Our Family of Four - Three Years in the Making!! (Ethiopia Embassy Trip Days 6 and 7)

Today is our last day in Ethiopia!  Since Meaza fell asleep around 7PM last night, we wondered if she would wake up in the middle of the night ready for the day.  Since she was on the bed when I finally got her to sleep, we let her sleep there.  That meant that Kevin and I slept lightly, afraid to rouse her or roll on her.  She woke up at 4:30AM, but she was content.  Praise God!  She talked to us for a few minutes and then was back out again.  She woke up again about 5:30AM, but again quickly fell back asleep.  We got up around 7AM and made her breakfast.  She was a happy girl!  We played for a bit after she ate and then went down to have breakfast ourselves.  After breakfast, we came back up to the room and played for a bit, then we gave her a pre-flight bath.  As I went to check her diaper while the water was warming up, I opened it to a surprise stream of tinkle!  Thankfully, I was able to catch it before it went onto the bed! J  It seemed like quite a bit, so I cleaned her up and figured she was good.  Or not…..  Kevin was putting a little water into the bottom of the tub while I held her so she could stand next to the shower on a towel and all of a sudden a stream came down her leg!  LOL…..good thing it was time for a bath!  Silly girl!  She loves baths, which is great!  She is a champ!  She doesn’t mind water on her face and she even holds her legs up for me to wash.  We actually bought a toddler tub to bring back with us (please pray that it makes it home!)  The tubs they have here in Ethiopia are larger than the tubs I have seen in the US and they have a bum holder!  Yup, a bum holder!  We and the other family have decided to refer to is as ABS, advanced buttocks stabilization. J  It is just a raised section in the back of the tub in the shape of little butt cheeks.  It holds them in place so that they don’t slide around.  Perfect!

After our bath, we did her lotion and got her dressed before giving her a bottle.  The bottle induced a food coma, so she zonked out without even needing to be rocked!  So sweet!  She has come to love her pacifier, which I think has helped her because we are pretty sure (with all of our infant care experience :)) that her frustrations are a result of teething pain.  She actually got the hang of it in one day!  She’s a pro!

When lunch time came around, I was feeling a little off, so I fed Meaza while Kevin ate.  Before they were done with lunch, I took a turn for the worse and took Meaza upstairs to lay down with me.  She quickly fell asleep, but I was not so fortunate.  The longer I laid in bed, the worse I felt.  Really?  Now???  I had what seemed like an awful fever and could not seem to kick it.  I laid in bed with several blankets on me, but I still shivered.  What made it worse was that I was also experiencing some pretty strong pain in my side, chest, and abdomen.  Mid-afternoon, I became friends with the trash can, but thankfully that was a one-time deal.  I felt marginally better after that, but still was unable to sleep.

About 5PM, I started to try to get up and move and we would be leaving for the airport at 6PM.  I felt very weak and I was in a lot of pain, but the nausea had subsided.  Kevin, once again, saved the day by frantically packing all our bags while I was completely useless.  All of this did not make Meaza very happy, I can’t blame her!  Thankfully, it was short lived.  When the driver arrived, the staff of our guest house came up to help us carry our bags down.  Such a blessing!  We were also thankful to have a bigger van and to take a different route to the airport that was significantly less bumpy!  When we arrived at the airport, our driver helped us get all of our bags onto carts and we headed in.  I felt very hazy and very weak.  I found myself swaying in line to try to make myself feel better.  I must have looked ridiculous!  We arrived at the airport around 6:30PM, roughly 3 hours before our flight.  Praise God we were able to get seats in a bulkhead row with a bassinette for Meaza!  We thought we might even have an empty seat between us (but later found out not, but it was okay).  After getting our boarding passes, we went through immigration (which was very quick thankfully!) and went upstairs to the gates.  I should have thought better, but the escalator wasn’t working, so I started climbing the stairs.  Even though I went slowly, I had more chest pain when we arrived at the top than I have ever experienced in my life.  I could not take a breath deep enough to catch my breath.  I definitely freaked Kevin out.  Kevin spotted a lounger chair and I went over and sat down to regroup.  After about a minute, I was able to breathe again.  Scary!!!!  As I laid there in the lounger, I was still unable to take deep breaths, but at least the nausea stayed away.  That was when I sent the facebook message to pray, and so many people did!  Thank you!!!  I begged God so much today to heal me as I knew that the devil was working against us, and as more joined in, I began to feel your prayers!  I took some Tylenol about an hour before we boarded the plane and I felt noticeably better.  We went through the second security checkpoint close to our boarding time so that we would not have to wait too long.  Woo hoo for priority boarding!  We were able to get all of our bags in the overhead bins right by us!  Meaza was content and fell asleep to the hum of the engines and we took off!

