Day One In Ethiopia

We got to Ethiopia about an hour late on Tuesday.  Our flight from Dubai was delayed due to someone with a layover (just like us) not showing up for the flight the next morning.  When that person didn't show up they had to search through all the luggage on the plane to find theirs and take it off.  Seems if you don't show up, your luggage doesn't fly either.  Great rule, however, it took them forever to find this persons luggage.

We got into Addis about 3:00 p.m. and then it seemed to take forever to get our Visa's and get out of the airport.  We got to our guest house about 4:30 and Paige immediately fell asleep on the bed.  She was done for the day. 

To be honest I was done also. If I didn't know Levi was waiting for us I would have crawled in the bed next to her and waited until morning to go and meet the children.  I was dirty and sweaty and really didn't want this to be the first impression our children had of their new mother.  All that seemed to be a mute point as our guest house had notified our agency that we had arrived and they were on their way to pick us up.

Our guide, Fikre, showed up with a driver in a small Toyota Tercel.  They had obviously forgotten that we were a traveling party of seven, soon to be nine.  After a little discussion it was decided that Dave would stay back at the guest house with Paige and Tyler, who had also fallen into a deep sleep.

Obviously, we had hoped to all be together for that first meeting, but we knew bringing all the children with us was going to require some flexibility throughout this trip.

Zach, Garrett, Samantha and I all squeezed into the little car with Fikre and the driver.  I was strangely calm. I had thought I would be really nervous, strangely, I wasn't.

We got to the House of Hope and went upstairs to the family room for them to bring us the children.  When we got up there the D family was already there and were holding their sweet little 18 month on son G.  I quickly realized that I had forgotten the camera back at the guest house in the confusion of who was going and coming.  Mr. D quickly offered to take some pictures for us which was a tremndous relief.  I would have been so sad to have had no pictures of that special moment.

Minutes later I see the cutest little boy walking into the room with a great big smile on his face.  He ran into my arms and we held each other tight for quite a few minutes.  I was somewhat aware of a nanny standinng close by and the sweet sounds of a baby in her arms.  However, that meeting would have to wait a few minutes as my sweet boy did not seem to have any idea's about letting go of his new mommy.

We kept looking at each other and just smiled and smiled.  He seemed so happy that his new family had finally arrived.

The nanny gave Amelia to Samantha and there bond was immediaely born.  I didn't get to hold her for about fifteen minutes until I could pry her from Samantha's arms.  Garrett and Zach thought they were both really sweet and cute too!

We had the director of our transition home, Tseguy, tell Levi that Daddy was at the guest house along with Paige and Tyler.  He seemed happy to know that they were also in Ethiopia.  He asked twice "Here, in Ethiopia"?

Amelia soon came to me and she has not left my arms since that day.  We definitely have formed a bond and I am so thankful for the love I feel for these beautiful children. 

Here we all are with Tseguy and his wife Almaz. 

We stayed at the House of Hope for several hours and played with some new toys we had brought both of the children.  Garrett and Levi had fun playing cars and then we went outside and played with rocket balloons and bubbles with all the other older children staying at the House of Hope. 

As you can see, Samantha had stolen Amelia back from me again here.  Amelia loves Samantha and vice versa. They have a very sweet bond.  However, I am happy to report, Mommy is really her favorite person in the whole wide world right now:)

We went back to the guest house after a few hours so the kids could meet their Daddy and other siblings.  When we got their Tyler and Paige were still asleep but Daddy was wide awake and waiting for us.  He and Levi spent a few minutes together and then walked around the corner, just the two of them, to have dinner together and start some beginning bonding.  They didn't come back for 90 minutes and I was beginning to get worried.  All seemed fine and I am told they played tic tac toe and some mean games of thumb war over pizza and burgers.

Amelia had fallen asleep on the way back to the guest house so Daddy had to wait until morning to get his first glimpses of her awake.  Within a few minutes of getting back to the guest house all the other kids were passed out in bed as well.

Dave put Levi to sleep in bed with him and Garrett slept on a mattress on the floor in the same room.  Later as I was passing by the door I saw Dave and Levi asleep in the bed with levi curled up close to his Dad sleeping.  This is a scene I would witness each and every night while in Ethiopia.  This boy defintely likes his Daddy.

