BUSY! BUSY! BUSY!!!

It's probably rare to hear it, but I'm so glad it's Monday. It's a fresh new week!
Last week was busy. The girls decided to try tandem sleeping (one slept while the other was awake) and we had to fight to get them back on the same schedule. They have stopped sleeping through the night but only get up for one feeding around midnight right now. They are growing fast! Leila has gained 3 pounds in the past 2.5 weeks and Leah has gained 2.5 pounds in the past 2.5 weeks!

School is going well but with the lack of sleep last week it was hard to stay focused on my assignments. Right now I'm scheduled to graduate in August but I may need to push that back because of the move this summer. No word yet where we are moving.

The girls things finally arrived in the commissary shipment last Thursday morning. We now have:
2 cribs
3 carseats (one came with the single stroller)
1 double stroller
1 single stroller (I ordered it before I knew about twins!)
1 baby bath
1 Gymini
2 exersaucers
It was like Christmas. The girls love their new toys and I love being able to push them around in a stroller instead of carrying them! I already have a buyer for my single carseat/stroller combo and she is paying exactly what I paid for it so I'll break even.

Andrew started T-ball last Saturday. I can't believe this is his 4th year playing!!! The league in Japan started at age 3 and his first year he had some great coaches. They were teachers at the local base elementary school so they had experience working with the little ones. The 2nd year Josh and I coached T-ball. Coaching a 3-4 year old team is like herding cats! :) I chased so many little ones around the field and Josh narrowly missed getting hit in the head with the bat numerous times! All in all it was fun and we would love to coach again someday. Last year was ok. The coach used a lot of sarcasm in the 5-6 year old league so the kids didn't understand him very well. He would also worry about the little things instead of looking at the big picture. This year his coach is a friend of ours and should be great. Several of Andrew's friends are on the team and Josh will help out when he is in town.

Josh is doing well. He was supposed to leave a week ago for 15 days but his trip was cancelled. I was honestly glad. I wasn't quite ready for him to leave. :) He will have two other trips this month that last about a week each.

I am well. I sleep when I can and eat when I can. Sometimes I even get a shower! :) Seriously, I am obnoxiously happy and wouldn't trade any of the sleeplessness, hunger pains or stinky feet for anything! :)
--Rachel

Tag, I'm it . . . again! :)

This is a different tag than last time so if you are unfamiliar with it if you have been tagged, you copy and paste this into your blog and answer the questions about yourself. Then when you finish, you post a comment in this post saying that you've done yours.

A-Attached or single? Attached.
B-Best friend: After my husband, Ali and Cathy
C- Cake or Pie: Cake
D- Day of choice: Right now there feels like no difference b/t the days. I think days my housekeeper is here b/c then my house is clean! :)
E- Essentials: prescriptions, glasses and the boring stuff like food, shelter and love :)
F- Favorite color: Blue or Green
G-Gummy bears or worms- don't care, it's all good!
H- Hometown-Milton, FL
I- Indulgences: chocolate, reading, computer time, amazon.com :)
J- January or July- Out of those two, I'd say January b/c JUly is too hot!!!
K - Kids - 3 (and it still blows my mind to say that!)
L-Life would be incomplete without: Family, friends and chocolate :)
M- Married date: May 30, 1998 - almost 10 years!
N- Number of siblings: 2 sisters
O- Oranges or Apples- I like them both but to have plain I prefer oranges
P- Phobias or fears- germs and stairs (after a bad fall in Japan)
Q- Quotes: "Most of the people in the world are stupid; it's just most of them don't know it." My oldest sister :)
R- Reason to smile- My 3 miracles, my wonderful husband :)
S- Season: Fall
T- Tag three- Hm, Cathy, Emily and Jamie
U- Unknown fact about me: Oh, I don't know! Um, when I was a kid I wanted my name to be Cathy after Cathy Lee Crosby on the show "That's Incredible". :)
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Love the meat! :) I saw a guy in a store in CA wearing a shirt that said "PETA- People for the Eating of Tasty Animals" It was awesome. :)
W-Worst habit: my coke in the morning?
X-X-ray or Ultrasound-Have had plenty of both - I'm a wee bit accident prone! :)
Y-Your Zodiac: Capricorn
Z-Favorite Zoo animal: the monkeys


So, if you've been tagged, it's your turn! :)
--Rachel

A 3 year old tells all from his mother's restroom stall

Here is a great story someone shared with me. It really reminds me of some of the things my dear Andrew did when he was around this age. It wasn't quite THIS bad, but close! :)
Enjoy!

