back seat conversations...

As much of my time is spent shuttling girls from one event to another, I spend many hours perched in the front seat of our minivan.  What I relish while in this front position is listening to the conversations that go on in the back of the vehicle.  Todays conversation between Margo and Mekdes was delightful and I wanted to share it with you.  It went something like this....
Margo:  Look how loose my tooth is.  Pretty soon the tooth fairy will come.
Mekdes immediately started trying to wiggle her tooth and then stops and asks:  What is a tooth fairy?
Margo:   The tooth fairy takes your teeth and then leaves you money under your pillow.
Mekdes immediately covers her mouth and shouts out:  I don't want the fairy to take my teeth!  I don't want money!  And I don't want them in my room!
Ahh, the nuances of cultural characters!  We will have to cover the tooth fairy with more detail when the time comes!  For now, we have Santa to contend with and the time had come to meet with the toy maker from the North Pole to discuss what we would like him to bring us for Christmas.   The excitement level was high for both Margo and Mekdes and they were squealing with delight as we drove to see Santa.  While waiting in line to see the big man, decisions were being made and changed....then made and changed regarding what they were were going to ask for.  This was obviously a crucial decision and you don't want to blow it by being unprepared when your moment comes!  As we finally approached the jolly fellow in the big, red suit their minds were set and they marched up to declare their wishes.  As you will see in the videos, the Smurf movie and purple boots are what we asked Santa for.  Let's hope he remembers...

There is a funny side note to this story.  As we were standing in line and the girls were trying to decide what to ask for, there was a man with two young girls who walked up behind us.  He was a little rough and clearly felt as if he had drawn the short straw when it came to bringing his girls to see Santa.  His irritability stood out like a sore thumb in a line of people glowing with the holiday spirit!  Shortly after he and his girls arrived in line he received a phone call that decidedly added to his "mood".  Within seconds the expletives were flying out of his mouth and people were literally covering their children's ears!  One father started to sing/shout "up on the housetop reindeer's paw...".  It was all I could do not to break out into hysterical laughter at being caught in this absurd dichotomy that truly warranted a spot in the Saturday Night Live holiday skit line-up!  Standing between the family who was  wearing matching outfits for their Christmas card  photo op with Santa and the man who had a vocabulary that would make a truck driver blush made for a very memorable first visit with the giant elf!

a norman rockwell thanksgiving....

If there is one time of year I look forward to the most, it is Thanksgiving.  Every year, we pack up our crew (5 girls, a dog, 2 adults, 7 suitcases and activity bags)  in the minivan and head to Ohio for a few days of Thanksgiving bliss.  My parents have a small farm in Ohio with all the bells and whistles that make is a fabulous destination for our entire family.  The tractor, the gator, chickens, turkeys, a cabin, bon fires, target practice, the work shop....the list goes on and on.  This was Mekdes' first Thanksgiving at the Davis farm and she was in heaven.  As she stated while we were on our hayride, "I really like it here!".  As do we all!  From digging up the potato harvest to making reindeer there were many first for Mekdes this year.  Here are some pics from our delightful Thanksgiving holiday.

Anna learns to drive the tractor this year....soon, a car...yikes!

our work shop project

we take our target competition very seriously!

all the cousins!

our annual hayride had the added element of a treasure hunt this year--great fun!

mmmmmm.....mama's pie dough!

the dreaded question...

This holiday season has been a real treat for me watching Mekdes absorb all of our cultural rituals and stories that surround the Christmas holiday.  We have watched Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with absolute awe and joy.  She is recognizing holiday music and lights up when she hears her favorites.  What has been so fascinating is to see how steeped in tradition and lore we all are since birth and how that effects our beliefs.  While Margo has no problem with the understanding of Santa, his job responsibilities on Christmas Eve and his sled being pulled by reindeer that fly, Mekdes continually asks.."So how does the sled fly?"  "What do you mean the reindeer are magical?"  "How does he see everyone in one night?"   We breathe these facts in from the moment we enter this world and are taught all the glorious stories that surround this miraculous event.  To see this child try to wrap her brain around our stories and beliefs has been pure joy for all of us!  

