We Cleared Embassy!!!

So I awoke on Thursday morning with an e-mail beeping into my phone from the Embassy in Addis Ababa saying that our immigration investigation had cleared. I can't really express to you on a blog post how AMAZING that is. That is most amazing thing just behind taking custody of my son in a few weeks and stepping off the plane in Kansas City a little over a week after that.

This means that both Ethiopia and the United States are satisfied with all of the paperwork and we have been invited to travel. We plan to be leaving sometime in the week of May 22nd and will likely have our interview the week after. Holt has requested an appointment for us the week of the 30th, and we are just waiting for the confirmation so that we can formally book our plane tickets.

I am SO ready to get on the phone with Erle from Azumano travel in the near future.

Since we have a vague idea when we will be traveling, it occurred to us that we have to tidy up all those loose ends as our family of 3! HOW EXCITING to FINALLY have something to really be excited about.

A few little things on the list? I learned last night that even though Ben is almost 12 months old, he will still need bottles and formula as that is what he is used to... and apparently baby food as well?! I'm kind of excited about it actually :-) This afternoon I also ordered the Ergo carrier that I kept putting off because it was so depressing. It will be delivered on Tuesday :-)

I have a few projects that I want to have completely caught up again (I had them caught up back in January when I thought I would be traveling...)including this blog. If it isn't done by the time I get on that plane, I don't plan on it getting done, at least for a long time. Ted and I have also scheduled a few date nights/deal with stuff evenings next week without Lucas' "help".

We won't have our dates confirmed until likely Monday, so I'm just doing the mundane work this weekend. I want to have the last year of Ben's baby book completely updated so I won't be piecing it together later. I need to go through the boys closet and get it really organized...

and the fun part is, that for the 3RD TIME, I will be putting together Ben's clothes and making sure we have enough of everything. Granted, stuff is like 3 sizes larger than I had originally thought, but it's still FUN. I have to save that project til last though, and use it as motivation to get the less enjoyable stuff done. Like going through Lucas' toys and doing the ol' purge or random junk he accumulates.

I just might have to get the other high chair back out of the basement soon too, just for fun :-)

Updates to come.