My little guy, Cade, is quite a talker. He loves to communicate and does it quite well. He talks to people constantly, whether we're in the library, the grocery store or at a drive-thru window. There've been several embarrassing times that I've wished the meaning of his words would have been masked by a not-so-audible voice, but never have I wished this more than last week at Costco.

Halfway, through our shopping trip, nature called, so I took Cade with me into the restroom. If you'd been one of the ladies in the restroom that evening, this is what you would have heard coming from the second to the last stall:……………

'Mommy, are you gonna go potty? Oh! Why are you putting toiwet paper on the potty, Mommy? Oh! You gonna sit down on da toiwet paper now? Mommy, what are you doing? Mommy, are you gonna go stinkies on the potty?' At this point I started mentally counting how many women had been in the bathroom when I walked in. Several stalls were full ... 4? 5? Maybe we could wait until they all left before I had to make my debut out of this stall and reveal my identity.

Cade continued, 'Mommy, you ARE going stinkies aren't you? Oh, dats a good girl, Mommy! You gonna get some candy for going stinkies on the potty? Let me see doze stinkies, Mommy! Oh .. Mommy! I'm trying to see in dere. Oh! I see dem. Dat is a very good girl, Mommy. You are gonna get some candy!'

I heard a few faint chuckles coming from the stalls on either side of me.

Where is a screaming new born when you need her? Good grief. This was really getting embarrassing. I was definitely waiting a long time before exiting.

Trying to divert him, I said, 'Why don't you look in Mommy's purse and see if you can find some candy. We'll both have some!' 'No, I'm trying to see doze more stinkies. Oh! Mommy!' He started to gag at this point. 'Uh oh, Mommy. I fink I'm gonna frow up. Mommy, doze stinkies are making me frow up!! Dat is so gross!!'

As the gags became louder, so did the chuckles outside my stall. I quickly flushed the toilet in hopes of changing the subject. I began to reason with myself: OK. There are four other toilets. If I count four flushes, I can be reasonably assured that those who overheard this embarrassing monologue will be long gone.

'Mommy! Would you get off the potty, now? I want you to be done going stinkies! Get up! Get up!' He grunted as he tried to pull me off. Now I could hear full-blown laughter. I bent down to count the feet outside my door.

'Oh, are you wooking under dere, Mommy? You wooking under da door? What were you wooking at, Mommy? You wooking at the wady's feet?' More laughter. I stood inside the locked door and tried to assess the situation.

'Mommy, it's time to wash our hands, now. We have to go out now, Mommy.' He started pounding on the door. 'Mommy, don't you want to wash your hands? I want to go out!!'

I saw that my 'wait 'em out' plan was unraveling. I sheepishly opened the door, and found standing outside my stall, twenty to thirty ladies crowded around the stall, all smiling and starting to applaud. My first thought was complete embarrassment, then I thought, 'Where's the fine print on the 'motherhood contract' where I signed away every bit of my dignity and privacy?' But as my little boy gave me a big, cheeky grin while he rubbed bubbly soap between his chubby little hands, I thought, I'd sign it all away again, just to be known as Mommy to this little fellow.

(Shannon Popkin is a freelance writer and mother of three. She lives with her family in Grand Rapids, Michigan , where she no longer uses public restrooms).

Happy Easter! :)

Here are a few pictures from yesterday's Egg hunt and today's Easter Outfits. More can be found on our website. Enjoy!
From the Embassy Egg Hunt:



These are from Easter Sunday:


--Rachel

There is already a guy coming between my girls!

