And Starring in The Itsy Bitsy Spider....

This is our own version of the infamous song. Hope you enjoy it! He took three steps today on his own...hmm. We'll see how long it takes to see him up and running! He is babbling new "words, getting more determined, and showing his gentle side more and more each day. He was able to meet his Great Aunt and his grandma's cousins today. Of course, they all doted on him. Each person that meets him comments on how attached he seems to me (Mary). Of course, this is what I prayed for. This is what I longed for.

Gee, what a cool pool! He loves the pool and his bath and pretty much has no fear of the water...scares mom and makes dad laugh!

Summer Fun

Summer is flying by so quickly. We are having a blast with Micah, watching him grow, develop an Ethiopian piece of strong will, and trying to walk! He continues to be very healthy and has two teeth to add to his personality. More are on the way, I've been reminded this week with his crankiness and constant drooling. His sleeping patterns are quite unpredictable, but other than that, he has developed his own little routine. He's finally gotten used to the car seat, especially if he has something to snack on! He spent several nights at Vacation Bible School with us and loved to dance and clap. He's got some rhythm, let me tell you!!

It's morning here and I'm listening to him babble those cute "I'm rested, fed and want to talk" sounds. I often think his arrival is still a dream and that this whole experience isn't real yet. I pray I will never let a day pass that I don't get on my knees to say thanks to Jesus for allowing us the unspeakable honor of being parents of all of our children. I love the Chris Tomlin song we sing at church that says, "How can I keep from singing your praise? I am loved by the King and it makes my heart want to sing!!"

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

I promised a shot of Mr. Independence and this picture captured it perfectly! Ornery, ornery, ornery!!! We had two days of 4th of July fun with friends.  Micah didn't mind the fireworks at all and actually tried grabbing them in the air!  This is our whole family, from l to r:  Hannah, Bethany, Dennis, Micah, Mary, Kelsay and Andrew.  Micah had his second pediatrician's visit yesterday and had gained almost two pounds and had grown one inch.  He is at a whopping 17.5 pounds and 26 inches long.  He's still in the 3rd percentile for his height and weight, but at the top of the 3rd!  We are gaining!  He is officially a table food eater and insists on feeding himself for the most part.  I suppose baby food is beneath him or something.  It's hard to believe that he will turn 10 months on the 12th of July.  We are working on more teeth, so perhaps corn on the cob will be our next choice!  

P.S.  i think it is WAY cool that I still have not purchased ANY diapers or wipes as of today.  Thanks friends and families for great shower gifts and donations!!!

Independence Day!

This refers to our country and Micah, actually! Mr. Independent is ruling the household as you can imagine. We've passed our one month anniversary together on June 30th! The last month has been almost surreal when I sit for a second and think through it all. Sometimes I don't believe having Micah really here is real. And then other times, like 3 in the morning, I know for sure that I'm up rocking him for the third time!!

We have SO much to be thankful for as we continue to be amazed at Micah's good health and development. He has had no health problems and is right on target, if not ahead, developmentally. His most recent venture is trying to maneuver the two stairs up to our dining room. Up is no problem, down is another story! His two bottom are white and shiny when he grins and baby food is pretty much a thing of the past. He has skipped little baby and went right to "I want to eat with my hands and give me a cracker, please!"

I couldn't resist an Old Navy 4th of July outfit for him, so as we celebrate this weekend, pics will be abundant of course! My deepest gratitude goes to all who have prayed us through this 20 month process and who have offered support and help as we have gotten acquainted with each other. God is so good, undeservedly so.

Bugs and dog food and teething, oh my!

If that header doesn't suck you in, I don't know what will! I can't believe we have been home for nearly a month with our little guy. The time has gone so quickly, but in some ways it seems as if Micah has been here with us all along. I have decided to resolve that just because one parented 4 small children in her past doesn't mean she is still sharp on everything currently. Thus the title. Here are some the happenings as of late from Micah's point of view:

1. Did you know that sneaking a few pieces of dog food when mom isn't looking is really fun?
2. I found a stink bug on the floor and chewed on it for a while. I wasn't amused.
3. I'm getting my first teeth and I like to be cranky to the people I love. These are my first ones, so this is a whole new ball game. I do love that purple Tylenol stuff, though!
4. My mean mom took me to this place where they held me down to take a bunch of my blood. My mom cried, I cried...geez it was horrible. But my mom is SOOOOOOOOOO excited that all of my tests came back great!!!
5. Only moms care about poop...and mine doesn't have any parasites or giardia...another thing my mom is happy about!!
6. BTW, I'd rather feed myself table food than have my family feed me baby food. I may look little, but green bean baby food is nasty.
7. I'm quite the rock star when it comes to crawling, stairs, cruising around furniture and babbling.
8. I really love it when my dad takes me to the pool, especially when he teaches me how to float and kick. My mom doesn't like to watch all of our tricks, though.
9. Everyone keeps telling me that I look bigger and taller. I take it as a compliment!
10. The last thing I'd like to say is that I love when people hold me and rock me. I'm spoiled that way!

