This year was our first Christmas as a family. Something I have dreamed about for many years. We were so excited when Naing's parents said they wanted to visit over Christmas. Then my Mom said she wanted to come too. More excitement. The grandparents would be here to meet our children at their first Christmas. Naing surprised us with the great idea of renting a beach house in Pacific City. We even got to bring the dogs.
The anticipation of a nice trip with the kiddos and parents builds as we shop for groceries, plan menus and my Mom arrives. Naing's parents come in on the 20th.
Then little things started to go wrong. I lost my cell, totally disappeared, couldn't find it anywhere. Thought I had left it at church but no.
Naing's parents' flight was late, but it said on the monitor at the airport that it was on time. Naing was all over PDX trying to locate his parents and calling me to see if they had called. He paged them, no response. Then he found out that the plane had not landed it was delayed. So he waited. Naing's Mom's baggage didn't make the connecting flight. We were told it would be delivered before midnight or on Monday.
As we were packing on Monday to leave, we waited for the delivery company to bring the bag. That took forever, we got a late start to the road.
In the midst of all the confusion and taking care of the kids and the grandparents, neither one of us finished packing the food in the fridge. So the $30 ham I bought for Christmas dinner was still in Newberg while we were in Pacific City. So was all the other perishable groceries bought for the week. Oh well back to the store we would have to go once we got there.
We had so many people and stuff for the kiddos we had to take two cars. My Mom, kids, dogs and some of the luggage went with me. Naing took his parents, and the rest of the luggage and stroller.
Naing gave me the print out of the directions to the house, but forgot to give me the last page with the house information on it. I didn't know where we were going. But of course I didn't find that out until we were actually on the road. Haven kept calling my name and making a fuss about something, so I pulled over and good thing I did. Naing had forgotten to actually strap her into the car seat. When I pulled over, I lost track of Naing's car. Remember I don't have a cell phone to call him, so I was a little pissed when I figured out I didn't have the home address. The only thing that saved my husband from my wrath was I actually wrote his number down to give my sister in Texas, so we could talk on Christmas. I found the only pay phone in the town of Pacific City when we arrived and was able to get a hold of him.
The house was beautiful but not set up for young children. So I spent most of my time keeping my kiddos from breaking something expensive or keeping them from climbing the stairs by themselves.
But we made it and the weather was gorgeous, couldn't have been better. Clear, sunny and crisp days. We walked on the beach and enjoyed the scenery.
Naing's dad was not a happy camper because the satellite tv really only had basic service. Naing's dad is almost 91 and set in his ways. There was alot of grumbling about the lack of things for him to watch.
The kids were having a great time until it came time for bed. We made a huge mistake only bringing 1 play and pack and thinking they could sleep together. No way did that happen. Each night we were there one of them was up crying (they were getting sick) and no sleep was had by anyone in our room. Haven actually cried for 2 hours one night, she had an ear infection that caused her ear drum to burst again. Of course I only brought the ear drops that help pain, but not the antibiotics, because we didn't know she had an infection.
By the time Christmas eve arrived we were frazzled. Both children were sick and Alec was running a fever. I decided to go home Christmas day after we had lunch so the kids could be at home and in their own beds and get better. My mom came home with me and we had some alone time to visit. Naing and his parents stayed at the beach house, since it was paid for.
This was not the Christmas I had envisioned for our children's first Christmas. But welcome to parenthood, kids get sick and it doesn't matter if it is a holiday.
So there are only a few pictures of Christmas morning, because they really were not very interested in the gifts, they felt so bad.
We had gotten together with my sister a few days before and they had a Christmas there when they were feeling good and enjoyed all the ripping of the wrapping paper and the gifts. Here are pictures from that early Christmas at my sister's house.
Pictures are not posting, I'll post them later. Happy New Year
12/26/09
Pictures from the Photo Shoot
Here are the pictures from the photo shoot. Our Christmas didn't turn out as expected because both the babies were sick. More on that later. Enjoy the pictures!
12/18/09
Alec's first birthday.
Alec turned one on December 15th. That is the date assigned by the Dr. at Toukoul after she adjusted his original given date of birth. We decided to keep that date.
We are waiting to have his "party" on the 20th when Naing's parents get in town.
But he had to have something on his special day. So I got him a little cupcake and put a candle in it.
Alec is just starting to explore food other than baby food. At first he just played with the frosting but when I gave him a taste of it, things changed. He got very serious about eating the sweet cupcake.
I am truly amazed at him every day. He was so sickly when we brought him home and he has just blossomed. He jabbers non-stop and throws in a real word every now and then.
He loves to play with his toys, all the toys and is very busy. He is even sleeping through most of the nights now.
I look at him and think about his birth Mom. I wish there was someway to find out who she is, just to let her know that he is alive, well and loved. I can't even imagine the pain she must have endured leaving him for someone to find him to make sure he received medical care. It breaks my heart to think she doesn't know that he is ok, or I assume she doesn't. He truly is my little miracle boy. Happy birthday buddy, I can't imagine my life without your sweet smile, adorable giggle and our nightly cuddles.
12/11/09
New Words
Haven's new words are; more, good girl, eye, baa baa, and roar. We found at at Thanksgiving Haven is not the biggest fan of cats. She was afraid of my sister's cat.
Since then every time she sees a cat in a book or on show she is so focused on the cat and that is all she will say is kitty, kitty, kitty. She started to call the lion on their wallpaper a kitty and get scared of it, before she just wanted me to roar. So we worked hard last week convincing her that is a lion and lions roar. What is so funny, is Naing is not a fan of cats and I really miss having a cat. I always said the only way I would get a kitty was if Naing's daughter begged and pleaded for a kitty. Please daddy, please....that was pre-children. Now the daughter I thought would convince Daddy to get one, doesn't like them. Go figure.