Amelia, Paige, Samantha and I slept in the same room.  I loved watching her sleep.  She is so beautiful and I have to pinch myself every once in a while to make sure she is real and actually ours.

Adoption truly is a beautiful thing.  I have no doubt these children were hand picked by the Father for our family.  Don't get me wrong, there have been challenges these first weeks.  I even got an "its not fair" from Levi last night at bedtime which really made me smile.

Today I went to the market and he cried while I was gone.  I guess I didn't explain myself well enough as to where I was going and thought he would be fine home with Daddy.  When I got home I got a big hug and when he saw the groceries he understood and said "food". 

Levi's english is coming along really well and we really have not had any communication problems we have not been able to tackle.  I think they both feel very comfortable with our family and I think we are well on our way to forming some firm attachments.  I can't wai to see where we are at in three months.

Next post, what we did in Ethiopia.

The Boy Who Liked To Take Pictures

It seems every time I turn around Levi has the camera around his neck and is shooting away.  Here are some of his masterpieces.

First, here is the sign that the neighbors put on our front door.

Not only did they put a sign on the door but we have had meals delivered every day.  Our neighborhood rocks!Here is his self portrait.  I love how his tongue is in he shape of a heart.Zach fast asleep after having to get up for finals the morning afte we got home.  Poor kid!A very tired Mommy feeding Amelia some cereal in the middle of the night.Getting Paige dressed after her bath.

Little sister eating her cereal.

I have tried to explain to him to only ake pictures of mommy when she has had a shower and make up on.  He just laughs andd keeps clicking.  He is such a cute kid!

The Day We Left

We were so blessed to have family members come and caravan us to the airport with all of our luggage.  It took two Suburbans to get us and all of our stuff there.  We were aloted 14 suitcases (7 people x 2) and we had 13.  Four of the big suitcases were filled with donations for the orphanage.  They had requested new board games and clothes for the older children.  We had over 200 pounds of donations we took with us.  We put all the clothes into vacuum bags to make them compress so we could fit more in.  All the games were put in with our regular luggage.  I was overwhelmed with such happiness as I looked at all the generous donations that were given to us.  People from church, work and neighbors bought brand new board games as well as a lot of brand new clothing.  It was truly amazing and I am still overwhelmed at how God's people can move mounains when we all work together. 

Here we are Sunday morning putting all of our bags onto the carts to carry them into the airport.

All of us posing with our luggage.

Thirteen checked bags and six carry ons.

We flew Emirates which I highly recomend.  Each of the seats had their own t.v. screen with a selection of several hunded movies you could watch or games you could play.  We all enjoyed watching the camera underneath the plane too.  It was really fun (and educational too) to see what we were flying over.  We took the polar route which took us over the north pole and Greenland.  None of us will ever forget flying over Russia as the sun was coming up and seeing nothing but snow for as far as the eye could see.  The Geography lessons we had on that plane were great.  I thought the food on Emirates was great and when they handed me a giant chocolate bar about 14 hours into our 16 hour flight to Dubai I almost kissed the stewardess.  We had the forced lay over in Dubai which meant they kept our bags over night and gave us hotel rooms to rest up in.  We arrived in Dubai around 8:00 p.m. and left for Addis Ababa the next morning at 8:00 a.m..  They also give you free food vouchers so we were able to eat dinner in the hotel resaurant when we arrived and then again for breakfast around 5:00 a.m. before we left to take the shuttle to the airport for our flight.  We each only slept a few hours but it was nice to have a rest and take a shower before getting to our final destination.  The flight to Addis the next morning was only 3 hours.

Here are some pictures of the outside of the airport in Dubai.

The Airport in Dubai is beauiful and we were all very impressed with the large Rolex clocks hanging everywhere.  If you are traveling with little ones they have red strollers everywhere that you can use for free so your little people don't have to walk if they are tired, etc.

If you have the layover in Dubai the shuttle desk, where you give them your hotel voucher for the shuttle to the hotel, is to the left over in a corner right as you are getting ready to exit the airport.  We missed it the first time and wondered around out front for a few minutes trying to figure out where we were suppose to go.