This is Jacques the Peacock made by the Lamaze company. I'm not sure exactly where he came from but Lamaze products are sold in just about every baby venue. I found Jacques this evening in a drawer when I was looking for something else along with another toy. The girls have been fighting over Jacques ever since. They have other similar looking toys but there is something about Jacques that the girls love. If one has him, the other looks on and tries to find an opportunity to snatch him away. Since I started writing this post, Leah has managed to get Jacques away from Leila. Leila is now fussing. I may need to hide Jacques until another Jacques can join the girls! :)
--Rachel

Marines in Berkeley

I haven't seen the Daily Show with Jon Stewart in a very long time. We don't have TV channels here (just watch DVDs) which surprisingly I don't miss as much as I thought I would!
Anyway, I saw a clip on the Daily Show website about the Marines opening up a recruiting station in Berkeley, CA. Needless to say, they weren't well received! I enjoyed some of the "special" comments made in the interviews. Here are a few:
Included in the interviews were some members of Code Pink who stage demonstrations against the war. This member of code pink was demonstrating outside the Marine Recruiting station:
Member: "It's very important to protect Free speech and so we clearly have the right to be here"
Daily Show: "If only there was an organization that was sworn to defend that free speech."
Member: "wouldn't that be great?"
Daily Show: "That would be outstanding, right?"

The Daily show then sarcastically made a comment about how awful it was that the Marines were actively recruiting on US soil.
Another Code Pink member interviewed outside the Recruiting station. This particular member had on large pink gloves:
Member: "The Marines, we don't need to be worrying about their rights. It's not an equal relationship."
Daily Show: "That's obvious! Any giant handed constitutional scholar will tell you that!"

They then go back to the "free speech" member:
Member: "Wars in general would stop if we didn't have weapons. Just like violence on our streets would stop if we didn't have didn't have weapons."
Daily show: "So if we didnt' have police then we wouldn't have crime?"
Member: "Potentially"

It was quite special. :) If you want to see the entire clip, go to the Daily Show's website and search the videos. Enjoy!
--Rachel

New pictures of the kids

Enjoy!
I ordered these dresses for the girls and they were much fancier than they appeared online. Leila wasn't quite thrilled about the whole thing!

I took the kids outside to snap a few pictures.


Here is one with Andrew:


--Rachel

Andrew's school program for March

Andrew is in the center. He was a cat. He's in a blue short sleeve shirt.
Enjoy!


--Rachel

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

In case you haven't noticed, I have Irish ancestory. :) So, in honor of my ancestors, here is one of my favorite versions of "Danny Boy".


--Rachel

Andrew making the girls laugh

I was getting ready to give the girls a bath when I caught Andrew making the girls laugh. Here is Leah:


and here is Leila:

Tag, I'm it!

I've been tagged
10 years ago I was: Younger than I am now. :) I was teaching in one of the poorest counties in the nation and getting reading for my wedding!

5 things on my to do list for today:
*eat
*put on some makeup
*Figure out what to feed my family for dinner
*Do my homework for school
*sleep

If I were a billionaire I would:
*Pay of all debt
*Hire full time help to clean, cook, etc :)
*Put away for 3 college funds!
*Go on a vacation
* Put away for Josh and I to get our Doctorate degrees
* Buy some supplies for the orphanage that Leila and Leah were in

3 bad habits:
* Is chocolate a bad habit? :)
* I like a coke or Dr. Pepper with my breakfast
* I'm bad about refilling the ice trays (drives Josh crazy)


5 places I've lived:
*Louisiana
*Missouri
*Japan
*California
*Morocco


Jobs I've had: Not in any order-
Candy Striper, Hardee's, McDonald's, County Seat, Resident Assistant, camp counselor, teacher, mother

Thing most people don't know about me: Some of my toes are webbed about 1/4-1/2 way up my toes.


you're tagged:

*Wendy
*Emily
*Jamie
*Camille


Answer the questions and post them on your blog. Leave me a comment when you're done-then you tag 4 new people! Ahhhh, good fun!

--Rachel

Leila doing her talking

This was filmed last Sunday. Leila just started "talking" and went on and on and on! I managed to capture about a minute and a half for those on the other side of the world. :)
Enjoy!

--Rachel

"How do you do it?"

