Happy 7th Birthday, Noah

I really cannot believe Noah is seven.  It is crazy because in my head he is 4, maybe 5.  Reality is my first baby boy is no longer a baby.  He is seven years old.  Seven.  Wow!

When we got our court date in Ethiopia I was afraid we might not be home on Noah’s birthday (that would have been really hard for this momma!) but thankfully we were home with a few days to spare.  We booked his party at a local jump house and I am so glad I did.  I can’t imagine hosting a party, even a small party at my house while recovering from jet lag.   My mom made cupcakes so all we had to do was show up with the birthday boy.

The boys (and Bailey and Merideth) worked up an appetite running, jumping, and bouncing.  They had a blast and were able to expend a lot of energy.

Star Wars cupcakes with white chocolate in the center.  Yum!

Noah waiting to blow out his candle.  He says he doesn’t make wishes and he is not too thrilled about being the center of attention.

Roman was enjoying his “happy cake”…every last bite.

The birthday throne

What a great group of kids!

At seven, Noah is missing most of his front teeth and is all about Lego’s and Star Wars.  He loves building his own Lego creations and he likes playing and trading Lego pieces with friends.  He likes playing his DS and is very excited about the start of his basketball season.  When it is warm enough he loves to be outside jumping on the trampoline or riding his bike or scooter. 

Noah has a few good friends but isn’t quite as social as his big sister.  Thankfully, all but one of his buddies were able to make it to his party.  While he very much likes to play with his friends he does not need or really want a huge circle of close friends.  It is funny to watch the difference in the way he interacts with his friends compared to the way Bailey interacts with her friends.

Noah has become much more independent over the last year.  If I ask him to do something, he generally is very dependable.  He has also taken off with his reading.  He says his favorite subject is math and unlike his mom he has the ability to ”see” math problems in his head.   School has been fairly easy for him this year.  He is learning new things but catches on quickly.  In fact, he has almost finished all of his second grade readers and his first grade math books. 

Noah is a great big brother and loves it when I tell him Roman looks just like him.  It is so true, looking at Roman is looking at Noah five years ago.  Noah and Luke are playing together more and more.  They also laugh and shere late night conversations (like at 8:30!) before they fall asleep.  Noah is starting to sleep in a little in the morning.  So far, he is my only child who is not consistently out of bed by seven. 

I love being Noah’s mom.  He is such a great kid and has a huge heart.  He is constantly coming up with ways we should help others.  He is always wanting to send money to great causes.  In fact, this year for his birthday he chose to give money to our sponsor child in Ethiopia who shares his birthday.   Typically, we give the kids three gifts on their birthday.  This year Noah got a pair of basketball shoes and a DS game.  We can’t wait to see what World Vision purchases for Noah’s birthday twin.

Happy Birthday, Noah.  I love you!  And, I love that you are still a momma’s boy. 

Ethiopia, Day 5

Our last day in Addis…a bittersweet day.  I hated to say good-bye to Kabaina but I was anxious to get home to my other kids.

We started the day off with a visit to the Care Center to see Kabaina and tell her we were going home.  Our last day happened to be the first day for Mike and Laura, another family from our agency.  We waited for them to arrive and then went straight to the Care Center.  The difference in Kabaina from day one to day five was amazing.  She was smiling, interacting, talking a little louder (not much), and happy.

We took a few last pictures together, blew bubbles, and I handed over all my gum and snacks (I had planned to take them with me on the airplane ride home) over to Kabaina.  Kabaina also took me to her room where she crawled up on her top bunk.  She pulled out a small handmade doll from under her mattress.  She handed it to me and said, “Bailey.”  Oh. My.  Goodness.  It was a sweet moment.  God is already preparing these girls to be sisters.  She was all smiles as she handed over one of her very few possessions as a gift for her new sister.

Joel came to the Care Center and helped us explain to Kabaina we would be going home that night.  She seems to understand the process and asked if we would come back soon.  We promised we would be back just as soon as we could.  I love knowing she wants to come home with us but hated having to leave her.  I am thankful Joel made this conversation possible.  It was fun to see Kabaina’s face light up when he walked over to her. 

