The Search: Your Hat Collection

K

So this marks the beginning of the 7th week since we passed court. We are so praying we hear something from Embassy this week. Plus, they are open all 5 days this week.

I always start so hopeful at the beginning of the week and as it goes on, it fades. So tonight begins the "routine" that has developed since being submitted to Embassy. The Embassy opens at 7:30 am in Ethiopia, which is 10:30 pm here in Illinois. I go to bed around 10 pm with a prayer for their work day as they go through the files of orphans and interview people connected to them. I pray for you, the other children at Hannah's Hope, children waiting to be referred, birth families, the staff at HH, those waiting for referrals, and for those who have received a referral and are in a new stage of the waiting game. I check my email for the first time at 5:30 am here, which is 2:30 pm there. I pray again. When I get to school, around 7:35 am, I check again. It is around 4:35 pm in Ethiopia. The Embassy's offices closes at 5 pm, there is still time for something to happen, more prayer. This time I also pray for peace for your Dad and myself. I know it is slim, but I check again before lunch, miracles can happen in 25 minutes. I pray.

So before I tell you about your hat collection, I need to show you a picture of your dog, Joey Ramone. He got a hair cut on Friday and wanted to show you how dapper he looks. He goes into your room everyday and lies down. I like to think he knows you should be in there and is waiting for you.

So your Dad loves to wear baseball hats. He has a lot of them, all in different stages of cleanness. The first hat I ever recall him wearing was a red Yankees hat, backwards, as he sat outside of Watterson Towers, at ISU, waiting for your Grandparents to pick him up to meet your oldest cousin, on his side, for the first time. He wore that hat a lot during college. (You will never see him in anything associated with the Yankees.)

Last school year, I was in Indy shopping with Mademoiselle Sarah. While we were wondering the mall, I found your first hat. At the time, we didn't know if you would be a boy or a girl, but I fell in love with this hat for you. So this isn't the best picture, but it is a faux fur "fargo" hat. I am so hoping it fits you!!! I know you have a head that measures in the 90+ percentile for your age, but I think you will look super cute in this hat. Bonus: It will keep you warm. The wind can be pretty fierce here in Illinois, so a good winter hat is important.

Your second hat marked an important milestone in your collection. It was your first birthday present we received for you from someone else and it was your first baseball hat. I know this will be the first of MANY White Sox hats for you. (Your Dad has multiple as well.) It is also the first of many baseball style hats you will have, let alone a hat for a Chicago based team. You will have hats for the Bears, Blackhawks, and Bulls as well. You will have a hat for every Chicago team, but the one that is on the Northside of the city. Some of your family members might get you one, but you don't have to wear it. They are a 4 letter word. . .

Around this time your Dad began to get an idea. He wanted to get you an awesome coming home hat. We searched, we found one we liked at Von Maur, but didn't get it at the time. (Psst: Your Grammie bought this hat for you.) We love this hat! At the same time, we knew this wasn't the homecoming hat we were looking for. We do not want it to be crushed in the suitcase, which is a possibility. Plus, your Dad had other ideas. This hat is your "commissioner" hat. K, next hockey season, you are the commissioner of your Dad's fantasy hockey league. In this hat, you will get to control the draft, trades, and those other commissioner tasks.  

Another hat that has joined your collection. It was a possibility for a homecoming hat, but your Dad wanted something else. . . I do like the fact it is "wool-like."

When we met you in December, your Dad knew the type of hat he was wanting would be the perfect homecoming hat. It was just a matter of finding it. We began looking before leaving for the first trip, but didn't search too hard. Once we were back, the search began in earnest. We were searching for a scally cap for you. It was difficult. We looked in every store we went to, to no avail. Finally, we found one on Saturday. It isn't wool like we wanted, but it is a scally cap. I think you will look cute in it.

In other news, we celebrated your cousin J's 6th birthday today. It was at Chuck E. Cheese. Your Great Aunt Kim can't wait to take you there.

Love,
Mom

Please join us in praying for:
-KJ, our first referral.
-The amazing people at HH. The children waiting to come home and their caregivers.

-The G family. They joined us on our first trip and are on their way/there now to pick up their children.
-The C family. They joined us on our first trip and had the same court date. They are still waiting to be submitted to Embassy. Praying that Monday is their day.
-The families waiting to see their child(ren) for the first time, whether in person or the first picture.
-Our case at the Embassy and for other cases there as well. We also pray for those submitted to Nairobi and the families connected to all cases in this stage of waiting.
-Of course K. His well being and health at HH. We know he is in great care.