I'm surprised at how many people have asked me that. I end each day with a living room that looks like it exploded baby products, an aching back, an empty stomach and an incredible desire to sleep. :)
I have a friend, who I greatly admire, who has newborn twins and a son younger than Andrew. When her twins were one month old, her husband left for the middle east. Granted, Josh is gone a lot, but when he's here, he's a HUGE help so I really can't complain.
I have another friend, who I also admire, that has twins about a year older than Andrew. They are autistic as well as their 3 siblings (2 younger, one older). Her husband is away with the military as well. My girls are healthy and seem to be making great strides so I can't complain about that either.
I also have a housekeeper that comes 3 times a week (and a 4th time if Josh is away) who helps me with the girls and cleans the house. Josh finds my need to tidy up before she comes amusing. I don't want her to think I'm a total slob! :)
I wish I could hold them both when I feed them. Usually my hands are full with the bottles. I'm working on teaching them to hold their own bottles. If they master that then I can at least hold one and hold the next one at the next feeding.
I wish I could give them more individual attention, but they don't really seem deprived of attention so I guess it's ok. :) It simply feels like I feed them, change them play with them briefly and put them to bed. I keep reminding myself to enjoy these moments because the toddler years are not too far away!
I wish I had a one story house. :) I go up and down the stairs at least 20 times (NOT an exageration) a day. If I drop a few pounds that would be ok. :)
I keep track of each girls' feeding (how many ounces) and sleeping (how long) so I can make sure they get enough, etc. Today it really came in handy when my brain seemed to stop functioning and the girls were screaming instead of sleeping. I looked at the chart and realizd that I had not fed them! Sometimes it gets so crazy in this house that I don't know which way is up!
So, how do I do it? I just do the best I can and hope they won't be on Dr. Phil complaining about me when they are older. :) :) :) Seriously, you let the little things go and keep pressing forward. It helps to know (from experience with Andrew) that they will become more independent as time goes on and that will make the daily routines a little easier.
A lot of people have asked how Andrew's handling it all. He's doing great! He really enjoys being the big brother. I thought there would be some jealousy issues but so far he seems to be quite happy.
Oreo, on the other hand, is not so thrilled! He feels the need to claim my lap as much as possible and look at the girls disapprovingly. He isn't cruel to the girls at all. In fact, he's quite scared of them and doesn't get too close because the girls' arms and legs are always moving and he doesn't want to be hit! After they go to bed each night he comes to me on the couch and does some major cuddling. Honestly, by that time (usually 7pm but it feels like midnight) I welcome the stress relief petting a cat can bring!
Despite all of this, I am incredibly happy and wouldn't trade any of this for the world! :)
--Rachel

Paperwork update and weigh in for the girls

So, yesterday we went to the courthouse to pick up the document they said would be ready by 10am Monday and when we got there the lady told us that it was at the police station and when they were done with it they would bring it to our house. This could take a week or a day. We'll see.
The girls were weighed by our health unit and Leah is 14lbs 8 oz and Leila is 12lbs. There is about a 2 inch difference in their height but I don't remember the exact numbers. I was busy dressing and undressing two babies. :)
Anyway, by each day's end my body aches but it's not too bad when I remind myself how lucky we are to have these sweet girls in our lives. I have been thinking how it hasn't been as bad as I imagined having 2 babies to carry around. Then it hit me why! When Andrew was 6 months old he was over 20 pounds!!! Carrying Leah and Leila is like carrying one Andrew! :)
They are hoping the commissary shipment will be here by Friday. This shipment has the cribs, carseats, stroller, exersaucers, etc in it. Having the carriers (the car seats that snap in and out of the car and stroller) will be nice. Right now I have the bebePods (for an example or see the picture of the girls below in their dresses because they are sitting in the bebePod or search "bebepod plus" in a search engine)
and I borrowed two portacribs and two carseats. Unfortunately the carseats are the kind that stay in the car and it's REALLY hard to get the girls in and out especialy by myself!!! Today I was holding one girl while trying to get the other in the carseat. I am really looking forward to having their things!!!
The girls currently go through a can of formula every 2 and a half days. One can costs about $25. It takes them about half a week to go through a package of diapers. There are about 48 diapers in a pack at about $12.95.
So, a month's worth of formula is $300 and a month's worth of diapers is $103.60. WOW! I really wish I wouldn't have computed that! :)
--Rachel

First dresses

Leah and Leila in their first dresses!

What is Josh's job?

Joshua here. Rachel has been bugging me to make a post to explain what my job is here in Morocco. Or, more specifically, what I do when I'm gone all the time. So, here's what my job is.....

I'm a Foreign Area Officer, or FAO, pronounced "Fay-Oh". That means that, in the US Army, I'm one of a very small number of subject-matter experts on Sub-Saharan Africa. My job is to know the language, culture, politics, and other relevant information about my region. So, my assignment right now is to travel all around Africa, learning as much as I can.

