Update 2 from Ethiopia

Update 2 from Ethiopia

We are still doing well. Mary, Ciara, and I have had some minor stomach issues. None of us think that it is related to the food. Sean’s been completely fine the whole time. Isaac continues to bond with us. He has a special closeness with Ciara and visa versa. They laugh and talk a great deal. We had a few tough moments with Ciara getting tired, but she has been an amazing trooper and we are so thankful that she is here to experience God building our family again.

Here is a breakdown of our days. Some of it may be repetitive, but I want to get it all down. We have to come to the Hilton for internet service and you pay by the minute, so I’m not reading over our blog to see what I have already covered.

Monday—arrived, got settled, received Isaac, and chilled out for the night. Sean, Mary, and Ciara picked us up some pizza from Hill Bottom restaurant (near where we are staying). We went to bed around 7:30pm and woke up the next morning around 7. Isaac slept through the night. When they say rainy season, they mean it. It poured like a hurricane and hailed. We are staying at the Wadel guesthouse, and Mr. Wadel came in to tell me it was “snowing.” Isaac seemed terrified the first day.

Tuesday—got up, got showers (low water pressure, but hot water), and went to Beer Garden Inn for lunch with Gladney’s in country representatives. Picked up a few groceries. Restaurants are very cheap, but the groceries are more than at home since almost everything is imported. Tip: if you are adopting an infant, bring your own baby food if you want to feed your child baby food over table food. We’re giving Isaac a mix of each. A small jar of baby food runs around $1.90 (USD). Children really don’t eat baby food here. Isaac has eaten injera, shiro wat, noodles (spaghetti, Chinese, etc.) and anything he can get. The boy is serious about food. We learned that early. The rest of the day we just spend bonding and relaxing.

Wednesday—We were able to visit the Gladney foster homes for infants. We waited for our driver who was late, until someone informed us that the foster homes were right behind where we were staying. So, we enjoyed a nice stroll with several cows and goats to the homes. Isaac’s caregivers were so excited to see him. One gave him a traditional Ethiopian outfit. They were all eager to get their picture taken with him. We plan to send them letters and photos in the future. We also hope to be able to back and talk with them again to learn more about his first 10 months. We then went to lunch with Belay at the East Dragon Chinese restaurant and then to our Embassy appointment.

Thursday—Ciara needed some mommy time on Thursday morning, so she and I stayed at the Wadel house while Sean, Mary, and Isaac went to tour a historic church where former emperor Halle Salasse (butchering the spelling) is buried, with the rest of the Gladney group. Thursday evening we attended the Ethiopian cultural dinner. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant now, but it was amazing. The atmosphere was incredible. The ceiling was beautifully painted, there was a tree growing through the ceiling and the architecture was just neat. We had shiro wat (chickpeas stew), doro wat (chicken stew), greens, kitfo (spicy cooked ground beef—normally served raw, but they cooked it for us), and lamb tibs (chunks of meat). The food was better than back home but not as spicy, which surprised us. The restaurant featured traditional Ethiopian dances. Several in our group joined in the fun. It was hilarious.

Friday—I was out of commission for the morning. Sean, Ciara, Mary, and Isaac went to visit three state run orphanages: the orphanage for younger children, Kechane (older girls’ orphanage) and Kolfe (the older boys’ orphanage). Sean said that Kolfe was his favorite. He got especially close to two boys who took him on a tour. He was amazed that none of the kids asked for anything. They were very interested in asking Sean questions about America, his education, job, grades, etc. They very much want to excel and are quite impressive. They did embarrass Sean by challenging him to a game of ping pong. They told him that he wasn’t too good. They were very polite. Ciara has a great time playing with the children. Dinner was from Hill Bottom again. It is very convenient as we can walk there and the food is not bad.

Saturday—We slept in and then went shopping at the souvenir shops. We bought a few baskets, a musical instrument for Ciara, a salt/pepper/sugar/toothpick holder made out of olive wood, some hand painted plates, an Ethiopian dress for Ciara, and a few other things for only $85. I can get used to this kind of shopping. We then dropped off our things and rode with another family (staying at the Ayat house two doors down from us) to dinner at Dreamland Resort. The restaurant overlooks a volcanic crater filled with water. The sunset was amazing. When we got ready to leave, Belay presented us with a quilt from the girls at the Kechane orphanage. It has Hussen’s (Isaac’s) name in English and Amharic embroidered on it. We will always cherish it. We got in a huge traffic jam on the way back when a truck began leaking fluid. It was total chaos, but I was never scared—just in awe. If we had been driving, we would have wound up in the ditch or worse. The drivers assigned to the adoptive families are really amazing. They all love children and are so helpful. Each one of them would do well in NASCAR. Driving is truly structured chaos over here, but everyone is used to it. So far, we have only seen one wreck, which is good since none of the vehicles have seatbelts. Some roads are paved and some are rock/puddles. Belay informed us that everything had been updated with the National Visa Center and that our new appointment with the US Embassy here is for 9am on Tuesday. We should (note I said should) receive Isaac’s passport and other documents on Thursday (the day we are scheduled to fly out). If they are not ready, we have already made the decision that Mary, Ciara, and I will go ahead and fly home and Sean and Isaac will stay until everything is ready. We really don’t think this will be a problem, but please be praying about this situation. With the issues we have encountered with our adoption, we don’t really have any expectations of problem free steps. We do know that God is in control and we’re pretty relaxed about things.

