The Great(est) Adventure Continues

Home Two Years - Ari Madegiya

2012-01-16T16:54:00.000-06:00

Hard to believe this kid has been home exactly two years today.....

........three and a half months later......

2011-12-13T13:59:00.000-06:00

So, I'm not sure of the last time I actually posted something on here. I happened to go back and read some blog posts I wrote from last fall, and I guess it inspired me to write again. As you all know, we are a family of four now and Ezra has been with us for almost four months. First let me tell you some really wonderful things:

1. Ezra is so healthy and beautiful and super smart and right on track developmentally. She is inquisitive and curious and determined and developing a comical sense of humor.

2. Ezra is starting to talk! Mama, no-no, uh-oh, Jill (our dog), tee-tee (our cat), ball, jet, milk, snack, "moo," "woof-woof," "baa."

3. Ezra loves to dance! She has also developed a new skill of rocking back and forth from foot to foot and is also practically running already! I guess you move on quickly to better things once you master walking at 12 months of age!

4. Ari loves his sister and has adjusted astoundingly well to having a sibling. He asks "Where's Ezra?" if she's napping and has started coaxing her to follow him around the house and come play with him. Which is interesting considering the minute she gets her hands on something he's playing with first, he lets her know who's boss in a less-than-gentle manner.

5. Ezra has had no apparent attachment issues with me and Roger, although we still work on it vigilantly as we know it is a process that takes a whole lot longer than four months.

6. Ezra has slept through the night every night for one whole week now!!!!!! I credit this accomplishment to two things: her bottom molars are finally through and we implemented a version of the "Ferber Sleep Method" last Sunday night, and it worked like a charm. Thank you, Lord!!!!!! (Did I mention I now believe sleep deprivation is a true form of torture?!?)

7. We feel incredibly lucky and blessed to have our daughter home amidst all the orphanage closures in Southern Ethiopia due to UNICEF's monetary influence and the devastating ramifications that is creating for adoptive families, not to mention the bleak future the children affected now face.

And now let's get real and chat about some not-so-awesome stuff. This two-toddler business has knocked me and Roger on our rears!!!! No joke. Seriously, we have been in survival mode emotionally, physically, and mentally for the past three and a half months. This second adoption has been challenging to say the least. It is somewhat difficult to put into words how I feel, but the reality is parenting two toddlers 13 months apart in age is about ten times as hard as parenting just one. It has been frustrating and disappointing to me to not have an endless amount of one-on-one time with Ezra like I had with Ari. Duh. Did I expect to have a lot of one-on-one time? No, of course not. But to experience it creates a lot of feelings of inadequacies on my part. It is taking a diligent and relentless effort to attach to a toddler who is asserting her independence in all of her activities. That is an incredibly difficult thing for me to admit and accept. But the reality is my attachment to Ezra has been a process. It just is. So many adoptive parents experience this and so many people have told me it's normal, but, folks, let me tell you, it's not a good feeling. It feels like failure -- on my part -- and despair frequently and a whole lot of guilt. It feels like there is spiritual warfare being waged against me because, quite honestly, it feels so awful it just has to be the works of something evil. And it certainly does not feel like me at all. I love being a mother. Every day I look at Ari and Ezra and feel blessed and privileged beyond words to raise these two beautiful children. It is just such a contradiction of emotions at times. So, anyway, there it is. I will say great progress has been made and is continuing, and we are starting to feel our new "normal" and I am just so ridiculously happy and relieved that Ari and Ezra have each other. It is a glorious thing to watch them play together and develop such a close relationship at such a young age. And now for some pictures of our girl.

turkey trot 2011

2011-11-26T10:17:00.000-06:00

a new family tradition

weekend update

2011-09-26T09:35:00.000-05:00

friday evening when i get home from work we like to play a game called: push every button in dad's car.

then saturday we went to the farmer's market and they had a display of every type of truck a little boy could ever ask for...

took a while to work up the nerve to go see the fire-truck

then he didn't want to get out of the driver's seat

saturday was also a big day for another reason....ari got his "big boy bed"...so far so good (if you call getting up at 4:00am good)

sunday morning we had brunch at the barnhouse's. this was the best photo i could get of the three older kids.

notice ari's hair? they discovered a new product and let abby try it on ari. amazing! more to come on this in the future i'm sure

then sunday night we took a walk to the neighborhood park.

"underdog"

this weekend i realized i never carry my good camera around with me. so all of these were taken with the cell phone. lesson learned.

wednesday (wordless)

2011-09-22T13:25:00.000-05:00

it's only tuesday?

2011-09-20T20:53:00.000-05:00

thankful for these two cuties, and my wife, when i get home from work and realize it's only tuesday night.....

group self-portrait

wondering what that stick would taste like

nightly ritual of brushing teeth

there's a story behind this photo....

monday monday

2011-09-19T20:24:00.000-05:00

teething toy

enjoying some chocolate after a successful trip to the potty

our newest pet. (mr. spider) -- HUGE!!!

ice cream treat (before)

ice cream treat (after)

ms. ezra prefers her ice cream through a straw

just another monday....

rainy sunday

2011-09-19T07:07:00.000-05:00

new slippers.

thunder.

cousins

2011-09-17T16:07:00.001-05:00

as you can tell i'm tweaking the blog again. going to do more photos since that's what most people really want to see. really hoping this will help my photography skills as well. as for the one above, it was shot with my iPhone. not horrible, but we will do better.

This is what it's all about....

2011-08-31T12:48:00.000-05:00

We made it home and have slowly gotten over jetlag. Ezra is doing great and is opening up more and more each day. Can't believe how far we've come in a little over a week. We landed in Springfield on Saturday night around 9:45pm and were lucky enough to have a great crowd of amazing friends & family waiting for us. Below is our first "Family of 4" photograph. Not too bad since three of us had been traveling for 34+ hours and the other one was up two hours past his bedtime. We feel very blessed to have this picture.

Embassy date

2011-08-16T11:16:00.000-05:00

It's official. We leave this Thursday for Ethiopia. Our Embassy Date is August 23rd. We will be landing in Springfield on Saturday night, August 27th......with Ezra!!!

72 hours?

2011-08-15T13:38:00.000-05:00

Most people plan for International Travel for at least six (6) months. Not this family. We got news from the US Embassy in Addis Ababa that we are cleared from travel. We spoke with our agency and have requested Embassy dates of August 22, 23 or 24th.....NEXT WEEK. So that means there is a 99.9999% chance we are leaving on Thursday. That's right, less than 72 hours from now we will probably be en route to Ethiopia. This is the point where I realize all the planning/buying/packing/etc that Abby has been doing over the last couple of months pays off. She's incredible. Ari and Ezra are both very blessed to have her for a mother. And I'm blessed to have her as my wife. We woke up at 6:30 this morning to the email from Addis. It's been a whirl-wind ever since. Stay tuned.......

Embassy!

2011-08-09T11:02:00.000-05:00

Date: August 9, 2011 10:17:05 AM CDT
To: "Wasson, Roger and Abby"
Subject: Embassy Submission

Dear Wasson Family,

Congratulations! We just received word that your case was submitted to the US Embassy today. Once they have reviewed your case and cleared your family for a visa interview we will be in contact with you about travel dates.

(Very excited, thankful and blessed.)

Instragram fun...

2011-08-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

If you happen to follow me on twitter (@rogwasson) there's a really good chance you've already seen all of these.

Fun @ Baby Judah's babyshower

Shopping with dad does have some perks.

Playing in "dert" under Papa's deck.

Post "dert" playing -- sponge bath courtesy of Grandma Erin.

And yes, he is still this happy 95% of the time. Very lucky!

Trying to stay cool at Papa & Grandma Erin's

2011-07-31T17:03:00.000-05:00

Update on "E"

2011-07-25T10:49:00.000-05:00

We haven't updated the blog on Ezra's adoption because there has been too much going on to write about - plus stuff changes daily. Thankfully we met an amazing couple when we traveled for Court and she has written a great blog piece about our current situation. There are lots and lots of details, but this helps narrow it down for the time being. Thanks to Jennifer for writing the post -- read it here:
http://travisadoption.blogspot.com/2011/07/please-help-us-pray-her-home.html

No more braids....

2011-07-19T12:39:00.000-05:00

Ari + Baseball

2011-07-12T21:49:00.001-05:00

A short video we shot after one of our nephew's baseball games. Ari wanted to be like his older cousins so they put this helmet on him. He cracks me up every day in some new way. (And yes, I'm playing around with the blog -- I'm bored while Abby is working. Any excuse to work in my new office/closet. - Roger)

Little Man is 2

2011-07-10T20:40:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Ari's second birthday. We had a big day and tried to take as many pictures as we could...

Friday night I made a Pineapple Upside Down Cake for Ari (tradition)

And tried to make a "2" out of pineapples (not going to be a tradition)

Ari and Abby enjoying some cake....in his PJs

Saturday we went to Table Rock Lake with some of Abby's family. Ari loves the water. He's not to big on his life jacket though.

Opening presents on the boat.

Swimming with mom in the lake.

Helping dad drive the boat...and eating pretzels.

Happy Birthday, Ari Madegiya!

Big News....

2011-06-29T08:50:00.002-05:00

We finally got some news yesterday concerning Baby Girl -- and it was good news. We have officially passed court!!! Abby called and told me, then posted this on her Facebook. We are so excited. We are still in shock and feel very blessed. As soon as we get the "OK" from our agency we will post photos. (She's beautiful!)

First World Problems

2011-06-28T12:31:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it takes something funny to slap you in the face and make you realize just how crazy our "problems" really are compared to other places.

Trip home from Ethiopia

2011-06-16T21:14:00.000-05:00

When we woke up in Ethiopia on Saturday, June 4th, we had 40 hours until we touched down in Springfield and got to see Ari. I set the alarm on my phone to go off every hour so I could take a picture. Here's how it turned out.

Day 5

2011-06-04T01:24:00.002-05:00

Today was court day. Four families, including us, left the guest house around 8:00 and were taken to Holt's office. Strangely enough, it was located less than one mile from the care center where Ari lived. As we pulled up to the building I looked across the street and recognized the little dirt road that led to Ari's care center. We headed up the steps to the top floor with Miruk, our Holt representative, where we all sat down and were presented with our chldren's entire file. We all were thrilled to be able to see this paperwork, including many documents and pictures we had never seen before. We feel very grateful and privileged to be given access to this information. Even though it would seem we are entitled to it, not all agencies allow this much transparency in the adoption process. We were also allowed to take pictures of the documents since the binder itself is Holt's property and will remain in Holt's possession. We were then quickly briefed on the questions to expect from the judge, what the waiting room will be like, etc. We headed back downstairs to unload our donations in a storage room that included lots and lots of donations and also shelves upon shelves of binders of previously adopted children.

Finally we all piled in the van and headed to court. Up to the top floor once again where we entered a semi-crowded room mixed with adoptive parents, birth parents, and agency representatives. What an emotional and humbling experience it was for us to be in the same room with birth parents. It was really like two worlds colliding with one very intimate and special connection. You could see them looking the adoptive parents over from head to toe, which I think is certainly understandable. I wanted to communicate to them that my heart was breaking for them, that it's not fair due to circumstances out of their control (disease, poverty, premature parental death, etc.) we are on this side of the process while they are on the opposite, that we do not feel "entitled" to their children; rather we feel completely blessed and grateful for the opportunity to raise these special kids. We waited for approximately an hour and were then called in as a group into the judge's chambers. The judge was female with two helpers and files piled up all around her. After asking for all of our passports she asked about 6 to 10 "yes/no" questions in which we all answered in unison as a group. She then informed us that all of our paperwork is in order; she is just waiting for the MOWCYA letter. She also commented that she had talked to MOWCYA yesterday and she was expecting to receive the letters soon. We all kind of exchanged disappointed glances and let out a defeated sigh, but none of us were too surprised. At first I couldn't decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing none of us had our letters, but I've decided it's better than only one family not passing as that would seem to indicate there could be a problem specific that that family's case. This seems more a result of MOWCYA not keeping up with their workload, possibly because of the rumored slowdown we've all been hearing about for months now. Regardless, we will hope that our letter shows up in the next week or so. Two more families with Holt had their court date the day after ours, and they received the exact same news. Hopefully MOWCYA will get to the Holt pile soon.

