COATS, SNOWMEN, SANTA....

Good news...we found a coat that Mekdes likes--yahoo!  Every time we have been in a store with winter apparel, I will hold up a coat and ask Mekdes if she likes it.  For weeks, the answer has been a definitive NO.  That is, until the other day.   I held up a purple coat with fur on the hood and Mekdes' eyes lit up.  She yelled AHWOH/yes and was jumping up and down in the cart!  So, the long search for a winter jacket is over and Margo and Mekdes are now easy to find as they are always in matching purple, furry coats.  

Finally, it wasn't so cold that the girls didn't want to step foot outside.  It was decided that a snowman was in order and the girls began the process of suiting up for the venture.  Mekdes lasted for about 10 minutes as she didn't see the point of mounding up all that snow.  She watched the rest of the process from the family room window.  With each addition to the snowman, she would shout out with such glee....NOSE.....EYES....MOUTH....HAT.  We have been working on all of those english words and Mekdes was delighted that she was able to use them in describing the strange sculpture created of snow!  

It was down to the wire as it was the last night Santa was going to be in his house here in downtown Geneva.  Our schedule was crazy, as usual, so I was going to take Mekdes, Margo and Emme to see Santa while Anna and Kate went to hitting lessons with their father.  My crew got dressed up in their holiday dresses and Mekdes was so excited.  She had no idea what we were going to do, but putting on these fancy dresses was a real treat!  It was going well until we got to the part where you put on the tights.  I could tell Mekdes was thinking..What in the world are these long socks that you call tights?   Do you  people really wear these things?  Is this a joke?  It was hysterical!  She did get used to the new apparel item and we proceeded to go  out for our special evening.  When we arrived at Santa's house, the line was a mile long.  ARgh!  What a nightmare!  The girls were all in their Sunday best and in no way were we prepared to stand outside for hours waiting to see some crazy guy in red suit.  We lasted about an hour and finally Margo decided that we could leave the picture she made for Santa with the cookies Christmas Eve and we could go home.  No one could feel their toes and we were all thankful to get into a warm house.  I wonder what Mekdes thought of the entire exercise!  What a strange tradition to dress up and stand out in the cold for an hour--ha!  We'll try again next year.

SOCIAL WORKER...

When you mix a licensed social worker and the Geary clan crazy things are bound to happen!  We had our first home visit since Mekdes arrived yesterday and as per usual, the visit was colorful!   First of all, we all had to be home for this home visit and that in and of itself is a challenge for our crew.  We managed to schedule a moment when we had everyone home and thus our first post placement visit was scheduled.  In the past, both Shawn and I would shoot the "look"  to which ever child was saying something we really didn't want recorded in our home report, so I gave the girls the speech about being nice to each other and not saying anything inappropriate.    Well, the doorbell rang and 4 girls went scurrying around shouting "SHE'S HERE, SHE'S HERE!".   The fifth girl was just scurrying around with the others as it seemed like a fun thing to do.  Cherie (our social worker) came in and I took her coat.   In the moment I was gone hanging up her coat, I heard Emme say, "Oh, ya, we took Mekdes over to my friend Grace's house.  She didn't eat anything, but she had fun."  I couldn't sprint back fast enough.  "So you are not cocooning," Cherie said to me.  I assured her that we were and that going over to the Keegan's was just a brief outing.  Argh!!!!!     Regardless, STRIKE ONE....both Shawn and I were giving Emme the "look" as we proceeded to the family room.
We got through the initial  segment, how much does Mekdes weigh, what does she eat, when were your court appointments, etc. and then came the dreaded sibling segment.  First up, Margo. At this point, I am soaked with sweat as it has been rolling down my sides since the cocooning incident.  "So, Margo, do you like sharing with Mekdes?"  WHO ASKS A FIVE YEAR OLD IF THEY LIKE TO SHARE????  A swift and brief, NO, was given and then promptly written down in the post placement file.  "Does Mekdes do anything that you don't like?"  Margo proceeds to elaborate on how Mekdes will throw herself to the floor and cry when she doesn't get her way and that you can't understand anything Mekdes is saying.  I then had to field the questions of how do I handle the situation and how did I prepare our four older girls for Mekdes' arrival.  I won't bore you with the rest of the interviews, but suffice it to say that I was soaked in sweat and my tongue felt swollen by the end of that dreadful segment in the post placement interview.   Ha!  The other girls were interviewed and after each interview, the girls were dismissed to go down to the basement and play.
We continued on with more formal questions about social security numbers, citizenship, etc. when you started to hear some giggling coming from around the corner.  Before I could get my sweat ridden body out of the chair to investigate the source of the laughter, Mekdes came running into the family room releasing one toot after another.  It was like she was the leader of the tooting parade!  Margo was on the floor rolling and clutching her sides she was laughing so hard.  "So much for putting your best foot forward," Cherie said to me with a smile on her face.  "In case you haven't figured it out by now," I said,  "you never know what you are going to get when you enter the Geary household.  One thing is sure, you get an honest slice of our crazy life!"
So, our first post placement visit summary:  Mekdes is eating foods that generate an enormous amount of gas, yet she looks relatively healthy.  Margo isn't all together thrilled with sharing, but seems to have taken Mekdes under her wing and  Emme is willing to rat our her parents at the drop of a hat when they do not follow the rules.
This is the family picture we had to take as part of the post placement requirements.  Anna and Kate had just gotten back from hitting lessons, I just couldn't get warm that day and was wrapped in a blanket, Shawn had just spilled half his dinner down the front of his sweater.  Emme (of course) looks perfect and my two little M&M's weren't thrilled at having to take the photo in the first place!  I set the auto timer on the camera and came running over to join this motley crew.  Immediately, laughter broke out as Mekdes  tooted and no one could escape its wrath.  This picture makes me laugh every time I look at it as we are all laughing, except the tooter.  I wonder how this photo will read to the Ethiopian government?

