tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37730676409402718252024-02-06T02:26:27.896-08:005 by FaithErynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.comBlogger200125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-69216691297395154922011-07-11T21:13:00.000-07:002011-07-11T21:13:26.389-07:00Whoa Nelly.I'm still stuck in a somewhat reflective mood. Thinking on a year home. All the milestones and accomplishments our girl has made. The joys we've experienced of having a sweet daughter in our family. I often sit overwhelmed with astonishment, at how very brave she is. Bravely trying to right her world from being turned upside down.<br />
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I also have been weary and emotional. We moved last week. The weeks leading up to it were, as imaginable, hectic and chaotic. I went into it knowing it could undo her. Literally, you can watch this girl "undo". She just unravels before our eyes some days.<br />
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I'm still SO thankful for the opportunity to attend the Empowered to Connect Conference and hear Dr. Purvis speak. It gave me SO MUCH more understanding and compassion for her behaviors. I'm not sure anyone else would notice her "unravel", but I can see it. It makes me sad for her, because we've just been locked into a survival mode for 2 weeks. Knowing this change was HARD for her. And when it's hard for her, it's HARD FOR EVERYONE. What does it look like, you might ask? Her eyes dart furiously around. I know she's frantic, on high alert, waiting for the next thing to change, not wanting to be caught off guard. Not wanting to be left behind, or blindsided. She gets upset by one small thing, and then when we try to figure it out and ask her, "what do you want, sweet girl?" She franticly reaches for thing after thing. Grasping for anything and everything. Changing her answer 10 times. LOOKING LOST. She doesn't know what she wants...she just feels unraveled by the activity. It's hard for all of us. We WANT to meet her need, if only we could figure it out! I know we desperately need to get back to our "boot camp" mode. Lots of structure, lots of sensory activities. However, we also need the boxes out of our living space. Like I said, we KNOW we need to plow through and survive these few weeks, so we can get back to order (at least, structured chaos!).<br />
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We did finally get the AMAZING word that we are finally Giardia FREE!!! I was so happy that day, the lady on the phone probably thought I was nuts over being so happy to be parasite free. we waited a looooong time to hear those words.<br />
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We are still chasing answers for some other minor health issues, which led us to another Dr. The local hospital in Portland, Or, called OHSU has ONE Dr. with lots of experience with international kids. We finally took the plunge to take Lucy to her, hoping for some more answers or at least clues. We are not dealing with anything major, but persistent small issues. I'm feeling like I've dead ended with our regular family practice, and we just needed a fresh set of eyes with experience with kiddos from Africa. While I did not LOVE our experience there (we waited 1.5 hours past our appt time to see the Dr!!) I do feel like we got new perspective and some direction towards possible answers.<br />
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I know there are families with WAY more medical/physical/emotional issues than we do. And I feel for you. I know that I just get bogged down some days with the weight of it. Constant questions. Constant concerns about her health. Non life threatening, just constant and nagging. Knowing her life could be easier if she felt better. Juggling appts, multiple dr's, specialists...and too many questions still hanging and not enough answers. It's frusterating and overwhelming at times. Always wondering about things we'll NEVER know the answers to.<br />
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And then, following the great bog down days, I'm always recharged when I return to my source of grace. The Lord. I'm overwhelmed then, too, in a different way. The Lord extends grace to me for my shortcomings. For losing it when my strength and stamina run out. When I realize, it should never have been my strength and stamina I was relying on. I would do much better if I asked him each and every day to FILL me with gratitude and thanks for where we are. To let my list of things I'm grateful for fuel my day of things that are not so fun to deal with. To reflect on what gives me joy and fills me up. To allow the Lord to use those things to keep me focused on the task at hand. The Lord is always faithful to me, and so full of grace. He carries me through the hard days, and loves me when I fail. He loves me up and sets me back on me feet for a new day. I'm so grateful for that.<br />
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Sidenote: I am almost finished with a great book, 1,000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp. It's a "challenge to live fully where you are". I have loved the challenge to be thankful, deeply filled with gratitude, for the itty bitty gifts in my life. To allow that gratitude to fuel my perspective on life. To let JOY carry me through challenges. To find my center of gravity in grace and gratitude for those precious gifts. As a result, I've started a thankful journal. A few snippets of things I"m grateful for:<br />
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41. Long snuggles from Lucy, asking "Stay Mama" at bed time.<br />
42. KISSES from Lulu.<br />
43. A new home to head to.<br />
44. 8 miles-long run.<br />
45. a Dry 8 miles....BONUS!<br />
46. Naps, for me :) Sunday naps are fabulous.<br />
47. Books I love to re-read.<br />
48. Snuggles.<br />
49. "mama rock-ee"<br />
50. A clean house that stuck for awhile.<br />
51. Long lap snuggles from a reluctant child.<br />
52. missing front teeth on an almost 7 year old.<br />
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And, to top it off, I've been BAWLING lately when I hear this song on the radio. When I'm feeling like a weakling, ready to cave, it recharges me to fight for my girl's needs. To keep putting one foot in front of the other, picking up the phone for the 10,000th call to the dr. To keep going.<br />
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I am so blessed by this life I have. I am so honored to continue to be here. To love Lucy as she bravely goes through her days, trying to find her way. I pray for strength and patience to be constant for her. I know I'm among many who are doing the same...it's humbling to be given such a gift of being a parent to such precious kids, isn't it? <br />
<div style="background-color: black; width: 520px;"><div style="padding: 4px;"><embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" base="." flashvars="" height="288" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:cmt.com:599179/cp%7Eartist%3D710215%26vid%3D599179%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Acmt.com%3A599179" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512"></embed><br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 4px; text-align: left;">Tags: <a href="http://www.cmt.com/videos/rascal-flatts/599179/i-wont-let-go-cmt-invitation-only.jhtml" style="color: #439cd8;" target="_blank">I Won't Let Go (CMT Invitation Only)</a>, <a href="http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/rascal_flatts/artist.jhtml" style="color: #439cd8;" target="_blank">Rascal Flatts</a>, <a href="http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/rascal_flatts/videos.jhtml" style="color: #439cd8;" target="_blank">Rascal Flatts Videos</a></div></div></div>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-88014828154463568292011-05-28T21:21:00.000-07:002011-05-28T21:21:45.101-07:00Lucy Day! One Year Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I can't even believe it's been one year since we met Lucy. It feels like yesterday, but also feels like she's been with us forever, we can't imagine our life without our girl. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One year ago, I lifted a very concerned and sleepy girl from the baby seat and into my arms. Poor babe, was dead asleep and woke up to a stranger! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhZ9alY-W4ahRwoaXSugGjSaFSG4cXyi4AVAsLoI8hmQqrd118OqfTFiWzQ2_mB5xFaQpxsAx4MTDQrrwHOlwcXAB5m_YsSiWvPm-yHxMmsGh8tqIrJwajb9bYR7a-gDatI_EapGBfDTw/s1600/IMG_1066.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhZ9alY-W4ahRwoaXSugGjSaFSG4cXyi4AVAsLoI8hmQqrd118OqfTFiWzQ2_mB5xFaQpxsAx4MTDQrrwHOlwcXAB5m_YsSiWvPm-yHxMmsGh8tqIrJwajb9bYR7a-gDatI_EapGBfDTw/s320/IMG_1066.jpg" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9hxkUK1ioiSV5GMwwnGFPV-lQ0aBkFCzqDoC93j_vvPS8sasy4sS-xLup8DMTN0U_LlCzTJinzVIebL5E5tCnXJo6nwbFzyxSLXsIrn7BkLxnbiGhrYf_W7YJFTszHhGM5DomXTBy223/s320/IMG_1069.jpg" width="320" /></div><br />
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</a></div> The year has been full of so many milestones and celebrations. And, I'm not gonna lie...lots of challenges as well. I'm going to post more about that later, but this post is about celebrating!<br />
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Lucy has gone from a tiny little bean of a girl, to a full blown toddler. She has gained 10 lbs this year and grown so tall! We are always commenting on how long her arms and legs are, and her feet are size 8!!! Seems crazy huge for a girl who's not even two! She's gone from this tiny timid girl...<br />
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To our little princess...or Puff-Uff, as she likes to call herself! She loves to wear her tiara and tutu..over her jammies, while she eats breakfast...any time, anywhere. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0WWKbAMUgCPJrXmPPy6ijHUZ3VUY9B761SvortSi3vta_PfIIenOolecR2gPb6-Al_6eTSwY_ARvn8fQWRGWS_-4-6wxm5d3ETPEE7K-qd6XQzdQz6CnZ5rGp-0qe26zP8qnWEHH94su/s1600/_MG_4364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0WWKbAMUgCPJrXmPPy6ijHUZ3VUY9B761SvortSi3vta_PfIIenOolecR2gPb6-Al_6eTSwY_ARvn8fQWRGWS_-4-6wxm5d3ETPEE7K-qd6XQzdQz6CnZ5rGp-0qe26zP8qnWEHH94su/s320/_MG_4364.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttqUa3Ci4D1K0AbZz1msDnV9_enL_NA12KELmCtHpPjZfCA6_IKQqTNMj6usiR78jev13sbT_9MPEzfaL_Oc_odDWmoYl3QdDgTxcH8aG9FuxWOlM_KZ3MVRQg2ElsLSB3esN9lqfFYxt/s1600/_MG_4365.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttqUa3Ci4D1K0AbZz1msDnV9_enL_NA12KELmCtHpPjZfCA6_IKQqTNMj6usiR78jev13sbT_9MPEzfaL_Oc_odDWmoYl3QdDgTxcH8aG9FuxWOlM_KZ3MVRQg2ElsLSB3esN9lqfFYxt/s320/_MG_4365.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This girl can CLEAN UP a plate of dairy free pancakes, like nobody's b</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">usiness!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To celebrate our first year together...we went to our fave local Ethiopian restaurant, Enat Kitchen. Our whole family LOVED it. Every time we have Ethiopian, our whole family likes it more and more. Lucy LOVES injera. It was so so tasty. Then, we went to Yo Cream for dessert...and they even had Dairy Free sorbet for Lulu! It was a great family night together...although the boys didn't quite get why Lucy get ANOTHER day besides her birthday! It truly felt like a birthday to me...after all, it was the first day I held her in my arms, and that day with our boys was the "birth" day. You know? </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyyQazOpduoMSsgT07ygpGqpLK4gg2rYIMs0G3rYBQ3aY7KkN5Acnn6YW7X2FoOtpim09yfurkqGHJ0KOwJC-rXhbNw_aQu2o1jjXV8JpfyIqkYNuVgb9rHLzO-OuPYpXtJ4_0SmtGQ8S/s320/DSCN0317.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kiddos<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFysBx0qOFTQtbtDNiBLGdbbM54ccvG9vzM3oC7Z0TG78Zrsij_I7Wr4DJrVf58txcbdbIeRhruIT0Iy5bD_IosqYxUiIGJGcRv7qI3IIgYc8tIEWIxS8d4q51_1AqerOspvNARAM0q4b/s1600/DSCN0337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFysBx0qOFTQtbtDNiBLGdbbM54ccvG9vzM3oC7Z0TG78Zrsij_I7Wr4DJrVf58txcbdbIeRhruIT0Iy5bD_IosqYxUiIGJGcRv7qI3IIgYc8tIEWIxS8d4q51_1AqerOspvNARAM0q4b/s320/DSCN0337.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our tasty platter</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhlOvOAgGRWD9IfukHbuuUgQIQDT2ATNpLyXkNut8LLT5ne22wqngiHKh3EuDmSvqwsH9GxZe0mG871vIt7MmbrXTx7XzZyXPrX7iCuHF_OrrhDlCtiGbg0oseZT2X5H9bKe2SARhtgWD/s1600/DSCN0321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhlOvOAgGRWD9IfukHbuuUgQIQDT2ATNpLyXkNut8LLT5ne22wqngiHKh3EuDmSvqwsH9GxZe0mG871vIt7MmbrXTx7XzZyXPrX7iCuHF_OrrhDlCtiGbg0oseZT2X5H9bKe2SARhtgWD/s320/DSCN0321.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lulu and daddy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1UbKeZgeaGLCP9qTrWR4nUp6YQqe462ItkpOLu-iaTyzHXsaTUyZh0elNDCCRZWT1Z2dHdrDYFqCR2W41W7h1IUDjllpyKBKIKFBh-MxZhW9UtaNNdaJsJAZYE94Cecbe02IlweQinuW/s1600/DSCN0325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1UbKeZgeaGLCP9qTrWR4nUp6YQqe462ItkpOLu-iaTyzHXsaTUyZh0elNDCCRZWT1Z2dHdrDYFqCR2W41W7h1IUDjllpyKBKIKFBh-MxZhW9UtaNNdaJsJAZYE94Cecbe02IlweQinuW/s320/DSCN0325.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">me and my girl!</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtO9VOk-fvgNBb-j_NZFEKhSNxpMibrF-us9g6FEcjnuYASsjObXCJKGM3M-ZDXcl9nwhEZPZ7p4O2GvxSg4fp1dApHyE1dzUua_VF0vavfjwAuZII5y-A_GlSRd6E9g5NeNMOPX3q9zCd/s1600/DSCN0326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtO9VOk-fvgNBb-j_NZFEKhSNxpMibrF-us9g6FEcjnuYASsjObXCJKGM3M-ZDXcl9nwhEZPZ7p4O2GvxSg4fp1dApHyE1dzUua_VF0vavfjwAuZII5y-A_GlSRd6E9g5NeNMOPX3q9zCd/s320/DSCN0326.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Of course, being a gal who loves to give (and get) gifts, I had to give my girlie a gift. She's liking her baby dolls alot lately, and sort of pretending a bit. I thought she'd love this baby cradle. I found it at Goodwill, and rehabed it. I got my inspiration from Pottery Barn Kids, <a href="http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/doll-cradle/?pkey=dgirls-toys">here</a>. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8DmMIQ2jpTzsOui-WmEvVGVuA4xMvc6uZiEl4q9p2JJvQ2aRziO1NnYDfp6Q1ICf2hQ5r9tWeRqaPSrrJn8co6fKBKMci2kqTwJQp3Mb6dt922AZbee8iHmwMfgsomvwCHJQl3vtdJXu/s1600/_MG_4346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8DmMIQ2jpTzsOui-WmEvVGVuA4xMvc6uZiEl4q9p2JJvQ2aRziO1NnYDfp6Q1ICf2hQ5r9tWeRqaPSrrJn8co6fKBKMci2kqTwJQp3Mb6dt922AZbee8iHmwMfgsomvwCHJQl3vtdJXu/s320/_MG_4346.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWbiYldOnMG2nLtY6yrKkv5VLOWC06wjtttra63Jccb93bZDsYBJGGlCeLC9SNkS0BefZsgzqwPI2iRHpOLmYMUXQhaxEcQ-APrJXvRHVsN2TWXJrjHkR1DSoXLKM8_mz6FNsYieq9RsT/s1600/_MG_4356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWbiYldOnMG2nLtY6yrKkv5VLOWC06wjtttra63Jccb93bZDsYBJGGlCeLC9SNkS0BefZsgzqwPI2iRHpOLmYMUXQhaxEcQ-APrJXvRHVsN2TWXJrjHkR1DSoXLKM8_mz6FNsYieq9RsT/s320/_MG_4356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_XlVRJdnhXS1Ci17tegIctKQQMcYgRyWoARDsW02jZfG3UxYpx9cvIwyv130HIptKDOzMUZ4flbBsxfqfyU1Ppp2a_cpKJ9eu36LmoaFQZRDh6CmVE3b8Vl3igUwtliPmkDfKg7ZShmj/s1600/_MG_4350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_XlVRJdnhXS1Ci17tegIctKQQMcYgRyWoARDsW02jZfG3UxYpx9cvIwyv130HIptKDOzMUZ4flbBsxfqfyU1Ppp2a_cpKJ9eu36LmoaFQZRDh6CmVE3b8Vl3igUwtliPmkDfKg7ZShmj/s320/_MG_4350.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Here is the PBkids version:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAXXXIThhwQyvfcfCoQaMYLTZa422xfNnAuu22janMuEnVVOs_R4R0-Ds7NRH99YgHuJ0Dw_o-P5bjYlS2mzQTAdEVlAjh4hiL-RNuVNduzEVyLxtgnZVCULs4mT8EjK-X1TlxvcnAyOA/s1600/pbkidscradle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAXXXIThhwQyvfcfCoQaMYLTZa422xfNnAuu22janMuEnVVOs_R4R0-Ds7NRH99YgHuJ0Dw_o-P5bjYlS2mzQTAdEVlAjh4hiL-RNuVNduzEVyLxtgnZVCULs4mT8EjK-X1TlxvcnAyOA/s320/pbkidscradle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Lucy even has this little baby doll from my sis-in-law...her name is really Lucy, so who could resist that? And the cute thing is, the white one's name is Abby, which is my neice's name, so of course, grammy got her one too. But for $5 for the cradle at Goodwill, and $4 in paint...I saved myself about $50. I did the lettering with my Cricut cutting machine and adhesive vinyl (which I love and am completely addicted to). I loved the fun way PBK documented the birth info, but since we don't know Lucy's birth weight and such, I though I'd add her birthday in ET, and the day we met her. I love how it turned out!<br />
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We had a fun day celebrating our girl. Our journey of adoption is far from over. We continue to learn and grow toghether all the time, and God has used this precious girl to teach us how to truly depend on the Lord daily, for wisdom, for unconditional love, and patience. <br />