Good Times!

Summer has found us making the rounds with family and friends. I love this picture of Micah with Hannah...this is his ornery look! Bethany and Hannah posed him in front of our flowerbed and we were pleased with his compliance. We took him to our subdivision pool and he LOVED it! No fear whatsoever. Finally, this is a great picture of Micah meeting his great-grandparents, Harold and Mildred Roth for the first time. Grandma had a John Deere toy for him to play with! We continue to adjust to our new schedules, lack of sleep (at least mine!), toys strewn about, and hands in the dog's food. Busy is this kid's middle name. We would have it no other way! He babbles constantly and is a real ham. We have been watching video we took of meeting his grandmother and family and again are moved when we think of where Micah has come from and the roads that let him to us. God has had His hand on every single step of this journey. I'm always amazed to think that God was ordaining this long before I knew, and that He is in all the details! Good thing I'm not in charge.

Smiles Abound!

Our transition to a baby-proof home and Micah's transition to a new a family have meshed quite nicely these last two weeks. He is one happy boy, along with an ornery side to be honest! His laugh and smile are infectious and he basically is one big ball of fun. Most of our days are spent watching him...kind of like a never-ending show and tell!

Travel 101 for Dummies, part 3

After trying to remember all of my mental notes from the trip, I'm not sure there is a "category" for the rest. So, I may ramble a bit for this post.

First of all, Duni asked us to give a "shout out" to families coming over who have babies. The little ones at the Transition Home who are old enough to be eating cereal are used to the Ethiopian version of our starter cereal. It is quite sweet and the babies are hesitant to "go back" if you will. Why eat bland crackers when you can dine on a parfait?? We brought rice cereal with us, but Duni says she's found that it is so bland compared to what they are used to that they refuse to eat it. We wound up buying some in a shop within walking distance from the guest house. After coming home, it is equivalent to the cereal with fruit we have here. The brand from over there is called Cerelac.
Secondly, Dennis and I never had a very clear picture of what our travel papers meant by "tip included here". As the week wore on what we imagined to be covered as far as tips seemed not the case. I'm sure this is a case by case basis. I might add that Robel and T never had any expectancy whatsoever.
Before I forget, the whole "gifts" saga really stressed me out. I took over a variety of things that could be stretched out among a few people, or just for one. I was not in the position to take 50 gifts over! I gave Micah's main nanny and his night nanny gifts. His main one sat with us while we gave it to here but she didn't open it right then. It was kind of anti-climactic to be honest. I had made a photo album for her of our family, house, Micah's school, etc that she really enjoyed. As far as anyone else, it was not an issue at all. We only saw Duni for about 2 hours the whole week and that was when we did the paperwork.
In addition to sagas, the donations we took over were quite a burden! We weren't sure who to give them to, the Transition Home or the orphanage. Our group didn't go to the orphanage so we left most of them at the home. This was also anticlimactic. The driver took all of our suitcases off the bus and then the workers took them inside and dumped them out in a pile. Then we left with an empty suitcase. In fact, I missed the whole episode. Dennis said it was a non-event. With this said, we were very glad we took them, but don't stress out about them!
I guess I can sum up this post with, "I didn't know what to expect and if I had an expectation, it would have been way wrong!" I suppose that's what made this an adventure to say the least!

Travel 101 for Dummies, part 2

Continuing on...

Shopping/Eating Out

1. Since Dennis and I traveled two days early, we did have occasion to eat out a bit more than most. The travel guide that AWAA sends out with the suggested restaurants was helpful. The majority of all the restaurants have pizza and Italian-ish food that they serve. Lots of spaghetti, lasagna and pasta. Most also serve a variety of bottled soda, leaning towards the Coke side. We had a lot of Sprite, just because I'm a Diet Coke addict, and this was pretty rare.
2. The Zebra Grill is within walking distance of the guest house. A few of us walked one late afternoon for an early dinner. We asked Duni about leaving the guest house with our babies, and she surprisingly said it was fine as long as we didn't make a big scene. I told Dennis to try to tone it down! As is par for the course, it took a very long time. The food is grilled right there in front of you. Beware! The hamburgers are SPICY!!!!!!!! I'm not sure what they have in them, but I wound up trading most of my dinner with another guy for his burrito. Whew!
3. The best food I had in town was next to the International Museum. It's called "Lucy's..." something. I had great stir fry-reliable vegetables. The Blue Top was also good and safe. The Lime Tree restaurant is a trendy hang out for locals and tourists that has great juice drinks. It is in the upper part of the building where you may be taken for manicures and massages, ladies!
4. We found shopping to be an adventure as this is where most of the kids and beggars hang out. The prices were quite reasonable and they were quite Un-willing to haggle because they know someone else will come and buy the stuff. Most of the shops have the same type of merchandise. If you look for traditional clothing, it's not always out on display, so ask for it. I couldn't find anything smaller than about a size 18 months or so for our little guy.
5. The Edna Mall is a more modern version of a shopping area with Westernized shops, like salons, clothing and a bookstore. We went one day to meet a friends, but as it was a holiday, the shops were closed. There is a video game, bumper car, Chuck E. Cheez type place for kids. It also has a play place to crawl in and through. If you travel with other children, this may be a "taste of home" for them one afternoon. It's roughly 5 minutes from the guest house by car. If the power goes out, the fun will cease instantly, however!