Sunday—We had a nice surprise call from my mom. A great start to our morning. The power was out, so we had to go with the flow and we didn’t look our best for church, but it didn’t matter. We attended the English service at the International Evangelical Church. The church has had as many as 39 nations represented. It was amazing to see so much diversity in a church of about 200-300 people. We felt very welcome. The service had many songs that we were familiar with and a beautiful Amharic song. After church, went to lunch with another Gladney family at the Paradise Garden. The food wasn’t as good as some of the other places that we have eaten at. The atmosphere was nice, but we thought it was a bit pricey compared to the other places (around $8/person, which is expensive here). We then stopped at a market to pick up some berbere and other things and then returned home. Sean and Ciara went back to Hill Bottom to pick up supper (pizza and lentil sambusas) and Ciara played with about 20 of the local children on the playground. The rest of the night we just chilled out.

Monday plans: Update blog at Hilton, exchange money, lunch at the East Dragon (I’m telling you this place it awesome), shopping at the souvenir shops and then to the Leprosy hospital and a few other stores.

About Wadel House: Mr. Wadel is rather like a grandfather to all of us. His family has been very welcoming. Wadel House is a great place to stay. They will do your laundry and love to take the kids into the courtyard to watch the birds. We have felt completely safe and are so thankful that we chose a guesthouse rather than a hotel. Being here for almost 2 weeks and having two kids, it has been great to have the gated courtyard to play in and plenty of room in the house. By the way, if you are wondering how the laundry is, it is much better than when I do it. They worked all day on it though—hand washing it, hanging it to dry, and then they ironed it (even our underwear—so bring good ones J). The only downside is that while they have a kitchen, it is lacking a stove. We have managed just fine. We would definitely stay at the Wadel house again, but we would pack a little hot plate. They will make the beds (even when we already had), change the linens (we told them the sheets were fine), wash the dishes or whatever you need. We have tried to keep their efforts as minimal as possible, but they just go out of their way to make us feel at home and to make our stay as comfortable and restful as possible.

We do have tons of pictures, but there are no card readers on the computers here at the Hilton and since I am not able to use my laptop, I’m stuck. I will post pictures as soon as possible when we get back. We know that many of you are praying for us and we truly appreciate it. We can’t wait to see everyone.

We're safe and have the most precious little boy!

Quick flight update: our flight from Charlotte to JFK got off a little earlier than expected. Something happened to the plane at the gate, so we had to walk to another plane parked on the tarmac. Our take off was delayed a little by two intoxicated passengers who were arguing and were not allowed to board the plane. It was an interesting start to our journey to say the least. We arrived at JFK around 8:30pm (again arriving on the tarmac instead of a gate with no directions on where to go). When we finally found the Air Train and made it to the international terminal, we found out that we only had until 45 minutes to be ready to board the plane. We also found out that our travel agent had not taken care of the hotel in Dubai for our 12 hour layover. It was a nightmare, but the Emirates agent quickly requested us one, but stated that he could not guarantee us that a room would be available. We made it to the gate and had to spend $48 on 4 sandwiches, some chips, and 3 small drinks, but we were able to eat before boarding the plane (another one which was on the tarmac). The flight from JFK to Dubai was long, but Emirates is really nice. We all had our own TVs with headsets, goodie bags, and Ciara got a coloring book and colored pencils. She loved being able to watch movies (Kung Fu Panda twice). We were able to sleep a little on the plane, but not too much. We arrived in Dubai a little later than expected and went on about a 2 hour trek to figure out our hotel. We finally got things situated and got about 4 hours of sleep. The airport in Dubai is massive and confusing, but the people were wonderful and very helpful. I'll explain later why Sean and Mary had to turn over the passports to the police later (it has to do with trying to claim luggage after leaving the airport, since we were told that we didn't need to claim it).

Ciara did great on all three plane rides. She was very excited. On the first one, she actually feel asleep and slept right through the landing. She watched movies for a while on the one from JFK to Dubai and then slept well. None of us have had problems with jetlag. It has to be God, because I don't know how else you can totally avoid it. We were tired, but we adjusted the first night in Ethiopia (going to bed around 7:30pm Ethiopian time and waking up around 7am the next morning). I've had some stomach issues, but I truly don't think it is related to the food--more emotions and trying to take everything in. Mary has had a few headaches, but they are greatly improving, with non today to my knowledge. Sean was a little tired but has done great and hasn't had any real issues. Ciara doesn't seem phased, although last night she did want to sleep with me and needed some alone time with Mommy this morning.

My stomach issues started on the flight from Dubai to Ethiopia. Having stayed up most of the flight from JFK to Dubai and then only getting around 4 hours of sleep in Dubai, we were all pretty tired. Ryan Brown and our driver, Tsega, picked up at the airport (you have to tip twice when they help you with your baggage). They took us straight to the Wadel house, the guesthouse we are staying at and said that they would be back in about 1 hour with Isaac. We got our luggage in the right bedrooms, used the bathroom and then it was time to finally see him in person. He is so much cuter in person. Travis brought him in and handed him to me. I still don't think I have taken that moment in fully. Isaac's breathing was very off and you could tell he was terrified. It was really hard to stomach knowing how much his world was being turned upside down. We all took turns holding him. Sean, Ciara, and Mary walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner and I stayed at the house with Isaac. I went out and talked with Wadel and his family after a little while. Wadel's wife wanted to hold Isaac and I thought it would be really good for him. She talked to him and he seemed to relax a good bit. After a little while, it began to rain and Isaac and I went back inside. He seemed to start opening up more at this point and smiled one time. As the night went on, Isaac became more and more relaxed.