We then headed out to lunch at Yod Abysynnia, but since Wednesday is a fasting day it was very empty with no singing or dancing going on. Next we went shopping at the post office shops where we all power-shopped since we only had 45 minutes. We then made a quick stop at Tamoca Coffee to buy some coffee to bring back home before heading back to the guest house. Two of the families who attended court with us left tonight, so we exchanged emails and information and said our good-byes.

One other family who had court with us and also traveled with us down south was transferring to the Sheraton, so Melke picked us and them up to take to the Sheraton and we had a delicious dinner at Stagioni in the Sheraton. It is really a shocking difference when you leave the streets of Addis Ababa and enter the gates of the Sheraton. It feels like you have suddenly been transported to a Vegas hotel located on the Strip. It was absolutely beautiful and decadent. After dinner we passed by an outdoor area where a band was performing. I asked the guard if it was a private party and he said, "No, of course not," and oped the door for me to enter. We entered the patio area and for the next hour or so listened to a really good band from Atlanta, GA. We kind of figured they were from the States since they were performing M.J., Beyonce, '70s funk, etc., but weren't completely sure. We had a blast! It felt a little surreal to be in that type of environment after experiencing the previous four days, but it was great. We have come to appreciate and love the feeling of being surrounded by people from literally all over the world in one place with us as Americans being in the minority. We had way too much fun scanning the crowd, speculating on where everyone was from based on their attire or "look." And of course there were beautiful Ethiopian women all around us, in which Roger and I would just look at each other and shake our head. We always joke that Ari would be crazy not to marry an Ethiopian woman someday.

We finally said good-bye to our friends and headed back to the guest house with Melke. I made the mistake of not taking Advil PM before bed once we got back and only got about three hours of sleep as a result because I was missing Ari so painfully much. I finally got out of bed at approximately 2:30 a.m. ET time, dug out the Susan Parr Travel phone number out of our backpack, and called to see if we could get an earlier flight home for either Thursday or Friday night. For approximately $1500 we could get home at 9:40 p.m. Saturday night rather than our scheduled 5:20 p.m. on Sunday, so I resigned myself to the fact I would just have to suck it up and deal. The days do go by quickly here, but at night I become a crazy, emotional mess missing my baby and drive Roger crazy unless I drug myself to sleep. It was just hard to know we technically could go home if we wanted to, plus the fact our group we had spent so much time with and had so much fun with had all left. But we did decide to stay a few extra days for good reason, so it's probably a blessing coming home early wasn't an option.

Day 4

2011-06-04T01:23:00.001-05:00

Today we awoke in Awassa at the Lewi Hotel (wrapped in our mosquito net hanging above our bed), grabbed a quick breakfast, and headed out of town. Before leaving Awassa we stopped at the Lewi Resort for a photo op on the lake. It was a beautiful lake and resort, and we were all asking why we couldn't stay there instead! As we walked up to the waterfront we noticed a table of "ferenge" (white foreigners) sitting at a table. Roger of course walked up and introduced himself, and lo and behold they were from Iowa of all places. They were in Ethiopia for two weeks working on some water projects down south. I love how I can be in southern Ethiopia and still run into Iowa people. What a small world we live in.

We drove back north to the city, this time taking a completely different route where the scenery was much more desert-like and flat. There was a lot more industry on this road including HUGE greenhouses lined up for miles. We asked what they were growing and our guide told us strawberries and flowers, both of which are exported out of ET. We also saw monkeys and camels today which was something new and entertaining. The traffic was once again treacherous and we saw overturned and charred vehicles which made us that much more anxious to get back to the city.

After arriving back we grabbed a quick late lunch at the guest house and then came up to the computer/family room where we were introduced to the children who have been united with their families and also attended embassy today. They are all just precious and seem to be doing so well with their new family in such a short amount of time. Roger made good friends with one particular little 4-year-old girl who we think is going to be a serious soccer star someday. She was definitely giving Roger a run for his money! For dinner the guest house provided a barbecue out in the traditional-style huts that you see everywhere down south, and it was delicious! Our food experience on this trip has been amazing!

We have been able to Skype with Ari a couple times so far. He can see our picture, but so far we haven't been able to see him. My mom reports he is doing great, sleeping and eating well, but maybe does miss us a little. She said he listens to our recorded books we made for him quite a bit. I'm so glad we made them for him even though it did cause me to have a major cry fest while attempting to record them the night before we left.

Tomorrow morning we will go to the Holt office in the city for a debriefing of what court will be like, then attend court, hopefully receive awesome news, and then lunch at an Ethiopian cultural restaurant. The week has been going by pretty quickly due to our busy schedule and the great people we have been keeping company with.

We will update soon with our court news!

Ethiopia: Days 1, 2 and 3

2011-05-30T14:22:00.000-05:00

It's Day One for us in Ethiopia, 3:45 a.m., and I've been awakened by the call to prayer coming through our cracked windows. Something that once sounded so foreign less than a year and a half ago now sounds familiar, even comforting. It feels surreal to be back here, like it's too good to be true. Well, to be quite honest, it is too good to be true! But here we are once again, welcomed by our now dear friend Melke at the airport last night outside the baggage claim after over 24 hours of travel, standing amidst a crowd of beautiful Ethiopians with a smile, a big hug, and an infectious laugh. It made me happy to see the onlookers smile and watch with interest as they witnessed our obviously joyful reunion with Melke. We entered into the dark night and were instantly enveloped by the unforgettable smell of Addis to which Roger and I immediately locked eyes and exchanged a knowing smile, remembering back to the bewilderment and nervous excitement we felt when we exited that airport the last time feeling like we had truly entered into another world. We loaded our four 50-pound suitcases into yet another mid-'80s compact-sized Toyota and were driven through the never-ending rut-filled back roads of the city to our gated guest house. Needless to say, it feels exhilarating to be back.

We left Springfield Saturday morning and flew to Chicago, enjoyed one last "American" meal at Chili's, boarded a 747 three hours later, and took off for Frankfurt. Different route of travel for us this time. Lufthansa through Frankfurt rather than Ethiopian Air direct from D.C. to Addis. The plane was great, service great, overnight (Springfield time) layover in Frankfurt not so great. Landing in Frankfurt at 11 p.m. "our" time with a five-hour layover was just a bit brutal. We made camp and tried to sleep the best we could on some hard, semi-reclined chairs in the lounge area of the airport to catch a few Z's, but we had already entered into that twilight zone of international travel where you have NO IDEA what time it is, if the sun has just risen or is setting, and when you fall asleep you wake up with a jolt not knowing whether you slept for three hours or 30 minutes. Knowing once we got to Addis it would be 9:00 p.m. and we would be able to "reset" with a normal night's sleep (ha ha ha! It's 3:45 a.m and I'm wide awake!) at the guest house helped us tolerate it all. We boarded an airbus, this plane filled with beautiful Ethiopian people, me smiling every time I saw an Ethiopian child that instantly made my heart long for Ari, and took off for the six-hour flight to Addis. The couple sitting directly behind us tapped us on the shoulder about four hours into the flight and inquired if we were adopting. They too are adopting a baby girl and are traveling for court just like us. They will even be at court the same day as us. This is their first adoption, so we compared notes on agencies, talked about how difficult the return trip home will be for us emotionally, not knowing for sure when we will see our little girls again and be able to bring them home. All I can say is I'm SO THANKFUL I have Ari to come home to!

After we arrived at the Jemimah Guest House (pronounced Jamie-ma, not Aunt Jemimah -- it only took Melke three times to say that before I figured out what in the world he was saying), we checked in and the guys hauled our luggage up three flights to our room, Melke laughing the entire time at Roger's physical exertion. Melke has a great appreciation for Roger's humor and also his misfortunes. He also informed us that I looked exactly the same as he remembered me but a little taller, interestingly enough, and Roger looked shorter. lol. Melke, by the way, is maybe 5'6". I then proceeded to hand over to Melke his stack of mail from his American fan club -- some of the families who have had the privilege of meeting him. He handed over the cell phone he will be lending to us this week so we can make contact with him and our family back home, had a confusing, language-barrier filled conversation with Roger on how we will pay for the minutes to call back home, filled us in on how the agency we previously worked with for Ari's adoption continues to decline -- my word, not his -- and marveled over the photos and video we show him of Ari Madegiya, to which he only refers to as Madegiya, commenting on how big he is, how handsome he is, how he runs and jumps and talks now, how his hair is in a "freeze," aka frizz. That is actually a compliment and is just the name of the hairstyle Ari is sporting these days. Oh, man, it's just amazing to be back! We couldn't be any happier or feel more blessed.

Day 2

After finally falling back to sleep around 7:00 a.m this morning., Roger and I shamelessly slept in until 11:00 attempting to catch up on sleep. After getting ready we headed downstairs to the "hang out" room in our guest house and visited with the other adoptive families, most here for court like us, one for embassy. Melke came and picked us up and we headed out in the rain to Top View for lunch. We enjoyed their Sunday buffet which was delicious. After taking some group pictures with Addis in the background, we headed back into the city with Melke and made a stop at Kaldi's for some macchiatos and to purchase a sim card for our cell phone to call back home so we could check in on little man. 100 birr for eight minutes on international talk time!! What a deal! We then headed out of town for an afternoon trip to Lake Bobigaya. After seeing our lives flash before our eyes multiple times due to some risky traffic maneuvers on Melke's part, we arrived at the beautiful lake resort and enjoyed some drinks with a great view. There happened to be a wedding party going on, so we gawked and attempted to take pictures of the ridiculously good-looking wedding party until we were told not to take any more pictures by one of the groomsmen. We even asked Melke before we took a picture if they would mind and he said "no, of course, not." Well, after the first picture, we were scowled at and asked "Why?" in Amharic by one particular groomsmen, so that was the end of that. Melke didn't understand and was surprised that the groomsman didn't want us to do that, so we explained to Melke that it was okay he didn't want some foreign white people taking his picture. Melke and I laughed so hard we cried on the way to the resort and back as we watched Roger react to a particularly smelly bad stretch of road, almost vomiting he was so grossed out. Well, okay, it was pretty gross, but Roger was taking it to a whole new level. I asked Melke what could that horrendous smell possibly be, seriously thinking there could be something dead and decaying nearby, and he replied "cow poop and rain." I beg to differ! There is no way cow poop and rain could smell THAT foul! We eventually made it back to the guest house, visited some more with the other Holt families, enjoyed our second delicious meal of the day, this time prepared by the guest house staff, and have now come back to our room. Tomorrow will start bright and early as we have been instructed to be down for breakfast at 5:30 a.m. so we can head south at 6:00 a.m. TO MEET EZRA! Wow. Still trying to wrap my head around that one. I can't decide if it hasn't sunk in completely yet because it's my defense mechanism of knowing we will only get to spend a very few hours with her and then leave her indefinitely OR because one's heart and mind cannot fully process the magnitude of meeting one's child for the first time. I think it's a little of both.

Day 3

Off to Wolayta we went this morning to meet Ezra with an early morning breakfast at the guest house and an hour and 15 minute late start at 7:15 a.m.. Such beautiful, beautiful scenery on the way down south. It is really spectacular and I am so glad we have now seen southern Ethiopia where both of our children were born. We traveled with two other couples who also have daughters at the same care center as Ezra. The five-hour drive passed by rather quickly with all of the laughter and jokes going on. Roger, Jay, and Aaron entertained each other and the women with their "expertise" photography skills, competing with each other to get the best National Geographic picture with their camera hanging out the window as we flew down the road at 60 miles an hour dodging cattle, donkeys, goats and people the entire way. At a restroom break I was talking to our guide about the different villages in Kembata and Wolayta and how they were related distance-wise. I mentioned the village Ari was born in, and as we came closer to our destination the van slowed and she pointed down into a gorgeous deep valley and told us that was the village where our son was born. It was such an awesome feeling to look down into that green valley with our own eyes and know that is where Ari started out on this earth. And to think there is a woman who is still there that our lives are so intimately intertwined with. Such an overwhelming feeling.

Before coming into Wolayta we stopped at an intersection to wait for another Holt guide to join us. We waited for about 20 minutes for him to arrive, and in the meantime our van was swarmed with children. After they finally realized we weren't going to hand out money, they started playing hand games on the windows with the guys and charming the pants off all of us. They are such stunning children and all I could think about was "what if Ari was still here?" Would he be begging too when a bus stopped? Would he be carried around on the back of a 6-year-old? Would his face and eyes be covered with flies like all of these children?" It's so difficult to imagine and yet that is the reality.

