Christmas 2009

So, Zipporah was not so impressed with our American Christmas. She really couldn't have cared less about the presents. We asked her if she wanted to see what was in the present and she said "no thank you". I guess she is not as Americanized as we thought - that's ok though.

SNOW

Zipporah's first experience with snow was memorable. She just kept saying "it's cold". But of course, then I couldn't get her to come inside!

Pumpkin love

We carved pumpkins last night and Zipporah had the best time. She just screamed with delight! Oh the simple pleasures in life.

September 29, 2009

I can't believe that September is almost over. Zipporah has been here almost 3 months but it seems like a lot longer. School is in full swing for Reese and Kendall but it doesn't seem to faze Z much. She gets to play with her cousin Zeke every day as my sister and I swap out daycare to save money. Her English is improving every day and she amazes me with the things she says and understands. Her hair is growing like crazy too and she has soft curls that are going to be the envy of all.

the 2's

well, Zipporah is in the full force 2's! She is into everything, especially if it involves water. Sometimes it is the dog's water - dipping towels in and dragging them across the floor.... or of course the toilet - the barbies love to swim, and drinking out of it with a spoon works well too. Seeing that her favorite word is yucky, you would think that toilet water would be just that.
But, she is still singing "I have decided to follow Jesus" and her new favorite, "Hey, Jesus loves me!"
2 weeks ago we attended the AGCI picnic and she had a riot. She actually recognized a little girl,Meselech, from Hannah's Hope that left 2 weeks after she did. She had the most puzzled look on her face, like "what are you doing here?" It is always great to see all the happy kids that AGCI has helped bring home!

nothing new

Zipporah went to Michigan Adventure amusement park with us on Wednesday and over all, had a blast. She didn't venture off too much but did do some rides and water slides with Jeff and I.
She is so....TWO. Getting used to having a toddler around has been tough on me...I can't really take my eyes off of her. She is picking up more English every day and is quite the tattle tale - although I usually have no idea what she is saying!
As a wise person once said, "Give me patience with my blessings".

crazy days

I just love naptime. Is that selfish? That middle of the day break is so needed for all of us I think. I am going back to work on Monday - part time for 2 weeks and than back to my 3, 12 hour nights. I am really looking forward to it. I am not meant to be a stay at home mom and my kids know it after a month. Meanwhile, Zipporah is her same silly self, oblivious to it all!

more positives

When we first got Zipporah, I was simply called "engee". In Ethiopia, the locals call white people "ferengees". (I am sure I did not spell that right) Zipporah had obviously been hearing that all her short life so that is what we were. Well, I graduated to Ma-Amaye. Half English and half Amharic. Sometimes she even calls me "mom". Yeah!!!
She is also no longer petrified of the dogs. As seen in the picture, she loves to give our mastiff, Ellie, kisses. We are still working on not being too rough with her though. (Zipporah with Ellie!)

yes, she is still singing. She has an infection in her leg, giardia (an intestinal parasite) and has still "decided to follow Jesus". And she won't let us forget it!

I give up!!

I have now dressed Zipporah 4 times today. Everytime I turn around she has stripped down to her birthday suit...and it is not particularly warm today. I have finally given up and am letting her just run free.

July 16, 2009

Well, we are well into week two at home and you wonder how it is going?....After about a week of spending an hour each night in Zipporah's room rocking her to sleep I had about had it. I have 2 other kids that need me and I felt like I was neglecting them. So, my recovered from jet lag brain had an ingenious moment. She had shared a room with 4 other kids at HH! She is afraid to be alone at night - Duh! So Reese agreed to move her bed into Z's room and WaLa, not another peep. I can lay her down and walk away. No mental facility for me - yet!

She is a very picky eater and I am still working on finding things that she will eat. No fruit but bananas, but loves eggs, oatmeal, nutrigrain bars, and spaghettios. She loves her milk too. I guess I will just continue to experiment and maybe she'll just realize there is no injera here and she should just give it up and eat?

July 11, 2009

some of my favorite memories of Zipporah so far...

* sitting at the tables at the Union, waiting for Almaz to start our "meeting". Zipporah yelling, while all else was quiet, "Almaz, Almaz, Almaz", and didn't stop until Almaz acknowledged her and blew her a kiss.

