Picture Time!!

I forgot last night that I had some pics from Ethiopia on Nathan's computer so I'll get them posted. Before that here are a few updates - Biruk slept nearly 12 hours last night (6pm-5:30) and woke up for only one bottle. I was so happy. Then he's been so content playing since he woke up this morning. We are making beautiful progress and the little peanut is becoming more comfortable in his new home. I'm so happy for him and happy to have gotten some sleep. Hubby and little man came home from the ER before midnight with no news. They finally left after waiting 2 hours. His fever climbed up again through the night (in the 103's). He just seems so miserable at night. I really hope we get him feeling better b/c this will be day four of fevers.

I started this post nearly ten hours ago. Since then we made it to the doctor and after looking over Little Man she said there is a nasty virus that is going around that may last for another week or more. She said in the mean time dose him up when the fever climbs up over 102. So this afternoon at five is got up in the 103's and had some motrin. We'll probably have to give it to him again through the night. He's lying in bed right now watching Baby Einstein on his new portable DVD player from his g'ma. Yeah for that! He's sucking in air from the vaporizer that will hopefully loosen things up. Even though I lasted nine days in Ethiopia without a single bug I've come home and caught this "funk" and have been coughing like crazy and waking up with a sore throat. Hubby is indestructible and will somehow be missed which is a good thing. Biruk was down for the night at 6:00 and will hopefully sleep through until morning with one feeding again. I have his bottles and diaper ready for when he wakes up.

Thanks for all he warm wishes! Today was a great day with Biruk with lots of smiling and talking for mom and dad! Conner is sharing his toys with him and seems to like him. More soon since I'm finally figuring out this "mother of two" thing.

Here are pics of the new guy and some photo's from Ethiopia. Enjoy!

Running on empty...

Running low...
Whew.... it's been a whirlwind since I posted last (hence the delay). We are home safely and Biruk is doing well. Ethiopia was beautiful and very busy but we missed home terribly. It was hard being away from Little Man for so long and by the end I just wanted to be back here with him. We had a great time in country and we were so happy to finally be with Biruk. He took to us well but we are having some sleeping issues. He's such an alert little baby and would much rather be checking everything out verses sleeping.

The plane ride home was exhausting and we were so happy to finally be in the car headed home. Little man gave us quite the welcome home memories. We walked into the front door (or should I say ran) and into the dining room where he was eating. He just stared at us with almost a sad expression and then grinned. I swooped him up and he just kept touching my face and hair with his hands. Then he reached over to Nathan and did the same thing. That was followed by the biggest, tightest hugs. I had tears in my eyes and was overjoyed to be with him again. Needless to say we will not be leaving him again for a long time. For the first 48 hours he just kept saying "Mom, I missed you so much. I love you so much!" and we've had lots of snuggling. He was excited to meet Biruk and he has been a great big brother.

Saturday/Sunday are a haze. Little man was sick with a fever and by Sunday night it had gotten so high and his breathing sounded terrible so we took him to the urgent care. They tested for pnemonia, RSV, and strep which all came back negative. But his fever was 105.1 when we arrived so they recommended we take him to the ER for further testing. By the time we got there and waited an hour Little Man was running around and very energetic. So we opted to come home. The fever came back up through the night and today but we've managed it some with some fever reducer. Tonight he sounded terrible yet again, fever in the 103's and a very rapid heart rate. It was breaking our heart and off to the ER him and hubby headed. I'm sitting at home hoping everything is going to be okay. Please think of our little man and send warm wishes and prayers his way. He's a sick little guy. I feel helpless at home but I did not want to take Biruk out too.

So this is why you've not heard from me. I tried to post from Ethiopia by emailing my blog but I must have been doing something wrong. Thanks to everyone for thinking about us. I'll hopefully figure out being a mother of two soon and my life will regain some order again. I will post pictures soon! Biruk is absolutely beautiful!! He LOVES to smile and is very loving.
love, C

6 hours until we leave...

WOW! What to tell you? Well, I'll start with the fact that it's been over a year since we started the process (nearly 2 since I started researching) and it's crazy to think it's finally happening. The last few days I've been in "prep" mode so it hasn't set in that I'm actually going to be holding our baby very, very soon. Until NOW. I just officially finished our taxes and I can now take a deep breath and know that I am 'ready to go'. It feels good. The past few days I've been extremely calm. Even today. It's been almost creepy. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep tonight but it's not likely. Because as soon as my head hits the pillow my mind will not turn off. I'm going to grab little man and bring him to bed with us so I can hold him tight and try to get as much in as possible before I leave. The hardest part from here is leaving our little man. He is in wonderful hands but he'll be dearly missed by dad and myself.

