6 Days until Court!

This time next week our court hearing will have already happened. I simply can't believe we're this close. I don't know what I expected...like time would stand still in some sort of limbo forever or something. Its just hard to fathom that next month we'll have our baby!

Speaking of which, rumor has it that should we pass court next week, there is a possibility that we could travel as early as April 12th! It will likely be the 19th...but it just depends when our embassy appointment in Ethiopia is scheduled. (That's how travel is decided. After the courts decide that a certain child is officially your child, an appointment is set with the US Embassy in Ethiopia to get visa/passport approval for that child. These appointments are almost always on a Monday, so families travel over the weekend prior to get there for the appointment that Monday.)

As travelling soon has become more of a reality, we are starting to collect donations for Hannah's Hope, the orphanage caring for our little girl in Ethiopia. Last Thursday I received a surprise call from the Widow's Ministry at our church. I was told they needed a project to take on, and that they would like to collect donations for the orphanage. So cool! I may be biased, but I personally believe we have the neatest group of widows in the WHOLE WORLD. Really. I love them. But for all you non-widows out there who have asked about donations, here is a list of what the orphanage needs (both for the children and for the workers):

Items needed the most are:
- diapers (all sizes)
- wipes
- 4 oz avent bottles
- lids and nipples
- bouncy seats

Other items needed:
- bibs
- hand sanitizer
- kleenex boxes
- infant & children's vitamins
- formula
- diaper rash cream
- baby shampoos & baby oil
- blow up balls/outside toys
- sidewalk chalk
- bubbles
- children's dvds & cds
- men & women's deodorant
- good quality electric shaver

Clothing:
-scrubs (for the special mothers who take care of the children)
-baby clothing
-infant - 8 mos
-light jackets or sweaters for all ages
-boys clothing for ages 6-10 yrs old
-girls clothing for ages 6-13 yrs old
-underwear for all ages
-shoes for all ages - crocs are great

Used items are fine as long as they are in very good shape. If you attend our church, I believe there will be tubs set out to collect donations. Or you can just pass them on to us at any time.

So many of you have done so much already -- we really appreciate it! I'm not asking you to do more...unless you really want to! Today I used some money from our garage sale to shop for bulk toothbrushes, deodorant, and soap at Costco. I can't wait to take it with us when we travel...soon!