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</div>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-26612197456304006302011-05-16T20:31:00.000-07:002011-05-16T22:07:57.188-07:00jumping jack.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Oh, this boy.<br />
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He has long had me a pile of mush.<br />
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One lazy day at home about a month ago, during Lucy's nap, we played in my bed. <br />
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I knew it was a moment I wanted to remember and I'm so glad I grabbed my camera. I think I had a rented lens this day, Canon 50mm 1.2L series.....sigh. I really want to own this lens!! It's like butta. I digress.<br />
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My sweet, sweet boy. He oozes personality. His Nana says he will be on TV someday. I wouldn't be surprised. He is a mama's boy through and through, and don't tell my hubby, but I like it that way :)<br />
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I love the dirty fingernails, the scrapes, bruises, and freckles...it's just Jack.<br />
ps...this video slideshow is best viewed here small. If you try to blow it up full screen, it's grainy. I'm still trying to figure out how to best post video here! <br />
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</div>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-45362172321082625572011-04-24T21:54:00.000-07:002011-04-24T21:54:28.651-07:00new.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Fall has always been my favorite time of year...but this year, I'm finding I'm in love with Spring! It's really fitting us right now. When you think of spring and all that it brings, NEW comes to mind. For us it's been a season of REnew, NEW beginnings, NEW habits, NEW growth. <br />
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It was a very VERY long rainy season here in the pacific northwest, and I think we may have broken some records for days in a row... I believe in March we had 30 of 31 days of "measureable" amounts of rain. Usually, Matt and I don't mind the rain at all, we like jeans and sweatshirts and hot coffee. But, this has been alot of long grey days! When it hit 55, my boys wanted to get out the slip n slide! Needless to say, seeing the cherry blossom trees beginning to bloom, tulips and daffodils finally popping up...the color has been FANTASTIC! This week one of my BFF's and I were doing our weekly run and it was DRY and SUNNY! It hit 70 yesterday! Yahoo! (however, today, the rain is back!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_CcW86hHkmPzE9a1nwnKWLqYZzk0nHGiaXVP0_xBgMeOqqRgQxOvrXdzp3a55PHAa8ekq6rywoHvFv2Ma35BuwdmIJ057cC7MZiWDNoYBGDwt9bHXxvRJJbwYQmKjK_nj29JZFxRkeUUR/s1600/_MG_3497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_CcW86hHkmPzE9a1nwnKWLqYZzk0nHGiaXVP0_xBgMeOqqRgQxOvrXdzp3a55PHAa8ekq6rywoHvFv2Ma35BuwdmIJ057cC7MZiWDNoYBGDwt9bHXxvRJJbwYQmKjK_nj29JZFxRkeUUR/s400/_MG_3497.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy's first easter basket! She loved her fancy accessories, but could care less about the cute bunny I made her!</td></tr>
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Today is Easter. I was again reminded of new beginnings. And I have been feeling a full grateful heart all weekend at the NEW signs of growth and trust I'm seeing in Lucy. We had company all weekend, and in the midst of noise and chaos, she was a champ. She has been reaching for me, asking for me and even preferring me, even with Daddy home. (that NEVER happens).<br />
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Some Lucy related things I'm feeling so thankful for:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Almost every day this week, she's let me rock her to sleep! Previously, I'd get maybe 5 minutes and she'd be begging to get in her bed on her own.Each day I rock her, the time it takes her to relax and fall asleep has gotten shorter and shorter and I really feel like it's a shift in her. She's trusting me to soothe and comfort her. And, I dare say, she's even ENJOYING it.</li>
<li>She's been waking up alot during the night. Not sure what that's about...seems to be having some dreams that frighten her or something, but when I go in her room, she's reaching for me, asking me to "snugoo" (Lucy speak for snuggle). I melt every time and scoop her up. </li>
<li>She's giving me affection, generously. Kisses and hugs, without me having to beg and plead! </li>
<li>Her language continues to increase rapidly, and it seems like she tries to repeat anything you ask of her. Her words have been pretty age appropriate for many months, but we're seeing a surge of growth in this area...For MONTHS she's only done sign language for "thank you" even after loads of encouragement to use the WORDS thank you. She just would.not. do. it. All of a sudden, clear as a bell, she's saying "Thank You, Mama!" Thank You, dada!" It's music to my ears! </li>
<li>When we say, who do you want to rock you tonight? Mama or Dada? She's been picking me every time! This feels huge to me.</li>
</ul><br />
It's odd, but we are feeling like since we crossed the 9 months home mark, she actually started really showing more reservations with me. Like, she expected that I'd disappear after a few months. That is what she has known, and been able to deal with thus far. It's like, she realized I'm not leaving and she didn't really know what to do with that. She really started showing signs of not trusting me in an intimate natural way, between a mother and child. She knows I will meet her basic needs, food, diaper, bed, play. But to really trust me? To LOVE me? Not so much. After reading some of Dr. Purvis' research and attending the Empowered to Connect conference, the facts started to make sense to me. She really did NOT trust me. I could see the anxiety in her face throughout the day, as if she's on high alert, expecting things to change. Not allowing me to be emotionally close with her.<br />
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It's amazing how 2 weeks of implementing Dr. Purvis's parenting strategies for adopted children, I'm seeing lots of changes. Feeling more connected to Lucy and she to me. I am feeling so so thankful for the opportunity to attend ETC and gain some tools to help build a trusting relationship with Lucy that she and I are both finding so much joy in this week!<br />
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Here's some pics of our first Easter together! She absolutely LOVED getting all dressed up and "fancy". She kept saying, "Fanseeee, Fanseee" and cried when I took of her pretty church dress. She just wanted to stay FANSEEEE!<br />
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What a love. I'm so enjoying my girl right now, and soaking up the blessings. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easter with the cousins, all dressed up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjEqGDFnufLMWfDeOpbpJ-GtxJZUFUFXx0pfTZrYRBDJs2U64qP6cHDMe1TI87bIuT9KCpmSFx7632vLENtDix_aXbiGAVT9BOeJyFvZPvfS09qf9DPBv_c5KF8MN6pIF4xUXZ-Vwn6Pe/s1600/_MG_3491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjEqGDFnufLMWfDeOpbpJ-GtxJZUFUFXx0pfTZrYRBDJs2U64qP6cHDMe1TI87bIuT9KCpmSFx7632vLENtDix_aXbiGAVT9BOeJyFvZPvfS09qf9DPBv_c5KF8MN6pIF4xUXZ-Vwn6Pe/s400/_MG_3491.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My wonderful sister in law, Rachel and I (we did not coordinate on purpose!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8SvP6bKaiTMGTjYBFysN9vSr1w6F4N0xnK7hyWWMo6OJ1R-DJAViLgvyzk7lyQ7J8v_Ow2m2TClsxRk4pci6GQ31oMFZft_PegOCATvUNb0HyyqWzasSfQbXFiwYZEmLPdErUPiQkxI7/s1600/_MG_3409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii8SvP6bKaiTMGTjYBFysN9vSr1w6F4N0xnK7hyWWMo6OJ1R-DJAViLgvyzk7lyQ7J8v_Ow2m2TClsxRk4pci6GQ31oMFZft_PegOCATvUNb0HyyqWzasSfQbXFiwYZEmLPdErUPiQkxI7/s400/_MG_3409.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Nephew, looking so sharp!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntx3pto8yiUpbE6_BaTR84dHWiCcM-RVa84rjeMZBQXf-LP_GwLB4m_x_72B9QAAHX_fu1dZpWGNtH56YpCHHVT-kGpjo36MQ5UP_-5u5rnsPITHeVbNm_fHGxp6GkYqi8Jgbwpioe72m/s1600/_MG_3412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntx3pto8yiUpbE6_BaTR84dHWiCcM-RVa84rjeMZBQXf-LP_GwLB4m_x_72B9QAAHX_fu1dZpWGNtH56YpCHHVT-kGpjo36MQ5UP_-5u5rnsPITHeVbNm_fHGxp6GkYqi8Jgbwpioe72m/s400/_MG_3412.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By big boy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUW5p18AMh3dwVJgUJr9q8PWowxa5_2H8C3f7UxttyVw1JYW35juBuaZ2i_at86v_OrVIV3ki8cpYB0K4KWX9JqJmHAU-gmCdjJAgH0d7Adh3SxFMyG092DhZ3F29DghCghdNulFh2R4Oh/s1600/_MG_3414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUW5p18AMh3dwVJgUJr9q8PWowxa5_2H8C3f7UxttyVw1JYW35juBuaZ2i_at86v_OrVIV3ki8cpYB0K4KWX9JqJmHAU-gmCdjJAgH0d7Adh3SxFMyG092DhZ3F29DghCghdNulFh2R4Oh/s400/_MG_3414.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet KiKi! She and Lucy looked so cute in matching dresses!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAZNshQqWyEfS6kJFR1p2Mjf8SJaSjeLJWGeHwovhzb5rf5qmGPs443Q40_yD42llW5tJsbGbkIeedBYGAML16qLKXFJ8Zv1kSO-PPI2YsGus-78W0blf756xiT3Bx_kTT7CfoP3AJEid/s1600/_MG_3421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAZNshQqWyEfS6kJFR1p2Mjf8SJaSjeLJWGeHwovhzb5rf5qmGPs443Q40_yD42llW5tJsbGbkIeedBYGAML16qLKXFJ8Zv1kSO-PPI2YsGus-78W0blf756xiT3Bx_kTT7CfoP3AJEid/s400/_MG_3421.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My little handsome man, Jack!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CxdVlNcPzOWJKNHjPGG46oU0-LWYC2U-INgVs-xJoy6fbMjNjoM6ac3ioaweNDuNt9GkX0o-vIaImcFur2r4Fx39xWuqXENbnSOcMsmsLGUNTou1oHylRVjva2_-P_-11YqAgxU4SkzK/s1600/_MG_3476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6CxdVlNcPzOWJKNHjPGG46oU0-LWYC2U-INgVs-xJoy6fbMjNjoM6ac3ioaweNDuNt9GkX0o-vIaImcFur2r4Fx39xWuqXENbnSOcMsmsLGUNTou1oHylRVjva2_-P_-11YqAgxU4SkzK/s400/_MG_3476.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hayden and I, so proud of what a great big brother he is!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTKJ1ksl-L0JFj42Pn89OOuMTyolaCSKmaMrTEZOsOGzQftWaLXXC0EFlZmDwuUvpExpjeXIymzxfTO0UHgGGrN7hdqM0L6sGmEdwylsfFvA7DalrjnPlCkYdQ4ySm_LSHzM3nhfXl4tK/s1600/_MG_3444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTKJ1ksl-L0JFj42Pn89OOuMTyolaCSKmaMrTEZOsOGzQftWaLXXC0EFlZmDwuUvpExpjeXIymzxfTO0UHgGGrN7hdqM0L6sGmEdwylsfFvA7DalrjnPlCkYdQ4ySm_LSHzM3nhfXl4tK/s400/_MG_3444.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweet girl in her "Fanseeees"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3Hv2TE4PZttY57w4qaRm6U3CVQB3sa6n6o6WB3i6-HCWf8KSq5tf1csXNFYCSefktC5cTpz4YGeNolWzZUcjPf7gmXn_CwbUuh04M9mkQWud5QcdHHnMJauaDyagrc5clDXDIiah28ju/s1600/_MG_3436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3Hv2TE4PZttY57w4qaRm6U3CVQB3sa6n6o6WB3i6-HCWf8KSq5tf1csXNFYCSefktC5cTpz4YGeNolWzZUcjPf7gmXn_CwbUuh04M9mkQWud5QcdHHnMJauaDyagrc5clDXDIiah28ju/s400/_MG_3436.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">could NOT get her to sit still for me!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLUdQiX3826tz_jjQy1kGXDFNywEayCFqz8Hr8BVe6-G9KYoEY8nW-XVI9gLRhiPGjOz37ULMnthguscMCGvWreuvofW2cXxyhYk1ao5ZOdrn2XNW-ZYata_BUrDdzkLoeeJpk44s7ijp/s1600/_MG_3432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLUdQiX3826tz_jjQy1kGXDFNywEayCFqz8Hr8BVe6-G9KYoEY8nW-XVI9gLRhiPGjOz37ULMnthguscMCGvWreuvofW2cXxyhYk1ao5ZOdrn2XNW-ZYata_BUrDdzkLoeeJpk44s7ijp/s400/_MG_3432.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sweet slobbery girl. Love her to bits.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-66902469333742549222011-04-17T16:11:00.000-07:002011-04-17T16:14:53.324-07:00Empowered to Connect Conference- Part 2 CONNECTING with our kids.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Today, I've got connection on the brain. Dr. Purvis said it over and over, and so did the Monroe's in their session, that CONNECTION is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING we can spend our time working on and giving our children. Not just existing in the same space, but being fully present for our children, meeting their needs, responding when they ask for us to meet a need.<br />
<br />
Our adopted/fostered kids, experienced the "trauma" in their stories that they have, be it abuse or neglect, or simply the separation from their birth parents, or malnutrition, or ANYTHING really that they have experienced...it's literally changed the way they perceive their "voice" being heard. Obviously, our children have physical voices. But they have learned through life experience, that their voice may not matter to those whose ears it falls on. Maybe they cried in hunger or thirst and a parent was unable to meet that need. Maybe they cried in pain or loneliness and that cry was not responded too. Maybe, the were being hurt physically by someone they trusted. There are a million variables.<br />
<br />
In our home, this looks like this: Lucy will shriek or scream to get our attention, (like when she's thirsty or wants a toy) when we know she knows the words for water, toy, etc. She will yell or demand attention instead of using her words. This is something I've really been working on this week (truly, it's more of a habit I need to develop, than her...I need to teach her to use her words). So, example. Lucy will shriek...I know she wants water. Putting my finger under her chin, asking gently for her to look at my eyes (which she'll do almost every time, just with my asking) and then I say, "Can you ask Mama for your water? Water please?" Then she'll usually respond with "wa-wee peeez" or "peez mama". And I say, "Oh, thank you for using your words! I'd love to give you some water!" Already in one week, I can see her learning to use her words instead of shrieking. She's learning that her words are important to me, and I respond to her need when she asks me for something.<br />
<br />
Dr Purvis shared that over the course of a child's first 3 years, in a normal uninterrupted development situation, a child will have a need and have it met by the parent 100's of thousands of times. Isn't that amazing? But OUR children, have had that cycle interrupted. They had needs that went unmet. They learned that their needs didn't always get met when voiced. We have to get that train moving again. Teach them... using your voice= I will meet your need.<br />
<br />
I share this, not to toot my own horn, but I've gotten lots of response from you other adoptive parents who are also feeling the need to try another tactic. Wanting to see more trust and connection with your children. I hope that sharing my learning lessons and success and failures, you can glean inspiration to keep working on connecting with your precious kiddos.<br />
<br />
Dr. Purvis shared so many great little scenarios like this at the ETC conference, as well as in the TCU dvd series. <br />
<br />
We feel incredibly blessed that Lucy spent time in two AMAZING orphanage/foster care centers before coming to us. Her physical needs were well attended to, and she was loved and nurtured there. However, they were still "staff". They worked in shifts...her caregiver changed at different parts of the day and she moved to different rooms or houses as she grew and developed. (I say this fully believing that our agency is top notch. I would choose Gladney over and over. Some things just can't be done differently.)<br />
<br />
I have come to understand in the past month, (after our meltdown experience and lots of thinking back and pondering and praying) that in Lucy's perspective, ALL of the women in her life who she loved or loved her...have left her or been removed from her. When I think of that, it totally makes sense that she keeps me at a distance, protecting her little heart from being hurt again. It shatters me, that a 20 month old child, can live in understanding that mommies can't be trusted. I HATE IT. But I love her, and long for her to believe otherwise.<br />
<br />
Dr. Purvis shares that every thing we do...every interaction with our child/children needs to be done in a way to provides a connection between us (the parent) and our child. Every moment of fun, correction, meeting of basic needs....we need to HUNT for a moment of connection. Those moments of connection are what will build trust in our child. Give them the understanding that THIS mommy or daddy is ON DUTY for good.<br />
<br />
This is a lengthy video, but please take the time to watch it when you have a bit of time. It will give you some real understanding of how your child's mind works, and how to make changes that will help you make better connections with your child.<br />
<br />