I'll try to update while in Ethiopia but I'm not making any promises. Thanks to everyone for your support and sorry to my siblings I didn't get called back today. I'll have downtime in the airport tomorrow if you want to call.

To my little man, mama and dad are going to miss you soooooooo much and we love you lots! Your baby brother will be home soon to meet you. Be good for G'ma & G'pa.

love, mama & dad

Less than 3 days to go!!!!

That's right - in 57 hours we will be heading to the airport to get on a plane to DC, then Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to pick up our little guy. I can't wait!!!! I am about to get started on my tax return but I wanted to post some update pics I received on Friday of our little guy. He's too precious for words and I can't wait to touch his sweet skin and to see his hair! I love it! From our social update we learned that he LOVES to suck on his fingers, is a happy baby and is cooing and smiling when visiting with the nannies. I am filled with emotions and I know the time until we leave is going to FLY by. We still have so much to do. Wish US luck :)

Hubby's parents got into town today so they came over to visit with Little Man. He will be in great hands while we are away. He is looking forward to his visit with G'ma & G'pa and he will definitely be keeping them busy while we are away. I will try to update from Ethiopia, but if not I will post many pics when we return.

More soon!
Love, C

Bathtub Conversation

I was picking up the house listening to Little Man talking to hubby while he gives him a bath. This conversation was initiated by Conner.

Conner: We gonna go pick up baby Biruk dad

Dad: Well mom & I are going to go

Conner: Me too dad.

Dad: I wish buddy.

Conner: I wish too dad.

Ahhh.... makes my heart melt. He keeps talking about picking up Biruk in Ethiopia and Africa. We keep reminding him that he gets to stay with G'ma & G'pa but he's not convinced yet.

Here's a few pictures of Conner playing out in the mud today. The deck wasn't good enough, he needed to get nice and dirty.






























































































And here our some photo's of him making coffee for dad and running through the kitchen in his little roo's.

We leave in 15 days!!!

That's right, we got the call at 1:15 that we will be leaving on the 19th for Ethiopia. We will be leaving two weeks from tomorrow. It doesn't seem possible but it is really going to happen. And I'm sure these next couple weeks will go by quickly. Just wanted to let you all know the wonderful news!! Here we come Biruk! Your big brother can't wait to meet you. Today we talked about how he's going to help feed you, change your diaper and he said "Biruk can have my cars, and Biruk can have my tricycle". He then informed that he will be singing you songs. We can't wait to meet you and have you home!!

So much to be thankful for...

• 70 degrees today and sunny
• watched little man play for an hour and took in some sun
  
• good food
• a new week tomorrow which hopefully equals a TRAVEL DATE
• my laptop and speedy internet
• a cozy bed
• family
• a visit from my cousin Em
• my handy and handsome hubby. Little Man. and sweet Biruk

Life is good

We can't wait to get him home!!

I received updated measurements of Biruk today with another tiny picture. It's actually from Feb 1st so maybe they thought they already sent it. Regardless, I am THRILLED. Here are his pictures (most recent first). You can see how much his hair has grown. He's the cutest little babe ever and we found out (thanks to my dear friend Christina) that he sleeps a lot, sucks his thumb and has a head full of hair. She was just in Ethiopia picking up her beautiful son and checked on him for us. We are so in love and can't wait to meet him! We are one week into the wait for his birth certificate so maybe we'll get it next week with a travel date. We are almost there....

It happened, it really happened!!!!!

Someone must have known I would be singing the blues (see previous post) today because it actually happened! I just received an email from our social worker at our agency that our case made it through court today in Ethiopia (it was actually yesterday in Ethiopia at this point). But regardless, this handsome darling Biruk Bekele is officially our little guy!! We are thrilled beyond words. It was such a great feeling reading the email and I was swept over with a wave of emotions. I love this guy more and more every day and I can't wait to hold him in my arms!!

What's next? We have to wait on a new birth certificate which should arrive in the next 3 weeks and then after receiving that we will be given a travel date (2-3 weeks from there). So currently we have an estimated travel date 6 weeks from now!! Woohooooooooooooooooo.....

Thinking of Biruk....

I'm having a case of the "mondays" today and badly want our little boy home. I want to touch his skin, run my hands through his head full of hair, kiss him all over and give him lots of love. This past week has been dragging and his court date isn't until Friday. If today is any indication of how slow the week will be I'm in for a LONG one... We most likely won't hear anything until next Monday. Just sending warm thoughts to sweet baby Biruk in Ethiopia (or Ethilopia as Little Man calls it).

