The Haps

Hi everyone! Sorry I have been non-existant lately, I really don't have any good excuses...stuff has been going on, but I just haven't gotten to the computer for some reason. Facebook! UGH! It has become my go-to when I get in the office chair...and is such a distraction.

The biggest news: WE HAVE A COURT DATE!! Yay :-) July 2nd is our big day, and hopefully we'll know that same afternoon if we made it through or not. Please say a prayer for us that we'll pass on our first attempt - our agency has warned us that only about 50% of families are getting through on their first try. We are prayin it up, though, so believe with us!!

Also, we got an Eli update recently with pictures and a dvd. AND, we talked to the family who I posted about previously that actually got to hold him and love on him while they were in Ethiopia picking up their new daughter. Eli is doing well - looking cute and healthy. The family said that the orphanage that he was in (which was basically someone's home) just moved into a new facility...it's nothing fancy or extravagant, but it is clean and they are really taking care of the children. I'm so glad!!

If we pass court, no when we pass court on July 2nd, we're hoping to travel in mid-August. We haven't started getting his room ready, but we will once court is done...we are just lazy since the house is on the market (oh! for those of you who don't know, we put our house on the market 'cause we thought that would be something fun to add into the new baby/adoption mix). We have started accumulating some stuff in the garage, it's just not in the room yet. Also, I'm afraid of having to find another storage space for all our stuff so he can actually have a clothes closet.

On another note, DJ and I have been married for 5 whole years now. Sheesh!! Can't believe it's been so long. We've officially been married longer than we dated :-) We celebrated by going to a drive-in movie (so fun!) when we were in GA with the fam.

Maci news:

• at our 6 month check up (2 weeks ago), she was in the 90th percentille for height and weight
  
• she is wearing stage 3 diapers...and we're thinking about going up
• she is CRAWLING!! as of this weekend, she's on the move.
  
• she is really enjoying her solids and has developed the necessary skill to keep most of it in her mouth.
• she can roll from her back to her stomach and her stomach to her back, and learned to sit up from a lying position forever ago, even before she could roll both ways.
• she has decided that life is way more fun when she's entertained and screams at me when i leave the room. really, i don't know what i did wrong, but my adorable baby is spoiled. i have tried letting her scream for 15+ minutes before i acknowledge her, but i think she really just needs a little mommy break. dj and i are both working this friday and my mom is watching her, so i'm intersted to see if it makes any difference. we spend a lot of time together and she's just so cute i can't seem to get enough. i need mommy lessons! help!
  
• she giggles when i kiss her upper arms
• she giggles when i change her poopy diaper and say "pee-yew"
• she is determined to get to every remote control/cell phone on the planet.
• she is sleeping like a champ. she goes to bed at 6:30 or 7 and sleeps until 6:45ish the next morning. well, i don't really know when she wakes up, she's always playing and talking to herself when i go to get her... naps have been a little rough the last couple of days, but usually she does really well with those, too.
• she thinks sippy cups are chew toys and prefers to drink from a straw 'cause that's how mommy does it.
  
• she loves to play with hair. maybe it's envy.
• i think her first word is going to be "hi" or "CaliNO!"

i will really, really try to post pics soon!! sorry. i'm tired. good night! :-)