</div><iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/7559208?byline=0&color=ffffff" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/7559208">The Connecting Link - Dr. Karyn Purvis</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/tapestry">Tapestry</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-23738170383184180862011-04-15T08:29:00.000-07:002011-04-15T08:29:16.135-07:00Lessons Learned from Empowered to Connect Conference- part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Where to begin, really? My brain is still trying to wrap around all that I learned at <a href="http://www.empoweredtoconnect.org/">ETC</a>. It was <a href="http://www.empoweredtoconnect.org/">SUCH AN AMAZING CONFERENCE</a>. It was so worth the cost of a plane ticket and travel to be there. I feel like it was totally life changing for me, understanding where my girly is coming from, and how to help her face her history as a unified team. Ok, this post is long and loaded. I'm trying to process this myself, but I'm SO hoping some other parents can glean something out of my experience. It was TREMEMDOUSLY helpful. <br />
<br />
So, I have a new understanding of how our children's (adopted or foster) brain chemistry has literally been changed, due to their "history". Even in situations when our child has been placed with us at birth, as Dr. Purvis put it, EVERY child comes with at least 9 months of history (pre-natal). It is impossible that a pregnant woman, contemplating how to handle her pregnancy (wether or not to terminate), or stressful conversations or lack of with a significant other, or contemplating keeping or giving up her child, or how she will provide for this child...or pure anger AT the child for interrupting her life....it's impossible for the stress hormones (cortisol) to NOT affect our children. And children who go through traumatic separations, or go with needs unmet during the first formative and developmental years of their life, thier sweet little brains are altered. Physically changed. Their precious little brains, shift to survivor mode. Fight, flight, or freeze. Survivor mode takes over and literally does not allow their brains to cognitively function like yours or mine (assuming ours our "normal").<br />
(Here is a great video on Understanding our Children from Dr. Purvis speaking at Tapestry adoption ministry, where she explains some of this, much better than my attempt here!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/4005215">Better Understanding Our Children - Dr. Karyn Purvis</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/tapestry">Tapestry</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
Some risk factors she stated were stressful or difficult pregnancy, difficult birth, Early hospitalization, abuse, neglect, trauma (such as being separated from birth parent or other). ANY or all of these risk factors can cause an imbalance of brain chemistry.<br />
<br />
When the little brain chemistry is out of balance, they literally are stuck in survivor mode. Like, ALL the time, even when there is no reason for it (by our judgement). They live in the fear of having to take care of themselves, and they are on constant alert, looking for how they need to stay in control of situations to get their own needs met. They don't trust us as the mama or daddy to take care of their needs. Especially when our kiddos have been in situations when any of their needs have gone unmet.<br />
<br />
Ok, sorry, there was no way to get to THIS part, without that explanation. SO...one of the tools I brought home, was to start a little relationship and trust building boot camp. I'm not quite sure how long it will last, but for now our days will look like this for the most part.<br />
<br />
Our kids, Kids from "hard places" need some extra stimulation to some of their sensory needs. This will help kick those sweet little brains back into gear, turning down that survivor mode, and turning ON the parts of their brain that allow them to process life in a healthy, cognitive way. Dr Purvis suggested some of these activities to get things started.<br />
<br />
1. Keep them HYDRATED. (I found this ironic, since Lucy is constantly on alert, asking where her water is. ALL DAY LONG.) Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate.<br />
2. Feed them every 2 hours during the day, and a snack with protein before bed. This will help them gain confidence that there is no shortage of food and that need will be met by you. It also can be calming to our kids to have certain foods (sweeter foods, like fruit, tend to have a calming effect, tangy or sour foods can be stimulating. choose accordingly)<br />
3. Physical activity every 2 hours. Dr. Purvis 's institute has a room they call Crash N Bump. Climbing, jumping on a trampoline, spinning on a sit n spin, climbing up a slide and jumping from the top with a buddy...all stimulate different sensory needs in the brain. These activities serve 2 purposes, One- attachment. You as the parent are fully engaged in these activities with your child. Eye contact, praising their accomplishments, working together to count, etc. This builds trust and relationship. Second-the physical activity literally helps engage parts of the brain that have not been used. This helps reorganize the brain and regulate some of those out of balance hormones and areas. This will help them be able handle the input of the world around them and allow "survivor" mode to shut down.<br />
<br />
Dr Purvis states that when the brain re-orders, our kids language tends to have a major growth spurt, as well as we start to see the fear diminish (which can be shown in anger, anxiety, or "crazy" behavior). We want to trade our kids...take away fear and give them trust. These activities will help accomplish this by serving to that dual purpose.<br />
<br />
I made my own version of Crash n Bump in our family room. A mini trampoline, a sit n spin, and some ride on toys to ride around the table. These particular activities are chosen to help stimulate Vestibular (inner ear) sensory needs and Proprioceptive (large muscles) Sensory needs. Here's a little video of some of our play time in our little Crash N Bump zone. We declared yesterday a jammie day, so excuse our pj's and messy hair. Towards the end, it get's a little boring the first few minutes are my most successful time with her. <br />
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I also put a little sensory table in my kitchen that we'll spend some time at during other parts of the day (things like beans and rice, water, or shaving cream). I set up a "schedule" for Lucy and Jack..mostly for my sake, to stay focused on my goals for the day. It sort of falls into a natural rythym. <br />
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I'll be honest, by 2pm, I was TIRED. It's alot of mental energy to stay totally engaged and on task. My house was a total mess, but we stuck to our goals of eating every two hours, and having physical/ sensory activity every 2 hours. It's demanding, but I think in the BIG picture, it's a short term "boot camp" with LONG term huge benefits. On a typical day, Lucy usuaally has asked me to put her to bed twice when it's not her nap time...her escape from the overwhelming parts of the day. Since Monday when I started this, she has not asked ONCE to escape. It's kind of amazing. I still see the need to continue, and will for a few more weeks at least.<br />
Here's some snippets of our day. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3y3Bm873qwMqszm76LfTesR4uTBx2HFuU-XrztiVCgqlZz-MxBp-nnaKQHSZyWsWCzCKvZDT5U6fdFWcD5leee9YNjHtcU1wBM8QBCwpwFFLDzvnKAnWDXVjmeHgQbfiv8wug-S2a60KP/s1600/DSCN0140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3y3Bm873qwMqszm76LfTesR4uTBx2HFuU-XrztiVCgqlZz-MxBp-nnaKQHSZyWsWCzCKvZDT5U6fdFWcD5leee9YNjHtcU1wBM8QBCwpwFFLDzvnKAnWDXVjmeHgQbfiv8wug-S2a60KP/s320/DSCN0140.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snack Time or meals every 2 hours</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjSjuUR3-6_p6gE5sq-kkipL4ZIMmEaJibYUxdV33dTAizEjvKXTb89fWrtkjtqwwaagcYwF1NNHjNDiNDvUjgnCU1ed27-n4SNRLABcbO_s1qWn4GnM7wqtVkYLRC4A1uTF0RxPvfUBa/s1600/DSCN0141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjSjuUR3-6_p6gE5sq-kkipL4ZIMmEaJibYUxdV33dTAizEjvKXTb89fWrtkjtqwwaagcYwF1NNHjNDiNDvUjgnCU1ed27-n4SNRLABcbO_s1qWn4GnM7wqtVkYLRC4A1uTF0RxPvfUBa/s320/DSCN0141.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pi57zNtOB3TE_8m1Sw49SQB861LmZINR7XXRt2hJ-NF-VUjuZXDtKJ_u7m2SbxfrRuNkiK7kEcEJL6p7EGVF9AdI-vmS2B-G0r5wt4cDmog8OpwB7Ri8I37q220vofFModkfg6E5hBOt/s1600/DSCN0149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pi57zNtOB3TE_8m1Sw49SQB861LmZINR7XXRt2hJ-NF-VUjuZXDtKJ_u7m2SbxfrRuNkiK7kEcEJL6p7EGVF9AdI-vmS2B-G0r5wt4cDmog8OpwB7Ri8I37q220vofFModkfg6E5hBOt/s320/DSCN0149.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our daily routine (I can't get it rotated! Sorry.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZH0J0T6M8Pi5j0AwFaOWXjKEj86zH_grklHiPVYkFXx23wiHLwGhOHifiAFU9vtFAhzwy0_Gq0jefbGnhA-6wP8SQtF9LZ4J1hBmoXNWYIGSVERCvsquRNhw5easrW56dwcVgGaYoD_JI/s1600/DSCN0150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZH0J0T6M8Pi5j0AwFaOWXjKEj86zH_grklHiPVYkFXx23wiHLwGhOHifiAFU9vtFAhzwy0_Gq0jefbGnhA-6wP8SQtF9LZ4J1hBmoXNWYIGSVERCvsquRNhw5easrW56dwcVgGaYoD_JI/s320/DSCN0150.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing in the dry rice and beans (they LOVE this! but be prepared to sweep.)</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XnKjldXeoGMIzzVZdeT7gNhNvouu25xfUsxzWvDk1cjTH-vYs3fVlapB4poOZw26fCIVxlPWeC0K7Sr6YZ4W9IG2kIBPkX8umz_8zdE1BMmkoldGb2zLXdMLAvJENeD19_UwVfWiKANN/s1600/DSCN0151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8XnKjldXeoGMIzzVZdeT7gNhNvouu25xfUsxzWvDk1cjTH-vYs3fVlapB4poOZw26fCIVxlPWeC0K7Sr6YZ4W9IG2kIBPkX8umz_8zdE1BMmkoldGb2zLXdMLAvJENeD19_UwVfWiKANN/s320/DSCN0151.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today I switched the table to shaving cream. Went straight for the hair!Not sure I"ll do this one again soon. It ended in baths for both kiddos!</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSD2d5FK5eMilewccgnUV1ZNQ3X0DJiMpZkrhMeqMSSCFyORW2fjH61S_tId2CzgonMHLBJ8jxU234Zz1fYKp2OXhNXolLZxqgU0vNbqYG0LPaE8fNSE1HRn6d3YnjgUtNhMSYf1wmg6I/s1600/DSCN0154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSD2d5FK5eMilewccgnUV1ZNQ3X0DJiMpZkrhMeqMSSCFyORW2fjH61S_tId2CzgonMHLBJ8jxU234Zz1fYKp2OXhNXolLZxqgU0vNbqYG0LPaE8fNSE1HRn6d3YnjgUtNhMSYf1wmg6I/s320/DSCN0154.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPWMZNbyLM8HhuPiGfUCzgj4SqbSL9mVO0vIaPxLxX32iun4KkMoD0u-12J8l6iFTkjuSwsHQZ2sVEfSWKfguwH-kGHyM_tfLHllGuBCnADSTiVeNCoIyF_5RguBi9bSqqWFeZObT3wh_/s1600/DSCN0155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPWMZNbyLM8HhuPiGfUCzgj4SqbSL9mVO0vIaPxLxX32iun4KkMoD0u-12J8l6iFTkjuSwsHQZ2sVEfSWKfguwH-kGHyM_tfLHllGuBCnADSTiVeNCoIyF_5RguBi9bSqqWFeZObT3wh_/s320/DSCN0155.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a nice shot of the herniated belly button :) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3J7DD2hfjaedgrrQAkOVyx-kG_L_bRy2kys15AQI1HMRhtebotDiN6J0tLxpQCl5fNmyAQ5SWjrXqPBpFaAxPDCWsW9ArxvTP83PcqpG7ivK1lFiY3EdPlqvhHXeLr7QGR3vvVfie1RX/s1600/DSCN0158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3J7DD2hfjaedgrrQAkOVyx-kG_L_bRy2kys15AQI1HMRhtebotDiN6J0tLxpQCl5fNmyAQ5SWjrXqPBpFaAxPDCWsW9ArxvTP83PcqpG7ivK1lFiY3EdPlqvhHXeLr7QGR3vvVfie1RX/s320/DSCN0158.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got a new little point and shoot camera for an "anniversary" gift from my hubby. It's so handy!</td></tr>
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</div>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-89183028182579416132011-04-12T17:34:00.000-07:002011-04-12T17:34:59.610-07:00Adoption from the Inside Out- Michael and Amy Monroe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">This past weekend, one of the breakout sessions I attended during the <a href="http://www.empoweredtoconnect.org/">Empowered to Connect Conference</a> was taught by Michael and Amy Monroe, adoptive mom and dad to 4 beautiful kiddos.<br />
<br />
This is a link to the same teaching they shared at ETC. It's good stuff. REAL good. I encourage you to hop over and take a listen...there's even fancy slides to go with the Audio. It's probably about 45-60 minutes, I think it's downloadable. They share about what they've learned about dealing with their own histories as parents, in order to parent our children who have high needs without dragging our baggage in and loading it onto our kids. This couple had a passion and gifting for equipping adoptive parents to help their children from "hard places" heal and connect to their families.<br />
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Take a listen <a href="http://empoweredtoconnect.org/adoption-from-the-inside-out-tapestry/">HERE</a>. </div>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-23119709367895455222011-04-10T19:44:00.000-07:002011-04-10T19:44:20.889-07:00Empowered to Connect Conference. AMAZING!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">WHOA. I'm on a little bit of brain overload. I had the tremendous HONOR of attending the Empowered to Connect Conference in Denver this past weekend. I know some of you have read the book, The Connected Child by Dr. Karen Purvis. GREAT book. Somehow in my adoption preparation, this book got past me, and I didn't read it prior to this month. In a quick google search on the book, after our little dramatic event this past month, I stumbled up on this conference where Dr Purvis was the main speaker.<br />
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I HAVE TO SAY, THIS IS THE BEST $300 I HAVE EVER SPENT. The conference itself was only $60 for me and my mom to attend, the airfare was the rest. The book, The Connected Child in and of itself is incredibly insighful and has amazing information on how to help your child heal.<br />
<br />
HOWEVER. If there is ANY way you can get yourself to a Empowered to Connect Conference or purchase the DVD's off the Empowered to Connect website...DO IT. It's so much MORE helpful, inspiring and motivating to hear her speak it with passion in person. My brain feels like jelly, after two full days of amazing teaching and seminars. Packed full with amazing illustrations, strategies, information and most of all HOPE for ANY child. AMAAAAAZING stuff, folks. You can by the complete set of DVD's from Dr. Purvis and TCU's team of child development experts on the website for around $250. I fully intend to buy every single one and watch them over and over. This is by FAR the most helpful information I've seen or read (and I've read ALOT) on helping your adopted or foster child. Seriously. Even if things are going smoothly, it will help you understand so very much about the way your childs brain operates, and how to help them develop healthy relationships with you and TRUST you. I honestly have thought we were sailing along pretty smoothly, and truly things HAVE gone well with Lucy. But, I learned so much, and it clear that my sweet little pumpkin still operates out of fear and not full trust. She's doing incredibly well, and attaching more all the time (as are we...it's not just up to her!)...but she still does many things out of underlying fear, because that's what her history has taught her.<br />
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PLEASE. I'm begging you. Please check out these resources! You will NOT regret it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.empoweredtoconnect.org/">www.empoweredtoconnect.org</a><br />
<a href="www.https://wwwb.is.tcu.edu/upay2/DVD_Sales_NonTX/">TCU educational videos </a></div>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-84004733638007959672011-03-11T18:14:00.000-08:002011-03-11T18:14:06.805-08:00Sometimes...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So, I've been totally absent from this blog. Sorry. <br />
<br />
But, it's been a good few months. We're STILL battling Lu's Giardia, and think it has affect on some other health problems...but all in all she's INCREDIBLY good. She's running all over the house, copying everything we say, learning about 10 new words a day it seems. So funny and fun.<br />
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Today, I'm processing something in my head, and I just need to write it out. Maybe, it will be of use to someone out there, wondering about attachement/bonding. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlBVy5nrdDd6y-kzxcdRGVUTD0dtduArC4ivi3wi_YqKGjngGdR7qVEioMT2Va4NGWP6gwHh6Z0TyfsYNdwau5_4f5YG0PsdJJK7g-IayWMeUNUjhbkz8d_yCVJyBl8oOPdwpsTY8zCo9/s1600/IMG_7411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlBVy5nrdDd6y-kzxcdRGVUTD0dtduArC4ivi3wi_YqKGjngGdR7qVEioMT2Va4NGWP6gwHh6Z0TyfsYNdwau5_4f5YG0PsdJJK7g-IayWMeUNUjhbkz8d_yCVJyBl8oOPdwpsTY8zCo9/s640/IMG_7411.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br />