Alec's new words are; out, stinky and more. He also does the sign for more and so does Haven. Alec is not taking any more of Haven's guff. She took a toy away from him the other day and he dropped to a crawl and went after her. He meant business. He has figured out if he can get her down he can pull her hair and then he has some power over her. She better watch out he is just a few inches shorter than she is and growing fast!!! That is why everyone asks if they are twins is they are almost the same size now. Alec is growing so fast, he has already outgrown some of the 12 month clothes he just started wearing in Oct. I had to take some of his Christmas money and buy the boy clothes. I figured at his age he won't be upset to get clothes under the tree:)
Since then every time she sees a cat in a book or on show she is so focused on the cat and that is all she will say is kitty, kitty, kitty. She started to call the lion on their wallpaper a kitty and get scared of it, before she just wanted me to roar. So we worked hard last week convincing her that is a lion and lions roar. What is so funny, is Naing is not a fan of cats and I really miss having a cat. I always said the only way I would get a kitty was if Naing's daughter begged and pleaded for a kitty. Please daddy, please....that was pre-children. Now the daughter I thought would convince Daddy to get one, doesn't like them. Go figure.
Alec's new words are; out, stinky and more. He also does the sign for more and so does Haven. Alec is not taking any more of Haven's guff. She took a toy away from him the other day and he dropped to a crawl and went after her. He meant business. He has figured out if he can get her down he can pull her hair and then he has some power over her. She better watch out he is just a few inches shorter than she is and growing fast!!! That is why everyone asks if they are twins is they are almost the same size now. Alec is growing so fast, he has already outgrown some of the 12 month clothes he just started wearing in Oct. I had to take some of his Christmas money and buy the boy clothes. I figured at his age he won't be upset to get clothes under the tree:)
12/10/09
Portrait session
Yesterday I took Haven and Alec to have portraits done to celebrate them being home 3months. What a project that was. To get out of the house with them clean is always a project! Usually someone has a poopy diaper as we are walking out the door. Yesterday both of them did. To add to the level of difficulty, it is very cold right now in Oregon. We are talking in the teens and 20s. Both babes had to be bundled up with hats and gloves. They were not fans of it at all. Alec has become horrible to get dress any time, but when he doesn't want to WATCH OUT. He is a whirling tornado of energy trying to get away from you. I literally have to wrap my legs around him to hold him still.
We got to the photo session and all of a sudden my daughter was shy. Now those of you that have been around Haven since she came home, know she likes to be the center of attention. I felt sorry for the lady doing out shots, because the kids did not want to be still for her and were getting off the mark all the time to come to me.
She got some great shots!! Shots of them together and separate and also we did a wardrobe change and got some done in their Ethiopian outfits. It was a long hour and 1/2 but I loved the shots and ordered a lot of pictures!!!
Gifts for the grandparents when they are here for Christmas.
I must say the favorite shots of each one is Alec with his monkey and Haven leaning into the camera being cheeky. I'll post when I pick them up next week.
We got to the photo session and all of a sudden my daughter was shy. Now those of you that have been around Haven since she came home, know she likes to be the center of attention. I felt sorry for the lady doing out shots, because the kids did not want to be still for her and were getting off the mark all the time to come to me.
She got some great shots!! Shots of them together and separate and also we did a wardrobe change and got some done in their Ethiopian outfits. It was a long hour and 1/2 but I loved the shots and ordered a lot of pictures!!!
Gifts for the grandparents when they are here for Christmas.
I must say the favorite shots of each one is Alec with his monkey and Haven leaning into the camera being cheeky. I'll post when I pick them up next week.
12/1/09
New Words for Haven
I am recording the list of words for her so they are not forgotten in the day to day.
The newest words to her vocabulary are luv u, stay,happy, on, excuse me, bad and wait for it... alligator. Haven likes to put on bags and act like Naing leaving for work with his back pack. She says bye bye and waves and walks down the hall. That is where luv u started. I would always say bye bye, love you. Then I added the childhood favorites of see you later alligator, afterwhile crocodile and toodaloo caribou. She would just laugh at that, but today she said, bye bye, luv u and alligator. Smart girl.
She loves to take the sponge letters they play with in the tub and hold it up for me to tell her the letter and a word that starts with the letter.
There are days that I feel I can't give Haven everything she needs and her needs are overwhelming when I'm also trying to met Alec's needs. But then I see the growth in her knowledge and think ok maybe I'm doing ok.
They went with me to Costco for the first time yesterday. When we walked in and she say all the big screen tvs with movies going she was in awe. She said ohhhh and then after a minute yeah and started clapping. I just thought about how different her life is. There is no Costco in Addis or Meki to buy things in bulk and be tempted by all the Christmas decorations. There are no ladies giving out samples of food to entice you to buy something on impulse. Haven loved the food, she can never have enough food in her mind. After getting a sample from one of the women she was on the look out and let me know when she saw another lady handing out food.
As we were walking through the store and she was pointing at everything in excitement, I thought does anyone really need a big screen tv. I fight the impulse to buy her everything because she has had nothing until now. I don't want her to be materialistic and not share with others that have greater needs than we do. All the things you think about as a Mother.
The newest words to her vocabulary are luv u, stay,happy, on, excuse me, bad and wait for it... alligator. Haven likes to put on bags and act like Naing leaving for work with his back pack. She says bye bye and waves and walks down the hall. That is where luv u started. I would always say bye bye, love you. Then I added the childhood favorites of see you later alligator, afterwhile crocodile and toodaloo caribou. She would just laugh at that, but today she said, bye bye, luv u and alligator. Smart girl.
She loves to take the sponge letters they play with in the tub and hold it up for me to tell her the letter and a word that starts with the letter.
There are days that I feel I can't give Haven everything she needs and her needs are overwhelming when I'm also trying to met Alec's needs. But then I see the growth in her knowledge and think ok maybe I'm doing ok.
They went with me to Costco for the first time yesterday. When we walked in and she say all the big screen tvs with movies going she was in awe. She said ohhhh and then after a minute yeah and started clapping. I just thought about how different her life is. There is no Costco in Addis or Meki to buy things in bulk and be tempted by all the Christmas decorations. There are no ladies giving out samples of food to entice you to buy something on impulse. Haven loved the food, she can never have enough food in her mind. After getting a sample from one of the women she was on the look out and let me know when she saw another lady handing out food.