* Zipporah belting out " I have decided to follow Jesus" just about anywhere and at anytime.

* Zipporah and Yikealo singing out the window of the shuttle bus at the airport

* the kisses she gives when she knows she is in trouble

* her utter shock at an ice cube and her screams of disbelief at a water fountain.

* The hour long fun a gum wrapper can give

July 2, 2009

Thursday, our final day in Ethiopia...it was bittersweet. No real plans for this day. We made our way over to Hannah's Hope for a final goodbye to Almaz and the special mothers. It was quite confusing for Zipporah so we didn't stay long. Almaz explained to Zipporah what was going to happen. She responded with a slight nod and "shh", which means "ok". We made sure that we snapped a lot more pictures today and ate an early dinner since we were leaving for the airport at 6 and they don't cook real fast - especially since we had no power that day. I took a quick cool shower since I would not get another until Friday night in the good ol' USA.
the flight home was agonizing as we probably went thru security 6 plus times between the 2 airports. I do not recommend Ethiopian airlines either. We boarded our plane at 10 p.m. and within 2 hours they thought, as everyone was falling asleep, that we needed dinner. So, on all the lights went and all the kids were awake! Then, after at least 1 and a half hours, the lights went off again. And then, we land in Rome and the cleaning crew gets on and we are not to get out of our seats until they are done...of course all the lights are on again. Finally, we are off again, lights off for maybe an hour and then we need to eat breakfast??? The staff was rude and we were very glad to see D.C. Unfortunetely we had a 9 hour layover - ouch. We made it home about 9 p.m. Friday night and were excited to shower and sleep. Needless to say, I slept on Zipporah's floor but at the time I did not care. It was not an airplane seat! And now, here we are...

July 1, 2009

Wednesday in Addis Ababa...today we met Zipporah's birth mom. It was a difficult day for all. Our meeting was set up for 10:40 a.m. Zipporah's mom, aunt, brother (10 yrs old) and sister (17 yrs old) showed up in Almaz's office. Her mom told us, thru translation, that she wasn't planning on getting pregnant, was sick (HIV) and didn't know what to do. She gave Zipporah up out of sheer desperation. She also said that her oldest daughter doesn't know that she is sick. Zipporah sat on her mom and sister's lap during the meeting but never smiled. She had a very confused look on her face the whole time - and who could blame her. I asked why she named her Kenean? The reason brought us all to tears. She said it was because,in the Bible, when Moses was taking the Israelites to the land of Canaan, it was known as the land of healing - of milk and honey. She was hoping by naming her Kenean (Canaan in English), it would bring her healing from HIV. So, why the tears? We named her Zipporah because in the Bible, she is Moses's wife. Is this child meant to be our's or what? If you are not convinced yet...her brother is deaf!
The aunt and sister hugged us with tears after our meeting..her birth mom could not control her sobbing and could not approach us anymore. My heart broke for her.
So, after an emotional afternoon for all, our group went to a traditional Ethiopian restaurant for dinner and took along the kids. There was wonderful dancing, singing, music and food - injera and shiro of course. It was a late night but a wonderful experience.

June 30, 2009

Tuesday in Ethiopia...today was shopping day. After breakfast we brought the kiddos back to HH since the locals do not like to see frengies (white people) with Ethiopian kids. Zipporah was not so thrilled about going back after being with us for the night. She would not look at me and acted very mad. So, off we went, to return after their naps. After a rough and treacherous ride thru the streets of Ethiopia, we arrived at the market. We had an hour and a half to do our shopping. Talk about crazy. It was a marathon shop and we still wish we would have gotten a few more things - we left with 6 bags of stuff. It was fun though. We all loaded on the bus and went to an Italian restaurant with some incredible paintings for sale - too pricey for us. Ethiopian time is not our time...the food took over 2 hours to get - and not everyone got it at the same time. Oh well! We took the bus back to the Union, deposited our loot and went back to HH to get our kiddos. As soon as Zipporah saw me she ran to me with open arms - no longer mad I guess. We relaxed the rest of the day and let the kids play together while we had dinner at the Union again. Jeff snapped a lot of pictures today of what the poverty is really like..devastating.