Sisters...

Mekdes wants to be with Margo every moment of the day.  She wants to wear what Margo wears, play with whatever toy Margo is playing with and generally shadow Margo in every way.  For Mekdes, this is WONDERFUL!    For Margo, however, this has posed a bit of a....challenge.  Margo is accustomed to being the one following her older sisters around and trying to do everything they are doing.  She is not too sure about having Mekdes mimic her every move.  One thing is clear, they have become sisters in every sense of the word.  The love they have for each other can be seen in little moments sprinkled throughout the day.   Today when I looked in the rear view mirror I saw two girls bundled up from head to toe braving the arctic blast, holding hands across the aisle of our van.  Or when Margo needed a pair of socks as she was getting ready for school and Mekdes ran upstairs to bring her down some socks.  There are also moments that show the competitive nature of sisterhood.  Margo will be sitting on Shawn's lap and Mekdes will come sprinting over to sit on Shawn's lap too.  Or both wanting to wear the same pair of shoes.  If Mekdes gets to eat cereal for dinner, so does Margo (according to Margo).  My little M&M's are sisters!  For me this bonding has been both a joyful and an exhausting experience--ha!!!  We ain't as young as we used to be!!!

Mekdes wanted to wear glasses like Margo, so we got her a pair with clear lenses.
Also notice, Margo has lost her first tooth!!!!  According to Margo, this means she is
now officially  a "big kid".

SNOW, ENGLISH, DOGS...

Ohhhh, the snow!  This was not only the first snow of the season, but the first snow for our Mekdes.  Her reactions range from  flailing her arms wildly over her head trying to keep the snow from getting on her, to pointing to the snow and screaming, to making grimacing faces showing her clear distain for the falling white stuff.  What a riot!  She did come to the realization that a coat, hat and mittens were a good idea when playing in the stuff.  The snowball fight was great fun and Shawn was also thrilled at what a natural throwing arm she seems to have--ha!  As with every snowball fight, at least at the Geary household, it came to a screeching halt when someone got nailed in the face with a large snowball.  That someone would be Mekdes and it took several hours for her to get over the horror of it all!  Once again, nothing a little carmela/candy wouldn't cure eventually.

This white stuff is so...COLD!!!

Good news, she's got an arm!!!

Each day she seems to learn more English.  The frightening part is that she is hanging out with Margo most of the time, so exactly what she is learning is unknown.  Take yesterday, for example.  Mekdes was playing on Anna's bed with Anna.  Anna has an old rope bed from when I was a girl and the matress sits very high off the ground.  Somehow in their playing, Mekdes fell off the bed backwards.  Anna looked over the edge of the bed in absolute panic expecting the worse.  Next thing she new, Mekdes popped up and put her hands over her head and said, "Oh my gosh!".   Anna was laughing so hard you could hear 

her downstairs.  