The first leg of our flight took us to Rome where we landed only long enough to refuel and change flight crews (about an hour).  Meaza slept the entire time!  Kevin and I dozed as well.  He kept a close eye on her and allowed me to sleep as it was the first time all day that I was able to.

After our fuel stop in Rome, it was nine hours to D.C.  Again, Meaza fell asleep to the hum of the engines.  This time, Kevin and I fell asleep as well (well I think he did J).  When Meaza awoke, we were eating, so we sat her up in her bassinette and gave her some toys.  She shook her toys and babbled to us.  She enjoyed playing with our plastic tea cups.

We were amazed at how well she was doing; clearly another answer to prayer!  She slept for shorter periods throughout the flight.  She never once cried.  She makes this precious hungry bird face when she is hungry, so we made sure we responded right away and she ate well throughout the flight. 

As daylight caught us, we got a breathtaking view.  Kevin took a few pictures, but no photo could do it justice.

When we were about 30 minutes out from D.C. and they made the announcement that we would be starting the descent, I went to change her one last time.  I took off her diaper and wiped her and noticed a little trace and thought, that’s odd…..  I slid the new diaper under her bum just in time to catch a little present!  LOL…..this girl loves to keep me on my toes!  I quickly secured the diaper and t her redressed.  Kevin definitely thought that was pretty hilarious!  Always happens to me…..

We made it!!!  As we landed, Kevin snapped a picture of Meaza as she became a U.S. citizen!  Woo hooo!!!!  We tried to take a picture under the ‘Welcome to the United States’ sign, but we were told we were not allowed.  Unfortunately, that was the only sign, so we will just have to remember it.  Because of our little poo poo debacle, I wanted to change her again in case it was a big one (keep in mind we were also blessed with no blowouts on the plane, or while in Ethiopia).  Turned out, it was almost nothing, but I felt better for having checked and cleaned her up.  As I was picking her up, she spit her pacifier out on the floor (note to self, need a pacifier clip!), so I took her to the sink so I could wash it.  Okay, I can do this, right??  Hold baby, need to hands to push soap.  Right….  I sat Meaza on the counter and bear hugged her as I pumped soap with one hand and held the pacifier with the other.  I must have looked like such a goof, but I needed to wash my hands!  Alright, U.S. immigration here we come!!

Of course, since I had to change her, the immigration line got longer on us.  It took about 30-45 minutes to get through.  I started feeling feverish again as we stood in line, but I could tolerate it.  Finally, our turn!  Immigration this time was definitely faster than it was with Nicolas.  It only took a few minutes and we were through.  Welcome our Ethio-merican girl!!!!

Since we were at the back of the immigration line, our luggage was already out by the time we got through.  Kevin grabbed a cart, loaded up the bags, and we headed to the customs line.  Customs went faster, yay!  Next, we rechecked out bags and got our boarding passes for our last flight.

Once we got back into the main area of the airport, we looked around for the other family we traveled with to say goodbye.  Thankfully, we were able to find them!  They live in New York, so the remainder of their trip would be in the car.  We so enjoyed getting to know and spend time with them!  And, they graciously provided the meds that I so desperately needed to get me home!!!!  Can you imagine that – of all the meds I brought, I didn’t bring regular Tylenol or ibuprofen?  Fail on my part!

I got drinks for Kevin and I and made a bottle for Meaza.  I took some more meds and had some ginger ale to get my fever under control.  What I wasn’t thinking about was that we had just bought liquids before going through security.  Oops!  So…..we hung out there for a bit.  We called Nicolas to talk to him before his soccer game and got the scoop from Grandma P.  About two hours before our flight, we headed to security.  WOW!!!  They have a lot more questions when you go through with a baby!  Can we check this?  Do you have this?  What’s in here?  No worries, we made it out unscathed J.  We headed to the trains to get to our terminal and arrived at our gate with about an hour and a half before our flight.

