We are home as a forever family!

OK, the 3 older kids just went to help Papa in the garden (planting tomatoes) and the babies are sleeping, so I am going to take a few minutes to attend to my WONDERFUL family and friends. Please forgive me for not updating at the most exciting time. I can remember following blogs and being so disappointed when it trailed off right when the kids are FINALLY coming home.

OK, back to Monday morning almost 2 weeks ago now (seems like years ago). We went to get Tay first and the union was unlike any other. When the orphanage gate opened, we were greeted by the most dear, beautiful children you have ever seen. My sister saw Tay’s best friend right away who immediately gasped and said “It’s Tayech’s family!” He knew us from the pictures. He ran in to get Tay. She ran out and gave me the closest hug I think I’ve ever had. I don’t think she let go until maybe the next morning. Seriously, all night long I would wake up to these white teeth smiling back at me - the biggest smile ever. As soon as she saw my eyes open she would put her hands on my face and say “I love you Mommy.” Very cool.

After we picked up Tay (she wanted to leave right away), we headed to get Jemila. This child is just cute as can be. She came to me easily but startled easily for the first several days. Now she is just engaged and cuddly and sweet sweet sweet.

Tayech loves to laugh and play, but our house rules are different and come with lots of other adjustments. High in warmth and high in control and consistency consistency consistency. That’s my motto these days. Can you say Super Nanny? It’s already paying off and the good times are SO great that it keeps us going.

I hear so many stories from my friends about people family and friends that are not supportive of their adoptions. This makes me even more thankful for all the support we get from you. Your prayers, words of encouragement, dinners, phone calls (usually on vmail since we rarely get to the phone these days), and love truly make it possible for us to be good parents to our kids. Without all that love and encouragement, I know we wouldn’t have as much to give. BIG love and thanks to all of you!!! We are getting less chaotic each day, so hope to see you and be in touch with all of you soon. J

More details about trip later. Ethiopia is a beautiful country with beautiful people.

We're here!!!

OK, we have arrived!! We are at the Guest House. It's 11pm. SO tired. Just showered and going to sleep. I CAN'T believe my daughters are minutes away right now. Sweet dreams for me I'm sure. :)

We are on!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe this!!! We are on the plane and set to depart soon. This is really happening. We are coming my lovely daughters!!!!!!!! 31 hours until I have you in my arms.

On the first plane

OK. We're sitting on the first flight to Dulles. They are changing a part on the plane, but they don't expect it to take too much longer. Luckily we have a long layover in Dulles. So far our flight to Rome has not been cancelled due to the ash cloud, which feels like a miracle. When we got to the airport, they actually had separate lines for us (people who had an international flight that was actually still taking off). That line was shorter. The ash cloud looks like it's almost over Rome. The excitement never ends! :) Prayers for everyone else traveling...let's get these kiddos home.

I really can't fully take all of this in. I think I did for a moment this morning, and I burst into tears. Our kiddos in the US are so excited to have Grandma & Grandpa with them and they can't wait to get their sisters home. They play plane and it's usually flying to Ethiopia.

OK, the new part is on the plane. Thank you SOOOO much to all of my amazing friends for the prayers, love, support, and sweetness. I'll update when we're on the next flight, hopefully leaving for Rome!

The moment is coming!

We found out tonight we will go to get our girls in just one week!!! I can't believe this is happening. Here we come my loves!

Ethiopia Trip Update

Mom and her siblings are doing GREAT! Sunday they went to church with their new friend. They spoke to the congregation and then met with the elders of the parish after church. My Mom got a new compassion child. He is 10 years old and his name is Joseph. He held her hand for about 5 minutes during the church service. Yesterday they went to the Market and had a very interesting experience. Today they went to see Tay and Jemila. My Mom told Tay she will be leaving in a couple days and that Mommy and Daddy will be back to get her in a little while. She really wants her to understand that because they have become close and are used to seeing each other a lot now. When my Mom tells her these things Tay looks at her with those big brown eyes and says "Ishy, ishy." "OK, OK." They watched the video of us about 10 times. She now knows everyone's name in the family and claims us as her brothers, sister, Daddy (no longer Papa), and Mommy!!! :) Jemila just cuddles in and I can't wait to have that little body in my arms. Today the whole crew was having lunch somewhere and my Aunt said, "I really want a salad, but I don't know if I should eat it." The woman next to them said, "Eat it, it's really good!" Ends up that woman is a Mary Kay Sales Director from Colorado Springs. She spends 3 months in Colorado, makes as much money as she can, goes to ET for 3 months to help people, goes back to Colorado to make money, goes to the Philippines to help people, and does it all over again. Cool! Then they met the wife of the ambassador to Belgium. She invited them to a food bank tomorrow she is opening. My Mom told my Dad today that leaving in a couple days will be bittersweet. She said she loves the country and the people. I feel so blessed to have this experience in our family for my girls.