Part 2 tomorrow.  Meeting our precious children!

Firsts!

First ride on his skooter.

First bath in the kitchen sink.

We are so in love with both of these kids! They are so happy and easy to please. Levi's English is coming along and we aren't having any real problems communicating. He loves it when I try and talk Amarhic to him. He only laughs a little:)

And Then There Were Nine.............

I am so sorry I did not update during our trip.  I never got a chance to call Missy and, to be honest, I was so in the moment I wasn't really thinking about anything else. 

We got home a few hours ago.  We are dead tired but had a fabulous time.  We are so happy we decided to take all the children with us.  It was definitely the best decision for our family.

At this moment we have two new young ones upstairs asleep in their beds.  They have stolen our hearts and we feel so blessed to have been picked to get to be their parents. 

The first morning we were together I layed out all of Levi's clothes for him so we could try them on and see what fit and what didn't.  When we were done I told him to pick out what he would like to wear.  He chose the above baseball shirt and then proptly "borrowed' Dave's cap which he wore the entire rest of the trip.  He now has his own.  Of course, this did not make his Daddy the least bit pleased.

What can we say about Amelia except that she is a near perfect baby.  Rarely cries, easily content, smiles, blows kisses and claps at all the silly things her siblings do.  She snuggles into me like she was meant just for my arms.  That is how I turly feel, oh how I have enjoyed this sweet blessing this week.

I prayed for over a year that God would prepare the hearts of the children that we would adopt, that they would not be afraid of us, and that we would feel an instant connection.  I am so happy to tell you that prayer has defintely been answered.  Both of the children came to us readily.  Amelia did not cry and has not left my arms since day one.  The time in Addis away from the hustle and bustle of life was so good for our family.  It really gave all the kids a chance to get to know each other.  I can't wait to share our experiences with you.  However, right now, my eyes are threatening to slam shut so it is off to bed for me.  I will write some more tomorrow.

If you are waiting on pictures from us please know that I will do my best to get them to you tomorrow.  I so enjoyed spending time with all the kids at House of Hope and I have some wonderful things to tell you about all your children.

Sweet dreams............

Today's The Day!

I can't believe the day has finally arrived.

I am strangely calm.  Thank You Lord.

The bags are all packed and in the car.  I have this feeling like I am missing something but have no idea what it is.  Don't you hate that feeling?

My friend Missy will be updating here so check back for updates.

Thanks so much for all your love and prayers.  I am really feeling them.  So wonderful!

We are off..........................................!!!!!!!!!!

2 Days!

Today I am finishing the last of the packing and tomorrow I am planning on cleaning the house.  I definitely don't want to come home to a dirty house.  At least I know it will be clean when we return as all the mess makers are coming with us.

If you have read this blog for any length of time you know our lives are very involved in all things baseball.  My husband loves his baseball and so do my boys.  Hubby is very active in our local little league, sits on their board, and coaches/manages several teams.  He lives for this time of year.  He loves it!

It is now time for try-outs, manager selections, early practices, etc.  Guess what?  He is going to miss it.

Tryouts are next weekend and so are some other important events.

When we started this journey I prayed that it would work out that the children would come home while baseball season was not in full swing.  I'm sure God is having a little chuckle about this.  Maybe he is trying to teach us something?  I really have no idea.

To be honest, I could care less about all of that right now, but I know Dave cares so I am trying to be sympathetic.  He has NOT  said one word about any of this and I know that he has arranged for others to do all the things he normally does.  I appreciate the fact that he has let it all go and realized that our children are much more important than baseball.  I actually heard him on the phone the other day and someone was asking him a question about our trip and he said to them "You have to keep it in perspective, remember, it's just baseball."

The kids and I almost fell off our chairs and just busted out laughing.  Speaking like that in the past would never have been allowed (lol).  Dave just gave us all a dirty look and chuckled.  He knew it to.

I do believe a plastic bat and some wiffle balls made it into a suitcase for our trip.  I forsee some wild games on the streets of Addis with the neighborhood children watching and wondering who these crazy foreigners are and why they are trying to play baseball instead of soccer.  We are taking a soccer ball too, just so they'll know we aren't completely nuts!

