Shopping.....getting ready......

Aren't these just the cutest sandles?!?!?!?! Ordered them from Lands End. Have you ever tried to shop for sandles in the Fall? LOL. I suggest to anyone going over to adopt in Ghana in the winter to buy sandles now at Lands End (under $10) as it will be hot when we get over there....

Aren't these sneakers too cute ~ they match the jacket we picked up too :-) It's really fall here now in the Bay Area!!! It has been really warm, but now we've got to fall. I love this time of year, the leaves are falling, the nights are chili, it's perfect time to cuddle up on the sofa, watch a movie, with the fire on and a blanket........ Only thing missing from that is our son. Hopefully he'll be home before we know it......

There are so many more items in the closet.....but we'll save that for later updates. His closet if full.....dresser drawers are full.......... Brody is going to be thrilled with everything waiting for him.

Truth be told, some Christmas shopping has also started! LOL ~ can you believe it, Christmas. I just bought a few toys for him, but we'll wait to see what he asks Santa for!

Have a great night everyone!!!

The Dream......

I'm holding on to a dream....I've shared this dream with Monica already (Monica is adopting two children that are in the Foster Home with Brody).
The dream...
It's December 22nd, we are flying to NY, JFK airport from San Francisco. When we land at JFK we race to our next gate in the International Terminal......Flight departing to Accra, Ghana. As we sit impatiently at the gate, Monica & James show up...... the four of us sit there so gitty about flying to Accra to meet our kids.
We land in Accra on December 23rd, late at night. My oh my is that a long flight.
On December 24th, we are picked up by Edward at our hotel, we drive for about 20 minutes to the home that our children have been patiently waiting for us for 2 months. We play in the yard, have a picnic and then it's time. Time for them to say good-bye to their foster parents, foster brothers & sisters....... time for them to go with us, their Mommy & Daddy..........
We drive back to the hotel, and arrange for Christmas Eve dinner by the pool (okay Christmas at 90 degrees - pretty crazy). The 7 of us enjoy our meal, and desserts, and then it's time for the kids to race to bed. They have never celebrated Christmas........ and all night we told stories of Santa, stories about our childhood, and how we couldn't sleep because Santa was coming the next morning...... But I think the kids were so mentally exhausted they fell right to sleep. Santa sure did come :-) and when Brody woke up he was in AHHHHH!!!!! we spent that morning just the 3 of us opening gifts, and just showing him how much he was loved......
Christmas we spent in the pool!!! And then we had Christmas dinner.
The next day was the day we've all really been anticipating.
The US Embassy in Accra, Ghana opens at 8am. So we planned on getting there early so we could try our hardest to get everything done that we needed to...... we were not in and out, but we were granted our Visa for Brody to come to the US on an IR4. We spent the 27th shopping in town for memorabilia for Brody to have as he get's older. Articles of clothing, and art..... we enjoyed the day just being together. On the 28th we took a day trip out to the Castles to see them, and get a sense of the history of Ghana.
On December 29th we all went to the airport, it was an adventure for Brody....he'd never been to the airport, or a plane for that matter. It was a bit nerve racking for him, but he just held our hands tight, and we got on the plane. He sat in the middle seat, but stretched across me to see outside..... take off was a sensation he'd never felt before......and he was not thrilled with it. As soon as we leveled off, out came the coloring books, those amused him for about 30 minutes. So the big treat came out. The DVD player, he watched "It's a Bugs Life" and LOVED it. About 3 hours into the flight he was so tired with all the excitement he fell asleep........

And then I woke up......

Okay so what a great dream huh?
That dream I'm still holding on to. As you know Brody moved to Foster Care on Friday. Daniel (attorney) should be going to court this week........ and our Adoption should be Final in Ghana.
That means we just need to work really hard on our side to get the US Embassy to approve the Visa for him to come home, sooner rather than later.

Please keep us in your thoughts, and fingers crossed that our dream comes true!!!!

Cheers ~
Julz
Mommy waiting for Brody to come home from Ghana

The MOVE!!!

HI All,
Just wanted to let everyone know that today was a big day in Brody's life!! He was moved out of the orphanage this morning 10 AM his time (2AM our time) ~ according to Edward, he was very HAPPY!!!! We sent photos the other night to Lois (LVI) and she sent them to Edward. Edward is going to show them to Brody this weekend when he goes to check on them again. Edward unfortunately does not have a digital camera, but I believe that he is being sent one very soon so we can get photo updates!!!
So what's Brody been told?
We aren't sure yet, we should have an update on what he's been told as of right now. The photo's that they will show him are of Scott & I, of course the puggies, his room and his toy box :-)
We are just delighted lately with the updates......we hope they keep coming in........