As we were walking through the store and she was pointing at everything in excitement, I thought does anyone really need a big screen tv. I fight the impulse to buy her everything because she has had nothing until now. I don't want her to be materialistic and not share with others that have greater needs than we do. All the things you think about as a Mother.
11/30/09
Baptized
Our children were baptized yesterday in their Ethiopian outfits. They looked so cute. But in all the rush to get to church on time and excitment of the day, I didn't take any pictures. By the time I realized that, there was already food on Haven's dress.
I'll have to clean the outfits and stage a picture:).
We do feel so blessed to have found our church. They have been so supportative of us throughout the whole adoption process. Our children are very lucky to have such a wonderful support group in their life. Thank you to everyone.
I'll have to clean the outfits and stage a picture:).
We do feel so blessed to have found our church. They have been so supportative of us throughout the whole adoption process. Our children are very lucky to have such a wonderful support group in their life. Thank you to everyone.
11/28/09
Alec's words
Alec now says up and lifts his arms up. He now has a vocabulary of ten words. He says hi, mama, dada, sit, stay, up, one, two, no no and baba(bottle). He is now screeching at the top of his lungs in glee and also in disgust when Haven tries to take a toy from him. He is getting more adventurist, which means he is getting into more trouble.
He loves to close doors and try to get things out of the bottom shelf of the fridge.
He will be one on Dec 15th, hard to believe he has come so far in such a short period of time.
His appetite has improved and he is eating solids better. But don't give him something that has too much texture or you will be sorry. He is a wretcher and will make himself throw up. Appetizing I know.
I was putting pictures together for our Christmas card of our gotcha photo and a current photo of Haven and Alec. Alec has changed so much in the 10 weeks he has been home. His face and body has filled out. He has gone from barely sitting up, to crawling, talking, pulling himself up and now walking holding onto things. Amazing.
He loves to be pushed on this pooh scooter we were given. His feet don't touch the ground but that doesn't stop him:)
He loves to close doors and try to get things out of the bottom shelf of the fridge.
He will be one on Dec 15th, hard to believe he has come so far in such a short period of time.
His appetite has improved and he is eating solids better. But don't give him something that has too much texture or you will be sorry. He is a wretcher and will make himself throw up. Appetizing I know.
I was putting pictures together for our Christmas card of our gotcha photo and a current photo of Haven and Alec. Alec has changed so much in the 10 weeks he has been home. His face and body has filled out. He has gone from barely sitting up, to crawling, talking, pulling himself up and now walking holding onto things. Amazing.
He loves to be pushed on this pooh scooter we were given. His feet don't touch the ground but that doesn't stop him:)
11/24/09
Play date
Jill, Marquez, and Nyah came over to play. Jill and I were suppose to work on our re-adoption paperwork, but we chatted instead. It is so fun to see how the other children from Toukoul have grown and find out what they have learned to do. Jill's oldest Marquez is such a sweet guy and is so good with the babies. Haven loves him.
Poor Haven had a hard time sharing her toys with Nyah and Alec, but she enjoyed them being there. She cried when they left.
Last night Haven added 3 new words to her vocabulary; apple, applesauce and bubbles.
She is so amazing. She loves books she asks all day long to have books read. She will sit down and look at the books for a long time. That really is the only thing that keeps her attention for a long period of time.
Alec loves all the toys, really doesn't have a favorite thing. He loves music and showed off his rhythm to Jill and Marquez:)
I had to choose photos for the first post adoption report. It was harder than I thought to pick my favorites, so many cute ones to choose from.
Here are some pictures from our play date.
11/22/09
New Words
Haven's new words this week are stinky, thank you, kitty and all done. Her vocabulary is exploding. She is so funny when I ask if she can say this word, she smiles and shakes her head yes, but doesn't always say it. Got to keep me guessing.
I noticed yesterday she is cutting four teeth at once. Her upper last molars and pre-molars. No wonder she has been a little whiny & grumpy.
I noticed yesterday she is cutting four teeth at once. Her upper last molars and pre-molars. No wonder she has been a little whiny & grumpy.
11/21/09
Alec is starting to walk
Our sweet Alec is 11 months old now. He has been pulling up for a few months Recently he started walking holding on to our hands. Yesterday he walked on his own holding on to the coffee table. I'm so excited for him. He has come so far since we came home. He was even walking 1/2 way around the couch holding on to the couch last night. He has gotten so animated and active the last month. He is starting to pick up new words. Of course only Mommy can understand what he is saying. The cutest thing he does is count 1, 2 and put his finger up. He loves it when you do it back to him.
Soon he will be walking on his own and become even more annoying to his big sister:)
Soon he will be walking on his own and become even more annoying to his big sister:)
11/19/09
Haven is a challenge
Haven is a challenge. She is a sweet, smart girl that has a great sense of humor. But she is also very stubborn and a little defiant. I swear this girl is 2 not 20 months. There is a daily battle of wills with her and she spends a good amount of time in her time out chair. The two biggest issues I have with Haven is her jealousy of Alec and she is not able to keep her hands from touching things she knows she is not allowed to touch. She will tell me no touch and then try to unplug a lamp or something. We changed out the outlet covers so if she gets the plugs off she can't touch the live socket, but she is the type of child that would figure out if she moved it the right way she could. She is very smart and has very good dexterity and that adds to the issue. I find myself getting frustrated with her and I don't like that I feel that way. Every day I tell myself you will have more patience with her...some days are better than others. I know she is testing the waters and feels comfortable with us now... but I must admit the child that didn't challenge me every second of the day was easier to deal with.
She is extremely jealous of Alec. If he is playing with anything she thinks of as hers she comes unglued and starts hitting him. She can be very sweet and kiss him and give him hugs. She tries to help hold the bottle for him. Yesterday she got put to bed at 6:30pm because she was hitting him over the head because he crawled over to her favorite toy and started playing with it. This was after an afternoon of meltdowns and tantrums. I know this is normal behavior but give me a break.