3 Days!

Three days until we leave!  Thank you all so much for your prayers.  I can really feel them and am feeling much calmer about the whole trip.

Today family is coming over to help me get the last of the packing done.  We have a ton of donations so mostly we will be packing and organizing that.  Another traveling family told me they packed their donations in large rubbermaid storage buckets.  They drilled holes at the top on the side and in the lid and then zip tyed it shut for added security.  They taped extra zip ties inside the box in case security opened it up.  We are going to try this.  We also bought some vacuum bags to pack the clothes in so we could fit a lot more in the donation bucket.  People have been so generous.  I know the childrens orphanage is going to be so grateful for all the donations!

We have family members taking us to the airport, and picking us up.  A caravan of two suburbans so we can fit all the people and all the luggage.  What a blessing to not have to worry about parking our suburban at the airport and taking the shuttle in with all our stuff.  Not to mention all the money we are saving by not having to pay for parking!  Yeah, family, you are the best!

Some of our neighbors are going to go to the grocery store and pick up some essentials for us the day before we get back.  They so wisely knew I would not want to run to the market the minute we got back.  How awesome is that!?  We will have milk, fruit and bread already here when we get home.  We are so truly blessed with the best friends and family around.

I'm off to get dressed for the day.  The kids second semester starts today at the co-op they attend.  I wasn't going to take them, but I think I will.  I don't want them to miss more than a couple of weeks, plus it will be nice for them to see their friends and get out of mom's hair for a little while today:)

4 Days!

I cannot believe that four days from now I will be on a plane headed for Dubai.  The whole experience is starting to feel real.  For a while I felt like I was living someone else's life, but I'm not!  We get to go to Ethiopia and become the parents of two of the cutest, sweetest children I have ever laid my eyes upon.  I feel so truly blessed.

Paige came to me yesterday and said that she was all packed to go to E-T-O-P-I-A.  I love how she says it slow like that.  So cute.  She had left all of her stuff in the middle of the kitchen floor.

Looks like we are set if we are in need of a stuffed animal on our trip.

She was so proud of herself.  I took a picture of her with that big smile.

  She is showing off the tooth she also lost a few days ago.  Not only does she get to go to Ethiopia but she got a visit from the tooth fairy who brought her a whole dollar.  She was a little disappointed though.  She really wanted a candy cane under her pillow.  Go figure?

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

You are one today.  I so wish I were with you.  I will be soon.  I have prayed that you and your brother have a wonderful day today.  We will see you very soon.

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Here is a great article about how home schooling can help the older adopted child bond with his family.  It also mentions so many of the reasons we chose to home school our biological children.  The changes I have seen in their relationships towards each other have been one of the greatest blessings of this entire journey.

The Confession

It happened.  I have been waiting for it.  Trying to talk myself out of it for days.

What is it?

Fear.

I had a big old panic attack today when I was in the car.

You see, my friends, I have this very big fear of flying.

Very few things scare me. 

However, this is one that I have not been able to shake my entire life.

Before we flew to Florida a few years back I had great fear and anxiety over the fact we would be in the air for over four hours.

You can imagine what our 21 hour flight is doing to my psyche.

I have been praying about this.  Asking God to take the fear and anxiety away.  I have acually been so happy about how calm I have felt about this lately.

Today, Samantha and I were driving in the car and she says "Wow, Mom, I am so excited.  We leave in Six Days!"

That did it.  The flood of anxiety burs forth and I couldn't breathe.  I literally thought I was going to throw up.

This is so ridiculous.  My head knows there is really nothing to fear.

I have no fear about being the parent of seven children.  Some would say that is what I should be having the panic attack about.

Did I have some deep psychological trama as a baby that has caused me to be this way?

I want to live without fear. 

This is what I prayed tonight.

I will live without fear.  I will live without fear.  I will live without fear.....................................

The Mailman Finally Brought Me What I Really Wanted

I am thrilled to announce that our extension approval was in the mail box this afternoon.  Praise the Lord!

We can now officially leave the country to pick up our sweet babies.