Sometimes, we (matt and I) look at each other and say, "OH. <i>This</i> is attachment!". We feel like the last two months we've seen big changes in our girl, in really positive ways. For some reason I think we had it in our heads that that bonding and attachment thing would happen in the first 6 months. And then, that's what it would be...like, forever. Bonding, we felt, happened pretty quickly. She liked us. She even preferred us. While we were still in Ethiopia, she called us Mama and Dada. She made good eye contact. We felt like she got it pretty quickly, that we were the ones who would meet her needs. I don't know why we thought that it would all magically happen in 6 months. We didn't even know what was missing, exactly. But when "it" happens, we just say, "oh wow! Look at that!" Like, giving us kisses. We weren't sure if it was her personality or a trust thing, but she would NOT give us kisses, or let us kiss her. We'd say give me a kiss, she'd turn her cute little cheek and offer it for a kiss. Never the sloppy wet, open mouthed kisses we'd gotten from our boys at that age. We thought, maybe that's just HER personality. Then, all of a sudden, one day, she did. She offered those sloppy wet kisses. She's been giving them ever since. The other thing, is laughter. She's often given a little giggle and loads of courteous smiles when we do something silly or funny. But then one day...BELLY laughs started coming out and she hasn't stopped. She gives us little love pats on the arm, or plays with my hair. When she's hurt, she runs to me and wants loves. It's like in her little mind, there's this trust level we didn't quite have before, but all the time she's trusting us more, and we're learning that this bonding and attaching thing has no end date where it's "complete". It just keeps getting better. I don't know why, we just didn't expect that to be the case. <br />
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And <i>sometimes</i>, I feel like I just want to say out loud to her...."Will you just let me <i>LOVE</i> you??" The girl is busy busy busy. Go, Go, Go. Never sitting still with us, unless we're reading a book, or giving her a bottle (yes, we're still giving her 2 bottles a day, even though she's 19 months old! Hey...it's the only way we get snuggles, and we're not making any apologies for taking advantage of it.) We usually rock her for about 3.5 minutes before bed, before she asks to go night night in her bed. She LOVES her bed. She likes to give herself little time outs in her bed...I think it's her escape. Heck, I'd love it if I could hide in my bed when I want to escape the chaos too.<br />
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Yesterday, I had a mom's group function to attend. Normally she's been doing pretty well in these environments. We stayed away from ALL of these type of functions for months. Crowds can still be overwhelming, and noisy ones really do her in quickly. But, she's been doing well. Our plan was for Matt to come and pick up the kids after his dinner with friends at 7pm, and take the kids home for bed time. Lucy, however usually hits the hay at 6:30. At precisely 6:30, she was walking around the room (in a friends house). It was busy and bustling, lots of moms and music going. She turned her back to me, and when she couldn't see me, she started looking around. I could see her, and was making my way to her, when I saw she looked confused and lost. SHE PANICKED. I quickly grabbed her up in my arms, and soothed her. But, she was SO upset. Couldn't calm herself down. I called Matt to come get them early, becuase it was just too much for her. She was really REALLY upset. Matt said she cried all the way home, wouldn't take her bottle, and finally, totally exhausted fell asleep fully clothed. This morning, she was back to her chipper self, seeming to have forgotten about last nights drama. But, when I tried to get some hugs from her, or rock her before nap time, she FOUGHT me. No hugs. No kisses. Squirmy. I just wanted to say..."LET ME LOVE YOU!" It felt like I'd lost some of that hard earned trust last night. It's tough for me sometimes, because I'm totally a physical touch, hugger, affectionate, whatever you want to call it, person. I love me some hugs. My girl...NOT a hugger. My jack...he's a hugger and Lucy can't STAND all the physical love that boy has to give her. It's kind of funny, but poor Jack gets shut down A LOT by the girl.<br />
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It feels more like it's <i>me</i>, the <i>mom</i>, that she has a hard time trusting. She loves to sit on Matt's lap. I can't help but wonder if it's becuase there were very few men in her life prior to us. None that were "caregivers". But women, rotated in and out of her life, day after day. Every few months, a new one would appear and the prior would vanish. I can't help but wonder if she's testing me out, almost <i>expecting</i> me to leave her...waiting to see if I'm really trustworthy. Can a baby even DO that? I don't know, but I sure feel like it at times. It makes me really sad...I'm emotional about tonight. Babies just shouldn't have to wonder if the mom is going to stick around, you know? I hate that her first instinct is that I will leave her. <br />
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It feels like we make big progress, and then go backwards a few steps. I guess that's all part of this process. Continuing to show her, we are here for the long haul. Not going anywhere. Trustworthy. Loving her unconditionally. It's reminding me of how Jesus loves us. No matter how we behave, he is steady. Now matter how far we push away, he is still there, loving us just the same, asking us to let Him love us. Wanting to lavish us with his presence, even when we think we don't want it. Lord, keep filling me up, so I can keep pouring out love to this little girl. <br />
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</div>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-23185568159122857202011-01-07T20:40:00.000-08:002011-01-07T20:40:41.076-08:00My list.The Holidays are over, and our 2 week "vacation" from school (for Matt and Hayden) ended with a round of yucky colds for Jack, Lucy and I. It's rainy. It's dark. I'm feeling ho-hum as I recover from my yucky cold.<br />
<br />
So, I decided, to give an update in the form of things I'm thankful for right now.<br />
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1. Lucy is finally giving us affectionate kisses. It still melts my heart every time I ask for a kiss and she grins and leans in to offer her little lips. That one took about 6 months to get to! I have tears in my eyes now as I type it. We are a kissing kind of family. We kiss our kiddos alot and tell them how much we love them, and they reciprocate. We are just affectionate. I wasn't sure if we just had a non-affectionate kid on our hands, or if we just had to wait it out. For months, we'd ask, and she'd offer her cheek or forehead. IT'S A BREAKTHROUGH, PEOPLE! She IS a kisser!!<br />
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2. She's walking! I am terrible, and I don't even have a picture of it. My flip video camera is <strike>a peice of @$@#*</strike> broken at the moment. But our girls is walking more than crawling, officially. I'm thrilled that she's walking (at 17 months) and I'm so thankful though that we had lots of non walking time with her. It helped feel like we didn't miss quite so much before she was here with us.<br />
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3. Lucy has officially been with us for 7 months!! I can't even believe it. She has now been a part of our family longer than the time she was without a family. For some reason, that is a milestone to many of us adoptive parents. I think because we LIVE in family. Our lives REVOLVE around family, and the idea of one of our own living outside of a family, just seems so wrong. It is wrong and unjust. Kids should have a family. Somehow, knowing she's been WITH one, longer than she was WITHOUT one, seems to have some impact in healing that deficit.<br />
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4. Life is just starting to finally feel like a normal family again. It's good. At our Mom's group at church on Thursday, I was able to leave her in the nursery (which was a progression that took time, but I think we're successful now more than we aren't). When I picked her up at the end, and was holding her, another mom said, "Your daughter smells delicious!"...she does, it's the hair products, I admit. But, the point is, it just flowed right out her mouth. MY DAUGHTER. It felt normal and almost made me cry. I love being known by this group of women. They know our story. They KNOW she's my DAUGHTER. Usually when we're out and about, you can tell by the looks on others faces, that they are wondering. Wondering how our family is made up....is she our daughter? Are we babysitting? Does she have a different dad? Does she have a different mom? The look of wonder is on thier faces, and some are dumb enough to ask. But, my amazing friends, KNOW. We are just the Keslers. We are a regular family to them :)<br />
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5. I love that every morning, Lucy wakes up happy. She plays and talks to herself in her bed for about 20 minutes before I come in to get her. When I come in, I say, "Good Morning, Lovey!" And she is SO excited and happy to see me. It makes my day, right then. She jumps up and scrambles to get to me. I love it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewZ6YZ3wDvra2oJah_Lb0o1VEhat50ooCvl11ekHPFQKJcPiT42Bm9tScwFeHBkB845CJF17A40JICElG_YlUHjYhRPAEpkWVvQSr7dFjz5ohZh82WLHukuala2eu8z7qjZ8KjHtPxuzQ/s1600/lulu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewZ6YZ3wDvra2oJah_Lb0o1VEhat50ooCvl11ekHPFQKJcPiT42Bm9tScwFeHBkB845CJF17A40JICElG_YlUHjYhRPAEpkWVvQSr7dFjz5ohZh82WLHukuala2eu8z7qjZ8KjHtPxuzQ/s400/lulu.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pretty sure I've already posted this one, but I just love it. Man, that was good hair day!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I could post about the challenges we still face, but for today, I'm just enjoying the blessings of our life, trying to soak up the good. It. Is. GOOD. We are beyond blessed.Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-3529521273523258082010-12-27T11:05:00.000-08:002010-12-27T11:05:09.784-08:00Pie of SweetnessThis morning, Hayden, Lucy and I were snuggling on the couch. He was reading her favorite book to her, which is a little baby book of first words. He kept saying, "come here, sweetie" to her, in his best baby voice. Then, he turned to me, and said, "I call her Sweetie, becuase she is just a PIE of sweetness! A Sweetie Pie!"<br />
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</a></div>Melt.My.Heart. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY83I-0EtSPphHhDZtBtP2t8MQdmZQN3jp6Uxq4WVMUFEZnkATVcGnbMkikfHtadayaKmAFPcYB0GotqqOEawZxbDPly-ZDeIbJu3n4oyPDvnjoe_C1wMOYKQIdzg3V2bB3a4hTutWwMGY/s1600/Pie+of+Sweetness.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY83I-0EtSPphHhDZtBtP2t8MQdmZQN3jp6Uxq4WVMUFEZnkATVcGnbMkikfHtadayaKmAFPcYB0GotqqOEawZxbDPly-ZDeIbJu3n4oyPDvnjoe_C1wMOYKQIdzg3V2bB3a4hTutWwMGY/s640/Pie+of+Sweetness.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy in her favorite rocking chair by the Christmas Tree.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-46851545517445103742010-12-26T22:20:00.000-08:002010-12-26T22:20:03.918-08:00Christmas...One year!!One year ago, we saw Lucy's sweet little face for the first time. It was amazing...the best Christmas EVER.<br />
I'm typing from my hubby's laptop, so I don't have a pic of our sweet girl handy.<br />
<br />
We have a long standing tradition of getting new christmas jammies at Grammy's house on Christmas Eve. Then, we wear them ALL day on Christmas day. (remember my ugly referral photos last year? Jammies, greasy hair, glasses??? Ring a bell?) This year was no different, other than cute girlie jammies for Lulu were included in our Christmas Eve loot.<br />
<br />
Christmas Morning, Lucy and I were in her bedroom. The boys were patiently waiting in the car. Lucy, although in her sweet little sheep jammies, insisted that she put on some shoes. Her fancy black patent leather shoes. She really loves shoes. As we sat there putting on her fancy shoes and giggling together, I started to cry. One year ago, Christmas morning, I was having a hard time feeling the "Christmas Spirit". I was longing to see our daughters face. We had just finished her bedroom on Matt's Christmas Break, and we were READY. God was so good to us, and we got the call of our life that day.<br />
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This Christmas, I am overwhelmingly thankful for our sweet girl who has lit up our life. She is light and joy. We are so enjoying her. she is full of spunk, giggles and learning about 10 new words a day it seems. She's taking little steps, almost walking. She does this silly "knee walking". Where she wants to be upright, but not enough to get up on her feet. She is finally FINALLY giving us real kisses and enjoying it. For ever it seems, when we ask for a kiss, she'd offer her cheek or forehead. But finally she's offering her sweet little slobbery lips! We are loving that. She loves loves loves shoes. Today, she sat with me for 20 minutes while I cleaned her closet to make way for new Christmas clothes. She just sat there trying on shoes and saying "Mo, Mo shoooooos." (More Shoes). Sweet girl!<br />
<br />
We saw a naturopath a week ago, who gave us some natural treatment for her continual giardia. We are thrilled to see some improvement. (this will contain poop discussion!) She's been having only one poop a day (after 3-4 per day, normally). She is no longer begging for food/water every waking moment. We're so glad to be seeing some change.<br />
<br />
Wishing a very merry Christmas to all of you families, who we've so enjoyed sharing this wild ride of adoption with this year. It's been a journey we will never ever forget and we're so thankful for the love and support of your unique friendships. Enjoy this season with your precious kiddos, and love and squeeze them all they'll let you. God is so good and faithful to bring us to the place we CAN do that !!!Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-1656566915203601192010-12-20T08:45:00.000-08:002010-12-20T08:46:21.634-08:00Great "love makes a family" shirts!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FNWpHwTJ6GjM201zGgNvVrX1adTwBaG7XLmEbSvzyPF_3tc1eElQ6ooZL0RXbTR_eHzBWs3hyphenhyphen3jZrMeciwICyPmNY2qmwECx9nKOdVjtP4fSrVBROpdJgGhNE2fwUxahTHGRlVuZIpm0/s1600/T-shirt-Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FNWpHwTJ6GjM201zGgNvVrX1adTwBaG7XLmEbSvzyPF_3tc1eElQ6ooZL0RXbTR_eHzBWs3hyphenhyphen3jZrMeciwICyPmNY2qmwECx9nKOdVjtP4fSrVBROpdJgGhNE2fwUxahTHGRlVuZIpm0/s1600/T-shirt-Front.jpg" /></a></div>Check out these adorable shirts! I wish I was attending this awesome adoptive mom retreat...but it's in Atlanta, AND it's sold out. But you can be a part by buying one of these great shirts! you can get one <a href="http://here./">HERE.</a><a href="http://www.babeofmyheart.com/what-makes-a-family-t-shirts-are-in-let-the-fundraiser-begin">http://www.babeofmyheart.com/what-makes-a-family-t-shirts-are-in-let-the-fundraiser-begin</a>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-75654943817896244642010-12-07T13:41:00.000-08:002010-12-07T13:41:26.997-08:00Thanking Jesus.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBoCKBrAI8Fvw5YD-VhuJfd-7HYUi_MOl6TGTY4V8pLmgkO1YHi0DTHKhcT0xFP34CSXpB-KCl5crg3M1zAUxz3dmpMRWLa1KFznnpCKOuRfjLvNbsGu6v6TthNuYzWwhFbGF4pkyaBUA/s1600/Melat+christmas+gift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>I've been spending the day, celebrating my sweet 4 year old boy today (that is another post). We've been making cookies, as I cleaned up I turned on my Christmas playlist and heard <a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2009/12/tissue-needed-no-not-referral-yet.html">this song by Third </a>Day, called Merry Christmas. A whole bunch of emotions came flooding back to me. LAST December, this song made me weep for a whole other reason. We were anxiously waiting. Waiting for news about a baby girl in Ethiopia, who's face we'd never seen. It was all I could do to pull it together and enjoy Christmas without knowing her. Praying every minute I was awake about her and for her. As you know, Christmas Day, we got "the call" and Christmas was made perfect for us.<br />
<br />
This year, as I heard this song, I wept for a new reason. Because we ARE NOT waiting. Because this year, this Christmas, she's here. In our arms. This year, I DO get to hug her, and love away her boo-boos, and give her bottles when she's hungry, and give her an unlimited supply of Ritz crackers. This year, I get to be her mama. Today, I'm so thankful. I'm so very very thankful to be on the same side of the world as my daughter. That this Christmas she's a part of a family, OUR family. We are so blessed to be the ones to love her. One year ago tomorrow, she entered Gladney's care, and they prepared to give us our referral.<br />
<br />
