Ok--most mom's will tell you that their child is perfect and yes I am going to be one of them.
We have been home almost a week and things are going WAY better than expected. Sure the first couple of nights took some getting used to and last night both Dave and I were like we have a daughter; this is the real deal no one can take her away. Oh My!
Jet lag seems to be gone. Miss Peanut is sleeping 8-9 hours a night. Some nights she wakes herself at 2am or 4am with a little scream and then back to sleep she goes. The first few times that happened I hopped out of bed to check on her and as I walked into her room she was sucking on her fingers, quiet and asleep.
She eats like a champ. Mostly formula and then rice cereal and baby food to supplement. Carrots are a crowd pleaser; she just loves them. Peaches are a work in progress. We will try squash or sweet potatoes next. It sure will be nice to get a list of foods she can eat. This whole eating the same food for a few days to make sure there isn't an allergy is kind of boring but necessary.
We thought for sure we were going to have sleep issues, food issues and maybe illness/parasite issues when we got home. I would say for now the sleep issues have resolved. The food issues are still there in that she can't eat fast enough but it is getting better. The illness/parasite stuff is a work in progress. She came home with an ear infection (though she was an angel all the way home) and we are testing her still for parasites but from what I read I would think we would be able to smell/tell if she has them and we don't think she does but testing just to be sure.
Our pediatrician is FABULOUS! She was so prepared and knew just what to test for in internationally adopted children. We are catching her up on the pneumonia vaccine but all others are listed as current and received in Ethiopia. We will run titers in July just to make sure since we are doing more blood work in July anyway. Peanut is now 13lbs (or was on Monday) and 25.5 inches long. She is on the CDC growth charts for height and barely for weight and not at all for head circumference. The doctor is not concerned. Peanut's head has followed along the same line since referral so it is growing and may just be a small head. Developmentally, the doc thinks Peanut is doing fabulous. She is a little weak in the legs so she gave us the number for the Birth to 3 program in our state so we can call and have her assessed and maybe start some physical therapy. Nothing terrible just hasn't had a lot of practice using those legs.
We truly have the most wonderful baby. She laughs, smiles, squeals and is most of the time a joy to be around. Beware if she is hungry as she has a set of lungs that are sure to tell you that she needs food and needs it now. Okay time for me to make some coffee while little one is down for her morning nap.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Ready to go home
By the time we got to Wednesday, we were ready to go home. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Ethiopia and I can't wait to go back but we were done. Both Dave and I had not been feeling super great. Eating was a little bit of a challenge and there was no electricity all day on Wednesday and it was our first full day with Peanut.
There were really no scheduled activities that day. There was supposed to be a hair braiding class but since a bunch of people hired a taxi and went shopping they didn't have it. We did order Metro Pizza that night and hung out as a group eating in the dark. It was a blast.
Peanut was doing well. She seemed to still be battling the upper respiratory infection from the previous week. She ate like a champ, slept through just about everything and has a smile that could melt your heart.
We went to bed early in order to face a full day of packing and getting ready to go home. The trip home was VERY tough as Dave and I were both VERY ill by this point and doing our best to just keep going. All the while Peanut was perfect. Really I mean it. On the flight from Addis to Amsterdam, she slept the entire flight. Thank goodness for the bassinet. She was awake for the whole flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. Not fussy just awake and if you have ever tried to keep a 5 month old entertained for 8 hours when all you want to do is sleep or throw up--trust me it was less than fun.
Once in Detroit she decided to blow out her diaper before we got on the plane which was nice in a way and then she slept the short flight from Detroit to home.
We really have the best little girl and feel so blessed that she is a part of our family. We came home with a ton of extra diapers and clothes as she only blew out 5 outfits I think. She hasn't had a total blow out since the Detroit airport--knock on wood. I know enough poop talk but for those who are adopting and facing long flights it is a constant worry about how this will all work out.
We are still settling in to a new normal and I promise once I have more time I will find a way to put a bunch of pictures here. I will try and at least post a few later today.
There were really no scheduled activities that day. There was supposed to be a hair braiding class but since a bunch of people hired a taxi and went shopping they didn't have it. We did order Metro Pizza that night and hung out as a group eating in the dark. It was a blast.
Peanut was doing well. She seemed to still be battling the upper respiratory infection from the previous week. She ate like a champ, slept through just about everything and has a smile that could melt your heart.