We continued down the road into Wolayta where we stopped for lunch -- within sight distance of the care center!! We were hoping we could skip lunch and go right to the care center, but that was not the predetermined schedule, so we ate a quick lunch of spaghetti where we all once again became so slap happy we laughed until we cried, probably from complete nervousness of being literally minutes away from meeting our children. We piled back into the van and drove up the dirt road to the care center. We pulled up to some gold gates in a very peaceful and quiet part Wolayta and piled back out, anxiously awaiting the gates to be opened. We entered into a courtyard with laundry drying on the line, not unlike the court yard at Ari's orphanage. We slipped off our shoes and replaced them with oversized yellow Croc-like shoes, were lead into a small building and into a small room on the left where we laid eyes on three beautiful little girls and their nannies. You have never seen such HUGE brown eyes as Ezra's when she saw six white people enter the room. Bless her little heart, she was scared to death. We immediately sat down next to our children and attempted to interact with each of them without frightening them even more. Ezra's nanny immediately started crying silent tears as we talked with Ezra and attempted to get her to warm up to us. Because of the huge language barrier, I'm not sure if it was tears of joy or sadness, but I have a feeling it was a whole lot of both. Our little girl is obviously loved very much and she loves them back. Thankfully I brought a few toys that immediately sparked her interest and she grabbed and chewed on all of them. She also loved her photo album we made for her -- not for the pictures it contains obviously, but for the teething value it had. The nannies had fun changing her clothes and dressing her up in the clothes and flower hair bow we brought for her, and we got some really cute pictures with her "Little Sister" shirt on. She is a roly-poly little thing with sweet chubby legs and belly and feels solid as a rock when you hold her. I'm guessing for sure 20+ pounds. She did, however, fit into the 6-month onesie I brought to help give some perspective to her size. She crawls on all fours, sits up unassisted, and is pulling up and cruising. I'm sure she will be a walker the next time we see her. She has four bottom teeth already. Her fear of us did dissipate some in the hour and 45 minutes we were there where we could make eye contact without her crying and touch her feet and legs, but never completely. I was able to hold her without her crying for a total of maybe three minutes when we walked over to the window and looked outside, but as soon as I turned around and she saw her nanny, game over. Roger did also get to hold her for a very short time and I was able to get some quick pictures, but she was even more wary of Roger. I truly am so thankful she has attached so completely to her caretakers in the nine months she's been at the care center as this is a fantastic indicator to her developmental well-being, but my heart breaks for her when I think of what she will go through when she is transferred to the care center in Addis and then once again to us. It's just such a tremendous amount of loss these children experience, and there's nothing easy or nice about it.

After our teary good-byes we headed out of town and traveled for approximately two hours before arriving at our hotel in Awassa. We ate some dinner outside with the other Holt families, shared our day's experiences with each other, and have now all retired to our rooms. Tomorrow morning we will head back to Addis, have some free time tomorrow afternoon, and then court Wednesday morning. Have I mentioned how fabulous it would be if we could pass court the first time??? Praying for a favorable outcome.

Here we go...

2011-05-27T09:47:00.001-05:00

Springfield to Chicago to Frankfurt to Addis Ababa to.......EZRA!

2 Weeks...

2011-05-13T12:42:00.000-05:00

from right now we will be on a plane to Ethiopia to meet Ezra.

Big News....

2011-04-27T14:50:00.003-05:00

The text message I got from Abby today. We leave for Ethiopia in 4.5 weeks. So excited.

Never too early to go outside. Boots. Jammies. Jacket.

2011-04-02T08:13:00.002-05:00

An Update -- Court Submission

2011-03-29T14:35:00.001-05:00

We received word from our agency last Tuesday, March 22nd, that our case has been submitted to court. This is excellent news, was quicker than we expected, and an indication all paperwork has been obtained and is in order to satisfy the governmental entities involved to review (Ethiopian High Court, MOWCYA, etc.) We feel our agency works on the prudent and "safe" side and does not put the cart in front of the horse -- meaning they do not proceed with the next step of the adoption process until they feel confident they have everything thus far in order and obtained that will be required for the next step of the process. We are anticipating a June court date, although as we all know it could be later depending on the current state of affairs in Ethiopian adoptions. Both Roger and I will travel to Ethiopia to appear in court, get to meet Ezra, and then will return home until we have been issued an embassy date which will hopefully be sometime in August or September.....or before. That would be okay too. :)

Typical Conversation

2011-03-23T10:23:00.000-05:00

This has become the most frequently conversation in our house the past month:

Parent to Ari (when about to do something crazy): Careful.
Ari: Cry?
Parent: Yes, you might cry if you're not careful.
Ari. Cry.

He usually stops doing whatever he was about to do. Besides the one time he kept going and pushed his high chair over (with him in it) which caused him to fall backwards and then another chair to fall on top of him. Thus, he wasn't careful and he cried. Now he sits in his high chair and doesn't push off against the bar. Every once in a while he will look over his shoulder while sitting in his high chair and say, "Cry." Lesson learned....for now.

His tailored cape finally arrived.

2011-03-15T20:10:00.002-05:00

WE HAVE A REFERRAL AND ARI HAS A LITTLE SISTER!!

2011-03-08T10:56:00.000-06:00

We are blessed to announce this past Wednesday, March 2nd, we received a referral for a beautiful 6-month-old baby girl!! Surprisingly enough, it came as a shock to us even though we had a pretty good idea of what number we were on the waitlist, and we were in the Top 5. After waiting a mere 4 1/2 months, it just felt impossible we could be matched with a child already. It really didn't feel like we waited at all! We waited 8 months for Ari's referral, and there were many, many times it felt like 8 years instead! And in case you're trying to do the math, yes, our children are 13 months apart in age. At times that seems daunting, but I am so excited for them to grow up together, and I believe the closeness in age will prove to be a blessing in their relationship. And the name we have chosen for her is Ezra. Ari and Ezra. It has a special ring to it, don't you think?

Only two days after receiving our referral, we learned of MOWCYA's alleged statement of cutting Ethiopian foreign adoptions by 90%. At this time it still has not been confirmed, although there is no denying the fact MOWCYA is incredibly overwhelmed and unable to keep up with the current state of affairs in Ethiopian adoptions and needs assistance or major changes. There are negotiations and meetings taking place this week with MOWCYA to try and determine what changes need to be implemented to ease their burden. MOWCYA's situation is nothing new. When Ari's adoption was being processed, we failed court our first time because of paperwork that MOWCYA had not yet provided, and it has done nothing but gotten worse in the past two years.

We are sending up many, many prayers that our little girl's case will be processed in a timely manner, that she will eventually get to become a part of our family, but we are preparing our hearts and minds for a long, unknown journey before she is able to come home. Best case scenario: she will be home around her 1st birthday, August 19th. Right now I am just hoping she will be home by Christmas, and even that is probably unlikely at this point. We would appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers as our adoption agency, the Ethiopian courts, and MOWCYA works dilligently to unite us with Ezra. There is absolutely nothing easy about international adoption -- for anyone involved. It is very complicated, very heart-wrenching, and requires an enormous amount of faith and patience. But God has set us on this path not once, but twice, and we will continue to walk with Him and trust in His grace and faithfulness.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me,

and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me

when you seek me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 29:11

"Gaatar" with G'ma Erin

2011-02-27T18:56:00.001-06:00

Ladies....

2011-02-27T09:34:00.002-06:00

New shoes. Just like dad's.

2011-02-25T07:46:00.001-06:00

Tractor/Train

2011-02-16T19:44:00.002-06:00

The perfect combo of two of his favorite things. Imagination at work.

Super Ari

2011-02-14T21:32:00.000-06:00

"Superman" by day...

"Super Ari" by night

This kid is so much fun.

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-14T12:48:00.000-06:00

Supporting Team Lowes

2011-02-12T16:32:00.002-06:00

Afternoon boys trip to Lowes wouldn't be complete without checking out all 9 John Deere TRACTORS!

My Two "Favorites"

2011-02-11T10:20:00.001-06:00

Vacation Recap

2010-12-18T12:58:00.000-06:00

Although our vacation ended two days early, I'd like to state it was a success. It was a success because we took our toddler on vacation with us via an airplane, which he totally rocked, by the way, where he proceeded to play in the sunshine and water and 80-degree temperatures with his daddy for four straight days. He played with me too, but it was some serious quality time for Roger and Ari. That boy loves his dad. And for good reason. Roger is so much fun for me to hang out with, you can only imagine how fun he is when you put him in toddler perspective. We did have some sleeping issues, mostly due to me waking with every single cough or movement Ari made. We are not a co-sleeping family. How in the world do people do that??!!?? More power to them! I find it nearly impossible. So after five nights with an averge of four hours' rest each night, I made an executive decision and decided we should come home early on Thursday. It worked out great and was the best of both worlds. Roger and I had date night Friday night in Springfield, hung out with good friends Saturday night, and in between caught up on laundry, mail, housework, and shopping. So, like I said, some adjustments were made, but overall a huge success. Now the topic of conversation is "Will Ari travel to Ethiopia with us?" The answer? To be determined. Yes, we are brave. Or maybe stupid? I prefer brave and adventurous (and maybe a little determined). Speaking of Ethiopia, things are moving right along with our second adoption. We are currently around #30 on our agency's wait list. We went on the list Oct. 20th at #36. Definitely progress. Little Girl has a room mostly ready -- just needing some finishing touches -- and a closet full of super-cute stuff. Not nearly as much as Ari had because, after all, I just don't have the time to shop like I did last time. I think that's probably a good thing. We are getting into the Christmas spirit around here and are really looking forward to our first Christmas with our little man!

Below are some vacation pics. Enjoy!

Pool time with Dad

An opportunity for Roger and I to enjoy a margarita....at last

Love the sand....not quite sure about the big waves

A successful date night w/ a sleeping baby in tow

Breakfast with a view

An early morning stroll on the beach

Our attempt at a family picture for the Christmas card. No-go.

Checking out the presents at the resort lobby

Cabo with a twist...

2010-12-05T15:09:00.000-06:00

And the twist is Ari!! Shocking, I know. We are on our first family vacation as a family of three. Since coming home in January, Ari has gone on one other trip with us, and that was to NYC in August to see friends. So here we are in beautiful Cabo once again, this time with a toddler!! Just a little bit different, I suppose. Like going to bed at 7:45 p.m. and waking up at 3:45 a.m. with a short cat nap from 5:15 to 6:30. Ah, the life of a parent. Ari is loving the pool and sunshine so far. This kid loves nothing better than to be outside. I think he might know how to swim by the time we come home. And I'm somewhat surprised to see that Mexican people touch Ari's hair even more than white people. I guess some things never change. So far I think about half of the resort staff know his name now and greet him each time they see him.

Ari is such a super trooper traveler. We only had one rough point during yesterday's flights, and that was because he got so darn tired on the flight from Dallas to Cabo and just couldn't get comfortable on the airplane. Thankfully there were open seats in the back, so after my song and dance routine in the aisle with him, I was able to lay him down flat for a while so he could get some shut-eye. While he slept Roger and I were more than content to just people watch. There were two couples sitting directly in front of us who were very lovey-dovey and obviously anxious to get their vacation started, if you know what I mean. At one point Roger made the comment, "I don't think they're married." To which I replied, "Oh, no, of course not. They act like they love each other." Roger thought that was pretty hilarious. I thought it was kind of sad, but then I realized if I didn't have a toddler that was my first priority, I would still be kissing and loving on Roger in public too. And to prove just how awesome of a dad Roger is, the funniest moment of the entire day yesterday is credited to him when he ate a rotten, smooshed banana from the bottom of our carry-on because, well, at that moment there was nothing else to do with it. Did I mention Roger hates bananas? I laughed so hard I cried as I watched him eat that delicious banana. He rocks.