Mekdes' relationship with Ruby is really an interesting one.  Their journey started with Mekdes screaming in terror when she saw Ruby for the first time to now wanting to sleep with Ruby in the dog bed.  With five girls in the house, there is always something on the floor and Ruby always finds it.  Whenever we see Ruby run by with a marker or a sock in her mouth we call out for Mekdes.  Mekdes immediately leaps into action and goes charging after Ruby yelling "NO, WOOSHA, NO!!!"  Moments later, Mekdes will emerge with the item Ruby had in her mouth and a look of satisfaction and utter accomplishment on her face.  Who knew our little Ethiopian angel would become our dog trainer?!  

They call me the woosha trainer...

off to school...

Well, the girls went off to school/teh meir teh bayt today.  Mekdes was ok in the morning when the older girls left for school, but Margo's afternoon departure was another story.  There were lots of tears and loud cries--so sad!  Of course, I resorted to candy/carmela--I was desperate!  Mekdes eventually calmed down, but she had a very solemn face until Kate and Margo walked in the door at 2:40pm.  There was a funny moment this afternoon, however,  when it was just Mekdes and me.  I thought we could go to the post office as Mekdes loves the car/makena and it is a quick in and out adventure.  When we went out to the garage, I used the car remote to open the side sliding door.  Mekdes' eyes got huge, she jumped straight up in the air and ran as fast as she could back in the house where she wrapped her arms around my legs.  After I showed her how it works, we laughed and laughed.  Another first, another memorable moment!

Breakfast of champions...cereal for Margo and injera for Mekdes.

This is a little snipet of Margo and Mekdes practicing their English and Amharic. 

Thank you...Amesaganalow...

Our menu...

Well, for Thanksgiving we did not go to Ohio to be with my family as we usually do.  We are trying to keep things as simple as possible for Mekdes and traveling seemed to be a bit too much.  Shawn did a great job preparing the turkey and making the traditional "Davis stuffing".  Everything was delicious.  Mekdes found the whole thing to be rather odd.  She ate some of the corn casserole and that was about it.  Her tastes have expanded to include bread/dabo, bananas/mooze, scrambled eggs, pop corn, candy/carmela and of course,  gum/mastica.  We put the tree up the other day and that was really confusing!  Why is there a tree in the house, covered in lights and why are we putting balls/kwas all over it?  Each day is full of surprises--new foods, new words, new looks!  I  am dreading tomorrow as the girls will all be going back to school.  Mekdes cries any time one of the girls leaves, so I hate to think of what she will be like come Monday morning!  Thus far, I have been using the ol' American bribe of candy/carmela when she is crying at the departure of a sister.  At some point, I have to suck it up and come up with another method of parenting--ha!!!  

My family in Ohio wearing their Mekdes t-shirts--they are the best!!!

"I'll go along with this ritual, but it is very strange!"

Sisters/ehit are the best!

How do I look?

What about me?

Thanksgiving

Where to begin?  There are so many blessings in our lives that we are thankful for!
1.  Having Mekdes with us on this Thanksgiving.
2.  Our girls being so wonderful and patient with Mekdes and her transition to our family.
3.  Everyone being healthy and happy.
4.  Shawn having a job that supports all of these beautiful girls
5.  Having such supportive and generous family and friends
We are so blessed and while we give thanks for our many blessings, there are so many who need our help. I cannot get Samuel out of my mind and I am going to try to set up a fund for him to attend school.  Hopefully, I can get this set up by the end of the year.  If anyone is interested in giving for Samuel, email me and I will let you know how the process is going.   Here are some photos to give you a glimpse of our daily routine.  Staying home/cocooing is a huge adjustment for all of us, but everyone is doing a great job and I think Mekdes is starting to understand who we are and feel a connection.  Again, we give thanks!

Margo is a great big sis!

Still not too sure about this....woosha/dog!!!!

Mekdes finds Kate every morning to play

Playing dress-up is universal!!!!

"mooze"=banana...a daily ritual with these two

Happy Thanksgiving!  

