The boys really loved making and playing with these "Love Bugs". Go here if you want to make them with your Valentine, too!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day!!
The boys really loved making and playing with these "Love Bugs". Go here if you want to make them with your Valentine, too!
Friday, February 11, 2011
The Greatest Gifts
Today is my birthday. On this day for the past several years, our lack of children was the first thing to enter my mind.
This morning I woke up sandwiched between my two sweet and super snugly little boys. Before my eyes were open, before I even uttered a sound, my sons sang Happy Birthday to me. I couldn’t believe it! My joyful surprise was reflected in their smiles, as they beamed with pride at making me so happy.
Best birthday e.v.e.r. and it's not even 9 o'clock yet!
This morning I woke up sandwiched between my two sweet and super snugly little boys. Before my eyes were open, before I even uttered a sound, my sons sang Happy Birthday to me. I couldn’t believe it! My joyful surprise was reflected in their smiles, as they beamed with pride at making me so happy.
Best birthday e.v.e.r. and it's not even 9 o'clock yet!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
"Mommy Too Much Work"
Well, we survived my first overnight business trip. I think it might have been hardest on me and I was a bit crazy with worry before I departed. I left lipstick kisses and I love you's on index cards. I gave Mark a new book to read to them each night I was gone with titles like "Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You". It all turned out fine and I am very thankful for:
I know there are some marathon waiters out there reading this blog. This will be you guys next year!
The boys have been more sensitive to my absence than they were before the trip, and there have been some new phrases spoken around here lately.
"Mommy too much work." ~Dash
Sigh.
"Mommy loves Babies when stay Babies, Mommy no love Babies when work." ~Taye
Ouch.
But all in all this gave us good opportunity to talk about how I will always come home, and how I love them so, even when they can't see me. I do wish I could stay home with them, but for now this is the reality that must be. I have been back for a week and a half now and things seem to be settling back to where we left off.
Apart from that there has just been a LOT of this lately!
I was hoping for snow this year so we could show the boys, but enough already!
- My husband who was able to manage the house, the boys and the dogs for four days and four nights on his own!
- My incredibly good natured sons who missed me but mostly took it all in stride and...
- Skype! If you ever have to be away from your family, or have family that doesn't live nearby, Skype is a must! The boys loved getting to see my hotel room and every morning asked to see where I slept the night before. I got to sit virtually across the table from them while they ate their breakfast like I do every morning that I'm home, and generally it helped us to feel a little more connected while I was away.
I know there are some marathon waiters out there reading this blog. This will be you guys next year!
The boys have been more sensitive to my absence than they were before the trip, and there have been some new phrases spoken around here lately.
"Mommy too much work." ~Dash
Sigh.
"Mommy loves Babies when stay Babies, Mommy no love Babies when work." ~Taye
Ouch.
But all in all this gave us good opportunity to talk about how I will always come home, and how I love them so, even when they can't see me. I do wish I could stay home with them, but for now this is the reality that must be. I have been back for a week and a half now and things seem to be settling back to where we left off.
Apart from that there has just been a LOT of this lately!
I was hoping for snow this year so we could show the boys, but enough already!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Melkam Gena (Merry Christmas)
Today is Christmas in Ethiopia! Because Ethiopia has its own ancient calendar, Gena (or Ganna) falls on January 7th instead of December 25th. You can go here for a list of other major Ethiopia holidays and when they occur.
I also highly recommend this video for a glimpse at the beauty! We were in Ethiopia during another religious holiday and it was so beautiful to see everyone walking around draped in white on their way to church.
Tonight we will celebrate by eating wat and thinking warm thoughts of family and friends in Ethiopia.
From our family to yours, Melkam Gena!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A Year of Knowing Their Faces
One year ago today, sitting in an airport two minutes from boarding a plane, I saw these faces for the very first time.
They were then, and still are, the most beautiful faces I have ever seen.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Seven Months Home - A Happy Happy New Year
2010 was a big year for us. Huge. It began with the call of a lifetime, followed by five more looong months of waiting. We met and fell in love with two sweet little boys and an entire country. We survived a difficult transition, learned how to be a family of four, and have landed softly in 2011.
Today marks our seventh month home as a family. At seven months I feel like a mom, and I love it even more than I thought I would. Sure some things are hard. Sometimes these sweet little darlings push my buttons and demand my attention in a way that makes me tired, but mostly it’s wonderful. Lately the boys have been fond of saying, “Mommy loves Dash” and “Mommy loves Taye”. They’ve got that right. The intense love didn’t happen for me overnight like I thought it would when we were waiting, but it’s here now and it’s deep, sweet and redeeming.
At seven months home the boys still remember Ethiopia and the people they knew there. I believe they also fully understand that we are a family, although they still question its permanence. They like to say, “MY Mommy” and “MY Daddy”. Dash woke up this morning, snuggled into me and said, “Mommy, Dash stay Mommy, Daddy. No stay Efeeopia”. He has said this in so many words before, but it hasn’t come up in months. Then he started talking about his birth mother, which is a first. Mostly he remembers how sad she was when we said goodbye in May and that upsets him. I don’t know what triggered these memories today, but I’m glad he’s talking to me about them.