Isaac is sleeping in a pack n' play in our room. The first night he was with us, he woke up and just babbled and said, "Da Da." Of course Sean is proud even though he knows that Isaac isn't really associating him with the words.

The uncertainties Isaac felt towards us on Monday were decreasing significantly by Tuesday morning. He woke up a happy, talkative boy. On Tuesday, we had lunch at the Beer Garden Inn with all of the other Gladney families currently in country, as well as with the in country representatives (good bathrooms by the way). The rest of the day, we spent at the house bonding with our precious baby boy. Ciara has done great with him. She is so patient, helpful and thoughtful. She did get her feelings hurt a few times when Isaac cried when she was trying to help him, but overtime, she has been able to realize that he was scared and trying to get used to us.

On Wednesday, we went to visit the Gladney Foster homes for babies and toddlers. We were able to meet Isaac's caregivers. One gave him a Ethiopian outfit, which we will always cherish. They love the babies so much. Even though it never helped for me to hear that during our wait, I can tell that Isaac has benefited developmentally and emotionally from the love and care that he received. We were able to hold the other babies and also take pictures for other families waiting to travel. We were able to see the traditional coffee cerimony. We then went to lunch with Belay at the East Dragon Chinese restauarant (a must if you like Chinese food). It was the best Chinese food that Sean and I have ever eaten and we all want to go back. We then tried to purchase a 3 prong to 2 prong adapter (my laptop is dead, which is why I haven't been able to post---we are at the Hilton now) and a SIMS card. We then went for our interview at the Embassy and found out that the cable that the US Embassy had received form the National Visa Center had a different expiration date that what is on our current I 171 H. What would you expect after all that has happened? So, we are in the process of getting USCIS to reissue another cable to the NVC who will then submit it to the US Embassy here. Why does this matter??? We can't leave Ethiopia with Isaac until we are able to get through the embassy interviews/paperwork, because they are the ones that will issue his passport. I don't anticipate this being a drawn out problem, but it could come down to us getting the passport on the day we leave. So, we are just waiting to hear when this paperwork has been recieved and then we will get another Embassy appointment. My minutes are running out, so I will have to end this post now. I will update more later. Blessings to all of you and thank you so much for your prayers. There are so many more things we want to share.

Delayed

We've made it past all of the security check points. Everything has gone smoothly until they announced our flight has been delayed. We are now scheduled to leave at 6:20pm. We are so excited. Ciara is already asking how much longer till we leave. She's enjoying exploring the airport and seeing the planes. We're just hanging out. Hopefully we will make out 11pm flight on Emirates. Till our next update...Blessings!

We're leaving on a jet plane in less than 72 hours

Wow. Life has turned into a whirlwind. I can't keep my days straight, but we are so excited that in a matter of days, we will have Isaac in our arms. I do hope to be able to post while in Ethiopia. Please keep us in your prayers, especially for safe travel, good health, and that God will be preparing Isaac's heart for the changes that he will soon face. We're hoping to finish packing tonight. I still can't believe that we are so close to getting our little boy. God is so good and faithful! We did receive an update on Isaac today. He's growing!

From our caseworker, Natalie:

"I received a brief update on Isaac Hussen today with his current measurements:

Height- 26 ½ inches Weight- 19.40 pounds Foot Length- 4 ¼ inches

Waist (around belly button)- 19 inches"

Here's our flight schedules:

23 AUG 08 - SATURDAY
DELTA 5614 COACH CLASS EQUIP-CANADAIR JET
LV: CHARLOTTE 445P NONSTOP MILES- 541 CONFIRMED
AR: NYC/KENNEDY 644P ELAPSED TIME- 1:59
ARRIVAL TERMINAL-3
AIRLINE RECORD LOCATOR DL -QPEDWD


EMIRATES AIR 202 COACH CLASS EQUIP-77W
DEPART TERMINAL- 4
LV: NYC/KENNEDY 1100P NONSTOP MILES- 6848 CONFIRMED
AR: DUBAI 745P ELAPSED TIME-12:45 ARVL DATE-24 AUG
ARRIVAL TERMINAL-1
AIRLINE RECORD LOCATOR EK -FJDJ7J

25 AUG 08 - MONDAY
EMIRATES AIR 723 COACH CLASS EQUIP-AIRBUS A340-300 JET
DEPART TERMINAL- 1
LV: DUBAI 825A NONSTOP MILES- 1562 CONFIRMED
AR: ADDIS ABABA 1130A ELAPSED TIME- 4:05
AIRLINE RECORD LOCATOR EK -FJDJ7J

Return Flight

04 SEP 08 - THURSDAY
EMIRATES AIR 724 COACH CLASS EQUIP-AIRBUS A340-300 JET
LV: ADDIS ABABA 735P NONSTOP MILES- 1562 CONFIRMED
AR: DUBAI 1245A ELAPSED TIME- 4:10 ARVL DATE-05 SEP
ARRIVAL TERMINAL-1
AIRLINE RECORD LOCATOR EK -FJDJ7J

05 SEP 08 - FRIDAY
EMIRATES AIR 203 COACH CLASS EQUIP-77W
DEPART TERMINAL- 1
LV: DUBAI 200A NONSTOP MILES- 6848 CONFIRMED
AR: NYC/KENNEDY 745A ELAPSED TIME-13:45
ARRIVAL TERMINAL-4
AIRLINE RECORD LOCATOR EK -FJDJ7J

DELTA 5613 COACH CLASS EQUIP-CANADAIR JET
DEPART TERMINAL- 3
LV: NYC/KENNEDY 155P NONSTOP MILES- 541 CONFIRMED
AR: CHARLOTTE 357P ELAPSED TIME- 2:02
AIRLINE RECORD LOCATOR DL -QPEDWD

Introducing Isaac Hussen Kepley

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Introducing Isaac Hussen Kepley

We officially have a son now. On January 23, 2008, we saw his precious face. Today, he is officially our son. The photo to the far left is the most recent photo that we have of Isaac. The other photo is our referral photo. More to come soon.