Samuel needs our help...

so many orphans need our help!  Go to http://www.allgodschildren.org/ and click on orphan sponsorship to see how you can help.

winter weather---yuck!

As you may have guessed, our weather is a bit unusual for Mekdes.  I thought she wouldn't want to be outside at all, oddly enough, she loves being outside.  In Addis, they were outside all day long, so this really shouldn't be that surprising.  Where the struggle exists is in her cold weather attire.  She does not like the feel of a jacket or coat.  For a brief moment she wore a hat on her head.  So far, a sweater seems to be acceptable.  Not any sweater, mind you, Margo's favorite black and white striped sweater.  Sisters and clothes--the traditional conflict across the cultures!

Where is Margo going?

Margo is being so wonderful with Mekdes!  So patient and loving--it is too sweet!  When the bus came to pick up Margo on Friday, Mekdes marched right up the stairs and into the bus hand in hand with Margo.  I had to pick her up and carry her out of the bus, that is when the tears began to roll down her cheeks.  She stood at the front door and cried and cried.  This is all so strange and confusing for Mekdes.  The good news is, there was a huge hug and a shriek of joy when Margo and Kate walked in the door after school.  Five girls....you can't beat it!

Bath time

There are so many wonderful "firsts" taking place!  One of which is taking a bath...with a white sister.  Mekdes laughed and laughed when Margo got into the tub with her.  They washed eachothers hair, poured water over eachother and had one heck of a time!  These "firsts" are like little slices of heaven!

Time to go...

We have all our documents in hand and are preparing to leave Ethiopia.  It is so bittersweet as we have come to love and respect so many of the people we have met as well as this amazing country.  Mekdes seems to be doing well, but how much does she really understand of what is happening to her?

In the airport a lovely man in line with us for Ethiopian Airlines took off his cross necklace and gave it to Mekdes.  He said she will continue to be blessed in America.  This was so touching to us as we have encountered some negative responses from some of the Ethiopian people regarding our adopting Mekdes.  

One of us must keep a hand on Mekdes at all times in the airport as well as in the plane as she has become a runner!  A huge smile crosses her face as she realizes she has escaped our grasp and the exciting game of chase ensues.  I must admit this "game" is mentally and physically exhausting!  She met a young boy on the plane who was completely infatuated with her.  He kept coming by our seats to give her a hug and a kiss and offer her gifts of various kinds.  Shawn, of course, did not find this the least bit endearing!

This huge tube full of people sure is bizarre!

After 24 hours of travel....we are home!  She is completely fascinated by everything she sees and adores her sisters!  Mekdes continues to only eat bread and bananas, but we are hoping she will open her pallet up to some new tastes as the days go by.  

We are so blessed!  My heart is overflowing with love as the sounds of five beautiful girls giggling with unleashed delight fills the air!

Our five wonderful girls in front of the  "Mekdes tree".  

street children

Samuel and Shawn 

Today we went shopping at the strip of markets/shops we had gone to before.  I was in search of traditional dresses for all of our girls as well as some other items I had forgotten on our first trip.  Laurie and I teamed up and attacked this bartering process with great confidence.  By the end of our excursion, however, the shop owners had worn Laurie and I down!  The whole haggling thing is exhausting!  It makes you appreciate a set price--ha!!!  Shawn and I brought some shoes again this trip, but this time we wanted to give them to the street children we had met on our last trip.  Samuel was on young boy who Shawn was particularly fond of.  He begged Shawn to bring him to America--oh it breaks our hearts!  As a result of this boy, we made it one of our goals to find him on our second trip and give him shoes and some other things.  When we got off the bus to go shopping, we saw Samuel right away.  He came over immediately and hugged us, shook our hands and called us by name!  There are many security guards patroling this area and one of their responsibilities is to keep the street kids and beggars away from the shoppers.  Unfortunately, one of the guards saw Samuel with us and we later saw her smack him across the face and hit him in the stomach with her stick.   The other young girl in the photo tries to sell sticks of gum to the shoppers for some money.  I think she was asking for less than five cents a piece--so sad!  These kids have nothing--I mean NOTHING!  They cannot go to school as they have no money and there are no jobs for them to earn money.  It is hard to understand the why, so we will try to wrap our brains what can we do for this group of young people that would help make their lives a little easier.  I will keep you posted with any projects that we come up with in the future.