We LOVE you Biruk!

Finally some pics of Little Man!

I love this guy...

Disappointing news...

I was hoping to post a picture of Biruk today since his court date was scheduled today. But this afternoon I received the horrible news that we did not make it through court (no idea why - it could be that they didn't see any cases today, mistake in paperwork or maybe I wasn't really scheduled). Who knows....

The rescheduled date is Feb 21st. Yes, it's only 2 1/2 weeks away but in the adoption world (one year into the process) that feels like an eternity right now. We have plenty to keep us busy though and hopefully the time really will pass by quickly.

If all goes well on Feb 21st then Biruk will officially be matched with us and they will order his new birth certificate. That is taking around 3 weeks right now. Once they receive that we will be given a travel date (3-4 weeks after that). So we will be traveling in approximately 8-10 weeks at this point. Maybe longer...

I just wanted to update some of you who are following along. There are a lot of unknowns and surprises with adopting. You just have to handle it all the best you can. It could always be worse and I'm trying to remind myself of that.

Thanks for listening,
Chatter

What started as a rough morning....

has become a glorious evening. My day started off on a rough patch, continued down hill through lunch and finally turned around by afternoon. We left the house and headed out for some serious comfort food (chips & queso, oreo ice cream, laffy taffy, twix, dots, pull-n-peel twizzlers, chips, etc). Then rented several movies and now we are back home watching big snow flakes fall from the sky. The day has completely turned around (thanks to food and snow of course). I hope to watch the snow fall all night (with the help of the yard light) and to turn my brain off for the next few hours and watch some movies. And just to clarify; I LOVE snow. Jamie, you can send all your snow my way because nothing would make me happier (with the exception of getting Biruk home). This is our first snow of winter and will probably be our last. I'd better take as much in as I can. Time to get a stomach ache and rot my teeth. Jealous?

C'mon Passports!

I finally did it! I mailed our passports and they should be arriving there by tomorrow. Woohoo! We had them expedited so if we filled out the application correctly and our photo's meet the requirements we should have our new passports in approximately 3 weeks. Talk about procrastination. Yikes! We are cutting this a little close but hopefully there won't be any problems.

It's 10:35 pm, I'm finally showered and exhausted. The office (middle bedroom) is officially painted and the baseboard is up. Hubby rocked it on the trim work while I painted my heart out. The only room left is the laundry room. And we have some finishing touches but nothing too intense. It feels great to have that behind us.

Good night to all!

It's Monday....already?

Where did the weekend go? We were soooooo busy this weekend it was insane. Little Man fought his illness very quickly but has a few leftover symptoms (cough/congestion). I won't go into details as to why but we needed to have the rest of the house trimmed this weekend. So we were super busy. Saturday hubby bought the baseboard and painted all of it while I primed all the new closets and the ceilings (where the texture splattered). Then I painted 2 bedroom ceilings while hubby completed all the trim in Little Man's room. WOW! It's amazing how different it looks with the baseboard and the closet trimmed out. We made some quick dinner and watched 3:10 to Yuma. Great Movie!

Sunday started at 8:00 w/waffles, news and back to work. I painted one bedroom (ran out of paint so I'm going to finish that today) and also painted the bathroom. Hubby finished trim in both rooms. Again, it's amazing!! I love our house now. We also rearranged the king bed in our room so it now feels HUGE (keep in mind it's probably a 10x12 room). I also did laundry, cleaned my kitchen, vacuumed and who knows what else. I finally crawled into bed about 9pm and my whole body just ached. I'm not used to this physical labor. Wheww...

But, it felt so good to get so much accomplished in such a short time. And all I kept repeating in my head was "this is work you won't have to do once you get Biruk home". So that's my motivation. The more I get done now, the less I have to do later. It brings me so much peace. Today we are going to buy more paint and then we need to finish our bedroom, all of hubby's room and touch up the laundry room. And then we will officially be done painting. The deadline is Wednesday so the next two days will be busy but productive. This trim work was hanging over us since it was the last big project to tackle on the house. Once I get all of the rooms completed (hopefully in the next 48 hours) I will post before and after pics. Yikes. Brace yourselves because this will knock your socks off.

Off to the store for paint and passport photo's on the way. Yes we are procrastinators. We are expediting the passports so they'll be back before we travel.

Have a great Monday! I normally hate Mondays but we have so much going on I didn't even think about the fact that it was Monday today. We are getting ready for you Biruk!!!

My baby is sick...

