tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18353320616221596252024-02-19T03:14:54.685-06:00Twenty, Um, Thirty-Something and Not CountingAttempting to make my time here countJustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.comBlogger286125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-29891162129974630522015-03-27T13:12:00.001-05:002015-03-27T14:41:02.192-05:00Eight Months and a Baby <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's hard to write a blog when you haven't written a blog in four months. I have good reasons. I promise. So let's just start with the big news:</div>
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I'm having a baby. In June.</div>
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There. I said it. It is still kind of weird for me to say, though I am officially entering the 3rd trimester so this is not new news to me. Still, it's weird. I'm going to show you something. I've posted this nowhere. Nowhere, you here me? But because I'm feeling frisky today and where else to share than with the entire internet, I present this:</div>
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I have to say that it's a super weird question to me but I get it a lot so I am going to go ahead and answer it: yes, we planned this baby. Sure, he's coming faster than we might have thought. But we are so thankful he's making an appearance in our lives. Yes, I said he. What? You think for a second I wouldn't find out? Oh no no no no. I can't do that kind of waiting. My patience is limited in general and I had to find out as soon as I could. So we took IC with us in January to find out that we'll be a two-boy family come June.</div>
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I want to address something that I get a lot in person and I think it's important to dismiss this notion. Here's the comment:</div>
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"Oh my gosh! This happens ALL THE TIME!"</div>
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Well. OK. Let's walk through this together, can we? First, we adopted out of a plan A. This dude? Plan A. Always.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding random pics in between, like IC wearing Dad's letter jacket. Because I can.</td></tr>
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Meaning: yes, we had a very public loss but we were always told we should not have problems conceiving and, in fact, the doctors who told us that were spot on. When it was our time, we had no issues. We didn't adopt because of infertility. We adopted because we wanted to add IC to our family that way. First. As our firstborn. We had always wanted to do that way first and it worked beautifully for us.<br />
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But I want to address this because it's bigger than us. I have many, many friends who walk the road of infertility. It's hard. It hurts. And I have listened to their stories and held them and watched their tears fall many, many times. And do you know that saying things like "It always happens like that! You adopt and then BAM! You're pregnant! I think you just needed to relax!" is like for them? It's hurtful. And the reality is that it DOESN'T normally happen that way. And to assume that relaxation is the answer really belittles all the pain that people who struggle to conceive go through. </div>
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So yes. We did adopt. And now we are having a baby. But those two things don't have anything to do with one another except for the fact that they are both happening to our crazy family. It's a tender subject for me and people I love so I just wanted to make sure we talked about it together. As an internet community. Because you all have been our people. </div>
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In general, this pregnancy is going swimmingly! I wasn't too sick at the beginning. Tired? Yes, but I also had a new son who didn't sleep. Second trimester came and went with lots of energy, great feelings, and the amazing spectacle of watching my body grow. We're now fully into the last three months, preparing mentally to be tired and not sleep ever again. Or at least until 2017. I've been blessed to have a great pregnancy so far. And I'm looking forward to these last few months. </div>
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Back to IC and our crazy life!</div>
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The question we get most often is, "How is IC doing with all of this?"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAIKGjLl1_yQrbUj8Q7wGujRSspZOTLDYy23Rp3rrYr1t8RPo0IQ401RZaDuRkrewZWMtvcABmavkDvXDpSzAAo7M6VUz79jtYGpuXC6R1td47Vhg0PnfpQKrpDK86oQLTDiQM1PHzuM7d/s1600/IMG_8266_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAIKGjLl1_yQrbUj8Q7wGujRSspZOTLDYy23Rp3rrYr1t8RPo0IQ401RZaDuRkrewZWMtvcABmavkDvXDpSzAAo7M6VUz79jtYGpuXC6R1td47Vhg0PnfpQKrpDK86oQLTDiQM1PHzuM7d/s1600/IMG_8266_2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I wish I could tell you it's been really simple for him. That he's been thrilled since we told him in December. That it's been an easy transition for him. But that would be a big ol' lie.</div>
