One more step....

Well here are the two envelopes that went to the post office today. One is Kiya's certificate of citizenship application and one is the application headed to CHSFS for our Little Man :)

Today overall was a great day minus one little detail. The good stuff is:

1) We got all of the important paperwork out of the house and in the mail.
2) We found out from Kiya's doctor that all of her vaccines from Ethiopia were valid and did in fact take.
3) We cosponsor a child at AHOPE with a group of other families and when I got home today the info was in the mail. A very beautiful 9 year old girl who loves basketball and math. It warmed my heart to see her face and makes me want to do more.

The not so good stuff:

1) CHSFS changed their reapplication process. It now states that you have to have been home for 6 months with your child before you can reapply for a 2nd adoption. I found this out after going to the post office and mailing our application. So technically the process for our Little Man is on hold until November. I will still try and get some things together while we are waiting to officially start again.

When I first got this news I was really bummed and part of me still is. This extra few months could be the difference of waiting through 1 court closure versus 2. Then it hit me. Our son will find us when the timing is just right for both of us. God has a hand in this whole process and we trust that and believe that. Little Man we are here for you when you are ready and we pray for your family now and always. You aren't even a glimmer yet but we love you already and will wait for as long as we need to.

Readoption Day! It's official :)

IT"S OFFICIAL!!!! In every way legal way possible this adorable 8 month old girl is our daughter!!!

This picture was cute too so I couldn't choose :)

And here we are officially and legally a family of 3. We have been for awhile but needed a signature and a seal to prove it I guess.

Our hearing was at 8:45am and we got there early. The hearing was over by 8:50. We started early. We put 2 hours worth of change in the parking meter having no idea how this would work and how long we would be there. It was so easy, the whole thing. We even legally changed her name and ordered 3 copies of her new birth certificate.

To celebrate here on this blog I will share with you her new official name: Annakiya (on ah key a) Yewibdar (yea' ob dar) Eileen. We call her Kiya for short. As for the blog, I will now call her Kiya. It was getting way too hard to remember to call her Peanut and well since she isn't such a Peanut anymore.

Annakiya is the name we chose for her. It is Nigerian and means 'sweet face'. Yewibdar is the name given to her by her birth mother and it means 'most beautiful one' and Eileen is also my middle name as well as my mother's middle name.

The judge was super nice and even gave Kiya a stuffed elephant dressed as a ballerina. I know this whole thing was really just a formality and one more step in the process but we couldn't be prouder today to call Kiya our daughter. Now on to getting her a Certificate of Citizenship and a Social Security number.

Stay tuned for more pics of my 8 month old little beauty.

I LOVE BEING A MOM!

It's true, I do. It really hit me yesterday when we were at the Brewer's game and I was walking around with Peanut in the Ergo. She didn't want me to sit in our seats much so we walked, we stood and we mostly watched the game on TV. All the while I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Sure I wasn't sitting with my husband in our seats down the 3rd base line but I was with my daughter and we were bonding. I love being a Mom. I was pretty sure I would and it just feels right. Better than right, it is perfect. A dream come true.

I am facing the reality of having to go back to work in 2 weeks and I am NOT looking forward to it. I am deeply going to miss our days together. Sometimes we hang out at home and other days we hit Target or go for a walk. It is going to be different come August 10th and I hate that. The one plus is that I don't work standard 9- 5 hours so I should be able to be home most days by 1pm.

I think it is probably a good thing that I am not going to be the one to drop Peanut off at Grandma and Grandpa's or at daycare. I wouldn't leave. I want to stay with her. You can be for sure that I will be hurrying home from work so we can hang out again at least for a little bit before nap time.

Just when we were finally settling in to our new schedules things are going to change. Peanut is very adaptable, her Mom not so much. We will manage and it will get easier but those first few days back are going to be very tough. I can look forward to hiring a cleaning service though so I don't have to spend my time after work cleaning the house and can better spend it with Peanut.

Peanut pictures coming soon as baby girl is almost 8 months old :)

What's new??

