Bearing Witness Art show!!!

I am sooo excited!  My piece from "Message from Swaziland" called "Do Not Turn Away" has been selected to show in Chicago's ARC Gallery show Bearing Witness:  Art As Social Action

What an honor...and really it is a dream come true to show in a gallery like this.  It just goes to show anything is possible if you open yourself up to the possibility!  I am over the mooooon!! There are 18 artists total and I am so excited to see their works and the issues that they are bearing witness to. 

I am so happy this piece was selected.  It is one of the most powerful pieces in the series and very meaningful to me.  She was the first mother I encountered in Swaziland and her eyes said to me "Do you see me, do you see this child?  Do you see what is happening here? Do not turn away from what you see here".  I do see and won't turn away.  And now more people will see!

One year and waiting...

One year and waiting for our sweet girl.  It has actually been longer, but it is "officially" one year since we were added to the "list" at the adoption agency.  So many feelings and thoughts are going through my mind..."I know she is out there",  "She must be born",  "What is her first family going through?",  "Is she being cared for and loved?", "Is someone giving her everything she needs?"...and the list goes on.  Many unanswered questions.  My heart always feels heavy in knowing that our daughter and her birth family will have to go through a great loss in order for us to be united with our sweet girl.  It goes without saying...but I feel it should be said and acknowledged.  Our specialist at the agency has given us a heads up that we could get the call anytime between now and the next month and a half.  With that whenever the phone rings I think it could be CHSFS calling with our referral.  I am trying to stay busy and distract myself, but that is also in conflict with my desire to be connected to this process...the good and bad.  So, I am in the middle of that, some days I do better with distracting and other days I do better with connecting.  The phone just rang...Margo...not CHSFS.  See?!  It stops me in my tracks.  ;)  

I took this photo of my beloved orchids that Andy brought home as a surprise for me...likely to bring me joy while we continue to wait for our sweet girl.

Skiing Steamboat!

Wow....what a week in Steamboat!  Amazing scenery and 60 degree weather!  Ski lessons for myself and Nana.  Ski school for Judson and Drew ALL week!  Jack even went to his own "school"aka childcare for 3 days and had his own fun so Mommy and Daddy could be out skiing. We have been swimming outside in the warm outdoor pool and enjoying our hot tub! To top it off Nana and Pops flew out to be with us which was great!  

 March 17th was St. Patrick's Day so we went next door to Aunt Julie's condo to watch the torch light parade and fireworks on the mountain!  This day also marked our 11 month of waiting for our sweet girl!  We are getting closer...I think the fireworks were a great sign of things to come in the next month!  We know we are getting closer and closer to her referral!!

Beautiful Baby Max

I am a very proud God-mother to Sweet Baby Max....... today I was able to capture him in all his beautiful sweetness.  

 Max is just beautiful! Don't Marcie and Dan make the prettiest babies! 

 These sweet photos are with Lily and Charlie just hours after Max was born at the hospital.

Marching forward...March 1st

 March madness....well, it has been busy here at the Rikkers and March will be no different!  Andy has been taken away from us so much with his partner out of town and the volume of surgery suddenly increased.  We have hardly seen him and that always feels very frustrating to me.  The kids miss him.

Last night we actually had some time together in the car and at a wonderful Ethiopian dinner in Madison.  We went there to meet other Ethiopian ado

ptive parents in the Madison area.  Some parents are waiting, some completing their homestudy, others have had their children home for years and others have their referral and are traveling this spring!  It was very interesting to meet these wonderful people and hear their stories knowing we all have a wonderful commonality in all of our families.  I hope to continue connecting to these families and develop relationships with them for ourselves and our daughter.  It is going to be so great for all of our kids to see families like ours!  

