Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day. I am not sure I can accurately put into words everything that I was blessed enough to experience today. One thing I do know for sure is that I will walk away from this a different person with a new perspective and a greater appreciation for the things in life I tend to take for granted.

We started the morning getting up early. I was up just before 5am however I did go to bed at 8pm the previous night as we didn't have electricity so it was quite dark. I am pleased to announce though I did get hot water for the first time this morning. I believe it was a sign of how great the day was going to be.

We all piled on to the bus for our trip to Hossana not sure what to expect. Video cameras were rolling and pictures were snapped. There was lots of honking, weaving between donkeys, cars, people and cows. As we drove through towns in rural Ethiopia kids and adults alike wanted to wave and say hi. When we did stop some approached the bus and wanted food. It was beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time.

When we arrived in Hossana, we stopped to use the bathroom. What we didn't realize at first was that where we stopped was the old intake center, the orphanage where all of our children were first cared for. Pictures immediately were taken and video cameras rolling. I saw my first coffee plant today as there were a few on the grounds on the orphanage. Since this is no longer the orphanage we were allowed inside and we were allowed to take pictures. It was awesome.

After walking around, a nanny approached the group asking about a particular child. It turns out that the nannies that originally cared for our children in Hossana where all there. We got to meet and take pictures with Peanut's first nanny. She was so sweet and she remembered Peanut well. She said Peanut was a very sweet baby and that Peanut really seemed to like her. She said she loved Peanut and asked to see a picture. Luckily I had one to show her. I couldn't give it to her but at least she got to see her. That was amazing.

After we left there we were off to the main offices for our meetings with our birth parents. We had left our picture frame and map that we wanted to give to Zinash back in Addis and were feeling terrible about that. I did have a recent picture of Peanut with me and we were hoping to be able to give her that. Once we arrived at the office we were brought into a large room and waited until our names were called. There were only 3 translators so we had to take turns. We were in the second group.

I have yet to decide how much to share about our meeting so stay tuned…

Ethiopia Day 3

Today we met with the nanny, journalist, doctor, nurse, and social worker. Whew, that was an intense meeting. We started the meeting by watching an AMAZING background video. Our agency goes above and beyond in this regard. I was so impressed with the dedication and the quality and the care taken to capture our daughter's story.

We got our first look at Peanut's birth mother, Zinash. What an amazing and beautiful women. It was obvious in her words and emotions that she really loved Peanut. We will cherish this DVD forever and show it to Peanut when she is ready. We hope to maybe edit some pieces of it into a version we can show family. We want to keep our daughter's story private yet want to show our immediate family some parts of it.

After we cried through the video, we were able to ask the journalist, nanny, doctor, nurse and social worker questions. We were talking with the nanny and she kept raving about how sweet Peanut is and how she only cried really when she is hungry. She likes to entertain herself and the nanny said she smiles a lot.

We found out that Peanut had been sick a few times since referral so we asked the doctor about that. The doctor said she recovered well from her upper respiratory infections, gastroenteritis and pneumonia. She took her medicine well and seems to be doing very well developmentally.

After our meeting we went to the care center to hang out with Peanut. We aren't allowed to take pictures there but our agency has taken some. I would love to post pics and will when I can but that probably won't be until we return as the internet connection is dial up and shared.

We have been able to feed Peanut cereal twice now and I think we are getting better at it. At least I hope so. She sure lets us know if we aren't going fast enough though. She has kind of a stuffy nose so we are hoping that is just the remnants of her latest bout with an upper respiratory infection. She is quite the messy eater so the dogs will be thrilled with all the food they can lick up off the floor and off of her.

We were thinking she would fall asleep after eating but she didn't. She wanted to have tummy time. She LOVES to play on her tummy and she lifts up and pushes up extremely well. We just hung out on the floor and gave her lots of kisses and in return we got lots of smiles, laughs and even a squeal.

We are so over the moon in love with this little girl. My one fear is that she was not held a lot as she was a mellow baby so the nannies held other children more. We have seen this come out a little bit as she gets a little fussy if held for too long. We will just take things one day at a time. We are all still getting used to each other.

After our morning with Peanut we went SHOPPING!!! It was a tough task as you have to negotiate prices with the store clerks which is not in my nature. I had Dave do a lot of negotiating but in the end I did some too. We got so many beautiful things for our home, ourselves and most importantly Peanut. I could have spent more time shopping but I did get quite a bit and have no regrets.