Sorry I have been gone awhile...this week was a little nuts. Peanut has been sick. She has been vomiting her solid food but not always just sometimes. It is kind of gross but she seems to be feeling better.

We took her in to see the doctor and she advised us to stay off of solids through the weekend to give her stomach a break. We were going to do that but since she successfully had eaten some bananas before the doctor told me this we are just doing away with cereal for now. The doctor thinks stomach bug; we think it might be a texture thing. The cereal was getting too thick so she would play with it in her mouth, get too much then gag and sometimes vomit.

It has been a roller coaster ride with Miss Peanut and her food issues but we are working on it and will get it straight eventually.

Other than that our readoption hearing is next Wednesday. YEAH! Then there is some more paperwork for Peanut after that and then we move on to the paperchase for our son. Still working on a nickname. Butter is out (sorry). In the running are Finch (think To Kill a Mockingbird), Sprout, Pickle, and Lil Man.

We hope to be officially waiting again by mid-November at the latest.

Peanut is not a Peanut anymore :)

So we had to take Peanut to the doctor today. She is catching up on some shots. Let me tell you my little Peanut is not such a Peanut anymore.

Weight: 16.7lbs (27th percentile)
Height: 27 inches (59th percentile)
Head circumference: 42 inches (14th percentile)

Almost 2 months ago back in May, Miss Peanut weighed 13lbs and was 25.5 inches long. WOW. A little TLC can go a long way.

I tried to guess how much she was going to weigh and I guessed 15 1/2 lbs. Boy was I wrong. She is getting so big.

She sits, she stands, she rolls, she eats, she sleeps. I am in awe and so in love with my perfect little girl. She fits right in. She is stubborn at times (like both her mom and her dad) and she is independent and curious and funny. I truly believe she was meant to be our daughter. God definitely had a hand in this and we will forever be thankful for our little (or not so little) Peanut.

Finally!!!

Well, I gave in and called our doctor. The news we were waiting for on Peanut has arrived and it is good news.

Peanut had tested positive for Hepatitis C antibodies which means she was exposed to hepatitis C at some point in her young life, most likely from her mother. An additional test was run to see if she did in fact have the virus and she does not. YEAH!

She is not 100% out of the woods and we will be seeing a pediatric specialist to monitor the situation probably until Peanut is at least 18 months old. It is a very good sign that she does not have the virus now as the rate of transmission from mother to child is around 5%. We have done a TON of research on Hep. C and are prepared to deal with it were she to contract the virus. If she were to get it, she would lead a normal life and just have as a friend stated "a more intimate relationship with her doctor."

Sigh of relief for Peanut today but a heavy heart for her beautiful mother, Zinash. I pray that she doesn't have hepatitis C and was just a carrier of the antibodies. I pray that if she were to get sick at all that she could find the medical care necessary. The really sad part is I know it is unlikely she could find that care and that truly breaks my heart. She is such a beautiful woman with hopes and dreams and I wish her nothing but health and happiness.

And she rolls...

Remember this toy?? Well it is the first thing I bought specifically for Peanut and here she is actually licking/chewing on it :)

Here she is all dressed and ready to go to her second Brewer's game.

Still haven't heard the news but I have a FABULOUS Peanut update. She ROLLS!!! Peanut has rolled over from her stomach to her back twice. I didn't see her do it last night but know she did but today I witnessed it. This from the baby that had no desire to rollover previously. We figured she would just do it when she felt like it.

Honestly, I was getting annoyed by everyone asking me if she was rolling over. It is on the doctor's checklist, Birth to 3, a physical therapist we saw, etc. She will do it when she wants was always my thought and now she did it. Next up is crawling...pray for our dogs. Lots of teachable moments coming soon for both dog and Peanut.

Still waiting....

We are still waiting on the news. We should hopefully hear something tomorrow or at least this week. Hopefully...don't people know I HATE waiting. Oh well....

Peanut is such an amazing baby. She now sits up by herself and she is making new sounds every day. She also stands when assisted and this for the baby that was bearing little weight on her legs just 2 months ago. She has outgrown the 3-6 month clothing and is comfortably wearing 6-9 month stuff.