The other day we were on the front porch putting up the greenery and Mekdes declares, "This is going to make Santa so happy!".  I told her that he loves to see everyone in the holiday spirit.  She paused for a moment and asked, "What color is Santa?".  I froze!  I have prepared myself for this type of question for years....I taught in the inner city....I have a degree in African American Studies....I have a binder full of articles on how to respond to your  child when they have questions regarding color.....ARGH!!!!  Why is my mind drawing a blank?!  How do you see him in your heart?  I think he is the color of love.  What do I do?  What do I do?  And then Mekdes interrupted the silence.  "Oh, ya.", she said.  "He is red and white.".  YES!  YES!  I joyfully concurred!  He IS red and white!  I sure do love these moments of levity.  I truly feel they are reminders from our higher power telling us to relax and enjoy the moment. 

Happy Holidays, everyone!

a new hair do

hair...

We are now into doing hair once a week and trying new styles.  I am constantly googling African American hair styles for young girls and then trying to You Tube how to achieve it.  My favorite styles are the ones that take under an hour and I think Mekdes would agree.  Our least favorite styles are the two hour deals that leave us both cranky and annoyed!  We love her beautiful curls and I wish I had half the fullness of Mekdes' hair, but the amount of product and effort that goes into maintaining African hair is something we Caucasians cannot even begin to appreciate!  Hair is an enormous subject in the African American community as I can attest to via my inner city teaching experience as well as my African American Studies major.  I had entire courses dedicated to the subject.  It is multi layered and very complex and there can be a lot of self worth wrapped up in an African American woman's hair.  With all that said, I wonder if it will be the same for Mekdes.  After all, she is not African American.  She does not descend of ancestors with roots that go back through slavery.  She is American/Ethiopian  and from what I have read, many  Ethiopian American adoptees do not have the same feelings on hair and skin color that African Americans may have.  It will be interesting to see how our dear Mekdes feels as she grows and develops.   

This morning I was having feelings of guilt, however.  Guilt over not mastering all the wonderful hair styles that Medkes deserves to wear in her hair.  Somewhere in that sacred space between mother and child Mekdes must have sensed I was feeling low.  As I was working on her hair she whispered, "you are a good mom".  How dear!  How pure!  And oh, how I needed to hear it in that very moment.   

Life is good!  

40 minutes flat--new record!

We put the letter M in the back of this hair style...very exciting!

1 year....

Today is our "Gotcha Day" anniversary.  One year ago today we were able to walk out of Hannah's Hope with our Mekdes.  

While the proper thing to say here is, "Where has the time gone?" or "Geez, it just flew by!" the honest to God truth is that Shawn and I have aged 10 years since November 15, 2010!   Three adolescent daughters, rigorous athletic schedules, involved students in four different schools (preschool, elementary school, middle school and high school), boyfriends, social calendars, our youngest child still transitioning, our fourth child still figuring out her role...the list goes on and on yet they all contribute to our perpetual state of chaos here in the Geary household.  This is nothing that every other stay at home mom doesn't deal with on a daily basis and I do realize I am preaching to the choir here with some of you, but I do dream of a day when I am as together as those moms we see around town who look put together, who act put together and who don't have kids going to preschool with a maxi pad stuck to the back of her coat!   But the reality is,  as I look back at all that has happened since a year ago today,  I wouldn't trade any of it as it is the glorious realization of what a leap of faith can do.  

Now the aforementioned "put together" mom would have created a beautiful Ethiopian feast for her family on this special day.  But in our Geary chaos, Mekdes has decided that pepperoni pizza and Sprite would make her perfect dinner....what a change a year makes!   From bananas to pizza.  Perhaps I'll be put together next year...we can dream!

Gotcha Day!  Here is the outfit Mekdes wore when we left the orphanage.  My how we've grown!

Halloween...

I regret to inform you that my computer has passed away.  And in doing so, I have lost all photos going back to Margo being born!  The horror of it all has not truly set in, but I have had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach for quite some time now and I think that is why I have neglected my blog entries.   For those of you who are computer savvy and are wondering why I had not "back up" the answer is--I am NOT computer savvy and I just assumed my Mac stuff was saved up in the "cloud" that exists out there for me.  Laugh if you will, but that is how primitive my knowledge of all things techy truly is!  With all that being said, I am trying to get back on track and have  some catching up to do.

