Firsts

Saida is starting to do all kinds of things. It has been a lot of fun to watch her acquire new skills. Right now, she can say hi, no, and dada. She is also signing more and milk. She really wants to walk but it hasn’t happened yet. She is standing and cruising constantly, so I know one day soon we will turn around and see her walking for the first time. That is what happened when she first stood up. I was in the bathroom getting her tub ready and I turned around and saw this:

Of course we grabbed the camera for this momentous occasion. Ever since we’ve kept the bathroom door shut and the toilet lid down! It just goes to show you can never be to cautious when it comes to developing babies.

The Love Affair

Miss Say is totally, head over heels, in love with our cat, Roxy. I am amazed at the things the cat will let her do to him. She lies on top of him, pulls off his collar, yanks his tail, and gives him kisses.

Most of the time, she is sweet like this:


Then, all of a sudden, it can turn ugly like this:


Mommy must then intervene to rescue Roxy from the crazed baby.

A few pictures

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thankful

This time last year I knew she was here. People thought I was crazy, but I just felt it. My mother did too, which was a huge comfort. We didn’t know her name or what she looked like, but I thought about her often. I hoped she was safe, comfortable, and loved. I was also grateful to be in the adoption process, even though it was hard at times, because I knew it would lead us to her. This picture is of little Miss Say. It is the earliest picture we have of her. Our agency gave it to us when we were in Ethiopia and I am so happy to have it. She is only a month and a half. It was taken in November of last year. I am honored to be her mother and thankful that she is with us. At the same time, I am aware of the sacrifice her other mother made. This year, I am hoping that she is safe, comfortable, and loved.

Birthday Girl!

Someone just turned one!
Before the party


During the party





After the party

Ok, so I’m a totally slacking in the blog department. Getting back into a work and family routine has been keeping us very busy. Our girl has handled it all in stride. I decided to go with the home daycare because she only watches four kids. It has turned out to be a great choice for this first year. Saida loves all of the toys and the other kids. She was sad at first when I dropped her off and now she doesn’t even seem to notice when I leave! For me, I love teaching and learning with the kids, so it is worth it to be working. It keeps getting better every year. I think we are finding the balance and it feels good.

I’ve got a lot to update about but I’ll start with a very important day. On July 24th, we readopted Saida in our county court. For those of you who don’t know the ins and outs of international adoption, Saida came into the country on an IR-4 Visa. This meant that we did not see her prior to her adoption in Ethiopia and that she was granted permanent resident status upon entering the United States. The re-adoption legally made her a citizen and allowed us to get her a birth certificate and passport. It was also the legal name change. Here are some pics of this joyous day!

Summer Fun

I can’t believe the summer has flown by! We have one more week until our summer fun ends. I know summer isn’t officially over, but school starts for teachers August 4th, which means back to work for me and daycare for the sweet girl. Everyone asks how she is adjusting – She is doing great! It is like she has always been here. Saida is quite a happy one, which is fitting since that is what her name means. She is starting to army crawl EVERYWHERE! I have to get it on tape because it is quite comical. She looks so determined, especially when she knows we are coming to move her somewhere else. Saida has also gotten two teeth, both on the bottom. This was very exciting for mommy! To celebrate her ten month birthday, which is today, here are some pictures of this summer’s activities:

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More about Ethiopia

I’ve wanted to write a post about all the amazing things about Ethiopia. I just didn’t know where to start. This morning I read a wonderful post that covered just about everything I could think of. Read it here: Notes from Addis. What is even more amazing is that we had the opportunity to meet their son while we were there. He was in Saida’s old bed! As we read about everyone who is leaving or who is currently there, we long to go back. We really left a part of ourselves in Ethiopia. I will say a few things about my favorite things, with pictures of course!

