Life As Another Big Sister

Life is definitely different around here. Jeremiah is as crazy as you would think a 3 year old boy would act. Screaming and running around. Acting....... like a boy. I've lived with a sister for 8 years, and with a little boy in the house, it's a change. There are really great parts about it and very difficult parts about it too. Homework is harder now that there is always a distraction close by. Just today he wanted me to hold him instead of mom. That was one of the many blessings of Jeremiah being here. He also has a lot of humor in his little personality. Dancing and singing around the house. It's hard to tell what his future will look like. Will he be a famous entertainer, or a mini Lebron James? :) I know for a fact that there will be many more hurdles along this journey and also many more blessings to follow.

Mallory age 11

yay! for being a big sister

It is  so fun being a big sister to Jeremiah.Before Jeremiah was here I was the youngest it was not very fun to me.Being a big sister is a big responsibility.I remember when I was 6 at the table with my family and my parents told my sister and I that we were adopting I started crying after a few minutes because I wanted to adopt from China  but after a few days I got over it. Gods the one who called us to adopt from Ethiopia and now I'm so happy that he has a real family and will learn to love God.

                               _

                                   Courtney age 8

2 weeks home

It's hard to believe it, but we have been home for 2 weeks! Jeremiah continues to amaze us with how well he has adjusted up to this point. He is still eating great, sleeping great, and generally happy. Of course, he can throw a fit with the best of the three year old out there when he doesn't get his way, but what else do you expect from a 3 yr old?? We have started to get out for a few outings and he seems to enjoy getting out. We have hit Target, Costco, a quick appearance at church last Sunday and lunch with Courtney. He pretty much has "rock star status" at Grassland Elementary. With such a long wait, Mallory and Courtney's classmates have also been waiting to FINALLY get to meet Jeremiah. He really gets excited when he is around other children. While we are at school, he really wants to be around the kids and check out what they are doing. He gives high fives/handshakes to everyone on his own initiative. He was well trained by his nannies in the "greeting" category.

He is repeating a lot of things that we say but is still speaking mostly in Ahmaric. We can understand what he is trying to tell us some of the time but there are many times that we are left scratching our heads. The girls are great teachers and are having fun teaching him words which is nice to have reinforcement. They are also great playmates for Jeremiah. He will play outside with them while I am inside. This really is such a blessing that he feels comfortable enough to do this. Many children at this point wouldn't feel comfortable leaving our side. He likes sticking close to me when we are here around the house together.  He really like sticking close to us when we get too close to our dog, Sam.  Who's afraid of the big bad "woof"??.... yes that would be Jeremiah! We feel like he is making BABY steps of improvement but we still have a LONG way to go.

He calls every van, truck, and or bus a "beep beep" and gets the most excited about seeing the big beep beep in the afternoon that brings the girls home. That is a great time of day, as is the time of day when daddy comes home! Both of those moments each day melt our hearts.... his excitement, the look on his face.... what a gift!

We have taken many pictures and video of Jeremiah. I am hoping this works but we will try to give you a little glimpse into his personality and his dance moves. He keep us smiling and keeps the girls looking for new ways to get him dancing!

Home!

We are home and so thankful to be here and living life as a family of 5! I have been trying to find a moment to update the blog it has taken me until today to find a little window. So many of you have been so kind to check in and make sure we arrived safely so I wanted to let you all know that yes we did!
The flights went so much better than we could have ever hoped. Jeremiah fell asleep before we even took off from Addis and slept somewhere between 6 and 7 hours. He had a very active few hours in his seat, no interest in watching movies, but was never really too upset. His little friend was in the seat in front of him and she would stand up and check in with him every once in awhile. He took one more nap beforer we landed in DC and began our 8 hour layover. He really did great that day and even took a 2 hour nap on a pallet we had made onthe floor of an empy gate area. Another major blessing! The last flight was fine until the last 45 minute when he was "actively" playing with the tray table and some strong opinions about whether he wanted it up or down. When it came time to descend, he wan't happy that it had to be up. As he was melitng down, the flight attendant asked if his ears were hurting. I said "no, he is unhappy about the tray table",. She looked at him and pointed to the tray table and said "NO" and he never uttered another peep. I asked her if she would come home with us (haha).
 We had a great welcoming committee at the airport and were so thankful to see so many loved ones and of course the girls were THRILLED/RELIEVED to see us. It was so surreal to get into the car as a family of 5 and make the drive home. To see him in our car after all the waiting, delays, prayers, etc..... amazing!