God sends us Angels

I was grocery shopping Thursday standing in line with one of my usual cashiers. (I'm weird, and I like to go to the same cashiers - the ones that I "know".) I saw another line open up, so I decided to let my impatience override my desire for familiarity. The woman ringing up my purchase had a name tag that said "Jemila." I said, "Oh, I love your name! My daughter's name is Jemila." She started to call my 13-month old who was with me Jemila, but then I told her, "oh no, not her. One of my other daughters who are in Ethiopia." She said, "I am from Ethiopia." Turns out she lives very close to my house and is happy to do anything she can to be there for us when the girls come home. God sent her like an angel. This email was in my inbox this morning: "Let me know if you need injera. I know how and i can make it for you. When you're ready, let me know. Its great that you're adopting these kids, they need it. Their lives are completely different now. Thank you" My heart turned into mush!!!!!!!! All this emotional roller coaster stuff is so worth it.

Ethiopia Trip Update

I've been trying to find time to give you the details of the trip, but I think it's all emotionally overwhelming me, so I'll just give a brief update:
My Mom and her siblings are doing great! She is busy as can be and has her own little community there already. It sounds like that happens easily in Ethiopia. Tuesday she went to meet my Compassion child and went to his house. They had a coffee ceremony for her and her siblings. That experience was life changing for her. He talked to her about wanting to go to private school there, so I think he talked her into sending him. :) He brought her flowers, and I got the CUTEST picture of them! Wednesday she went to the orphanage and then the Care Center. She got to see Tay with her friends. A lovely, intelligent little boy there (age 10) knows English and often translates for the kids. He told my Mom that Tay is his sister (meaning they're close). He said, "I am going to Colorado. Where is she going?" When my Mom said Georgia, he said excitedly, "Oooo, can we meet up sometime?" SO cute!!! She got to see Jemila take her bath. Thursday she went to the mountains. Then my uncle tried to get arrested by taking a picture of a government building. Oops! He was detained for about 30 minutes. Americans!!! Friday she went to the orphanage and had lunch. When Tay saw her she RAN to get the biggest hug ever and yelled "Grandma!" My Mom showed her a video of everyone in our family talking to her. As soon as she saw me she said, "Mama!" with a BIG smile! Could this get ANY better? Then my Mom got to go out and get the orphanage/care center 2 food processors and a washing machine. (Thank you SO much for your donations!!!) Saturday she went to Children's Heaven and did a project with all the girls. They made jewelry with beads and had a BLAST! (Thank you SO much for those of you who emailed us to say you are now sponsoring a child, or 3!, there. AWESOME!) Tomorrow she is going to church with a young man she has become friends with (he was her interpreter for the visit with my Compassion Child). He said church starts at 10:00 and should be over about 1:00 - wow! I can't wait to hear about that! Then I think she's going to see Jemila, as she hasn't seen her since Wednesday - way too long for this Grandma. She is in love with the people and the country. She doesn't know when she'll leave, but if she leaves the end of next week as planned, she KNOWS she'll be back to the country!

Monday in Ethiopia

Dear Tayech and Jemila,

Someday you will read this and know how much you impacted our lives and had our hearts, even before you came home. Right now I am here in the U.S. dying to get you in my arms. Grandma and her siblings are in Ethiopia loving on you for me and trying to give back to the beautiful country that brought us the most precious gifts we could ever receive, two of our amazing daughters!