Meeting Arbe

Meeting Mekdes’ mother

Today was the day for all the adoptive families to meet their child’s birth family.  We had been told that Mekdes’ mother, Arbe, would not be able to make the trip as it happened to be on a major Muslim holiday and travel would be difficult.  Shawn and I decided that perhaps this was best as a meeting with Arbe may be confusing for Mekdes and difficult for her to comprehend.  It may also have interrupted our bonding process.  So, we went to Hannah’s Hope to play with the children and for Mekdes to spend time with her friends.  When we got to Hannah’s Hope we were told Mekdes’ mother DID come and she was there.  To say our heads were spinning would be an understatement!!!  Arbe was in one of the offices waiting with an interpreter and we were outside playing with the kids.  Our meeting wasn’t until 11:00am, so we were really waiting for the director to come and get us to begin the  process.  In the meantime, Mekdes found her mother and went into the office with her.  What should we do?  Do we go get her?  My heart wanted to immediately grab her and keep her by my side, but there was something inside me that said to let it play itself out.  Mekdes would come to the window to look at us outside and we would wave and blow kisses, but my heart was aching!  Soon Almaz, the director, found us and thanked us for being so understanding.  She said she would ask all the questions and all we would have to do is be there.  Well, Shawn and I went into the office and set up the video camera, so Mekdes would have this moment if she ever becomes curious about her birth mother.  Two beautiful women entered the room, one with a green scarf wrapped around her shoulders and one with a sunshine yellow scarf.  The woman in the green was the interpreter and the woman in the yellow was Arbe, her mother.  Immediately when she saw us she began to cry.  I was trying the biting my cheek trick, but it wasn’t working and I, too, began to cry.  Mekdes was sitting on Almaz’s lap and seemed to be oblivious to our silent tears.  I think that Mekdes spending time with her mother earlier in some ways prepared her for this moment.  She didn’t seem very attentive to her mother at all and acted as if this was all perfectly normal. Almaz asked some very basic questions about Mekdes’ background and soon we neared the end of the interview.  Arbe told us she was crying tears of joy because she knew we were providing Mekdes with a better life and that her faith in God tells her she will do wonderful things in America with Shawn and me as her parents.  Well, that pushed me from a silent cry to a full on ugly cry!!!!  We hugged and thanked her and promised her Mekdes would be loved and well cared for.  She clung to Shawn and kissed him from cheek to cheek over a dozen times (3 is customary in Ethiopia).  It was such a powerful moment, one we will never forget!  What a stong, beautiful and courageous woman Mekdes has for a birth mother and I am so honored that Shawn and I were able to meet her and let her know how much we love Mekdes and love her as well! 

Embassy Day

Embassy Day

The more headbands, the better!

We had to be up and out of the hotel by 7:30am today to get to our Embassy appointment.  Mekdes picked out her outfit and put in about 3 headbands and we were off and running!  Ihoneum (no) and neyi (come) are frequent words in our interactions!  She really is doing a great job considering the whirlwind she has been swept up in.  The traffic was heavy as everyone is preparing for a big Muslim holiday on Tuesday, so it took us an hour to get there.  Once we got through security, it was like being at a nicer DMV as we were sitting in a room full of people trying to get their visas and waiting for their ticket number to flash up on the screen so they could go to the next available Embassy employee.  We waited for over an hour and our interview with the Embassy worker went well.  We should have Mekdes’ visa on Wednesday morning.  On the way home we stopped at coffee shop and everyone got a cup of coffee.  Shawn is not a coffee drinker, which is so sad since we are in the birthplace of coffee, so he got a cup of ice cream.  When he gave a spoonful to Mekdes she started to cry and wanted to spit it out!  Clearly, the cold taste of ice cream is something she will have to become accustomed to and I have no doubt Margo will take care of that in no time! 
Mekdes had befriended everyone at the hotel.  From the hostesses, to the bartender, to the cleaning staff....they all love her!  They let her tag along while performing their various responsibilities...it is so sweet!  Here is Mekdes tending bar--ha!

What can I get ya?

   

Gotcha Day

Gotcha Day!