Thank you, Thank you, Jesus. You are SO faithful. Even when we can't see the work you're doing, you're still working. You are still meeting needs. You are making a way. You are tying up loose ends. You are reconciling loss and mending hearts. Thank you, for letting us see this one come together. We are so very very blessed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBoCKBrAI8Fvw5YD-VhuJfd-7HYUi_MOl6TGTY4V8pLmgkO1YHi0DTHKhcT0xFP34CSXpB-KCl5crg3M1zAUxz3dmpMRWLa1KFznnpCKOuRfjLvNbsGu6v6TthNuYzWwhFbGF4pkyaBUA/s1600/Melat+christmas+gift.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuBoCKBrAI8Fvw5YD-VhuJfd-7HYUi_MOl6TGTY4V8pLmgkO1YHi0DTHKhcT0xFP34CSXpB-KCl5crg3M1zAUxz3dmpMRWLa1KFznnpCKOuRfjLvNbsGu6v6TthNuYzWwhFbGF4pkyaBUA/s320/Melat+christmas+gift.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our sweet girl, almost one year ago, 12/18/09</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-27668785881553392122010-12-05T15:35:00.000-08:002010-12-05T15:35:50.968-08:00Milestones.I'm not even sure where to begin. Life has been feeling crazy and chaotic for us for the past 2 months. When we think we should be heading out of "crazy", something new pops up that keeps the chaos ball rolling. But, in the midst of it all, when we stop to pause, we still feel incredibly blessed.<br />
<br />
We had a speaker at our Mom's group this week, and I would say it was one of the most life impacting messages I've heard. It was a man I've known for a long time, named Cliff. His wife, Wendee, was my first real small group leader when I was in junior high. I baby sat their kids weekly for years. Wendee, mom to 4 amazing kids and wife to Cliff, passed away last summer. She was 49. Wendee's passing alone, impacted my life greatly...she was an amazing Godly woman, wife and mother. I think often of her, how she lived and hope that I can live out my life and faith like she did. How she had her priorities in order. How she spent time with the Lord daily. How wise she was. How she said "no" to certain things, and "yes" to her family. Cliff shared about how Wendee left an amazing legacy by journaling her times with the Lord and notes to her kids. Now that she's gone from earth and from them, they have this gift. How her daily quiet times with the Lord, are still impacting their family.<br />
<br />
Anyhow, there's so much to think about from that message that I'm still processing, but one thing is clear. I need to be more disciplined in walking with Christ. I need that to feed my soul, so I can feed the little souls in my home. And, I want to journal more to document it.<br />
<br />
So, one way to do that is to blog. I need to someday publish the blog in a book, so I have it on paper in our home for our family to remember.<br />
<br />
So, on to the milestones. I feel like this always ends up being about adoption/Lucy, which I have a little bit of guilt about, since I do have 2 other amazing kids...but adoption and it's ripple effect on our life feels important to document, for now :)<br />
<br />
So, about a month ago, I took Lu to the Dr. AGAIN. When our doc came in, he said, "oh man, she's sick again?" I said, no, not again, just STILL. Not miserably sick, just always this nagging chest congestion and coughing. Sometimes it's worse and she's more "sick" and sometimes it's just in the background, but never fully cleared. I realized it's been that way since we met her in May. And the documentation we got from Gladney, showed that she'd wrestled with the same since she entered their care. So, basically, for a YEAR this sweet girl has been struggling to get a handle on breathing without congestion. So, our doc felt it was time for a referral to an asthma/allergy/immunology specialist. Around that time I decided to try cutting milk out of her diet and see what happened. It really helped clear up her congestion and for the first time she slept without coughing fits.<br />
<br />
We visited the specialist last week and they did a bunch of skin tests for allergies, and they all came back negative. Her blood work for bloodcounts, immunology and antibodies were all perfectly normal. Which seems to leave Asthma as the only thing left on the table. We began treatment for that on Monday, but so far, I haven't really seen much improvement. She's still congested, still coughing nightly.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fXbj2tY9fj_ZEYiGaKUhQB7avhBhcx7EX9e9lNSkzf01WMTqb4g2lOIPqtlOXfGyzHKy9ZacZ_1VIxE8eCuPZqphdzZ9ytvM4fHJAzdKTF3u7uGXOvpkNMTpLR86GQ9Yg2BY4Xf95Xjf/s1600/lucy+update+-+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fXbj2tY9fj_ZEYiGaKUhQB7avhBhcx7EX9e9lNSkzf01WMTqb4g2lOIPqtlOXfGyzHKy9ZacZ_1VIxE8eCuPZqphdzZ9ytvM4fHJAzdKTF3u7uGXOvpkNMTpLR86GQ9Yg2BY4Xf95Xjf/s640/lucy+update+-+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our sparkley snowflake girl! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>In other Lucy news, she is taking off verbally and physically. She's growing a ton, and adding new words daily to her vocabulary. She's now getting herself up to standing from the floor, without pulling up on anything, and even taking one or two steps to something to hang on to. She is sass and spunk. She always has been, but in other ways we're really seeing her blossom. She's showing us more affection. She's offering snuggles and hugs. I have felt good about our level of bonding all along, but both Matt and I have noticed in the past month, that she seems to have turned a corner. I feel like she's "attaching" more to us all the time. Like when she's unhappy, wanting me for comfort. When meeting a new person, she clings to us and smiles, but wants to stay in our arms.<br />
<br />
We have made the move to go back to church and start leaving her in the nursery. The first several times were not good, but also good. She did not like being left. She lasted about 5 minutes the last time. Even though by normal standards, that would be not a parents ideal. We want our kids to be happy about staying in nursery. We have a backwards normal it seems...we were happy when she was sad about being left, because it meant she wanted US. That felt great! It felt like exactly what we would hope for. She's not crazy about being in a crowd of strangers...she only lasts a short time before she starts melting down. Which is okay. We had a party last night we attended and then church this morning...thankfully she was the only babe in the nursery with a lady who was SO excited to have Lucy all to herself. She was hesitant about being left (which was great), but remained happy until we came back to get her. As soon as she saw me, she was falling over herself trying to get to the door. That felt really good! She was clingy to me all morning after that. Even at nap time, when she normally just wants to be put into bed to fall asleep, she wanted me to snuggle her. She is not a real snuggler, other than when taking a bottle and sometimes a quick snuggle before bed. But today, when she was upset, she just wanted me to hold her close. I rocked her until she dozed off, tried to carefully lay her in bed, but she started crying again, grabbing on to me. So, I rocked her some more until she was soundly asleep. That NEVER happens. I soaked it up, rocking her until she was content, silently thanking God for where we are. I'm so thankful to be this precious babe's mama. Thankful for the milestones, and thankful that she's choosing us. They don't seem like big deal things to the untrained eye, but they feel like a BIG deal to us.<br />
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She's growing in height and weight, weighing in about 22lbs and a whopping 32.25 inches! She's grown SO MUCH in the past 6 months!<br />
For the sake of documenting for ourselves, here's some words she's saying.<br />
mama<br />
dada<br />
ba-ba (bottle)<br />
bye bye<br />
da-dey (grammy)<br />
hada (hayden)<br />
jaaa (jack)<br />
ca-ckoo (cracker)<br />
wa-wee (water)<br />
eee (with a sign, means eat, her FAVE word)<br />
deee (drink)<br />
ni-ni (night night)<br />
baby<br />
uce (lucy)<br />
Auntie<br />
Abby (her cousin)<br />
Goggy (doggy)<br />
oof (what a dog says)<br />
mow (kitty says)<br />
sssss (snake says, our attempt to get her to make a quiet sound!)<br />
She's constantly mimicking our words and adding new words daily!Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-51027960924251056422010-11-08T20:04:00.001-08:002010-11-08T20:04:30.233-08:00I'll be back, I promise.My goal for November is to be a better blogger. Hang with me friends, I'll be back.Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-53295221074907029522010-10-15T22:48:00.000-07:002010-10-15T22:48:37.724-07:00Family Update.So, it seems adoption is a never ending state of change :) When we think we've got it nailed, we realize, we don't.<br />
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The nutshell version, Homeschool is out. Traditional school in.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hayden at the Apple Orchard</td></tr>
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I <i>thought</i> what would be best for us this year, was to simply be together. In July, we decided to go for it, to homeschool. We were 2 months into our new adjustment with Lucy. Things were going super duper well. Matt was home full time (being a teacher, we enjoyed the luxury of a summer home this year, instead of his usual picking up a summer job). We got to know Lucy, and she got to know us.<br />
<br />
What we <i>didn't realize</i>, was the impact of Daddy-o going back to work full time, and back to school himself (as a student) two nights per week would have on us. We dove into homeschool. Matt started back at work. It seemed good. <i>THEN</i>, Lucy began to get a little "high maintenance". Demanding my attention every moment she was awake. Shreiking and screaming at me, literally, if she didn't have it. Homeschool + shrieking baby= unproductive education. This past week, it all really caught up with me. It was already a challenge to get Hayden to want to "do school" with me. He really just didn't understand that learning sometimes takes priority over bike riding or lego building. So, when I finally could pull him in for some learning time, Lucy, would instantly start DEMANDING my attention. I'd go to change her or put her down for a nap, and I'd end up with butt cracks drawn on my garage door in sidewalk chalk. It seems this mama can't meet all the demands of homeschooling a kindergartener and preschooler, and a *needy-recently internationally adopted-turned her life upside down 14 month old.<br />
<br />
After a melt down Tuesday and some heart to hearts with some wise folks in our life, we prayed about what we needed to do. I began to think back, when did Lucy become so needy and demanding? Why do I feel like she's changed? Oh, right. She had two full time parents for the first 3 months home. We pretty much had one parent on baby duty, and one parent on big boy duty all summer. She had constant attention of one adult. I began to realize that it's ok for me to not homeschool. That maybe being together every waking moment isn't what we need. Maybe we all need some breaks and changes of scenery. Maybe it's okay to let Lucy have high priority attention right now. She's still figuring out how to be a part of a family, even though she's done incredibly well adjusting. It's not done. And, it's ok. And, Jack, former baby of the family, just might benefit from some one on one time with mommy while Lucy naps, and Hayden is at school.<br />
<br />
So, today, I enrolled Hayden at the neighborhood school. I met his awesome teacher. I am SO excited for him to GET to go to school, I know he's going to love the stimulation there, that I just can't give focus on right now. He starts Monday. He doesn't know it yet, but I know he's going to be thrilled.<br />
<br />
Turns out, the best plan is to be okay with the plan changing. (You would think that I'd already learned that lesson this year, international adoption and all). To do your best to parent your kids, and when you realize it's not working, be willing to adapt. Be ok with admitting you don't have it all figured out and nailed down...heck, even that you made a bad call. I hope my kids will learn that it's okay to be wrong and mess up, as long as you are willing to try and make it right.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrV4_HrMZH47JGLgION1L5sigoskji2Jaye7hk3nkn5-xCnPER2uCmOSzF_KhJtxCgORu8gnGhuJ5eUGwv3L8IUzT6tSvayas9OA-NTZ5JfDTmFJssuH9IeOhf6ySqhaH9LxRqvAmIs8e/s400/pumpkinlulu.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="265" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy girl at the pumpkin patch<br />
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</tbody></table>* Hope I'm not making my sweet girl look bad. She IS doing incredibly well. She's so smiley, loving and really blossoming in so many ways. It's just really easy to take that for granted and forget that life is still super different for her. Her little life has been majorly shaken up every few months HER WHOLE LIFE. That's traumatic--even for the sweetest of babes.<br />
<br />
I forget sometimes, that this time of pouring our attention into her, is healing her wounds. Her need to be the focus of our attention is her way of making sure we're not going away, not leaving her behind. It's so easy to loose sight of how many scars her tiny heart has. How every day of her hollering at me, is her asking me to love away her hurts. It's so easy to just want to move on to "normal" and forget the major losses of her life. That those months of a mother naturally focusing 24-7 on her newborn baby and being totally attached...didn't exist for her? She's still trying to catch up, sweet girl.<br />
Wow. I haven't really pondered that in a while. Still brings tears to my eyes when I do.<br />
<br />
Lord, give me your grace. Give me patience. Give me unending amounts of unconditional love to fill up this little wounded heart. Let your love, through us, heal her scars. Let me see what you see. Let me hear those demands for what they are...<br />
Lord, let us find the balance. Let us continue to build a safe home and confidence in all of our children. Help us find ways to nourish each of our kids hearts with the kind of love they each need. Give us wisdom to know when were screwing it up and to try something new. Thanks for blessing us with these 3 amazing little humans as our children. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1COKQxGyUJLrl-VZF6_3STtlCbP0x7ZY4D6LKOmf6JK4JcI8x7CKWE6_QMn-u1vgkXWF2-3NEkshggTMko5NKFvVHBDYU7JZ66SN7PEem3vBWmgrH-k4bfMafJldat-X7JOzXnrXMFcz1/s400/pumpkinjack.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="265" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack with his pumpkin</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-75870493383677027372010-10-05T23:41:00.000-07:002010-10-05T23:41:38.400-07:004 Months Home...Lucy report.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;">I truly can't believe we've been home for 4 months already!<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-ZDrG64SydfVkkVlcn0gVrm0OCMlXtiMx6qtHoCJbORXZNA7IYP9R6Js_cQwKgDq1eC07F78GnAhIOKXpd63AV4UFKNAVnxNWDQn1auMaSRcOEyK51zcDanx-Lq1IIH7Vw4lWItVo9i5/s640/webprofilepic.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite picture right now...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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FOUR months?? I can hardly believe it's been that long, but it also feels like she's been here forever. I've become the worst adoption blogger ever this month, since school has started, basically. But, to catch you up on Lucy this month, here's a little list:<br />
<br />
Lucy is growing like a weed! The girl is chunking up a bit, but she's really tall. She's all of a sudden feeling really heavy to me. At her one year check up she was in the 90-95th percentile for height! So, she fits in perfectly with the Kesler family and our tall tall boys and large feet :)<br />
<br />
Lucy is really blossoming, physically, and emotionally.<br />
<ul><li>She still says da-da with varying voice inflections for just about everything, but she's pretty clear at communicating what she wants. She does a few baby signs, which are super helpful, but her favorite is simply the sign for "please". Please, please, please. As in, give me that NOW. We joke she's saying "pretty pretty please" because she does it with such enthusiasm, especially when related to food. </li>
<li>We can't fill up this girl. She chokes/gags about 4 times per meal, becuase she inhales her food and swallows it whole. We laugh, but wonder, is this a Lucy thing, or an international adoption thing? She acts like she's never going to see food again, at every meal and snack. It's no wonder she's filling out! She's also finally willing to drink from a sippy cup and holding her own bottle (which we haven't pushed, but I'll admit, it's nice now she can occasionally do it herself-like in a long car ride).</li>
<li>She is becoming much more affectionate with us, which we LOVE. She's learning to give "loves" and kisses, and is offering them without us asking now. Every once in a while, she'll just lean into me with her forehead, offering up her sweet face for a kiss from Mama or Dada. It feels like a milestone. She was accepting of our affections before, but it feels like a big deal that she's now offering up affection, with it being her own idea.</li>