Currently I am working on "living in the moment." Vacation always brings this issue of mine to the forefront and it becomes more apparent. I realize I have difficulty sitting back and enjoying the now. My mind always wants to race to next week, next month, next year. I keep thinking about working and Christmas and our dogs and Ari's eat/sleep schedule I try to keep him on (hahahaha this week!). There are currently two adoptive friends of mine in Ethiopia for extended stays, and I am constantly thinking of them and Ethiopia and our future little girl and when we get to travel again and how excited I am to go back! But today is a beautiful day and we are so blessed to be enjoying this time together. The past two times I've been in Cabo and I would always think, "I can't wait to come here with our kids." Well, here we are!!!

On our way to Dallas

Roger's sentiments on flying with a toddler

That's me in the back putting an overly tired baby to sleep

Ahhhhhhh.....

Still sleepy

Sesame Street Live (a month ago)

2010-12-03T11:32:00.000-06:00

So this is three weeks later....but here are some pictures from Sesame Street Live. We weren't sure how well Ari would do. See below for the final answer.

Checking himself out in the self-protrait

This is what he did when BIG BIRD first appeared. And he kept this pose for the next 15 minutes.

Mesmerized.

The crew like Ari loved.

(Notice "Little Bear" isn't on stage. That was the only freak-out of the evening. Lasted 45 seconds.)

1 month

2010-11-20T10:18:00.000-06:00

One month down of waiting for Baby Girl! Time is just flying by!

And, also, happy National Adoption Day!

Fall Photo Montage

2010-11-11T20:15:00.000-06:00

A Year Ago Yesterday......

2010-10-28T20:57:00.000-05:00

A year ago yesterday we found out we had not passed court. It was our first court date. We ended up passing approximately two weeks later on November 9th, but on the 27th it was just so disappointing and discouraging. We were very lucky initially to have received a court date in mid-October, right after the Ethiopian courts had reopened. That was beyond wonderful news and such a pleasant surprise!! But as our court date approached, I had a feeling that we weren't going pass. It just didn't seem like things worked that easily for practically anyone, so I was trying to prepare myself for the ~~worst~~ most likely. When we got word that we indeed had not passed due to missing paperwork -- a day earlier than we were expecting -- after venting our frustrations, fears, anger, and disappointment to each other and our parents, Roger and I picked ourselves up by our bootstraps and tried to stay optimistic. After all, we had nothing to complain about; right? At least we had a court date, unlike many families with our agency who had been waiting much longer than us. And that fact was not at all lost on us. So, nevertheless, we were very relieved to get word shortly after the 27th that we did, in fact, have a new court date rescheduled for November 9th.

There are details I remember so, so clearly about the week leading up to that second court date. The Tuesday before Roger and I traveled to his alma mater Westminster College to talk about our adoption process. Really good for us. Just talking about it to strangers renewed my faith that it WAS going to happen. It also made me talk about it in a positive light, rather than moaning and groaning about all the unknowns. That first weekend in November Roger went to a NASCAR race while I traveled up to Iowa to visit my friends and family. I spent Friday night with my cousin Megan in my old dorm building at AIB. It brought back so many memories and was comforting in a weird way to revisit such an important time from my past. Those two and a half years of college were my first years of independence, pursuing the direction in which I wanted my life to go, and true adulthood, not to mention a lot of fun too. That night Megan and I went to a Mercy Me concert, at which point "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles was randomly mixed in with one of the songs in the middle of the concert. It was so subtle that most people probably didn't even realize or notice it. If you remember, that was the song I had chosen (in August) for Ari's picture montage (that I put together in September) that I could only post after we had passed court. I know without a doubt it was God speaking directly to me, reassuring me that everything was going to be okay. It hit me like a freight train when I heard those lyrics, and I laughed and cried all at the same time. I still get goosebumps just thinking about that moment. I then visited my great-grandma up in Manson the next morning and came back to Des Moines later that day, going out to eat with some friends at a restaurant my Grandpa Bill used to frequent often. It is really difficult to explain, but God's presence was so palpable that weekend. I felt like it was Him taking me back to revisit all the times and places He was with me and to remind me of how far I'd come; the people, places, and experiences in my life that made me who I am and got me to where I was, and that He was going to prove nothing but faithful in the future and with all He had planned for me. I came back to Springfield feeling very much at peace that weekend. It was exactly what I needed, whether I knew it or not at the time.

We were told that Monday, November 9th, that our case did not get heard. Four days later, Friday the 13th at around noon, we received word we had passed! I will also never forget where I was at that glorious moment, how it was a beautiful day and probably the happiest I'd ever been.

Once we got to Ethiopia in January and obtained Ari's court documents, it was right there in black and white that our court date had, in fact, been November 9th and was indeed the day that we passed.

Another Step Closer

2010-10-17T21:02:00.000-05:00

Does this look familiar to anyone? It is our dossier picture!! We received our approval letter from USCIS in just a little over two weeks -- thinking it could very possibly take up to two months. What an awesome surprise! So that therefore means our dossier is now complete and is on its way to our agency via FedEx as we speak. We took this same photograph almost two years ago when we sent off Ari's dossier (December '08) and now here we are sending off the dossier for Baby Girl Wasson!! Another huge step closer to a sweet little someone in Ethiopia. We are so excited!! We are anticipating a 6- to 9-month wait until our referral, give or take, which is of course subject to change. But in case anyone is wondering, that's what we're anticipating next!

Ari has now completely transitioned into his new routine with school. He is loving it! Still exhausted every day after school but really loving it. And, in recent developments, just in the past few days his vocabulary has started to expand. His repertoire now includes:

Da-ddy, Da-da
hi
up
down
go
hat
light
hot
ice
bu-bu (bubbles)
car
a-dee (again)

These are words we are absolutely positive of. Then there are "words" I hear frequently that I have yet to figure out what they actually are. I think I can count on one hand how many times he's said "ma-ma," but that's okay. This past Saturday morning Ari woke up at 6 a.m., so Roger went in and gave him his sippy cup of milk and turned on his rainforest light thingy to try to buy us another half hour or so of sleep. About five minutes later we hear "Dad!" coming across the house in the clearest, most direct little voice you ever did hear. It was hilarious! That was the first time Ari has ever called for one of us by name. No crying or whining or moaning -- just "Dad! Da-ddy!" So, so cute. It was very reminiscent of the time we turned on the monitor and saw Ari standing in his crib for the first time. "Ice," "car," and "bubbles" are all very new and recent, so I'm excited to hear what he'll say this week!

I Am The Child

2010-10-11T17:20:00.000-05:00

I AM THE CHILD

I am the child. All the world waits for my coming;
All the earth watches with interest to see what I shall become.
Civilization hangs in the balance, For what I am,
the world of tomorrow will be.

I am the child. I have come into your world,
About which I know nothing,
Why I came I know not; How I came I know not;
I am curious; I am interested.

I am the child. You hold in your hand my destiny.
You determine, largely, whether I shall succeed or fail.
Give me, I pray you, Those things that make for happiness.
Train me, I beg you, That I may be a blessing to the world.

~~ Author Unknown ~~

Photos

2010-10-06T11:06:00.000-05:00

Last night Abby told me I should blog. But really all anyone really wants is to see pictures....

First Sucker. In Church. With Flash from iPhone. Classy.

Ready for First Day of School.

Typical reaction three-minutes after being picked up from school.

Looking for Pumpkins and rocking his "dirty" jeans and new kicks.

Asking for "more" rides on his Tractor.

(Notice the broom handle - we have to use that to hold the gas down....for now)

He's like Vanna White -- rarely in the same outfit twice!

What's New???

2010-09-17T11:09:00.000-05:00

A LOT!!!!!! So sorry for the MIA blog status lately. I think about blogging ALL THE TIME but can never seem to get around to doing it. We've been really busy around here lately. Roger has been busy for the past few weeks moving their business to a different location. Wonderful change for the company, but a lot of work!! So now that the "moving" work is basically done, he's in the process of trying to get caught up with his "real" work. Which fortunately for us he seems to have plenty of!! I am staying busy with court reporting and trying to manage being at home with Ari while still working part time. Let me just say, having the luxury of working from home as a mom is AWESOME!! I wouldn't have it any other way. The challenging part is actually getting the work done with a toddler in the house.....who only wants to nap less than two hours a day. Challenging it is. I am wanting to increase my work schedule to taking depos two days a week consistently rather than just one, so that has contributed to a particularly terrifying/exciting/panic-inducing decision on my part: Ari is starting Montessori school on Monday! I know, I know, he's only 1; right? How can he be going to school already? He will be attending a toddler program each morning for three hours and will then spend the rest of the day at home with me or one of his grandmas if I'm taking depos. I really feel this is going to be the best of both worlds for him and me and Roger, but holy cow it's been a heart-wrenching decision for me. I always wanted to work part time, and although I wasn't planning on starting Ari in preschool until next fall, I really feel that this year is a better choice -- for all of us. I've visited the school twice, both times with Ari, and feel really great about his two teachers and the overall classroom environment. He is going to learn so much and have a wonderful outlet for all that curiosity, energy, and intelligence he has. I had looked into a couple other daycare/preschool options earlier this summer and had walked out going "H***, no, am I taking him there!" I got such a different feeling with the Montessori school. The first day we visited I almost cried I liked it so much. But then two days later I'm crying, wondering if this is the very best thing for him. It is just such a huge contradiction of feelings to love being a mother and yet choosing not to stay at home full time.

In other really exciting news, we have started the process for our second adoption!! We actually have completed much of it and are getting close to officially "waiting." Our homestudy and dossier is already complete. Right now we are waiting on our USCIS fingerprint appointment. Slow, slow, slow. Does it seem like we're rushing it a bit? Well, it may seem that way, but it is so very, very important to us for Ari to have a sibling who shares his heritage, and with international adoption being so unpredictable, we really didn't want to push our luck by dragging our feet. We have no reason to believe that the Ethiopian adoption program is in any jeopardy in any way, shape, or form, but, like I said, it is very unpredictable and things can change quickly. We are using Holt International as our agency this time around and couldn't be happier. So professional. Competent. Helpful. So different than our agency experience with Ari's adoption. We expect the time frame to be about the same as Ari's -- somewhere around 18 months give or take from start to finish. Roger has been a saint in putting up with my OCD attitude when it comes to getting all things done "adoption related." Truly, a saint. My Type A personality has been in overdrive lately. We may or may not have a second crib in our house. I'm just sayin'. But we feel so at peace with how this adoption is progressing. I'm not in a constant state of angst over it like I was with Ari's. The fact that we have a beautiful, smart, funny, busy little boy in our house definitely has something to do with it!! I can't wait to see Ari as an older brother. He is going to be phenomenal, I just know it.

Our handsome little man.

Lookin' like a big brother already.

Below are some pictures of Ari's new playroom. Once again, meant to post these about a month ago, but better late than never, I guess. This room had previously sat basically empty for the last five years -- ever since we moved into our house -- just waiting to become a playroom. It's a big hit with the little man and his friends.

And in case you were wondering about the gender of our second baby.......

We are starting to see pink around here!!!

A Year Ago Yesterday......

2010-08-21T09:29:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe it's been a year since we laid eyes on our little boy's picture for the first time -- August 20th. That was such an awesome day!! I still remember exactly where I was driving in the car when our agency called my cell phone, how I told Roger we had a referral while standing in the parking lot of the Cooper ballfields before watching our nephew's baseball game and he didn't believe me, how we came home and looked at his picture together with nervous excitement. Oh, what a wonderful, unbelievable feeling that was. And here we are one year later. These pictures are just priceless. And he's sick too. But still happy. Later yesterday evening we took our first trip to urgent care where we ended up getting a chest x-ray and a breathing treatment. Apparently he has perihilar pneumonitis, plus an ear infection which I'm pretty sure he lives with on a daily basis, and is now taking three different medicines. Yuck.

Something Worth Reading

2010-08-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

Please take the time to read this.

Happy Birthday to Me

2010-07-29T21:43:00.001-05:00

Today was my......ahem......30th birthday, but what a wonderful one it was. It was also Ari's day in court for his readoption finalization!! I remember wishing and hoping and praying that we would get a referral on my birthday last year. Well, that came only three weeks later on August 20th, the day my mom had predicted (really amazing, I know). But I just LOVE that Ari's court date was today -- on my birthday. No, we did not plan that. God planned that because I think He knew just how much I woud appreciate that little gift. I love when God speaks directly to you -- just plain as day. Don't you?