The food. Ethiopian food is addicting and we got started on it long before our trip. As with any cuisine, it is always better when you go to the source of its creation. We also loved that we could eat out for a fraction of the price. We eat out a lot, so we could really get used to that. They also have some fabulous Italian food there. For anyone who doesn’t know, Italy occupied Ethiopia for a time, so I’m assuming this could be a reason for the tasty food.
The coffee. Wow, what can I say! Coffee began here and they have really made the most of it. The coffee ceremony was great to watch and from what we learned it is a tradition that truly brings all the different people of Ethiopia together. Once again, the price of this liquid gold is astonishing (Cappuccino = $1). Starbucks is not present, thank goodness!

The people. We were humbled by the kindness and generosity of the people there. First of all, there are more than 70 different ethnic groups in Ethiopia and they live together in peace (for the most part). Everyone we met left an impression and we felt sadness for our daughter, because she won’t get the opportunity to be surrounded by these people. Ethiopians LOVE children and they are highly valued. Strangers come up and hold your child. An Ethiopian man on the plane (while we waited for the bathroom), cooed and made faces at the baby for over ten minutes. He even held her for awhile. Then he let me go ahead of him in line! Trust me when I say, we noticed a difference when we got back.
This last picture is of our driver, Anbes. He was our favorite person there! He shared his knowledge of Ethiopia and was so helpful to us. Our trip wouldn't have been what it was without him.

Our Trip in Pictures (the abridged version)

Ethiopia Our First Meeting

This was the baby's main care giver. She gave the baby her beautiful outfit and a wonderful farewell.

C's Birthday at the Beer Garden.

A cattle drive on the local street. They had the right of way!

Our friends at the New Flower.

Sleeping at the Hilton.

First meeting Meme at the airport.

First meeting Nana at the airport.

We're Home!

We have been relaxing at home for the last few days. It was wonderful to get off that plane! I was dreading the flight and we had to fight for a bassinet, but it didn’t end up being that bad. A tip for travelers: ask for the bassinet as soon as you walk up to the counter. We handed the man the tickets and let him get started. He had already issued the tickets when we asked if we had gotten a baby bed. He basically lied and said they were all taken. We wouldn’t have known, except that the other family with us got one after us. We then spent the next two hours begging and pleading for them to change our seats. We thought we didn’t get one and were preparing for a long and hideous trip home. The baby does not sleep well when she is being held, which meant no sleep for her. When we got in the air, they pulled it out for us and I almost kissed the flight attendant! When we arrived home, our mothers and my husband’s uncle were waiting for us. I’ll never forget my mother running and crying through the airport toward us. My mother had dinner ready and one of our best friends came over with her daughter to welcome us home. It was wonderful.

Friday, we took Saida to her first doctor’s visit since being in her new home. They re-vaccinated her which I was very nervous about. They did not trust that vaccines she received in Ethiopia. She screamed so hard, at one point she didn’t even make a sound. Her little tongue just shook in her mouth. I couldn’t stand it! Luckily, she recovered quickly. I wish I was over it!

Our Last Days in Ethiopia

Sunday: I had an awesome Mother's Day! Our neighbors at the New Flower bought a sheep and we had a huge feast with everyone. It was a beautiful afternoon and the baby was in good spirits. The staff slaughtered the sheep (I know, very sad) and made it traditionally on a huge outdoor stir fry. Normally, I would feel bad for the poor sheep, but we were living like the locals! We checked into the Hilton and had a nice dinner with the other travelling Gladney family.

Monday: Today was horrible! The baby didn't sleep and was sick again. It was worse than when we got her. She had a fever and was throwing up. I was so scared. It didn't help that I was sick also(stomach cramps). Chris ran some errands, while the doctor from the Hilton made a house call. He said she looked great for being in the orphanage. He thought maybe we didn't do the dosages right on the other antibiotic. To be safe, he prescribed another one which we started right away. We stayed inside the whole day and went down for dinner when we both started to feel better. Tylenol had saved the day, as it made her feel better.

