Adoption Party

We had the best adoption party last weekend thanks to Angie McDade for hosting the party for us! She did a great job and it was so much fun!! We had lots of family and friends come to celebrate Connor joining our family. I want to thank everybody that helped make this party a huge hit. Here are some pictures from the adoption party.

Mark and I were so surprise with all of the decorations!












Here is Connor's ultrasound:



This is so cool. The tree is for everyone that came to the party to leave their fingerprint. I framed it and put it in Connor's bedroom so he would know how much he is already loved.




It matches great in Connor's bedroom! I can't wait for him to be here!!!



Two new friends of mine Sallyanne and Ashley came in their ice cream truck to give out ice cream to all of the kids. So sweet.






All of the kids played on a slip-n-slide and had a blast!! What a great idea for the kids..



Here is our beautiful cake that a friend of Angie's made for the party. It was good too.






We just can't wait for Connor to join our family. We were so touched by how much our family and friends already love Connor. We thank you all for the gifts, food, donations, and for praying for us. We love all of you very much.



Soon there will be signs at the airport saying, "Welcome Home Connor"!! I just can't wait for that day to come!!



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Mother's Day weekend

Yesterday was Mother's Day. I was worried that I was going to be all sad since Connor still is not home with us yet, but God took care of my feelings. I am blessed to have a sweet little girl whom I cherish every minute that I am with her. She made my Mother's Day extremely special this year. Summer helped clean the house for me. She spent all day by my side (like any other day), but she made my day feel SO special.. She made me the most special Mother's Day card and a painted pot from school.







Here are a few pictures from our Mother's Day lunch at our house. My mom and sister came out to eat lunch with us. We all had a great time.




My sister bought me some basil and rosemary for my yard. I just love herbs. They make cooking so much better when they are fresh.




So I had a great Mother's Day! This will be my LAST Mother's Day without my sweet little boy. However, I did get a little Mother's Day present from BCS - he has his passport!! His picture is so cute on it. We are one step closer to becoming a family of four!! Not much longer!!

Please keep praying for us while we wait to travel for our Embassy appointment. We just can not wait!!!



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Moved?

Connor was moved on Monday to a new orphanage in Addis Ababa. He will be there until we go back on our Embassy trip. Really hoping that we will be back the first of June! We can't wait! I emailed them and asked how he did on the plane? The nanny that was with him said that he cried a lot and was uneasy. Once they got to the orphanage he wanted to be near the other kids. He was still a little upset by the time the nanny left. They said he was eating and sleeping good. That is a plus. I just pray that he will not be too scared. I don't know what is going on in his little head. It makes me sad that I can't be there to try to comfort him. I know God is watching over him for us until we can get there. I just hope is happens FAST!!!!

I found out today that he has a birth certificate now. They are working on getting his passport. Once they get this we can be submitted for an Embassy appointment. Maybe in a few weeks we will know when we are going back to Ethiopia.

Connor we are coming soon. We love you so much! We can't wait for you to join our family forever!!
We all want to hug, kiss and love on you! We want you to know how special you are to your birth family and to us. We will always pray for them and you will know where you came from. Hang on my sweet little boy- this will be the last month that you will be without us! WE LOVE YOU- mommy, daddy, big sister Sum!

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We passed Court Today

I went to work like another day and when I got off work there was an email from my agency saying that the letter was sent to the courts today and we passed! Our adoption date is April 19, 2012! I was so overjoyed that all I could do was cry. I just sat trying to take it all in and was just blown away. After waiting almost three years it is finally happening. I have another child! He is my son! I am so blessed to call Connor Equba McDade my son. Oh happy day!!

I asked my agency if I could post pictures of him on Facebook or on my blog - not until after Embassy. So I can't post any pictures yet. However, I don't think it will be too long before we go back! I am really hoping and praying for 2-3 months at the latest. It may be sooner, but I don't want to get my hopes up yet. There are still things we need to do before we travel again. My sister-n-law is throwing us an adoption party in May so that will be lots of fun!! We still need more baby things and a little more money to travel. We need for Summer to be out of school before we travel again. I hope it will be sometime in June so she will be out of school and I can take off work - we will be home bodies for a month to get him adjusted. Oh, I can't wait!!!

Please keep us in your prayers as we wait to get the rest of his paperwork done, passport, visa, and medical elevation. Then after the aunt goes for her interview - we will be on our way back to Ethiopia. This time we will be bringing our little guy home!! OH HAPPY DAY!!!!!



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Didn't pass court!