Halloween....what a strange holiday full of strange traditions that we celebrate every October 31!  We teach our children not to talk to strangers and not to take food from strangers, yet once a year that all goes out the window.  As I'm sure you are picking up on via my tone here, Mekdes was thoroughly confused by this holiday.  What do you mean we dress up in funny outfits and people give us candy?   We do what with pumpkins?  You expect me to put my hand in this goo?!

The big day had finally arrived and I was dropping Mekdes off at preschool for the Halloween parade.  She was commenting on everyone looking "weird"as we pulled into the drop off line.  After going over what was going to happen at school that day (for the 100th time), Mekdes looked at me and said "Ok, so when do I take off my shirt?"!  Costumes, putting them on, taking them off, using good manners, everyone looking weird....it was all too much to compute!!!  I told her to keep her shirt on and that all she has to do is put on her flower wings and she is in costume and ready for the parade.  "Mom, I've got it!" she shouted as she very independently jumped out of the minivan and walked over to get in line for school.  It was definitely a Halloween to remember!

Smurfette, Hippie, Freshman, Mouse and Flower

it makes your heart smile...

We have been preparing packages to send to our friends in Ethiopia to help them during this difficult time.  As we were putting things together, Margo was trying to figure out what she could do to contribute.  At the same time, I was planning the team picnic for Anna's softball team and getting things ready for that event.  A light bulb went off in Margo's head during this planning frenzy and she decided she would make hair ribbons to sell at the picnic and she would also sell some LOVE bracelets Aunt Bridget had made for her students during their study of Ethiopia.  The money she made from her "store" she would to use to help pay for school for the street girl Shawn and I met during our visits to Addis.  Margo made business cards, receipts and signs to prepare and let everyone know what the money was going towards.  Anna sent a text to all her teammates asking them to bring a buck or two to the picnic because Margo would be selling some things.  I was so proud of all their efforts!  Well, "Margo's Gifts"  was a huge success and Margo made $35!  Through the generousity of the team families and Margo's hard work, she is able to pay for a month of school for Sahara.  My heart is still smiling!

first day of preschool....

First day for Anna, Emme, Kate and Margo.

Ahh, the moment has finally arrived!  The moment when I can count on 6 hours a week without the constant barrage of questions, demands and activities that come with having five girls.  Now for new parents, this may sound heartless.  But for those of you who have older children, I'm guessing this sounds all too familiar.  

Last week we started high school, middle school and elementary school.  Today, Mekdes starts preschool and is so excited she could burst.  What made me burst was what happened last week at our preschool orientation.  As Mekdes and I were exploring her classroom, a young girl entered the room with the most beautiful braids in her hair.  Since we are a multicultural family, I tend to zone in on any minority child we see in hopes of  befriending them and adding color to our very white world.  I immediately introduced myself and complimented the mother on her daugther's beautiful hair.   Now comes the glorious part...this woman and her husband are ETHIOPIAN!!!  What are the odds that we would find an Ethiopian family right here in our home town?!  I thank God for this gift and look forward to forging a friendship with these people who were put in our path.  Yahoo!  

Look at me!  I have a backpack just like my big sisters!

brought back down to earth...

Do you ever have those parental moments when you are so fully present, so fully enveloped in the wonderful exchange that is taking place between you and your child that you wish it could last forever?  You feel so proud of the moment you want it to go on and on and on.  I just had Mekdes and Margo sitting on my lap and their legs were touching.   We were talking about how their skin color was different, but they were both beautiful and I loved them both with all my heart.  I shared with Mekdes that her skin had been kissed by the African sun and that had given her her beautiful color.  Again, I was floating on my parental high...I was fully in the moment when Mekdes looked at me and asked...

"Why you smell bad?"

Ahh, brought back down to earth with four small words!!!!  The adventure continues...

why, why, why, why, why.....