We wanted to get a few pictures before we left.  Nick motioned for Kabaina to sit on his lap.  She grinned, shook her head no and came and stood next to me.  We all had to laugh at that, including Kabaina.

On her way to being a momma’s girl.

When we left the Care Center we went back to Lucy’s for another great lunch.  Portion size in Ethiopia is extra-large.  Several times I had a waiter or waitress ask if something was wrong with my food because I could not possibly eat the amount they served. 

With full bellies, we drove up Mount Entoto and saw the women carrying large loads of wood on their backs.  Earlier in the week we bought scarves from former wood carriers.  It broke my heart to see women climbing a mountain only to return with so much weight on their backs.  We were told some women make this exhausting trip two to three times a day!

At the top of the mountain we saw an amazing view of the city.  We also were at the location of the first church in Ethiopia built by Emperor Minilik. 

And a picture with the oldest Eucalyptus tree in Ethiopia.

We dropped Mike and Laura off at the hotel and Nick and I grabbed our luggage and hung out with Joel for a few more hours before we headed to the airport.  We went back to Kaldi’s for one last caramel macchiato.  There were several young boys selling books, CDs, and DVDs.  I bought Kabaina a Children’s CD in Amharic but I declined the book on spoken English. 

Joel took us to two local malls and a grocery store.  It was interesting to see the prices of a variety of items.  In the mall, clothes cost roughly the same as they do at home but a two dollar bottle of lotion was seven dollars in Addis.  It was also my first time to walk through metal detectors before entering a grocery store.  I guess I did not look as suspicious as the people who were patted down before buying fruits and vegetables. 

My craziest and oddest experience happened just before we boarded the airplane (and I am wondering why I have not heard of this before so  I would be better prepared!).  We were waiting at the gate to board the plane and I decided to be brave and use the restroom before boarding.  We had been warned about the bathroom in the airport so I was leery but had no choice.  When I got to the bathroom a women sitting on the floor jumped up to escort me into the bathroom.  So far, strange but okay. 

Once inside the bathroom, I saw three stalls.  The first one appeared to be occupied so I headed towards the second stall wondering how I was going to get rid of the women holding my arm.  My bathroom guide immediately said, “No, no!’ and started directing me towards the first stall.  To my shock, she opens the door (I have no idea why it was not locked) and ushers the lady using the bathroom out of the stall!  The whole time I am saying, “No, it’s okay…I can wait.  Please, go ahead!” 

The lady in the bathroom did not seem as shocked by this whole crazy experience as I still am.  She left and my guide proceeded to clean the toilet, put fresh toilet paper on the seat, kiss my cheek and tell me thank you before she left me alone.  Believe me, I made sure I locked the door! 

Overall, we had a great trip and made so many memories in the country where our daughter was born.  I can’t wait to get the green light to bring this beautiful girl home.

Ethiopia Day 4, Part 2

After we left Kabaina our drivers picked us up at the Care Center. Fekadu had invited us to his home for a traditional Ethiopian lunch and coffee ceremony. This was another highlight of our trip. Fekadu’s mother had prepared an amazing lunch. We washed our hands in a basin with a pitcher of water. They explained that this was the traditional way to wash even if a family has a sink and water.

I cannot say enough good things about the meal. It was delicious. Nick even liked the injera and he is not a big fan of injera. There was so much food. After we ate Fekadu’s mom lit incense (part of the coffee ceremony that is preformed up to three times a day). She had roasted the beans and crushed them using a mortar and pestle. We were told that traditionally each person would drink three small cups of coffee (and there is a very good reason Ethiopia is known for its coffee!) but I was so full I could only drink two.

 We were honored to be guests in their home and we very much enjoyed the conversation. Fekadu’s mother was a wonderful hostess.

After lunch, Joel took us to see the Holy Trinity Cathedral. The church was built by Ethiopia’s last king, King Lalibela. The king, his wife, and children all entombed inside the church building. The priest at the church was also very friendly and answered our questions about the beautiful building. Outside the church is a cemetery of many famous Ethiopians.