The Army has FAO's for every region of the world. We're there to provide expertise to the commanders and the generals when cris(es) happen in our region, and to help them make informed decisions about military operations and US policy. We're the guys who answer questions like, "Where is Darfur and why are the Janjaweed killing people?" and "What's so significant about the Niger River Delta?" and "Why were the Tutsis and Hutus having problems in Rwanda?"

When I'm not travelling around Sub-Saharan Africa, I work at the US Embassy here in Morocco, in the Office of Defense Cooperation. In the ODC, I'm an Exercise Officer, meaning that I help plan, coordinate, and execute training exercises here in Morocco.

For example, back in December I helped coordinate a bilateral training exercise between the Moroccan Army and the US Army. Pictured here is a US Army soldier teaching some Moroccan soldiers about the finer points of American small arms. That's Army talk for guns.




And here are some American and Moroccan soldiers preparing for a live fire exercise. That has got to be the ugliest HMMWV in the US Army.



But, as fun as that is, my main focus is travelling and learning all about Africa.

Back in January I travelled to Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire. Cote d'Ivoire, as you might now, recently finished a civil war. The peace process is going well, and both sides are slowly working toward compromise. I was able to attend a DDR ceremony. That stands for Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration. It is basically the process by which armies and militias stand down from fighting and try to go back to their normal lives. Pictured here is a battalion of infantry from the Loyalist (pro-government) side of the conflict.



And here are some of the Ivorians that came out to watch the ceremony.




In Ghana, we got to visit some of the castles along the coast. During the Slave Trade era, these were used to collect, guard, and ship out the Africans who were taken as slaves to be sent to America. Pictured here is one of the mortars used to defend the Cape Coast castle.





Some of my travels take me to some interesting, "touristy" places. Pictured here is the mosque in the Senegalese city of Touba. It is the largest (and most beautiful) mosque in Sub-Saharan Africa. Every year in February over 2 million muslims from all over Africa make a pilgrimage to this mosque. That's why Africans call it "Le Mecca Noir".




Smaller, but no less interesting, is this mosque in the Malian city of Djenne. It is built in the Saharan/Sahel mud style. Yes, the walls are entirely made of mud. It has to be reapplied each year, a process that involves the entire city's population.



And here is the ferry that we had to ride on to get to and from Djenne. It was big enough to fit a few cars and a lot of goats and chickens.



Some of my travels take me to some pretty out of the way places. In western Mali, we drove from Kayes down to Bamako. There were few paved roads. Most of it involved putting the vehicle into 4WD and going from one little village to another. Here is the Toyota Landcruiser that we drove across Senegal and through most of Mali.



In eastern Mali, just south of Timbuktu, is a region referred to as Dogon country. These villages go back thousands of years and are built into the cliffside of the escarpment. The view is stunning, to say the least. Most of the villagers speak very little French, absolutely no English, and a little bit of Arabic that they learn in the madrassas. Suffice it to say that language ability is absolutely necessary for a FAO.



In this village, the kids have fun sliding down a smooth rock face, just like a playground slide.





Many West African countries are mounting some very aggressive HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns. This is particularly true amongst their military forces. Pictured here is one of the more ... interesting posters that I've seen, courtesy of the Senegalese Gendarmerie (national police".




So that's what I do when I'm gone on trips all the time. While I miss Rachel and the kids, it is some very interesting work. I'm getting to see parts of the world that most people don't even know exist.

If you want to learn more about some of these places I visit, the easiest way is to go to www.wikipedia.com and search by their names, such as Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, Mali, Gambia, Benin, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, or South Africa.

Hamilton Update - the lazy way! :)