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I mean, here's the thing: we are talking about a boy who has had, I don't know, a million changes in eight months. That's right. As of now, he's been a part of our family for eight months. And we've added so much change to his little heart and mind. So of course, one more GIANT change in the form of a baby brother and he's got mixed emotions. He wants to be excited about it. He does. But, well, what does this mean? For his permanency in his family? For our love? For his future? He doesn't know.</div>
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We know. We know that nothing will ever, ever change our love for him or his place as the firstborn in our family. But conveying that to him is just really tough. So we are working more each day to help him get excited about brother and remind him that our love for him started LONG before we had a picture in hand and will never, ever, ever fade. And we're doing some tangible things, like letting him pick the crib and the going home outfit and really, anything else. I don't feel like my brain can handle those details most of the time anyway. Like most things in our life, IC's feelings about the pregnancy are a work in progress.</div>
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It's been so long since I've given an update that I wanted to give more IC info. He's seen snow:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6CYegYdNSEXHvZee_jOvzvKRIKcyXS98_0KKvs7w8f40i57LPlmBn7j1UJg-G2DmeUERjv2rWNwd9YtkMZ_uxa-5gqLzyOAReYanWXUnf-4vTxX4hs7SNeGNNth2iOW-aP-uBFtLdR-o/s640/blogger-image-132762993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6CYegYdNSEXHvZee_jOvzvKRIKcyXS98_0KKvs7w8f40i57LPlmBn7j1UJg-G2DmeUERjv2rWNwd9YtkMZ_uxa-5gqLzyOAReYanWXUnf-4vTxX4hs7SNeGNNth2iOW-aP-uBFtLdR-o/s640/blogger-image-132762993.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, those are my boots. He's growing too fast!! We bought him some but they didn't fit by the time it snowed. Whoops.</td></tr>
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And he liked it! Mostly.<br />
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He's gotten his first haircut:<br />
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And we're already growing it out again! This boy LOVES his hair. He spends quite a bit of time fixing it and looking at it in the mirror. It's a little bit of a change for a mama who barely fixes her own hair. But his hair is pretty awesome so who can blame him?</div>
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We've made some new family traditions, like donuts on Saturday morning:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQIrVGLnkA50ENOnP2iGQG5ylkiIx-C-I1pT-v7wPweeLnObl5cPmVgK6BHoHIKlteatoAZAHGV-lDc5ae_NHkUdVC1Kp22mBAnc77lP-cJaXRsZlUL-rxMEE-6bZhA95n60DwOcY7y6XO/s640/blogger-image-601941332.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQIrVGLnkA50ENOnP2iGQG5ylkiIx-C-I1pT-v7wPweeLnObl5cPmVgK6BHoHIKlteatoAZAHGV-lDc5ae_NHkUdVC1Kp22mBAnc77lP-cJaXRsZlUL-rxMEE-6bZhA95n60DwOcY7y6XO/s640/blogger-image-601941332.jpg" /></a></div>
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And painting before dinner and board games after:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMXgRBGhjEAd75GXZZym6BD_6LQtpbczfbH6wfnQEp-oqncR-cbroFFUw4GPLWI_Zb-cnSsEXyGFv4gfWUYy8rgYnOB7ZhNsnMN9uLeO5yrsm90NU6u8GgWTblB1o10PoVHiJdE7CFA77/s640/blogger-image-1630824837.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMXgRBGhjEAd75GXZZym6BD_6LQtpbczfbH6wfnQEp-oqncR-cbroFFUw4GPLWI_Zb-cnSsEXyGFv4gfWUYy8rgYnOB7ZhNsnMN9uLeO5yrsm90NU6u8GgWTblB1o10PoVHiJdE7CFA77/s640/blogger-image-1630824837.jpg" /></a></div>
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And we've found IC is pretty talented at painting. And soccer. And lots of other things. I'm sure we haven't figured out all his talents yet.<br />
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School is going well and he's learning so much! Parent teacher conferences were a joy, as we listened to both his classroom teacher and his English Language teacher share how hard he works, how kind he is, and how well he's doing. We've seen him go from about three English words to writing sentences by himself. It's amazing. And I seriously couldn't be prouder of the growth we've seen in this beautiful little boy.<br />
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I mentioned last time that sleep was tough and I am so happy to report we've seen great strides in this area. He's doing so well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxf6pENukLwoIMJK2PWFlHoz2rVguxZP-WiScz6wt7DLe59Sq7Rbm6xG3SRgaQWmrD6fVsohSBLDKPuSdUmyiTNHXdAA-U7A0uqeDyMlY9FCuU9rJgPH9Oh8MPiu_Z5MJTInG97FZkzaT/s640/blogger-image--147051935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxf6pENukLwoIMJK2PWFlHoz2rVguxZP-WiScz6wt7DLe59Sq7Rbm6xG3SRgaQWmrD6fVsohSBLDKPuSdUmyiTNHXdAA-U7A0uqeDyMlY9FCuU9rJgPH9Oh8MPiu_Z5MJTInG97FZkzaT/s640/blogger-image--147051935.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday, Eric!! We celebrated quickly together in between film festival showings.</td></tr>
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We have lots of hard in life. It's hard to rebuild trust in a little boy whose life has gone to shambles more than once. But we are reminded often that he's made great strides. We've made great strides. We are a family God is weaving together more and more every day.<br />