On the verge of an emotional breakdown

First of all, this post has nothing to do with our adoption. However, I do feel as though I am on the verge of an emotional breakdown. My mother-in-law called tonight to say that my sister-in-law had gotten a new job, but that we could not go to the beach the week that we had planned next year since someone else already had that week off. So, we were in the process of figuring out what weeks would work. I jokingly mentioned that we could just move it to later in August or sometime in September. I'm all for cheaper rates and cooler weather. Well my normally loving and sensitive husband had the nerve to shatter my fantasy world (which I didn't know I was living in). He had the nerve to matter of factly tell me that the boys (our nephews) would be in school, and "Besides, she (meaning Ciara) might be in school." Still oblivious to reality, I was thinking, "you mean she can't miss a week of preschool. I know it is great, but it is preschool." He further pushed me to the edge, when seeing that I wasn't getting it, he added, "You do realize that she may well be in kindergarten next year, right?" With what I'm sure was a rather dumb look for several minutes, I liked to have died when I put it all together. You see, my baby girl will be turning 4 this Thursday, July 31st. Logically, most parents would have realized that she would be old enough to start kindergarten next year. However, I guess I have been rather emphatically denying all reason or logic and instead have clung to the belief that Ciara will not be entering kindergarten next year or maybe even after that. After my heart and respiration rates slowed down and the tears had dried, I maybe not so politely (but in a joking way) told my husband that I didn't think she would be entering school next year and that we might home school after all. All he had to say was "Well, you're not teaching her math and I would have to give her some pop quizzes." He still can't believe that I'm just realizing the inevitable--my baby girl is growing up.

Please Join Us in Prayer

We were informed on Friday that it will likely be a week or so before an opinion is issued on our case. Tonight Gladney adoptive families, friends and families are gathering together to pray for Ethiopia, the orphans in Ethiopia and all of our cases. I would like to invite you to join us as well.
The details:
When: Tuesday, June 3rd 7:30-8:00 pm EST
Where: A quiet place, in your home, with friends, alone, anywhere!
How: Pray for Gladney, families, children, MOWA, and all of the orphanages.

You can invite your friends and family to join you in this prayer!
There is strength in numbers!
"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.", Matthew 18:20 NIV

Not Today

Our caseworker called a little while ago and said that Belay had gone to court but that MOWA has not entered their opinion yet. MOWA has not requested any additional paperwork, however, so we are taking that as a good sign. I think they are simply swamped due to the scheduled power outages and more people adopting from Ethiopia. It was ironic, because I had an Ethiopian Cultural Awareness training today with AWAA. At the end, Duni, the Director of the Ethiopian program at AWAA, stated the same things. Last year, the number of adoptions from Ethiopia doubled. We don't really have a new court date. Our file is considered open with the courts. Other matters regarding our case have been heard in court, so it is just a matter of the judge receiving MOWA's opinion. While we're ready to travel to Ethiopia now (okay, not literally--I don't even have a packing list yet), we're trusting God's perfect timing. I'm so thankful that He sees the big picture and we don't have to worry. Please continue to pray for us, Isaac, and our case. We will update you the minute that we receive the good news.

Delays

Well, we just got a call from Natalie. I was hoping that she would call today, even though it is a holiday, so that we could know if we passed court or not. Prior to the court date (the day before court), the Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA) has to write their opinion on our case. Due to the extreme drought (Ethiopia uses primarily hydroelectricity), there have been scheduled power outages in Ethiopia. MOWA did not have electricity on Friday or today, so they were not able to write their opinion on our case. Natalie said that MOWA would work on writing their opinion of our case tomorrow. Wednesday is a holiday in Ethiopia, so our court date is rescheduled for this Thursday, May 29. Please keep us in your prayers. Ethiopia is eight hours ahead of us, so hopefully we'll know something before lunch on Thursday. We'll keep you updated. Blessings!

3 Months, 2 Weeks and 3 Days and We Have a Court Date!!!!

Oh, what sweet words we heard this morning. We heard on Friday that our file had been submitted for a court date. Just a little while ago, we received a message from Natalie saying that we have a court date for May 26th. Please keep us, Isaac, and other involved in the court hearing in your prayers. We are so ready to hold our little man. Yesterday was so tough.

Conference Call

We were able to have a conference call with our caseworker and some other representatives from Gladney today. They were able to provide us with details about our case. Our file has reportedly been completed this week and will be submitted to request a court date next week. They anticipate receiving a court date (not the actual proceeding) for us the following week. Please continue to pray for our case, for Isaac, and for his birth mother. Thank you to those who have left us encouraging comments or who have emailed us. Your words, prayers, and support have been a tremendous blessing to us during our wait for a court date.

Update

Gladney is still working on finishing Isaac's file before it can be submitted and a court date requested. We have a conference call on Friday with Natalie and hope to learn more. Please continue to keep us in your prayers! Blessings to each of you!