I met with our pastor yesterday to discuss their baptisms and she threw a major temper tantrum because she didn't want to give the pencil back. I know every Mom has been through this, but it was embarrassing!! Thank goodness my Pastor is a Mom and Grandma to young children she helped scoop her up and get her in the car for me because I had Alec too. Ok I'm done venting. Thanks for listening, this stay at home Mom thing is so much harder than I thought it would be. I enjoy being with them, but some days she wears me out.
She is extremely jealous of Alec. If he is playing with anything she thinks of as hers she comes unglued and starts hitting him. She can be very sweet and kiss him and give him hugs. She tries to help hold the bottle for him. Yesterday she got put to bed at 6:30pm because she was hitting him over the head because he crawled over to her favorite toy and started playing with it. This was after an afternoon of meltdowns and tantrums. I know this is normal behavior but give me a break.
I met with our pastor yesterday to discuss their baptisms and she threw a major temper tantrum because she didn't want to give the pencil back. I know every Mom has been through this, but it was embarrassing!! Thank goodness my Pastor is a Mom and Grandma to young children she helped scoop her up and get her in the car for me because I had Alec too. Ok I'm done venting. Thanks for listening, this stay at home Mom thing is so much harder than I thought it would be. I enjoy being with them, but some days she wears me out.
11/15/09
Two Months
Hard to believe our babies have been home with us for two months. When I look at them, they have changed so much and it seems so long ago..but it has only been two months. How my life has changed. New pictures to enjoy.
11/10/09
Things to document
Alec now weighs 18# yes!!! Last night he actually slept 6 hours. I hope that is a trend that continues. He is now playing peekaboo, loves itsy bitsy spider. Alec loves the Wiggles. He just claps and cries out in glee to the music and sways his body to the beat. He is pulling up and he will take a few steps holding on to our hands. He now eats in his highchair (that is a big accomplishment, he hated it before). Hard to tell what his favorite toy is, he plays with everything including plastic containers. He loves to bang toys and get a beat going. He crawls to the hallway, where the sound echos. He is going through a Mama phase and wants to be held all the time only by me. He says Mama, Dada, Hi, and no no. He now does the sign for eat. He will lift his shirt up and then make a razberry sound asking to have it done to him. He is just adorable. I so enjoy him. Even the late night feedings. I think about his birth mother a lot. How she must have felt giving this amazing child up for his benefit and trying to save his life (he was very sick with pneumonia when he was abandoned). I think could I do something so selfless for this little guy... I don't know.
Haven's vocabulary is exploding. Here are the words she says as of today; Mama, Mommy, Dada, baby, Alec, doggie, gentile, bye bye, hi, hello, up, down, please (we are working on thank you), hot, one, two, sit, ouch, eat, shoes, beep beep, brown bear, push, me, and her latest word is yummy. Wow that is 25 words. She is so curious of everything and wants to help me do every little thing. She loves books. Can't get enough and will also sit down and read Brown Bear what do you see to herself. So cute to hear her little voice say brown bear. She is trying to dress herself now. Gets a little confused and puts shirts on her legs and then gets angry it won't pull up. She is starting to be nicer to Alec. She still wallops him, but will kiss him afterwards. She loves to figure out how things work and how to make it happen. She knows how to buckle the belt on the high chair, knows how her carseat harness works, but can't do it herself yet. She loves her singing dog toy (that I don't like thanks alot Aunt Patty). She likes to give kisses and hugs to us and the dogs. I was told by the lady who runs the nursery at church if she is 19 months she is a genius. I think she is older than the birthdate we have. She has such strong problem solving skills for someone 19 months. I think she is 2. She is a challenge. She is in time out numerous times during the day for not doing what she was asked or hitting on Alec. She does sit in time out very well and hugs and kisses after she is out and then does what she is asked, like pick up the toy she threw.
Bed time has gotten much better and now it is a game to see how many kisses she can get out of Naing and I. Naing builds a tent with the quilt and they say goodnight that way every night. She loves that. There is still a little bit of a fuss, or whining but not like it was when we first came home.
How they have changed in just 7 weeks. Amazing! I am grateful every day for their presence in our lives. I just hope I can be a good mother for them.
Haven's vocabulary is exploding. Here are the words she says as of today; Mama, Mommy, Dada, baby, Alec, doggie, gentile, bye bye, hi, hello, up, down, please (we are working on thank you), hot, one, two, sit, ouch, eat, shoes, beep beep, brown bear, push, me, and her latest word is yummy. Wow that is 25 words. She is so curious of everything and wants to help me do every little thing. She loves books. Can't get enough and will also sit down and read Brown Bear what do you see to herself. So cute to hear her little voice say brown bear. She is trying to dress herself now. Gets a little confused and puts shirts on her legs and then gets angry it won't pull up. She is starting to be nicer to Alec. She still wallops him, but will kiss him afterwards. She loves to figure out how things work and how to make it happen. She knows how to buckle the belt on the high chair, knows how her carseat harness works, but can't do it herself yet. She loves her singing dog toy (that I don't like thanks alot Aunt Patty). She likes to give kisses and hugs to us and the dogs. I was told by the lady who runs the nursery at church if she is 19 months she is a genius. I think she is older than the birthdate we have. She has such strong problem solving skills for someone 19 months. I think she is 2. She is a challenge. She is in time out numerous times during the day for not doing what she was asked or hitting on Alec. She does sit in time out very well and hugs and kisses after she is out and then does what she is asked, like pick up the toy she threw.
Bed time has gotten much better and now it is a game to see how many kisses she can get out of Naing and I. Naing builds a tent with the quilt and they say goodnight that way every night. She loves that. There is still a little bit of a fuss, or whining but not like it was when we first came home.
How they have changed in just 7 weeks. Amazing! I am grateful every day for their presence in our lives. I just hope I can be a good mother for them.
11/4/09
Mini Reunion
Saturday we went out to lunch with four other families who have all adopted children from Toukoul. There were 10 adults and 8 babies under two at the Laurelwood Pub. Fun had by all comparing notes and seeing every ones children and how they have changed since our last encounter. Haven loved the chicken tenders and applesauce. She was the last one eating at the table, ate every bite.