Tomorrow is our trip to Hossana. We have been told that Zinash will be there to meet us and it is Mother's Day. I couldn't ask for a more special Mother's Day. How amazing to be able to meet Zinash and hug and let her know we will love and cherish Peanut with all our heart. Bring out the tissues…more tears are on the way.

WE MET PEANUT TODAY!!!

WE MET PEANUT TODAY!!! I cried but not nearly as much as I thought I would. The anticipation was the worst part. They had all of the families downstairs and then your social worker would come down and call out your babies name and then we were video taped as we walked upstairs to her room. The social worker then handed her over and they took pictures and video to capture the entire moment. It was truly the most amazing moment of my life.

She is just precious. She seems so much tinier in person than she did in her pictures. She has the longest eyelashes I have ever seen. She is so beautiful. And I know every Mom says that but I really think she is.

She was wearing the flower outfit with hat that was in her social report and boy can that girl smile. She was so smiley when we first met her. She couldn't stop. After a time she did become a little more serious but just as precious.
We watched the nanny feed her some cereal and then we got to feed her. What a learning experience. It took some practice as I just couldn't feed her as fast as she wanted to be fed. It took some time for both of us to adjust but we got there. We made a mess but in the end it worked out.

We then just held her and kissed her and loved on her as much as we could. I just couldn't get enough. She finally fell asleep on Dave for a little while and that was very sweet. She is a little particular about how she is held and she is a mover. She doesn't like to sit still for too long and will let you know it. She doesn't cry a lot but can fuss and then kind of kick you if she isn't comfortable. There is a huge learning curve here. She has to get used to us just as much as we need to get used to her.

She did have a messy diaper while we were there so I brought her up to her nanny and watched her nanny change her. She was very calm for the whole process and not at all fussy. The social report was right on. She is very mellow and cries when she is hungry or tired.

Tomorrow we get to meet with her nanny, social worker, nurse, doctor and journalist. We will get to watch her background DVD tomorrow and be able to ask lots of questions. We have another emotional day ahead…

Travel Day!

Okay I know this is a long time coming but we made it. Talk about a REALLY long day. I definitely was not prepared for how long I would be sitting on a plane. I was fine until we got to Amsterdam. The Amsterdam airport was highly frustrating and that seemed to be the catalyst for the rest of the flights. Once we figured out how to get seats on our flight and confirm our baggage there was little peace. After that we were delayed leaving Amsterdam do to a sand storm in Khartoum. They decided to go ahead and take off from Amsterdam and then decide on route if a stop in the Sudan would occur on not. About an hour outside of Khartoum they decided to stop. A friend had warned me to be prepared for the heat when they opened the doors and she was right it was terrible. When we landed it was 113 degrees and what was supposed to be an hour long stop, turned into almost 2 hours.

We were definitely fed well on all flights. Tried some new foods. By the time we got a meal on the Detroit to Amsterdam flight the only option was vegetable curry. I was nervous but it was actually quite good. On the Amsterdam flight to Addis both meal options were curry as well. It was unexpected, interesting and surprisingly not terrible. This coming from someone who has only started eating curry or and anything spicy in the last couple years.

When we finally arrived in Addis we had about a 2 hour process to go through getting a visa, and then get a stamp in our passport, then go get our bags (which all made it) and then go through customs and then sit in the van and wait. We finally left the airport just after 11:30. We pretty much dumped our stuff and crashed so we could get at least some sleep before the big day.

While leaving the airport we found out that we were the first families staying at the new guest houses aka old care center buildings. They had to move everything in just a couple of days to get set up for us. It is not 5 star but not terrible. There have been power issues, water issues and one room had a bug problem. The power issues are out of anyone's control. The water issues are being worked on daily. We currently have water which we didn't most of the day. We don't and haven't had hot water since we got here so cold showers it is.

So we are settling in and getting ready to meet our daughter. The day has finally arrived. I can't believe it.

ETHIOPIA HERE WE COME!!!

Packed and ready to go. There is actually another green suitcase that you can't see. So much stuff it wouldn't fit in frame :) All bags have been weighed and we are under the 50lb weight limit:)

I am still in shock that this is actually happening. I am going to Ethiopia. I am bringing home my beautiful daughter. YEAH!!!!!

We were also blessed with a growth update today. Peanut now weighs 12lbs and is 23.5 inches long. WOOHOO!

Will I sleep tonight? I hope so but I am not sure. We took our first dose of Malarone today to ward off Malaria. So far so good. No crazy side effects. We both felt a little out of it about an hour after taking it but after that nothing. Let's hope that continues. In reality, I am not really worried about getting Malaria since we will be at such a high elevation for most of our trip but I thought better safe than sorry since we are leaving Addis for a day.