Tuesday: We are leaving today. It is bittersweet. We will really miss Ethiopia and plan on coming back when Saida is a bit older. Right now, we are having breakfast at the Hilton and we are going to do a little shopping. The baby was not hot this morning and she is sleeping soundly. We are praying that we get a bassinet on the plane, so she can get some good sleep. I also hope that she increasingly feels better. She was cranky this morning, but better than yesterday. I'll update next when we are home! Attached are some pictures! Enjoy!

Day 6 and 7 (Saturday and Sunday)

On Saturday, we went souvenir shopping and went up Entoto Mountain.The capital city was once found there, until Empress Taitu moved it down the mountain because of the hot springs. The baby seemed to have a cold today, but her skin is clearing up. We decided to stay our last two nights at the Hilton. I'm actually very sad to be leaving the New Flower, but I wanted to make sure we got showers before we goton our 24 hour flight home. I know we would lose power at least one more time and the Hilton is some how immune to this. We are checking out this morning (Sunday) but we are coming back to the New Flower for a Mother's Day lunch. They are so wonderful here, I know it won't be the same at the Hilton. For those thinking about staying at a guesthouse, we would recommend it! I think the power outages are occuring only in the late spring/early summer, but you can always check on it before leaving. The people here feel like family and they are so helpful. It is also very affordable. Can you tell I feel bad about leaving? The good thing is, you will soon see some pictures. We can get online using the laptop, so we can send some images of our prettygirl.

Day 5 (Friday)

The cultural night was great! We had wonderful food and got to see the traditional dances of Ethiopia. The baby did fine with the caregiver. She was sound asleep when we got back. Elsa (the caregiver) had made her a little pillow and covered her with blankets. Today we toured the orphanages. It was hard to see all of the orphans. They have an older boys home, Kolfe, where the conditions were very bad. Gladney is the only agency giving them any attention.The boys are pretty much forgotten. It was heartbreaking. They also have an older girls orphanage, that was much better. I loved seeing all of the school aged children. They were so sweet and held my hand. They did not speak English, so our communication was difficult.There were also babies there that we held. The babies are adopted right away, but the older children wait. I hope that we can one day adopt one of these children. Today was my husband's birthday and we celebrated at the Beer Garden Inn. When we got home the power was out again! It comes back on at 9pm. The worst part is, we have no water when it is out to wash up with.

Day 4 (Thursday)

We are back from a busy day. We went to the Leprosy Center. This was an amazing building that was donated by the last Empress over a hundred years ago for people with Leprosy. The people there make wonderful crafts they sell there to support themselves. We bought many things there! The baby is blooming and we can't get enough ofher. Our mothers are going to fall over in love. She is the most beautiful little girl. We have to get our pictures put on a disc before we can post, so I'm sorry you can't see for yourself. We also went back to the foster homes to drop off our humanitarian aid. We were able to visit with the Thornes little boy. He was wonderful and hated to say goodbye. We are resting now because we are going for the traditional cultural dinner tonight. Saida's caregiver is coming to watch her. I am going to have a hard time leaving her, but I know she is in good hands.

Day 3 (Wednesday)

Today was the Embassy day. We went to the Gladney Foster Home for a coffee ceremony. It is something the Ethiopian people do regularly.They hand roast and grind the beans. Very good! The caretakers came in and scooped up the babies (ours and another family's). They dressed them in handmade traditional dresses, which the girls get to keep as reminders of their culture. Saida was calm, but they said she wasn't herself. They attributed this to her being sick. You can tell how much they love these kids. Next we toured the houses and I got totake pictures of all the babies. I can't wait to send them to their family's. After touring, we headed to lunch at Top House (great views of the city). The embassy was after that. It was pretty uneventful. Saida was feeling much better and we got to see her sweet personality later in the afternoon. We couldn't get online due to the weather. In Ethiopia, you need to go with the flow!