Well, we didn't pass court on April 17, 2012. The letter that they needed just wasn't there in time. So we wait. They are translating it today and hopefully will have it ready for court on April 26, 2012. It could be sooner! I am praying for sooner. The sooner we pass court, the sooner we can be on our Embassy trip to bring Connor home. I am so ready for that day to come. I am so ready to be a family of four!!!!

I received the sweetest video of Connor today playing with a little girl at his orphanage. They both were walking around trying to kick the balls. They both have been there for way too long! When we were there I was able to play with this little girl and take some pictures of her for her mommy. She is such a funny little girl. I can't wait to see her home with her forever family. Just like I can't wait to have Connor back in my arms again!!

Another family that was at the guesthouse with us took some pictures of Connor for us - which I can't post yet until we pass court. She also took a picture of us at the Golf Club as a family of three waiting for Connor to join us. We can't wait for that day to come!!




Please keep us in your prayers-that we will be able to stand the wait until we are able to go back to Ethiopia to bring our little boy home to his forever family!!!


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Our Ethiopian Trip

Mark, Summer, and I have been home for 5 days now trying to recover from jet lag. I have been trying to blog about our trip, but with being so tired Nd checking up with family it has been hard.

We all survived the long plane flights. I thought they would never end!! Summer did really good. She even tried to eat some of the food on the plane - which was not good! So glad we packed her tons of snacks to eat. We were digging in her bag by the time we landed in Addis.



When we landed in Addis we were so tired! After we got our money exchanged, travel visas, and found our luggage- we could not find our driver. Come to find out that we landed earlier than he thought. She we waited on him while people were coming up to us begging and wanting tips. Finally, we see him coming and he takes us to the guesthouse- Morning Coffee Guesthouse. Where we were greeted at the door by Mrs. Birtukan and her husband. I knew the minute we met them we were in a great place!




We were woken up early the next morning at 4:00 by a rooster. So we decided to get up and get dressed. They were picking us up early to go sightseeing and to a museum.



Then we went to lunch at Lucy's Restaurant and it was so good.




Then the next day we had to wake up around 4:30 to get ready to get on a plane that would take us to Mekele. That is where the orphanage our son is at. Mekele was different from Addis. There was not as many people and the driving was nice. It was a really neat place to visit. The orphanage staff were do nice to us and I could tell that they loved all the children there. They love our little boy. They didn't want him to cry at all. They all held him until he was comfortable around us. It took almost three hours for him to finally sit in my lap. Man, what an amazing time that was!! It wasn't long, but it melted my heart. I am more in love with our little boy than ever before. Here are a few that I put on Facebook.







We were able to stay at the orphanage until it was his nap time then we had to leave. It was so hard to leave, but we had to. Hopefully, we will be back soon to bring him home.

Then on Sunday we met two other families from our guesthouse that are adopting. Both families were on their Embassy trip. It was so nice to meet others while we were there. We all went to an International church service in Addis. The church service was great! We all then went out to lunch at the Golf Club. It was really nice.

Then on Monday Mark, Summer, and I had to go to court. We waited for almost two hours before the Judge even got there. Then when we were called back there - I knew something was wrong. We still didn't have the letter that we needed to pass court. The MOWA letter was there, but something was missing. So they rescheduled a new court date for April 17. Which is today. I don't think we will pass today either, but I will post either way.

The whole time in Ethiopia was a great experience. I am do glad we took Summer with us. She can not wait to go back to bring her little brother home. Keep praying for us as we wait again.

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Leaving Tomorrow For Ethiopia

Mark, Summer and I leave to tomorrow to head to Ethiopia!! We are so excited, nervous and full of joy!!! I just might not sleep a wink tonight. I just can not wait to see, hold, and love on my little boy!! It will be so amazing. It has been a long 2 year wait and it is finally about to come true.

We will not get to see him until Friday April 6! We will fly to Mekele where is orphanage is at. We will spend the whole day in Mekele, but not the whole day with our son. We will see him, then get some lunch, go to some museums, and back to see him one last time. That will be so sad to say good bye to him and then have to wait for 2 or 3 months to go back for him. It will be sad for our daughter too who is going to "meet" her little brother. She will not want to leave him there, but we have no choice. He is loved by his nannies. They are taking great care of him. I just want him home with us- so we can be a family for four soon.

We will go sightseeing, and going to the market while we are there. I really don't know what days we are doing what. I hope I can post while we are there. So we will see.

Then on Monday April 9 is our court date!!! Please everyone pray that we will pass while we are in Ethiopia!! This would help us out so much. It would make it easier for us to go back to our son. Then if we do pass I can post pictures of us being a family of four!!!! I so want to show everyone his precious face..