Love, Mommy

So, Monday I tried to focus on my work, but called my Dad frequently asking if he had talked to Mom and her siblings yet. I knew my Mom would likely meet the girls between 2:00am & 11:00am our time, so I was dying to know if it worked out. Just as I left work I called my Dad and he had the most thrilled sound in his voice. He told me the orphanage had brought Tay to the Care Center where Jemila is so my Mom was able to meet them both at the same time!!!!!!!! I BURST into tears. My Dad said hurry home because your Mom is staying awake until you get there to call her (it was 12:30am there at this point). When I called the hubby I scared him because he could just hear me crying saying something about my Mom. When we got all that sorted out, he was excited. (Poor guy.)

When I FINALLY got my Mom on the phone, she did not sound tired, but rather elated. She told me she came in and saw Tayech and Jemila. She said Tay was glued to her and SO loving and sweet. She described her as BEAUTIFUL, soft spoken, but very communicative with her body language, and that word loving must have been said 20 times. She said Jemila was cute as could be and just smiley smiley smiley. My Mom said when she picked her up, she put her cheek right on my Mom’s cheek and just snuggled in forever. My Mom was in HEAVEN! My Mom and Tay played ball together. At one point my Mom said, “Where did the ball go?” Tay was laughing and laughing. It was under my Mom’s arm. Tay thought her Grandma was being clever, but my Mom said she is really just that out of it. My Mom was impressed by Tayech’s athletic abilities and they just laughed and played and laughed and played. When my Mom gave Tayech the photo album I made her, Tay just BEAMED. My Mom said she said “Mama” and “Papa” when they showed her Mommy & Daddy. She beamed the whole time but looked extra happy whenever she saw “Mama” (YES, I am PROUD if you can’t tell)! :) They also gave her a purse we bought her and a bracelet with her name on it that I made for her. She loved them! At one point, my Mom had her arm around Tay, and Tay started playing with my Mom’s bracelet (the bracelet my sisters and I bought my Mom for Christmas). She wanted to see how it worked and then my Mom said, “Do you want to wear it?” And she got that contagious Tayech smile. My Mom never had the heart to take it back, so now my daughter is wearing a $50 leather bracelet that says “Our lives are what our thoughts create.” My Mom gave Tay a bag of Starbursts. She immediately opened the bag and brought one to every child in the Center. SO SWEET!

My Mom and her siblings could not say enough about all the children there! It was a blast to hear about children that I have been hearing about for so long from their proud Mamas, and now MY Mom is there with them. I can’t describe what that’s like. My Aunts and Uncle and Mom came bearing duffle bags full of gifts (clothes, shoes, DVDs, DVD player, the list goes on). All of the children, even little little children, had to shake the hands of all my family and then sit on my Uncle’s lap for a picture. Then they all had to look at the picture of them sitting on his lap. It was just what they wanted to do. I had to laugh at this image, as the last time I saw my uncle he had a long beard. Now, if you knew this man, you would understand why they all gravitated towards him. He is Grandpa extraordinaire and a very loving, gentle man. My Mom is going shopping with someone from the orphanage/Care Center this week to purchase things they need with donations she got from so many friends and family (THANK YOU!). She told me how difficult it is to drive on the streets. Their driver (Eyob – some of you know him) brought them shopping and children were coming up to the Taxi asking for food. Two little boys sang them a song and said “please, please.” Eyob said they couldn’t give them anything from the car due to law. My Mom said it was devastating.

If your child is with either of my children at the orphanage or Care Center, my Mom can’t say enough positive things about the people caring for our children. So hang tight. They are OK until we get there. Also, she got pictures of all the babies at the Care Center and of the famous W twins, but hopefully she will get more soon! I will send pics to our agency as soon as they get back next week. Whew, I still have Tuesday and Wednesday to update you on, but I will have to do that when I get up more energy.

Thank you God for all of these blessings!

My Mom is There!

OK, I heard from my Dad about 5:00pm. My Mom and her siblings arrived in Addis about 1:00pm. None of them have slept since Saturday night! Crazies! :) I bet they were just too excited on the plane. They were on the plane with 3 couples who were on their way to pick up their children, but none with our agency. The hotel did not have their reservation, but it seems they are working it out. It's 2:30am there right now, so hopefully they're all sleeping like babies and gearing up for their big trip! So, my Mom is hoping to go meet the girls tomorrow!!!!!!! Oh, how I hope that works out! How will I sleep tonight wondering what is happening there?! :) Then on Tuesday they're going to meet my Compassion Child, Abdilhakim! I can't wait for him to get showered with goodies! I'll update tomorrow when I know more.