We found a tree in the cemetery that looks like a tree on the bottom but has leaves like a cactus. This was a new one for us. After the tour, Joel dropped us off to rest for a few hours (having another child is a little bit draining!).

Fekadu and Joel picked us up around 6:30 to take us to Yod Abyssina, a traditional Ethiopian restaurant. We all decided to eat off the buffet and I stuck close to Fekadu when I was getting my food since he seems to be the least adventurous eater of the two. The food was good, the coffee was great, and I am getting much better at eating with my hand. Nick was excited to find a fork on the buffet.

While we ate we enjoyed traditional singing and dancing from different areas of Ethiopia. There were some neck moves that looked like they could cause permanent injury! It was a definitely the first and only touristy place we ate on this trip but it dancing was a lot of fun.

We got back to Addis View Hotel, where we are staying around 9:30. Nick and I went upstairs to pack and went back to the lobby to meet another family from our agency. We said hi to Holly and Dave, gave them formula to take to the orphanage they would be visiting for a few days, and headed upstairs to spend our last night in Addis.

Ethiopia Day 4, Part 1

Today was the day.  We traveled half way around the world for today.  This morning we appeared before an Ethiopian judge during our court appointment for the finalization of Kabaina’s adoption.

 

Court was not what I expected.  We knew it would be short and we knew the room would not look like a typical American courtroom but it was still a very new experience.  We left the hotel around 8:30 and when we got to the courthouse we had to wait for the doors to open.  The building itself was several stories tall but very nondescript.

 

Tesfa, our agency representative led us to an elevator and we went up a few floors.  We were then led to a waiting room.  By about 9:00 the room began to fill up.  There were about 25 chairs around the edges of the room and about 40 people all waiting for their appointment.  There were several adoptive parents, agency representatives, a few birth mom, and several children (not sure why they were all there).  There were silence signs on the wall but few people seemed to be paying attention to them.

 

When we arrived at the court-house I told Nick I thought we would be called back at 10:20.  Wini, our friend from home has been waking up at 1:20 AM to pray for us.  1:20 AM at home is 10:20 AM in ET.  Nick just laughed.   A lady began calling appointments around 9:30.  Guess who was called back at 10:20?  Yes we were. Seriously.

 

We walked into a connecting room and sat in chairs in front of the judge. She is a beautiful, young Ethiopian women who has a huge job.  She oversees all adoptions in the country.  She asked us about 10  yes or no questions and ended our appointment with the words, “Your paperwork is finalized.  She is yours.”  Wow!  She is our daughter.

 

I was wanting to try to soak in every detail of our time with the judge but it all happened so fast.  The appointment lasted last than two minutes.  We left the office and were getting in the van at 10:27.

 

We left court and went to the Care Center to see Kabaina.  Care Center staff went to get Kabaina from school so we had a little bit more of one on one time with her.  The first thing I did was give her a picture book of our family and house.  We had looked at the pictures throughout the week but today I gave it to her to keep.  She grabbed the book, flipped to the last page and pointed to the picture of her bed.  With a huge grin she pointed back and forth from the bed to herself.

 

Today, she was much more affectionate than she has been.  I am pretty sure someone explained to her what had happened.  She gave me two hugs and a kiss on the cheek.  She also grabbed my hand and held it several times.  She did not seem as scared as she had the first day.  We saw more of her personality today. She still did not talk above a whisper but she did talk.  She asked for masstika (gum) and said hi to Bailey, Noah, Luke, and Roman on video.  She also practiced saying Bailey’s name several times.

 

Before we left we showed Kabaina video of her new brothers and sister.  She also drew us a picture of a mud hut and wrote her name in Amharic to give to Bailey.  We left her with construction paper and a pen and she said she would draw us more pictures and give them to us tomorrow.

I still can’t believe that this beautiful girl is now our daughter. Embassy clearance cannot come soon enough.

 

 

 

Ethiopia Day 3

Wow!  At the end of day three it feels like we have been here for weeks (in a good way).  Our days have been so full.

We started off the day by visiting K at the Care Center.  Today, all of her friends stayed with us.  She acted a little different with a group.  A little more independent and not quite as affectionate.  Just like any girl her age!

