I attended my first IAFA meeting last night and boy am I glad I went. Not that I didn't think it would be beneficial, but it was more fun than I had hoped. I think all of the couples there (and yes, it was all couples) are adopting from China and are at various stages of the journey. Two couples had pictures of their soon to come home daughters - they were both so very cute and it was very touching to see their pictures, even though I had just met their parents that night. I think, in addition to the whole shared journey aspect of our experience, just the thought of how long these people have been waiting to be placed and then travel to bring their children home - like a couple of years at least - made me feel for them. I'm fortunate that the Ethiopian program is not as lengthy (watch, now that I've said that...). I was able to talk properly with a few couples last night and I look forward to seeing them in the future ("Hi folks, welcome to my blog!")
Apparently, at the first IAFA Calgary chapter meeting in November there were 3 couples adopting from Ethiopia. Hopefully I'll get to meet them at one of the upcoming events.
Tonight, I did a quick clean up for my next homestudy visit tomorrow. Liz left a message saying her report is going very well but we might need a third visit. That's ok by me.
Note to self: I need to add a post about how I came to choose Ethiopia. I've had a few people say they have been considering switching to Ethiopia and they've asked how I came to my decision. I realize it's important to me that I document my thought process for my own reasons as well as to share it with others and (let's call her) "Myfanwy" when she's old enough to hear about it.
Myfanwy, you ask??? And so you should! Maybe I'll explain later, but for now, suffice to say, it's all Franki's fault....
Most blogs use a pseudonym for their kid's name and it's easier than writing 'my daughter' all the time, although that's how I usually refer to her in conversation (also 'the kid,' 'the child,' and 'junior') I have a name or two already chosen for my daughter (NOT Myfanwy) but I won't make a final decision until I see her picture. Legend goes, my mom was going to name me Claire, took one look at me and saw I wasn't a Claire and called me Hazel instead. Lil' sis Claire suits her name quite nicely. I do too, unless you envision a stereotypical Hazel as an apron-wearing, black housekeeper (computers or homes - see Feb 1 post). Those who know me know that ain't me!