Everyone was amazed by her ability to handle her spoon. She is very coordinated. After lunch was done, we lined the babies us in their high chairs for pictures. Sorry our camera doesn't have a panoramic view. Here they are split up into 2 pictures. So cute!
10/27/09
Alec is 10 months & Haven is 19 months
Wow hard to believe we have been home as a family for 5 weeks. The children have just adapted so well. Last weekend they went to their first birthday party. Haven had fun once she got used to the crowd of people. She discovered she loves donuts! She is talking more each day. She says about 12 words now and almost says I do it (her first sentence). She is very independent when it comes to doing certain things like feeding herself. She likes to figure out how to buckle and unsnap things. She is starting to try to climb out of her crib. Yikes not looking forward to her having more freedom!
Alec is pulling up now. He continues to get stronger every day. He now has 4 teeth and likes to bite. We are working on that. He says Mama and hi. He is starting to assert his independence with Haven and they have had some fights over toys. She even closed his hand in a toy to get it away from him. So there is a lot of sharing teaching going on right now. He still is getting up every 3 hours, but is now eating more solids, so fingers crossed his sleep time improves. They are so amazing and light up my life.
10/26/09
Our amazing dogs
I just wanted to brag on how wonderful our dogs have been with Haven and Alec. They have done so well with them. Haven loves the dogs and is always kissing and hugging on them. But she also sits on them alot and uses them as a step to get up on the couch. Alec just pulls their hair alot!!
Tenley and Haven have bonded. In the morning Tenley whines at their bedroom door waiting for them to get up. She runs to Haven's crib and jumps up to see her. After I have changed Haven and put her down on the ground. They run and romp together while I'm changing Alec. Haven throws the toys for Tenley down the hall. Poor Tenley's ball time has been downgraded big time.
Stuart is not as fond of the children, but has been very tolerant. He gets a little grumpy but gets up and leaves instead of snapping. I was concerned about him when we brought the kids home, but he has done well. It is hard for him to share Naing. Naing is his world and Stuart isn't getting walked every day like he used to. The only saving grace is Haven shares her food with them. Stuart is just trying to help keep the floor clean and Tenley cleans the high chair seat.
Here is a picture of Alec laying on Stuart and Tenley being cute laying in the clothes basket. We are very blessed to have such wonderful dogs!
10/16/09
Little Update
Just a small update on our sweet, sweet babies.
Alec at his recheck appointment today gained 1 & 1/4 pounds in 3 weeks. YEAH!!! He is now a few ounces shy of 16#. He is starting to pull up and stand. He has cut 2 new teeth, the top front teeth. Now he has 4 teeth. He is just so sweet, easy to laugh and so snugly. He now says Hi and Mama and jabbers alot. The women at our pediatrician's office go gaga over him and he smiles at everyone. He is starting to get a little shy around strangers and only wants Mama to hold him.
Haven is going 100 miles an hour. She has gained 1/4# in 3 weeks. She is eating non-stop. She now comes and tells us she wants food by using sign language for eat. She says Mama, Dadda, doghi(doggie), Alec, baby, gentile(almost understandable), up and tries to say brown bear (her favorite book). She is very sharp (not just the opinion of her parents). She actually pulled a chair over to the counter to try to get her drink the other day. She wanted me to read Brown Bear the other day and I was having a coughing fit and couldn't read. She put the book in my hand, took her hand and put it on my face to move my face toward the book and then took her hand and tapped on the book to get the message across I was to read it. Talk about getting her point across! She is strong willed, determined and very independent. She figured out how to snap the belt in her high chair. I was very impressed with her dexterity. She is very social. Interacts with everyone and today at the Dr. appointment went up to front office to say hi to the receptionist like they were her long lost buddies.
All and all they have adjusted and are doing very well for being home less than a month. How we love, love, love these sweet babies!
Alec at his recheck appointment today gained 1 & 1/4 pounds in 3 weeks. YEAH!!! He is now a few ounces shy of 16#. He is starting to pull up and stand. He has cut 2 new teeth, the top front teeth. Now he has 4 teeth. He is just so sweet, easy to laugh and so snugly. He now says Hi and Mama and jabbers alot. The women at our pediatrician's office go gaga over him and he smiles at everyone. He is starting to get a little shy around strangers and only wants Mama to hold him.
Haven is going 100 miles an hour. She has gained 1/4# in 3 weeks. She is eating non-stop. She now comes and tells us she wants food by using sign language for eat. She says Mama, Dadda, doghi(doggie), Alec, baby, gentile(almost understandable), up and tries to say brown bear (her favorite book). She is very sharp (not just the opinion of her parents). She actually pulled a chair over to the counter to try to get her drink the other day. She wanted me to read Brown Bear the other day and I was having a coughing fit and couldn't read. She put the book in my hand, took her hand and put it on my face to move my face toward the book and then took her hand and tapped on the book to get the message across I was to read it. Talk about getting her point across! She is strong willed, determined and very independent. She figured out how to snap the belt in her high chair. I was very impressed with her dexterity. She is very social. Interacts with everyone and today at the Dr. appointment went up to front office to say hi to the receptionist like they were her long lost buddies.
All and all they have adjusted and are doing very well for being home less than a month. How we love, love, love these sweet babies!
10/14/09
Meki
Sorry I have been lacking in my blogging lately. On with the tale of Meki.
We finally got on the road to Meki after much confusion and commotion. I am so glad we made that trip. Once you are about 10 minutes out of Addis there is such a drastic change in scenery and the level of busy declines dramatically. It actually reminds me a lot of the Willamette Valley here in Oregon. It is green farm land surrounded by rolling hills and mountains.
We were enjoying the drive and taking pictures from the car the whole time holding the children in our laps. Yep kinda of different to not think twice about having a car seat. There is still a fair amount of truck traffic because this highway is the main highway out of Addis and to make connections to go west or continue south in Ethiopia.
I was amazed watching the scenery to see such young children with the huge responsibility of handling the family's herd. Boys between 8-10 years of age doing this important job for the family.