It only took USCIS nine weeks and several tries to get it done.  You have no idea how thankful I am that I do not have to deal with those people any more!!!

Tyler's passport also arrived, so it was a great day.  I now have 7 passports along with our new approval safely tucked into my filing drawer.  I feel such a relief.

Thanks so much for all of you who have been praying us through this crazy adoption journey.  We are almost to the very end!

I shopped and packed all day except for a break to watch Garrett's basketball game.  My head is spinning with all the things I still have to get done.

Thank goodness for my sweet husband and kids who cleaned the house while I was out collecting everything we would need.

Tomorrow, the bags get packed.  I'll be sure and post a picture.  The final results should really be something to see.

This Is What I Want To Be Doing

Jo Jo chill'in out while listening to some tunes while Tyler does his school work.

Don't you wish you had her life?

Packing, packing, packing,

9 Days until lift off!!!!

Made Some Progress

Today we.........

• found crisp new money for our trip
• got travel meds for the kids
• paid for nine airline tickets without passing out when the travel agent gave us the final total
• paid some bills
• organized the food we will take with us
• made a complete list of everything I need to pack for each of us
• worked on the flash cards/pictures for Levi to help us communicate with him
• tried to learn a few amarhic phrases (I am really bad at this, the kids are much better)

I still drank some diet coke and coffee but at least I got a little more acomplished.

I also talked to the director at USCIS and asked if she mailed out our I-1600A extension.  She acted like she had no idea who I was, even though I have called every day for the past week.  She said she was sure she had as everything on her desk had been approved and taken care of.  When I asked if she could check the computer and make sure, she was not happy.  She said she would call me back.  Of course, she did not.  Why am I not surprised?  I'm 99% sure everything is fine and if she did mail it yesterday it should be in my mailbox tomorrow.  Of course, you know I will be calling her again tomorrow.  What will I do with my time when I no longer get to call USCIS every day?

Here's a few pictures of my closet after I cleaned it.  It makes me so happy to walk in there and not have stuff all over the floor.

You can scroll down a few posts to see what a mess it was.

I also moved my dresser into the closet.  I now have a dressing area where I can go, close the door and get dressed.  All of my clothes are now in there.  I really like that because my kids seem to have a hard time leaving me alone in my room.  Now I can just go hide in my new clean closet.

I'm off to finish the laundry and add to my packing piles.

Ten more days until departure!!

What I Did Today

• Drank lots of coffee and diet coke
• cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner
• taught math and history to the older kids, reading with the littles
• went to park day to socialize with the other families
• washed, folded and put away five loads of clothing
• made a list of everything I need to get done in the next 11 days

What I didn't do:

• Call the bank about getting new crisp money for our trip.
• Make the deposit that would allow me to get said money
• pay bills
• start packing
• go to Target to get the last of the things we need for the trip
• Make sure I have enough clothes for Levi and Amelia
• organize donations and get something to transport them in
• more things than I care to think about right now

Oh well, I still have 11 days.  Right?

The Countdown Begins

Thank you so much for your prayers and warm emails over the last 24 hours.  I have definitely felt the prayers being sent our way.

I spoke with USCIS again today and was told our extension approval would be mailed to the National Visa Center tomorrow. Praise the Lord! I will feel so much better when I know for sure it was done, however, I am rejoicing in movement with this situation. 

At this point we have made the decission to trust in the Lord that it will get to Ethiopia in time for our embassy appointment on the 21st.  If not, I guess I will get to stay in Addis Ababa for a little longer with our kiddo's while we wait for it.  I feel a real peace about this so we are going forward one way or another and will be leaving for Ethiopia on Sunday, January 17th. 

That means we leave in 12 short days!  I better get packing!

Good thing I cleaned my room and closet just in time to mess it up again with a bunch of luggage.  I'll post pictures tomorrow of my nice clean closet.  Makes me so happy when I look at it!

Urgent Prayer Needed

Bloggy Friends, can you please pray for our family.  USCIS is reviewing our file right now to determine if everyting is O.K. so they can grant our approval extension and we can travel in two short weeks to get our children.  I just spoke to the officer in charge of our case and he said our file was on the directors desk waiting for approval.  He said he would go and tell her the urgency of the matter.