For anyone out there who doesn't know and wants to know, in the state of Missouri you have to do a readoption when you adopt internationally. It is really just a formality, but it is required and it is also the time to do a legal name change. Up to this point Ari's legal name has been Madegiya Roger Wasson because that is how the Ethiopian government listed it on his Ethiopian birth certificate. So now he can get his Social Security number/card with the proper name and we can also now file for his N600, which is his Certificate of Citizenship. Right now he is a permanent resident. Blah, blah, blah. Enough of that. The details and paperwork are never-ending. The important thing is we are nearly complete with Ari's adoption paperwork/hoops.

Below is a beautiful picture of two very happy parents, one very kind judge, and one very sleepy little boy who was asleep during the entire court proceedings and then was woken up abruptly when the courtroom started clapping as soon as the judge officially approved our adoption! And he received a little blue bunny as a gift from the court clerk. How sweet is that?!?

A Most Traumatic Day

2010-07-28T16:34:00.003-05:00

This past Sunday Roger and I put Ari in the church nursery for the first time ever while we attended church service. And let me preface this by saying that was the first time Ari has been without us anywhere except in our own home. Up until Sunday he had only been left alone with one of his grandmas or his babysitter Caitlin, and that has always been at our house. And only one day a week at the very most since April Yes, we take adoption attachment very seriously, and it is so worth it because it seems to be working well. For all you soon-to-be adoptive parents other there, YOU CANNOT TAKE ATTACHMENT TOO SERIOUSLY!! It is so important. You may be exhausted. You may want a break. But do not leave the childcare duties up to someone else. If someone wants to help out, let them do your laundry. If they want to bring you a meal, fine. But other than that, do the parenting yourself. You literally signed up to adopt. Take it seriously. Okay. I'll get off my soapbox now.

So, anyway, back to Sunday. We dropped him off at the nursery. I walked him into the room, sat him down, pointed out all the fun toys, and did a quick but cheerful good-bye. No tears were shed. At least on Ari's part. I, on the other hand, fought tears through the first 20 minutes of church. And not so successfully either. Wow, that sucked!!!!! It was really going against my comfort zone and instinct to leave him in the nursery. But I kept telling myself, "He's been home six months. He's a year old. Our attachment has gone wonderfully. It will be okay." Well, I think it was kind of okay. I don't think any permanent damage was done, but when we went to pick him up, I peeked in the window before he saw me to see what he was up to. He was one of the last children picked up (even though we went straight to the nursery as soon as church was over) and he was sitting in the middle of the room by himself, watching forlornly as another mother came to the doorway to pick up her little girl. He wasn't crying, but he definitely wasn't having the time of his life either. I peeked my head into the room and said, "Hi, Ari!!" He immediately stood up and made a beeline for my arms. Once he got to me he started sniffling and then the crocodile tears came. Apparently he had held it together until he saw us again. That kind of broke my heart. More than kind of. Obviously he was stressed and worried that we had left him in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar caregiver because he has never had that reaction to my return home when he's been left with his babysitter or grandma. And I know he's at that separation anxiety age, but I know my little boy, and that was hard on him. I don't think we'll be doing the church nursery again anytime soon. And even if it's not too soon for Ari (although I think it is), it is definitely too soon for mommy.

In other news, Ari has entered toddlerhood!! His independence is becoming quite fierce. Meals and sleep are a little bit different (read: harder) than they used to be. My baby boy who used to eat perfectly-balanced meals that I prepared for him is now sharing with us he has his own mealtime agenda. And the sleeping that used to come so easily is now fought for at least a good 20 minutes before he gives in. He is still what I would consider an "easy baby," but the baby part is definitely slipping away and being replaced by a little boy who has his own mind and ideas. I am working on my patience and creativity. Two characteristics a mommy can never have enough of, I don't think.

Check back to our blog soon to see pictures of a fun project recently completed!

Ari loves Water

2010-07-26T09:21:00.000-05:00

Will You -- or, better yet, can you -- Do Something??

2010-07-19T16:12:00.001-05:00

I know this is the second recent post I've done about helping Ethiopia, but my heart just aches for this country. I have a very real and physical reaction to the suffering that goes on there, and I can't help but try to bring awareness through this blog. And I know not every family is called to adopt, obviously. But there's SOOOOOO much difference one person/family can make in other ways. And I guess I should state this: Roger and I did not choose to adopt a child from Ethiopia knowing the extent of suffering and despair that exists over there. We really just wanted to be parents and this was a way to do it. We, like most Americans, had no idea how bad it really is. I mean, sure, we all know it's a third-world country, but it's comfortably on the other side of the world and not something we thought about a whole lot. But once you've seen it, brought a child home from it, it is increasingly difficult to turn your back and pretend it doesn't exist. The cliche out of sight, out of mind does not apply here. And maybe your heart isn't called to help Ethiopia. Maybe it's someone or somewhere else. But how can we be so selfish, so ignorant to all the suffering that exists in this world? We are so ridiculously blessed beyond measure in this country, we don't even have a real concept of how privileged we are. And if we all committed to do something, anything, what a huge difference it would be. It's not hard. In some instances it is a case of clicking a PayPal button and you've changed someone's life -- increased their chance for a better future. Here is a wonderful opportunity to make a difference and also open your eyes.

Six Months Later

2010-07-17T06:34:00.000-05:00

ari has now been home six months with us. amazing. yesterday was officially the six-month-home date, but it wasn't until the morning of the 17th that we started functioning as a real family of three at HOME.

january 17, 2010

july 17, 2010

what a blessing. we love him very much.

Why Ethiopia

2010-07-13T21:16:00.000-05:00

So many people did and still do ask us why we chose to adopt from Ethiopia. There are many reasons. Like, 4.8 million to be exact.

Happy 1st Birthday, Ari!

2010-07-08T23:43:00.002-05:00

Ari Madegiya is 1 today!! Happy birthday to our beautiful boy who continues to amaze us and bring a smile to our face each and every day. We are seriously having just way too much fun with this little man.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Adoption Gathering Fun

2010-06-20T22:34:00.000-05:00

This past Friday was our June adoption get-together. This month was at Jordan Valley Park. What an awesome place!! If you live in Springfield, have kids (or not), and have never been there, you should so go!! It is wonderful! Our little fish of course loved all the water. Our adoption group keeps growing and growing and I look so forward to seeing all the kiddos. It kind of feels like Christmas morning to me each time we have a gathering. Makes me so happy. See below for all the fun that was had!

World Cup Fever

2010-06-15T21:54:00.000-05:00

We haven't been watching a ton of World Cup around here. But obviously it's been on enough for Ari to notice...(and his laugh is still the greatest)

Please Read....

2010-06-13T22:33:00.000-05:00

....if you are contemplating international adoption.....if you are in the midst of an international adoption.....if you are an adoptive parent.....if you are not an adoptive parent but want to get a glimpse of an adoptive parent's experience and perspective....if you respect and enjoy Melissa Faye Greene's work.

Please read this.

11 Months

2010-06-09T11:17:00.001-05:00

Today Ari is 11 months!! He has been with us almost as long as he was without us. And I am really looking forward to that day. It just feels monumental. At 11 months Ari is walking all over, although he has been doing this since about a week after he turned 10 months. But this past weekend he figured out how to stand up without pulling up on anything, so he's really a master walker now! He also started saying Ma-Ma this past month. He usually only says it when it involves me giving him food, which I guess I can't blame him for making that connection! No other definable words yet, although I thought I heard "kitty" yesterday, so maybe that will be his first "real" word. It definitely wouldn't surprise me since the kitty is one of his favorites. Our neighborhood pool opened Memorial weekend, and we now have another favorite activity -- swimming. He loves the water and his floaty and does a good job of making all the other moms jealous by being completely content and happy doing laps in his floaty. Apparently not every baby loves the water like this?? He continues to be an incredible joy and we continue to feel mind-blowingly lucky to be his parents. Now, if only he would sleep later than 5:45 a.m. Then we'd really have it made. Hmmmmm..............

Naps are important...

2010-06-07T08:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Pa

2010-05-26T21:23:00.000-05:00

Today is Grandpa Roger's Birthday. Or Pa. Or a name to be determined. Whatever Ari decides on, it's my dad's birthday. I meant to take a photo of the three of us at dinner tonight but of course forgot. So you will have to settle for the pre-party pics of Ari and his water table. Come on, Summer!

And just because it is Pa's Birthday, Ari rocking out the racing suit I wore back in the day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, POPS

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T21:13:00.001-05:00

Even though I'm a day late, I just have to blog about my first Mother's Day. But, first of all, let me preface this by saying this past weekend was a whirlwind of activities. Friday was mine and Roger's five-year anniversary. Oh, how fast the past five years have gone. Wow!! I love that man with all my being. He is THE BEST husband and father a wife/mother could ever ask for. I mean that. He is crazy awesome. And he is also a crazy-good gift giver. Like an Apple-scrapbook-of photos-covering-the-first-five years-of-our-marriage-good. And how do I reward him for that indescribably thoughtful and wonderful gift? By dragging him to St. Louis late Friday night so I can attend an all-day court reporting seminar to get my CEU points and then drive home Saturday night. Ugh!!! Actually, I didn't make him go with me. I told him it would be totally okay if he wanted to stay home with Ari, but he said he couldn't let me be driving alone to St. Louis on our anniversary. Did I mention how lucky I am?? Oh, yeah.

So driving home from St. Louis Saturday night with Ari sleeping peacefully in the backseat I started crying. And it really came out of nowhere. Not a pretty cry with big tear drops streaming down my face that Roger likes to tease me about. No. This was a cry that literally sucked the air out of me. Where I couldn't really breathe or speak for a good minute. And this was caused all because I started to really think about how I was a mother....on Mother's Day. And how in the world did I get so lucky?? So ridiculously blessed? I questioned God so many times when we were trying to become parents the biological way and asked, "Why? Why do you deprive motherhood from me when that is all I've ever wanted to do? What I feel I was made to do? What I planned my whole life for?" Oh, how God answered my prayers. He does not disappoint. He delivered my heart's desire beyond my wildest imagination and knew all along I would be the mother to this particular little boy. And then I started to think about Ari's first mother and how I wish I could share Mother's Day with her. After all, it would only be fair. She will always be his mother and I will always be his mother. In a perfect world we could celebrate Mother's Day together. I would hug her close and she could see again this beautiful boy that she brought into the world that I now adore and love and have the privilege of parenting and I would tell her how much pure joy he brings me. I think of Ari's mom every day. I do. How could I not? I look in Ari's eyes and think, "Do you have her eyes? Those gorgeous, smiling eyes?" I give him a bath and think, "Do you have her feet? Her knees? Her hair?" I hear him laugh and think, "Do you have her sweet disposition?" He does something new and smart and I think, "Do you have her intelligence?" Countless times I think of her. But especially on Mother's Day I think of her, Ari's first amaye.

Another Milestone and a Radio Interview

2010-05-06T22:20:00.001-05:00

Ari will be 10 months old on Sunday and this is what he's been up to this week. Really?? Already? So exciting and fun, yet makes mommy a little sad. Sigh. What a big boy!

Also, read this article, "Africa Reboots," at this blog we follow. I love this article. It gives me hope for Africa. All you ever hear is "help Africa, send aid to Africa, sponsor an orphan in Africa," etc., etc. And while all of that is very much needed, OVERWHELMINGLY needed, how incredible would it be to see Africa be able to take care of Africa during our lifetime. To not depend so desperately on our aid but to become self-sufficient. To be an equal, a partner on the world stage in government leadership, in commerce. My thought while in Ethiopia was "Wow, this is a beautiful place. The history, the culture, it has so much potential to be so much more than it is right now. If only it wasn't so oppressed. By government. By poverty." Hope. There is always hope. I am rooting for Africa.

Oh, and I did have the privilege (and it is very much a privilege) of talking about international adoption recently for a radio interview on KSMU. You can read/listen to it here.

Where have we been?!?

2010-04-28T18:53:00.000-05:00

So it's been awhile since I've blogged. I did that post about Ari at 9 months and then he decided to do all sorts of things he was almost doing. Apparently turning 9 months meant something to him. He is now a proficient crawler, pulls up on everything, sits and stands up in his crib, waves bye-bye and hi, does "so big," and now signs for "more," his first sign, although I'm not sure if he completely understands what it means yet.