Packing(This proved to be true for us, not necessarily others...)

1. I did not use the following that I packed: clothes pins/line, a jacket, laundry detergent, ear plugs, bottle liners (Micah REFUSED this type of bottle and we wound up buying bottles there!) I'd suggest taking both kinds, 20 of the outfits we took for him (he did not have blow out issues so we had TONS of clothing not used, latex gloves

2. I religiously used: my crossword puzzle book, a book for leisure reading, snacks, bottled water (force yourself to drink and it will keep you hydrated), hand sanitizer, cameras and laptop, individual drink powdered mixes for bottled water, little cereal puffs for Micah (Target/Wal-Mart) He LOVES them, gum, Sour Patch Kids candy (I told you at one point I have quirks), IPod, Tums/Rolaids, cloth diapers for wiping up formula and sweat (his not not ours!)

Okay...more later!

Travel 101 for Dummies

Not that we are dumb...but borrowing from popular books, mind you. So here is a compilation of "who knew??" and "now you tell me!" thoughts I took mental note of while in Addis. I'll arrange them by events and places.

The Guest House:
1. VERY clean and new furnishings, only open for 4 months.
2. Coffee and hot water for tea available nearly all the time
3. Incredibly kind and helpful staff who are willing to get you what you need
4. Large sitting area with couches to visit and play
5. Dining area where meals are served
6. Breakfast is included and the cook will make you scrambled eggs and omelets which are quite good. There will always be bread, croissants, jelly, cheese and some mystery meat I stayed clear of. The juice is from a sealed container and we found it to be good and safe.
7. If you choose to eat dinner, the cost is around $6 per person. We ate twice for the convenience. The cook is sensitive about cooking the vegetables well which I thought was quite considerate.
8. The laundry service is WELL worth it. We gave them a huge load and it wound up costing us about $20. This is hand washed, hung to dry, and ironed and delivered. Even I wouldn't do that for you!
9. Each room is a suite set up with a common living room and kitchen. There is a balcony that looks out which is nice for a breeze. The kitchen has basic dishes, a microwave and the infamous hot pot, which is new by the way. It takes about three minutes for water to boil.
10. There are two mini-fridges, one for each room. There is always water, soda, and beer if you choose. The larger waters are a dollar, and the smaller around .80 cents. The larger bottle is the better deal. We bought water at the store for the most part. We found out on the last day that you get two of the smaller bottles of water a day at no charge. Who'da knew?? The cleaning ladies check the fridge each day and record any drinks on your tab.
10. THIS IS A BIGGIE-you will see that the room keys are a bit of a hassle. Each time you leave the guest house, you must give them both keys. This is for safety reasons. The one thing we DIDN'T like was that if you leave and your spouse stays in the room, this person is LOCKED in if you take the suite room key with you. So if someone leaves, don't have them take the key because you are locked in for real. This is not so approved I'm sure by our fire standards, but we wanted you to be aware of it.

US Consulate Visit:
1. First off, if you aren't a skirt wearer, don't bring one just for this. This was a huge non-issue. You basically walk up to a bank-teller like window and no one sees you from the chest down. So DON'T sweat the khakis and nicer clothes just for this reason. The lady we had was an American. They ask you about 4 questions, look at their computer screen and you're done. I nearly puked from nerves for no reason!
2. ABSOLUTELY no cameras or electrical devices whatsoever are allowed here. We left ours locked at the guest house. They will take them and it's a hassle to get them back. There are several check points and bag checks where you show your passport. If you brought water, they make you drink some in front of them to make sure you don't fall over dead. You wait outside on benches under a canopy so it can be a bit toasty. Dress cool.
3. You will be seated in a room full of chairs and called over the microphone by someone upstairs. Robel comes with you, although we didn't have a language barrier because of the American consulate worker we had. The questions are not tricky, just basic ones like, "Is this the child you have been referred?" Uh...yeah.

Overall Clothing:
1. Dennis wore jeans and longer shorts and sandals the ENTIRE trip. No issue.
2. I wore Capri's, long Bermuda-type shorts, long skirts for comfort and flip flops the whole time. The people here wear about everything, including sleeveless.
3. The kids at the transition home are enthralled with long necklaces I found out. If you have one or two, they go a long way in the "Don't you want me to hold you?" area! :-)

Okay...enough for now. I hope this helps you who are preparing!!!

We are Making It!!

I (Mary), thought I'd check in now that I've almost recovered from our trip, jetlag, and "new mommy of a baby" fatigue! Dennis has been pretty faithful with posting, but so many have been asking for an update, I wanted to keep those of you who follow our blog updated! I have a horrid habit of being way too windy in my speech, so I'll try to limit myself by giving you our Top Ten Micah Highlights for the week we have had him!
In no particular order...