In our down time, Meaza and I changed into clean clothes and we called our parents to let them know that we were in D.C. and that I was doing better.  Our flight was slightly delayed due to a mechanical issue, but we got off the ground relatively quickly after that.  As we boarded, Meaza did get a little fussy.  Again, I couldn’t blame her.  This was the longest day ever!  She fussed on and off for about the first 45 minutes before she finally fell asleep.  She also woke up and we were passing over Eastern Michigan.  She was definitely ready to be done with the whole flying thing!  We landed in Grand Rapids about 15 minutes later than scheduled and knew that we would have a crowd to welcome us.  We prayed that Meaza would be calm and that it wouldn’t be too much for her.  As we walked down the ramp one of the TSA agents said, “I think this crowd is for you!”, and it was!!!  We were warmly welcomed home by a large group of family and friends.  It was exactly what we needed!  The first one to approach was the one I most wanted to see, Nicolas!!  He gave us all big hugs and was anxious to see his baby sister.  He took her in his arms, but quickly gave her back saying she was too heavy….LOL!  Hugs and tears from grandmas came next.  As we approached the rest of the crowd, Meaza just looked around in amazement at all these people who seemed so happy to see her!  We took lots of pictures as we introduced her to everyone.  I cannot explain the joy and comfort we felt not only because all of the people came to welcome us, but also because our family was finally home.  It brings tears to my eyes even now.  After three years of waiting, our family is together.  Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!!

One Final Day in Ethiopia (Ethiopia Embassy Trip Day 5)

Today was another good day!  Meaza slept through the night and woke up very happy again J.  We got up at 6AM, so we played with her toys while practicing sitting up until breakfast.  After breakfast, we got ready and went to the Bethany Ethiopia office to pick up her visa and paperwork.  We were about to talk to our social worker here in Ethiopia again and say goodbye.  It was evident that she had become attached to Meaza!  We are so blessed to have an amazing staff here in Ethiopia looking out both for us and our little ones!

We headed back to the guest house and Meaza took a short nap.  When she woke up, we played in the living room with the other family.  After lunch, Birtukan did a coffee ceremony for us.  Her children danced and sang.  It was wonderful!  We also had the chance to buy some tea and spices to bring back home.  I learned the hard way that berbere spice in the U.S. is NOT the same!!!

Early evening, Meaza started to get fussy again.  We gave her some cereal and some formula, but she didn’t want anything to do with the formula.  Despite that, she cried as if she was starving.  She makes this absolutely heart-breaking lip smacking face when she is really hungry that just breaks your heart!  She was inconsolable for about an hour.  I finally broke down with her in my arms and, with tears streaming down my face, prayed that God would calm her down.  The prayer was answered almost immediately!  Kevin suggested that we make a different bottle and try it, so we did.  She drank about an ounce and finally fell asleep.  I let her sleep in my arms for a while, then laid her next to me and we both slept for a while.  I am very happy to say that she is still asleep next to me now.  Praise God for answering in our time of need!

Tomorrow is our last day here already!  It is also Meskal (Cross Day), an Ethiopian Orthodox holiday that celebrates the delivery of the cross on which Jesus was crucified to Ethiopia.  The celebration started tonight and goes through the day tomorrow.

We wanted to go, but we were not able to bring Meaza and we couldn’t bring ourselves to leave her (even one of us) for several hours.  And, given that she had a rough night, I think we made the right decision.  Tomorrow night, we will be flying out at 10:15PM (3:15PM EST).  Please pray for feelings of security and peace for Meaza and strength and energy for Kevin and I.  We are so excited to get home and give Nicolas a BIG squeeze and introduce Meaza to our amazing family and friends.  Again, if you would like to see her, please feel free to come to the airport!  We will likely be pretty scarce for the next few months, so now is the time!

Yes, this is me feeding myself!

And playing airplane with Daddy!

Goodnight from Ethiopia!