We went to bed early in order to face a full day of packing and getting ready to go home. The trip home was VERY tough as Dave and I were both VERY ill by this point and doing our best to just keep going. All the while Peanut was perfect. Really I mean it. On the flight from Addis to Amsterdam, she slept the entire flight. Thank goodness for the bassinet. She was awake for the whole flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. Not fussy just awake and if you have ever tried to keep a 5 month old entertained for 8 hours when all you want to do is sleep or throw up--trust me it was less than fun.
Once in Detroit she decided to blow out her diaper before we got on the plane which was nice in a way and then she slept the short flight from Detroit to home.
We really have the best little girl and feel so blessed that she is a part of our family. We came home with a ton of extra diapers and clothes as she only blew out 5 outfits I think. She hasn't had a total blow out since the Detroit airport--knock on wood. I know enough poop talk but for those who are adopting and facing long flights it is a constant worry about how this will all work out.
We are still settling in to a new normal and I promise once I have more time I will find a way to put a bunch of pictures here. I will try and at least post a few later today.
Monday, May 18, 2009
The time has come; Peanut is fully in our custody
The day has finally arrived. We get to bring Peanut to the guest house for good today. I can't wait yet am nervous too.
We went to the Care Center in the morning for a farewell ceremony. They had all of the little kids that were old enough to sit, sit on the stage in chairs. Some of the little ones had to run around the room and give us all hugs first. Very adorable.
All of the AP's were sitting around the perimeter of the room. The nannies dressed in traditional Ethiopian clothing brought our children also dressed traditionally downstairs. Peanut was smiling and looked so adorable. They did her hair in 5 little puffs. Too cute.
The nannies said a prayer in Amharic and then a couple of the adoptive parents said a prayer and then the nannies presented us with a card they made for our children telling them how much they loved them. After that the nannies handed us our children. It was just beautiful.
Then they took a hand print of all the kids to add to a binder. Peanut had yellow paint on her hand for the whole day. She didn't like the washing off part.
From there we went back to the guest house for lunch and then it was off to our quick Embassy appointment. Wow what a day. Started with a beautiful ceremony and an Embassy appointment and let's hope it ends with a good nights sleep.
We went to the Care Center in the morning for a farewell ceremony. They had all of the little kids that were old enough to sit, sit on the stage in chairs. Some of the little ones had to run around the room and give us all hugs first. Very adorable.
All of the AP's were sitting around the perimeter of the room. The nannies dressed in traditional Ethiopian clothing brought our children also dressed traditionally downstairs. Peanut was smiling and looked so adorable. They did her hair in 5 little puffs. Too cute.
The nannies said a prayer in Amharic and then a couple of the adoptive parents said a prayer and then the nannies presented us with a card they made for our children telling them how much they loved them. After that the nannies handed us our children. It was just beautiful.
Then they took a hand print of all the kids to add to a binder. Peanut had yellow paint on her hand for the whole day. She didn't like the washing off part.
From there we went back to the guest house for lunch and then it was off to our quick Embassy appointment. Wow what a day. Started with a beautiful ceremony and an Embassy appointment and let's hope it ends with a good nights sleep.
Monday in Ethiopia
Monday equalled the start of sick days for me. YUCK! The schedule was for us to bring Peanut to the guest house for the morning and then bring her back after lunch.
I was feeling pretty awful so I had Dave go get her and I stayed behind. I felt a little better once Peanut arrived and we got to hang out and take pictures. I promise I will post some soon but we are trying to sort that all out.
We got to feed her some cereal and then she slept. She likes her sleep. It was nice to have a relaxing day after the emotionally draining day before. After we ate lunch we had to bring Peanut back to the care center. I hated dropping her off since we didn't get to see her at all on Sunday but I knew that this was the last time we had to drop her off as Tuesday she was ours full time :)
After we dropped Peanut off, we toured some more CHS projects including a women and children medical center and a school. We had a great time at the school. School was almost out so when the bell rang the kids just came rushing out of their classrooms and started jumping up and down or playing soccer.
Some of us were nearly tackled by this little boy who wanted to give us all hugs and kisses. He came up behind be and grabbed my arm and then kissed it and ran away. So cute.
After we left the school we went to the National Museum and by this point I was doing less than fabulous but trucked along. After the museum we were off to dinner at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant. I went but didn't unfortunately couldn't eat anything. It all smelled so good. The dancers were AMAZING!! And some in our travel group we picked out to join them. I am glad that I went even if I couldn't fully enjoy the whole experience. Tomorrow is PEANUT DAY!!! She is all ours full time.