We passed an outdoor plant nursery on the drive. On the side of the road there were tons of plants lined up for a block or so with workers selling the plants. I so wanted to go do a look see at what they had, but we didn't stop.
Once we got to Meki I didn't know what to expect. There was a main street that had a few local shops and food stores. The street had a large number of people just hanging out, sitting around and chatting with each other. The driver stopped and asked directions to the Meki orphanage. I looked at Naing and told him I really didn't have interest in seeing the orphanage I just wanted to see the town. But to be polite we went in and that was one of the best parts of the trip. All the nannies were so excited to see Haven and Alec. The nanny that took care of Haven for over a year came running and grabbed her. She was just hugging on her and crying she was so overcome with emotion to see her again.
Unfortunately Haven did not feel the same way. She was screaming because she was taken from me and I do feel she thought she was being brought to stay again. The nannies asked where the children were going to go live and when the driver told them America they all started say oh America, America.
One of the nannies pulled out her cell phone to show us pictures of Alec and Haven she took on her phone of when they lived at the orphanage. They told us Haven's nickname was beautiful. (So nice to hear other people think so too!)
The nanny took Haven into a room and it was their sleeping area, she put Haven in her old bed and there was a total melt down. I took her back outside and calmed her down.
Meki's orphanage is very small. Doesn't have alot of toys or clothes for the children. But we were told that because it is an intake orphanage most children only stay there weeks/months before they are moved. Haven was there for over a year because her mother had not agreed to her being adopted. I never found out if it was because her mother was trying to find the father (whereabouts unknown) or hoping to be able to take care of Haven herself. There was a little girl Saraphina that the workers kept taking over to Haven. We were told that they were best friends when Haven was there. So obviously this girl has been there awhile as well. Again Haven had no interest. I just kept telling her you are not staying, you have a Mommy and a Daddy now.
One of the men that works at the orphanage brought out some pictures for us to see. One of Haven with two friends, one of Alec in a group shot of the nannies and one of Haven with her birth mother. I asked if we could have that photo of them. The man said no, that was there only one. Then I asked Naing to take a picture of the picture so we would have something for Haven. When the man saw how much it meant to us, he gave it to us. So we were meant to go the orphanage so Haven would have that piece of history on who she is. They asked if we wanted to meet her birth mom. I politely declined. I didn't think I could have handled that emotionally and her birth mom looked so said in the picture I didn't know if that would be good for her as well. Now I wish we had explored that a little more.
We spent some time with the beautiful children there and gave them pens/pencils and took pictures of all of us before driving back to Addis. It was a full day and a good day. Enjoy the photos.
10/4/09
So Sweet
Even though I'm so exhausted, beyond the definition of tired, I am enjoying every minute with my sweet, sweet babies. I just love them so much! How is that possible after two weeks.
Alec loves music. He has very good rhythm and moves to the music. Today we went to the church the first time after coming home. He was so focused on the choir and the organ music. He is such a sweet boy, even though he has been a grump because he is teething. He is determined, quick to smile, and a little sneaky.
Haven has a great sense of humor. Loves to smile and laugh (so wouldn't have thought that when we first met her). Loves, loves, loves to put my shoes on. She is now giving kisses (open mouth), going to more people, enjoys reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear. She loves to talk on the phone, remote or whatever else she can hold to her ear. She now is saying Woo Woo Woo and pointing her finger, translation No No No. She says it to the dogs, Alec and Mommy alot.
Enjoy a few new pictures.
9/30/09
Scary Stuff
Ok this is not a feel good post. I wanted to talk about the big issue of adopting a child from a third world country and that is health problems. My babies have had the huge blood draw done to test for everything under the sun, because of where they were born. Well we got some scary news that I'm trying to deal with.
Alec is positive for Hepatitis A, has ringworm and giardia. He isn't eating as well as he should because of the Hepatitis. I am scared for his health. Even though you read about the diseases your child can come home with, it is so scary and you can't prepare yourself for it.
Haven has holes in both her ear drums. No wonder she screamed bloody murder on the plane. Usually the holes close on their own. That is what I'm praying for.
This should be a joyful time of bonding and getting to know our children. Not running back to the Doctor again and again. And where did it become the job of a Mom to hold your child down during a blood draw. Ugh that was horrible for us both.
I just want my little guy to feel better and eat better, he is only 14 # at 9 months of age.... poor little boy. Any one have words of wisdom to get him eating more solids, please share.
Alec is positive for Hepatitis A, has ringworm and giardia. He isn't eating as well as he should because of the Hepatitis. I am scared for his health. Even though you read about the diseases your child can come home with, it is so scary and you can't prepare yourself for it.
Haven has holes in both her ear drums. No wonder she screamed bloody murder on the plane. Usually the holes close on their own. That is what I'm praying for.
This should be a joyful time of bonding and getting to know our children. Not running back to the Doctor again and again. And where did it become the job of a Mom to hold your child down during a blood draw. Ugh that was horrible for us both.
I just want my little guy to feel better and eat better, he is only 14 # at 9 months of age.... poor little boy. Any one have words of wisdom to get him eating more solids, please share.
9/27/09
African Time
You know when your agency is trying to prepare you for what your trip will be like one of the first things they tell you is things move slower there, it is African time not the US. Well we experienced this every day we were there. When we filled out our form on things we wanted to do we noted we wanted to go to the Mercato, Blue Gorge and Meki. Well I guess one out of 3 ain't bad.
The 2nd day we were there we had plans to go to the Hilton early in the am so everyone could email and then go to the Mercato before we went to Toukoul. I so wanted to go and experience the Mercato even if I didn't buy anything. The Mercato is one of the largest out door markets in all of Africa. Well we never made it. We were waiting for the driver to come that knew the Mercato better than Moulouko (spelling probably way off). Wendi shows up and we thought he was going to be our driver, no he was just dropping us off at the Hilton and then taking the van to be serviced and the new driver was coming to pick us up with a different car.
Long story short, we never got there it was time to go to Toukoul. Of course I was disappointed but spending time with Haven and Alec was more important.