I love our little boy so much!! I am so thankful that the Lord is blessing us with another child. I am so thankful that He has allowed for us to adopt!! I am thankful that we are able to take our daughter with us on both trips. I am thankful that we are about to meet our son. God is so good!!!

Please keep praying for us.

1 Samuel 1:27 " I have prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I have asked for"




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Birthday Weekend

This past weekend was my 38 birthday. I cant believe that I am about to be 40 in a couple of years. There is nothing wrong with getting older - it has just flown by! i still like to do my workout everyday and to play with Summer. We are about to go meet our little boy in a few days. Life is so good!

Mark, Summer, Kathza, and I went to my mom's house for my birthday lunch. We had Papa John's Pizza and it was so good. We have not had that since we moved out to Somerville - like 3 years. They gave me some money so I can buy me some Ethiopian souvenirs while we are there.

Here are a few pictures of our day at my mom's house. We had a lot of fun!

So we had a great day. I am so glad that I have my mom and sister in my life! We do not have a big family but we will do anything for each other. I am so glad that they are so supportive of Mark and I adopting our little boy from Ethiopia. It means so much to me to have them so interested in our adoption journey. They both are so glad we are about to go and finally see him and hold him. We also have Mark's parents who are supporting us as well. I have a great father-n-law who I look up to and I consider him like my dad. He is what a dad should really be like. Mark's whole side of the family is very supportive of us adopting. It helps when you have one member that is not.

Sometimes, I wish my dad was on board with our adoption. Sometimes, I wish he would just try to be supportive and call us. I have not really talked to my dad in almost 10 months. I spoke to him briefly on Christmas morning, but that did not go well. And on my birthday I was really hoping he would call me. He never did. I do not know if he knows we are about to go across the world to meet his grandson - who he wants no part with just because he is black. It makes me sad to know that my dad wants to have nothing to do with us because we are adopting a child from Ethiopia. Just sad... However, I am getting use to the fact that he might never come around. I am getting to the point where he might have waited to late to come around. I really do not have a dad anymore and that is what is sad - because he lives only 20 minutes away from me... All I can do is pray for him that he might change....

I did have a GREAT birthday no matter what because we got to get tickets to go to Ethiopia!! What more can a girl ask for???? To pass court while we are there, super fast Embassy clearence so we can go bring him home SOON!!!!!!!!

Email I wrote to Hope

Here is the email that I wrote to Hope Church about the sermon series I Quit. Hope sent out an email asking for people to write about something that you have quit during this sermon. So I wrote this email. Mainly to get it off my chest and to let God have all my worries. I did not ever think they would pick mine to read to the whole church. mine was one of the four that they read. They cut it in half, but it was cool to hear it. Mark was sitting by me and said, " sounds like another couple." I looked at him and said, " it is us!" Then I started to cry once it was talking about us getting the "call". I took it as a sign that God was with us and He would not leave us during this journey.


Our names are Shannon and Mark McDade. We have a biological daughter named Summer who is seven years old. I felt like God was calling me to adopt. I went and told my husband Mark about this and he thought I was crazy. I mean when you sit down and look at how much it cost to adopt international, and all the training you have to do. It was a lot for him to take in, but he eventually was on board. We started the adoption process in June 29,2009 with the country of Taiwan, but after a year of waiting we realized that it was going to be a longer wait than we wanted. Now our daughter was getting older and I thought that we needed another child quickly. Mark and I talked to our agency and we decided to switch countries to Ethiopia in 2010. Our social worker said it might be quicker to adopt from Ethiopia - so we thought too. Then right after we got our dossier over there in Ethiopia the slow down began again!! The government came across some cases that the children were stolen from their birth families. So they shut down some orphanages and we were getting so nervous about the switch we made, but I knew it was the right path to be on. There were days where I would ask God "why is it taking so long for us to be blessed with another child?" I was getting to the point that I thought we would never get "the call" - "the call" that I wanted more than anything at this time. It was really hard to see other people that I knew having a baby or getting "the call" from their adoption agencies. We had other stresses on top of the not knowing when or if we would get the call. One of the stresses that I have to deal with is my dad being against this adoption since we were adopting an African American child. He has not talked to me, my husband, or his granddaughter in over eight months. So this hit me really hard. However, I feel like God wants us to adopt and that is what we were going to do even if it meant it would take a while and certain people were against us. We waited for eight months then we received a referral of a 13 month old little boy in October 26, 2011!! What a happy day that was when the phone rang and our social worker said, "there is a 13 month old boy needing a home." Then we were waiting again... We have been waiting for three months on a court date so we can meet our little boy. During this time Hope started doing the series on I Quit. It was like God was talking to me especially on the sermon about Quit Complaining!! That my blessings out weight my bruises, not letting other people dampen my gratitude, remembering God is faithful and won't give us more than we can shoulder! Man that hit me hard.. So I left that day from Hope thinking differently about our adoption. I gave it all to God on that day and told Him to lead us where He wants us to go. If we have to wait a little longer before we hold our precious boy I can handle that, because I know that God is holding and loving on him while He prepares our family for the blessings yet to come!!