1. An 8 hour time change on an 8 month old does not bode well for sleeping at the right times. Someone needs to tell him that 4 to 6 am are not prime time, cute, playing times on this continent.

2. I firmly believe that proper nutrition and love can make a baby's hair grow...no joke.

3. If he could speak in sentences, his first words would be, "This car seat thing stinks!"

4. His second sentence might be, "May I have more cereal please??"

5. He is quite adept at climbing the two steps on our hardwood floor up to our dining area...quite a sight for someone so little.

6. His third sentence would be, "And why did you think you would have time to baby proof and put all the cool stuff up high????" What a joke.

7. He has had NO periods of inconsolable crying. I love that. He fusses when he's tired and hungry, or put out with one of us in general!

8. He has had his first vegetables this week and didn't spit out a bite!

9. Today, we go see Dr. Vu, his new pediatrician. Hmm....we'll get back on that one. I met with her before we left and really like her! I'm so anxious to get his current weight.

10. Lastly, he wanted me to tell you how thankful he is that he has such a trendy and abundant wardrobe. So much so that his sisters are coveting a bit. His Granny and sister organized his closet while we were gone and there are no words for the sight. Wow!!

Thanks again for all of your warm wishes, prayers and comments. We continue to lift up ALL who are in the middle of this process, knowing exactly how you feel. Please let us know if you have any travel questions or just need to vent. I'm organizing an ADDIS TRAVEL for BEGINNERS post to summarize what we really used, really needed and wish I hadn't bothered bringing. Thought it may be of some use to you mommies who are wondering!! :-)

Home at Last

We finally made it home last night to a tremendous reunion. The kids, grandparents, and a few close friends met us at the airport. We walked out of the gate to screams of "Here they come!" There were signs and cameras flashing everywhere, and for a moment I actually felt like I was some sort of celebrity! It was truly a warm welcome and we are greatful for all of the wonderful people that have prayed for us from the very beginning. Not just our trip to Ethiopia, but those who have prayed for us from the time we felt God calling us to adopt. This journey has had ups and downs, high and low points, but we now feel like it was worth every bit of heart ache we endured. It has grown our faith and trust in the One who is in control of all things, even though it was at times dificult.
I say this to encourage those that are struggling through the Ethiopian court system right now. Recently there have been many problems with families getting though and at times it seems like it is not worth it. Knowing that your child is waiting over there to come home and we desperately wanting them here is one of the most difficult parts of the process. Having Micah home now, I can say it is worth the wait.

We made it...almost

We are in the airpot in DC finishing like we started....with a good burger! We really missed a good burger, what they had in Ethiopia wasn't the same. The flight was long and we are tired, but Micah did great! We could not be more happy with the way it went. He slept some and played a lot and hardly ever cried. We were worried about that some but thrilled that he did so well. We do still have one more flight to go so I hope I havent spoken too soon. We leave DC at 4 ET and arrive in KC at 5:30 CT. We both are feeling great and happy to be in the US!

Last Day!!

We are excited to finally be on our way home.  We leave for the airport in about three hours and will not get home until 5:30 Saturday evening KC time.  Ugh..... Today we visited a coffee processing plant that was very interesting.  It had much of the same equipment that we would have in the US in terms of cleaning and material handling equipment.  With one exception,  The way they sorted out off color or size beans is by hand.  There were 300 ladies in this room leaning over a conveyor belt sorting out the bad beans.  Each lady was to look through 40-50 kg of beans each day and got paid about $2.70 per day. We couldn't resist the JD photo(Thanks go to the Kern's and the Houglands!!).  Although he didnt exactly say it, I am sure it is his favorite!  One of the things I enjoy the most is walking up and down the streets,  At times it was a bit uncomfortable for Mary as nearly everyone would stare at us.  There is not always a good feeling from some of the locals about Americans coming to take away their next generation.  We felt threatened once when a man walked up to us and started yelling in Amharic(who knows what he was saying) and then started to throw things.  We quickly made an exit and no harm was done. Micah is doing great and we have been feeling and sleeping well.  Last night he ate more than he should have but we keep feeding him.  Then he slept for 9 hours straight!  WOW!  Something we are not expecting to get used to. We want to thank everyone for praying us through this trip.  We truly have been blessed by all of your prayers and support and we look forward to seeing you all back home.  Thanks be to God!

First Ice Cream!