Day two at Toukoul was easier, we knew what to expect. They brought Alec into us first and then I heard the screams. It was Haven, She was screaming bloody murder, she didn't want to come be with us. I wanted Naing to take her so I could hold Alec. When Naing went to go get her she was crying and clinging to the Nanny. The Nanny turned away from Naing and said Mommy and gave her to me. I was upset the Nanny was perpetuating her non-interest in Naing. We took them back to the guest house/hotel for the day. Got to spend time with them, feed them, play with them. Taking them back at the end of the day was hard and once again there was screaming from Haven. Alec was all smiles, but Haven was screaming and grabbing on to me this time. I just wanted to check her out then and there, but the next day was the meeting with the Dr from Toukoul and I wanted to know about her medical history before we checked her out. But I decided I would take her out on Wed so she didn't have to keep going back and forth and give her time to bond with us.
Our embassy date had been changed. Originally we were scheduled for Thursday, but because of some embassy training we were moved up to Wed am. So no travels for Wed either, embassy in the morning, Dr in the afternoon.
Wednesday morning we picked the children up at Toukoul and were headed to the embassy after the driver swung by to pick up our lawyer. We were all asking were he was going, because we hadn't been told we would picking up Sinti...poor Moulkoul, his English was limited and he had a hard time explaining his answers some times. Of course none of us spoke Amharic so we did the best we could.
Driving to the embassy was very interesting. As you get closer to the embassy area of town you saw soldiers/police with AK47 standing out on the street. The area is patrolled and guarded.
We had to park and walk a block or so to the embassy. That was very interesting. Here is Naing and I with our two children, the Garcias with their two children and Sinti leading the way. People in the shops and on the streets are staring at us. Once you get to the embassy you have to wait until you are called to go inside. They have benches set up outside with a covering to protect you from the rain. Since our embassy date was changed, there were other families from a different agency there for their court dates. We sat outside and chatted with everyone and found out where they were from. Then we got called into the embassy and went through security and the metal detectors. Now it was time to wait again until our family was called to the window upstairs. When we were sitting down, a lovely Ethiopian woman who lives in Seattle was asking me how we adopted and how long of a process it was. She was interesting in adopting. (Small world that it is, she was our flight attendant on the Ethiopian Air flight to DC. She recognized Haven and me.)
At the embassy the children were being very good for the long wait that we had. Once we got called to the window, I made the fatal mistake of putting Haven on the counter to sit so I could speak at the window. She started to cry and didn't stop. Cried all through the questions. Cried the whole ride back to Toukoul. She was crying so much, Sinti had Moulkoul stop at the store and by some crackers for her, thinking she was hungry. She wasn't. She was mad and got herself so worked up nothing would calm her now but sleep. He asked me when we were seeing the Dr. and I told him in the afternoon, he said "good, find out why she cries so much".
Our meeting with the Dr. was different then what we expected since she brought all three families in at once and told us about our children's history in front of each other.
She told us Haven had gotten over an ear infection, even though she was still pulling at her ears. I put her on Alec's antibiotics just in case, since we were getting on a plane in a few days.
We found out Alec has "asthma" or as she put it hyperactive bronchi. When we asked if we could check him out that day, she wanted him to stay since he was still sick so they could monitor him.
So we left him to stay another night and took Haven out to be with us.
Back to African time, sorry I got off track. We wanted to go to Meki and see where our children came from and take pictures of the area to show them. We wanted to go on Thurs.......did not happen. Aster promised it would happen on Friday. We thought it was all planned out when we went to bed that night. But in the morning the drivers knew nothing about taking us to Meki and there were many phone calls to Aster trying to get it all arranged and get a different car to take us. Naing was getting worked up because it was now after 10 am and it was a 2 hour drive there and back. After many false starts, we got on the road to Meki. More on Meki later.
The 2nd day we were there we had plans to go to the Hilton early in the am so everyone could email and then go to the Mercato before we went to Toukoul. I so wanted to go and experience the Mercato even if I didn't buy anything. The Mercato is one of the largest out door markets in all of Africa. Well we never made it. We were waiting for the driver to come that knew the Mercato better than Moulouko (spelling probably way off). Wendi shows up and we thought he was going to be our driver, no he was just dropping us off at the Hilton and then taking the van to be serviced and the new driver was coming to pick us up with a different car.
Long story short, we never got there it was time to go to Toukoul. Of course I was disappointed but spending time with Haven and Alec was more important.
Day two at Toukoul was easier, we knew what to expect. They brought Alec into us first and then I heard the screams. It was Haven, She was screaming bloody murder, she didn't want to come be with us. I wanted Naing to take her so I could hold Alec. When Naing went to go get her she was crying and clinging to the Nanny. The Nanny turned away from Naing and said Mommy and gave her to me. I was upset the Nanny was perpetuating her non-interest in Naing. We took them back to the guest house/hotel for the day. Got to spend time with them, feed them, play with them. Taking them back at the end of the day was hard and once again there was screaming from Haven. Alec was all smiles, but Haven was screaming and grabbing on to me this time. I just wanted to check her out then and there, but the next day was the meeting with the Dr from Toukoul and I wanted to know about her medical history before we checked her out. But I decided I would take her out on Wed so she didn't have to keep going back and forth and give her time to bond with us.
Our embassy date had been changed. Originally we were scheduled for Thursday, but because of some embassy training we were moved up to Wed am. So no travels for Wed either, embassy in the morning, Dr in the afternoon.
Wednesday morning we picked the children up at Toukoul and were headed to the embassy after the driver swung by to pick up our lawyer. We were all asking were he was going, because we hadn't been told we would picking up Sinti...poor Moulkoul, his English was limited and he had a hard time explaining his answers some times. Of course none of us spoke Amharic so we did the best we could.
Driving to the embassy was very interesting. As you get closer to the embassy area of town you saw soldiers/police with AK47 standing out on the street. The area is patrolled and guarded.
