The big 10 months :)

KIYA IS 10 MONTHS OLD!!!!!

I can hardly believe it. In a few short weeks she will have been with us as long as she was at the care center in Ethiopia. Wow....

Here are 10 of the many thousands of things we love about our little girl:

1) She is learning how to give kisses.

2) She has quite the range in her vocal abilities from a low monster like sound to a very high pitched sound.

3) She says Dada a lot and when in her high pitched mode she squints her eyes.

4) She is learning to take her first steps. And just yesterday while holding on to the table took a sideways step all by herself.

5) She give hugs :)

6) She reaches up for us when she wants to be held.

7) She can eat Cheerios like a champ

8) Bananas are still her favorite food

9) She is taking baths in the big girl bath tub with her favorite whale cup of course.

10) She loves to laugh with us and just because and it is truly the greatest sound.

We are truly honored and blessed to be Kiya's parents. How this little girl found her way into our hearts and home amazes me to this day. She is a perfect fit. She was meant to be our little girl and I thank God every day for her.

My daughter

These two words have found their way into my every day vocabulary and I must say I like the sound of them. My daughter. I still have a hard time believing it and sometimes pinch myself to make sure this is all real. My daughter. I love it and I sure do love her.

She is sweet and funny and a gift far greater than I could have ever imagined. She has profoundly changed my life in ways I didn't even know a baby could. My thoughts are different, my conversations are different, everything is just different and different is good. Very good.

I know sounds weird but here are some examples.

1-I never dreamed I would talk about poop and how much, how often and what it looked like as much as we do.

2-I love my sleep, yet if my little one is sick or doesn't sleep well than neither do I and I am more than okay with that.

3-I miss her when I am away from her and sometimes that really stinks. I didn't really know it was possible to miss someone so much yet when I am away from her it is hard for me to not think about her often. This has gotten oh so much worse now that I am back to work full time and see her less.

4-I dream of more hours in the day and more quality time with her. There are just too many things on our schedule right now and I need to learn to say no. Always a problem for me but I have to. It isn't about me anymore. She needs us.

I know again all over the place blog post but I am in a funk. I am feeling over scheduled and I hate that and I read some sad news on facebook that some college friends lost their little girl 2 months before she was set to be born. It has all got me thinking about how fast kids grow up and I don't want to miss it and how truly grateful and blessed we are to be parents.

We have this amazing little girl and before we know it she is going to be running up the stairs, chasing the dogs and talking more than she already does. I really feel we need to stop and enjoy these moments and get some things off that schedule. Easier said than done. But it is a must. An activity here and there for just mom and dad is great but we have at least one such activity scheduled every weekend from now until Halloween. I hate it therefore I must change it.

Stay tuned for a happier post. Kiya is 10 months old tomorrow :)

Baby steps....

No really. Baby steps. Kiya is taking baby steps. She may not crawl or pull herself up on furniture yet but she will take a few steps while holding on to our fingers :) We couldn't be prouder of our little girl.

Things are going well. We took Kiya in for her 9 month check up this week even though she will be 10 months old next week :)

Stats:

Weight: 18.2lbs (27th percentile)
Height: 28 inches (52nd percentile)
Head: 44.3 cm (25th percentile)

Not too shabby :) For reference she was 12lbs at homecoming in May so over 6lbs and has grown almost 3 inches :) She is on a steady line on the growth charts and her doctor is pleased with her growth.

The one problem is her weight puts her in 6-9month clothes but her height in 12 month. So right now all of her pants are a little big in the waist and her pajamas barely fit. We have new pajamas for her it just hasn't been cold enough for flannel.

We are excited to see what lies ahead. There are lots of firsts coming for Kiya and for us as parents. Her first Halloween pumpkin and costume (she will be a pink butterfly), first Thanksgiving and birthday, first Christmas:) Exciting months lie ahead for our little family of 3.

Little Man update: Background check paperwork went to our local social worker today :) Homestudy update in 2 weeks :)

Wordless Wednesday

Weekend in review

We had a VERY busy weekend. Kiya's baptism was the main event. She did great really. Got a little cranky towards the end of the service but was a super star for the most part.

