medication for his sinus/ear infections. All three kids got their flu and Hepatitis A vaccinations on Tuesday. On Friday, the x-rays looked good. No surgery or pins, thank God!! We go back in 4 weeks. At that time, they will take more x-rays before they remove the cast for good!

Our Pampered Chef fundraiser is going well. We are still accepting orders until Thursday, November 15. (Look to the bar on the right of the screen for the link and instructions.) We are now earning 20% of the product price!

Saturday morning was the Awana pinewood derby. We do not make fast cars, but they are creative and fun!!

Photo Update!

We've finally got our home PC up and running again- BIGGER and better even! Here are some photos from highlights (and low-lights!) of the events of our lives that we've been unable to share during the outage. Enjoy!

• October 16 -The Schmidts' 9th consecutive trip to the NC State Fair!
  

We like to get there before the fog rises off of the pond. It is the ONE day we like to get up early!

Playing tic-tac-toe with the Navy diver! A highlight for 2007.

• October 17 & 19 -Marissa lost her first and second teeth!

• October 27 -Jeremy's 10th birthday!

Jeremy began the morning geocaching with his best friend, Bethany.


We all enjoyed a spaghetti dinner complete with meatballs, garlic bread, salad, and Cheerwine! Jeremy chose to eat at the adult table with Grandma, Grandpa, and Mema.

Jeremy opened his mountain of presents!

Jeremy promptly broke his arm the second time around the block on his brand new scooter that he had just opened. He says he was going about 20 mph and decided he might ought to hit the brakes. (Yes, that is a paint stirrer and painter's tape!)

"Where did this come from?" Daddy had some fun with poor Jeremy. He asked him 3 times if he had seen his cast, and each time, it was a brand-new discovery!!
He was NOT funny like Annika. He was GRUMPY and could not wait to get out of there!

(I did get Jeremy's permission to take photos at the hospital. He said that it was OK. It was his birthday after all!)


We enjoyed the Lego-shaped, Cheerwine cake the next day!

Today is Sunday

This weekend was Missions Fair at our church (www.gethope.net). The showed lots of video clips featuring little African children, and it just made my eyes tear and my arms ache for our little guy!!

I had the privilege of working at the Compassion International table. Forty-five children got sponsors allowing them to receive care and education. We ran out of kids before the 2nd and largest service was let out! How awesome! There are more children needing assistance at the website (link above) if you want to help! They've got some cuties from Ethiopia!

The radio in my head and been playing this song over and over. I've been thinking and praying for the families from our agency who have been waiting the longest to be matched with their little ones, and also for our dear friends who are going through a very difficult time dealing with unknowns.

He Knows My Name

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in His hands

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call

~Tommy Walker

Referral Revelation!

We had some questions about the referral process, so William called our agency and spoke with our family coordinator. For some reason, I had it in my head that some "powers that be" in Ethiopia were reviewing our paperwork and matching us with a child or two. However, we were enlightened today when we found out that it is actually our agency in Virgina that gets files for available children and matches them up with the child requests found nearest to the top of the pile of dossiers! (Did anybody else know this?)

It almost feels like the "Great and Powerful Oz" has been exposed, and it's the AWAA staff behind the curtain!! I feel dumb, but it is also a relief in a way! The whole process isn't in a black box as I thought it was!

The October 3rd referral group got their court dates today for next Wednesday, November 7. They are expected to travel in early December!! Congratulations, y'all!

Since we do not have a referral, we most likely will NOT be traveling in 2007 which is a bit of a relief since both of the girls' birthdays are in December. I suppose our baby could have a December birthday too, but I surely do hope not!! Ha! Ha! (We would take him/them anyway!)

IT IS ON!!

Our dossier was picked up by the Ethiopian America World representative this morning while we were sleeping!!! IT IS ON!!!! We're just waiting to be matched now!

Date/Time

Activity

Location

Details

Oct 29, 2007

1:20 PM

Delivered

BOLE SUB-CITY, ADDIS ABABA ET

Jeremy broke his arm on his 10th birthday, Saturday. He opened his new scooter, and on his second spin around the block, he wiped out. Jeremy is a tough guy and says that he doesn't hurt. He is in a plaster splint and will get his cast next Monday.

Sunday night, Jeremy tells me that his arm is "popping" where the break is when he moves. YIKES! So, I called a friend and the 24-hour nurse-line, and both thought a trip back to the ER was needed. William was just arriving at Awana with the girls, so we left them in Mom's care and took Jeremy back to the hospital. After an x-ray and 3 hours, they gave him a sling and told us he was still good. We were very relieved because he probably was in for surgery for a pin if it had moved.

Today, William got his stitches removed and, Marissa saw the doctor for a double ear infection and began her antibiotics.

Annika gets her cast off on Wednesday. She will spend the rest of the day in the tub!

"When will you get your baby?" (Revised!)

Well, A LOT has happened since I addressed this question in August. That's good!

We heard from our agency that the wait for a boy child is not necessarily taking the 4-7 months. During the last round of referrals from Friday, October 19, one of the families that received a referral after their dossier had been in Ethiopia for about one month! YIKES!

This realization sent shock through me! William's reaction to me was, "Didn't you know this would happen at some point? We're doing all of this to get our baby!"

So, my best guess is that we will get our referral in 2-4 months. That is just a guess though. Things could slow down, I suppose. I just hope I'm not writing an addendum to this post 6 months from now!

Today, I ordered this from the GAP!

It says "TREASU(RED)" and is part of the Product (red) collection from which half of the proceeds are donated to help women and children affected by AIDS in Africa. (It is on sale!)

Today is our 16th wedding anniversary! (We were married as children!)

Tomorrow is Jeremy's 10th birthday!

Pampered Chef Anyone?

Due to the great expense of adoption, we are seeking ways to help cover the costs. So our friend, Dawn, has arranged for us to throw a Pampered Chef adoption fund-raiser where we will earn a percentage of the sales to put toward our expenses!

So, if you need or want some Pampered Chef products, here you go! AND remember that Christmas is coming soon!

• Click on the link: www.pamperedchef.biz/dawnphillips
• Go to "order products," and enter "Susan Schmidt" as the host's name so that we get credit for your purchase.
  

We'll need your order by November 15, 2007.

I can't live without my stoneware! We make homemade pizza here at least once a week on the large pizza stone and the large bar pan is great for most anything that you bake or heat up in the oven like roasted potatoes, asparagus, egg rolls, biscuits, cookies, etc... Pampered Chef has lots of other nice stuff too!

Thank-you! William & Susan