And because we've been a little lacking on pictures......

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday at Grandpa & Grandma Partlow's house

(meeting the horses for the first time)

And, last but not least, an Ethiopian "pool party"

with the Barnhouse twins

Dax and Ari....they go way back :)

Baby Days.....

2010-04-19T21:23:00.000-05:00

are precious. short-lived. a gift. priceless. so much fun. You get the picture. They are also incredibly fleeting (especially for those of us who meet our children at a ripe old age of 6 months or older!) and it causes me a little panic attack and makes me catch my breath here and there when I realize how fast time is going. We are now (already) to the point where Roger and I look at our pictures while in Ethiopia and think (already) "Ari looks so little." How can that be?? It was only three months ago. But he has grown so much. Two inches and 4 pounds to be exact since the beginning of February. And he's acting like such a big boy these days with crawling all over and pulling up and learning the meaning of "no" and imitating us and taking little steps and eating big people food and all these amazing new firsts. I was looking at our pictures at the top of the blog and thinking how we need to update them with some super cute more recent pics, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to do it yet. I wish there was a way to "save" that beautiful, innocent babyhood and be able to revisit it here and there for the next......well, forever. I really get it now when a mom says once my baby, always my baby.

Ari @ 9 months

2010-04-09T15:35:00.001-05:00

Today Ari is 9 months old and has been with us for three months. Here is what Ari is up to at nine months of age:

two bottom front teeth
gives open mouth kisses but not on command
Knows how to "give me 5!" on command (so cute)
is really mastering the pincer grasp and can feed himself Cheerios, cut-up squares of string cheese, Puffs, and now baby Goldfish
Is able to stand unassisted
continues to sleep through the night (unless he is sick or teething. Ugh.)
Participates in peek-a-boo with anything he can get his hands on
LOVES to play "chase"
Has just recently started bouncing when he hears fun music
Is able to walk by himself if he is pushing something (i.e., music table)
Can cruise along furniture
Has started throwing little fits when he doesn't get to play with something (i.e., dog bowl or toilet or dirt in potted plants)
Still does not like to crawl even though we know he can do it. Prefers to walk EVERYWHERE with the assistance of mom and dad
Points at things (and sometimes nothing at all) with his pointer finger
Says da-da all the time for everything
Has realized he has a say in dinnertime with spoon slapping and spitting of food. Awesome. For some reason that is incredibly irritating to me.
Loves to play at the indoor kid playground in the mall. Is a little too young yet, but loves, loves, loves to watch the other kids play around him. Lots of delightful squealing when we are there.
Loves to swing at the playground and at Grandma & Grandpa Wasson's house

Things we are working on:

Waving bye-bye
Clapping
Getting into a sit position from a tummy position
Pulling up from a sit position into a stand position
Saying ma-ma
Becoming less dependent on the (stupid) bink. So far we are doing a pretty good job of keeping the bink in the crib. As a result we are hearing a lot of incessant whining during the day.
Learning the word "no." I'm pretty sure he already has a grasp of the concept. He hears "no" the most when he is playing with rocks and tries to put them in his mouth. Today he slowly brought a rock to his mouth and immediately looked at me to see if I was going to react.

It's funny how little kids develop. Last week was an explosion of a second tooth, real crawling, and an improvement in walking. This week he has a double ear infection, has been incredibly whiny at times, and seems overall frustrated with life. I suppose frustration is good; it means he's wanting to improve his skillz but just hasn't figured it all out yet. Nine months is a lot of work, you know.

Fun little diddy for your viewing pleasure.

2010-04-03T11:40:00.000-05:00

One of My Favorites

2010-03-30T15:44:00.001-05:00

Want to see a really great adoption video? That will probably make you cry?? I just had to post this (click here) because it is one of my all-time favorite "adoption" videos I've seen and it brings back really special memories of mine and Roger's time meeting Ari almost three months ago already. The time has gone so fast and yet it feels longer than three months. Everyone who has children says once they're here you can't really remember or even imagine life without them, and that is true. Although I still remember the longing and heartache I had wanting to be a mommy so badly and wondering if it would ever happen. I think I will always remember that no matter how many children we have someday. Maybe that's a good thing; it reminds me to never, ever take them for granted.

Also, I just had to mention we welcomed home our very good friends Jason & Tamra Barnhouse this past Saturday night with their 10-month-old twins, Dax and Fiona, from Ethiopia!!! I've decided one of my all-time new favorite activities is greeting adoptive parents as they walk into the airport with their new babies. Such an incredible feeling. God has blessed this couple beyond measure after enduring a very long and difficult adoption process. And, Dax and Fiona were in the same orphanage as Ari! In fact, their cribs were right next to each other, separated only by a window. We are so, so happy our kids can continue to be friends. It's really amazing to think they were all together halfway around the world and now they live only 10 minutes away!

Public Opinion

2010-03-29T10:26:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how this post is going to go -- it may turn out to be a complete rambling mess, but I'm going to write anyway and see what happens.

I find the public's reaction to Ari fascinating. Before he was home I was so curious and anxious, even excited to see how we would be received when we were out and about. For some prospective white adoptive parents, public opinion/reaction is a very real concern they have about adopting a black child and it will actually even deter them from choosing to adopt a child of color. Since I have very little regard of other people's opinions, that was never a stumbling block for us in our decision to adopt from Ethiopia. And, let me tell you, 2 1/2 months in it's been nothing but positive. So far we have had absolutely no negative attention or comments. When we first announced we were adopting from Ethiopia, some family and friends very politely voiced concern over our impending interracial family. And, yes, we do get quite a bit of attention wherever we go, but really truly it is because he is such a cute baby!! We are constantly being bomarded with strangers coming up and commenting on how beautiful he is. So far only one person has directly asked me "where is he from" -- a biracial 20-something young man -- and only a couple times have women asked me "is that your baby," in which I of course answer "yes," before oohing and aahhing over him. Both I think are pretty fair questions that haven't offended me in the least, and it actually gives me an opportunity to talk about his international adoption and the Ethiopian people. Of course, right now Ari is a baby who has absolutely no idea what the conversations going on around him actually mean, but someday when he's older I'm hopeful people will exhibit some tact and not ask such personal questions, but for now I'm okay with it.

Tooth!!

2010-03-24T11:13:00.000-05:00

Ari's first tooth is officially in! Last night as I was feeding him baby food I thought I could see some pretty prominent whiteness and when I felt his gum there was a ridge there, but nothing sharp. Well, this morning you can definitely feel a hard, sharp little tooth finally poking through!! I think we'd be able to see it too except he won't let us pull his lip back far enough to see in there. For the past two days Ari has been "off." Fussy and clingy during the day, not taking his bottle very well, and not sleeping through the night. I'm so glad to know teething is the likely culprit. I figured it was teeth, but then I thought maybe he was going through some attachment stuff after noticing how leach-like he had become. He's just so happy-go-lucky usually that it was pretty obvious something was bothering him. And after being home for only two months, I still wonder when he's out of sorts if it's attachment related. No, I don't think that was the case in this instance. He's just a normal 8-month-old getting his first tooth! As soon as we can see it better we will post a picture of his first pearly white!

One small step...

2010-03-22T11:44:00.000-05:00

Everyone keeps asking what we've been up to with Ari. Here's our Sunday evening event:

What a big boy; right?!? He is still refusing to crawl, but Parents as Teachers says as long as he's becoming mobile in some form or fashion, he's right on track developmentally for an 8 month old. So he's maybe a little ahead in the walking department and a little behind in the crawling department. He also wants to walk (hanging on to our fingers, of course) ALL THE TIME. So cute, but so hurts my lower back. I think he's going through a growth spurt too right now due to the looooong naps he's been taking. Normally he sleeps an hour max and yesterday it was 2.5 hours and now this morning it was 1.5 hours. Of course, this means he wakes up at 5:45 every morning, but he's for sure making up for it during the day!! Ari continues to be such a huge joy in our lives and every day we marvel time and time again at how blessed we are to have him as our son. We hope to post some more updated pics to the blog soon!

Tease

2010-03-13T11:11:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week we were teased with a 76 degree day. Guess who loved being outside?

Now it's 39 degrees and rainy. Guess who really misses the sun and being outside?

#9

2010-03-10T15:53:00.002-06:00

Ari dropped to #9 in the voting since yesterday. Pass this on - http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/id/6/w/10/y/2010?page=9

Iowa, Iowa....and more Iowa

2010-03-09T21:09:00.000-06:00

This past weekend was the first Iowa trip for Ari. I say "first" because I'm from there...and all my family lives there.....and all my "old" friends live there....and I have to take Ari to the State Fair. And, well, Iowa will always be a big part of my life, so there will always be "Iowa" trips. So here are a few of the many people Ari met for the first time -- all very close friends and family. He was a huge hit, loved on by so many, and was SUCH a trooper as we made our Tour of Iowa and also during the long trek from Springfield and back. Really, he couldn't have been any better. Roger and I are officially totally spoiled by this little boy. I don't know -- either he's going to be hell on wheels when he's a teenager (likely) or we're in for a ride with Baby #2 (also likely).

Speaking of Baby #2, many people have asked us when we're going to start the adoption process again. Yes, we plan on adopting from Ethiopia again. That is a tentative plan, of course, because no one knows what the future holds. We all know what happens when we "plan" on things happening. With that being said, for now we need to get off this adoption train for a while and just enjoy our little man before we start the all-consuming chaos again. Although I'm hoping the second time around won't be quite so brutal now that I'm a mommy and don't have all of that built up momminess waiting to explode out of me like I did waiting for Ari. AND we aren't even close to being done with Ari's adoption yet. U.S. Customs screwed up in D.C. when we landed coming home by telling us we didn't need to go to secondary customs. Well, that was horribly wrong because in secondary customs they take a picture of the baby that then is used for their permanent residence card. Well, guess what? Now we have to drive all the way to St. Louis for a 2-minute appointment for Ari to get his picture taken. If the customs employee would have known what was up, this would have been taken care of at the D.C. airport and we could have avoided this little trip altogether. And we still have to do the readoption process....and legally change his name...and get Ari a Social Security card....and file an N600 for a Certificate of Citizenship. See? We are going to need a little paperwork break before we start Adoption #2.

Now that I've totally gotten off subject, enjoy the pictures below!! And keep voting for Ari's picture (see previous post)!! It will pay for some of his college education if he wins (no, not cash -- a scholarship)!!

Grandma Erin, (my) cousin Matt, Matt's little boy Caleb, (my) Aunt Lori

Ari and his Grandma Erin

A five-generation picture with my 98-year-old great-grandma

(My) Uncle Todd -- yes, Ari wore an Iowa shirt while in Iowa. When in Rome.....

(My) Cousin Ashley

The proud grandmas

Ari and his second cousin Caleb swinging in the "hammock"

Sara, Griffen, and Ari

Top 5

2010-03-09T08:25:00.000-06:00

We went from #2128 to #4 in the voting -- thanks so much. New link for voting today. Click HERE and tell your friends. Photos tonight, promise.

Vote for Ari!

2010-03-08T15:28:00.000-06:00

We entered Ari in an online contest last week. I'm not sure of all the details, but I do know that votes are usually a very good thing. If you would, go HERE and vote for Ari == Supposedly you can vote daily, so go crazy folks. And tell your friends.

On another note, we had a great weekend in Iowa. We took lots of family/friend photos, all of which will have to be uploaded later this evening. Ari was amazing. He continues to spoil us. Proof below.

This was Ari 80% of the time we were driving....all weekend.

Back in the Saddle Again

2010-02-25T16:41:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I went back to work. Well, kind of....not really. I took my first depo since December 30th, which is the longest break I've had from work in my 7 1/2 years as a court reporter. I think the longest break before that was our honeymoon in '05 which was 10 days. And I'm not really "going back to work" yet. I'm only taking jobs that (very selfishly) are convenient for me to take. Or if the firm I work for is really swamped and needs some help covering jobs, like tomorrow. I'm still not quite ready to leave the little wee one with anyone other than his daddy either, so Roger is being a HUGE team player and coming home early while I'm away. So yesterday I had a 15-minute depo. Roger wondered if I made enough money to even make it worth it for him to come home early. Well, I don't know, but it did pay for the Wal-Mart grocery run after my job -- where I also bought Ari three new toys, one of which his dad requested I buy. One toy cost $27.00, one was $13.00, and the third was $1.00. Guess which is Ari's favorite? That's right -- the $1.00 red rubber ball. So the depo today served its purpose by not only getting my fingers (and brain) moving again, but by also boosting my confidence that I haven't over the past six weeks forgotten how to do this job. Tomorrow I have a potentially four-hour long psychologist depo, which is why I felt the need for a little "warm-up" yesterday. I have to admit, it did feel good to be working again. Court reporting is such a big part of my identity; now if I can just figure out that magical balance between career and motherhood. Maybe very part-time court reporter and full-time mommy for a couple years???