Will you please pray with me that she does the paperwork a.s.a.p so we will not be delayed in going to get our precious children?  I know that if we storm the doors of heaven he will hear us and act upon our request.

We have felt for a while that the Lord was leading us to take all of our children with us when we traveled.  A few days ago I found an air fare that would allow us to do just that.  The tickets are on hold for another 48 hours but I don't want to purchase until I have confirmation from USCIS that the cable has been sent.

Thank You for your prayers.  Soon we will be leaving as a family of seven and coming home a family of nine.  I am so excited to see what God has in store for our children on this trip.

Keepin It Real

A few weeks ago I had to go into the office of my kids co-op they attend on Thursday's.  The secretary and some of the other mom's were talking when I walked in and they told me they had a question they wanted to ask me.  O.K. 

You are always so happy, do you ever get overwhelmed and grumpy?

Hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Boy, do I have them fooled.

Yes, I do try and always be cheerful and happy because, to be honest, I have a great life.  My family is healthy, I have a God who loves me even though I am so unworthy, and I live in a country with freedoms others can only dream of.

What's not to be happy about?

Next they said something like this: "I bet your house is always clean too, right?  You are one of those people that just have it all together".

Oh my goodness, I got such a good laugh out of this.  No, my house is not always clean and it defintely is not organized.

I must be a really good actress for these people to think I have it all together like that.  Don't we all do that though?  We think someone else has a better husband, or better kids, better car, there life is just better.  I know I have been guilty of this at times.

Well, in honor of the co-op ladies I have decided to share with you the pictures of my seriously messy and disorganized room.  Honey, don't fall of your chair when you read this, these ladies will understand.

It seems I had a closet full of clothes but never had anything to wear.  I decided to clean out my closet.  Samantha helped me by putting all the things that would no longer fit into garbage bags.

Nine bags.  I think it had been about ten years since I had gotten rid of anything.  We laughed so hard at some of the outfits.

I decided to move our bed onto the far wall and try and make room for us to have a lounging area in our room.  I have to think about how to do that one a little more.  I also need a new bedspread.  The one we have has a big rip down the middle.  I have $200.00 in gift certificates from Kohl's and was thinking maybe I could find a new one on sale.  Normally I would buy clothes for the kids, I think this time I might buy something for myself too (if I can find a good enough price).

what a mess

Now, on to the closet.  Everything that no one wants anymore ends up in our closet.  I found an old shredder, broken laundry basket, tons and tons of pictures, luggage (that is suppose to be stored on the shelves in the garage) and lots of other garbage that just needed to be thrown away.

Both the upper and lower racks were filled with my clothes.  Clothes I never wore.  The picture above shows pictures shoved into boxes all over the floor.  Quite a unique filing system if I do say so myself.

When you first walk into the closet you are unaware of the chaos around the corner.

So, my friends, this is what I aim to do.  Make a warm and inviting oasis for my hubby and I as well as get our closet organized and cleaned up.  I am hoping to work on it for the rest of the day and then tomorrow after church.  We will see how much I get done.  The following pictures prove that there is hope. 

This used to be my laundry area.  I had a long table here against the wall where the play kitchen is with baskets for every member of the family with their name on it.  When I turned our downstairs playroom into a "school room" I didn't know what to do with all the toys.  So, I moved the laundry into the laundry room (which requires me to be much more organized as it is a small space) and made Paige this little space for all her toys. The antique dresser on the far wall was my husbands grandfather's.  It is beautiful and I am going to move it into the master bedroom and put the "boy toys" for Levi on that wall. 

 The cupboards were cleaned out and now hold all the lego's, trains, barbies, etc..  I am really happy with it and Paige loves playing out in the open where she is still with us all, however, since it is upstairs the mess is hidden from guests. 

So, now you know.  The secret is out.  My house is no where near perfect.  It is a work in progress just like me.  I will post new pictures in a few days when (hopefully) it is all done. 

Do you have a New Year's project you want to tackle?  If so, post pictures and tell us about it in the comments.  I would love to follow along with you.