No Court Date Yet

We continue to wait on a court date. Our desire to hold Isaac and have him home grows stronger each day. We continue to trust God's timing. In the meantime, we did receive an update on Isaac:

“Isaac is looking good! He is bright eyed and totally aware of his surroundings. Isaac is alert and ready to play and notices a potential playmate in his presence! He is fine on his own or with friends. Isaac’s belly-button is almost completely flat as of today and is beautifully healthy! He wakes up at night to eat a couple of times.”

Current Weight- 15 ½ pounds

No Word on Court/Update on Isaac

Well, we still don't have any news about a court date, but we did receive an update on Isaac. We also received a memory card from the Rooneys who just got back from getting their son. They took a number of photos for us which we are so excited to receive. He is sporting a Mohawk as mentioned in the update. He's really growing and it so cute. We just can't wait to hold him. We also can't wait to share photos with everyone.

Here's the update: "Isaac is so easy to get along with! He may be everybody’s best friend!Isaac is sporting this natural Mohawk right now that makes him look a little edgy. Now Isaac’s mood changes a little at dinner time, to say the least, but whose doesn’t! His belly button seems to be flattening out a bit or maybe the rest of him is just filling in!”

The Wait Continues

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. It is rather hard to at times. Friday marked our 9th week of waiting for a court date. We were able to talk with Natalie on Thursday of last week. It is looking like it will be another week or two (minimum) before our file is ready to be submitted for a court date. We are thankful that Natalie talked with Belay and was able to share more details about our case with us. The wait is hard. On Thursday, I totally broke down and just sobbed while talking with my mom. We are all ready to have Isaac home, but we are also thankful that the courts in Ethiopia and Gladney's Ethiopian team work to make sure that adoptions are done correctly and legitimately. Please keep us in your prayers.

No Court Date Yet

Well, I haven't fallen off the planet, but I have been traveling a good bit doing some home visits and have not had a chance to update our blog. Good Friday marked our 8th week of waiting for a court date. I had a phone call with Natalie, our case worker on Thursday afternoon and basically I didn't learn too much. It seems there isn't any rhyme or reason to court dates, so we are just stuck waiting some more. I never thought the wait would be this long. It is hard not to think about all the ways Isaac is growing without us, but we continue to trust God and know that His timing is perfect (notice I said trust, I definitely don't understand it, but I am trusting in Him). Natalie is hoping to hear good news for us this week. I'm not getting my hopes up until we get the call or email.

For those of you who have court dates tomorrow, I will be praying extra today and this evening. I'm hoping for successful court dates the first round for all of you. Blessings!

"Tagged"

I was "tagged" by one of my friends also waiting to adopt from Ethiopia, and now must share 10 interesting things about myself.

Here are the rules: You have to tag 5 people and you can't tag the person that tagged you. You leave them a comment on their blog letting them know you are tagging them and why. Also, direct them to your blog for instructions. It is also asked that you notify the tagger when you post your list so that they can enjoy reading the responses.

Here are the 10 somewhat interesting facts about me:

1. I met my husband, Sean, on a blind date. His sister had us over to her house for a spaghetti dinner. Spaghetti dinners have never been the same since.
   
2. Ciara and I were both born on full moons.
   
3. My favorite recent movie is The Bucket List.
   
4. One of the things on my Bucket List: ride on a hot air balloon (more than just 50-100 feet up which I have already done).
   
5. When I was little (around 3 years old), after learning the Bible story about Jesus walking on the water, I tried to walk on water in a fish tank at a Chinese restaurant. It didn't work.
   
6. My favorite TV shows are LOST, House, and The Closer.
7. Best Childhood Memories--Most Cherished--learning John 3:16 with my dad (he died when I was 5), Most Touching--remembering the way my grandma Virgina's face lit up when she saw me, Most Exciting--a sled ride on a piece of laminate counter top with my cousin, Christie (we went really fast and ended up ducking under a fallen tree and landed in a mud muddle that wasn't totally frozen over).
8. Worst Childhood Memory--a bicycle accident the summer before my 3rd grade year. One pedal went into my ankle and one of the handlebars went through my upper lip. The saga continued when some family members tried taking me down a paved road in the mountains in a wheelchair. I did master bowling on crutches that summer, though.
   
9. I first started wanting to adopt when I was somewhere between 9-12 and saw the Save the Children commercials. I told my mom then that I wanted to adopt instead of having children biologically.
   
10. God provided me with an awesome husband who started thinking about adoption before we even met. We knew we would build our family through adoption before we were ever married (not that we wouldn't rejoice if we had a child biologically).

Now, the lucky ducks who get tagged... John and/or Dottie, Dana, Becca, Christy, and Shelley.

A New Update on Isaac

Yesterday we received an update on Isaac, along with a new photo.

"Isaac is really an adorable little guy! He is even a cute sleeper, with his two middle fingers in his mouth sucking in his dreams! And then for the icing on the top, he wakes up laughing – no joke! Isaac is definitely a boy! His “grunts” and “umphs” are means of expression! Isaac is very active and energetic during the day and likes people! He does not cry much and is just an easy-going person! Weight- 13.89 pounds”

We still are waiting on a court date. We know of two families who received court dates yesterday for April 9th. One received their referral on January 21, 2008 and the other received their referral on February 27, 2008. We are hoping for news very soon about our court date.