I gave her a small baggie of bracelets, notepads, pencils, nail polish, and other small trinkets that Merideth (our 6 year old neighbor) sent for K and her friends.  We noticed again that she did not really want to share her stuff.  In fact, she did not want to look at it or play with it too much because she was focused on protecting the bag.  She did pass out gum (which I recently learned sounds very much like sticker when pronounced in Amharic!).

Today she gave us very quick hugs when we left but I really think this might have had something to do with all the giggles coming from her group of friends.  By the time we left the Care Center today the older girls were repeating EVERYTHING I said.  They did a pretty good job imitating intonation too.  I was impressed.  They had no idea what they were saying but they thought it was funny.

We had lunch with Fekadu and Joel at Lucy’s.  They also had the first Ethiopian car displayed near the restaurant.  Nick was happy to see it was a Ford.

After lunch we went shopping in Addis.  It was fun and I enjoyed it because we were with our guides but there is no way Nick and I would have known where to start.  We ended up finding scarves, dresses, coffee, jewelery, toys, and Ethiopian toothbrushes (basically, a stick).

It was so hard being asked for money by so many people.  It was especially hard to see so, so many moms asking for money to feed their babies.  We had been told we can buy things from vendors but we are not to just hand out money.  I understand all the reasons why but when a mom is looking you in the eye and you can see her fear it is just plain hard.

It was an experience we will never forget and I am glad we had a chance to buy K several gifts while we are in Ethiopia.  Our last purchase of the day was an Amharic Bible.  I am not sure if she can read it but I hope it will be something she treasures.

Tonight, while our family and friends in the US sleep we will be standing before a judge in Ethiopia declaring our desire to bring K into our family.  We appreciate your prayers.

Ethiopia Day 2

Yesterday we woke up and we were a little overwhelmed.  Sunday is the day our agency staff is off and  we no longer knew any other families.  Thankfully, we had already made plans with our drivers Fekadu and Joel for most of the day.

They picked us up in the morning and we went to their church.  The entire service was in Amharic and it was such an amazing experience.  I know it will be a highlight of our trip.  Fekadu told us we were welcome to take pictures but I didn’t want to take any during church.

There were about 200 people who attended the Lutheran service.  The singing was incredibly beautiful and Nick and I recognized a few songs by the tune.  The service had several similarities to ours at home.  The flow of events followed the same basic pattern and the baby baptism was similar to our baby dedication.  We didn’t know what was being said but it was evident we were all worshiping the same God.

After church we went to lunch at Tivoli, a pizza place.  So far everywhere we have eaten has been very good.  Probably because we are letting our drivers pick and they know the best places.  I cannot say enough wonderful things about Fekadu and Joel.  They have helped make our trip an unforgettable experience.  On this day they were invaluable.

They went to the Care Center with us and were able to sit with us while we talked to K.  We started out painting her nails.  She picked a pink/purple color.  Joel was able to make sure she understood why we were there.  We asked her questions and found out she prefers to wear tights (pants) over dresses and she doesn’t really like a lot of hugs.  That made me laugh!

Although, she barely spoke above a whisper she told Joel to tell us she did not talk much the first day because she did not know much English.  She also told us she is not scared to come home with us but she is afraid to fly on the airplane.  We were able to reassure her and tell her we would be with her the whole time and we could play games and watch movies on the flight home.

We told her how excited Bailey, Noah, Luke, and Roman were to meet her.  She whispered to Joel that she wanted us to tell Bailey hi.  I am sure these sisters are going to be sweet friends.

The moment I will never forget is when K asked us to take her with us.  Now.  I told her I wanted to take her with me but I could not do that yet.  She then said she wanted us to go back home.  At first, I thought she was upset that we would not take her with us but she quickly explained to Joel why she wanted us to leave.  She said we needed to go home quick so we would come back for her sooner.  Every part of me wanted to scoop her up and head home but I knew we could not.  I did tell her we would come back as quickly as we could.

We also talked about America, our house, our family, and what she wants to do when she comes home.  She said she likes baby dolls and she wants to wear earrings and necklaces.  I am pretty sure we can accommodate these requests.  It was a really, really good day.  Many of the questions from our first day were answered.  She is scared (but who wouldn’t be?) but she knows what is happening and she wants to be a part of our family.

