Happy Monday

January 28, 2008 / Dawn Kasal-Finley / 2 Comments

Well, my primary is coming up fast. It is a week from tomorrow. We are part of the Super Tuesday spectacle and I am still trying to decide who I am going to vote for. I like Obama–even though he is less experienced than other candidates–because I am hopefully that his inexperience leaves him less suceptible to the “I scratched your back now you scratch mine” treadmill that truly mars our political system. I like Hillary for many more reasons, but I also am turned off by the personal issues that seem to be rearing their ugly head in her relationship with Obama. And let’s be honest, at this point Bill is doing her more harm than good–he is too big of a player in this process. I really like Edwards too. I just don’t know. Oh well, I have a week to figure it out.

The “ine kin” (Lion King)is currently ruler of our house. I read the book 8 or 9 times then we watch the movie…then I read the book and then we watch the movie…then I read the book and then we watch the movie…You get my drift. Minnow doesn’t have the patience to wati for me to read all of the words on the page, so I make up my own story to go with the pictures and we sing the songs–okay I sing them but to amuse myself. Because as much as I love my son and love reading to him there is only so much Lion King I can take. We all have our limits.

We leave for San Diego in 15 days and I cannot wait. It will be so much fun. Fun. Fun. Fun.

Dogs, Beads and Big Bird

January 27, 2008 / Dawn Kasal-Finley / 2 Comments

What a fun-filled, action-packed day Minnow and I had today. The festivites started with Minnow waking up at 4:45 am ready to go for the day…well at least ready to go until 6:30am when he fell fast asleep in the middle of playing with his legos. This is the weekend before the big Mardi Gras celebration in our city and the weekend before the Mardi Gras weekend is the Mardi Gras dog parade. Yes, I did say dog parade. Upwards of 8000 dogs attend with their owners and then there are thousand more of us watching the dogs prance around in their costumes (yes the dogs dress up) and watch the wiener dog derby. People throw beads and drink and reveal in a pre-Mardi Gras warm up. Minnow had a blast and it wasn’t long before he was screaming for beads and clapping for the dogs and handing our high fives.

He was tuckered out after all of his Mardi Gras Partying and needed to be rested for Sesame Street Live.

Minnow had an absolute blast and now Mommy is tired and wants to go to bed. Childhood is awesome and being a parent is even better.

A Meeting Long In The Making

January 25, 2008 / Dawn Kasal-Finley / 9 Comments

It has been called WANNAFEST 2008. I think that name is perfect. I may even have a t-shirt made. Okay probably not but it is still an awesome event. There are a few of us who have been wanting to get together and meet for a very long time. We met via our adoption agencies message board and got to know each other closely through our blogs and our adoptions that happened relatively at the same time. MP loved on little Minnow for me when she went to Wanna to pick up her little Teeny. I remember holding little Hayat and telling her that her mommy and daddy were coming soon. She was such a sweet little baby and is now a sassy little toddler and still ever so sweet. Our children have a shared beginning of life. We as their parents have a shared beginning as their parents. We are finally meeting up as families. Our children will meet each other as toddlers, while they last saw each other as little infants.

We are making a trek to San Diego in a few weeks (less than 3 to be exact). I have to laugh because we have been talking about wanting to do this for over a year now and we finally decided to do this and planned it in two days…I think the cold has been a factor in our swift decision making. It has been in the single digits and teens here and for MP it has been a hell of a lot colder. I am a spontaneous traveller. I don’t like long range planning and this trip is perfect.

I am so excited to finally meet the women behind the blogs and the women who really helped me through the adoption wait for referral. I am excited to meet their amazing children and to forge lasting bonds for our children. I look forward to WANNAFEST every year.

See you all soon.

The Waiting Game

January 24, 2008 / Dawn Kasal-Finley / 7 Comments

Sorry for my last criptic post. I realize I haven’t written much about our current adoption. During our first adoption nearly every post was about waiting and the torture that waiting inflicted on me and my sanity. I haven’t written much about the waiting at all this time. So, for those of you wondering we have officially been waiting for 7 months and 5 days or 31 weeks and 2 days for our referral of a baby girl. I know that we are third on the list for a baby girl. Knowing that really only makes it harder. Because it really could happen any day (in theory). In reality, I know it won’t happen this week, as our agencies director is out of town for the rest of the week and not back until Tuesay. I also know that there are more babies to be referred in the coming weeks as the files of babies are completed. This does not mean our referral in imminent as I have no idea about the gender numbers of the babies waiting.

Waiting is hard and it gets harder the closer you get. That certainly sucks as we are about as close as we can be without getting a referral and without being next. I am hoping for a referral by the end of February–which would put me travelling sometime in June–possibly in May but most likely June. I really want to know who our daughter is. I am one of those people who find the wait after referral a little easier than the wait for a referral. There is so much to do before she comes home–but I cannot begin to work on her room, etc until I know who she is.

There has been much turmoil in the adoption world as of late. If you are adopting from Ethiopia and are on the message boards you know what I am referring to. Because of this, I am so very happy that we are working with the agency we are. They are an amazing agency who are very aware of the ins and outs of the Ethiopian adoption process and they are very respected in Ethiopia for the work that they do. I feel very lucky, even if my wait is longer than those with newer agencies, but that wait is worth it to know that my adoption agency is very much above reproach.

I have decided how I am going to paint our daughter’s room and the bed linens that I am going to use. But I can’t buy them or start to paint until I see her face. Until I know her name. Until I know how old she is, etc.

In the meantime to pass the agonizing waiting game, I am of course keeping busy teaching and helping plan a meetup with some of Minnow”s Wanna-mates (kiddos who were at wanna at the same time that he was) and their mommies and daddies. We are going to meet up in So Cal sometime soon. It will be great to finally meet everyone IRL.

Sorry for the long update. But, yes I am still waiting. But I am lucky to have my little Minnow to entertain me.