July 7, 2009

Zipporah is still doing great. All the new things in her life are amazing her...ice makes her giggle, a drinking fountain takes her breath away, and what can I say about the refrigerator? She just keeps opening it and staring, like she cannot believe what she is seeing. Her first lake experience proved that she has no fear - within an hour she was putting her face under. I am going to have to get her a good life jacket! And she is still unfazed by the car seat. Such a contrast to Reese.

I miss Ethiopia and the joy of all the children. As much as the plane ride was awful, I would travel it again. If not simply to experience the contrast to my own life. The extreme poverty is such an eye opener. But the people are absolutely beautiful!

June 29, 2009

Gotcha Day!!
After waiting in line forever in the airport for security, our visas and the rest of our group last night, we crashed at the Union Hotel. This morning we met Almaz in the hotel lobby to go over the day and then headed over to Hannah's Hope on foot. Our hearts were pounding as we trekked up the muddy stone path to our daughter. We were the first to get our child...she toddled up the path and tried to hand Almaz a toy. Almaz told her to give it to her mama. She is absolutely beautiful - snot and all. We spent about 30 minute with her and had to run back to the hotel to drop off our camaras and eat lunch. Then back to HH to retreive our kids and head to the US Embassy. The kids got quite bored and antsy but this was the only appointment we had - unlike China. Afterwards, we just hung out at the Union and got to know our kids. All 15 that found their forever families today are beautiful!

June 27, 2009

We began our grueling trip at 3:30 a.m. We drove to Aunt 'Nita's house and she accompanied us to Detroit and then drove our truck back home. We had a 9 hour layover in D.C. and then a 15 hour plane ride to Addis Ababa, with a 45 minute stop in Rome to change staff. By the time we arrived at our hotel we had been traveling over 30 hours! Very painful. There were 11 other families in our group and we all got along quite well. The fun is just beginning!!!

July 5, 2009

I had to post a picture of Zipporah. For those that traveled with us, you will be shocked - she has curls!! Amazing what a little of the right hair product will do. She is happy most all the time, didn't freak out with the first ride in a car seat, she has been singing since gotcha day, has slept through the night since day one and is simply a joy to be with. I will slowly post some pictures, day by day, of our trip...as much a 2 year old will allow me to.

July 5, 2009

We are home and recovering from serious jetlag! I will post pictures later! Zipporah is a true joy.

June 23, 2009

4 days until we leave!! There are suitcases all over the house as I attempt to get organized. I have to admit that I feel a little more prepared, since I did this 2 years ago, but I still am feeling scatterbrained. So much to do in so little time! How overwhelmed will I be? I know how bad I was in China. Hopefully, with Jeff along, I won't be as bad? I pray that Zipporah will be prepared for us as much as possible. It has got to be scary for her. My thoughts are very jumbled as I write this....maybe because it is 4:40 am?

June 16, 2009

Zipporah has passed her TB test! Our travel dates are confirmed and we have booked our tickets to leave June 27 and return on July 3. Less than 2 weeks!

June 8, 2009

We passed court! We just got the official word that she is ours! We still don't have travel dates - maybe in the next week or so we will know. An appointment has to be made at the US Embassy in Ethiopia and then we can make our reservations. Zipporah still has to pass her TB test but they don't administer that until a week before we fly out - seems kind of dumb timing to me. The airline tickets that I put on hold for the end of June may have to be postponed? Hurry up and wait again but the end is in sight!

June 5, 2009

Well, our court date was yesterday and we have not heard anything yet. We got an email from AGCI saying that they have not gotten a hold of the staff in Ethiopia to get the news if we passed or not. Granted there is some crazy time differences between the 3 of us but now we have to wait the whole weekend! I spoke with a travel agency today and put some tickets on hold for the last weekend in June - going on a hope and prayer that everything goes smooth. We can always cancel them but the spots were filling up, so why not? Prayers for Monday !!!!

May 12, 2009

We have our court date! June 4! If we pass thru the first time, Zipporah needs to be able to get her birth certificate and passport and pass her TB test. If all goes well we could be traveling the end of June! She may not even have hair by then! Ama and Poppy will be in Seattle until the 30th so Reese will have to stay with Amy or Lindy until they return. I cannot believe how soon that seems. She could be here for the 4th of July - jet lag and all. Praise God!