<li> This girl LOVES soft things. Soft cuddly stuffed animals, soft jammies, and of course, her favorite purple blankie. You hand her something soft, and she just grins and snuggles it up to her face with this look of pleasure...."ahhhhh, this feels sooooo goooood". It's so funny!</li>
<li>She isn't yet walking, but her strength is improving every day. She crawls with intensity. She is pulling up on everything and loves walking behind her little push toy or shopping cart at Grammy's house. She's even let go and tried to stand a few times on her own.</li>
<li>She has figured out the stairs, which I'm relieved about. She can finally turn her self around and go down backwards. It's a relief to me! We can get rid of our baby gate lockdown and not worry she's going to tumble down our 3 steps.</li>
<li>She is sassy. She is happy. She is giggly. Everyone we meet tells us how smiley she is. We get stopped constantly in stores or checkout with people who are taken with her charm and beauty :). She is a beautiful girl, and we are happy to admit it, after all, we had nothing to do with it!</li>
<li>She has a love hate relationship with her brothers. They make her laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time. Hayden adores her and is very helpful. Jack, can make her laugh so hard, but then, he'll smack her in the head. He just doesn't seem to get being gentle!</li>
<li>She is going to sleep on her own now, about 75% of the time. But, I still love to rock her. But now, I usually rock her for about 5-10 minutes, and then put her in bed, and she goes to sleep on her own.</li>
<li>She adores her Da Da. Lights up every time she sees him. Once he's home, she doesn't really want me to do anything for her. Probably because he's so smitten with her...</li>
<li>Grammy or "Daaaa" is a close second to DaDa. Again, she knows who will hold her endlessly, give her whatever she wants and dote on her every whim :) She's a smart little cookie!</li>
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We are loving our sweet girl!Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-28266981472164206312010-08-30T17:12:00.000-07:002010-08-30T17:12:48.911-07:00Schoolhouse is Open for business!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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First Day of homeschool!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWR1_tUUcOOGEs29SKmKTeTovCvAPFj4efqNFHDSngq5E8PW0i5xcOHLKjO6e8A_bcoDlVws_3Ggy6fFmK_c7UFjKaTCU9HqTII4ecHI1kwR-ObSNyEgBnaUYTPf3Z7-kLAhXi3RpCcl2/s1600/IMG_3661.CR2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWR1_tUUcOOGEs29SKmKTeTovCvAPFj4efqNFHDSngq5E8PW0i5xcOHLKjO6e8A_bcoDlVws_3Ggy6fFmK_c7UFjKaTCU9HqTII4ecHI1kwR-ObSNyEgBnaUYTPf3Z7-kLAhXi3RpCcl2/s640/IMG_3661.CR2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hayden is officially a Kindergartner!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWETt3dgo0x3FxLq8BlwaGB_tlfJCXJELffFuD2cWbM6BnrYrJ9ikeGaG7B4fv9_RbBefNLqyQ-i35jwue9ALNg9Xh4OV7K9xBClzuypi3zN2ne7UHSkt_N8HAXFWLzG6IXhDrayI4KvI/s1600/IMG_3666.CR2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWETt3dgo0x3FxLq8BlwaGB_tlfJCXJELffFuD2cWbM6BnrYrJ9ikeGaG7B4fv9_RbBefNLqyQ-i35jwue9ALNg9Xh4OV7K9xBClzuypi3zN2ne7UHSkt_N8HAXFWLzG6IXhDrayI4KvI/s640/IMG_3666.CR2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teacher Mommy and hayden (photo by Jack, age 3)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqE91S9MGtQBLlTj4nRM9pvrL015-C1AsakPz2GMqPuigreoWLVsuHWDHH-Yx2h-a9reiWW5Q4nbiKDPaBeMHlxPzQ9yK-wbxMmMb_jFCLEXlnSkIDqfsaxKb9BtAUVEmSklK4rE1BajR/s1600/IMG_3670.CR2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqE91S9MGtQBLlTj4nRM9pvrL015-C1AsakPz2GMqPuigreoWLVsuHWDHH-Yx2h-a9reiWW5Q4nbiKDPaBeMHlxPzQ9yK-wbxMmMb_jFCLEXlnSkIDqfsaxKb9BtAUVEmSklK4rE1BajR/s640/IMG_3670.CR2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack and Mommy (bedhead and all!) photo by Hayden-mommy looks kinda tired!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUws_HxS7r-sZmr_afA9dGIjvKgouCOkcRX2joicmIBw6pCjWXELAWHfdEGAubIqYQb4qDAJCP3jBZ6WgZSgrkVi5vJH3gnA3IJwQUJ-ED2OV8_UrWyCPYy0RAqb3QrfODfHTOUOcswRJp/s1600/documentname_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUws_HxS7r-sZmr_afA9dGIjvKgouCOkcRX2joicmIBw6pCjWXELAWHfdEGAubIqYQb4qDAJCP3jBZ6WgZSgrkVi5vJH3gnA3IJwQUJ-ED2OV8_UrWyCPYy0RAqb3QrfODfHTOUOcswRJp/s640/documentname_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School table- I love this old blue-green canning jar!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aDpkuFFZaKnbOyCLfhA2pBGRLMrOQ7Mcfl4_hMx7-hQQqho9O843bDFSN2e9X6c83O8VJbT7naRTAsMWE2AJ9kbIwmWHmHoo3xXDO0yNOOepGtISVu-knIhvpbtucPXCepirwNA0DXGx/s1600/IMG_3676.CR2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aDpkuFFZaKnbOyCLfhA2pBGRLMrOQ7Mcfl4_hMx7-hQQqho9O843bDFSN2e9X6c83O8VJbT7naRTAsMWE2AJ9kbIwmWHmHoo3xXDO0yNOOepGtISVu-knIhvpbtucPXCepirwNA0DXGx/s640/IMG_3676.CR2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning new words with scrabble tiles (much cheaper than banana grams. I bought at a garage sale for 50 cents!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXYQeTta_7T0NxiQgrmXSTbtkPl3g9iCOTAPcVrSwkJCP_V0vMxo7f69YPXW5Eq_hs95OyXZB0i5OXgOi3FQ0Uu5R4LBcndHJ35lA9tft0HkivRAfhfSK96FZw6HAK8F4AeUH8PNZ7rBO/s1600/documentname.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXYQeTta_7T0NxiQgrmXSTbtkPl3g9iCOTAPcVrSwkJCP_V0vMxo7f69YPXW5Eq_hs95OyXZB0i5OXgOi3FQ0Uu5R4LBcndHJ35lA9tft0HkivRAfhfSK96FZw6HAK8F4AeUH8PNZ7rBO/s640/documentname.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghmYkYP61DniydyjPdrAKbLWF1PfyMQjKkExXpEvcxPX_k12OhGzVkM443TW0jMT5KcZsqMTIbILBLk3ipq4Sij8DLg_goKtbaPzAcLXdQ-CIozJ89LJkjVQWQ2l4RcOpdUEqj34Zx6E_/s1600/IMG_3691.CR2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghmYkYP61DniydyjPdrAKbLWF1PfyMQjKkExXpEvcxPX_k12OhGzVkM443TW0jMT5KcZsqMTIbILBLk3ipq4Sij8DLg_goKtbaPzAcLXdQ-CIozJ89LJkjVQWQ2l4RcOpdUEqj34Zx6E_/s640/IMG_3691.CR2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mama's book of Lesson Plans and Instruction guides (I just can't live with a plain white binder. CAN'T. It says, Learning, Laughing, Loving, Living on it.)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSsbyy2MOoxVfccWDNs-dQPG2X02-U6s55mrMQztK2ihlVD7huVNfWHBdIm2hDi9KTfCBwF4kPb9-m_SxOiWVhZ2atTM1GkwQCU6hSbUKR47S5UUVKhVrC74wYqO3tu2Aut9J4-Yfj3R8/s1600/documentname_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSsbyy2MOoxVfccWDNs-dQPG2X02-U6s55mrMQztK2ihlVD7huVNfWHBdIm2hDi9KTfCBwF4kPb9-m_SxOiWVhZ2atTM1GkwQCU6hSbUKR47S5UUVKhVrC74wYqO3tu2Aut9J4-Yfj3R8/s640/documentname_3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hayden's binder-He is OBSESSED with riding this quad, so he loves this pic of himself!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54zqbD1QIKYs6y3t_s3nh54jlPAln65vnsC-sPuQiCLRaWyhIeCAf3nd5QuaS1n-fvZI1GQeYnGAmck4NAFW20-uhUupw9rmjbiH7z078iA58M3nxV8OZPg5WXqb79q5a4IR9PV70oy5h/s1600/documentname_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54zqbD1QIKYs6y3t_s3nh54jlPAln65vnsC-sPuQiCLRaWyhIeCAf3nd5QuaS1n-fvZI1GQeYnGAmck4NAFW20-uhUupw9rmjbiH7z078iA58M3nxV8OZPg5WXqb79q5a4IR9PV70oy5h/s640/documentname_4.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I added little tabbed dividers for his worksheets and writing so we can keep it all in one place.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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We started school today. It was overall, good. We started our day praying together and reading a Bible story, which I loved. We did some language arts, and worked on some new words. Hayden had fun making -AT words with old scrabble tiles. It was fun to see him put together the concept of changing just one letter makes a whole new word. Last summer I bought this really raggedy scrabble game for 50 cents at a garage sale, knowing I could use those tiles for something! They came in handy for this activity of spelling new words by changing out the first letter. Then he was able to read me a story about Pat, the Fat Rat :) He was quite proud, and so was I! My baby can read! We did a few other activities, math, history, science, and played at the park. Great day! We tackled school activities during Lucy's naps, which worked well for today. I think the boys will both be fresher in the mornings, but Math + snack was a good combo. They counted marshmallows while doing worksheets and were happy as can be this afternoon. They were a little tired, but that worked well for some quiet read-aloud time of me reading to them.Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-71511108080258223412010-08-28T00:11:00.000-07:002010-08-28T00:17:24.208-07:00"I go to the sea to breathe"- Maryanne Rademacher HersheyThis is a rambler, I'll just warn you. Get out now. My brain is about to spill and spew my week of painting and thinking about the Sea. <br />
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Paint. I like it. Spray, latex, acrylic, all of it. Since we've been home for the majority of the last 3 months, I've been staring at my walls, over analyzing their colors. My furniture. My picture frames...you name it, I've thought about painting it.<br />
<br />
Our recent decision to homeschool this year, gave me the last bit of justification I <strike>wanted</strike> needed to go for it. I ripped up nasty stained carpet in our family room. We had discussed it, but it was one of those days where I was feeling a little stir crazy. Matt was gone for a few hours, and when he came home, the carpet and padding was rolled up in the garage. He came in and said, "Um, so we're going for it, huh?" My sweet husband. He <strike>tolerates</strike> loves me and my hairbrained ideas. You see, our carpet has been ugly since we moved in. Our precious children nastified the light beige carpet in about 3.2 months of living here (3 years ago). We knew there was concrete under it, which we fantasized about staining. We had fairytale dreams of lovely coffee color stained concrete...beautifully finished. Fast forward to the day I ripped up the carpet. The dudes who did the remodeling of our home (before we owned it) thought that the middle of this concrete floor would be the perfect place to spray paint the trim for the house. So, there was some lovely white stripes in the center of the floor. My hubby scraped, sanded, stripped...for HOURS. About 12 hours total. And, they were still there. As were the cracks, chips and the like from the carpet tack strips that were nailed into the floor. So, after many attempts at beautifying it (and failing) we went to Home Depot and bought a $27 gallon of concrete floor paint in chocolate brown. 2 hours later, we're calling it done. We know our little <strike>hellions</strike> angels aren't done thrashing our home, so for now it's much easier to clean than beige carpet and it's now our school room/dining room.<br />
<br />
For which we needed a new bigger table. Since we have virtually no budget for new furnishings, I bought a $20 craigslist table. Which needed ...you guessed it, PAINT! And an armoire for the computer/office, to PAINT.<br />
<br />
And now that you mention it, with the brown couches now in our "eucalyptus" colored living room, the black accent furniture doesn't really go, and it seems pretty dark in there. I should freshen that up too...white, i think. Oh, but shoot, my picture frames are all black...so those'll need a quick shot of spray paint too. Oh, and that frame sitting empty in the closet, we should really put some new art in there....blah blah blah.<br />
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My hands and feet have perma white droplets on them from all the primering and painting I did this week. Still have some loose ends to tie up, but all in the name of homeschool, I've been on a mini rampage to get our house "settled" and ready for school. My friend recently told me, "you're a project girl". Yes, yes, i am. I like quick, easy to reap the rewards of my effort. PROJECTS.<br />
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I've also been inspired recently (probably since we've been home. ALOT.) that I wanted our home to reflect us a little more. I'm <strike>cheap</strike> thrifty. I rarely pay full price for anything. Heck, I rarely buy anything for our home that is NEW. Craigslist and Goodwill are my two favorite places to shop (which probably reflects in my fashion or lack thereof). So, I paint. Initially, I painted most things black. Black hides alot of ugly. But, main living area was starting to feel dark. We aren't dark people. We love the outdoors, we love LOVE the beach. Now, I don't exactly want our home to scream "beach house", but I crave for our home to be a soothing and comforting place to land. I grew up vacationing at the beach, several times a year. One of the first moments in my own journey of faith was at the beach. Matt and I's first date was at the beach. We continue to go the beach often. I realized through this adoption process, when things are hard, and I feel like I can't breathe, I go to the beach. And then I can. Breathe in, Breathe out. And the world seems right again. As soon as my lungs catch my first breath of beachy salty air and the sound of the ocean hits my ears, I can feel the weight of the world lifting off me. ....all that to say, I want a little of that in my house. So...this week, I've been rearranging furniture, painting, lightening up our world. Trying to get some of that sweet sense of freshness in my living room. So, I'm thinking natural, sea like colors. The color of sea glass, sand, grass in the dunes, ocean foam, driftwood. It's like therapy for me, only a lot cheaper, because I found most of it on craigslist or goodwill :)<br />
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in all my gusto, I didn't take any before pictures, but I will post some afters. You would think being home for 3months, my house would be all neat and orderly. The reality of 3 kids, and really not a ton of routine in our life (other than nap schedules and bed times), our house been been a disaster zone. Matt going back to work and school starting was the kick in the rear I needed to get out of "adjustment" zone, and back into "structure" zone. We aren't super structured people, we are pretty easy going and laid back, but we are creatures of habit. We like our routine. I'm actually really looking forward to school starting up and getting back into somewhat of a "normal" feeling life. The HUGE downside is, Matt is back to work (which, is good, of course). But, he's been home for almost 3 months with us, every day. I love that part of him being a teacher, and this year, it was absolutely divine timing for our life. It's been so fantastic just being together for the summer. He started back to work this week, and I realized on Tuesday, something just seemed off. Then it hit me...I missed my MAN. We really hadn't been apart for MONTHS! We've never ever had that before. Usually he picks up a summer job and keeps working off an on all summer. It's been FANTASTIC. We truly love hanging out together. We LIKE each other. Heck, we LOVE each other :) I am going to miss you, honey!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAj1xH7ZfpuNUVkRt7xstsEmKrvWLX-bHXsi-1oJT8vT_wslBzdTwzQJzON9Qtk0WubLJ8ocaNLSABxD8kPpCwnWt2AuuBlnOVVY6EBpW5xoQzEiRfcfxD7GLWWCqo97Xqfm5uGWts1tn/s1600/CBbench-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAj1xH7ZfpuNUVkRt7xstsEmKrvWLX-bHXsi-1oJT8vT_wslBzdTwzQJzON9Qtk0WubLJ8ocaNLSABxD8kPpCwnWt2AuuBlnOVVY6EBpW5xoQzEiRfcfxD7GLWWCqo97Xqfm5uGWts1tn/s640/CBbench-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>OK, that turned into one really long, rambling post, without even a fun picture to break it up. Ok, I'll throw one in, it's what I'm framing on my wall. Cannon Beach, Oregon...a really cool driftwood bench that is near our favorite little coffee shop. CB is our favorite beach town. It kinda feels like home, every time we go there. I took this picture in April, when we went down to breathe when we found out we didn't get through MOWA for our court date. I felt like I was suffocating in adoption land (dramatic, I know. People have had it far worse than us). But, good ol' CB ocean air, togetherness, and some time soaking up the Lord's creation was just what we needed. Now on the other side of that, I want to remember how far the Lord has brought us. How perfect his timing is, and how joyful we are that he is in control, not us.Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-84092676254428470872010-08-24T20:00:00.001-07:002010-08-24T20:00:02.197-07:00Day 10- Orphanage visits, heading homeI forgot to journal this day...it was a blur.<br />
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We spent a bit of time in the morning visiting a few Addis orphanages. That's not something I'll soon forget. I can't post pics of the little ones at the orphanages, but this will give you the idea of what it's like.<br />