Another Update on Isaac

Today has been such a confirmation of God's love for us, His sovereignty and how He is moving in so many ways that we cannot see. This morning we received an update from Natalie. I mentioned in the post below that an adoptive family had taken a blankie, letter, and photo to Isaac for us. Well, I was busy working away, when I received an email from the adoptive mom. It was just what I needed for today. I've copied it below.

"First let me say your little man is the sweetest thing. We saw him on Wednesday the 20th. When we got to the foster care house he was being held by Travis downstairs, like he was ready and waiting for us to get there. I recognized him right away and pulled out his gift. I gave him his blanket toy that he grasped onto right away and the other hand had the picture. I read him his letter and his little face just lit up. Travis said that they would start calling him cutie pie for his big sister. I held him for about 20 minutes and he never stopped smiling. He has such a sweet spirit and you could tell he knew he was loved. I held onto him until they made me give him back! I hope you enjoy the pictures."

She sent us lots of pictures. It meant so much that she held him and loved on him awhile for us (and that she read him the letter).

An Update on Isaac

We just received an email from Natalie, our case worker, with an update on Isaac along with a new photo. In the photo, he is holding his new little blankie that we sent him via an adoptive family who was traveling to pick up their son. It is so nice to get an update on him. We're still waiting on a court date. Here's what Natalie sent from Gladney's in country representatives:

“Isaac is definitely a people person. He loves to play and laughs out loud at funny faces or funny noises. On his own, Isaac is a mild mannered little man who is sweet and fairly quiet. His little doggy blanket says “lovable” and it suits him perfectly!”

We are so anxious to hold our little man and hoping that he will love us holding him.

A Big Sister's Longing

I'm at a complete loss as to what to say to Ciara these days. We've done our best to explain to Ciara that God has a plan for our family and that He will bring everything about in His timing. But she is having such a hard time. All week she has been practicing how she holds her baby dolls and making sure that she is holding them the way she should hold baby brother. She has asked daily since we got our referral about when he will be coming home, but this morning, I saw a glimpse into her little heart that has totally broken mine. I was buckling her up to take her to preschool this morning. Big tears welled up in her eyes and she asked me, "Mommy, when is it going to be time for baby brother to come home?" I didn't realize until this morning just how full of love her heart already is for Isaac and how much she wants him to be home. She talks about things that she wants to teach him or do with him everyday and is very excited, but I had no idea how much she is longing for him. Please lift her up today in your prayers and ask that God would minister to her little heart and help comfort her. Please also pray that He would give us wisdom in how to explain things to her and support her while she waits for her "Cutie Pie" to be in her arms too.

One Month and Holding...and Trusting God

Today is the official one month mark that we have been waiting for a court date. We do not have any news to report, as we have not received any. One of the families who recently traveled did email us some pictures of Isaac, which were a welcome sight. We are trusting that everything will come about in God's perfect timing, but as I've said before, it gets really hard and then it gets harder. For about a week and a half, I didn't even go into Isaac's nursery. I still haven't been in there except for a brief period on Friday night. I sat in the rocker and thought about when the day actually arrives that I can hold him and rock him. I was then on the verge of tears and so I'm avoiding the nursery again. Ciara asks daily when Baby Brother will be home. We keep telling her that God has a plan for our family and that He will bring Baby Brother home in His timing. Ciara has said that she is ready now. We are too, but there is more waiting to be done, more lessons to be learned, and more time to grow closer to our Heavenly Father.

We are preparing to cook our first Ethiopian meal on our own. We have grown to love Ethiopian food so much, but it is quite expensive, so we're hoping to become expert chefs. We found a new international market in Garner that has many of the spices, red lentils, etc. that we need at really good deals (no berbere, however), so we've decided to have a feast this weekend. It would be nice if we had something to celebrate (a court date), but we're just going to have fun cooking together. I'll be sure to post a photo our our feast.

Lessons for a Social Worker, a Mommy, and one of God's adopted daughters

This week has been really, really hard. On Sunday afternoon, we had a wonderful opportunity to attend a birthday party/get together for the Mestas' one year old twins. There were a number of families there who have adopted from Ethiopia, including two families who just returned last Wednesday. We got to meet the Martins who just returned with their little Felicity. On Monday, I received my sling that I have been so excited about. I have not been able to find a carrier that seems at all natural, but I love the sling that I ordred from http://www.sleepingbaby.net/index.php. Also, on Monday, Sean and I went to get our taxes done so that we can pay our final payment (due before the court date) for the adoption. We also have pretty much finished the nursery (I'll post pictures later) except for hanging the curtain, hanging one model airplane, and putting the photos in the frames (we have to get more pictures of Isaac and photos of our trip for that). All of these are wonderful things and have been very exciting, but now I just feel we are ready. We plan to finish putting up the siding on Sean's shop this weekend (it is really easy and pretty fast by the way and a lot cheaper than having someone do it). I'm also making really good progress on finishing up the home studies, post placements, and addendums that I have on my plate to finish ASAP. Up until this week, I have pretty much just been chilling out and not having any problems (except for brief fletting moments) just waiting on God to say, okay, it is time to go. This week, however, I have struggled just about hourly. It reminds me very much of the revocation period with Ciara's adoption. Yesterday I had to pull myself together before going into the bank and this morning as I opened up my laptop and saw Isaac's face, I had to pull myself together again. I have always told people that nothing in my life has grown me in my walk with the Lord, like Ciara's adoption. I think I've hit the point in this adoption where God is ready to grow me up some more. For that, I am thankful. One thing that I am understanding so much more clearly is how hard this time period is for my families that I work with. Before, I've felt that I understood pretty well the emotional roller coaster that families experience and to an extent, I think I did understand more than someone who hasn't adopted. Now I understand so much more clearly how hard the wait for a referral is, and then how much harder it gets to wait to receive your child after you have their little faces ingrained into your mind. For my families that I am working with, I can tell you that this experience is helping me to understand how much more I need to be a prayer warrier for each of you. I know that without asking, many of you are lifting us up in your prayers and we are very grateful for that. Please continue to pray for us and that our hearts would be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit has for us to learn during this time. Please also pray for Isaac. I really am not anxious about the care that he is receiving. I know that the staff takes excellent care of the babies and that more importantly, God watches over him every minute of every day. A family who is leaving today has graciously offered to take Isaac his little blankie, our photos, and a letter (I know he can't read it--it was really for me), so he should receive that sometime in the next week. We hope that he will love cuddling his little blankie (the lady at the post office about cried with me when she realized what I was sending, to where, and why).

"Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land." Proverbs 25:25

We received a special gift this morning--an update on Isaac. Below is the email that we received from Natalie. Gladney's in-country representatives sent the update to her. I did change his name as we are only supposed to post non-identifying information.

"Isaac is simply a normal little boy! He is innocent, and apparently, very adaptable. Isaac is progressing nicely, and starting to investigate himself and his surroundings. His hand is the main point of interest right now, and he is easily entertained by it – for now that is!
Current Weight: 11.68 pounds”

Introducing Cutie Pie to Ciara's Preschool Friends

Ciara attends our church's preschool three days per week. She loves all of the teachers and her friends. She was so excited to tell them all about her Cutie Pie. I took the printed photos that I have for her to share, along with a book called E is for Ethiopia. We had told her teacher about our referral on Sunday. She said that she would share the photos with Ciara's class on Tuesday. When I picked Ciara up on Tuesday, her teacher told me that she wanted to wait and share the photos and book during library time on Wednesday morning with all of the 3 year old classes. Their is a little girl in Ciara's class how was adopted from China, so Ciara's teacher wanted to help the children better understand adoption. So on Wednesday morning, Ciara showed the pictures to all of the three year olds and told them that his name was you guessed it, "My Cutie Pie." I think this is a battle we won't win. One of the teachers read the book to the students about Ethiopia. I am so thankful that all of the teachers and staff understand the blessing of adoption and want to help prepare these children to understand adoption and that God builds families in different ways. They have been so sensitive in answering child's questions.

The Name Has Been Chosen

This morning we went to church as usual. What wasn't usual is that I cried through just about the whole service. All I could think about is how good God is and how awesome it is to feel His love in such a personal way. It never ceases to amaze me how God continues to pour out His love to us when we don't deserve it one bit. While we haven't held our son, he certainly is a tangible expression and gift of God's love to our family.



After the service, we had lunch and then went to look for a rocker. We never did find the rocker that we wanted, but we did find a great deal on a dresser. We continued to discuss the different names on my list (Sean liked all of them by the way and couldn't think of any to add. His favorite two were also my favorite two when I made the list a while back.). We said the different names in different ways (the you're in trouble tone, the my baby's hurt come here tone, the Hello, my name is ____ tone for job interviews down the road, and the very important first, middle, and last name tone of you're past being in trouble and better be changing your behavior now tone). All the while, we kept asking Ciara which name she liked best. She repeatedly said, "My Cutie Pie." Can you tell that she is a strong willed, but incredibly loving and precious child? Well, we hope we have your curiosity up by now. We would like to introduce you to our son, Isaac (but we still can't show you any pictures). Just know that he is totally precious and mighty handsome even with snot in his nose (you'll see it in the referral photo when we can post them). So to get on with the story, we told Ciara that we were going to name Baby Brother, Isaac. Ciara said quite boldly, "Mommy, I not going to call him Isaac. I going to call him "My Cutie Pie." We gave up and just told her that Mommy and Daddy are going to call him Isaac and that she can call him "My Cutie Pie." One day, he can try to set her straight about that, but I'm about certain that she will always call him, "My Cutie Pie." After this great debate, we went to a favorite gift shop of ours so that Ciara could pick a pacifier out for Isaac. Would you believe that they had one with "Cutie Pie" written on it? It is waiting for him.

The Nursery Makeover Begins!

This morning started out early. I had to meet with a family for a final home study visit, so I got up around 7. Sean got up at the same time and figured that he could get started painting before Ciara got up and wanted to lend her painting skills. Well, Sean's plan backfired. By the time I got out of the shower, I heard a little voice saying, "Daddy, I want to help. I want to help." I have the most patient husband. By the time I got dressed and over to the nursery, sure enough, there was Sean rolling away with Ciara right beside him with a paint brush. She was beaming. Of course, I had to run get by camera. She was so excited to be able to help.



Last night about 1am, we emailed some people about a white crib, changing table, and glider rocker. We're big craigslist fans. Also around 1am, we were looking at photos that my mom had emailed us of a crib set that she had bought for her house but was offering us. We loved it and couldn't believe that it will match the color that we picked out. Right before I walked out the door, the phone rang and I heard Sean setting up an appointment for me to pick up the crib after I finished up with my visit. So, after meeting with my family, I drove to Cary and bought the crib. We didn't have any luck with the other two items, but we felt like we were making progress.