A Perfect Ending to the Day (Ethiopia Embassy Trip Day 5 - Part 2)

We did have a bit of a fussy afternoon.  It seems as though Meaza is about to cut a tooth, so nothing seemed to keep her happy for very long this afternoon.  We did lots of snacks and did our best to keep her happy.  She took two mini naps and had some cereal before we ate dinner and that seemed to cheer her up.  She hung out in the bumbo while we ate dinner and seemed to perk up.  She mastered her pacifier today and I think that may have aided in the improvement in her mood.

After dinner we had a bath and then snuggled on the bed.  She was soooo happy!  She was smiling and talking up a storm!  She talked so much she wore herself right out!  Kevin and I laid there just amazed at how God has brought us through this journey.  It is as people say with childbirth - once its over, you forget about all the pain (of the journey).  Now we are just living in the moments with her and loving every one (except maybe when she was in fits of tears as I changed her earlier).  She is too precious for words!

Clean and happy after my bath!!

Check out my big girl jammies!!!

Snuggling with my Daddy again!!! :)

Introducing MEAZA!!!! (Ethiopia Embassy Trip Day 5)

The day is FINALLY here!!!!  We have completed our embassy process and can officially introduce Meaza (pronouced Meeeyazah)!!

This morning we woke up early to get ready to go to embassy.  Meaza woke up with a big smile on her face.  I think she knew that today was an important day!!!  We had breakfast and headed out into some crazy traffic to the embassy.  The process there was almost identical to what we had to do with Nicolas in South Africa.  We had to wait outside for a few minutes, then went through security and waited to be called to sign our last few documents to receive her visa.  It was fairly quick and very simple, then we headed back the guest house.  Last step to bring her home DONE!!!!! :) YAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

Once we were back to the guest house Meaza had some lunch and we played.  She was still a little fussy, so we made a little more formula and that put her into a food coma.  I went to lay her down in the crib and the board in the bottom fell down on one side!  Thankfully, I was right there and I picked her right back up without her even rousing - so sleepy!  We grabbed a crib from one of the other rooms and made it up for her.  What is a trip to Ethiopia without a little adventure? :-)

It's just after 1:30 here, so we're about to have lunch, but I wanted to share pictures!  Here are a few more:

In her traditional Ethiopian outfit ready for the Farewell Ceremony

Leaving the orphanage

Loving the bug teether on the way to the guest house

And......OUT!

Snuggling with Daddy

So happy in my elephant pj's!!!

Looks like she is ready for a story!

Ready for embassy!

All done with Abel in his Central shirt.  Fire up Chips!

Yep, I want to feed myself!

:)  See?

Flying with Daddy!

Can't wait to meet you!!!

A Day to Connect (Ethiopia Embassy Trip Day 4)

Today was our first day together.  We didn't have any plans – just hang out and get to know each other.  Our first night was quite a success!  She fell asleep on her own.  We put her in her crib and she slept until about 1AM.  There we a few times when she let out a single cry, but then would go right back to snoring. J  At 1AM, gave her a bottle and then she went right back to sleep.  We had to wake her up in the morning!!  We began our morning with breakfast.  We tried cereal, but new mom fail, I didn't make it right.  I used way to much formula, so it was runny, but not runny enough to go through the bottle.  I then tried using only some of the formula and putting more rice in it.  She wasn't interested.  So……we had a bottle instead, which was more to her liking.  After breakfast, we hung out in the living room playing on the rug with her toys.  Amid-morning, she had a snack and dozed off for about an hour in my arms on the couch.  It amazes me how she wakes up content ready to go.  I wish I could do that!

After lunch, we had lots of fun!  She was talking up a storm and making all kinds of noises!  She is quite the roller and would really like to crawl, but she doesn't quite have the moves down yet.  She would like to push off with her toes!  We also had some puffs as a snack.  When I put the first one in her mouth, she made quite a face, as if saying “Mom……ick!”  But, after the third one she was a happy clam!  She even fed herself a few times!  I would say her self-feeding accuracy is about 1 in 5, but that’s pretty awesome!!!  When it should have been time for her afternoon nap, we found ourselves with a grump!  She wanted to eat, no she didn’t.  She wanted to play with her toys, no she didn't.  Kevin got her to sleep for about half an hour, but then she woke up still upset.  We gave her a little more food and double-checked her diaper and then Kevin walked her to sleep again.  Thankfully after the second nap, she seemed to be back to her happy self.