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One of things I can't stop thinking about is this baby room. Full, FULL of babies. Babies in wet diapers, babies with bottles propped up. There had to be over 35-40 babies, some two or more to a bed. Two ladies doing their darndest to keep up with diapers and bathing. I can still see the sweet, tiny little faces. Who knows how old any of them were, but I spent a while looking at this little one, trying to coax a smile that never came. She seemed sick, glossy eyed, and coughing. I don't think these precious babes ever really get held or nurtured. They are always in their cribs unless being changed or bathed (which is probably not often with only two ladies to care for them all). Matt stood for 5 minutes trying to coax a smile from a sweet little girl on the changing station, waiting her turn for a new diaper. He seriously tickled her feet for 5 minutes before he got half a smile. These sweet babes just don't know how to engage. They don't really fuss or cry, because I doesn't really do them any good. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDl4lc0HbYOgh1LMX3f3mSfEkUMCQ0tnwMuRQQc5qvpIFS3_nUqAZLupPQ7JYm-qknE-NsRzWhVewsxBq2aJciASsMtRlt1KKAarlqVmoZwlgWbPDVmQ-2EMWlOSQdNowBCqKDDAQtahJj/s1600/IMG_1657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDl4lc0HbYOgh1LMX3f3mSfEkUMCQ0tnwMuRQQc5qvpIFS3_nUqAZLupPQ7JYm-qknE-NsRzWhVewsxBq2aJciASsMtRlt1KKAarlqVmoZwlgWbPDVmQ-2EMWlOSQdNowBCqKDDAQtahJj/s640/IMG_1657.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kebebe Tsehai infant room</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>I wish we could have done this visit earlier in the week, so I could have gone back for a second visit with my wits about me. The first time was honestly overwhelming. I didn't quite know how to respond to it. I was fighting back tears most of the time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBkS68GkZCPkat1JZz9Y1eNlWgLO-4OQ37VXK7RaepfkPcyY2rvBVRf8NqkHyZgQGwnsmM4cBGT7tyOCt-iErLMTSQ1TTLBRkDDhCVlSQU_6CMk_lLw64YhFD7oO4OQKIUYkr2xKSDmTv/s1600/IMG_1664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBkS68GkZCPkat1JZz9Y1eNlWgLO-4OQ37VXK7RaepfkPcyY2rvBVRf8NqkHyZgQGwnsmM4cBGT7tyOCt-iErLMTSQ1TTLBRkDDhCVlSQU_6CMk_lLw64YhFD7oO4OQKIUYkr2xKSDmTv/s640/IMG_1664.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Here is a toddler room at the same place. <br />
We also visited Kolfe Boys Home. This place felt hopeful to me...good stuff happening there. More could be done...we were amazed at the amount of Shiro and Injera it took to feed these boys lunch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_JzXBPSLU31y5QMZlTb1K2Pl6WpTbQWLNXEp0kyheHlmej1mlldKGzSB7TTzUFDMbM8vYnYls_LW1nfMZldSULtj8muoeFeS9_0ObhFUIeNNvQT4FyiilM6yjpOQdsm8BShn9oHM1FL7/s1600/IMG_1682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_JzXBPSLU31y5QMZlTb1K2Pl6WpTbQWLNXEp0kyheHlmej1mlldKGzSB7TTzUFDMbM8vYnYls_LW1nfMZldSULtj8muoeFeS9_0ObhFUIeNNvQT4FyiilM6yjpOQdsm8BShn9oHM1FL7/s640/IMG_1682.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this seems a little decieving, think the size of a family size pizza, that's how big one injera is. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_1EC0g2Qe-W56GGgjX3_KLjObh8tKXfQpCnNCcxWUoa1mPzf1OjpaIf8NXgfAvOuINyILfz8Mp-r9LlYWYsIUPJbM61q0noAXMG1k8CEbgwiaXcfN9faezS9rMBSKEiZemcGyv-uNXPb/s1600/IMG_1675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_1EC0g2Qe-W56GGgjX3_KLjObh8tKXfQpCnNCcxWUoa1mPzf1OjpaIf8NXgfAvOuINyILfz8Mp-r9LlYWYsIUPJbM61q0noAXMG1k8CEbgwiaXcfN9faezS9rMBSKEiZemcGyv-uNXPb/s640/IMG_1675.JPG" width="428" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpQ8CIrBFSeeDcIX9E2bBlAzOvD-HDH3Ow7erGaLmCWIkzyHvPv4_iJf_8pRAix3eelxxcBSdW3vgYR0OlfwyJ8UTXrstiRTJpbfMn2LgLJGF-8EWph9wTKhhm_PIHdJkmSIhxlkgH0vt/s1600/IMG_1685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpQ8CIrBFSeeDcIX9E2bBlAzOvD-HDH3Ow7erGaLmCWIkzyHvPv4_iJf_8pRAix3eelxxcBSdW3vgYR0OlfwyJ8UTXrstiRTJpbfMn2LgLJGF-8EWph9wTKhhm_PIHdJkmSIhxlkgH0vt/s640/IMG_1685.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cafeteria at Kolfe</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkJ5oixAGoHmdWlB6b_jgLEkQ_qizUNZKZYxDwUfZ2Eu5pxH5vTFsX5fMKMNabK-PpG9DxC7gYT4Ek5HJnDn_KaVtc9ERKB0un-csbs09FpB8Ja2olrvoyc98VO_vtcNNiJItDhbsBL7U/s1600/IMG_1687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkJ5oixAGoHmdWlB6b_jgLEkQ_qizUNZKZYxDwUfZ2Eu5pxH5vTFsX5fMKMNabK-PpG9DxC7gYT4Ek5HJnDn_KaVtc9ERKB0un-csbs09FpB8Ja2olrvoyc98VO_vtcNNiJItDhbsBL7U/s640/IMG_1687.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">soccer field at Kolfe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We had lunch with a few of the families at Island Breeze, which was delish. really good food, wished we'd gone there earlier in the week. Then we headed back to the Bejoe to finish packing and say our goodbyes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHzB071Kor19slVTK3lI05XGxXgeYFyKoARHWJOPi5W0l8_ygkpdy6nZPC5bDt1zH4qk7jRXN3mqCSA8pv_hzhI6eGShABqoP_IYbM4nvUdHgoNoC3lFyHyWgrn0wLyaMGpQJUSjtDrnU/s1600/IMG_1691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHzB071Kor19slVTK3lI05XGxXgeYFyKoARHWJOPi5W0l8_ygkpdy6nZPC5bDt1zH4qk7jRXN3mqCSA8pv_hzhI6eGShABqoP_IYbM4nvUdHgoNoC3lFyHyWgrn0wLyaMGpQJUSjtDrnU/s640/IMG_1691.JPG" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bettie, Lucy's Gladney caregiver for the week</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAiM6eqUkr-YDOF7P5MLYTToNVDnJX7fanxSkUFwqh1jUGZ-U1sLNP3smimG66kZoGOCn9gJdLrAa5uke5w0Ck1DqZO9DGp1ho24rLQWnWYOFToo4dTR2weai5OVUrchKRKmK9eDk2GSga/s1600/IMG_1627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAiM6eqUkr-YDOF7P5MLYTToNVDnJX7fanxSkUFwqh1jUGZ-U1sLNP3smimG66kZoGOCn9gJdLrAa5uke5w0Ck1DqZO9DGp1ho24rLQWnWYOFToo4dTR2weai5OVUrchKRKmK9eDk2GSga/s640/IMG_1627.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bejoe Guest House- our room was on the bottom left</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcrzFASkPRSFk6z2_wN8fvdtlyixN-gGurWTnInVnpjo_5lanWW2-KYCkgHBNSO095kbimLR_tsR51M36ms5LL2VlQDYQMycDPBrU0Pko4fsd7HAOXzheyXNr6XSjKwSL3xMWUnAcs4Ut/s1600/IMG_1628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcrzFASkPRSFk6z2_wN8fvdtlyixN-gGurWTnInVnpjo_5lanWW2-KYCkgHBNSO095kbimLR_tsR51M36ms5LL2VlQDYQMycDPBrU0Pko4fsd7HAOXzheyXNr6XSjKwSL3xMWUnAcs4Ut/s640/IMG_1628.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucy's crib at the Bejoe</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNTV2ribRqi4MdJn6gz2Ac0py-Q2CoOC64rwNcGkOPIxQptP6xUBQoONgXScZZKvpbndg4gNsXoav75QL2GsF9UL4D5FJAQWNvsXuohPHOkZZgtV1rpPMzYm-VeXOj1WGbk7c-wRzbjOI/s1600/IMG_1629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNTV2ribRqi4MdJn6gz2Ac0py-Q2CoOC64rwNcGkOPIxQptP6xUBQoONgXScZZKvpbndg4gNsXoav75QL2GsF9UL4D5FJAQWNvsXuohPHOkZZgtV1rpPMzYm-VeXOj1WGbk7c-wRzbjOI/s640/IMG_1629.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our golden bed at the Bejoe (with our luggage)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><br />
We headed to the airport for our long journey home...first leg was to Dubai. We spent a few hours there trying to sleep unsuccessfully in our hotel room, and then another 16 hours to LA. Then, we layed over for a couple hours, and a two hour ride to PDX. LOOOONG ride home, but so very worth it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnf9ttPueiDQA1e2_mkSEl9oJ5U9zc1QQXXjDYsoWAySEwmqqpPGQZwsocQZjwAZBeFo3683_R5nXy4Wbn0h75CJuYjdYB3dw8BpOxB_h1etIB9SHqrtrNyu0YhbgfKHpKN7OU68HYDFp/s1600/IMG_1693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnf9ttPueiDQA1e2_mkSEl9oJ5U9zc1QQXXjDYsoWAySEwmqqpPGQZwsocQZjwAZBeFo3683_R5nXy4Wbn0h75CJuYjdYB3dw8BpOxB_h1etIB9SHqrtrNyu0YhbgfKHpKN7OU68HYDFp/s640/IMG_1693.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yikes. Mama looks tired already, and we haven't even boarded the plane!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bMDLjhkqacJCDX9bPM7eboLjd5VQSXHKwwKOFsU-jJ4JvlpswSzmoPdly1HOXuhWA3R8Hoq49E4muHv8_4FylJA2Zk40aRw9-3V1wExKctVaIhdnZAsfWswJlSOGvCbXfk447XwJHT4b/s1600/IMG_1695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bMDLjhkqacJCDX9bPM7eboLjd5VQSXHKwwKOFsU-jJ4JvlpswSzmoPdly1HOXuhWA3R8Hoq49E4muHv8_4FylJA2Zk40aRw9-3V1wExKctVaIhdnZAsfWswJlSOGvCbXfk447XwJHT4b/s640/IMG_1695.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us, Mark and Heidi (middle), and Travis and Lisa...waiting to board the Emirates flight to Dubai!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Previous travel posts:<br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/05/hello-from-addis.html">Day 1-Hello From Addis!</a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/07/gondar-post-re-do-ethiopia-day-2.html">Day 2- Gondar </a><br />
I also had two jet lagged attempts at blogging Gondar, if you care to read)<br />
<ul><li> <a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/where-to-begin.html">Gondar Part 1</a></li>
<li> <a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/gondar-part-2.html">Gondar Part 2</a></li>
</ul><a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/addis-day-3.html">Day 3- Lucy Day! </a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/ethiopia-day-4-famiy-bonding-day.html">Day 4- Family Bonding Day</a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/05/life-with-lucy-melat.html">Day 4-Life with Lucy Melat </a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/07/ethiopia-day-5-gladney-care-center.html">Day 5- Gladney Care Center Visit and Top View</a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/05/re-life-with-lucy-melat.html">Day 5-Life with Lucy part 2 </a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-6-us-embassy-holy-trinity-church.html">Day 6-U.S. Embassy , Holy Trinity Church, & Fasika</a><br />
Day 7- Birth Family Meeting <br />
Day 8- Souvenir Shopping and Resort Dinner <br />
Day 9- Shopping and sightseeingErynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-71801221389659919842010-08-24T20:00:00.000-07:002010-08-24T20:00:02.429-07:00Day 9- Museum, Zoo, Entoto Mountainfrom my journal:<br />
Today we left Melat with a caregiver (so hard to do, but nice to get out of the walls of the guesthouse!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abiey and Matt</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzf1iOYmdmh-veUaDdRUdKIVN0sYNsDV7uFaa3reiPq8cH15I4-6PxXKu7Dqa6oxVGsCHLETOyCk_COHtPYsMyHCHoIabABBBCR8sV4unCP-pq9eHKNtBB4ax6XUlFkp1VMknkWNCl4HZ/s1600/IMG_1615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzf1iOYmdmh-veUaDdRUdKIVN0sYNsDV7uFaa3reiPq8cH15I4-6PxXKu7Dqa6oxVGsCHLETOyCk_COHtPYsMyHCHoIabABBBCR8sV4unCP-pq9eHKNtBB4ax6XUlFkp1VMknkWNCl4HZ/s640/IMG_1615.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abeiy and I at Entoto Mountain</td></tr>
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Our driver took us all around Addis to Entoto Mountain, the Lion Zoo, and the National Museum, some classic Addis tourist stops. Entoto Mountain had a great view of the city and the fresh air alone made it worth the quick trip up there (Addis is very polluted with diesel fumes and dirty dusty air). It was only about 20 minutes from the Bejoe Guesthouse.<br />
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The National Museum is home to "Lucy" the famous human skeleton. She had nothing to do with our picking "lucy" for our girls name, but we thought it was a must see. It was neat to see some of the Ethiopian relics and historical artifacts, although we found it a bummer that it is all so poorly preserved. Lots of neat art to see, and the thrones of the Emperor/Empress and traditional clothing.<br />
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The Lion Zoo is home to Abyssinian Lions, unique to Ethiopia we were told. Our driver, Abeiy was quite proud of the zoo, and showed us around to all the animals there. It was not quite like our Oregon Zoo, but was interesting and fun to go somewhere our friend/driver wanted to show us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rodeo Addis :) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8WMVVxSPAakGwx97lqXkEWOm-YbXSz1mkXkZmPrvsScRbGS-wBFmDzuacD4YutM7ff71J8gf6L7E5Gpow49gwA4orRdrYr19gt6GZiGxLPAyc5qm8ND_RZ3YkmlKvao1FreNFlMEZA3E/s1600/IMG_1618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8WMVVxSPAakGwx97lqXkEWOm-YbXSz1mkXkZmPrvsScRbGS-wBFmDzuacD4YutM7ff71J8gf6L7E5Gpow49gwA4orRdrYr19gt6GZiGxLPAyc5qm8ND_RZ3YkmlKvao1FreNFlMEZA3E/s640/IMG_1618.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">roadside stand</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We picked up a few more souvenirs and had lunch at a spot Abeiy thought we'd like, Rodeo Addis, A Texas Style restaurant. They played american country music and we ate yummy cheeseburgers. We have yet to use our cipro, so we were feeling brave and went for the beef! Abeiy knew we like country music, and though this place would be up our alley! It was pretty awesome, and at a time when we were craving an "american" meal, it tasted pretty darn good.<br />
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Now we're relaxing, enjoying our last afternoon at the Bejoe. We also had coffee and chocolate croissants at La Parisienne. I wish I'd known about this place sooner, it was SO GOOD! the macchiatos were amazing and the croissants (with CHOCOLATE, which we've had a very hard time finding in ET) were sooooo tasty!Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-65443092298199407292010-08-23T20:00:00.000-07:002010-08-23T20:00:00.957-07:00Day 8-Shopping, Coffee, & fancy dinner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy and his sweet girl</td></tr>
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from my journal:<br />
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We spent the morning at a local church bazaar doing some souvenir shopping. It's on the last Saturday of the month, from 8am-12pm at the evangelical church. All the vendors are african non profits, benefitting various causes. It was so great to get handmade items and know our money was going to a good cause. We bought most of our souvenirs there. We got these really cool wooden salad tongs/bowls, coffee ceremony items, a few toys, and a clay nativity set.<br />
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We did a little more shopping at some souvenir shops for a few more items, like silver crosses, tshirts, other Ethiopian goodies. We also went to Tamoca again, and got some coffee beans for home as well as a few macciatos. Delish.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The three of us!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of the suites at the resort</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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In the afternoon, we headed out in a van with the other families and Travis to a resort for dinner. I can't for the life of me remember the name of it (it wasn't Dreamland). It was beautiful, delicious, and so nice to relax, breathe fresh air and enjoy some good company. I would love to spend a few days there someday! It was about an hour drive out of Addis, but the van we rode in had A/C which was SO nice! It was really really nice, the food was excellent and about 450birr per couple.<br />
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Previous posts on our trip, in case you missed them!<br />
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<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/05/hello-from-addis.html">Day 1-Hello From Addis!</a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/07/gondar-post-re-do-ethiopia-day-2.html">Day 2- Gondar </a><br />
I also had two jet lagged attempts at blogging Gondar, if you care to read)<br />
<ul><li> <a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/where-to-begin.html">Gondar Part 1</a></li>
<li> <a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/gondar-part-2.html">Gondar Part 2</a></li>
</ul><a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/addis-day-3.html">Day 3- Lucy Day! </a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/ethiopia-day-4-famiy-bonding-day.html">Day 4- Family Bonding Day</a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/05/life-with-lucy-melat.html">Day 4-Life with Lucy Melat </a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/07/ethiopia-day-5-gladney-care-center.html">Day 5- Gladney Care Center Visit and Top View</a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/05/re-life-with-lucy-melat.html">Day 5-Life with Lucy part 2 </a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-6-us-embassy-holy-trinity-church.html">Day 6-U.S. Embassy , Holy Trinity Church, & Fasika</a><br />
Day 7- Birth Family Meeting <br />