She is becoming a little picky in the food department in that her bottles need be warm and the right warm and she is not a fan of peaches or it appears apricots.

She still LOVES her sleep and sleeps 10-12 hours a night. Her random night time crying has phased out and when she does do it it is for less than 1 minute and she is back to sleep. She is still taking 3 naps a day though we are trying to phase out the 30 minute or less mid morning nap as half the time she rarely sleeps so it doesn't appear necessary.

We are 15 days away from our readoption hearing and 16 days away from officially beginning the paper chase for our son. I am working on a nickname that goes with Peanut for him.

Prayers please

There is a lot of unknown going on right now in the world of Ethiopian adoption that may affect some friends of mine and their court dates and travel dates. It could be the difference between some families making it through court before the closure and having to wait until the courts reopen. Please pray that everything resolves itself, families get birth certificates, travel dates and court dates VERY soon.

Also, pray for Peanut. She is fine and will be fine but we are waiting on some news. We won't probably know anything for sure until next week and even then it may be a few months before we get a clearer picture depending on what we learn next week.

I am not comfortably sharing what that possible news is and I know that family reads this and please know we aren't sharing anything until we know for sure. It could be something and it is most likely nothing so we don't want to cause anyone to worry (besides us of course).

I know cryptic but I had to post just to clear my own head. Whatever you are thinking it isn't that bad. Peanut is fine and no matter what we learn she will be fine. We will share what we can when we can and if we are comfortable.

Reflections on the last 2 months

We have know Peanut now for 2 months and I don't think I accurately have reflected on Ethiopia and how much my life has changed since I became a Mom but first I had to start with pictures :)

She just figured out today how to feed herself.

She also likes to grab on to her bottle, one time she even got it in her mouth. Other times she pokes herself in the nose or eye.

Well this is just sweet potatoes on her face but she is so cute :)

Two months ago today, I walked up the stairs and met my daughter. I knew my life would never be the same and I was filled with excitement and fear. Excited that my dreams were coming true and scared that I would do something wrong. What I have learned in 2 months is that the excitement doesn't wear off and all moms make mistakes and that is okay.

As for Ethiopia, it has taken me a long time to really process what I saw and what I experienced and I am not sure I can put it in to words. The hope. The despair. The smiles. The extreme poverty. A very obvious haves and have nots. It was a lot to take in. I have lived a pretty sheltered life. This was my first time on another continent. I had really only been to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. I needed this. I needed Ethiopia. I finally saw what goes on outside of my little world and I will never be the same. Call it obligation to my daughter or my family or to a greater sense of awareness but I can't and won't turn my back on Ethiopia and the wonderful people that live there.

I have joined a cooperative sponsorship with a group of other families to sponsor a child at AHOPE. My goal is next year to sponsor a child independently. It isn't much but it is a start. I want to do more, so much more.

I can't wait to share Ethiopia with Peanut and let her know how committed we are to do what we can. I can't wait to go back to Ethiopia. I can't wait to take Peanut and our son to Ethiopia. Hopefully, if all goes well, Dave and I will be back in Ethiopia in a few years to be united with our son. Our trip will look very different the second time around. Will we go to the museum again, probably not. Will we look for ways to spend more time at AHOPE or other places, yes. We would love to travel to Lalibela and Gondar and Bahir Dar.

For Christmas, Dave bought me this beautiful wood box that says "My heart belongs in Ethiopia" and I didn't realize then how true that statement really is.

Weekend fun with friends

Some good friends of ours came to visit and meet Miss Peanut this weekend. Peanut went on her first boat ride and as you can see below she was a little grumpy with that life vest on.

She was kind of over having her picture taken but we wanted to get just one more with Daddy.

She is just so darn cute :)

She was too young to feed the ducks but we still got a great family picture.

Hanging out with some college friends, drinking beer, well two of us were as my friend Kerry is pregnant, and waiting for the fireworks to start.

We had a great time and Peanut made some new friends and it was good to hang out at the lake and relax.