We took an overnight trip to Chicago leaving after school early release on Thursday and came home Friday afternoon.  The kids were so excited to be in

 the big city, and I have to admit I was to.  I just love Chicago!  We stayed on the 24th floor of a Residence Inn...we had a great suite with 2 bedrooms, kitchen and living area...for a great price too!  And of course, the highlight was the pool on the top )27th) floor!  The boys had such fun exerting all their energy.  I even got in the chilly pool!  Jack was so cute jumping off the side of the pool to me.  He was all smiles and giggles!  Then Margo came over and we went back to her yoga studio.  The kids loved the open space and used the yoga blocks to build towers, which of course were knocked over.  Jack went crazy for the train zipping by in the window and would say "Choo Choo coming"...then he shortened it to  "Choo coming".  He repeated this constantly the rest of our visit and even upon returning home!   We attempted to set them up with a video in her back living space so I could participate in the 7:30 yoga class.  But within

 a minute Jack was crying at the door and he wouldn't let me leave him.  He was tired and a little afraid of the thunderstorm that was brewing.  Andy arrived about a half hour later to relieve me and I got about 15 minutes of yoga with Margo in.  I will take what I can get!  The next morning after swimming and breakfast we were off to the Shedd aquari

um.  I love being around the sea life as much, if not more, than the kids!  It was chaotic there to say the least with some construction, a busy no school day and with Jack who was not fully rested.  Ugh.  Well, we will try again some other day and hopefully it won't be so crazy.

We enjoyed our trip to Chicago and are so glad it is such a close trip to the big city and to see Margo, who is a member of the family!

Here are some photos of basketball.  Drew was a little nervous last weekend, but this Saturday got right in there.  He did a great job with all the drills and seemed to be having so much fun!  He even got his first basket!  What a thrill!  Drew starts at 8:30 and then Juddy is at 10:30, so it is along morning keeping Jack happy.  It is fun to see how much the kids motor skills change in the two year age difference between their groups.  Juddy is having a blast and really seems invested in  learning his skills and playing b-ball!  So, that is March 1st...here at the Rikkers!

10 months waiting for our sweet girl....

These flowers have brightened our home and today I am dedicating them to our sweet girl.  We have now been on the waiting list 10 months!  This period is winding down and hopefully in a couple months I can write that we have a referral and know who our sweetie is.  But for now I know she is out there somewhere...whether she is born or not can't be known, but she is definitely out there and on our journey to us, just as we are on our journey to her.  I am also thinking of her birth family and what they might be feeling.  My heart is heavy for whatever they are going through that will bring our daughter to us.  Their loss and grief will be our gift and joy.  It is difficult to reconcile, but it is my hope that they have hope for her and that is what brings them to this decision.

In the meantime, I will continue to nest...her room is half painted and will soon be all "cotton candy" pink!  Painting her room and creating the space that we will bring her home to makes it all feel more real than ever.  We reman stagnant on her name.  I have my favorites and Andy hasn't really been able to determine a favorite yet .  I shouldn't be surprised as it wasn't any different with the boys.  Once they were born, Andy was really able to be present in the naming process.  I think he needs to be able to place the name with the child and has difficulty with that any sooner.  So, I suspect that while I love the fun of discussing names that we won't really be able to narrow it down until we see our daughter's photo.  For now I love Elodie, Olivia, Ruby. 

I think her given name in Ethiopia will likely be her middle name.  I can't imagine taking that away from her, especially if her mother named her.  I feels so important to me to carry that with her.    More to come in that department as well.  ;)

That is today... February 17th., 2009.

3!

These three beautiful candles represents the wonderful number of 3...  Marcie is expecting her #3 very, very soon.   We just celebrated with a shower where these candles light the dining room.  This little baby boy is so very loved long before he has arrived.  I wish every child had the love and nurturing surrounding them just like this little one does...the world would be nearly perfect then!

Below are my three sons... silly Jack that can't get enough of his nuk!  Judson at his first Blue and Gold Boy Scout ceremony with his pine wood derby trophy in hand.  And Drew snuggling with Jack on the couch.  

Life here is messy, noisy, full of giggles and love...