Day 2 in Ethiopia (Tuesday)

We went to the doctor's office today. It was a pretty restful day,which we really needed. We had no power, which is common here. In neighborhoods, they loose power every fourth day. It wasn't a big deal, but we couldn't get online. They did have power in other areas(like the doctors!). The first visit to the doctors was unsuccessful because there was a long wait. I was feeling tired and a little ill, so we went home and napped. Then we went back at 4:30 in the afternoon. It only cost five dollars! They said Saida has a fungal infection and they gave us a prescription for cream. At the pharmacy,it took about two minutes for us to get it and a dollar fifty. For dinner we went to a nice Italian restaurant that was also an art gallery. We bought some beautiful angels for the baby there. The baby was a trooper, as we came home to a dark house. We had the hat flashlight out to get her dressed for bed! Saida is starting to feel better. We are in love!

Day 1 in Ethiopia

Day 1 in Ethiopia (Monday)I'm counting today as day one here in Ethiopia since yesterday was just a late night. Seeing our baby for the first time is beyond words. She is adorable...but it wasn't like she jumped into our arms crying mommy and daddy. I was prepared for that, so it wasn't that big of a deal. She had just eaten and was not feeling well. She was also ready for a nap, so you can imagine how happy she was. Our first meeting was busy, as we taped it and photographed it. We did have a few glorious minutes when she feel asleep and we were all alone with her. It was wonderful finally being together as a family, even if she doesn't realize it yet! She has some medicine she's on and was a bit cranky all day. My husband was a real trooper. We took turns trying to soothe her. So today, in addition to gaining a child, we switched rooms at the New Flower, went to lunch with the Gladney reps, stopped by the Hilton, and went to Dreamland. I think we are all on a little bit of sensory overload! Luckily, they had a larger room with private bath available at the New Flower. It is awesome here. The people are fabulous. However, since we flooded the shared bathroom yesterday and couldn't move around our own stuff in the room, it made all the difference to move rooms. Dreamland was also really neat. It usually happens at the end of your stay, but there were many families here so we went tonight. It is a restaurant overlooking a huge crater lake.Good food and company! Tomorrow we are taking the baby to the doctors. She has what looks like a skin fungal infection on her face. It should be OK, I hope. I haven't figured out how to post pics, but will have C. look at it tomorrow.

We're Here!

We've finally arrived in Ethiopia. The flight was long but uneventful. The plane was crowded and we are just hoping for a babybed on the way back. We couldn't imagine having a little one on that long flight home. It was rainy today and we think it may be like that all week. Of course I didn't bring my rain boots or an umbrella (note for future travellers). On to more exciting news...we go to get the baby tomorrow morning!! I was ready tonight, but I'll just have to live with a good night's sleep. Travis (the in country staff) said he just thinks of her as the gerber baby because she is so darn cute

Almost there!

Less than one week before we leave for Ethiopia!!! I can’t wait and yet we have so much to do. Our belongings are strewn through the house. We have packed our humanitarian aid (diapers, wipes, AD ointment) and the suitcase feels like it weighs over a hundred pounds. We booked our tickets right away and were able to get a room at the New Flower Guest House. We have a shared bathroom and I’m a little nervous about that. Normally, I wouldn’t mind but I have a track record for getting really sick on vacations. We are going to give it a try because they seem very on top of things. They were the only place we could get in touch with when we were looking for a place to stay. My husband’s friend at work is from Ethiopia. His mom owns another guest house in the neighborhood we are staying. What a small world! Anyway, they may also have availability in case we can’t deal. Check back because we will be trying to update in Ethiopia!

In all of this craziness, I can’t stop thinking about our sweet girl and what it will be like to meet her. I am so thankful for this whole journey. One of the great things through this process has been receiving updates from traveling families. If anyone has a child at the Gladney Foster Home, we would love to take some pictures for you. Just leave a message or email us (dauray@gmail.com) with some info and we would be glad to pass on the favor.



Here are some pics we got from the Atwoods. They were some of our favorites!



Ok, I’m off to finish my adoption training (yes, we did wait till the last minute to do this!) and our packing!

The Home Stretch!