I cannot access my blog while in Ethiopia but I can email posts to it so that is the plan. I don't know how often I will be able to get on the computer but I will do my best to post as often as I can. I will also have a journal with me to write down things as they happen and as a record of things that I won't post here on the blog for privacy reasons.

Ethiopia here we come!!! Hang on baby girl Mom and Dad are a little more than 15 hours away from boarding that plane. Can't wait to meet you and kiss those adorable little cheeks.

Ready?

That is a loaded question. I want to say yes but I am not sure that is possible. The bags are packed (pictures to come tomorrow) and I am so ready to be a Mom full time yet in some ways I feel like I am not ready.

Physically, I will be at a very high elevation and will try to ward off altitude sickness with lots of water and taking time to get adjusted.

Mentally, I am a basket case right now. I keep forgetting where stuff is and what I did with things. In fact while writing this I forgot which bag I packed my sandals in so I went up and checked....

Emotionally, I am ready to be a Mom but I am not sure I can prepare myself for all of the emotions that are about to hit me. This will be the most emotional journey of my life and I need to be fully present and absorb it all. I can't really predict how things will go and what I will feel. One thing for sure is I packed A LOT of extra Kleenex.

I can't believe we are this close. In less than 48 hours I will be on a plane and on the way to my baby girl. Every time I stop and think about that it brings tears to my eyes. My life is about to get flipped upside down and I couldn't be happier about it.

Packing list

So we have packed just about everything but the kitchen sink so hang on tight this is a LONG list.

Adult Medications: antibiotics (Zithromax), Malaria meds, Imodium, Pepto, Advil, sleeping pills, allergy medicine, neosporin, band aids, anti-fungal cream, hydrocortizone cream

Baby Meds: Infant Motrin, Baby Orajel, Mylacon (gas drops), diaper rash cream, petroleum jelly, eczema cream

Toiletries/personal care: Kleenex purse packs, hand sanitizer, shampoo/conditioner, soap, deodorant, toothbrush/toothpaste, razors, chapstick, foundation, saline solution (hubby wears contacts), glasses and extra pair of contacts, face wash cloths, sunscreen, bug spray, lotion, brush, hair goop, toilet paper (not available in public places like airport, etc.)

Baby care: 90 diapers, 3 packs of diaper wipes, Huggies baby wash cloths, baby lotion, nail clippers, hair accessories, 2 hooded towels, 4 wash cloths

Clothing for Me: 8 pairs underwear, 6 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of capris, 2 long skirts (bought at Savers/thrift store), 10 t-shirts, 3 pairs of yoga pants, light weight jacket, pajamas, tennis shoes, sandals, flip flops for shower shoes, sunglasses

Hubby's clothes: 8 pair underwear, 8 pair of socks, 1 pair khaki pants, 2 pair jeans, 3 pair shorts, 2 button down/polo shirts, 8 t-shirts, jacket, pajama pants, 1 pair of shoes, flip flops for shower shoes, sunglasses

Baby cloths: 8 sleepers, 15 day time outfits, 2 baby jackets, 15 onesies, 10 pair socks, 2 pair shoes/booties, 2 hats, 4 blankets, Ergo baby carrier, 20 disposable bibs, 2 dresses,

Food/baby feeding: 1 can soy formula or hypo allergenic formula in case of digestive issues, 3 bottles, 50 + drop in liners, 2 fast flow nipples, 2 medium flow nipples, 1 slow flow nipple, nipple cleaning brush, 2 pacifiers (latex), 2 pacifiers (silicone), burp cloths, sippy cup just in case

Adult snacks: Trail mix, granola bars, 2 refillable water bottles, gum, raisins, protein bars

Miscellaneous: Ziploc bags (lots), garbage bags, dish soap, laundry soap, diaper bag fully loaded, video camera, digital camera, extra memory cards, plug adapters and converters, photo copy of passport and credit card, books, spending money, journal, alarm clock, travel pillows

Donations: Our agency is accepting donations of soy formula, infant vitamin drops, diapers and diaper wipes. We are bringing 6 large cans of soy formula and one small can and 28 boxes of infant vitamin drops. As for AHOPE, I have well over 35 boxes of gloves and some bibs and hair ties that a friend asked us to pass along.

See I told you it was a lot. Now coming soon will be pictures of the luggage. I have 4 suitcases, 2 carry on bags, a diaper bag and a lap top bag to get ready. Almost there....