Here she is with 2 of her god parents. My brother in law Andy and my best friend Stacy. Not pictured are my sister in law Sarah and my best friend's husband Jim. Kiya at this point was VERY tired but didn't want to miss any of the festivities.

Family picture with all of Kiya's grandparents and her great grandma.

This weekend again proved just how blessed we are. We have a wonderful family and an amazing little girl. I was so glad that Stacy flew out from CA even if only for a short trip but it meant so much for her to be here and to meet Kiya.

Kiya was so adaptable to the disruptions in schedule and was really the star of the whole weekend. She helped open her gifts but mostly just wanted to put them all in her mouth. Her favorite was the tissue paper :) Go figure.

She LOVES to stand up and even attempted to take her first steps this weekend while holding on to my fingers. It was so cute :) She is just getting so big. We have her 9 month check up tomorrow even though she is closer to 10 months. I can't wait to see how much she weighs and just how tall she actually is :)

The tough stuff

The Australian Broadcasting Company put out this article/video this week.

WARNING--the video is VERY unpleasant to watch. I did watch it and I cried, I got angry and now I need to write.

The basis is that there is a lot of corruption in Ethiopian adoption. The article/video focus on one specific agency but imply that many adoption agencies operating in Ethiopia are in fact unlicensed and unregulated. It goes on the imply that Americans are flocking to adopt "orphans" because it is the new hip thing to do after all Angelina Jolie did it. The article questions whether orphans are really being adopted or if Ethiopians are being wrongly taken advantage of. The idea of a DVD catalog of children available for adoption in a word is HORRIBLE. That alone would have been a HUGE red flag to not go further for me.

Here is what I think take it or leave it. Is there corruption in Ethiopian adoptions, unfortunately yes. I have heard the stories. Were some people misinformed about their child's age, birth date, history, medical conditions--unfortunately yes. Do I think that some birth families were deceived? I would like to say no but I can't 100% say that. Do I think all adoptions from Ethiopia are corrupt? No. I think there are plenty of great agencies big and small doing amazing work in Ethiopia. It is unfortunate that a few bad seeds cast a bad light on all Ethiopian adoptions.

What does this mean for my family? Good question. I have to take ownership that I can't say for 100% sure that my daughter's story is accurate however I feel very confident that it is. I feel her birth date is completely accurate and I don't feel I as an adoptive parent was duped or lied to in any way. I trust my agency and that is why we are sticking with them. Are they people that don't like my agency? Sure and each person has their own reasons but we haven't had a bad experience.

Do I think Kiya's birth mom was lied to? No I don't. She was very aware and present in our meeting and asked us some great questions. Are we bad people for adopting a child that has a mother living in Ethiopia? NO! Some people try to imply that the only children that should be adopted are those with no living parents. Zinash had deep, very personal reasons for placing Kiya for adoption and it saddens me to this day. She loved Kiya and I saw it in her tears and on her face and in her words. She had her reasons just like any birth mom here in the US does and I don't think we as adoptive parents should be labeled nor should she as a birth mom.

International adoption is a murky world. Add in that we are adopting from a developing country and things get even a little murkier (is that word???). Anyway, the point is that as adoptive parents we have to do all we can to make sure our children's adoptions are ethical. I feel that my daughter's was. Not everyone can say that and that saddens me and my heart goes out to them. I wish we could all feel confident in our children's story but such is not the case and that to be honest is a little scary. We as adoptive parents need to do our homework and be diligent and demand answers when things just don't seem to add up.

Wordless Wednesday

Picture update :)

So I know I am a little behind so here is a picture post to catch up in the goings on of our family. September 8th was Badger's 6th birthday. Still shocked we got both dogs to sit still for the same picture and pay attention even with food in front of them.

Badger is too concerned about licking up treat crumbs to care that Sebastian is running off with his toy.

Once Badger figured it out, tug of war was on in full force. Well really only like 15 minutes as they ripped the toy and started eating the stuffing and the frog found its way to the garbage.

As you all learned from my last post, September 11th was Ethiopian New Year. We went out to eat at our local Ethiopian restaurant to celebrate. It will be a new family tradition and maybe some day I will be brave enough to try and cook Ethiopian food :)

Kiya couldn't eat the food yet but we did give her some injera, which is a spongy like thin bread used to eat the food. It does have a slightly sour taste so I wasn't sure she would eat it but she did. And wanted more :)

We had our waitress take a family picture to help remember the evening.