On a side note I know these are late but power was out a lot and we had to share so I am trying to play catch up to present day so I can talk about being home and the jet lagged baby :)
I was feeling pretty awful so I had Dave go get her and I stayed behind. I felt a little better once Peanut arrived and we got to hang out and take pictures. I promise I will post some soon but we are trying to sort that all out.
We got to feed her some cereal and then she slept. She likes her sleep. It was nice to have a relaxing day after the emotionally draining day before. After we ate lunch we had to bring Peanut back to the care center. I hated dropping her off since we didn't get to see her at all on Sunday but I knew that this was the last time we had to drop her off as Tuesday she was ours full time :)
After we dropped Peanut off, we toured some more CHS projects including a women and children medical center and a school. We had a great time at the school. School was almost out so when the bell rang the kids just came rushing out of their classrooms and started jumping up and down or playing soccer.
Some of us were nearly tackled by this little boy who wanted to give us all hugs and kisses. He came up behind be and grabbed my arm and then kissed it and ran away. So cute.
After we left the school we went to the National Museum and by this point I was doing less than fabulous but trucked along. After the museum we were off to dinner at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant. I went but didn't unfortunately couldn't eat anything. It all smelled so good. The dancers were AMAZING!! And some in our travel group we picked out to join them. I am glad that I went even if I couldn't fully enjoy the whole experience. Tomorrow is PEANUT DAY!!! She is all ours full time.
On a side note I know these are late but power was out a lot and we had to share so I am trying to play catch up to present day so I can talk about being home and the jet lagged baby :)
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Hossana yet again
Our day continued with a tour of the new school in Hossana, a look at the bakery project that helps families make bread so they can sell it and then to a traditional hut style house.
The school was amazing. It isn’t completely done but it is getting there and they are hoping to have it open for the next school year. They are also building some more offices and things there as well.
All the while we were photographing and videotaping the whole thing. Ethiopia is such a beautiful country. The people are so friendly and the children love having their picture taken and now with digital cameras you can show them right away.
There is such an extreme level of poverty yet everyone we encountered was so friendly and wanted to wave or have their picture taken. It was very moving and heartbreaking. The children are so beautiful, you just want to scoop them all up and yet they seem so happy. It makes you think twice about complaining about no hot water or electricity when these children are hungry and have no clean drinking water and yet can still walk around with a smile.
Once we left the school, they drove us to a family’s home. The family was gracious enough to let us come in and take pictures and look around. In the one hut was a family with 6 children, 4 cows and 2 goats and there were a couple chickens and a rooster outside. Yes the family and the livestock all slept in the same hut.
The women allowed us to photograph her with some of her children and her one son just LOVED having his picture taken so I would take his picture and show it to him and then he would shake my hand. It was so sweet. His little sister was just a beautiful little girl with braids in her and she too liked having her picture taken.
All in all the Hossana experience was beautiful and emotionally draining. I am so glad we were able to go on this trip and will be able to share the more rural aspects of Ethiopia with Peanut. The drive back to Addis was long. We were all exhausted physically and mentally. I would be naïve to say that I am walking away from today the same person as when I started. I gained a tremendous amount of perspective and was able to enjoy and absorb so much of Ethiopia in such a short time.
To decompress after the emotional day we had, a bunch of us went to Metro pizza for pizza and beer. It was nice to get out of the guest house and just hang out for awhile.
Tomorrow we are able to bring Peanut to the guest house so we can finally take pictures. We will have her here with us until lunch time. After lunch we are going to a museum, to see the CHSFS hospital, and the we are going out to traditional Ethiopian dinner and dancing.
The school was amazing. It isn’t completely done but it is getting there and they are hoping to have it open for the next school year. They are also building some more offices and things there as well.
All the while we were photographing and videotaping the whole thing. Ethiopia is such a beautiful country. The people are so friendly and the children love having their picture taken and now with digital cameras you can show them right away.
There is such an extreme level of poverty yet everyone we encountered was so friendly and wanted to wave or have their picture taken. It was very moving and heartbreaking. The children are so beautiful, you just want to scoop them all up and yet they seem so happy. It makes you think twice about complaining about no hot water or electricity when these children are hungry and have no clean drinking water and yet can still walk around with a smile.
Once we left the school, they drove us to a family’s home. The family was gracious enough to let us come in and take pictures and look around. In the one hut was a family with 6 children, 4 cows and 2 goats and there were a couple chickens and a rooster outside. Yes the family and the livestock all slept in the same hut.