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I find myself texting friends my failures. Like all moms, I think I feel like a failure more than I feel like a success story. This stuff is hard. Trusting God to bring healing and hope is hard. But I have dear friends who cheer me on and pray for us and pray with me. Who remind me that my failures remind me of my dependence on God and my successes are really God's to begin with.<br />
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We have a long journey ahead of us but we've taken many, many steps already. And we get to take them together.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguolLXJLd2wCJ2ovEN218VHTt0AOibu7LbpJ_ay-qB1G9RphsU0wxVO038Ykeriomw39xw7GOmjopbyK07mwKugTxPEiodB-zZ7K-iPISUpft-Mhrcn8oEPCXn17Tw-a7eBazjxeWeM_7G/s640/blogger-image--1524916711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguolLXJLd2wCJ2ovEN218VHTt0AOibu7LbpJ_ay-qB1G9RphsU0wxVO038Ykeriomw39xw7GOmjopbyK07mwKugTxPEiodB-zZ7K-iPISUpft-Mhrcn8oEPCXn17Tw-a7eBazjxeWeM_7G/s640/blogger-image--1524916711.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie King</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsvjdx1ioRJxl4VUHRIU8bUj-zsYAKmOmfQQWPIcznsE5BQ4AupmeqqSB3LU9KFne5tbuFWXokt8GA3RRLAPlbAYGWqVy3Pk7lLmehoKgUGGp-gOrjf054S3okGmklShepkCB_1c3o0Kn/s640/blogger-image-399148471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsvjdx1ioRJxl4VUHRIU8bUj-zsYAKmOmfQQWPIcznsE5BQ4AupmeqqSB3LU9KFne5tbuFWXokt8GA3RRLAPlbAYGWqVy3Pk7lLmehoKgUGGp-gOrjf054S3okGmklShepkCB_1c3o0Kn/s640/blogger-image-399148471.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently this face looked like a good idea.</td></tr>
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Thank you for your continued love and support for our family. Our biggest prayer requests right now would be for continued connection for all of us but specifically for the boys, for bedtime to continuously get better, for IC to handle the new addition well, and for getting to school on time (yep! still struggling with that one!).</div>
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We're so blessed to have the most amazing boy in our home. And I can't wait to look back in a few more months and see even more growth. We give all thanks to God who is working miracles each day.</div>
JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-26170749659896672612014-12-06T13:13:00.001-06:002014-12-06T13:13:58.208-06:00Settling In: Four MonthsI promised myself I would finish all my thank-you notes before I wrote on the blog again. I am happy to say I only have a few to go so I felt like I could give an update.<br />
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Yes, it's been four months. Four months as a family. After the last update you may be wondering how things are going...IC is in school. I am at work. Life is, well, getting into quite the routine. I can say with full gusto we love being a family of three. In the three months since I last wrote, so much has happened. I'm not going to be able to get to it all. So I'll just hit the highlights. Forgive me. As expected, life is busier now than ever before and I spend my free time cleaning up messes and, well, sleeping.<br />
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<b>School</b><br />
IC loves school. He was very nervous to start but he immediately settled in. He goes to a public school and attends English Language Learner class throughout the week in addition to his general instruction. He has the best teacher in the whole wide world and all of us are thrilled with his experience so far. His teacher has been super responsive to our discussions regarding sensitivity to IC's specific circumstances. We aren't always on time to school (um, that's an understatement) and she's been very kind to understand that with so much change, some things are going to just be hard. Like getting to school on time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KjeZvCiEY-swUxVb1OhUa4ul4w3X0kD4CTILqTr57hUb59cuWolm2bNhrLh80hwUaD4_9rx6FGKTfKUWySQYBBhGYQArkGlAAHyXZH4Mv-1NsiWY3ovrQg3Xmo5iWv-8hkmPEZTBp5FT/s640/blogger-image--1520229860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KjeZvCiEY-swUxVb1OhUa4ul4w3X0kD4CTILqTr57hUb59cuWolm2bNhrLh80hwUaD4_9rx6FGKTfKUWySQYBBhGYQArkGlAAHyXZH4Mv-1NsiWY3ovrQg3Xmo5iWv-8hkmPEZTBp5FT/s640/blogger-image--1520229860.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2nd Grade body project. Is he not the cutest!?!?</td></tr>
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We recently went to parent teacher conferences and were happy with the results on many fronts. Not only is IC's English coming right along and we are able to see progress in his reading and writing but we're also seeing lots of social progress. We took him with us to conference (we don't do babysitters yet unless the uncles are free...which has been a life-saver!!). When we got there, IC walked out to the playground and as he walked out, he was met with a crowd of kids yelling his name. Turns out our little guy is quite the kickball player and it's made him a friend to many on the playground. It was really fun to see his entrance met with such enthusiasm. Our goal for this year is for IC to feel more comfortable in school, make friends, and learn English. I'm happy to say he's making progress in all these areas and then some. It's been so fun to see him come into his own academically and socially.<br />
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<b>Birthday!!</b></div>