In other news, it looks like Kiya isn't quite over her last ear infection. We had a rough night. She started that weird moaning she did before and we knew what was coming next. Fever and vomit and bam we got both. We were able to get some Tylenol in her and changed her pj's but she just wouldn't settle down. We had her in the pack n play in our room in case she got sick again but she just laid there awake for well over and hour just sucking her thumb.

After awhile she started screaming and was getting really upset. Well turns out she had a poopy diaper so we changed that and tried to get her settled back in her crib in her room. Nope. She wanted nothing of it. I wound up getting up and just rocking her in the chair in her room for 2o minutes or so until she calmed down. I put her down in her crib and didn't hear from her again until 6:45am. Poor baby. This whole ear infection and massive teething thing really stinks.

Melkam Addis Amet!

Or Happy New Year. September 11th is Ethiopian New Year. It is our first Ethiopian New Year together as a family. Long before we had our referral, we had discussed ways to incorporate Ethiopian culture into our family and we agreed to celebrate Ethiopian New Year.

So what are we doing? Well, Kiya is still young so it will be low key and we will add to it each year. So this year we are going to have dinner together at Buraka, our local Ethiopian restaurant and take a family picture.

It is so great to have a reason to celebrate on September 11th. Since 2001, this date has been a little rough for me. It will always be my "I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing" moments. Both when I heard the news of the attack and later in the day when I heard I had lost a former resident on Flight 93.

So Melkam Addis Amet.

For more info on Ethiopian New Year click here : http://rastafarionline.com/files/AddisAmet.pdf

Wordless Wednesday is preempted for an important message

Wordless Wednesday will return but right now, today I have something important to say and I need your help. It is about Plumpy'Nut. So I am standing on my soapbox today which I don't do often but this is an issue that touches my soul and my family.

This link and pictures will show you how Plumy'Nut can work miracles.

http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/medika-mamba-progress/

Before:
7 weeks later:
What is Plumpy'Nut? Click below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumpy%27nut

Why is this important to me?

Well simple really. My daughter is from Ethiopia thus Ethiopia is now and will forever be a part of my family. I didn't simply get on a plane and bring her home and turn my back on Ethiopia. If anything it was the opposite. I saw so much need and I just knew that I owed it to my daughter to do what I can. Children are starving. I saw it with my own eyes. It was one of many contributing factors to why my daughter was placed for adoption. I cannot ignore this. I am responsible. I have to do something.

As my daughter grows and hears her story and visits Ethiopia and asks the tough questions, I want to show her that her Dad and I are committed to helping out and doing our part. We didn't run away. We stayed focused. Why? For her, for Zinash, for Little Man and his family, for our greater family, the people of Ethiopia. It is our duty, our obligation really. What kind of person would I be to see what I saw and turn my back on it? To run away from the beautiful country that is the birthplace of my daughter and hopefully my son is unimaginable to me.

What can you do?

Click on this link to help raise $$$ for Doctor's Without Borders who is committed to getting Plumpy'nut to the starving children in Ethiopia.

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorreg/donorpledge.asp?ievent=296288&supID=246858948

Count your loose change, make a small sacrifice of a luxury for you to save a child's life. I personally gave up my nail appointments for the month and donated that money to the Plumpy'Nut campaign. What can you do without? Think about it. Please. The deadline is Friday, September 11th at midnight.

Okay--I am stepping down from my soapbox. I know this was preachy, but I have to do what I can. It is important to me and my family.

4 months ago

Four months ago today we walked up those 4 flights of stairs and met this adorable little girl. Here is what she looked like then

and here is what she looks like now:

She is getting so big and has such a personality. She is starting to really express herself and she let's us know if she is not happy that we took something away from her. She has always been kind of obsessed with this plastic whale cup that came with her infant tub. Well now that she sits up and plays with toys in the tub she just doesn't want to let it go, even when bath time is over and it is time to put on her pajamas.