I am sitting at the bar in the hotel at 7:30am with a cup of hot tea.  Last night was full of religious chanting, dogs barking and trucks honking.  Needless to say, there was no sleep to be had—argh!  Shawn and I watched several bad 90’s movies on a fuzzy tv and dreamed of what snacks we would like to have.  Shawn finally dozed off at about 6:30am and I came down to the lobby for a change of scenery. 

I can feel my heart beating in my chest and I wonder if other people can hear it.  I am so anxious, excited, terrified and full of anticipation about what is going to happen in about 6 hours.  Instead of trying to control it, I must have faith that it will all work out.  This entire journey has been a leap of faith, so why stop now?! 

The sun is not out this morning, which is unusual for Addis this time of year.  It is very overcast and on the cool side.  Perhaps it will come out as the day wears on.  I am going to pick up the newspaper for today to keeping Mekdes’ scrapbook.  If my past performance is any indication, she shouldn’t expect too much in the way of scrapbooking/photo books from me.  Some day I will give each of my girls a box of stuff and that will be my version of a beautifully artistic book created to keep track of all their monumental life events!

The bus came to get us around 1:30pm.  Everyone had bags of items to donate as well as gifts for the staff, so it was a packed vehicle full of anxious people.  I tell all my girls, “sit up by the bus driver and you are less likely to find trouble”.  So in keeping with that theory, Shawn and I sat right behind Wass, who was driving.  The drive to Hannah’s Hope is usually about 5 minutes, but it seemed to go by in the blink of an eye.  Next thing we knew, we were inside the compound and hoping out of the van.  We were led to one of the offices where Almaz, the director, went over our schedule for the week and what our Embassy appointment would look like.  All the families were handing over their $404 for our children’s visas when the most precious little face came running to the full-length window at the end of the office and pressed her nose against the window.  It was Mekdes and she was in her pj’s just up from her afternoon nap.  Almaz went out to the window and brought Mekdes to us and placed her on my lap.  Her little arms went around my neck and we hugged for the longest time.  I kept kissing her sweet little cheek and repeating aweseshalow(which means I love you) over and over again.  I know Shawn and I were both thinking, so far so good.

The meeting ended and we took Mekdes out to the courtyard and started to play with the other children.  All of the children that we met before were there and there were also some new faces in the crowd.  I had a huge bag full of donations the children were jumping up and down with excitement!  They were all putting stickers on each other, kicking the beach balls and balloons around, painting nails—they were thrilled!  Mekdes was being treated like a bit of a queen since Shawn and I were there and her little buddies seemed to know she was going with us.  They covered her shirt with stickers and were following her everywhere—all too sweet! 

Stickers are so much fun!

My very own balloon!

After several hours, it was time to load back in the van to go back to the hotel.  I was very nervous about how this departure would impact Mekdes.  When they opened the gate for us to climb aboard the bus, Mekdes just grabbed my hand and headed through the gate without hesitation.  She climbed the big stairs on the bus and already knew the Geary rule of bus riding as she sat in the seats right behind the driver!  She was fascinated by all she was seeing out the window and couldn’t get the smile off her face.  So many things were being experienced for the first time, is such an honor and a thrill for Shawn and me to be a witness to it! 

We got back to the hotel and showed her around our room.  After letting her explore everything, we went down to the hotel restaurant for dinner.  We ate dinner with the Schneider family, who are the only other couple in the group adopting older children.  Laurie and Karl have adopted two sisters ages 12 and 14 and Mekdes has been with them the entire time she was at Hannah’s Hope.  So there was a huge comfort level for Mekdes to see their faces at dinner and eat with them—I am grateful for that!  

Mabrat, Mekdes and Yordi at dinner.

So far her food choices have been bread, fruit roll-ups, peanut butter crackers, oatmeal, injera and spaghetti.  We have been able to find something that she will eat at every meal-yahoo!  At least I know when we get home, she can survive on bread and fruit roll-ups-ha! 

We showered before bed and put on our new pj’s, which she loved.  She and I are wearing our “LOVE” t-shirts and I think she likes that we are matching.  I lay with her and she was out within five minutes.  She slept through the night and we have had not “potty” accidents since we have been here (knock on wood)! 

Everyone’s thoughts and prayers for a smooth initial transition were clearly heard and all in all it was a PERFECT gotcha day!!!!

Lovin' the bus!

We arrived...

