A few pictures

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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.