May 7, 2009

We had our "next step" call with Julie today and she is quite sure that we will travel in July! Even if we end up needing a second court date we will still travel end of July or early August. Now we just pray that Zipporah passes her TB skin test. The courts in Ethiopia have put a hold on all abandoned childrens adoptions as part of an ongoing investigation to make sure everything is on the up and up. Thank you Lord that this does not effect us. Zipporah was relinquished by her mother and therefore her mom will have to show up in court. We should be hearing about our court date in the next few weeks! Now Lindy and Doug need a referral!

April 15, 2009

Our referral package is officially in the mail with a hefty check! Everything has been signed, notarized and filled out...now we just need Zipporah. But until then, we will gather a few things to send in a care package to her. Our caseworker is quite sure that we will travel this summer - Yeah! She said that as long as our documents pass thru the Ethiopian courts before August, we will go. Most people have been passing thru court on the first try too...so approximately 3 or so months? Ethiopia has just started a TB series that the kiddos have to have now too..but it can't be started until after the documents go thru court. Our next big prayer request is that Zipporah is negative on the first test - the skin test. Otherwise things could really get delayed.

April 10, 2009

Yesterday I spoke with Dr Jenista, an international adoption pediatrician. This is part of the requirement once we except a referral. She gave me a little more insight on our new addition. So, one more step ahead. I also received our referral package and printed off all of the pictures of Kenean - aka: Zipporah. On Monday we will have our transition call and hopefully get everything notorized that we need to. Happy Good Friday!! God is so.....good!

April 8, 2009

We have our referral !!!!! I had worked Monday night and when I woke up on Tuesday there was a message from our case worker, Julie. She was very vague and just stated that there was something that she wanted to talk to us about. I just knew it was "the call"! I called her back but because she is 3 hours behind us, she was at lunch. I waited a painful hour before I heard back from her. Julie said that she had a little girl for us to consider and that she was a little older than we had requested...she is 25 months. I didn't care...I knew this was the child God had for us. Her name in Ethiopia is Kenean. She was born February 19, 2007. Her mother has given her up because she is HIV positive and has no income. Her father passed away from an unknown disease the August before she was born. She is absolutely adorable! We have been given tons of pictures of her and even some with her birth mom. The other Ethiopian case worker from AGCI was in Ethiopia when Kenean came to Hannah's Hope on March 30. Our biggest prayer now is that we are able to travel to get her yet this summer. I am waiting to hear back from an international pediatrician about her medical records (they look good to me) and should get our referral package in the mail tomorrow.
I cannot believe that we waited almost a year for her referral! I cannot wait to kiss her little face.

He Reigns - Newsboys

This song makes me think of my girls. It is such a priviledge to teach them about our Savior! From Africa to Asia...to the USA!

February 21, 2009

Still no referral! In the past 2 weeks there were referrals for 3 infant boys, 2 toddler boys, 3 infant girls and 2 sibling groups. No toddler girls!! I spoke to our social worker last night and she said that she could change our home study to state that we want an infant or toddler...but I am not sure that is what we or God wants for us. She told me to pray about it, maybe God has something to tell us? Lindy and Doug just had their first home study appt. last night and as I spoke with Lindy, we discovered that we both have the feeling that something crazy is going to come of us both going to Ethiopia. Maybe we will travel at the same time?? The courts in Ethiopia close in August and September, so if we don't get a referral soon, we could be waiting until October to travel! What if Lindy and Doug go early? Maybe our gotcha day will be the same as Reese's, or on Reider's birthday? I just know that God has the perfect child for us and the perfect plan of when we are supposed to go...I just get frustrated - daily! It is so hard not knowing!

February 7, 2009

January has come and gone with no referral. It is so much harder to wait when you are at the top of the list...We pray every night to bring our little girl home soon. But I have found that patience is not my best virtue!

January 11, 2009

As of this past Friday we are officially next on the list for a referral! Now I really will jump every time the phone rings. My curiosity deepens about who our child is - what does she look like? how old is she? what is her name? is she hungry or cold? I know God has his angels watching over her for us but it is so hard to wait.