K also gave me a hug.  This time it was all on her own.  She still would not smile in pictures but she did not try to avoid them.  I really think she does not like being the center of attention.  She also gave me a kiss on the check and hugged Nick before we left.

My heart is so full.

Ethiopia Day 1

We arrived in Ethiopia at 8:00am local time which was around 11:00pm our time.  We wanted to stay up as long as possible but I wish we would not have been exhausted on the first day we met K.

When we got to airport we had no problems getting our visas and luggage.  I think we got our visa, went through immigration, and gathered our bags in less than 30 minutes.  Our hotel had sent a driver to pick us up and we had our first experience with driving in Addis.  We had been warned that it was crazy but I don’t think anything really prepares you for that experience.  On our way to the hotel I found myself dodging other vehicles with my body.  By the end of the day I wasn’t wanting to duck every few seconds.  Cars, cows, goats, and people are all on the road and there really are no rules.  The bravest man/animal gets to go first.

We got to the hotel and immediately met Steve and Kelly, another family with our agency.  Our first day in Addis was their last.  Thankfully, we got to visit the care center and have lunch together before they had to head home.  This was a great way to start our trip.  We were able to get a few tips from them and it just made us more at ease.  They were awesome company and helped keep us awake.

We checked into our room and then had breakfast at the hotel.  Our room is nice and the food at the hotel is good.  After that we waited to go to the Care Center.  We actually were able to meet Kabaina on Christmas day in Ethiopia.  All the kids at the Care Center were wearing traditional clothing.  We arrived just in time to have cake and popcorn.  Kabaina got to cut the cake.  I am guessing this is because we were there.

At first I could not find K in the group.  From where I was sitting I could not see her so I moved across the room.  It was a little strange and awkward at first.  K helped cut the first slice of Christmas cake.  After we had cake, popcorn, and orange soda a member of our agencies ET staff brought K over to us.  You could tell she was as nervous as we were.  Actually, I am sure she was terrified and I don’t blame her one bit.

We went outside and were able to spend more time with her.  We ended up staying for about 2.5 hours.  K was extremely shy with us.  When she played with her friends she was more outgoing and talkative.  When we took pictures of her she did not smile and usually looked away.  She was not comfortable being the center of attention.

We went into the girl’s room and she showed me her bed.  She shares the top bunk with one other girl at the Care Center.  I also showed her how to take pictures and video with my phone.  This was a hit with her.  In fact, she really just wanted the phone and was not happy when I had to put it away.

At one point she asked me for a sticker.  When I gave her a sticker she seemed disappointed and whispered sticker again.  Finally, she signed eat and I understood she was really wanting gum.  When I gave her a piece of gum (her second in a few minutes) she asked for gum again.  I told her just one piece and she told me two.  I think this was our longest conversation but I thought it was pretty good since she knows very little English and I know no Amharic….but I am going to learn now that we know she does speak Amharic.

We did get a few tentative hugs from K but these were all at the prompting of the Care Center staff.  When we left she kissed Nick’s hand.  It was very sweet but again, not K’s idea. 

All in all our first meeting was awkward but we did see her slowly warm up a little by the time we left.  I left wondering what she was thinking.  I wasn’t sure if she was terrified, super shy, or just really didn’t like us.  (It gets better on day 2.)

After we left the Care Center we had awesome burgers at a place called Sishu.  The driver from the hotel suggested it and another adoptive mommy had said we need to eat there.  By this point I think Kelly and Steve were afraid we might fall asleep at the table.  We were physically exhausted and drained emotionally.

We managed to keep our eyes open through our late lunch but not much longer.  We headed straight back to the hotel.  After we talked to our kids back home we went to bed somewhere between 4-5.  We slept until 4 the next morning until the two hour Orthodox Church call to prayer sounding over the city woke us up.  We stayed up for a little while and went back to sleep for a  few hours.  That long stretch of sleep was just what we needed to get our bodies on a better schedule.

Guest Post: Ice Cream, Sprite, and Mr. Chris….