Today has been a slower day, one just to relax and enjoy ourselves.  Originally we had planned on going to visit two of the local orphanages, but there is a national holiday today and the offices are closed for the orphanages and we were not able to go.  We had just about decided not to go anyway.  The transition home where we picked up our children was difficult enough to see, but we understand the conditions in the orphanages are even worse.  Mary and I both care a great deal about the orphans here, but it is hard to see firsthand and after the week we have had, we weren't sure we could do it.  Each of the children are originally in one of the several orphanages here until they are matched with a family, and once they are matched they go into the transition home in which the conditions are much better.  The reason for this is because once they are matched with a family, our adoption fees help support them. In Micah's situation he didn't stay very long in the orphanage before he went into the transition home so we do not have the ties to the orphanage that many children do.  It can be a bit traumatic for some of the older kids to go back to visit the orphanage they come from, but so much of their history is in that orphanage.  In addition, we are one of the few that were able to meet the birth family.  This is the most important part of his history and heritage so we didn't feel the need to visit the orphanage he came from. Therefore, today we hung out at the guest house enjoying Micah and the other families here and their children.  Without an exception, we have very much enjoyed each of the families and their kids. Today  we also went to the Edna Mall near where we are staying.  It is only a few years old and is not much different than many malls in the US.  It is very westernized and Western culture is everywhere.  We even went into a place very similar to a Chuck-E-Cheese.  There were the same video games that one would find in the US.  The only difference was when the electricity goes off in the entire mall for a few minutes until they can get the generator running.  The generator was indoors with no ventilation other than the natural breeze flowing through the doors of the building.  Not only was it loud, it smelled of diesel smoke and exhaust.  Others didn't seem to mind too much so we just go with the flow.  It really is funny here how things like fresh air mean very little.  The air pollution is terrible here with car and bus fumes bellowing from every vehicle.  There is no fresh air circulation in any building as there is no heating or cooling in any of the buildings.  Today we learned that part of the reason for this is many have historically thought that disease comes from the wind, therefore they are reluctant to open windows or have any kind of breeze flowing.  The heat is never unbearable but it can be hot and it is never cold (to us) so no HVAC is necessary.  In the taxis people will keep the windows up most of the time because they do not want the wind on them.  You can imagine what it is like in a car or bus with the windows up and full of people.  Just like many other developing countries, they can pack 20 or so people in a minivan.  I have to think this could be one of the worst punishments possible anyone could give me: put me in the back seat of a minivan, the windows all closed, with 19 other people sitting on top of each other, most of whom have not showered in a couple of weeks! After the mall we have come back to the guest house to relax for the afternoon and evening.  We are having fun playing with Micah and resting.  Tomorrow we are scheduled to take a tour of a coffee processing plant, of course our schedules change so much here at the last minute who knows! We didn't find out that we could not go to the orphanage today until last night because it was a national holiday.  It is very much a part of the culture to NOT plan ahead for anything.  If it works out fine and if not that is fine also.  You never know, but when in Africa, do as the Africans!  This is easier said than done for those from an American culture who have every hour of every day scheduled. The photos I am posting today are a bit random, but the first is a pic of Micah in the outfit that our daughters picked for him to wear today.  We consult with them on Facebook at the beginning of every day.  When it is early morning here it is late evening at home so we get a chance to chat for an hour or two, depending on how long we can keep the internet connection. The second photo is of typical construction methods here.  They use the poles to hold up the next floor as they are building a building.  They also use them as scaffolding up the side of new buildings.  Yesterday we saw a 10 story building with thees wooden scaffoldings all the way to the top.  When we made a comment about it, our guide said they are safer than metal because you cannot know when metal has rusted too much.  I didn't say anything, but I am not sure I believe him! The last photo is of Micah's first ice cream.  I think he is hooked!  It was refreshing to have something that was cold here.  It is rare to see ice here and even if you did we cannot have it because it is just like the water obviously.  We were at a Kaldi's, which is an Ethiopian version of Starbucks.  He also liked Mary's caramel frappacino.  It really is amazing to see the most desperate poverty right next to a place like this.  Tomorrow is the last day and although we are not looking forward to the trip, we are certainly looking forward to being home with Micah!

Comments

For some reason we do not have access to read any of the blogspot blogs from here.  So we must wait until we get home to read the posts and your comments.  We cannot even log on to post from here, but have it worked out that we just email them in.  We look forward to seeing your comments!

And it was evening on the 2nd day....

He is officially ours!  We had our scary embassy appointment today that turned out to be not so scary.  All 6 couples we have been traveling with walked in together with babies in tow and sat down in a holding room with a maximum capacity of 44(it was actually posted).  When we got there we were the only ones in the room, by the time we left there were at least 65 people crowed into this room.  There is no air conditioning or heating in any of the buildings I have been in so far, this room included.  It was not that it was really hot, but there was no circulation and by the time we left, we were very ready to get out of there.  Personal hygiene here is not quite the same as it is in the US, need I say more? There are no cameras allowed where we were today so there were no photos to post from there.  One person in another travel group here at the same time took a picture of a lady along the road that happened to have the embassy in the distant background.  Two guys with guns stopped the bus and ordered him off.  He tried to explain, but they would have nothing of it.  After some long explanations they made him erase the picture and then let him go. So tonight, I wanted to leave a picture of mommy and her newest son preparing for bed.  We have had a bit of a stressful day and it is good to be back at the guest house.  Micah was tired tonight and went to bed around 7pm which may be a bit early for him.  It could be a long night! He still is eating everything in sight.  I cannot believe how much he eats on top of his formula.  He is eating the puffed cereal snacks like there is no tomorrow and his regular baby cereal on top of his formula.  Seriously, I wished we would have weighed him at the transition home before we took him because I am sure he will have gained significantly before we get home.