And it stinks. I just started feeling good last night and woke up this morning to a sick Little Man. He has a fever and hasn't eaten all day. He woke up for not even half an hour to read books and then wanted to lay in our bed. He took a 2 hour nap and now he's watching Veggie Tales. He is taking some sips of Apple Juice for me but I just tried applesauce and he's not interested. Poor kiddo. And he just requested to pee on potty. What a trooper! I put a diaper on him thinking he'd take the lazy way out today but he's not interested. Hopefully I'll have better news to report tomorrow.

Our weekend plans include painting and finishing all the baseboard in the house. Boring stuff! I am so excited to put this chapter of our life behind us. It will be one year in Feb that we started remodeling this house and we are proud to say, "we are almost done"!!

Gotta run. Happy Friday to all; enjoy your weekend!

8 things about this & that....

I was tagged by my buddy Julie last night who is a hoot so if you haven't checked out her blog yet, Journey to Family, than you MUST. Anyway, it's 8 things about all this good stuff.

Crazy 8's

8 Things I'm Passionate About...
1. My boys (hubby, Little Man & Biruk)
2. FOOD (who isn't?)
3. Candy (eating purple skittles as I type this)
4. My siblings (see photo above)
5. Traveling
6. Taking pictures
7. Laughter
8. Living a fulfilling life


8 Things I Want To Do Before I Die...
1. Travel abroad (anywhere and as much as I can)
2. Snowboard at Whistler with Hubby
3. Do volunteer work abroad, possibly at an orphanage (when my children are older)
4. Raise well-rounded, polite and caring children
5. I'd love to be on The Amazing Race with hubby
6. Endure wearing braces (I have a missing tooth that needs pulled down and a gap between my front teeth)
7. Participate in a triathlon (one of the mini ones, not the Ironman)
8. Take family vacations often and hit all 50 states (preferably pulling a camper - ya know you love it Nater)


8 Things I Say Often...
1. Love You
2. Thank You
3. Do you want to go to bed?
4. You make me crazy!
5. Hello (answering my phone)
6. Don't Touch That!! (usually when I'm anywhere in public w/Little Man and usually I'm yelling it b/c he's going for the toilet seat or something just as gross)
7. Paper, Rock, Scissors (the way hubby and I determine who has to get up and do something)
8. I'm hungry


TV Shows I Recently Watched (keep in mind we do not have cable)
1. The Amazing Race
2. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader
3. American Idol
4. Wheel of Fortune
5. Local News
6. Brothers & Sisters
7. Jay Leno
8. Sesame Street


8 Songs I Could Listen to Over & Over...(and over)
1. Little Miss Magic, Jimmy Buffett
2. Unknown Legend, Neil Young
3. Rosie, Jackson Browne
4. Leather & Lace, Stevie Nicks & Don Henley
5. Hero, Phil Collins
6. 7 Towers, Oxygen
7. That's Why I'm Here, Kenny Chesney
8. Treat Her Like A Lady, Jimmy Buffett


8 Things That Attract Me To My Best Friends...
1. Humor (most importantly)
2. Honesty
3. History (our history together, not their history)
4. Comfort
5. Sincerity
6. Love
7. Laughter
8. Trust


8 Things I've Learned Or Been Reminded Of This Past Year...
1. All the many talents and skills my hubby possesses (I didn't know I married such a handy man :)
2. That I can be on the verge of insanity one day and the luckiest woman alive the next (remodeling a home will do that to you)
3. That living at a Super 8 with a baby is a TERRIBLE idea
4. Take things one day at a time (or in some cases, hour by hour)
5. Sometimes in the worst situations all you can do is laugh (that crazy, we've gone to a bad place, laugh)
6. That I could NOT have gotten through this past year without my hubby!!
7. I need a social life, friends and a babysitter if I'm going to live hundreds of miles from my family
8. For 2008 (and 09,10,11,12, etc) to not pack so much excitement (or stress) into one year (or two)


8 People I'm Tagging...
1. Manda
2. James
3. Tesi
4. Lisa in KS
5. Heather
6. Stie
7. Tarah
8. Lisa in Canada

Much better....

Today was awesome!! My massive head pressure and back ache disappeared leaving me with only a nasty sore throat. Which was such a minor pain compared to the day before. So I'm back on my feet and feeling the love. In fact, would you believe that I did several loads of laundry, washed all of my flooring (we don't have carpet) and have fresh bedding to crawl into tonight. Yeah for me! Also, the drywall professionals were here today to complete the texturing. I am happy to announce that we are "officially" finished with all drywall projects. Hubby had framed and drywalled two closets that needed textured. We now have baseboard and trim work a head of us (by us I mean, Nathan).