He's a better dresser than I am...

2010-02-24T21:14:00.000-06:00

Last night I got home from work and Ari was rocking an awesome outfit: dress pants, a long-sleeved white shirt, and a vintage Snoopy t-shirt. I thought it was pretty sweet, so I tried to pull it off. It's official -- he's a better dresser than I am. And he looks great in stuff that I couldn't even come close to pulling off.

As you can see, he's got the t-shirt and dress pant look down.

Me? Not so much.

Another outfit I couldn't pull off.

And another.

"Kiss Me" pajamas while sitting in his personalized rocking chair. All him.

Again, with the vintage tee and white undershirt.

(I guess I should let Abby start dressing me.)

Something New Every Day

2010-02-23T11:13:00.001-06:00

Every day Ari masters something new. It's really unbelievable how fast babies develop and grow. There are times when I change Ari's diaper that I swear his legs have grown 2 inches since the day before! I feel so blessed to have such a healthy, strong boy, but then I get sad because I know these "baby" days are numbered! Here is what we learned yesterday (at 7 1/2 months) -- pulling up! I think he was inspired by the Olympics playing in the background.

Ari has also started to go from a sitting position into a crawl, but then we flatten out on the belly. I just know if he was still in the orphanage he would be crawling by now due to all the hands-and-knee rocking he was doing when we met him, but Mom and Dad's arms have I think caused a little bit of delay in the crawling department. By default, of course. But that's okay -- I think it's an okay trade-off. We know the crawling (and probably cruising too) is just around the corner!

pictures for fun

2010-02-20T09:37:00.000-06:00

c'mon, the only reason you really come here is for the pictures.

chillin' in his chair - "proof that miracles happen"

meeting "big pap" for the first time

(this is my 93-year-old grandpa i watch wrestling with every monday night)

meeting great-grandma trudy. she's probably as excited as anyone.

what kind of smile is that?!?

One Month Home

2010-02-16T20:51:00.002-06:00

Can you even believe it?? One month home already. I wish time would have flown by this fast while we were waiting for Ari to come home! But, as they say, good things come to those who wait.

I can honestly say motherhood is as great as I thought it would be. It really, truly is. I haven't felt this blissful since Roger and I were newlyweds. We really do feel complete now. We have been blessed with an easy transition and adjustment period (so far), and I think it's all because Ari is such an easygoing, happy baby.

A couple things I've realized in the past month:

1. I don't need nearly as much sleep as I once thought I did.

2. Taking care of a 20-pound baby 24/7 is very physical -- apparently enough exercise to lose and keep off 7 pounds.

3. Between the three of us, doctor appointments are now a regular part of our life, unfortunately.

4. Ari's attachment to us is a process that takes time, no matter how well things are going.

5. I'm a lot nicer about sharing my baby with people than I thought I would be!

6. My love for Ari grows deeper every day, which kind of blows my mind a little bit because I love him so much already.

7. Roger is the amazing father I always knew he would be.

8. I am in awe at just the thought of how much this child is going to teach us. It's already happening and it started happening before we even met him.

9. I see God's intentional plan for us that He had all along in action when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror rocking Ari to sleep.

I suppose the list could go on and on because every day I learn new things about myself in my new role as a mother -- what I didn't realize I'm capable of and what my shortcomings are -- but those are some of the few that really stick out.

Too much for one post

2010-02-13T06:30:00.002-06:00

As soon as everyone is back to feeling 100% we will work on updating this blog with more stories, photos, etc. Right now I'll treat you to a slide show of a recent photo shoot we did. They turned out great. We can't wait to get them printed and hung up around the house.

Hope everyone has a great Saturday....
(The one morning it's my turn to get up with him is the one morning I wake up at 5:45, wide awake, and he decides to sleep until after 6:30 - awesome)

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

2010-02-05T15:45:00.000-06:00

Some of his favorites at (almost) 7 months......

Seriously, how great is Sesame Street?! It's just as good as it was when I was 6.

Favorite Activity: Bathtime

Favorite Toy

Favorite Pet: Jill

Favorite spot in the house

Favorite book (by far!!)

Favorite Food: Acorn squash with cinnamon

And his most favorite of all favorites -- The Bink

Ari & Company

2010-02-04T22:14:00.000-06:00

I just have to blog about the welcome home we've received from everyone over the past three weeks. I am overwhelmed at the love, excitement, and outpouring of support from our friends, family, neighbors, and even strangers (see below). Or maybe it's because Ari is just so darn popular and good-looking. Yeah, that's probably it. Below you will find a small sampling of some of Ari's new friends who have stopped by to meet him and welcome him home. Sooooo much fun we have had. I hope he will always find himself surrounded by this many great friends.

Something really funny and unexpected, twice now (at the mall and at an MSU Bears game) we have been stopped in public by COMPLETE STRANGERS who have come up to us and said, "Oh, my gosh, is this Ari?!? I follow your guys' blog! Wow, he's even cuter in person!" How weird is that?? What a strange feeling. During my retail therapy days while waiting for the little man to come home I saw a baby t-shirt that said Local Celebrity. I didn't buy it because it was $30. See, I did have some limits. But oh how I wish now I would have bought it. He is definitely our little celebrity.

The future Mrs. Ari Wasson (Zoe) and Ari

Okay, I know that's completely ridiculous, but I can't help myself

Little Miss Jayden, another Hopester

Brady & Ari

Cousins!

Neighbors -- and a future babysitter?!?

Dalton & Ari -- have I ever mentioned how much Ari loves "big boys"?

Ari and Caden & Cruz

"Is it just me or do I know you from somewhere?"

Again, the big boy thing. Ari cannot wait to be a big boy.

Kindermusik & The Jumperoo

2010-02-02T22:34:00.000-06:00

Below you will find a video of the highlight of my day today. Ari figured out what the Jumperoo is all about for the first time! Oh, isn't motherhood just so much fun? Yes, it is. At least for now. Please do not ask me that question in 16 years. I might (just might) have a different answer.

We also went to Kindermusik tonight. Another fun highlight of the day. I think Ari liked it. He actually participated (yes, 6-month-olds can actively participate in a baby class) and he never fussed. And I really liked it because, much to my delight, it wasn't a room full of only white kids. I can already tell that's going to be a HUGE issue for me. At this moment I can't really articulate all that I'm feeling about the importance of racial diversity in our lives, so maybe we'll leave that for another day when I'm thinking more clearly.

Ari also received his first shots in the U.S. yesterday, much to my dismay. I was hoping to not redo the immunizations he already received in Ethiopia, but since it looked like he received them way too close together, according to his vaccination record, the doctor talked me and Roger into just redoing them. She also thinks the vaccines over there are not trustworthy to be effective. I'm really not thrilled about redoing them. Yes, immunizations are necessary, but I feel like our country is a little overkill with all the vaccines. I was really trying to stand my ground, but it's difficult to stand up to a medical professional. Especially when one of her partners comes in the room and concurs the shots definitely need to be redone. Sigh. So the poor boy had some shots, and I think he was still a little "off" today as a result of it. Or maybe he's teething. Or maybe he needs to take longer naps. Whatever it was, I hope he feels better tomorrow. He still has a mild cough and rattly chest (that the doctor wasn't worried about), but his ear infections for now have cleared up. I have a feeling he was sick for the majority of the first six months of his life, so I guess it's possible it may take some time for all of this respiratory yuck to clear up.

**Viewer's Note: This video is ridiculously long because I can't bear to edit any of it out. If you have much more productive things to be doing, feel free to quit watching at any point in time. And also mute your sound so you don't have to listen to me babble on and on like the overly happy idiot I am right now.

Our Trip Video

2010-01-31T21:14:00.002-06:00

Okay, so we're so sorry it has taken so long to get this video posted on the blog. Priorities have changed around our house and I'm finding I have very little time for things I used to have a lot of time for. No, I am not complaining. Having Ari home is a dream come true and every day I thank God for making this adoption a reality and for choosing us to be his parents. But some things have to fall to the wayside when you have a baby who only naps about an hour and a half during daytime hours! Although, Ari slept through the night for the first time Thursday night and has continued to keep it going for the past two nights! We are so excited and happy that he's finally getting some good sleep.

Also, I never did manage to blog about the last three days in Ethiopia like I said I would, and I'm more than a little sad and disappointed about it. I'm hoping to still blog/journal about some of the more memorable parts of our trip while they're still fresh in my mind. But until then (IF I even ever manage to do it) we have put together this montage of photographs and video of our time in Ethiopia. I have included captions to explain some of the pictures. And I know I spelled "eucalyptus" wrong, but it took over three hours to upload this thing to YouTube, and it's really not worth redoing it. So just ignore that little typo.

There is also a lengthy (10 minutes) video at the end of the montage of some footage of Addis Ababa as we were driving back to our hotel our last day in Ethiopia. That day consisted of spending quite a bit of time in the morning at the baby house waiting for Ari's passport, eating lunch at a very good Italian restaurant, and then driving up Entoto Mountain which is right outside the city. Needless to say, after eight days we were looking forward to coming home, yet saddened and overwhelmed at the thought of taking this little boy from his home country and and all that he's ever known. I felt like Ari Madegiya belonged more to Ethiopia than he did to us and it was suddenly heartbreaking to be leaving. Or at least those were the thoughts going through my mind. That might not make sense, but I'm not sure I can really put into words the array of emotions I felt that day. Adoption can be very celebratory and sad all at the same time. Anyway, one question we've been asked by many people since we've been home is "What's it like over there?" Well, we try to describe it (beautiful, chaotic, difficult, friendly, heartbreaking, eye-opening), and we love to talk about it, but hopefully this video will give you an idea of what Addis looks like, at least from a car window. Also during the video you will hear "Rains of Africa." That was the song playing on the car radio, believe it or not, and in my reflective state of mind it pushed me over the edge a little bit. So when you hear me tell Roger to "video the streets," I'm really not meaning to sound bossy like Roger has told me I do; rather I was trying to get the video off of me and to forever capture some of our last sights in Ethiopia.

*Viewer's Note: You can watch the video in full screen high def (it looks much better if you do) by choosing 720p in the right-hand corner of the YouTube square and then clicking the cross-looking button next to it.

@ the Mall

2010-01-26T22:16:00.002-06:00

Today I decided to venture out with the babe to the mall. The weather is supposed to turn super crappy in a couple days, so I thought I should get out when I have the chance. It was very therapeutic, walking around aimlessly pushing a stroller. I had a "moment" when I walked into Macy's from the parking lot...pushing a stroller.....with my baby in it. I was so happy I thought my heart might burst right out of my chest. Not because I was at the mall per se, but because I was doing something I'd dreamed of for so long. It's the little things, you know?? I could actually shop in the baby sections without feeling like a fraud....because I for once actually had a baby with me. Ari seemed to like our little shopping venture. He was awake for about an hour, visited with some nice old men while he had a bottle, and then slept for about an hour and 20 minutes. I had a pretzel and Dr. Pepper and watched him sleep.

And, on to bigger and more important news, Ari started "talking" today. He's been vocal ever since we met him, but today he started saying "ba-ba-ba" and "da-da-da." Sometimes he'll just break out with it on his own and other times he will repeat after us if we start saying it first. He also rode in his car seat without pitching a fit today. So nice. There's been a few car rides with a lot of back arching and yelling, but today he was very polite and we had a peaceful car ride to and from the mall. And to end on a good note, it is currently 10:33 p.m. and Ari has been asleep for two hours and fifteen minutes. He woke up once at 9:45, cried for four minutes, and went back to sleep without us having to go in his room. That is a first, my friends. Wish us luck for the rest of the night.