We had dinner together with the other family staying at the guest house (who picked up their 18 month old son this afternoon!) which was lots of fun!  M is very content hanging out in the bumbo with her dollar (thank you Auntie Beth) and her baby (thank you Grandpa P and Nicolas)!  We played for a few minutes after dinner, then came up to get ready for bed.  We had our first bath, which I think went pretty well.  I was very grateful to have Kevin there, though, and I am convinced that bathing a baby in a baby tub inside a stand-up shower is a two-person job!  We did lotion and put on jammies and had a quick snack before bed.  Now, she is snoring next to us (insert AWWWWWW from the audience).  She seems to have some congestion (as do I), so please pray it will clear up soon!

Tomorrow morning we will be going to the U.S. Embassy to apply for her visa.  It is after this last appointment that I will be able to post pictures (insert WOO HOOOOOOO here)!!!!  We also have some pretty fantastic videos from this afternoon, but I might have to wait until we get home to upload them, depending on the internet.

I must also note that Kevin is quite the SuperDad!!  He is loving her so much and it is such a blessing to watch them together (as it is with he and Nicolas).  I always knew he would be a great dad, but WOW! J

Finally!!! (Ethiopia Embassy Trip Days 2 and 3)

As I sit here I still can't believe it's real!  Kevin is standing in front of me rocking our precious girl who is contently staring back up at him trying to fight the urge to zonk out.  What a kodak moment!  Allow me to recap:

Our flight from Washington D.C. was relatively smooth.  We had a few minor instances of turbulence, but that was it.  Unfortunately, neither of us slept very much.  I cannot imagine why.......  Despite that, we still felt pretty good upon arrival in Addis Ababa.  We got through the visa line and immigration pretty quickly and were very happy to see all of our luggage on the carousel!  Abel snuck up on us as we walked out to look for him.  Once the other family with us was set, we headed to the guest house.  We unpacked and settled in and decided to try to take a little nap.  We slept for about 2 hours before getting up for lunch.  We definitely could have slept longer, but we knew we needed to get ready to go get M! :-)

At 3:30PM, he hopped into the van to go to the orphanage.  We played with all of the kids in the infant room for about an hour while they gave M a bath and changed her into a traditional Ethiopian outfit.  The farewell ceremony was held in one of the main rooms with all of the nannies and others kids.  They started by asking some of the children to share something about M and also share their wish for her.  The children asked us to speak Amharic to M, make sure she comes back to visit, and writes letters.  It was very sweet.  They also asked the nannies to do the same.  It was so evident the love that they have for her!  Next, they asked us to speak.  As you can imagine if you know me, I cried.  It is very hard to express gratitude to those who have cared for her without the water works!  The ceremony ended with special treats for the kids.  We took a group picture with all the kids and said our final goodbyes.  What an amazing blessing!

She didn't seem to mind the van ride back to the guest house at all.  In fact, all the bumpiness put her to sleep within a matter of minutes.  When she awoke, we were standing in the dining room at the guest house.  Her eyes got big as she looked around.  I imagine if she could have told us what she was thinking she would have said "Where am I???!!!"  She was a little fussy during dinner, but was quite content playing with her new toys.  She especially likes Daddy's phone :-)

It will be interesting to see how she does in her first full day away from the orphanage (and in her first night with us).  We are praying that God will calm her spirit and help her to feel comfortable and secure with us.  So far, that prayer has been answered.  God is good!!

We are about to put her down for the night and my guess is that we will not be far behind her.  It has been an awesome first day back in Ethiopia and we are feeling so blessed!  We will be able to post pictures Wednesday afternoon :-)

Good night!!!

Here we go again!!!

It’s funny how taking 3 trips to Africa in a year changes your packing habits.  When we went to South Africa, we made list after list, checking them three times to ensure that we didn’t forget anything (granted we were going to be there for 6 weeks).  This time around, we did most of our packing within the last 24 hours and made no lists.  Never did we imagine that we would be making not one, but three trips to Africa ever, let alone in one year’s time!  But, here we are, on the plane to Washington D.C.  We are not nervous, just excited to bring M home!! 