Today Becca has a surprise guest post on her blog from me, her friend Andrea   You see her little blond-headed boy Luke is at his very first sleepover at my house.  We’ve been planning this for weeks and he has been so excited.  I thought his momma might like to see some pictures from his first sleepover.  He put in his order for Sprite and Ice Cream while he was here and really how could you say no to this face?

He was so cute!  While I was in the kitchen cooking supper he went into my room and unloaded his sleeping bag and clothes just to make sure that he was really going to get to stay.

We watched plenty of Cailou and The Backyardigans, two of Luke’s favorites.

All cleaned up and ready for bed.

All tucked in..

Luke and his buddy Mr. Chris also spent a lot of time tickling each other while watching Cailou before bed, but Mr. Chris didn’t want to be in a picture

Here We Go!

This has been a hard week on my kids and their mommy.  Soon, we will be on a plane to Ethiopia and I am going to miss them so much. 

Bailey has been having an especially hard time as our departure date draws near.  She is a momma’s girl through and through.  Nick jokingly says she gets a little weepy if I go out for a few hours.  I am not sure I believe him but he is not too far off.  She wants to have K home and she can’t wait to have a sister so she knows we must go but it is hard.

Noah is usually fine when we leave for short trips (and I mean short, I have NEVER left my kids for more than two days in the past 8+ years!) but even he is struggling this week.

I know they will be fine and I know I will be fine too.  I will miss them like crazy but I have so many things planned for them while we are gone the time will go by much quicker than they think it will right now.  Nana, Papa, Uncle Jeff, Andrea, and Kim are all stepping in and loving on them while we are away.  Nana even has a special surprise for each day.  The kids have been excitedly telling their friends about all the fun Nana has planned. 

So today, I wrote notes to my kids…one for each day we are gone.  By the time I wrote the last note I was feeling much better.  And, yesterday I ordered ants for Luke’s ant kit.  They should arrive sometime while we are away.  I am sure Nana will be thrilled! 

My heart is torn today.  I am so ready to meet K!  I am anxious to see her face.  What will she think of us?  Does she know she will soon have a sister and three little brothers?  I am ready to tell her she loved!

At the same time I know it will be hard to get on the airplane and travel so many miles away. 

Soon, hopefully very soon, all five pieces of my heart will be home together.

A Blessed Year

January

Noah turned six.  My first baby boy is not a baby anymore.

We flew to Florida Keys with my parents and brother.  Four kids and flying…maybe not the best idea but it sure beats a long car ride.

February

Roman spent several days in the hospital with RSV.

March

Bailey and her daddy had a date!

Ethiopia announced they would begin processing many less adoption cases.   This was a scary time for many perspective adoptive families.

April

My beautiful girl turned eight (how is this happening so quickly?)

Noah passed his milk challenge.  This was a HUGE day for him.

We adopted Brownie.

May

This incredibly cute spunky little guy turned three!

Roman got his first pair of real shoes.

June

Roman had his first hair cut.

We played outside a lot.

July

Swimming lessons started for the three big kids.

Noah had an ice-cream party to celebrate passing his milk challenge.

We took a weekend trip to St Louis with my parents.

August

Nick and I celebrated 10 years of marriage with a weekend trip to Chicago.

Luke went to the dentist for the fist time.

We had a great day at Six Flags and Bailey rode her first “big” ride.

Roman moved out of the crib.

September

Noah became a cub scout.

Luke started Thursday school.

October

Bailey, Myra and I went to Chicago.

We dressed up like Indians and cowboys.

We hit the one year mark on the wait lists.  At this point, we were seeing very little movement.

November

We accepted the referral of K, an eight-year old little girl!!!  Part of our heart is half-way around the world.

We got to spend a lot of time with Karcia this month.

Roman turned the big 2!

December

We got a court date for January!!

Christmas was a blast.

What’s next?

Soon we will be able to show you the beautiful face of our newest daughter.

We can’t wait to see what God has in store for our family in 2012…I think we will kick the new year off with a trip to Ethiopia! 

As 2011 ends we are giving thanks to the one who has blessed our family in so many ways.