It has finally dawned on me that Mekdes is exhibiting  typical behavior....for a 2 year old! It makes sense, really, that with all the change that has occurred in her short life, that she hasn't had a chance to develop emotionally and the end result is, I am parenting a 2 year old right now!  It seems so long ago that I was in that stage with our other girls, but the exhaustion of it all is coming back to me full force.  It is like being run over by a very large truck....if you will.  From the moment Mekdes opens her eyes, the questions begin.  "Why you wear a bra?  Why you drink coffee?  Why you drive?  Why you not have big hair?  I'm big.  Can I drive?  Why it rain?"  I could go on and on.  At the start of the day, I actually try to give intelligent and thoughtful answers.  "When the clouds get too full of water, it rains. When you get older you wear a bra.  You have to be 16 years old to drive."  Those answers are still met with..."the follow up why".   "Why clouds full?  Why 16?  You not 16."  By the end of the day, I am so beat down, my brain is so mushy that I find myself playing the God card.  As our dear Aunt Maureen says, "When in doubt, refer to God." Words to live by!  Come 4pm, my answer to "Why your legs tall?" sound something like this..."It is God's way."  What is miraculous about this less than appropriate approach  is that Mekdes stops asking why (at least for 10 minutes).  It must be her confusion about who God is and why I keep referring to him/her that sets her back for this temporary yet greatly needed question reprieve.   I realize you will not find this technique in any parenting or adoption text books, but since I find myself dangling at the end of my parental rope at the moment, I am going with it!
On a serious note, we continue to be in awe of the transition and adjustment not only Mekdes has and is making, but that our other gals are as well.   We continue on our adoption journey finding moments of pure joy and love along the way and it is glorious!

Davis cousins visit for the Fourth--what fun!

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Mekdes cannot get enough time in the water!

wheregowego....

Ahhh, summer has settled in here in Gearyland and a routine has been found.  This makes life much easier and less stressful for everyone involved.  One of the items we are working on this summer is Mekdes using complete sentences.  "Wheregowego" is what she uses to ask any question.   It is used so frequently, that it is becoming part of our family vocabulary.   As a result, I am making an effort to use the proper sentence structure with Mekdes when she is asking a question.  Instead of "Wheregowego store?" we are trying "Are we going to the store?".  It is all rather fascinating, really!  Mekdes is doing a great job with her language development and talks 24/7.  We were all in the car the other day and the 90's song--Whoomp!  There It Is! came on and all the girls were singing it.  Each girl was taking her "solo moment" throughout the song and having a great time.  We all burst into hysterical laughter when Mekdes' solo time came up and we heard her sing at the top of her lungs...."Poop, there it is!"  Mekdes must have been thinking...what a strange American tradition to sing a song about bowel movements, but whatever....I'll go with it!!!

I love these moments!!!!

Mekdes loves to snuggle with our Ethiopian flag.

simpler times...

 My heart is yearning for a simpler time with my girls.  A time when finding the right color crayon was all that mattered in an artistic first grade moment.  A time when sleeping in the tent in the backyard was the greatest adventure any little girl could dream of.   When I look at my Anna and Emme now, this is still what I see:

To everyone else, this is what my eldest daughters look like:

All that matters in their worlds now is friends, boyfriends and text messaging.  The greatest adventure they could think of would not include any parents and I'm quite sure would be out of the country!  I don't  know when it happened, but I have become the worst mom on the planet whose only goal is to ruin her daughters' lives.  No more crayons and tents, my friends.  I am at war with hormonal adolescent creatures who are giving me a real run for my money!  My parents have been waiting for this moment.  The moment when I have a daughter who is as unpleasant, selfish and disrespectful as I was in my youth.  Good news, folks!  I have two at the same time--YAHOO!!!!!  From the moment I wake up until the moment I shut my eyes at night I am in a constant tug of war with my older girls.  Checking texts, checking quantity of texts, calling other parents before a party, insisting on meeting other parents and friends, no facebook, constant computer monitoring....these are some of the things that I do to ruin my girls' lives.  Combine these items with the cooking, laundry and 24 hour taxi service I offer and you have created a recipe for a women who loves....wine!!!!  

Oh, I don't mean to complain here.  I realize many women have had daughters and survived.  We are all healthy with a roof over our heads and for that I am eternally grateful!  If I could just get a day here and there when I am not locking horns from the moment I open my eyes, that would be lovely.  

I will end this entry on a positive note.  While the first few days of summer vacation were a NIGHTMARE, we just had a week end that was relatively pleasant.  There was laughter and moments spent together that were enjoyed by all.  I shall take it and tuck it into the folds of my memory to be pulled out another day when I am reaching for that bottle of wine!!!!  

where did the time go...

Team Pepsi has begun their softball season and players #6 and #7 are loving their purple uniforms!