First off, thanks to all who willingly came here to read our update. Free time is a precious and rare treat. :)
All is well! Yesterday Rachel followed what she calls her "sleep bible" (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Wiesbluth) and got the girls on a great routine. Last night they went to bed at 7pm and didn't wake up until 7am! They are also eating much more and Rachel has been working with them to help them hold their own bottles. Leila is still a slow eater but she can take as long as she needs here so we have a feeling she will grow quite fast very soon. There is about a 2 pound difference between the girls right now.
Leah and Leila both seem quite happy overall and they especially love their big brother! Andrew is adjusting quite well to having two little sisters. He's been a great help and likes to entertain the girls and make them laugh. He's still the only one who can get the girls to laugh!
Josh is well. He came home 1 week ago and won't have to travel again until after Easter. Last trip he went to Senegal and Mali. Rachel has asked him to post some of the beautiful things he's seen on these trips. He will soon. Between work and fathering 3 children, he's a wee bit busy! :)
He's been told that the list of assignments for the next tour will come out late this month and he'll be able to list his top 3 preferences but we have no idea when we'll know for sure and chances are it will change!!! :) He is scheduled to do a school in DC from August to December so we'll be in the DC area this fall.
Rachel is enjoying having the girls home. Her arm muscles and leg muscles are sore like she's been constantly working out. Maybe carrying about 15 pounds in each arm and going up and down the stairs constantly has something to do with it. She says if you are looking for a great weight loss program, twins in a 2 story house is the way to go. You rarely have time to eat too much and you get lots of exercise. She's still in grad school and is looking forward to spring break in a week.
We put some new pictures up a bit ago from when we picked them up as well as a few around the house. In case you don't know how to get to them, go to our website at www.rachelandjoshua.com and then click on pictures to get there.
We are quite thankful for all the prayers and well wishes with the girls. We are so glad they are home!!!
--Joshua, Rachel, Andrew, Leah and Leila

Recap of yesterday

So, yesterday started out like most this week. We got an early start to government offices trying to finish these tedious tasks! We went to one and followed the paper as it was passed from office to office and thought "Wow, this is going fast today!" Then it hit a dead stop! They said "Come back tomorrow." We were frustrated.

I came home and told Josh I'd eat lunch later. I just wanted to grab Oreo and go to sleep for a while. Later, our Moroccan contact called and said "Good news! You can go get the girls right now and finish everything else later!" I jumped out of bed and we were in the car 5 minutes later!

We brought the girls outfits to wear home. The dresses I had ordered had not arrived and the only thing I had that wasn't a sleeper or a onsie was some jeans. I knew the nurses at the orphanage like to have many layers on the girls so I brought 2 onesies, a cardigan sweater, jeans, socks and shoes. They added another onesie and tights!

We got them home and they overall seem content. I think they miss the orphanage a little. Our house is quieter and I think their choices (toys, chairs, blankets, etc) are a little overwhelming for them. I know they'll adjust in no time.

THey slept well last night. They fell asleep around 10pm, woke up around 10:30pm and cried for about 3 minutes and fell back asleep until 6:45am. I'll get pictures up ASAP, but here is one for now:




This morning we arrived back at the office to continue yesterday's paper pushing and they said "come back Monday. We aren't ready for you." Fine! I don't care! I've got my girls!!! :)
--Rachel

THEY'RE HOME!!!

That's all I have time to write right now, but we'll give details (and pictures) later!
--Rachel

End of day report for Wednesday

Well, the day started with a driver meeting our lawyer in the town 2 hours away to get a document signed "immediately" at 10am. At 12noon the driver was headed back to our town. We were told we would have to go to 3 different offices (2 more than we were originally told) in our town, drive the 2 hours to the court where the girls are and the judge will sign the final order. Simple, right? Nope! :)
We got part of step 1 done in about an hour and were told that it's too late in the day to do anything else. So tomorrow the driver will meet us at 8:45am to try to finish this crazy list of stuff! *SIGH*
Don't know if it will happen tomorrow or not. We'll see.
-- Rachel