Day 8- Souvenir Shopping and Resort DinnerErynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-5346645429447015252010-08-22T20:00:00.000-07:002010-08-22T20:00:02.239-07:00Day 7- Birth Family MeetingFrom my journal:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXtnzKyUBXMVqiAUeV-35YmIYwT2fHFo6trCld8EvgB89x6blLSYMdsElbMoptsmK2joIWUugT4Qwj05f_Y2EwNrSGX6B3lpHQivtTDHg54uXzMdBBmjk6y8YiUZ3M0LRZNXEf-0WXdzn/s1600/IMG_1474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXtnzKyUBXMVqiAUeV-35YmIYwT2fHFo6trCld8EvgB89x6blLSYMdsElbMoptsmK2joIWUugT4Qwj05f_Y2EwNrSGX6B3lpHQivtTDHg54uXzMdBBmjk6y8YiUZ3M0LRZNXEf-0WXdzn/s640/IMG_1474.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>This morning we met Melat's maternal Aunt. She seemed very very happy to see Melat, although baby girl didn't seem to remember her at all. She hadn't seen her since her relinquishment in November, 6 months ago. She traveled all the way from Sudan to meet us and say goodbye to Melat. She was returning immediately to her work in Sudan on a plantation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfR1EB8jx5-0ly1-BYdNY1TkSFCsKJbhOQ-wr-YVb-U8Z2pzwaSyGZOombXe6Rl1Sb3mGyAMrXEfitYcZP5qyhxg1r0kTpTmUN3GJH0WZkKGjpp5RSFEw6vR6o-VNFSAjuOYpgksuOq3-q/s1600/IMG_1477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfR1EB8jx5-0ly1-BYdNY1TkSFCsKJbhOQ-wr-YVb-U8Z2pzwaSyGZOombXe6Rl1Sb3mGyAMrXEfitYcZP5qyhxg1r0kTpTmUN3GJH0WZkKGjpp5RSFEw6vR6o-VNFSAjuOYpgksuOq3-q/s640/IMG_1477.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melat was very nervous to be out of my arms!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
She seemed much younger than we expected. She seemed like a teenager to us, although our paperwork said otherwise. She seemed to love Melat so much. She said Melat had her mother's nose. We think she also has the family feet, because her Aunt had the same long narrow feet Melat has.<br />
<br />
(I am editing some here, becuase there's just some of the story we feel is just to private to publish for the world to read).<br />
<br />
We spent the remainder of the day relaxing and recovering from the morning family meeting. It was wonderful and hard. So glad we had the opportunity, but it was exhausting. So much life our little one has already been through.<br />
<br />
We made a quick stop to the Kechene girls shop and the Gladney care center to snap a few photos of one more babe. Turns out, he was in Melat's old room, and the caregivers, in their very broken english, asked me who's mother I was. I said, "Melat" and they lit up and said, "May-lie, Oh, May-lie!" and made kissing noises, and I got the gist that they wanted me to give her their love. They obviously had loved her well, which makes my heart so full.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXTb2_VQOoQRQSMliUj3tJEjwzmvwWew-f3E3ucuQ1zpjBiDLlpZ4xePihtAKrM9_BDXKKpkW-coAIs1B0YY9c1Eqei5j9O2DYDD2_x3ZWEFKV9j7r3gucUGT1FqCz2knp6KqTa7Ixwmd/s1600/IMG_1492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXTb2_VQOoQRQSMliUj3tJEjwzmvwWew-f3E3ucuQ1zpjBiDLlpZ4xePihtAKrM9_BDXKKpkW-coAIs1B0YY9c1Eqei5j9O2DYDD2_x3ZWEFKV9j7r3gucUGT1FqCz2knp6KqTa7Ixwmd/s640/IMG_1492.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of Melat's former caregivers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlvzZQsAYTNwwtiL38krQAwdHl2YOFk51T0o6-yTfrynfpPjoc3WjMt_8PeUdF6wZVXMB13yu5_3WJgmcMHXrzKd-xKDc4fJlMAWWd_0riLtn7BZNl_-gRloLNkgnn57Eihtk-TwT-X4d/s1600/IMG_1494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlvzZQsAYTNwwtiL38krQAwdHl2YOFk51T0o6-yTfrynfpPjoc3WjMt_8PeUdF6wZVXMB13yu5_3WJgmcMHXrzKd-xKDc4fJlMAWWd_0riLtn7BZNl_-gRloLNkgnn57Eihtk-TwT-X4d/s640/IMG_1494.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another one of Melat's caregivers...she was especially giving the kisses and loves to her!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Our little girl is so sweet- a little bundle of sunshine. She's so smiley and happy, we are totally enjoying getting to know her. <br />
<br />
previous posts:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1883951072"><br />
</a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/05/hello-from-addis.html">Day 1-Hello From Addis!</a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/07/gondar-post-re-do-ethiopia-day-2.html">Day 2- Gondar </a><br />
I also had two jet lagged attempts at blogging Gondar, if you care to read)<br />
<ul><li> <a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/where-to-begin.html">Gondar Part 1</a></li>
<li> <a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/gondar-part-2.html">Gondar Part 2</a></li>
</ul><a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/addis-day-3.html">Day 3- Lucy Day! </a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/ethiopia-day-4-famiy-bonding-day.html">Day 4- Family Bonding Day</a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/05/life-with-lucy-melat.html">Day 4-Life with Lucy Melat </a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/07/ethiopia-day-5-gladney-care-center.html">Day 5- Gladney Care Center Visit and Top View</a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/05/re-life-with-lucy-melat.html">Day 5-Life with Lucy part 2 </a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-6-us-embassy-holy-trinity-church.html">Day 6-U.S. Embassy, Holy Trinity Church, and Fasika </a>Erynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3773067640940271825.post-40399326193519467372010-08-21T22:31:00.000-07:002010-08-22T00:36:18.887-07:00Day 6- U.S. Embassy, Holy Trinity Church, & Dinner at Fasika<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitb3W2tl8znRUwsf8LpDMQsnFM3f9DqqXUvDqHlsH8oO759bZEQQKYWqPLpdFMbecXFoYuR-haT-rOxjmYFPN-pWZjilk33BL4byMl3nJ0wP158oZawaKWFf-hEasQS5IQut82Ja0o1S4n/s1600/Day63.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitb3W2tl8znRUwsf8LpDMQsnFM3f9DqqXUvDqHlsH8oO759bZEQQKYWqPLpdFMbecXFoYuR-haT-rOxjmYFPN-pWZjilk33BL4byMl3nJ0wP158oZawaKWFf-hEasQS5IQut82Ja0o1S4n/s640/Day63.jpg" width="640" /></a>Notes from my journal (it was a full day):<span id="goog_936818870"></span><span id="goog_936818871"></span><br />
<br />
We got up early to depart for the US Embassy. We arrived there at 7:30am and the place was already filling up. They started calling folks from our group just after 8am. I think we were the 2nd or 3rd family and we went upstairs about 8:30. The Embassy office reminded me of the DMV only with security check points. We went up to a window with an american agent behind the glass who asked us to raise our right hand and swear to tell the truth (like what I've seen on court tv :) A few questions and we were on our way. We were asked where Lucy was born, how she became an orphan, who relinquished her, basic stuff about her story. We were at the window 5-10 minutes. We had decided that I would be the one to answer the questions, since I practically had the paperwork memorized. I got incredibly nervous for some reason, once a the window. My hands started to sweat and shake. I kept thinking, "THIS is the final official thing! Stop shaking, or he's going to think something fishy is going on!" But, he was cool...I'm sure I wasn't the first goofy adoptive mom to stand in his window.<br />
<br />
We left the Embassy, and went over to the Gladney Care Center for a quick follow up visit with Dr. Mikiyos. He wanted to follow up on her ear infection and diarhea (I can never spell this right!). He told us to hold the course with the meds. Lucy was NOT happy to see him. I think she's been given many many shots while there. She has scars on both upper arms that he told us were from medications and immunizations being given by shot. He said everything is administered by shot, antibiotics, immunizations, etc.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnW4BuZRSTDjRz2UhXAqbjpBrnxcuU4iSWIQVVSSeuciJVLqaw9LBXmNxUOQw4pblbmYC0mLJItMnCMMqqq2UbkNzRhhe3e7Y1blm4W6GnYDlrU-KCEBm3yECKkqVF7xcsU_SFAWOCeiz/s1600/Day630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnW4BuZRSTDjRz2UhXAqbjpBrnxcuU4iSWIQVVSSeuciJVLqaw9LBXmNxUOQw4pblbmYC0mLJItMnCMMqqq2UbkNzRhhe3e7Y1blm4W6GnYDlrU-KCEBm3yECKkqVF7xcsU_SFAWOCeiz/s640/Day630.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belay's Father is in the light colored uniform next to the Emperor</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXNbu6V3hP6yp5ylQyRxVFYvloSGBbrwp3PwQ9zl8bdYMc0h-fUwyOpbBOFggOvaAa7WjnlSBVptbiFHIaGqMv124wpCryoBYwtchNguoSi6zqitAFs12UjD9FNg7yvieg-EH-SMTmUzQ/s1600/Day67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXNbu6V3hP6yp5ylQyRxVFYvloSGBbrwp3PwQ9zl8bdYMc0h-fUwyOpbBOFggOvaAa7WjnlSBVptbiFHIaGqMv124wpCryoBYwtchNguoSi6zqitAFs12UjD9FNg7yvieg-EH-SMTmUzQ/s640/Day67.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside the church, beautiful paintings and art</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXIUT9kPV_zth0bwjHTjfGTNvQaDqGXDpFhm8bH8zGrZ4yFp054BMZFy9O7ScIBQRNcwETXOhgYLICOz5b4_0QUPh6V2y1SxMM7PtPmhYcFQYjJQFVnUEDXkEjLfoOcpyFk4_TAVD_roP/s1600/IMG_1404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXIUT9kPV_zth0bwjHTjfGTNvQaDqGXDpFhm8bH8zGrZ4yFp054BMZFy9O7ScIBQRNcwETXOhgYLICOz5b4_0QUPh6V2y1SxMM7PtPmhYcFQYjJQFVnUEDXkEjLfoOcpyFk4_TAVD_roP/s640/IMG_1404.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belay in memorial, his father is pictured 3rd from left, middle row (can you tell?)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEise-tsugCBKhPEPhmfGlPyGvBxN3G708uMvbSOb8aUTNF0GgfFv7iMRvfXMs1LDe9fTSq6bx_JB34tp4rXYoH5uKy-yAc3FPijtMi6tiTdfqNzXIbISH4fhaHrvDgr98W-gj4iIgpuLnJV/s1600/IMG_1405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEise-tsugCBKhPEPhmfGlPyGvBxN3G708uMvbSOb8aUTNF0GgfFv7iMRvfXMs1LDe9fTSq6bx_JB34tp4rXYoH5uKy-yAc3FPijtMi6tiTdfqNzXIbISH4fhaHrvDgr98W-gj4iIgpuLnJV/s640/IMG_1405.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">art depicting the massacre of the former Imperial Government officials</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We had a little down time at the Bejoe before we left Lucy with a caregiver for a few hours and went to the Holy Trinity Church for a tour with Belay. It was amazing to get a tour with Belay (the director of Gladney's in country program). His father was the Commander of the Royal Palace Guard (or something important like that) for the last Ethiopian Emperor in the 1970's. In the Holy Trinity Church is where the Emperor Haile Salassie and his wife are entombed. There is loads of history, and it was interesting to hear about the Ethiopian Orthodox church. Belay told us that church services last 3 hours, and the members stand the entire time, men separated from the women (so they don't get distracted from worship and prayer). The church is filled with beautiful stained glass windows (from Belgium, I believe) and depict various biblical and Ethiopian events. Following the tour of the church, Belay took us across the road to the memorial for the 60 ex-officials of the Imperial Government who were massacred by the Derg regime in 1974 (of whom his father was included). It was very special to be given such a personal tour by Belay.<br />
<br />
Later that night, we had a night out at Fasika with the other families who were in our travel group, as well as Belay and Travis and Joanna Norwood (Gladney in country staff). I think this night may have been one of the most fun moments of our trip. We had a traditional Ethiopian meal (which we really liked) and some St. George (local beer) and watched some traditional Ethiopian dancers. The real laughs came as we all gave our go at traditional dancing, when the pretty lady came and "invited" us to give our try at the Ethiopian shoulder shimmy dancing. It was hilarious, and fun, and I have to say, everyone was a good sport about being put on the spot. I think we all knew we'd look ridiculous, so why not!?! Except Matt. He somehow positioned himself outside our circle to "photograph the dancing" and got out of showing his skills.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Yrt0-ofOJKe7UNiPn86uRYFjJr11KwLZ3HrRz83WGhBHQXBinX9MYXcton_qhebBtE610U-uPjAvEQEmvsr2XZrpuia0PoK2r-PihXBh8TH3Yy0cvrWphgrgsPyPLb2asB6rLTUIHa1X/s1600/IMG_1414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Yrt0-ofOJKe7UNiPn86uRYFjJr11KwLZ3HrRz83WGhBHQXBinX9MYXcton_qhebBtE610U-uPjAvEQEmvsr2XZrpuia0PoK2r-PihXBh8TH3Yy0cvrWphgrgsPyPLb2asB6rLTUIHa1X/s640/IMG_1414.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our traditional Ethiopian Meal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfCLSgA3OLPaTTtm-4l2CH1hbTCkUqtInhjuHeY-dSi-ROjkm1JhoGJv5RJ185G2xlAOFM-qKaQmfuo2KbWC6eWC80ekEIveaeoqT2hH4ioxZpebDK3qgHjLUPrKy0ARlx4_HDkczIMcx/s1600/IMG_1420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfCLSgA3OLPaTTtm-4l2CH1hbTCkUqtInhjuHeY-dSi-ROjkm1JhoGJv5RJ185G2xlAOFM-qKaQmfuo2KbWC6eWC80ekEIveaeoqT2hH4ioxZpebDK3qgHjLUPrKy0ARlx4_HDkczIMcx/s640/IMG_1420.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">traditional dancers</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJYlKIbtl71tdiTTCyA2tc0laXh1pVXwNSK2Z4lgNvO8mY1LTGef6Xxs2IW1_4lCyQ7dKXuVnynQ2lCbzdT26v3oJ0ptUHo3-SFmvQhWd046tYABBkbNYveOEwMUyH3m7KJS9KrN-k0FR/s1600/IMG_1436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJYlKIbtl71tdiTTCyA2tc0laXh1pVXwNSK2Z4lgNvO8mY1LTGef6Xxs2IW1_4lCyQ7dKXuVnynQ2lCbzdT26v3oJ0ptUHo3-SFmvQhWd046tYABBkbNYveOEwMUyH3m7KJS9KrN-k0FR/s640/IMG_1436.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Men with their Abyssinian Lion Mane hats, getting their dance on</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgac58QVphUZBDf9OBajRYrLpZbnKJbRDkxlV5TpBIak8H8Qtn6xXevptP99blRyQQNEcK_L1QYUgoM0vMk2f_xUDeu9v4azTumsuxQ-ZPzIpGRl2uQD01uxBlpttuq6DiGf5L370Jh4wgd/s1600/IMG_1455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgac58QVphUZBDf9OBajRYrLpZbnKJbRDkxlV5TpBIak8H8Qtn6xXevptP99blRyQQNEcK_L1QYUgoM0vMk2f_xUDeu9v4azTumsuxQ-ZPzIpGRl2uQD01uxBlpttuq6DiGf5L370Jh4wgd/s640/IMG_1455.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This girl was BEAUTIFUL. Her hair rocked! That's me on the right, getting my shoulder groove on. It's like a game of Ethiopian Simon Says...you copy her moves.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMkC3fOn_-QtrhBYNhamZDH0690N5ZWeizF7qJoVkz1Fq4qSbJ3qAQGO7ARn7SXrCDWGLBk-wUP9_xEp5ZHd0QpUBqctpanPHwl_3MF7jGTmIFw5mOHG1NNCZBYohnB-6dQaTaU1ZnMtL/s1600/IMG_1463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihMkC3fOn_-QtrhBYNhamZDH0690N5ZWeizF7qJoVkz1Fq4qSbJ3qAQGO7ARn7SXrCDWGLBk-wUP9_xEp5ZHd0QpUBqctpanPHwl_3MF7jGTmIFw5mOHG1NNCZBYohnB-6dQaTaU1ZnMtL/s640/IMG_1463.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome hair lady, groovin' with Travis, girl has some neck whipping power.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSgkRPSHSEkTMQk88CaaR5NhThDJ7Aocc8UHCYWBSaFT2QRYazW6mI6sobDDSdNY2LJBYcNyzdexQvJs8EfYw9eQsGFk5LEJNG30iYa0HvbZkQPBLHGxfMZUlcHHjhew_inpmDFGElplz/s1600/IMG_1466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSgkRPSHSEkTMQk88CaaR5NhThDJ7Aocc8UHCYWBSaFT2QRYazW6mI6sobDDSdNY2LJBYcNyzdexQvJs8EfYw9eQsGFk5LEJNG30iYa0HvbZkQPBLHGxfMZUlcHHjhew_inpmDFGElplz/s640/IMG_1466.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belay, such a good sport. I'm sure the Gladney staff must get sick of this meal and dancing!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIGg1ZKGaWiqdnsMjnApwqCcjHePNr7-mm3lFJnS9sB8oBMy0ug_65iGtdqG7MLONCpHuWSmldTOkN7WNp8VXjTAI5ZXzT3BVv16ZxtSU6c4Sv_HxySW9KeFUZYuDn3aj4hQCG8AXZofk/s1600/IMG_1467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggIGg1ZKGaWiqdnsMjnApwqCcjHePNr7-mm3lFJnS9sB8oBMy0ug_65iGtdqG7MLONCpHuWSmldTOkN7WNp8VXjTAI5ZXzT3BVv16ZxtSU6c4Sv_HxySW9KeFUZYuDn3aj4hQCG8AXZofk/s640/IMG_1467.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, this girl was rockin' the house with her moves. So fast, hair whipping, it was awesome.</td></tr>
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We also got a little surprise. We thought Melat's biological aunt was out of the country and we wouldn't be meeting with her. BUT tonight, Travis casually said, "you guys are on at 11 for the family meeting". Um, What?? We had thought she was in the Sudan. We are feeling a bit unprepared, but really excited to have the opportunity to meet her.<br />
<br />
Stay tuned tomorrow for more posts! If you missed my earlier posts (like, a month ago) here's the links to them:<br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/05/hello-from-addis.html">Day 1-Hello From Addis!</a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/07/gondar-post-re-do-ethiopia-day-2.html">Day 2- Gondar </a><br />
I also had two jet lagged attempts at blogging Gondar, if you care to read)<br />
<ul><li> <a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/where-to-begin.html">Gondar Part 1</a></li>
<li> <a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/gondar-part-2.html">Gondar Part 2</a></li>
</ul><a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/addis-day-3.html">Day 3- Lucy Day! </a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/06/ethiopia-day-4-famiy-bonding-day.html">Day 4- Family Bonding Day</a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/05/life-with-lucy-melat.html">Day 4-Life with Lucy Melat </a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/07/ethiopia-day-5-gladney-care-center.html">Day 5- Gladney Care Center Visit and Top View</a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/05/re-life-with-lucy-melat.html">Day 5-Life with Lucy part 2 </a><br />
<a href="http://5byfaith.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-6-us-embassy-holy-trinity-church.html">Day 6-U.S. Embassy , Holy Trinity Church, & Fasika</a><br />
Day 7- Birth Family Meeting <br />
Day 8- Souvenir Shopping and Resort DinnerErynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01224461644792319333noreply@blogger.com2