Well, we arrived in Addis after a long and sleepless flight.   My smile has faded a bit, I must admit. J  We got a “suite” this time at the Riviera thinking it would be nice to have two rooms when it comes to putting Mekdes down for nap/bed.  Sadly, there is no hot water or showerhead and there is no internet connection. No matter really because tomorrow is the big day...it is what is known in the adoption community as “gotcha day”.  At 1:30pm we will ride the bus into the Hannah’s Hope compound, open the sliding door of the van and look for our Mekdes.  Will she be happy to see us?  Will she be willing the leave the orphanage with us?  How will she do at the hotel?  My head hurts there are so many unanswered questions, but I am sticking with the mantra, it will all work out.    We are traveling with other families on this trip, so that will be different for Shawn and me.  

We are so fortunate....

As most of you know, we had no internet connection while in Ethiopia.  I still journaled each day, so I could share with everyone when we returned.  Here is our amazing jouney...one week later.

We are so fortunate.....

We are so fortunate to be surrounded with such wonderful family and friends!  Over and over again we are reminded of the loving community that surrounds us.  The families on Shawn’s softball team and Kate’s softball team gave us the most beautiful evergreen tree covered with messages welcoming Mekdes  home.  The words covering this perfect tree were so inspirational; Shawn and I were truly touched.  What a beautiful and thoughtful reminder of this special moment in our lives!  We are so fortunate!  An impromptu gathering of friends surrounded the girls and me the other night.  And again, we were enveloped in well wishes and the kind gestures of friends.  Whether it was a pillow in the shape of Africa with a pocket full of welcoming words for Mekdes or a necklace full of charms of Addis Ababa or hair products for Mekdes or monetary gift for the orphanage, all were given with such powerful sentiment.  We were introduced to Dawit, a gentleman from Ethiopia, who has graciously agreed to become part of our family.  He will help us celebrate the Ethiopian culture and transition Mekdes into our lives.  What a gift!  We look forward to a wonderful relationship with Dawit and his family!  We are so fortunate!  There were so many people who gave diapers, nail polish, beach balls, games, coloring books...the list goes on and on.  All for children they will never meet.  Your generosity is much appreciated and I will try to capture the faces of the children when they receive your gifts.  Shawn and I are so lucky to be able to see and feel the gratitude from all the children as well as the people running Hannah’s Hope.  I wish we could bottle it up and bring it back for all of you to experience!  You have all made a huge difference in these children’s lives and we thank you for that.  We are so fortunate!

As we begin our 18 hour flight my heart is overflowing and I cannot wipe the smile off my face.  We are nearing the end of a two year chapter only to begin yet another chapter in our lives.  Thank you doesn’t seem to adequately express what I am feeling for all our family and friends, but THANK  YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!!!  You have sent us off to start this new chapter so full of love and with such a sense of support that, as I said, my heart is overflowing.  We will pour all of these glorious emotions onto our Mekdes the moment we see her.  And we will continue to let her know how special the community is that is about to welcome her home. 

Embassy date

Have you ever been at the DMV and felt so frustrated with the lifeless person behind the sterile, grey counter that you wanted to hurt someone?  That is how I have felt all week in dealing with the US department of Immigration.  We needed the age ranged ammended on our I600A form since Mekdes is younger than the ages originally recorded on all of our paperwork.  We had been given a tentative Ethiopian Embassy appointment of 11/15, so we knew we needed to get a rush on the approval of the change on the I600A.  I called everyday this week and every day I delt with a lifeless, useless "officer" at immigration who wasn't willing to find our file, look at our file, or approve our file.  By  Tuesday afternoon, I resorted to contacting our congressman to see if he would have any more pull with USCIS.  Bill Foster did try to intervene on our behalf, but he was unsuccessful in getting our file approved.  At this point, we had lost the flights I had on hold for our second trip.  We couldn't book the flights as we were still in limbo with Immigration and if we didn't get our file approved, our Embassy appointment would be cancelled.  Things were looking bleak, to say the least!  By Friday, I was frantic and thought if we didn't get this file approved, what was going to happen to Mekdes?  I had been praying for someone to answer the phone that would actually be able to assist me with our situation and Friday morning....it happened!  Officer McCall anwered my 900th call to Immmigration and was willing to get off of her chair, find our file, look over our file, and APPROVE our file!!!!  YAHOO!!!!!  So, we are back on track---rebooked our flights and are scheduled to travel for our second trip 11/11-11/18.  Ahhh, life is good!