We had to park and walk a block or so to the embassy. That was very interesting. Here is Naing and I with our two children, the Garcias with their two children and Sinti leading the way. People in the shops and on the streets are staring at us. Once you get to the embassy you have to wait until you are called to go inside. They have benches set up outside with a covering to protect you from the rain. Since our embassy date was changed, there were other families from a different agency there for their court dates. We sat outside and chatted with everyone and found out where they were from. Then we got called into the embassy and went through security and the metal detectors. Now it was time to wait again until our family was called to the window upstairs. When we were sitting down, a lovely Ethiopian woman who lives in Seattle was asking me how we adopted and how long of a process it was. She was interesting in adopting. (Small world that it is, she was our flight attendant on the Ethiopian Air flight to DC. She recognized Haven and me.)
At the embassy the children were being very good for the long wait that we had. Once we got called to the window, I made the fatal mistake of putting Haven on the counter to sit so I could speak at the window. She started to cry and didn't stop. Cried all through the questions. Cried the whole ride back to Toukoul. She was crying so much, Sinti had Moulkoul stop at the store and by some crackers for her, thinking she was hungry. She wasn't. She was mad and got herself so worked up nothing would calm her now but sleep. He asked me when we were seeing the Dr. and I told him in the afternoon, he said "good, find out why she cries so much".
Our meeting with the Dr. was different then what we expected since she brought all three families in at once and told us about our children's history in front of each other.
She told us Haven had gotten over an ear infection, even though she was still pulling at her ears. I put her on Alec's antibiotics just in case, since we were getting on a plane in a few days.
We found out Alec has "asthma" or as she put it hyperactive bronchi. When we asked if we could check him out that day, she wanted him to stay since he was still sick so they could monitor him.
So we left him to stay another night and took Haven out to be with us.
Back to African time, sorry I got off track. We wanted to go to Meki and see where our children came from and take pictures of the area to show them. We wanted to go on Thurs.......did not happen. Aster promised it would happen on Friday. We thought it was all planned out when we went to bed that night. But in the morning the drivers knew nothing about taking us to Meki and there were many phone calls to Aster trying to get it all arranged and get a different car to take us. Naing was getting worked up because it was now after 10 am and it was a 2 hour drive there and back. After many false starts, we got on the road to Meki. More on Meki later.
9/25/09
Just a little update
Since we came home, Haven has explored every nook and cranny in the house seeing what she can touch. She has become the official door/cupboard closer. She has mastered the art of getting on and off the couch. The dogs are good stepping stones to get onto the couch. She is starting to play with Alec. Of course her definition of play, is take what he has and give him something else to hold, so he doesn't cry.
And drum roll...... she said Momma today.
Alec is eating non stop, every 3 hours, we are tired! But he has started to crawl, is fearless when it comes to taking things back from his big sister. We have finally found some solids he would eat, that was tricky. He has mastered the art of using his smile to melt our hearts!
He also has a big ole ringworm lesion I spied on his head tonight when I was rocking him to sleep. Everyone who knows me, knows how allergic I am to ringworm. Yikes. Calling his pediatrician tomorrow, cuz I don't know what is safe to use on a child so young.
More pictures to follow soon.
And drum roll...... she said Momma today.
Alec is eating non stop, every 3 hours, we are tired! But he has started to crawl, is fearless when it comes to taking things back from his big sister. We have finally found some solids he would eat, that was tricky. He has mastered the art of using his smile to melt our hearts!
He also has a big ole ringworm lesion I spied on his head tonight when I was rocking him to sleep. Everyone who knows me, knows how allergic I am to ringworm. Yikes. Calling his pediatrician tomorrow, cuz I don't know what is safe to use on a child so young.
More pictures to follow soon.
9/22/09
Travel Time
My friend Debbie, picked us up at 5 in the morning on a Sat to take us to PDX. Now that is a great friend! We had 3 suitcases, 1 big container filled with donations for Toukoul, 2 carry ons and video camera. We were ready to go. I did not sleep much Friday night in anticipation of our trip. I kept waking up and looking at the clock, trying to figure out how many hours until we land in Addis, how many hours until we meet our babies.
We started the long trek, flew to DC and hopped on the commuter train to go to the international terminal and there was Anne Marie and Eli. So we had lunch and hung out before we headed to Air Ethiopia's counter.
We were in the back of the plane, very back of the plane. But it was ok, we met this incrediable lady, Rosemaire, from Boeing. She was going to Addis for 3 weeks to volunteer at an orphanage. She said that Air Ethiopia has ordered new planes from Boeing and when they are delivered, one is going to be full of donations for the orphanages. I'm going to pass her info on to the people I know in Ethiopia Orphan Relief. Shipping of supplies is so expensive, this will be huge!
I was so tired, but couldn't sleep. Naing slept fine. So we just sat, got up and walked around a little, watched a movie and sat some more. I had never been on a plane where so much visiting goes on. The Ethiopians get up and greet and chat w/each other during the flight. I was also amused by them wrapping the blanket around their head to block out light and sleep.
We we late leaving DC so we were late landing in Rome. When we were done refueling in Rome there were 17 planes ahead of us on the tarmack. I finally fell a sleep while we were waiting for our turn to take off.
We finally land in Addis and are over 2 hours late. I was worried the driver sent to pick us up, wouldn't know how late our flight would be...but we couldn't control that and I had phone numbers if needed. We got in line for our visas at the airport in Addis. That was a long drawn out hot process. We were in line for over an hour. Finally we got through the line and my husband the engineer is making suggestions to stream line the process. I keep telling him, Africa not America get used to it.
Our lawyer Sinti ( I can't spell his full name) was there to pick us and the Garcias up. What a relief. We got out to the car and 5-6 men appear to help load the bags into the car and expect a tip in return. Naing started to pay the men and Sinti took part of it back and told him it was too much. The men were all closing in around the van and he told them to go. I was glad he was there.
We would be staying at the hotel the man who runs Toukoul bought. That means we have our own bathroom:) big plus! We are exhausted, the cook Wendi, makes us some delicious soup and we head off to bed. We didn't care the bed was uncomfortable, because we were so tired and excited, the next morning we would go meet our children.
Here are some pictures of the hotel and the view from our room.
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