Unexpectedly, we became parents today!! I’m still in a state of shock. Our court date (or so we thought) was scheduled for tomorrow. Of course, when the phone rang with the special ring today I answered it figuring it was something last minute. I had all of my students with me as I heard the most fabulous news. Court was actually today and we made it. It was the best feeling ever to know that this beautiful child was ours…that’s right, we are now the proud parents of this sweet baby. This also means I can post pictures, so here she is…



I will try to post more later...or a slide show if I can figure it out!

Court Date!!

Natalie called today. Of course, I answered the phone in the middle of class when I heard that special unknown caller ring. It is scheduled for April 17th. I'll be holding my breath until then, hoping that the adoption goes through on the first try.

Baby Updates!

So my plan to post this week almost got thwarted with the tornado that blew through town this weekend. The power went off on Friday night. Luckily we escaped to my mother-in-law’s house. It is back two days later. Luckily we didn’t have any damage to our house. It did leave many trees down around the area. Interestingly enough the power never went off at my mother-in-law’s even though she is a mere mile from the hardest hit part of the city. Anyway, here we are at our fourth week of waiting for a court date. I’ve been going crazy lately, as I am aware that many of our blog friends have been waiting about 8 weeks and still have not heard anything about their court dates. This makes me incredibly sad. We have gotten 1 update so far from Gladney with a new picture. But more exciting, is our most recent update (we got it today!!) from a fellow Gladney family, the Atwoods, that traveled to pick up their son. They did us an amazing favor by bringing the baby a care package from us to Ethiopia and taking some pictures of the little angel for us. She had her new bear, blanket, and pictures of us with her in the photos. Thank you, Atwoods! Both of the comments we’ve received about her mention her gorgeous eyes. I have to say, she really is so beautiful. The Gladney representative said she was a very sweet and calm baby. That sounds wonderful to me! This has brightened my day and left me more hopeful. I am just so thankful for this whole experience and hope that we can have that baby in our arms sooner rather than later.

What's next??

Well, it has been a week since our referral. It has been a relief to finally have that picture and know some information about our future little girl. I’ve been asked by everyone, what will happen next? Also, when are you leaving? The next step in the process is to wait for a court date. When we accepted the referral last Friday, Natalie said she would inform the in country staff so that they can schedule a date. It is taking about a month to find out the date, which is usually a month from then. Doing the math, it will be about two months until a court date. This is a lot longer than we originally expected. Last spring, it was only about a month between referral and travel. How quickly things change in the world of adoption! I can only assume that this is because there are many more cases to hear as Ethiopian adoptions are growing in popularity. If the court date is successful the first time, we would leave about a month later. Many cases are postponed and rescheduled for a variety of reasons. Hopefully it will be about three months until we travel. I know that this will be the real wait. We are staying positive (so far) and trying to remain patient. I just hope everything works out and she stays happy and healthy at The Gladney Foster Home.

REFERRAL!!!!!

Yesterday was it!!
Natalie called to tell us about our (hopefully!) future daughter. She is 4 1/2 months old and the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes on. We accepted the referral right away. She looks so healthy and happy. I know they are taking wonderful care of her at the Gladney center. To say the least, we are soooooo EXCITED!
About the call:
I got the call while driving home from the mall. I was with my mom who was up from Florida to help me get the baby's room together. I was not expecting it at all. About two weeks ago, my mom was saying how great it would be if we got the referral while she was here. I highly doubted that we would get the call on the one and only day she is here. I was shocked when the phone rang with the UNKNOWN caller ring and almost died when I heard Natalie's voice. I was in a state of disbelief when she said she had some exciting news. We conferenced Chris in, but had to wait because we weren't by the computer. We went straight home (trying to drive as safely as possible) to wait for Natalie to call us back at 5:00pm. My mom was hysterical! She had just had a dream about the baby and couldn't believe her luck at being with us. Chris picked up his mom and we were all together when Natalie called. It was about 5:15, as she was on another call. When we opened the email, it was pure joy. We already had reservations at a fancy restaurant (for my mother-in-law's birthday/Valentine's Day), so it was a perfect night of celebration!