No update yet on when Daniel (attorney) is going to High Court, but we should hear soon!!

Love always,
Julz, Scott, Brody & Puggies (Butch & Bella ruff)
XOXO

Finally an Update!!!

Hi All,
We finally have an update. Lois (from LVI) called us last night to let us know that it's official, Brody is moving today (probably already) into a families house with two of the other kids that are being adopted by another family in WA. They will also be enrolled to start school, and yes it's an English speaking school. That is such great news. We are hoping we are still on schedule to have our attorney go to court at the end of the month.
If we can go to court and have a ruling that same day I am very confident that our little one will be home for the Holidays. That is such great news too us!!!!
It was such a relief to have all of these questions answered last night. If you've been keeping up Brody was apparently being moved from the orphanage almost 3 weeks ago.....and then we heard nothing........ and nothing...... so we had no idea where he was......but he's safe, and never left the orphanage, until today.
We are hoping that our contact Edward in Ghana will be able to provide us updates, as the family is just down the road from him.
We'll keep you all posted as to the news.......

Thank you all for your support! It means the world to us!!

Love always,
Julz, Scott & Brody

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No News Good News?!?!?!?!

Hi All,
Well we don't really have much of an update!!! Lois (LVI) is traveling this week so I don't think we'll have much news until after the 23rd.
We are sure that everything is going according to plan, Brody should be having his medical exam completed by the end of the month we believe.
So as we've said before we are just waiting!!!
If things go according to plan we should be a family of 3 (or 5 including puggies) by the end of the year!!!!

Sorry we don't have much to post.

Love always,
Julz, Scott & Brody

History Lesson

I've realized that a lot of our friends and family may not know a lot about Ghana. I was asked the other day if when we go we'll try and go on a safari. Truth is, Ghana is in West Africa, no safari's there. Safari's are in East Africa mainly.
So here is everyone's first history lesson!!! LOL.

Fun Facts about Ghana

Full Name: Republic of Ghana (conventional long form: Republic of Ghana;
conventional short form: Ghana; former: Gold Coast)
Capital City: accrue
Area: 92,100 sq miles
Population:19,700,000
Languages: English (official), Ewe (other), GA (other), TWA (other)
Religion: Christian (60%), Muslim (15%), traditional African religions (25%)
Currency: cede (C)
Climate: tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in the north.
Terrain: mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
Independence: 6 March 1957 (from the UK)
Flag description: Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band.
Weather OverviewThe refreshing Gulf of Guinea breezes keep the coast a bit cooler than in the north with year- round high 20°C (low 70°F) temperatures the norm. Unless the slightly wetter months of May and June deter you, any time of the year is a good time to visit. In Northern Ghana, May to October sees the most rainfall while the other months have plenty of sun and high 30°C (high 90°F) days to cook under.
Government Type: parliamentary democracy
Government Leaders
John Agyekum Kufuor ~President (head of state and government)

Pre 20th Century History
Evidence of settlements along the Ghanaian coast dates back some 40,000 years, but it wasn't until the late 15th century, with the arrival of the Portuguese, that a written history of the area came into being. The Portuguese came in search of gold, which they found in abundance adorning the powerful Ashanti kings of the Akan people. The Portuguese soon began construction of several forts along what came to be known as the Gold Coast, where their plundered gold was shipped back to Europe as ingots. The real money, however, turned out to be in the slave trade, and the Portuguese traders' fortunes attracted the Dutch, British and Danes in the late 16th century. During the next 250 years, all four nations competed fiercely to control the trade, building forts and capturing those of rivals. The average yearly 'take' in slaves was 10,000, and by the 19th century, when the slave trade was outlawed, there were 76 forts dotting the coast, an average of one every 6km (4mi).

After the demise of slavery, the British took over the forts to use as customs posts, signing treaties with many of the local chiefs. The Ashanti profited handsomely from the arrangements, and their capital, Kumasi, began to take on all the trappings of a European city. The British grew increasingly uneasy with the tribe's wealth and influence, and when in 1873 the Ashanti refused to give up Kumasi, the British sacked the city and declared the Gold Coast a crown colony. Violent Ashanti resistance continued until 1900, when the tribe attacked the British fort at Kumasi, losing the battle but almost entirely destroying the city in the process.