It's OFFICIAL!!!

Oh friends and family - this is the day we've been waiting for!!!!!!!! Tayech (pronounced Tie-AYSH, but we usually call her "Tay" pronounced the way it is spelled) and Jemila (Je-MEE-lah) are officially our girls!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot describe this feeling. I got the call at Wal-mart and my sister and the kiddos were with me. When I gave her the thumbs up she just started crying. I called the hubby and the sound of that thrilled Daddy just warmed my heart like crazy!!!!!!!!!! Oh, and talk about God's timing...my Mom leaves tomorrow morning for Ethiopia to go meet her new Granddaughters. The New York Grandparents are supporting my Mom's trip from afar and SO EXCITED for their new granddaughters!!! Thank you SO much for your support. Email me if you need pictures!!!!!!! :)

What distracts you?

I missed church a couple weeks ago and asked my Dad to tell me about the Homily. He told me about Father's description of giving something up for Lent. Father said not to think of it solely as sacrificing like Christ did for us. He asked us to take it a step further and think about giving up those things that distract us from being closer to Him. What keeps me from being close to God? Of course I could make a great, long list, but the first thing that came to mind was what happens when I finally get those 3 little blessings in bed at night. I thought about the mindless TV that often lulls me off to sleep. Tonight I resisted the TV. It was intentional. But I went to my computer. I know, is this any better? Anyway, this brought me to a friend's blog, which brought me to more knowledge about the plight of God's children in this world (thank you Monica). I sat in awe learning about an African tribe, their fears, and how they cope with these fears. They are scared of evil spirits in their village and believe they need to rid of those who are possessed to keep themselves safe. They drown those children deemed possessed, which killed 77 of their children last year. I read the website to my hubby and stared at the faces of these beautiful children. The situation is heart wrenching, but in that are some AMAZING people who are making a difference. And you could be one of them! Here is the website: http://www.drawnfromwater.org Anyone a computer geek interested in helping them with their website? Man, am I glad I didn't get distracted by the TV tonight! Of course I'm not saying don't watch TV. Heaven knows I could really go for some American Idol right now! :) But I am noticing what happens when I'm more intentional and recognize what distracts me, and I want to do more of that...Lent or not.

Awwww man!

OK, no sharing pictures today! :( The girls' cases were not heard today because MOWA was in training and did not do their paperwork. We have been rescheduled for March 12th. And the wait continues... Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement, please keep it up. We appreciate it more than you know. This wait has been the hardest for me, but I know it WILL happen. Check out this wonderful email from my Dad this morning:

At 3:47 AM, I heard your Mom’s voice say “Pray with me”. When I woke up she was sleeping. So I got up, found my rosary and prayed it. Maybe it was God’s voice on behalf of your girls - I don’t know - but as I prayed I received peace in the fact that whatever the results today, your girls are on their journey home to you – however and whenever that journey might unfold. And God is watching it all with great pleasure.

YAY!!!!!!!!!

We have a court date!!!!!!!! And it's February 24th in Ethiopia!!!!!!!! SO SOON! Prayers please my dear friends - lots and lots of prayers. Specifically, we need all the paperwork in order and both girls' birth families to make the travels to the court proceeding. We're REALLY hoping both girls pass! If one passes and the other doesn't, it's an issue with pick up. The court proceeding will be occurring while we sleep (sleep, right!) the night of February 23rd. We should get the results on the 24th sometime. For those of you not in the adoption world, this is a BIG deal, as this is when Little J and T legally become our daughters! 12 days until I post the court outcome. :)

Victory!