At seven months their affection toward complete strangers is less alarming. For a while the electrician, dishwasher repair and UPS men received the same level of affection as their grandmothers. Now, although they are still extremely affectionate children, the big hugs and kisses are directed more appropriately and the biggest ones are reserved for us.
At seven months home the boys are speaking English almost as well as most of their peers. They know most of their letters and can count to 29 (although 20 is still adorably termed “eleventeen”). They notice “sames” and “differences” and like to point them out. One night at dinner:
“Mommy! Dash and Taye black, Mommy and Daddy pink!”
Mark and I exchanged quick glances of surprise before realizing he was talking about the dinner plates. Only once have they openly commented on the differences within our family.
Taye: “Dash and Taye brown, Mommy…” He looked down at my hand which was applying lotion to his beautiful brown skin and then looked inquisitively into my eyes. “Mommy?”
Me: “Mommy…pink.”
Taye: “Yep! Dash and Taye brown, Mommy pink!”
That has been the extent of it so far but I suspect 2011 may be the year for bigger conversations on this subject.
At seven months we still have not left the boys with anyone and we are still co-sleeping. When you believe in attachment parenting, and you miss the first three years of your children’s lives, this feels like the right thing to do. For us co-sleeping means lying with them at night until they fall asleep, which still takes one or two hours unless we skip nap altogether, but that makes for a rough afternoon so we don’t do it often. In the beginning the boys would sleep on their own until morning but toward the end of August, and especially when I went back to work in September, they began calling for me in the middle of the night. In the wee hours of the morning, snuggled between their warm little bodies, it feels like we are making up for lost time—time I am away at work and time I couldn’t be there in the beginning—and I believe it has been good for all of us.
At seven months we have had three visits to the emergency room, all with the same child. The first visit was his harrowing illness in Ethiopia, the other times were both the result of a nursemaid’s elbow (same child, different elbows). Apparently this is a common occurrence in young children but with our child, neither injury was the result of the typical pull or a fall or being swung around by the arms. The first time he twisted around in his stroller, the second I was just taking his shirt off. They both happened so easily that we may be dealing with a previous injury. Other than that, both boys have been healthy and strong and only sick this one time recently, thanks to my co-worker.
At seven months the boys have been with us almost as long as they were in the orphanage (a good orphanage, but still, an orphanage). This blows me away. Even at my age, the past seven months have felt like a lifetime, and that gives me some idea of just how much their worlds have been turned upside down. Their resiliency continues to astound me.
At seven months home my chubby, smooshy babies have grown three inches (they only grew half that the seven months prior) and they now resemble little boys more than toddlers. I surprised myself in the beginning by feeling little loss at missing their babyhood. Now I can see that was because in those early months they were babies in almost every way. Like every parent must feel, time is rushing by and I am trying to soak in as much of this stage as I can before it’s on to the next one. As we start a new year, I feel blessed beyond measure to be able to spend this one in its entirety with them. When you want something as badly as I wanted these children, the idea of an entire year together is awe inspiring.
May this be a year full of dreams come true for all of you, too! Happy New Year from our family to yours!
Today marks our seventh month home as a family. At seven months I feel like a mom, and I love it even more than I thought I would. Sure some things are hard. Sometimes these sweet little darlings push my buttons and demand my attention in a way that makes me tired, but mostly it’s wonderful. Lately the boys have been fond of saying, “Mommy loves Dash” and “Mommy loves Taye”. They’ve got that right. The intense love didn’t happen for me overnight like I thought it would when we were waiting, but it’s here now and it’s deep, sweet and redeeming.
At seven months home the boys still remember Ethiopia and the people they knew there. I believe they also fully understand that we are a family, although they still question its permanence. They like to say, “MY Mommy” and “MY Daddy”. Dash woke up this morning, snuggled into me and said, “Mommy, Dash stay Mommy, Daddy. No stay Efeeopia”. He has said this in so many words before, but it hasn’t come up in months. Then he started talking about his birth mother, which is a first. Mostly he remembers how sad she was when we said goodbye in May and that upsets him. I don’t know what triggered these memories today, but I’m glad he’s talking to me about them.
At seven months their affection toward complete strangers is less alarming. For a while the electrician, dishwasher repair and UPS men received the same level of affection as their grandmothers. Now, although they are still extremely affectionate children, the big hugs and kisses are directed more appropriately and the biggest ones are reserved for us.
At seven months home the boys are speaking English almost as well as most of their peers. They know most of their letters and can count to 29 (although 20 is still adorably termed “eleventeen”). They notice “sames” and “differences” and like to point them out. One night at dinner:
“Mommy! Dash and Taye black, Mommy and Daddy pink!”
Mark and I exchanged quick glances of surprise before realizing he was talking about the dinner plates. Only once have they openly commented on the differences within our family.
Taye: “Dash and Taye brown, Mommy…” He looked down at my hand which was applying lotion to his beautiful brown skin and then looked inquisitively into my eyes. “Mommy?”