First Bath

Today we gave Micah his first bath (for us).  They take great care of them at the transition home, but I will have to say this boy was DIRTY.  You should see the ring he left in the sink!  Mommy scrubbed him down good and he didn't even seem to mind it too much, other than the time he bent down to take a drink and that didn't go too well.  He slept last night from 9pm, woke up at 2:45 and we patted him back to sleep.  He then woke up at 4am, had TWO 4 oz bottles, then went back to sleep until about eight.  We were thrilled to say the least.  Mary didn't think he would take more than 4 oz but he was still hungry so he downed another 4 oz.  It is hard for us to imagine why we shouldn't go ahead and let him eat until he is full. His little legs and arms are skinny and belly is a bit bloated from the malnutrition, but it doesn't stop him from running all over the place. He is very active and must always watch whatever activity is going on around him.  He doesn't like to sit still at all, but we are thankful that he is active and not real lethargic as they told us these kids could be.

Gotcha Day!!

When we went to the transition home today it was truely amazing.  For me, it we a conflct of emotions struggling between exreme sadness for all of these orphaned children and thankfulness that these kids have a hope and a future.  I have read on several blogs that the kids are really loved on there.  I can now confirm this for myself.  The nannies there really get attahced to each one of the kids and love them as there own.   One nanny told us that she couldnt afford to adopt a chld, so she works in the oprhanage instead.  She loves the kids and pours her life into each one she cares for.  While this is great, it makes days like today very difficult for them.  This was one thing that I was not prepared to watch unfold before me.  We watched as Micah's nanny cried and cried as we prepared to leave.  As the bus was rolling away, I waved Micah's hand to her and she broke down and went inside.  Heartwrenching.   They each know that the child is going to a great home and will have a better chance at an education and a promising future, but they are essentially the mother of this child, knowing they will never see them again. I don't want to be a downer on such a happy day for us, but again, I was not prepared for what we experinced.   Micah's personality is really coming out today.  He is very happy and when is really excited he sticks his tongue out.  We saw in several of his pictures he had his tongue out and we really didnt know why.  But now he just laughs and stickes that tongue out to the bottom of his chin!  He is so much fun to watch.  He has yet to cry that what we could not satisfy his need.  He even cried one time when Mary left the room, for which we were very thankful.  He seems to be bonding with her very well and even wants her to hold him.  We put him to bed about an hour ago(9 pm) and he went right to sleep.  He just will not stop eating so we filled him up pretty good on cereal and a bottle and we was so tired he went right to sleep in Mary's arms.  She kinda liked that!   This entire experience has been wonderful.  I cannot say enough about the people at the transition home.  They really  do a great job there with the 94 kids in a not-so-big building.  They do amazing work with all of these kids, each one to be taken to their forever family.    Mary mentioned in an earlier blog that a ddermatologist is staying in a room next to us.  He looked Micah over tonight and he thinks that most of his skin issues are treatable and will go way but it will take several months.  It does not appear that he currently has scabbies even though he has been treated for them twice already.  We are not sure about what all else he has because we will not get his medical records until tomorrow.   I will post more later, but here are a few pics for today. ps.  yes he is 13 lbs and crawls like a maniac!  Thus the skinned up nose.

He is ours!!!!

Well....not legally, but possesion is 9/10 of the law, right???  We picked Micah up today and he is doing GREAT!  We will go to the embassy to get all of our papers and then he will be ours according to both the country of Ethiopia and the US. We will try to send some more pictures later this evening(in about 3-4 hours)  but for now know that he is happy and healthy.  We do have a few skin issues to work on, but these will be taken care of once we get home.  His personality is so much fun!  He is eating his strawberry puff cereal like there is no tomorrow and is very happy.  Leaving the transition home was brutal.  Both for Mary and his nanny who just stood staring at the bus with tears running down her face.  I cannot tell you how hard it was.  This will probably the last time she will see him outside of the pictures we will send her.    I just wanted everyone to know he is doing great and we are both feeling well also.  I will try to post more later after I download some pictures....provided the internet is up and running.

More pics from Ethiopia

Here are a few more pics from Addis.  There is a long story behind each one, but we will save those for later.  The other ladies in the pics are his nannies.

More Pics

Here are a couple more pictures.  The two ladies with him are two of his nannies.

Meecha Day!!!!