OK. So we really don’t know T’s age. I was told that because they put she was age 8 at her medical appointment, T likely picked up that number from there. You see, it would be very unlikely that she really knows her age, as this just isn’t important in Ethiopia. People just don’t track it. Imagine how we would all live if we just lived, without reference to age! Maybe it would be better? Maybe. But as you can tell, my American self wants that number! And my oldest son, how is he doing with this unknown? Well, he was set on the number 6, but after his play date the other day, I think the ambiguity is growing on him. “This is T and this is J,” he proudly pointed at their pictures. “T is 6 or 8. We don’t know how old she is yet because she can’t talk like we talk yet.” Then, wheels turning, he looked at his friend’s older sister (now, for background…know that this is the older sister of his FIVE year old friend who is ALWAYS older than his 4 year old self, which just plain irks him), “How old are you?” he asked her. “I’m 8.” Ahhhh, the moment he had been waiting for, this unknown age thing could work for him… “Actually, I think T is 9,” he said. Victory! And they left it at that.

Now, can I get a victory and get a court date for these girls?!

Just couldn't do it without good friends!

I was on the way home tonight having my weekly “driving home from work talk” (you know, without kids and interruptions) that I do almost every week with this friend. I was telling her about my anxieties and fears becoming a Mommy again, this time to an older child I haven’t raised to this point. She was supportive and said I needed acupuncture (she LOVES acupuncture!). :) We got off the phone and she called back 2 minutes later saying she heard this song as soon as we got off and I needed to listen to it. I had never heard it. Oh how it calmed me on so many levels and just kept things in perspective!!! I love good friends who know how to inspire you and soothe your fears. I love you my friends!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R8267afmzw

T is 8!!!

So my friend who spent a lot of time with T last week emailed today and said T is actually 8 years old. T told her. Thank God she was listed as 6 on the waiting child list! :) Our son is NOT happy about this. He has some time to get used to it before T and Little J get home, but hopefully not too much time! :)

long, but worth it :)

Kids are amazing!! About 6 months ago, as we were anticipating the referral for our baby girl, our 4 year old started talking about how he wanted a “6 year old girl.” We would tell him she wouldn’t be 6, she would be a baby like his other sister. When he would insist, we would reassure him that surely he wanted to be the oldest to which he would reply with something like, “It’s OK if she’s a girl.” (I guess he was fine as long as he was the oldest BOY). He probably only talked about it 4-5x in 6 months, but he didn’t forget and I didn’t forget. It stayed in my heart.

Well, after we got Little J’s referral, I would check our agency’s waiting child list to see if the two little girls who have been on there a while had been placed. You see, our agency is AWESOME and when there is a waiting child they often put the word out to us so we can find them a family. There are 2 sisters on there (ages 6 & 8, they are ADORABLE!, please email me if you think you have room for 2 more!). I had been praying for these girls hoping they had found a home. Well, on January 20th I looked at the waiting children list, and the sisters were still there. :( BUT there was a new little face, a new beautiful face, a 6 YEAR OLD GIRL!!! Hmmm (my heart sped up), what was God up to? Anything? Maybe not, but I called my agency right away to see if we could view her file. I LOVE her name, but can’t say it on here per Ethiopia law; therefore, we’ll call her “T.”

The first thing I noticed when I opened her file was that she came to the orphanage with Little J!!!! They both came from the same region on the same day!!! They took that journey together. I started shaking and got teary as soon as I saw that. I went right to my hubby. "Honey..." I said. He knew there was trouble. :) The next 10 days were filled with thoughts of her we could not ignore, but too much uncertainty that we couldn’t act. We prayed and searched our hearts. We did all the “What ifs”…EVERY last one of them!!!! And when I felt like she was our daughter, my hubby didn’t. And when he felt like she was our daughter, I didn’t. We didn’t know that we would ever get on the same page, but figured that would give us our answer. In the mean time I was praying for T to find her forever family and asking all my friends who were in Ethiopia to find out about her and Little J for me and send me updates. The first update I got had a subject line that read “update on YOUR GIRLS!!” and a line at the end that said “I say…go for it!!!” The second email (from a different friend) said, “T is amazing, and I cried when I left her. You ARE coming for 2, so just get used to the idea.” Don’t I have subtle friends?!? The third update came yesterday at 2:40am US time while I was still awake!!! My friend told me about why she cried when she left T. “I cried because I just thought she was a very special girl, and it hurt my heart to leave her….I really connected with her, and have several pics where she's just leaning on me, soaking up love. Just an awesome awesome girl.” OK, God was giving me all the reassurance I needed. And then, the hubby came to me yesterday and said, “I think we do it.” There we were, on the same page. With the thought of having a 6 year old, 4 year old, 2 year old, 1 year old, and 7 month old, somehow, we were not afraid. Imagine that!!! Only God could be in that! :) Hee, hee.

