Family Day 2010

Here are some photos from our first Family/Kiya Day :)

We had hoped for warmer weather but we survived. We went to the Farmer's Market in the morning, spent the afternoon as a family hanging out and then went to dinner at a local Ethiopian restaurant.

Kiya and Daddy

Kiya and Mommy. Kiya of course is being super silly.
Family photo...it was dangerously close to bedtime at this point.
Eating the carrots from my dorowat.
Kiya being super silly Kiya. This picture really sums up her personality she is just so full of life and LOVES to laugh.

It was a great day over all. After we returned home and settled Kiya in her pajamas, we took some time to light our family candle. It has two wicks, one for our family here and one for our extended family in Ethiopia. We then sat down with Kiya and went through the picture book I made of our trip to Ethiopia. In the book is a picture of us with Zinash. We told her all about her Mom. I know she won't remember what we said but we plan to do this every year. As she gets older we will watch her lifebook DVD with her as well. I know that as we discuss her story when she is older there will be questions. Questions we are still working on the answers too but we will get there.

In addition we also made a donation to AHOPE. We will make a donation every year on Family Day. As Kiya gets older we will allow her to decide which charity she would like to donate to.

I am looking forward to many more Kiya days in the coming years.

Now

And here we are 1 year later. Can you believe it? I know I can't. Here are some recent pictures of the love of my life




So on Friday, May 8, 2009 sometime in the mid morning, we were anxiously waiting at the bottom of the staircase at the care center in Addis Ababa. We were waiting for our social worker to call our name. We were called second. We climbed 4 flights of stairs with a camera in our face. We got to the top, turned left and walked into the room and there she was in the flower hat and all on the floor doing tummy time. Kiya being Kiya spit up first and after that was cleaned up, our social worker handed me my daughter. My world forever changed a million times over in that second.

She just fit. She fit perfectly in my arms. She was total perfection. Life couldn't have gotten any better. We were united forever as a family. May 8th will always be Family Day or Kiya Day. We will say a prayer, light our family candle and spend the day together as a family.

So now my baby girl is a full blown toddler. She has a big, fabulous and spunky personality. She loves to laugh and to make you laugh. She gives hands down the best hugs ever. She will crawl on over and grab the back of your legs and hug you or she will rest her head on your shoulder and pat your back. She sucks her fingers for security, always has, but yet a year later she sure sucks them a lot less. She is an active sleeper and a great sleeper. She is a fabulous eater yet picky like most toddlers. She is sweet and sassy, adventurous and adorable, fun loving and silly. She is the light of my life and I cherish every day with her.

So 1 year later, Kiya has gone from our little peanut to our budding toddler. She has gained 11 plus lbs and has grown almost 9 inches.

This last year has been nothing short of amazing. It has been so incredible to watch Kiya emerge from the shell she was once in. We know her and she knows us. We have bonded. We are attached. We still have work to do. That said life is good. Really good. We are truly blessed.

Bring on the memories and the tears

This week is EMOTIONAL for me. Last year at this time we were gearing up for a 23 hour plane ride that would forever change my life and in some ways change me as a person.

Our very first Family Day is Saturday. I am in shock that it has been a year. Sunday is Mother's Day...that is a LOADED day for me and deserves its own post later in the week.

My heart belongs in Ethiopia. It always will. I miss Ethiopia every day and this week just brings it even more to the forefront.

I know I will be crying a lot this week. Maybe not for everyone else to see but there is just so much swirling around my head and in my heart. These tears are tears of joy, tears of remembrance and tears of sadness.

This week on blog will be reflections of a year ago and hopes for future years with a few pictures of the every adorable and loving girl that I am proud to call my daughter.

6 months ago

Six months ago today, we brought home our little peanut. She was 5 1/2 months and just as cute and as sweet as can be. She was wearing some 0-3 month cloths and some 3-6 month. She weighed barely 12lbs and was just over 2 ft long.

Six months later she is 2 weeks shy of her 1st birthday and still just as cute and sweet with a bigger than life personality thrown in. She is now fully in 12 month cloths working her way on to 12-18 month. She weighs, we are guessing close to 20lbs and is about 30 inches long.

On days like today, I remember fondly my time in Ethiopia. I miss it really. There is so much more I want to see and learn and experience. This wonderful country will always be dear to my heart and I eagerly await the day I can share it with Kiya.

While 6 months seems like such a short time and it is, I just can't imagine my life without her. Our whole lives changed the day we got on that plane and we haven't looked back. We continue to watch in amazement as Kiya grows from an infant to a toddler.

So as we gear up to celebrate her 1st birthday, we are also taking time to remember and pray for dear Zinash. We haven't figured out how but on Kiya's birthday we plan to incorporate a special prayer for her. Sure we are doing the big birthday cake thing on Thanksgiving a few days before her birthday but on the actual day the 3 of us are going to do something special to honor and remember Zinash for without her love and courage, we wouldn't have our sweet Kiya.

Family Day

We met Peanut one month ago. We became united as a family. We had been a family for many months but we were finally physically together. May 8th will forever be Peanut day in our household. So for this post I will look back on the day we met our precious little girl.


It was a Friday morning in Ethiopia. We had gotten little sleep as we arrived late the night before. All the families gathered for breakfast and then we headed out to the main office for a brief orientation.

Honestly, I remember very little about the orientation other than them telling us how friendly and affectionate Ethiopian people are and that if we needed anything at all to ask the guesthouse manager. I found both to be very true statements.


We then herded back on the bus for the short drive to the care center. I was nervous, excited and already on the verge of tears. This was it. I was finally going to be able to hold my daughter in my arms. I have dreamed of this day for many many years.

We waited our turn and went up stairs, the tears rolling down my face. I had no idea what was about to happen and then we got to the 4th floor and walked in the room. I saw her immediately. She was on the floor doing tummy time. Our social worker bent down to grab her and I remember that Peanut spit up. We got that cleaned up and then our social worker handed her to me. Oh my goodness. Never has anything felt more perfect. It was like she was made just for us. She just fit so perfectly in our arms. I didn't really want to let her go but at one point turned to my husband and asked him if he wanted to hold her. Duh, of course he did. I could see it in his eyes. And what a beautiful sight it was to see Daddy finally holding his little Peanut.


I remember that she was so smiley at first and then got really serious. She wasn't sure what was going on. She was so alert and so aware that things were a little different now. I will forever be grateful that we have our first moments with her on DVD. I have watched it twice now and it still gets to me each time and I am guessing it will get me every time I watch it.


These are moments that will forever be ingrained in my head and my heart. The months of waiting had come to an end. Finally meeting Peanut made all of those long months make sense. I hit a really rough spot emotionally during the wait in November of 2008. Little did I know that during that same month my daughter was born and her mother was facing a very difficult decision. God definitely had a hand in Peanut finding us and in guiding her dear birth mother during this difficult time. There are no words to ever be able to express my gratitude for this beautiful gift of a daughter.


This whole journey to Ethiopia has forever changed my life in ways that I cannot even begin to express. My life isn't just about me or us any more. We are now a family of 3 and still growing.