What a day this has been.  We have just returned back to the guest house after a doozy of a roller coaster ride. We had a change of plans this morning (shocker) and will do the paperwork tomorrow.  Instead, we went shopping in the post office district.  There were several shops along the road that would draw you in, although none of them would haggle with Dennis, which unnerves him of course!  I found a few neat things but need to go back.  The begging children among these streets just broke our hearts.  They have their phrases down pat, "Momma, chewing gum?" or "Papa, shine shoes?"  Heartwrenching.  Robel, our translator, has taken many of them under his wing and has taught them to sell goods rather than beg.  One little boy continued to put his hand to his mouth with an eating gesture because of his hunger.  In a city this large, Robel said were nearly 400,000 orphans in Addis alone.  Many of them live on the street. We ate lunch next to the National Museum at Lucy's café.  I had stir fry and a Diet Coke!  The Diet Coke was to die for.  One thing, among zillions, that I miss about the US is that all the soda is served in bottles and you have to drink it all there.  You can't take the bottles with you.  I miss a nice to-go cup that I can sip on throughout the day!  I want to just say, "Seriously, can I just buy the bottle and leave??"  I couldn't eat much.  I think I'm hungry and then have no appetite, some from nerves and some from, well….Ethiopian food.  There's a smell I can't describe on paper.  In fact, I need a Tums right now.  Finally, we were off to the Transition Home.  Again, the sense of urgency is non-existent as we were all chomping at the bit to see our kids.  We planned to go in ABC order, putting us last.  The best is ALWAYS last, isn't it? HA!  The Baileys went first which was very special as this is their first child.  Then in order was the Bullingtons, the Garners, the Heinrichs, the Mullins and then us.  We all took turns videoing and taking pictures for each other.  We stood at the bottom of the steps and the nanny would bring us our children.  Some of them had been napping and had to be awakened.  Nothing like, "Hey kids…meet your family and they're going to freak out on you!!" Finally, it was our turn!  Let me honestly tell you my first words:  "What did you do to your nose???"  Seriously.  Of all the sweet maternal things I could have said that was it.  As you can see, he has a huge scab on the tip of his nose that is hard to miss.  The nannies said he was playing in his bed and fell and scraped it.  Some of the guys were teasing and saying, "I wonder what the other guy looked like?"  Then, it was clear he had a severe bout with chicken pox, which we knew was traveling around.  We didn't know he had contracted them though.  They are mostly healed up, but still evident to say the very least.  So, Dennis' new nickname for him is Bruiser.  Of all the angelic "Meetcha" day photo shots, he proved to be ALL BOY!  The most concerning thing for us today was to find out that he has been treated for a staph infection.  He has several places on his arm and legs that are healed.  His stomach is the worst.  From what we can tell, it is scabbed over.  Much is lost in translation here and we are finding that what we consider major issues are non-issues here.  We had no idea he had been suffering with this or where it was from.  He had no fever and the medical person here insisted that he was much better.  Again, huge blow-outs with every diaper, scabies, staph…you know, non-issues, right????? With all this said, we would absolutely not trade him for the world!  We got him to laugh and smile a little, but he was apprehensive obviously.  He fell asleep on Dennis' chest with the calming affect he always had.  I guess he didn't lose any sweet "dad of a baby" skills!  Of course, I have picked out several cute outfits for him to wear tomorrow when we pick him up.  It's a pretty important issue with me! HA!  From what we hear, he comes with the diaper on his bottom…that's it.  So, we are packing everything we need to take with us.  This place may be a little on the loud-ish side tomorrow night.  Collectively, we have kids ranging from 18 months down to 4 months of age.  Whew! Let me leave with this as it is bedtime here and it's my last night without a crib in here.  I've never believed that things "just happen" and God reminds of this all the time.  Dennis and I have been worried all day (ok..just me and kind of Dennis) about all of Micah's skin issues and hating to see him like this.  When we got back tonight, another couple had arrived in the suite with us that adopted from Rwanda.  They also are with AWAA, but have to do paperwork in Addis.  We visited for a while and doted on their little boy.  We were comparing stories and he mentioned that he was a Dermatology Physician's Assistant back home and he would be more than glad to give Micah a head to toe check up tomorrow.  For real?  You just can't write this stuff.  He told us a few simple suggestions for the staph until we get home and how it is usually treated and that he can check for scabies as well.  Of all the rooms in this guest house, he and his wife are 12 feet from us.  So we are going to give him a bleach bath in the sink tomorrow and pray, pray, pray!  I told him about his sisters and brother and all of his grandmas and friends.  I'm pretty sure he is excited to meet you all! Mom, I took pictures of his hands and feet just for you!  Andrew, I gave him a ball and told him you were going to teach him how to throw.  Girls, I told him that you were cool big sisters.  Okay, I promise one last thing.  We are not just saying this because we are his parents.  But, Micah seems to be the star of the show so to speak at the house!  He had nannies doting on him that were coming out of the woodwork.  They would all say, "I'm his number one fan" or "I'm his step-mom" and "No, I'M his fan…"  Spoiled is perhaps the best word of the day.  Of course, all of our updates said, "Him loves to be held!!!'  Indeed, and him will be held for sure!