As Margo has been watching softball games since she was in a baby carrier, she understands the game.  Mekdes, as one would guess, has no idea how the game works and this makes for a humorous dynamic between player #6 and #7.  You will often hear Margo yelling at Mekdes to "RUN" or "PAY ATTENTION".  Mekdes' main concern is what the treat is after the game.  The whole concession stand thing is like a dream come true for Mekdes.  A small hut that is full of sugar treats....what a marvelous invention!

The older girls are looking forward to school being out and there are lots of end of the year activities going on the complicate our schedule exponentially!  It is hard to believe that Anna will be in high school next year and Kate is starting middle school...where did the time go?  

This picture before a big soccer game seems like it was just yesterday!  They were so sweet then, without adolescent attitude and drama....oh how I miss that innocence!  

Here are my lovely ladies now.  Kate just had an end of the year orchestra concert--she plays a mean violin!  And Emme and Anna had their year end choir concert.  I love that all our girls enjoy music and they all have a real talent for it.  My mom was always singing, playing the piano and guitar when we were growing up.  I do not have the musical gene, so I am thrilled that my girls seem to have picked up on my mom's talent!  

big water....garose

Sanibel Island was lovely!  

The weather could not have been more perfect for a beach wedding and we enjoyed all the festivities surrounding the Fitzgerald/Geary union.  As one might expect, the pool was a HUGE hit with Margo and Mekdes.  Neither girl is a strong swimmer, so I have vests on them whenever they were in the water.  Mekdes would have been in that pool 24/7 if I would have let her.  She was like a beautiful Ethiopian bobber floating around in that pool!  The ocean, however, was a different story.  In Mekdes' words, "BIG WATER GAROSE!".   (We have started creating our own Mekdes vocabulary.  Several one syllable words have now become two.  For example gross=garose. ) She did not enjoy the salty taste of the water nor did she find the sand particularly pleasant.  Something she did find pleasant was the "swing bed"--better known as a hammock.  Between the pool and the hammock, Mekdes was in heaven.  Margo found her heaven at the reception as she transformed into a dancing queen  as soon as the music began to boom from the dj's speakers!  For four hours straight Margo displayed her dancing prowess and taught the rest of us a move or two.  She would sing the words to every lyric while perfectly displaying the latest dance routine.  Suffice it to say that Margo was the HIT of the reception and the chant "GO MARGO, GO MARGO..." could be heard repeatedly through out the evening.  On Sunday as we made our way to the pool, she had to wear large sunglasses and a floppy hat with the hope  of going unrecognized and having a quiet moment without the paparazzi spotting her--ha!  She refused all requests for autographs until she was able get a slushy at the bar and a dip in the pool.

Amy looked stunning and was the picture perfect beach bride.  The Fitzgerald family was delightful and I have my application in to be the 6th Fitzgerald sister!  It is under review as we speak and I am told I will be notified by the end of the month.  My girls looked beautiful and my husband looked so handsome.  I cherish this photo I took on the way to meet the photographer before the ceremony.  How did I get so lucky?!

play ball....

Any of you who know our family know that spring means the start of soccer and softball seasons.  It is a time I must gear up for miserable weather, muddy cleats and long week-ends of game after game after game.  Not to be left out of this spring frenzy are Mekdes and Margo as they too are playing softball.  Before they had their first practice, Shawn thought he should go over what all the equipment is for the game of softball and how it is used with Mekdes.  After he had this little tutor session, Coach Shawn wanted to test Mekdes' hand-eye coordination by throwing her some pitches.  As you can see on the video...Mekdes has the hand eye coordination thing down!!!!!  Next up...base running...

a big day....

"Today my day special,"  is what Mekdes declared as she rushed down the stairs this morning.  We had our final court appointment for the adoption today and we were all very excited!  Everyone was rushing around trying to get ready and out the door by 8:45am.  It was all going rather smoothly until...

1.  Mekdes got her hand shut in the car door--OUCH!!!

2.  Emme pointed out that I still had my slippers on as we were going through the metal detector!

So, we enter the court house for this glorious day with Mekdes crying and mom in her slippers--ha!  After these initial blips, everything went according to plan and our final adoption ceremony was complete.  Mekdes Hope Geary is now and forever will be a Geary girl and we are so honored to have her as part of our clan!!!!

Here we are with the judge and our friend, Ron, who facilitated this process on our behalf.  We are so grateful to him!
Can you see my slippers????  I think Judge Hull was questioning my mental and emotional stability!

The Geary gals

Judge Hull congratulating Margo on being such a great "big sis".