Me: “Mommy…pink.”
Taye: “Yep! Dash and Taye brown, Mommy pink!”
That has been the extent of it so far but I suspect 2011 may be the year for bigger conversations on this subject.
At seven months we still have not left the boys with anyone and we are still co-sleeping. When you believe in attachment parenting, and you miss the first three years of your children’s lives, this feels like the right thing to do. For us co-sleeping means lying with them at night until they fall asleep, which still takes one or two hours unless we skip nap altogether, but that makes for a rough afternoon so we don’t do it often. In the beginning the boys would sleep on their own until morning but toward the end of August, and especially when I went back to work in September, they began calling for me in the middle of the night. In the wee hours of the morning, snuggled between their warm little bodies, it feels like we are making up for lost time—time I am away at work and time I couldn’t be there in the beginning—and I believe it has been good for all of us.
At seven months we have had three visits to the emergency room, all with the same child. The first visit was his harrowing illness in Ethiopia, the other times were both the result of a nursemaid’s elbow (same child, different elbows). Apparently this is a common occurrence in young children but with our child, neither injury was the result of the typical pull or a fall or being swung around by the arms. The first time he twisted around in his stroller, the second I was just taking his shirt off. They both happened so easily that we may be dealing with a previous injury. Other than that, both boys have been healthy and strong and only sick this one time recently, thanks to my co-worker.
At seven months the boys have been with us almost as long as they were in the orphanage (a good orphanage, but still, an orphanage). This blows me away. Even at my age, the past seven months have felt like a lifetime, and that gives me some idea of just how much their worlds have been turned upside down. Their resiliency continues to astound me.
At seven months home my chubby, smooshy babies have grown three inches (they only grew half that the seven months prior) and they now resemble little boys more than toddlers. I surprised myself in the beginning by feeling little loss at missing their babyhood. Now I can see that was because in those early months they were babies in almost every way. Like every parent must feel, time is rushing by and I am trying to soak in as much of this stage as I can before it’s on to the next one. As we start a new year, I feel blessed beyond measure to be able to spend this one in its entirety with them. When you want something as badly as I wanted these children, the idea of an entire year together is awe inspiring.
May this be a year full of dreams come true for all of you, too! Happy New Year from our family to yours!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Our First Christmas
One week before Christmas I attended a meeting with a co-worker who coughed and sneezed through the entire three hours. He admitted to having a fever and seemed unconcerned by our worries that he was going to infect us all for Christmas.
Bah humbug.
Sure enough, on the first of my scheduled vacation days, I woke up with a cough and a fever.
Get-togethers were cancelled...
Cookies were not baked...
And this momma, who was so looking forward to a couple extra days of fun with her boys, spent the next two days in bed.
It was hard not to wish for a lump of coal for my co-worker!
On Friday morning, Christmas Eve, I was feeling a little better and the three boys weren’t showing any signs of illness, so we ventured north to Grandma’s house for our annual celebration. We had a great time and appreciated the welcome in spite of the risk of getting everyone sick (really hope you guys don't get sick!!!).
Santa left them notes telling them what good boys they have been this year and how proud and happy they make their Mommy and Daddy.
They are still talking about the fact that Santa and the reindeer ate the cookies and carrots they left!
Bah humbug.
Sure enough, on the first of my scheduled vacation days, I woke up with a cough and a fever.
Get-togethers were cancelled...
Cookies were not baked...
And this momma, who was so looking forward to a couple extra days of fun with her boys, spent the next two days in bed.
It was hard not to wish for a lump of coal for my co-worker!
On Friday morning, Christmas Eve, I was feeling a little better and the three boys weren’t showing any signs of illness, so we ventured north to Grandma’s house for our annual celebration. We had a great time and appreciated the welcome in spite of the risk of getting everyone sick (really hope you guys don't get sick!!!).
By the time we got home the boys weren't feeling well but that didn't dampen their excitement about leaving cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer.
Upstairs in bed, as he snuggled into my neck, Dash said, "Mommy yummy" and just before drifting off to sleep Taye said, "Mommy, Taye happy." Now if that doesn't just say it all :-)
Unfortunately the rest of the night didn't go as well. On a night when most children are tossing and turning with excitement, mine were tossing and turning with fevers.
They were really sick by morning but magic was still in the air. The look on their faces when they saw what Santa brought them was priceless.
They have been asking for big boy bikes since they saw our neighbor riding one in September and they couldn't believe that Santa really brought them one. They can barely reach the peddles but at the rate they are growing they will fit just fine by spring.
They are still talking about the fact that Santa and the reindeer ate the cookies and carrots they left!
Discovering the rest of Santa's presents was almost as much fun. We won't have to wait until spring to put these into action!
Trying hard to have fun but feeling pretty yucky...until some Children's Tylenol and a move to the couch, plus a few more presents, helped them find a second wind. Dash kept saying, "Momma, too much!", meaning too many presents, but really he loved it!
In spite of the fact that there was a lot of this...
And a ton of this...
I have never had a more wonderful Christmas!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)