Thank you!

It has been great reading everyone’s supportive comments. I really needed that! I have been keeping up with reading everyone’s blogs and hoping for some referrals. However, I haven’t been able to comment at work (my mother-in-law doesn’t have a computer at home), so I thought I’d just say thank you here and let all those other waiting families know that I am thinking of them during this time.

Here at four months

4 months
AKA
17 weeks
It has been really difficult to be patient during this process. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is because of my expectations. Being a constant blog watcher, I have seen others get their referrals at an earlier time. Although I kept telling myself not to expect to have the same luck, I’ve hoped for it anyway. It is hard being hopeful everyday and then nothing. No phone call and no idea what will be. At this point, the hope is dwindling out of me. It feels like it just isn’t going to happen anytime soon. I spoke with Natalie at Gladney this week. She is very understanding and answered some of my questions. She can’t tell me anything about our possible wait time except that they are still trying to keep the 3 to 5 month time frame. Of course this means things could go even longer than 5 months before we hear any news. It is hard to plan anything because we just don’t know what will happen. To be honest, I’m even a little afraid to set up the baby’s room. I don’t think I can look at it for the next few months. We have been staying with my mother-in-law. I keep saying that we don’t want her to be alone, but I just can’t stand our empty house.

Ok, enough of my pity party!! Our house was not that empty this weekend. Our foster son, R. and his sister came for a weekend visit. I didn’t even know how much I missed him until he was back. It felt like home again. We stayed at our house so they could play outside and with their games. Yesterday we went roller skating. They did not know how to skate, so there was a lot of falling down. R. requested sushi for dinner since his dad doesn’t eat that kind of food. It made me feel good that we’ve left our mark on him! He misses his friends, his old school, and day care. I do think he is adjusting well and enjoying being with his extended family. I hope he comes back soon!!

15 Weeks and Waiting

We are into our 15th week of waiting. The beginning of January was difficult with R. gone but we are adjusting. We’ve rearranged the house and plan to spend some extra time with my mother-in-law. Hopefully we will hear something soon about the little babe. Every time I call my mom she has had a hopeful tone in her voice. I think she might be thinking about this baby as much as I am! I know it will be difficult even after the referral. Then we have to wait for a court day and pray it goes through. After that I will on pins and needles to get over there. I’m already really excited about the trip. In other news, we went to lunch with an Ethiopian adoption group last Saturday. It is a huge group and the people are all awesome. It is wonderful for us and will be wonderful for our children to have this group of people. The children were all beautiful, happy, and smiling!

3 Months and Other Updates

Yesterday was 3 months of waiting. Wednesday was 13 weeks.

I don’t even know where to start. It has been crazy around here but it is slowing down. This may or may not be a good thing! Our foster son is home with his dad for good and I just can’t believe it yet. His room is empty, his toys are gone, but it still feels like he is coming back. I know when school starts it will really hit me. I was very upset the Friday he left and then we were off on vacation. The house has felt empty since we’ve been back.

Our trip was OK. We spent it with my husband’s family in New York and my little sister accompanied us. I love New York, just not in the winter!

This little baby has been on my mind big time. She most likely is born and we have no idea about her existence in the universe yet. It is killing me. I hope and pray that she is safe and healthy and loved. I’ve been getting my hopes up that we will find out about the baby soon. Many people from our agency have gotten their referrals and they have been waiting about the same time as us. I haven’t called our agency but I read a blog of someone who did. The news is that it is taking about 5 months now. Urggghhh! I really think being a pessimist is a great thing sometimes. So it could be March 3rd, our fifth month. I’m sad about this but I’m going to stick to my original plan. We are going to enjoy being parentless if it kills us. We are going bask in the freedoms that come without having a child for a little more time. As C. says, it will happen when the time is right.