We had a great weekend... amazing weather to enjoy and a perfect timing to have the girls at home for 2 days. Our good friends from Birmingham had come up to welcome us home so we were able to spend some time with them on Saturday and enjoy watching Jeremiah explore his new world.  It was a weekend of many firsts.... first time on a tricycle, first ride in a wagon, first time to sleep in his new room,  first time he took a bath without crying, first time he went to the bathroom for us on the regular toilet and not the small one that I have to clean out.. (woohoo) and many others. We continue to be amazed at how well he has done and the strides he continues to make is amazing. He is so happy in the mornings and when he does get upset, it is usually because we have not allowed him to do something or have something he can't have. As I said before... typical 3 yr old behavior.

As I was reflecting about the past week and thinking about how all this has gone so well, I realized that I shouldn't be so shocked. The Lord has answered our prayers and given us the gift of a great first week. At any point in time, Jeremiah could begin to have a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad month. He has been through so many changes this week, but he has demonstrated his childlike faith in us. He falls asleep in our arms, he follows us when we ask him to, he wants to be with us and he doesn't try to run away from us.  I think we can learn so much from Jeremiah about what it looks like to have childlike faith in our heavenly father!

I will try to keep you all updated on how he is doing but until then a few pictures and a big THANK YOU for keeping us in your prayers, for all your support, your encouragement, your excitement and walking with us on this journey to our son. He is a gift from the Lord and all of this has been worth it!

Let's get on that airplane!

I'm feeling very sleepy!

This Dulles Airport floor is a great place to nap!

First tricycle ride

First Wagon Ride

Tony's wishful thinking!!

Day 2.. another great day!

We had a great night! He slept all through the night. Unfortunately, the time change was not working well for Tony and me.. both of us we a little turned round and didn't sleep great but we are not complaining! We continue to be amazed at this little guy. He woke up, looked over at our bed and just grinned at us. He never seemed upset or scared which just blows our minds. He ate a LARGE breakfast. The boy can eat and it comes to a point where we really have to cut him off.  There are different theories on this but I think some of it has to do with the fact that he is experiencing some fears during this change and he can control himself eating therefore he is going to just eat and eat. Another thought is that he had to fight for toys and turns at the Transitional home. Nothing was his. This may spill over into the food department.... fear that someone might steal what is on his plate.  This is something that many adoptive families deal with so we are not surprised, just have to have some strategy and a plan on our part as parents. 

The boy is Independent... yes with a capitol "I". He can dress himself, feed himself with utensils, brush his own teeth and wants to do everything else on his own. Some of this is normal 3 yr old behavior but he obviously was not babied at the transition home. The nannies have to train them young to do some of these things for themselves. 

Our morning was easy in the Jeremiah category but hard in the emotional category. We went with another couple and their baby to visit an organization called Embracing Hope.  you can read more about it at the link below if you are interested but the basic info is that it is a new organization in Korah that provides daycare for single mothers so that they can go work and provide for her family. Korah is about 30 minutes outside of Addis and is the community where the trash from Addis Ababa is taken. Embracing Hope is just a few blocks from the actual dump so this area would be considered a step up from the actual community next to the trash dump.  We toured the facility and were encouraged by the work that this one ministry is having on this community of women. As result, these women are able to keep their children and they are not forced to give them over to the care of an orphanage. 

Next, we went a few blocks over to visit Project 61. This organization was started by a woman from Tennessee and is partnered with a church in Thompson Station. Tony and I have sponsored a teenage boy for almost 2 years and were hoping to get to meet him. I was very last minute letting them know we were coming out there so unfortunately we weren't able to meet Zelalum. However, what we did see was hard to see. Once you have seen how these children live, it is hard not to want to do something. No one will ever solve poverty but there are so many ways to help one person. Both of these organizations are doing great things and there are many more out there. 

http://www.embracinghopeethiopia.com/tag/korah/

http://www.p61.org/

After lunch, we returned to the guest house for the rest of the afternoon. Jeremiah stayed in good spirits most of the time. We got to play outside in the courtyard with his little friend and they had a blast. There were a few meltdowns this afternoon... the first being bath time... not a fan! Hopefully, this will be better at home once he is more comfortable. The other times can either be chalked up to tantrum because he can't understand us and is upset that we are preventing him from doing something that he wants to do but shouldn't be doing or just plain toddler behavior. We had to play tough a few times and set some boundaries and after a few tears, he was all smiles again. 