Once I got home, we headed out for Babies-R-Us. There we found a changing table and some other items for the nursery. We came home and put together the changing table, all the while still trying to decide between two names. While looking at the pictures, Ciara promptly told us that her little brother's name was "My Cutie Pie." My Cutie Pie is the only name Ciara is interested in calling her baby brother. I can just imagine how this will go over when he's 13.

Doctor's Appointment and Nursery Planning

On Thursday, I called our pediatrician's office, hoping that we could get an appointment for that day, but we had to wait until today. We met with our pediatirican to discuss our referral info. Our pediatrican said that everything looked good and that she felt that our son's herniated belly button would resolve on its own. We went over things to take when we traveled and she stated that she would talk with a fellow collegue at Duke Medical Center and get him to review our son's paperwork as well. After the appointment, I called Mary and officially accepted our referral. She said that they would notify the in country representatives so they could begin working on a court date right away (any day next week sounds good to us:).



This evening we went to Lowe's and decided to pick out a paint color. Since we didn't specify a boy or a girl in our request, we haven't done anything as far as planning for, thinking about, or decorating the nursery. Now that we know that it is a boy, we headed for the blues. Within about 15 minutes, Sean and I had agreed on a color. Neither of us expected it to be that easy. Normally, we bring home a ton of swatches, tape them to the walls, and debate about the colors for a week or so. Of course, we explained what we were getting the paint for and Ciara was determined to help. We got home and Sean immediately began clearing out the room. I had to head upstairs to work some more due to those changes with USCIS. Every little bit, Ciara would come up there to tell me that we were going to paint baby brother's room. I finished up with work (very late) and found that Sean was still prepping the room. Ciara was 100% ready to begin painting. We had to tell her that we couldn't paint tonight and she just cried. She wanted to get baby brother's room ready so bad.



Ciara is already so in love with her baby brother. Tonight, while we were looking around in the room that will be baby brother's, Ciara announced that she wants to give Baby Brother her silkie (her very cherished blankie). Sean told her that she didn't have too. We told her that we would go to the store over the weekend and that we could all pick out a blankie for her to give him. Ciara just shook her head no. She said, "But I want to give him my silkie." Sean explained that it would be fine if she did, but that she could think about it awhile and change her mind later and it would be okay. We will just have to see if this lasts.

Is this really happening?

Today I kept thinking, "is this really happening." We stayed up so late last night calling family to tell them about our referral that Ciara and I slept in this morning. She was supposed to go to preschool, but I decided to just let her sleep. Last night when Sean was talking to his mom, she asked had we decided on a name. Sean told her that we hadn't really even thought about it yet. I corrected him and told him that I had a list ready for his review. He wasn't at all shocked. I continued calling family and friends throughout the day today. All were very excited for us. This evening, Ciara begged to go to CiCi's Pizza (not Mommy and Daddy's pick). We couldn't say no after she slept through us celebrating last night. So, we went out for a nice helping of heartburn this evening and had a blast celebrating again. She is ready for Baby Brother to be home now.

3 months, 1 week, 3 days and a Phone Call

I have been extremely busy with work lately. New changes with USCIS regarding home study updates has created a huge influx of work for me. Yesterday I was conducting a home visit and my cell phone rang repeatedly. I normally don't answer the phone when I'm with a family, but I got worried that there might be an emergency. I excused myself, explaining my concern, and answered. It was Sean. I was a little frustrated and said, "Hey honey, I'm still with a family. Is this an emergency?" He said, "Yes it is. Mary called and said we have a referral." He asked when could I get home. I knew that I couldn't make it home before Gladney closed for the day, so I said let's call Mary back and see if we can do a conference call and if I can use this family's internet access. We had really wanted to be together when this moment happened, but we both were willing to sacrifice that notion for the reality and sweet news of our new baby. So, I explained what was happening to the family. They were excited for us and were more than willing to let me use their internet connection. So, I called Mary, explained what was going on and asked if she could do a conference call. A little while later, Mary called back. The moment had arrived. She introduced us to OUR SON!!! She lead emailed us pictures and on the count of 3, Sean and I opened them at the same time. He is so handsome. Tears just poured down my face. I couldn't believe this day had arrived. Sean and I both were expecting to receive a referral near the middle or end of March because we were requesting a child 0-6 months old. Mary then continued to walk us through the medical, social, and developmental info on our son (official in our hearts, not in court yet).

Now for the really good stuff. We can't post pictures of our son until after the court date but like I said, he is very cute. He is 2 1/2 months old. He was born on November 3, 2007 and his latest weight was just over 11 pounds. He appears to be healthy and developing well. We still have take the medical information to our pediatrician but thus far, we don't have any concerns.

After receiving all of the referral info, I finished up my visit with the very understanding family. I called Sean back as soon as I got in the van. We decided to go to our local Ethiopian restaurant to celebrate. We planned to tell Ciara over dinner, but she slept through the whole thing. She woke up as we were getting ready to leave. We stopped and got her a happy meal on the way home and waited until she had finished eating to tell her. Sean got out the video camera and I pulled up his pictures on my laptop. I asked her if she remembered what we had been praying for and she did. I told her that Ms. Mary had called us and told us that we had a little baby waiting for us in Ethiopia. I asked Ciara if she wanted to know if it was going to be a baby brother or a baby sister and she said, "yes." I then told her it was a baby brother. Her eyes got so big and she gave me a big hug. We then showed her his pictures and she was excited to see him. We then called our family and shared the news with them. We are planning to use his birth name as his middle name and are still trying to decide on his first name. We'll share that info when we make a decision. Now, the final count down begins!!!!