It wasn’t until this morning that I got up the guts to send the email to our agency coordinator to tell her. “WaaaaaHooooooo!!!” she said. We were concerned we could not pick up both girls at the same time at this point, at least without delay in picking up Little J, which we didn’t want. We had this email from our agency coordinator by this afternoon (mind you, it’s a weekend!!!):

“Well, I already heard back from Ethiopia!! If you had ANY question God's hand is in all of this, we can put it to rest! They applied to have Little J's file opened with the court last Monday, but someone was out of town and did not submit their paperwork, so opening it was delayed until tomorrow. Because of this T's file can be opened at the same time and your court date will be for TWO children, with no delay. Had they already applied for a court date, it would have been much more difficult…How cool is that?!?!”

I just read my friend’s blog (http://www.followingthewayhome.blogspot.com/) and really resonated with her words tonight:

“I obviously don't know what the future holds for my family. I don't know what joys and challenges lie before us. I look forward to times of inexpressible joy and happy tears. I expect times of grief and pain and mistakes. I don't have a guarantee that our transition will be smooth and that attachment will come easily. I'm not confident that we've got it all together and are fully prepared, because we don't, and we're not. But, I do know the Weaver. I know that He can weave something that seems confusing, messy and just-plain-hard into something of beauty. He's done it for me before, and I love when I catch glimpses of the front of the tapestry.”

God bless my awesome husband who is so full of faith and believes that together, we can do anything! God bless my children who are already proudly spreading the word of their “6 year old sister”! God bless all of my wonderful, supportive friends and family! (My parents and sisters are beyond thrilled with the news)! And God bless my TWO darling daughters in Ethiopia!!!

Compassion International

We got Little J's final HIV test today, and she is healthy! I feel so blessed for our baby girl and our family, but I also find myself thinking about all the children who do have HIV. I find myself thinking about all the children who are orphaned because of this illness. If you feel called to help:
http://share-compassion.org/thelastmile/?referer=thelastmile

My Longing Heart

My friend rocks! She emailed again to let me know she saw Little J again and took some pictures, but Little J was crying a little because she just woke up. My friend said Little J is tiny and sweet. She said the nannies are taking such good care of her and "seem to really dote on her." I am so glad she has such loving people with her. Oh, how I'm longing to comfort and hold her!!

Mommy is in love with yet another...

My friend is in Ethiopia right now picking up her darling little girl, and she emailed this morning to let me know she saw Little J!!!!!!!! Awwww, she is really real! She told me Little J is ADORABLE (which I already knew of course) and that she was sleeping when she saw her. My friend is also going back to take pictures of her for me. YAY! :)

OUR DARLING DAUGHTER!!!!!

We have our referral!!!!!!!! Our darling "Little J" (I cannot put her whole name until we pass court and are legally her parents) is 6 months old and ADORABLE!!!! Our coordinator called at 11:05am, and I saw I missed her call and called her back at 11:08. Yes, I have been stalking my phone for weeks! After some difficult news in our life yesterday, His timing, as always, was perfect. In love, in love, in love. Words cannot express...her BIG brown eyes, her flawless skin, her little grin, her light curly hair. She looks so happy and cute and huggable. I’m already DYING to get to her. Her name is so cute and we will keep it. We already have a little nickname. :) She is supposedly 6 months old, but she looks a little older than that to me, at least in that picture. Several of my friends (about 10!) are headed to pick up their kiddos from the same orphanage in a couple weeks, so they will get to love on Little J and get pictures and video of her for me! Yippee! Our next milestone will be getting a court date in Ethiopia. If all goes well with getting a court date, passing court, and then getting an Embassy date, hopefully we'll be headed to get our darling daughter late April/early May! Thank you God for our newest blessing!
It's A Girl! 12.1 lbs., 22.8 inches

Christmas in Ethiopia today!

Merry Christmas to our baby girl!!!