Its Just Not Right

...to have a social worker come visit your home when you just brought home a baby a month ago!

I mean, seriously. But adoption requires post-placement visits/reports, the first being 3 months after you take custody...then at 6 months, then at a year, then each year until the child turns 18. The hitch the first time around is that a social worker visit is required and the paperwork is due to the agency at 2 months, so it can reach Ethiopia by the 3 month due date. Hence, the social worker visit TODAY. Did I mention that we'll only have three hours advance notice of her arrival?? Yikes.

Not that I'm worried. Its just that our month-long adjustment period had kind of left our house (and yard) in a not-so-cleanly state. But after several long hours -- put in mostly by my wonderful hubby -- he's THE MAN! -- the house may actually be presentable. Now its my job to keep it that way until she shows up. No easy task, people!

If our house has been in a sorry state, the blog has really fallen behind. You'll notice I did finally take down our countdown ticker and update my ever-so-brief profile. Like many blog slackers, I've composed a number of great postings in my head at night, between feedings...but they never come to fruition once daylight hits and the chaos/children takes/take over.

Melat continues to be a happy little trooper -- even despite an ear infection and an antibiotic-requiring diaper rash. Its sort of an extended family joke that you can only tell when she's sad by looking at her face. If you see tears, she's sad, otherwise you'd never know because she just sort of whimpers when she's upset. We know she's hungry when she thrashes around and smacks her lips. We know she's tired when she smears her face on our shoulder. Other than that she loves to smile, roll around, and watch the exciting world that is our family.

We were able to have her dedicated -- along with like a dozen or more babies -- at our mass-baby-producing church on Mother's Day. She still loves to be vocal and so felt the need to try to out-speak our pastor. What a nut. Actually, she tries to do that every Sunday, so we spend a lot of time in the church lobby.


The following week was our second son's 4th birthday -- and Melat's sort of "coming out" to much of our extended family. We love how attached she has become to us...she will go to others, but Mommy and Daddy always have to be in her line of sight. That's a good thing! She had a blast interacting with all her cousins and other family members.

I'm sure there is a lot more to report, but that's going to have to do for now. We're coping well, but still working on controlled chaos as opposed to just chaos. I know I still have to post travel photos, but that's a process that requires much thinking, so its still going to have to wait. I miss all my travelling buddies...is a three month reunion a little too soon??