Thanks,
Shannon, Mark and
Summer McDade


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Court Date

Mark and I have been waiting on a court date for some time now. Well, on Monday, March 5, 2012 we found out that the birth family had their court date and now the judge could schedule us a court date. This is what we have been waiting on for four months. Our court date is going to be on April 9, 2012!!! We are so excited about this news. As you can see this happened three days ago and I am just now getting to blog it- mostly because I forgot with being on cloud nine for three days!!! We will be leaving on April 3 and returning on April 10.

We will be spending Easter in Ethiopia this year. It is funny how things work out around Easter for us. Mark and I found out that we were pregnant with Summer on Easter six years ago. Then two years ago when we started this adoption journey our yellow lab named Sassi started to get sick. It was on Easter weekend when she finally got so sick that she died. She was only two years old and had cancer. However, before she died we decided to get us another lab to help Summer and I cope with her dying. So two weeks before Easter we found this five month old yellow lab named Lilly (Easter Lilly). We thought the name was a sign to get her. So we did and kept her name. Two weeks after we brought Lilly home Sassi died. Before Sassi died she helped us train Lilly. Sassi was a great dog and we miss her everyday. This is going to be a great Easter!!

I have finally got our flights taken care of. Now waiting to see if we get the guesthouse that we want to stay in. I have heard so many good things about the Morning Coffee Guesthouse. I cant wait to go. Just think in 29 days I will be holding my son for the first time!!! Oh, how I have waited for this day to come. Oh, how much I have prayed for us and for him. Please to continue to pray for us while we get ready to travel. Please pray for our son to not be too freaked out when he sees us and that he will open up to us. Please pray for Summer that she will have an amazing experience in another country and with her little brother.

1 Samuel 1:27 " I have prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked for"

One Step Closer!

Mark and I received an email from our Ethiopian Team today letting us know that the guardianship letter for the aunt was granted!! We are so excited about this! The birth family has a court date on March 5, 2012. We were suppose to be issued a court date also, but the Judge overlooked us- so we will have to wait until the court reopens at the end of February. So we should know then when our court date is. Mark and I really hope it will be during Summer's spring break. She will be traveling with us. I do not want her to miss much school, but I believe that her going with us will be a great experience for her.

Please keep us, Connor, and his birth family in your prayers. Please pray that we will be patient while we wait to go meet our little boy!!
Romans 8:25- " But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."
We are one step closer.....



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Waiting Is Not Fun

Mark and I have been on a roller coaster ride of our lives for over the past two years. Yes, this roller coaster ride is called adoption. I am so glad we decided to get on this certain ride, but just wish it would soon end so we could get off of it! Sometimes, I wish the ride could be smoother and quicker instead of bumpy and LONG. There are so many ups and downs that it would make your head spin or just make you throw up. Today was one of those days where you think you are going to like part of this ride then you realize that something is around the corner that makes it so much harder-the uncertainty of adoption.

Mark and I received our referral on October 26, 2010 of a little 13 month old boy. We are so blessed to have pictures of him and even some videos. We get updates on our little boy once a month. I am so happy that we do get these, but I want him home. We have been submitted to court, but still no court date as of today. Our agency is trying to get a certain letter that would help us get a court date. Who really knows when this will happen? I was told last week that they thought they were getting the letter from the Judge. Not yet!! It has been three months since our referral and still no court date. Why does it have to be so hard for everybody to get their crap done so these kids can get adopted? Now our little boy is 16 months old and is growing everyday without us. I pray that we will soon get to "meet" our little boy. I love him so much that it makes my heart hurt to not have him with us, but one day he will be and we will be off this ride!!

I think the hardest thing about this ride of adoption is the unknown. The not knowing is so hard for someone like me who likes to have everything mapped or planned out ahead of time. I am so a schedule person. I freak out when we get off this schedule. So maybe adoption is harder for me than someone else who is going through it, but I don't think so. I think we all have certain expectations about how this roller coaster ride should be. Some people might like the bumpy parts and that may help to mold them into something they would not be if it wasn't for the rough parts. Then there are others who get a smooth ride with a quick finish and they look back on it and decide to do it all again. No matter what type of person you are adoption is one of the craziest roller coaster rides out there!!!!