Tomorrow is our last day as we prepare to fly out in the evening. I think we are going to go to a museum in the morning and not sure how the rest of the day will go. We are dreading the flight. Please pray that he sleeps and he doesn't have any major meltdowns! 

We are ready to come home and start our life as a family of 5 in our home! 

Out to lunch- he was much cleaner before he ate his spaghetti!

Like my shades?

Someone liked wearing my shoes and posing for the camera!

I'm still smiling! Take my picture!

Putting stickers on your head is so fun... you should try it!

He picked out this shirt and wanted to change out of his pj shirt... he was feeling like he had the super powers tonight!

Day 1 of having a son....

It is really official... we have a son.  The day really was pretty amazing and Jeremiah did great all things considered. Tomorrow may not goes as smoothly as today did so we will take today and be very thankful!
We arrived a the transition home mid morning and he was immediately brought out to us. It seemed like he remembered us from yesterday which was great. We got to play with him for awhile and let him experience his last playtime at the transition home on all of his favorite playground equipment. A few of the nannies came by to say goodbye to him and give him kisses. Once again, there is no doubt that he has been well loved on since he arrived there.  We got to talk to the doctor one more time about his health history. She really is the most amazing woman. She loves the Lord and has such a great perspective on who is the ultimate healer. My favorite quote of hers today is that "we all live in a transitional home..... this is just our temporary home here on earth". God has used the transitional home in Jeremiah's life these past 7 months and now he will be coming to his "permanent" home. We pray the Lord will use our home to prepare him to go to his eternal permanent home.

It was time to leave so we loaded up in the van. The wonderful gift of this week is that there is a family from Oklahoma who arrived today. They are adopting a little girl, about 3 1/2,  and they were with us this morning to pick up their little girl So, as we piled in the van, Jeremiah had a little buddy in the van with him. He seemed curious but not anxious. A familiar face goes a long way! The other good news is that they are on our flight this Thursday night so he will have his traveling buddy for the long flight.

We went to lunch and was able to witness Jeremiah's appetite and love of food for the first time. He had just finished a little carton of goldfish as we arrived to the restaurant so I'm thinking he wouldn't be too hungry.  Well, I was wrong! I really think that had we not cut him off, he would have eaten until he got sick. My favorite thing that he does is use bread as though it is injera. He pulls off a small bite of it and scoops up the sauce on the plate and eats it as though he were eating an authentic Ethiopian meal instead of a pasta dish like he was today.

After lunch we went straight to the US embassy. Security was about what I thought it would be.... no cell phones or cameras allowed and they screen your bags. We made everything official by signing one piece of paper and then on Thursday his VISA will be ready to pick up. Just like that!

We came back to the guest house and spent the rest of the afternoon playing with him in our room. He really was so happy and playful... sometime downright silly! This was the put the mesh laundry basket over your head and them pop out of it trick. Repeated multiple times!


He fell asleep in my arms and woke up about 45 minutes later. My guess is that he was tired, grumpy and probably a little confused/scared/ upset after he woke up. He had short period of being upset but then recovered pretty quickly. I really can't imagine what is going on in his head. All of this has to be so confusing.

He is asleep right now and I pray that he sleeps all night. Waking up in a strange place with people you barely know is not the best way to wake up in the middle of the night.

We are grateful for a wonderful first day. The Lord has given us strength  and gave Jeremiah the peace that we asked so many of you to pray for. What an answer to prayer....

Back in Ethiopia

It is hard to believe we are finally back. We arrived early this morning and decided that we would visit Jeremiah today, but that since neither one of us slept on the plane, it would be a good idea to get some sleep tonight in order to be ready for tomorrow.  We had lunch with 2 other families here for their embassy trip and then went to the Transition Home to play with Jeremiah for a bit. We were so excited to see him again and were so thankful for the smiles and giggle we got. He also surprised us and was counting from 1-10 in English! Obviously they have been teaching them some English so it was fun to hear something come out of his mouth that we could understand.
We could barely hold our eyes open while we were there (Tony may have fallen asleep in a chair on the porch!) so while we hated to leave him, we were so ready to get back to the guest house and get some sleep. We have napped and are now trying to stay up for a little bit and then return to sleep.
Tomorrow is the big day... please pray that Jeremiah doesn't feel afraid with us as we take him from all he has known for the last 7 months. We feel so grateful to finally be at this place.

I will post more tomorrow but just wanted you all to know that we are here safely!