Our celebratory brunch with our dear friends, Ron and Sarah.  French fries with ranch and ketchup were on the menu...of course!

sweet, sweet, sounds...

I was upstairs doing laundry today and when I came down, I heard this sweet, pure voice emanating from the kitchen.  Our Ethiopian angel had created a "fort" by opening all the drawers and cupboards around the kitchen island.  Her trusty side-kick, Ruby, was with her and she was singing something wonderful while watching her reflection in the oven door.  It was so dear!  I was able to grab the camera and get some of it on video...please excuse the state of my kitchen!

shopping...

We are all very excited about the upcoming marriage of Kevin and Amy!  As one would guess, there is a lot of preparation that goes into getting 5 girls ready for a destination wedding.  In comparison to the preparations the Fitzgerald family has been so beautifully undertaking in the planning of this glorious Sanibel Island event, this is small potatoes, I know.  But finding the right dress for the event and location for 5 gals has left me a bit.....frazzled!  I'm sure Mrs. Fitzgerald, Amy's mom,  can relate to the exhaustion I feel regarding my daughters and clothes as she raised a lovely brew of daughters and....survived!  I will have to pick her brain as to how she was able to navigate these treachurous  waters and end up with such beautiful girls who still talk to her--ha!   With 3 adolescent daughters, I have been in and out of many stores looking for the perfect dress for the moody teen-ager,  the surly pre-teen and the angry tween that has to wear a hand-me-down...WHAT FUN!!!!  What has been fun, however, is bringing along my 2 able bodied assistants.  Every store plays music anymore, so as we enter each establishment Mekdes and Margo will announce..."DANCE PARTY!".  All those who are shopping at said establishment are then treated to a fabulous combination of American urban dance and Ethiopian tribal dance.  The routine begins at the front door and continues on to the left as the 4 and 5 year old dancers circle their unique choreography  all the way around the store ending  the impromptu routine at the front door and thus signaling our shopping time is up.  It has been a delightful addition to our shopping experience and the older girls really LOVE  the added attention it brings to our crew as we enter the store!!!
We are all counting down the days until we take off for the Fitzgerald/Geary wedding.  It will be so wonderful to be with family in such a beautiful setting and celebrate the union of two of my favorite people.  There will be many first for Mekdes on this adventure and I cannot wait to share them with her....the ocean...a huge pool....a fancy hotel....the airplane full of Gearys...the wedding ceremony itself...shelling on the beach...warm weather...palm trees...We continue to be amazed and feel truly blessed to be on this adoption journey!

Here are our two dancers honing their craft....

birthdays...

While at the grocery, Mekdes and I were picking out a cake for Margo's 6th birthday.  I was trying to explain the birthday cake tradition and could see from Mekdes' face that she wasn't following.  She couldn't  fathom why anyone would be given an entire cake for their birthday and eat the entire thing!  It took some dialogue, but I was finally able to convey that the birthday cake is shared by all and that it is just part of the celebration.  The birthday girl does not have to eat the entire cake.  She seemed very relieved after we cleared this up as she wasn't too sure she liked the idea of Margo getting the entire cake for her birthday and not having to share any of it--ha!

Swimming...

Our spring break was spent at home this year.  As we are going to Florida in May for Kevin and Amy's wedding, we chose not to go anywhere for the girls spring break.  So, what does one do with five girls in the dreary Midwest for the last week in March, one might ask.
Well... Emme has needed her tonsils out for years and this seemed like the perfect time to get it done.  The poor thing was miserable all week and made sure the rest of us were feeling her pain as well.  I highly suggest having tonsils removed before the age of 8, so one doesn't have to deal with surly adolescent attitude in conjunction with surgical pain and narcotics!!!!
I tried to do some fun things with the girls before the surgery was scheduled.  Pedicures, individual shopping time,  and swimming were some of the things we were able to accomplish before Emme lost the golf ball sized tonsils that had inhabited her throat for as long as we can remember.  The swimming was the high light as Mekdes has never been in a container of water bigger than our tub.  We got a room at a local hotel and used their pool for the afternoon.  Mekdes has been wearing her swimming suit as her bra and underwear for quite some time now, so the thought of actually wearing her suit to go swimming was thrilling  beyond all imagination!  The first half hour in the pool was spent drinking the water.  It took some doing, but we were finally able to convince Mekdes that we would have other water to drink after we swam and that this water was just for playing in and having fun.  You could see it was hard for her to wrap her brain around the fact that there was all this water collected in one spot and you shouldn't drink as much of it as you possibly could.  As she said to me on a walk one afternoon, "Ethiopia, no water...no cup".  My heart still bleeds for all the orphaned children in Ethiopia.  As for our swimmer, she had a swimmers vest on and clung to a sister the entire time, but she was grinning from ear to ear and loving every minute of it.  Repeatedly, she would declare, "I swim! I swim!  Me love swim!".    Here are some pics from the momentous event.