So what am I doing after a hard days work? Chilling out. I have french fries in the oven (I already ate my veggies and dip), little man is asleep, the house is clean and I'm about to watch a movie. I'm not sure when the last time I had such a relaxing evening planned.

Thanks for all the "feel better" thoughts. I'm back folks!

Mr.Mom

Hubby had to play Mr Mom today b/c I was a bit under the weather. Chills, sore throat, cough, aches, pains, etc.. Being sick sucks. I love our weekends and we had planned on heading to Kansas City for a day of fun but it didn't happen. Hubby made me breakfast and lunch, took Conner with him to the store to get me some cough drops and OJ and they tried all day to be quiet. So finally at 4pm I ventured out to the sofa to sit with Little Man so hubby could hit the road for KC. He hesitated and promised he wouldn't mind staying w/me. Of course I wanted to beg him to stay but I put on my happy face and sent him out the door. Little man is being a little pal becaue he knows momma is sick. I'll put him to bed in an hour and hopefully I'll be able to sleep much better tonight.

Thanks babe for taking such good care of me today!!

Don't talk on the phone momma...

Little man and I were lying in bed reading books when my phone rang. He says to me "don't talk on the phone momma". Mind you, I hadn't talked on the phone all day except to one sister for a mere 5 minutes. It was my mom so I answered it. So he punished me by climbing on me and bashing his 30 lb head against mine laughing uncontrollably. Finally I left the room. Then he followed me out to the living room only to pick up his sippy cup and dump his juice out on top of me. I quickly ended my phone call, put him in his crib and shut the door. This was followed by five minutes of "I'm sorry mom. I'm sorrrrrrrrrrrrry". So I went in there and he just grins at me; an extremely big 'I'm too cute to be mad at' grin and says "I'm sorry momma". What's a girl to do? He is now up playing with toys and wants nothing to do with me. It reminds me of his father...

Blanket party 2/1/2008....

Many of you in the adoption world are familiar with Owlhaven (mom of 10 - including 6 adopted children, 4 from Ethiopia). Anyway, she is a wonderful woman and has a great post up over at her blog. Please check it out - and this is for everyone - not just adoptive families. Thank you.

http://owlhaven.wordpress.com/2008/01/14/for-want-of-a-blanket

You may have to copy/paste the link.

What's in a name??

My sister and brother-in-law are looking for a name for the puppy. She asked me to post a picture of their (female) puppy and they are hoping to get some suggestions from all of my loyal readers (all three of you). What do you think this adorable, little puppy should be called?

Edited to add: My sister Keely decided on the name Kaya for their sweet little puppy. Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. Maybe if we ever get a dog I can look back on these.

Flashbacks

I was looking over pictures of Little Man from this past October and realized how much bigger he has gotten since then. Time sure does go quickly. So here's a quick recap of the past couple years. Just for fun. It's funny to think that my days of taking pictures of just one little one will quickly be coming to an end. I've really been trying to savor all the time I have with Little Man lately. He's such an easy kid (for the most part) and he's becoming quite the companion during the day; making me laugh, having some conversation with me and so very independent. I think he is going to adjust well when our next little guy comes along. Well after starting to post pictures I realized I had several just from the first 2 months of life. I'll continue to add a few more over the next few days.

Enjoy.

Happy Birthday Bryson!!

To my godson, on his 8th birthday -

You light up a room with just your eyes
and a big heart that could make you cry

You are always concerned with others
and take the time to show you care.

You love to help your mom cook and clean
but most of all you love to sing.

I am blessed to be your godmother
and wish so much we lived closer.

Wish I could have shared Taco Bell
Did you get the hard or soft shell?

Thinking of you on this day
sending happy birthday vibes your way.

Happy, happy birthday Bryson!!
You are such a wonderful little man!

Our sweet baby Biruk

Yes, that's right, I'm finally getting around to announcing the referral of our new baby, Biruk. It was love at first sight when I saw his picture. He has the most beautiful brown eyes, gorgeous skin and tiny little fingers and toes. Biruk was born 9/26/07 putting him just over 3 months old. We were not expecting him to be so young so this was a lovely surprise. We will get a court date in the next 8-10 weeks and he will "officially" be ours and I will post a picture then. Travel time is 12-16 weeks after referral which puts us traveling late March, early April. It is going to be hard but we just keep looking at his picture and are doing everything we can to prepare (which includes sooooooooo many things). I miss him so much and can't wait to have him in my arms. And he has a big brother who can't wait to meet him. What a joy it is to finally to know his name and what he looks like. Biruk means "he is blessed". We are very, very blessed and look forward to an exciting 2008! Happy New Year!