The women allowed us to photograph her with some of her children and her one son just LOVED having his picture taken so I would take his picture and show it to him and then he would shake my hand. It was so sweet. His little sister was just a beautiful little girl with braids in her and she too liked having her picture taken.
All in all the Hossana experience was beautiful and emotionally draining. I am so glad we were able to go on this trip and will be able to share the more rural aspects of Ethiopia with Peanut. The drive back to Addis was long. We were all exhausted physically and mentally. I would be naïve to say that I am walking away from today the same person as when I started. I gained a tremendous amount of perspective and was able to enjoy and absorb so much of Ethiopia in such a short time.
To decompress after the emotional day we had, a bunch of us went to Metro pizza for pizza and beer. It was nice to get out of the guest house and just hang out for awhile.
Tomorrow we are able to bring Peanut to the guest house so we can finally take pictures. We will have her here with us until lunch time. After lunch we are going to a museum, to see the CHSFS hospital, and the we are going out to traditional Ethiopian dinner and dancing.
The second best day of my trip
When we were called I immediately started to cry. I was completely overwhelmed by what was about to happen. It is Mother’s Day and I am meeting Zinash, the woman who gave me the greatest gift in the world.
We walked into the room and I immediately asked if I could give her a hug. She let Dave and I both hug her. She was a little shy and quiet. She was grateful that we were there and loved having the picture of Peanut. We promised her that we would make sure the frame we left behind would get to her and she said she was grateful.
We asked her a few questions and she asked us a few. It was a brief meeting but the best meeting of my whole life. She is truly a beautiful young woman and I can’t wait to tell Peanut all about her.
After our meeting we were able to go outside and take pictures. We have a few on our camera and the CHSFS staff took a picture of the 3 of us together and printed it out and gave it to her right there. I thought that was really great. We are also blessed to have a professional photographer on our trip and he is taking some amazing pictures and is going to share with all of us. He is traveling with another couple and we are all so glad that he is here.
Once the meetings were complete, we had a beautiful and emotional prayer exchange with the birth families. Tears were flowing around the room. The birth parents said a prayer and then lit a candle and gave it to us and then the adoptive parents said a prayer. The whole ceremony was so touching. After that we had to say goodbye to the birth parents.
Zinash came forward and we hugged and cried and hugged some more. We hugged so tight I thought we would never let go. She hugged Dave and then she was off. I feel so fortunate that we were able to have this experience. Today was definitely the second best day of the trip. I have so much to share with Peanut when she is ready and I have these amazing pictures of the most beautiful woman to show her.
It was very obvious today that Zinash loved Peanut very much and to see and hear all that she said touched my soul. I walked away from this meeting knowing that Zinash will forever be in my heart and I owe it to her to make sure that Peanut knows just how much she is loved here in the US and in Ethiopia.
We walked into the room and I immediately asked if I could give her a hug. She let Dave and I both hug her. She was a little shy and quiet. She was grateful that we were there and loved having the picture of Peanut. We promised her that we would make sure the frame we left behind would get to her and she said she was grateful.
We asked her a few questions and she asked us a few. It was a brief meeting but the best meeting of my whole life. She is truly a beautiful young woman and I can’t wait to tell Peanut all about her.
After our meeting we were able to go outside and take pictures. We have a few on our camera and the CHSFS staff took a picture of the 3 of us together and printed it out and gave it to her right there. I thought that was really great. We are also blessed to have a professional photographer on our trip and he is taking some amazing pictures and is going to share with all of us. He is traveling with another couple and we are all so glad that he is here.
Once the meetings were complete, we had a beautiful and emotional prayer exchange with the birth families. Tears were flowing around the room. The birth parents said a prayer and then lit a candle and gave it to us and then the adoptive parents said a prayer. The whole ceremony was so touching. After that we had to say goodbye to the birth parents.
Zinash came forward and we hugged and cried and hugged some more. We hugged so tight I thought we would never let go. She hugged Dave and then she was off. I feel so fortunate that we were able to have this experience. Today was definitely the second best day of the trip. I have so much to share with Peanut when she is ready and I have these amazing pictures of the most beautiful woman to show her.
It was very obvious today that Zinash loved Peanut very much and to see and hear all that she said touched my soul. I walked away from this meeting knowing that Zinash will forever be in my heart and I owe it to her to make sure that Peanut knows just how much she is loved here in the US and in Ethiopia.
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