So this is swimming.

I AM LOVING IT!

Goggles anyone?

My parents were able to come to help with Emme and visit during the week.  The girls enjoyed many walks to Grahams Chocolates for ice cream with Papa and lots of delicious meals made by Mama.  It is always a treat to have my family visit.  My sister and her kids were able to sneak up for a few days giving us some good cousin fun time.  

As I watch both Mekdes and Margo grow and transition into our new reality, it is so amazing to see the small indicators of this healthy growth.  Mekdes smiles for every picture now and isn't afraid to flash her pearly whites to show her happiness.  This is a real change from the timid child that walked into our lives 5 months ago.  Margo will actually ask Mekdes to play dolls with her and we all know what a huge milestone that is from 5 months ago!  Good things are happening and it gives us all hope.  Speaking of "hope"...on April 20 we have our last court date that states Mekdes Hope Geary is officially ours.  Yahoo!

Irish...

My husband's father is Irish and his mother is Polish.  He has always claimed that he got all of the Irish DNA and his brother got all of the Polish DNA.  Having just had a delicious meal of corned beef and cabbage in celebration of this 100% Irish heritage and St. Patrick's Day, it is good to see that we have passed this Irish DNA on to our fifth child...

Not to be forgotten is our fourth Irish child.....

With the arrival of St. Patrick's Day we are starting to believe spring is on its way.  With the sun shining, we have been able to play outside on several occasions now, giving us all hope the better weather is around the corner.  Mekdes lived outside in Ethiopia and the indoor living that she has been forced to experience here has left her longing to be outside again.  She giggles with delight when we are able to play outside and starts talking a mile a minute about what exactly she wants to do.  Margo has been shooting hoops every chance she gets and this brings a twinkle to her father's eye!  Her determination and work ethic is rather impressive for a five almost six year old.  To see her out there putting up a shot and chasing down her own rebound in her little pig tails and glasses is so adorable!  Mekdes wants nothing to do with basketball, however,  and would prefer to ride her scooter around the drive way while staring down any passer bys.

Another home visit has come and gone and I am happy to report that it went off without any alarming behaviors and/or comments.  Our social worker was able to see the bond that has formed between Margo and Mekdes as she was asking Mekdes a series of questions.  With each question, Mekdes would lean into Margo so Margo could whisper the answer in her ear.  "So, tell me what you ate for lunch, Mekdes," would be the conversation starter.  Mekdes would think for a moment and then lean into her teammate and wait for her to share the proper response.  "Grilled cheese," Margo would quietly whisper in Mekdes' ear.  It was so wonderful!  Margo proudly enumerated the many things that Mekdes is able to do now....count to ten, name some colors, know the letters in her name....to the social worker.  The proud big sister was a real champion for her little sister and it filled their mother with pure joy.  These moments are really what we live for as parents!

The longer Mekdes is with us, the more she becomes herself.  She is blossoming into a funny, affectionate, feisty, smart little girl.  It is such a privilege to see this transformation develop.  The question of nature vs. nurture is one that adoptive parents will ask themselves over and over again, I am told.  We have been able to seamlessly add Mekdes' birth mother into our daily lives and this makes me very happy.  I made a photo book for Mekdes and included her birth mother in the book.  We are able to read the book and talk about how beautiful her birth mother is and how much we love her.  The only thing Mekdes says when she sees a picture of Arbe is "outside".  I try to press for more information...did you live outside, do you remember seeing her outside at the orphanage...but I am unable to decipher what she is thinking or describing.  My goal has always been to have Arbe a part of our lives in such a way that Mekdes will never remember a MOMENT when she learned she was adopted or who her birth mother was.  We want it to always be a part of family dialogue and story and I hope that we are on our way to starting just that.