This morning, we got up early to pack and clean the house.  Nicolas had a soccer game at 10 and then we had lunch with all the grandparents before heading to the airport.  

We were able to spend about an hour at the airport with everyone before we had to go through security.  Saying goodbye to Nicolas was tough, but he was a champ and that made it easier on us. J  He is such an awesome kid!  It is amazing the blessings that God provides!!

Since I have not done so, I will jump back to fill in the details since our last update.  On Monday I posted the AMAZING news that we were cleared to bring M home.  What a perfect anniversary present for us! J  On Tuesday, we confirmed our embassy date, which solidified that we would indeed be leaving this weekend.  YAY!  We booked our flights and made our reservation request for our guesthouse. 

Throughout the week we started packing for M – clothes, toys, blankets, etc.  How many diapers?  How many wipes?  How much formula?  When in doubt, bring a lot! J  I am pretty sure I was at Target at least once every day this week!  Last night, we took Nicolas to The Greatest Show on Earth – Ringling Brothers Barnum and Baileys Circus.  It was awesome!!!  They had motorbikes on trapeze wires, motorbikes in the steel globe, a fire-breathing dragon, lions, tigers, elephants, and flipping puppies!  Needless to say, he had an awesome time and so did we!

We will be coming home next Saturday, the 28^th.  Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 2PM.  We will be coming in on United flight #3385 from Dulles.  All are welcome at the airport!  We will likely be scarcely seen for the next several weeks once we are home, so we would love to see you there!

I’ll do my best, internet connection willing, to update daily while we are in Ethiopia.  We can post pictures once we have completed our Embassy appointment which is on Wednesday.  Until then, we’ll give you details!  We will be picking M up at 3:30 Ethiopia time (8:30AM EST) on Monday.  Please pray that our reunion will be a good one and that she will feel safe and comfortable with us!  We are so excited to finally hold her in our arms again, and even more excited this time it’s for keeps!!!  36 hours until we get to pick her up (from the time I typed this)!!! J J J J

God's timing is ALWAYS PERFECT!!!

I sit here in awe of God's goodness.  Seven years ago today I married an amazing man and started on an adventure that I could have never predicted.  We looked at each other this morning and jokingly said "How funny would it be if we got our clearance on our anniversary?"  Well, IT HAPPENED!!!!!!

OUR BABY GIRL IS COMING HOME!!!!

We are waiting on a confirmation of our visa appointment, but are hoping for Tuesday or Wednesday nest week.  That would mean that we would leave this SATURDAY!  We are SO, SO excited and cannot wait to finally bring her home!!!

It's been 8 weeks

It's been 8 weeks today since we left Ethiopia.  8 weeks and one day since we last held our precious girl.  I miss her.  We may have only spent mere hours with her in Ethiopia, but she had us by the heart strings the moment we saw her face.  I miss her little legs just kicking away on my lap as she played.  I miss the way she just smiled as us, strangers, like she knew who we were.  I miss snuggling her close and telling her how excited we are to introduce her to her big brother and her extended family.  I just miss her.

We have gotten two updates from the US Embassy in Ethiopia this week.  The first informed us that they were attempting to schedule a phone interview with the police officer who filed her case.  The second, which came this morning, informed us that they are now enlisting the help of the Bethany Ethiopia staff to schedule an in-person interview with either the officer or a hospital employee who cared for her.  We are praying that one of these people can be reached quickly and that the Embassy will have appointment times for the interview to take place very soon.  We know that God has it all under His control, and we are doing our best to give it up to Him.

A song that has really resonated with me lately is 'Lift my Life Up' by the band Unspoken:
You brought me this far so why would I question you now?
You have provided so why would I start to doubt?
I've never been stranded, abandoned or left here to fight alone
So I'm giving you control

I lift my life, lift my life up
I give it all in surrender
I lift my heart, lift my heart up
You can have it forever
All my dreams, all my plans
Lord I leave it in your hands
I lift my life, lift my life up
Have your way in me

Take my life and let it be ALL FOR YOU!!!

Please join us in praying our sweet girl home!!!!