Day 3 Update

We've made it to Sunday! The last few days have been a whirlwind of travel, motion sickness, and emotional meetings. As in Togo, time management and organization aren't very honed skills here and a trip that was said to take 2 ½ hours turned into eight hours on the road. The other couple and their daughter, and we traveled west of Addis to meet the birth families of our little ones. The regional coordinator of the Gelgelah Orphanage traveled with us to interpret. We had no idea at the time that he knew both of our cases intimately and knew many details still unknown to us. To make what could be a novel much shorter we met Micah's family this morning. Dennis and I are still trying to wrap our minds around what we saw, heard and experienced. We realize that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and will be invaluable to Micah later. Much of what we encountered this morning can't be put into words yet, possibly not for a long time. This is a picture of some of the scenery along the way to his area. We were able to visit with the grandmother who chose to give us the gift of our son, Micah. He has many family members that we met as well. This is a picture of the house he was actually born in last September. She invited us in with classic African hospitality as we were offered stools and chairs. Dennis and I both expressed to her how thankful we were for her grandson and that we promised to make sure he always knew who his grandma was. At times much can be lost in translation, but much of our experience needed no words. The deep lines on her face, rags on her back, and sadness in her eyes expressed her poverty and need for food. I can't begin to express how much she did for Micah to keep him fed and safe the first few months until she saw it important to give him an opportunity for better at the orphanage. I've come to dislike the phrase, "give him up" as it has a negative feel to it as if you discarded something you didn't care about. In fact, it's the absolute opposite. Imaging loving someone so much that you would do ANYTHING to see that they are safe, fed, educated, and healthy. This is what his grandma did for him. What a blessed little grandson. We left her an album of pictures of him, our family and friends (that's you Auntie Amanda), our house, his bed, his school, and his toys. She kissed the pictures over and over and looked to the sky as if to say, "Thank you, God!" Imagine the most heart-wrenching movie times 100. Then you would almost have it! Tomorrow we meet Micah and we can't be more satisfied knowing in our hearts that God has had him here in Ethiopia this whole time until just the right moment. We can't believe that moment is tomorrow. I've never been so thrilled in claiming that God has sent "…good news from a distant country" just like He promised. (Proverbs 25:25) p.s. Congratulations to our daughter Kelsay on graduating from high school! We wish we could be with you at your reception,!! We love you and miss you all.

Day 2 Update

Just as we were leaving the internet came on!!  Here is the post for today. Day 2 Update Our second day was great as we continue to get over the travel funk.  We both feel relatively well even though our internal clock has not adjusted yet.  I(Dennis) keep waking up at 3:30 am and cannot go back to sleep.  I have heard others talk about the dogs barking here early in the morning and I will confirm that this is a problem!  After an hour and a half of trying to back to sleep I just got up and went to the rooftop of the Guest House to watch the sun come up and pray.  It was a fantastic moment as the sun came up over the mountains I watched the city come alive with the hustle of the morning routines and the business of the day. The people here have been great to us.  I think there is a genuine desire to please even beyond the fact that we are paying customers.  The take great delight in knowing that we are satisfied and comfortable.  As with our previous experience in West Africa, they have an obsession with cleanliness. I Togo it was a dirt floor in a mud hut, but they were determined to keep it clean.  Here things are more modern, but at any point in the day you will find ladies cleaning something. Our guide, T, is also great.  I have mentioned him before, but he continues to amaze me with his knowledge of American culture.  Both good and bad, he knows more about what is going on in the US than most Americans.  Everything from Obama's political views to an obsession with American Idol, many here keep up with what is going on in the US.  When we arrived at the Guest House, several locals were sitting around the TV watching the finale and they had very strong opinions about who should win. We will leave here about 11:00 today to go visit Micah's family.  Both anxious and apprehensive, we look forward to getting there.  The traffic here is terrible and is typical of many developing nations with no traffic laws, and no one to enforce them.  It is totally a free for all on the highways.  This does not go over well for those of us who get motion sickness easily.  Add no air conditioning, lots of exhaust fumes, and a jerky manual transmission and you have the recipe for disaster!  I am joined by the mother of another family who has the same problem.  They are also traveling with us to today.  The adoption agency has set it up for their birth family to meet at the same time and place we are meeting Micah's family.  Neither of us are looking forward to the 2-3 hour drive, but are planning our sickness prevention strategies together.  We have heard several different stories as to the length of the trip.  We really don't know if it is a two hour drive or a five hour drive.  We are placing a lot of trust in people who really don't seem to know where they are going!  The weather has been the same every day, as we hear it is most of the year.  It is about 60 in the evening and in the upper seventies to lower eighties during the day.  Addis is at about 7000 feet elevation so it never gets really hot.  It is funny to hear the local people talk about the weather.  They lock the front door in the evening so I asked the receptionist to let me out (no panic bars on doors here) early yesterday morning so I could get some fresh air.  She did but warned me that is was very cold outside and I only had a tee-shirt on.  It was in the low 60's!  I didn't say anything but just laughed inside. Sorry for so many random thoughts, but I wanted to keep all of you who have been praying for us updated on what we are experiencing.  Thank you and keep praying for us today as it will be quite emotional for both the birth family and us. (Also that we don't get motion sickness!)