1 Week Home

2010-01-24T20:27:00.007-06:00

We have been home a little over a week now. Wow, how time flies when you're having fun; right?? Ari continues to be so much fun and we've had a couple firsts this week. On Monday we went to our first doctor's appointment. Ari is in the 50th percentile for weight, weighing in at 18 pounds. He is in the 70th percentile for height at 27 inches. His bloodwork is perfect. And his doctor thinks he is developmentally advanced for a six month old. Can't beat that!! We are still waiting on the poop tests, but I assume they're fine since we've had no tummy/diaper issues.

We went on our first walk last Wednesday since it was a wonderful, sunny 60 degrees outside. He loved it and promptly fell asleep after 10 minutes. And I realized what a workout it is pushing a stroller up and down hills!!

We went to church on Sunday -- early church, mind you!! No reason not to go early when you're up at 6 a.m. anyway! The music and the stained glass kept Ari entertained and quiet until he fell asleep right before the sermon. So, yeah, church couldn't have gone any better!

Sleeping is still a little rough, but Ari made great strides by sleeping from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. straight last night. We've started implementing the Ferber sleep method and it's working wonders already. And I'm pretty sure it's a whole lot harder on me than him. I stood in the kitchen and cried harder than he did for that first "Ferber" nap. But man, oh man, the poor boy needs a little guidance/structure with sleeping. Waking up EVERY HOUR was not a good thing for anybody, especially him. Remember when I said he was sleeping through the night those first couple nights in Ethiopia?? I miss those nights.

Thank you to everyone who has brought us meals and stopped by this past week to welcome Ari home. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family!

Our church outfit. So handsome.....

Jill and her new best friend

His favorite spot in the house

Baby Legs!!!
His new Ethiopian friend Jayden

All bundled up for our first stroller ride

Zoe and Ari

Getting blood drawn s.u.c.k.s.

Our newest favorite stunt -- standing

Ari's Laugh

2010-01-22T09:29:00.003-06:00

Still learning how to edit/upload movie clips. This one is a little long, but the ending is pretty good. Plus, his laugh is pretty contagious. (This is the second morning we had him -- amazing.)

He's an awesome kid that is this happy 90% of the time. The other 10% he is either chilling, hungry or sleepy. We. Love. Him.

Quick Update

2010-01-21T09:18:00.002-06:00

We are still getting settled in at Casa de Wasson. I've heard that it takes your body one day to recover for each time zone you cross. So that means we were in Ethiopia exactly 8 days, and it is 9 time zones away. Just as we were getting adjusted to Ethiopian time we jumped on a plane and came back (35+ hours STRAIGHT in an airplane or airport!). This will be the sixth day home so hopefully our bodies are almost adjusted to the time. Ari, he's still adjusting. He is starting to get on more of a schedule but right now he sleeps best from 2:30-6:30pm (which is the middle of the night in Ethiopia). We are slowly changing his habits but we both realize this is a work-in-progress. Abby's much better at writing but right now she's occupied with Ari, so you'll have to put up with me. All of our great shots are still on the computer at home. Instead you'll have to settle for a couple of iPhone pictures.

Home, Sweet Home

2010-01-18T08:36:00.004-06:00

We've been home about a day and a half now and things couldn't be going any better. Ari is adjusting incredibly well to his new surroundings (as are we to having a baby in our house!). Jack and Jill love him and Ari is mildly entertained by them. He is a big fan of his homemade baby food, not a big fan of sleeping through the night. That is by far the hardest part of having a new baby. He is only sleeping in about three-hour stretches right now, getting up for good at about 5:30 a.m. I think part of the reason he's waking up so frequently is because of his nasty cough. He has his first doctor's appointment this afternoon, so hopefully we'll start an antibiotic that will get rid of his respiratory issues SOON! Other than that, he is a very healthy, happy little boy and we love him to pieces. Thank you, everyone who welcomed us home at the airport. It was so awesome to see you all, and Ari is very lucky to have so many wonderful people in his life already.

First bath at home -- LOVES IT!!

First morning in the Bumbo, ready for breakfast

With Grandpa Roger at the airport

With Uncle Tyler and Grandpa and Grandma Partlow at the airport

Spit Bubbles!!

Homeward Bound Tonight

2010-01-14T21:59:00.002-06:00

It is 7:00 a.m. Friday morning right now in ET, and we are a little more than happy today is the day we start our journey home. Roger is doing great (but hungry), Ari is doing great (but sleeping less at night), and I am sick (but managing). I came to Ethiopia with a little bit of a stuffy nose, and now it is a full-on hacking cough with really horrible sinus issues. Basically the exact same thing Ari has (take this as a warning, all of you who will be at the airport!). I've also been sick down south for about three days now, and while Cipro might take care of the problem, it also contributes to it for a while. Ugh. Roger and I have made an executive decision and have decided to pony up the money to fly first class from here to D.C if it is still available at time of check-in at the airport. Maybe we will be a little more comfortable?!? Overall, we have been very blessed with our time in Ethiopia and it has been an awesome week. We've seen so many places, experienced great restaurants, and met some amazing people. Oh, yeah, and we passed through embassy yesterday with flying colors!! What a wonderful feeling it was to walk out of embassy knowing this adoption is a done deal. I will go back and blog about the days I've missed when I get home. So thank you again for all your prayers and well wishes. God has blessed us beyond measure with this little boy and what a privilege it is to be his parents. Please continue to keep us in your prayers for a safe trip home. We are sooooo looking forward to seeing all of you soon and introducing you to the newest member of our family!!

Love, Roger, Abby & Ari

Ethiopia: Day 4

2010-01-13T10:52:00.000-06:00

Today was an exhausting day of a whole lot of nothing. We went back to the baby house/Hope office to finish preparing our paperwork for embassy. We were told to be there at 10:00 to meet with Rahel and we waited until 12:30 before she got there. TIE: This is Ethiopia. That's what Melke tells us when things don't work exactly as planned. Or when Ari has a dirty diaper and Melke tells us to just throw it on the side of the road. TIE. As far s dealing with Hope, our adoption agency, I thought one mom put it very nicely by saying, "It's a lot of backy/forthy." People work on a different timeline here and you just learn to roll with it. The good news is it's sunny and 73 degrees every day, so you can't complain too much when you're sitting outside enjoying the sun, even if you are waiting on someone.

We came back to the hotel afterwards and made mac-n-cheese that we brought along with us on our makeshift stove. It tasted amazing, but the aftereffects were not so good. The only time we've gotten sick so far was after eating mac-n-cheese. That we brought with us. Go figure. That and the fact we slept about three hours the night before. I'm sure that didn't help. Our hotel is pretty nice, but because the hallways are marble and the doors and walls are thin, you hear everything. Like when someone shuts their room door at 1:30 in the morning, it sounds like a bomb going off. It's amazing what happens to your imagination when you're sleep deprived. At one point Roger even got out of bed and went downstairs to make sure we weren't under attack. So we have learned our lesson and now take Tylenol PM/NyQuil before bed every night. Needless to say, the novelty of living in a hotel room with a baby is starting to wear off and we are looking forward to coming home. Ari, on the other hand, is sleeping like a champ. Down at around 8:30, wakes at 2:00 a.m. for a diaper change, up between 6:00 and 7:00. Not too bad.

Day 3

2010-01-10T21:40:00.006-06:00

Today we went to the big kid house, took them our donations, lots of sweet treats for the kids, and lots of pictures. I was sort of expecting this day to be an overwhelming and emotionally hard time, and it kind of was. When we walked into the first room it was full of children (approx. 50) ranging in age from probably 4 to 10, and they all immediately stood up and starting singing "good morning, good morning" to us when they saw us. Oh, my gosh, talk about breaking your heart. We started handing out the tootsie rolls, suckers, and fruit roll-ups, and it was of course a big hit. I started going from child to child unwrapping the roll-ups, and as soon as I would start on one, the next child would be holding out his hand saying, "mommy, mommy." I wish everyone could experience what we experienced today at least just once in their life. It changes your heart. And 5 million orphans is no longer a concept but a true life reality. The good news is the children were happy, playful, loved to cheese it up for the camera, and have excellent nannies watching over them. And many of the children already have adoptive parents just waiting for them to pass through court and come home. Roger fell in love with one particular little girl. She already has a waiting family; Roger said if she didn't we'd be in trouble. We took a photo album for a little 8-year-old boy who came home this past spring to give to his friends still at the orphanage. In it were pictures of this little guy playing soccer in his beautiful soccer uniform, playing basketball with his adoptive brother, riding a horse, on a hay ride, posing for the camera with his new family. You get the picture. This little friend looked at those pictures, and you could just read his mind through his eyes. I hope that little boy finds his new family soon. We then moved on the the 2-year-old room, and, boy, was there some fun personalities in there! We delivered a care package for a family waiting to bring their little boy home, and it was neat to watch him open up his goodies and look at his parents' pictures at the same time, putting the two together. But then, of course, after he opened his bag full of fruit snacks and a little toy truck, it was a battle to keep everyone else's hands off his new stuff!

After we spent time with the kids we went back downstairs and had a coffee ceremony. I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous about this part. But no need to be. It was really good (with steamed milk and sugar), and really hot, so I wasn't quite as concerned about getting sick after I saw that. It was delicious and strong! For all you coffee lovers out there, authentic Ethiopian coffee is the real deal!

We ate lunch at a restaurant called Rico's with the two other adoptive families here with us. So far we've had a great experience with food. Our driver Melke makes sure we only eat at "safe food" restaurants, and so far he hasn't done us wrong. One family here is adopting a little boy the same age as Ari and the other family is adopting a 5-year-old girl. It was neat to witness that little girl's first hours with her new mommy. I am excited to see how she progresses throughout the week as she adjusts to her new reality. As we neared the end of our meal, our waiter come to our table and said something about the road in front of the restaurant being closed. Or at least that's all we could understand. We looked out the front window and sure enough there were soldiers lined up and down both sides of the street. It's not necessarily uncommon to see men in military uniform and weapons out and about, but we could definitely tell there was something going on when we saw how many of them there were. We walked outside to quickly get in with our drivers, and Roger asked the waiter as we were leaving what was going on, and the waiter replied with what Roger thought was "beekeepers." Yes, Roger is having somewhat of a difficult time picking up the dialect here. He then turned around to me and exclaimed "beekeepers!!" with a midly panicked look on his face. Seeing that many men outfitted with rifles is a little unnerving. I said, "What? Beekeepers?" Well, we asked Melke, our driver, what was going on and he explained that someone important was getting ready to travel down that road and it was being secured by the soldiers. We then later figured out that the waiter had said "peacekeepers," not "beekeepers," and even now I cannot think about the look on Roger's face when he said "beekeepers!" without laughing so hard I cry. We will never forget those intimidating Ethiopian beekeepers. Ari continues to do amazingly well. We have video of him full on laughing that we tried to upload to YouTube, but no such luck yet. He is basically sleeping through the night, going to bed at 8:30 and waking between 6:00 and 7:00. Although, as I'm writing this it's 5:25 a.m. and he's been up for 25 minutes now. We have started feeding him warm rice cereal with banana, and he loves it! I've started titrating Similac formula with Bebelac, and he's tolerating it well. A little more gassy, but that's about it. We are not so much worried about establishing a routine right now, just keeping him healthy and happy. God has blessed us with an easy, happy baby, and it is not lost on us for one second. We continue to get lots of smiles and giggles. Now, sleeping for us, on the other hand, is a different story. I'm not sure if it's because we aren't adjusting to the time change or if it's because we have so much adrenaline as a result of being new parents, but so far every other night we've only gotten about 3 hours of sleep. And it's not because of the baby. Oh, well. This week is already flying by. What's a little lost sleep; right?
-Abby

Melke our driver with Ari

Coffee ceremony

Car Ride

5 Great iPhotos

2010-01-09T14:26:00.002-06:00

Today we went back to the orphanage, took lots of pictures, ate some pizza, and hung out in the room for the remainder of the day. Ari was wonderful. He got to meet his cousins, both sets of grandparents, and Ms. Zoe through Skype. Pretty amazing. Oh yeah, and he got his first bath (at least the first one from us) Below are some of the more than 100 photos we took today. As you can tell the nannies all love our boy and are going to miss him. And yes, he is this happy 95% of the time. The other 5% he is either hungry or sleepy. We love him -
Roger