End of day report

So, we were supposed to receive a fax between 8 and 8:15 am from our lawyer. We would then take that fax and get the ball rolling on this paperwork. We got the fax at 9:30am. We HAD to be at the first office by 10am because they only do the paperwork for this between 8:30am and 10am.
While waiting for our driver to pick us up I looked at the birth certificates (which were translated in Arabic) and realized that it was my birth certificate and Andrew's! We needed mine and Josh's!
Then I got a surprise. I felt something warm land on my arm. Apparently a bird was flying by and right when he was over me decided to go! My response was "Oh, are you kidding me?!!!"
We then get on the phone to our lawyer and tell him that he sent us Andrew's instead of Josh's. He claimed he didn't have Josh's because the judge kept it. I honestly think he does have it but it confuses everyone here because Josh and Andrew have the same middle and last name. I then remembered that I had an extra official birth certificate for Josh at the house.
We hopped in the car and while Josh was backing out, his bumper got caught on the wheel well of another car and it ripped the bumper off!!! The other car was fine. Josh threw the bumper in the back and we took off.
We got to the house and I ran in and grabbed the birth certificate thankful that back in November I decided just for the fun of it to get another copy of Josh's while I was getting Andrew's b/c they were born in the same state and it was only a few dollars more. Josh's other birth certificate was with the judge.
We got to the office at 10:05am and they let us in anyway. They took the documents and asked us to return at 12noon.
Realizing that when a Moroccan says 10, they seem to mean 10:30 we decided to tell the driver to come at 11:30 for the 10 minute ride to the place to get the papers and noon. The driver arrived at 11:45 and we got to the office right before noon. We then ran across the street, faxed the document to the lawyer and then sent the document on the 2 hour ride to the courthouse.
Meanwhile the lawyer took the fax to the judge to begin the work so that when the driver arrived it would "be fast and he could turn around and come right back" so we could get to the last office here in town as close to 4pm as possible.
We called in a few favors and asked if the last office would wait until 4:30pm to allow some leeway since the driver would arrive at the courthouse at 2pm and then had a 2 hour drive home.
Around 3:30pm we called the lawyer to see what time the driver had left and he said that the driver was still there! We realized that we would not make it to the last office. So, we called in another favor and asked if they could just meet us first thing in the morning.
Around 4:30pm my Moroccan contact called me and said that the driver was STILL there because apparently the ONE person who could sign this paper was not there and would not be until tomorrow.
She asked if we could pay the driver to go back tomorrow by 10am. Fine. Just do it. Then she said that the lawyer said that once this document was signed, he would ride back with the driver, and personally escort us to the police station for the last step. Then we would turn around and go back 2 hours to the courthouse and the judge would sign allowing us to have provisional custody and we could take the girls home.
Then Josh and the lawyer could do the other 3 offices next week and we would be granted full custody.
Honestly, I'll believe it when I have those girls strapped in their carseats that they are coming home tomorrow. If so, you'll know ASAP on here.
--Rachel

We are just fine! :) Here is a recap of our "adventure" yesterday!

Some of you have expressed concern about how we are doing. First of all, I was asleep by 8pm and woke up at 6:30am feeling quite refreshed to go find some government offices! :)

Yes, we are disappointed that are girls are not home just yet but they WILL be home soon. It would be different if someone suddenly said that the girls were no longer available or something. We are going to get a document today in our town and then it will be driven by a driver (I find that a little amusing) to the town where the girls are (2 hours away). Our lawyer will meet the driver and the document there and run it in to the judge. The Judge will write on it and then the lawyer, the document and the driver will drive BACK to our town (2 hours) to get it signed by another government office. Then the lawyer will take a train back to the girl's town (another 2 hours) and give it back to the judge.

At this point, the judge may let us have provisional custody. I'm reserving getting excited about this one until I get a definite answer.

Either way on Thursday our lawyer will come 2 hours by train to our city and he and Josh will go to 4 government offices to get additional documents signed. The lawyer feels that this can easily be done in one day. Then those documents will go to the judge AND THEN WE'LL BE DONE!!!

(I hope!) :)

So, if we have provisional custody then we'll be granted full custody at that point. If the girls are still at the orphanage then they'll come home. Either way, they will get home SOON!

So, is your head spinning? Try getting all of this information in French and some Arabic!

Honestly it got quite frustrating yesterday because it kept being one more thing, one more thing, and on and on. Their way was to just have us go step by step. That's great if you aren't dealing with cities 2 hours apart!!! :)

It was a little funny to see the fear in the lawyer's eyes when Josh got a little (OK, a LOT) firm and said in French "What EXACTLY do we need to do to get these girls home?!" My French isn't great but I totally got what he was asking! It was then, and only then that the steps above were revealed to us. Josh has asked several times "So if we do those things we will get our girls home?" and we keep hearing "Yes!" So, I'm reserving my excitement but I think they'll be home quite soon.

On a positive note, this is all going in my booklet for Prospective Adoptive couples that will be on file at the embassy. Hopefully other couples won't have these "adventures." Again, the girls will come home. We just aren't 100% sure when. They are worth every bit of this! :)
--Rachel

How neat is this?!

You can turn your blog into a book. What a great way to preserve a memory! I will probably do this one day.

http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook

--Rachel