Modern History
The British set out to make the Gold Coast a showcase African nation, allowing few Europeans to settle or even be employed there. Cocoa exports became the backbone of the economy, followed by gold, timber, manganese, bauxite and diamonds. By WWI, the Gold Coast was the most prosperous colony in Africa, with the best schools and civil service, a cadre of enlightened lawyers and a thriving press. Still, anti-British sentiments ran deep.

In the late 1920s, a number of political parties dedicated to regaining African independence began to emerge. In 1947, Kwame Nkrumah, the American-educated secretary general of the country's leading party, broke away from the group to form the Convention People's Party (CPP), aimed at the common person and pushing the slogan 'Self Government Now'. The CPP was an overnight sensation, and in 1949 Nkrumah brought the country to a halt by calling a national strike. The British responded by throwing him in prison, only to release him two years later after his party had won three general elections in his absence.

Independence finally came in 1957, making Ghana - the name chosen by Nkrumah after the first great empire in West Africa - the first black African nation to win freedom from its colonizers. For Ghana, it was the beginning of almost 25 years of economic decline. Nkrumah borrowed heavily to finance the country. His most grandiose project, the Akosombo Dam on the Volta River, didn't bring the electrification and irrigation programs it promised for more than a decade. By 1966, Ghana was 1000000000.00 in debt. Nkrumah's excesses and the rampant corruption among his officials led to a popular army coup that same year.

Between 1966 and 1981, Ghana suffered through six corrupt and incompetent governments, five of them military and each fostering resentment among Ghanaians. In May 1979, in the midst of serious food shortages, a group of young military officers led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings staged another coup and began a series of 'house cleaning' operations that resulted in the sentencing and execution of several senior officers and former heads of state. Three months later, Rawlings' Armed Forces Revolutionary Council passed the reins to a civilian government following general elections, only to forcibly retake control two years later. Rawlings has been the head of state ever since. Military rule was formally brought to an end with the inauguration of the Fourth Republic on 9 January 1993, which was preceded by the adoption of a new constitution allowing political parties the freedom to organize.

Recent History
Popularly re-elected in 1996, President Rawlings oversaw Ghana's still-shaky economy move increasingly toward stabilization and the country itself solidify its commitment to democracy. In 2000, having reached the end of his two term limit, Rawlings stepped down as NDC leader. His deputy, John Atta Mills, was defeated at the polls by John Kufuor, leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Kufuor, a mild-mannered, Oxford-educated lawyer known as the 'Gentle Giant', continued Rawlings' liberal economic policies and accepted a debt-relief scheme designed by the IMF. The subsequent removal of fuel subsidies sent petrol prices rocketing by 60%.

Despite this rocky start, Kufuor's party remains popular. In 2002 the president inaugurated a South Africa-style truth and reconciliation commission to look into human rights abuses committed mainly under Rawlings' military rule. It is alleged that some 300 people 'disappeared' under that regime.

So....how was that?!?!?!?!?! more later if you are all still hungry to learn...... I think it would be fascinating if we all knew as MUCH as possible about Brody's home land ~ it would mean so much to him, and to us if we all understood to the best of our ability where he is from.

Our family will be adding a new holiday to our years :-) We are going to start to celebrGhanaiannian Independence Day, 6 March (1957. We hope that next year you all can celebrate with us!!!!!

Love as always,
Julz, Scott & Brody

Brody moves to Foster Care

Hi All,
it's been a GREAT day today!!! Brody moved from the Orphanage to Foster Care!!! He is with 2 other children from the orphanage that are also waiting their Mommy & Daddy
(Monica & James) to come get them. It will be great for the 3 of them to transition this way. Keeping our fingers crossed that they are told this week about how they are being adopted and all that is in store for them.
We are tentatively scheduled at the end of October for Court - well not us really, but the attorney. Once we start the court proceedings we hope it will go rather quickly and then we can start on the Visa process for Brody to come home.
Speaking of visas - when we get closer we'll need to apply for our visa to travel to Ghana to pick him up - yes that means Yellow Fever Shots and malaria meds as well!!! yuck!!!!!
So here is another picture of Brody for everyone.....we have a few more but we are making you all wait!!!
We hope to be able to send him a book we've made for him with photo's of us, the house, the Pugs (of course) his room and the park down the street - I've been told that we may get there before the book does, so we should think about it for awhile!!!

Thanks again for all of your support!!!

Julz, Scott & Brody