Margo wanted to take a picture in her Halloween costume holding a picture of Mekdes--too cute!

Getting back into the routine...

Well, we are back stateside and I am finally sitting down to catch up.  My dear friend, Sarah, left a note  expressing her desire to have an update...so here it goes:
Our flight home was actually palatable as we had the first seats in the economy section.  That meant we didn't have anyone sitting in front of us which made the 20 some hours on the plane more manageable! The entire flight I just kept thinking of how Mekdes will do when we bring her home.  What activities would she enjoy, what would she eat, how would her ears do when the plane takes off?  My heart aches I miss her so much and I find myself getting a bit weepy at times just thinking of her and of our experience in Ethiopia.  There is so much that needs to be done in preparation for Mekes' arrival!  My head is spinning and I cannot seem to stay focused and on-task.  I believe we are going to take diapers on our second trip as that is what the orphanage director said they were in dire need of.  Coloring books, crayons, nail polish, stickers are also items that the children really enjoyed.  If anyone would like to contribute to this list, just drop it by the house.  Just a box of crayons is a gracious gift for these beautiful kids!  
We know the real journey is just about to begin, so we would truly appreciate your thoughts prayers as we transition to being a family of seven.  We know that there will certainly be tough days ahead as she grieves the loss of everything familiar.  There will possibly (if not probably) be times when she shuts down and rejects us, when she gets angry and frustrated, when she cries and we don’t know why or what to do.  There will be a language barrier for a while since she doesn’t speak English.  In many ways, the hard part is ahead of us as we learn to parent Mekdes well.

We’ll be “cocooning” for a month or so while she transitions to being a part of our family. Right now she thinks anyone could be Mom or Dad.  So cocooning is a process of teaching her who her Mom and Dad are and what family is.   We have been told to strictly limit visitors at first, and to be the only ones to provide her care, so she can start making a connection with us.  It is hard, as we are excited for you to meet your beautiful, new niece, cousin, friend, grandchild, playmate.  This is temporary, and we thank you for your understanding and patience while we try to form family attachments with our new daughter.   Again, thank you all so much. We are incredibly blessed to have the privilege of being her family, and we can’t wait to bring her home!

Margo in her traditional outfit.  

A BIG thanks to my folks who stayed with the girls while we were gone!  They didn't miss a beat!!!  I love you, guys!

slideshows

last day--argh!

Well, we are back in our room after saying good-bye to Mekes today.  I woke up crying, had my morning Ethiopian tea  crying, talked to the receptionist about a late check out crying,  I am crying right now,  but when it came time to tuck Mekdes in for her nap and say good-bye I was able to do it without breaking down.  I believe that is due to all the prayers and support that all of our family and friends have given us and there are no words to express how truly grateful we are to everyone!  Before her nap, we read Mekdes the photo book I had sent over a month or so ago.  Several of the girls gathered around for the “story”.  Every time we would get to a picture of Margo all the girls would shout out “Mar-goooo”.  It made us laugh and I think it was that God given moment that helped us get through the good-bye.  To think Margo has a fan club in Ethiopia is a real hoot!  We asked Wass to make sure he continues to explain to Mekdes that we will be coming back and that we are preparing our home in America for her.  He promised he would and this also helps set our hearts at ease.  There were several funny moments today that helped lighten our heavy hearts.  Several children were fascinated with the hair on Shawn’s arms and found it even more interesting when they would get his arm wet.  They would laugh and laugh over this strange white man and his hairy arms!  Mekdes was riding on my shoulders and kept trying to braid my hair in the traditional way of her culture.  She became very frustrated when my straight hair wouldn’t stay in the braid!  White people’s hair is so strange said one of  the care mothers—ha!  Another sweet girl would put on my sunglasses and pretend she was a rapper!  She had all the moves and rhythms down—it goes to show how small our planet has become! 

They are in dire need of diapers...maybe a diaper collection for trip two???

We fly out tonight and after about 20 some hours we should arrive in Chicago.  We cannot wait to see our girls and share with them all about their new sister and the wonderful country of Ethiopia that we have become so found of.  See you all soon!