To think 4 months ago she couldn't sit up or stand or laugh or pick things up. Now she does all of that and so much more. Just last night she ate a Stage 3 jar of chicken and mixed veggies. It had some pretty big chunks in it. She struggled a little but overall did really well with it and ate the whole jar.

We are truly blessed to be Kiya's parents and we are so looking forward to watching her grow and learn new things every day.

Busy Busy

I know it has been way too long but this week was just too busy.

Kiya is a FABULOUS 9 month old now. She unfortunately is battling ear infection number 3 but she is a champ and overall a pretty happy sick kid. The first day of is always the worst but we seem to be noticing a pattern. She gets a little spacey, has a fever and then vomits. Bam, ear infection. Not fun.

As for the gamut of questions I am being asked, no Kiya doesn't crawl yet, she scoots which is just fine. No, she doesn't say identifiable words yet, she is very verbal and says things that sound like oh my and goo and oh yeah and ahhhh. She will talk when she wants to. No she is not pulling up on furniture or walking. Am I worried, no. Am I annoyed by the constant baby comparing, yes. Kiya is wonderful and doing well. She is not behind by US standards in any way. So please people, every baby is different. Kiya is and has always been independent and a tad stubborn. She will do it on her timeline not some arbitrary time line written in a book. Give the girl a break. She has been through more in her lifetime than I can even begin to wrap my head around.

We are getting ready for Kiya's baptism in a couple weeks. Her dress is all ready to go. Food is yet to be ordered and of course cake :) And 2 of her godparents will be there. My brother in law Andy and my bestest friend in the whole wide world, Stacy, is flying in for the festivities. I am so excited. I miss her every day and she gets to meet Kiya for the first time. YEAH!!!!

We also decided this week that we are going to California in October. Dave has his 10 year college reunion and we haven't been back in awhile so we cashed in our airline miles and are CA bound. I am dreading all the things we need to bring for Kiya but can't wait to get there.

I am also cleaning the house because we finally caved and hired a house cleaning service. I know it is a huge luxury and I feel a tad guilty about the expense but now that I am back to work full time I want to spend quality time with Kiya and not cleaning the house. And yes you read that right I will clean before the house cleaners come since the first visit is by the hour. Trust me this wasn't an easy decision and I know I could spend the money on other things but it is worth it if I can have good quality time with Kiya and not have her strapped in the Ergo while vacuuming. No fun for either of us.

Next week Kiya will also be going to daycare three days a week. She loves it there and we are getting great feedback from her teachers about how much she just loves to interact with the other kids. She is always so happy when I pick her up so I think the 5 or so hours a day she is there is good for her.

Other than that we are just trying to enjoy the nice weather while it lasts. I am so in denial that I need to buy winter clothes for Kiya. I have a shopping cart full online of fleece things that I just can't seem to purchase....

Wordless Wednesday

More Kiya firsts

The day has arrived. Kiya has a tooth! A real actual tooth. I can hardly believe it. I felt it twice just to make sure. It isn't all the way in but it is definitely and finally there.

This definitely explains why she hasn't slept well. She did great last night a solid 11+ hours without a peep but the two nights before that were not so great. She would call out or just be awake and playing in her crib. We didn't get it at the time as she is such a great sleeper but now we do. TEETH! I thought they would never show up.

Kiya also got a new toy. Her very first soccer ball. (Grandpa will be so proud.) She has shown quite the fascination with balls whenever she has been around them so we decided to get her one. We had to think about the dogs and a beach ball or something similar would never survive the wrath of our nutty little pugs. So while roaming around in Target it hit me. A soccer ball.

She loves it. I will post pictures soon. She squeals at it. Bats it away and slaps it. So cute :)

And in terms of eating people food, she will eat bananas, pita bread, toast, graham crackers, cheese and nilla wafers. She has attempted to eat cheerios but usually spits them out and watermelon but it was too cold for her. We are going to try plums, peaches and blueberries soon. And yes I realize this will be a huge mess but all in the name of learning to feed ourselves.

We have been successful in our attempts to feed Kiya Stage 3 foods also. She has had bananas and broccoli, carrots and cheese. As for meat she seems to like beef and chicken the most, then turkey and then ham. We have lasagna, macaroni and cheese and a few other varieties for her to try. We shall see. Baby steps as those are a lot chunkier than she is used to.