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IC had is first American birthday. We had a very fun tailgate part with the family (more on football in a moment). He got PLENTY of birthday loot including science experiments, tools, Legos, and superhero clothes and costumes. Basically, he got more of all of his favorite things. We were also informed he got his very first birthday cake. Well, TWO birthday cakes. On his actual birthday, we took IC to a pizza place with his friend from school and celebrated with pizza and another cake. We didn't want to overdo the birthday and make it overwhelming but we also wanted it to be memorable. I would say birthday number 8 was a huge success!</div>
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<b>Football</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
If you even know our family just a little, you know this deserves its own category. We took IC to his first football game after he'd been home only a month. I have to say we were all a little nervous. After all, a stadium filled with 70,000 people can be overwhelming for anyone. But as it turns out, our guy LOVES Mizzou football. He tailgates with us for hours, and even gets his own root beer to enjoy. He quickly learned the traditions and songs and won't leave until the very last second has run off the clock, no matter what the weather is like.</div>
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Last week we celebrated as Mizzou won the SEC East. It was a fun moment for the whole family. We stayed all the way through the students rushing the field and danced in our seats to "Georgia on My Mind." We're looking forward to a little home tailgate and football watching today, although IC is not a fan of watching football on TV. As it turns out, the screen for 3-4 hours is not nearly as fun as the stadium. He's promised us he'll entertain himself while we watch the game. I'm hoping it will be a fun enough game we'll all want to watch. High hopes. Low expectations.</div>
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We're all a little bummed football home game season is over and we can't wait til next year. IC is often heard running around our house yelling "Welcome, welcome, WELCOME to SEC Football!! Welcome to the ZOU!" For those who don't know, that's how the opening video goes on the field. Next year is sure to be a success. IC has also already told us he will be playing soccer and football at Mizzou (he doesn't understand there's no men's soccer at MU and we aren't about to break that news).</div>
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<b>Home Life and Attachment</b><br />
We've come so far in such a short time home. Sometimes it's easy to forget how short a time we've been a family of three. Four months isn't long at all. While we are still learning to be a family in some ways, we've made huge strides. We're seeing routine more and more and all learning to trust each other more each day. We're seeing less of a struggle to try to figure out our family structure and rules and more ability to talk through the "real stuff" that all goes with growing a family through adoption.<br />
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We've gotten to see some of the many talents IC already has. As it turns out, he is a gifted tailor:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewRNR0zQyojlFgf1EWomqwpUupC3oZHA3jY5Uq428Qm4E9D5vmSrfQH_fkrlYc0bI5v-2UyKphw60k1ob_9dspnOGL5x8MkshukUzq1WcgBn0UDu39gsY_QSOj2-ius2etFBFeIkp3s0T/s640/blogger-image-1859075395.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewRNR0zQyojlFgf1EWomqwpUupC3oZHA3jY5Uq428Qm4E9D5vmSrfQH_fkrlYc0bI5v-2UyKphw60k1ob_9dspnOGL5x8MkshukUzq1WcgBn0UDu39gsY_QSOj2-ius2etFBFeIkp3s0T/s640/blogger-image-1859075395.jpg" /></a></div>
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He loves building things (which he calls "working") and has already completed several projects with dad:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaXCCUUQITHN66lJQmb1wResR8lnBsoIUQCt87eu5Fao8giHnUe7Ky9RgYNXgozqcYlUZU3Js9d5wxpyNwYBKOXhgfo1mxNCQJ6HtISktJrVHtKiwyNiCuSbgYDd3Ad2iLOtC5RPjLMXk/s640/blogger-image-2043400884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaXCCUUQITHN66lJQmb1wResR8lnBsoIUQCt87eu5Fao8giHnUe7Ky9RgYNXgozqcYlUZU3Js9d5wxpyNwYBKOXhgfo1mxNCQJ6HtISktJrVHtKiwyNiCuSbgYDd3Ad2iLOtC5RPjLMXk/s640/blogger-image-2043400884.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, that's a chair the boys built out of scrap wood.</td></tr>
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Most days after school we visit dad, head home, and IC gets to work in the garage on some project. It's amazing to see his brain work through the details of what he wants to make, how to make it, and seeing it through to completion. It's also been a great bonding experience for IC and daddy. They've been quite the pair, making gifts for others, a working street luge, a chair, a giant box, and more. They're always thinking.<br />
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The love for his dog just continues and expands. One area we've had some trouble is bedtime but we're thankful for Dash. He helps IC feel safe at night:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0PwdfK1zD9EL2LxhiNLN-FmpiUakRQkc2FXzkOLvt7KHC2qgeMfAwH0oqNpPxqrx4o8P9fMhyphenhyphenHGIqo-uR7fLWk6z_MJeYE8e_Va1lcehxyqfr0Wn4xeaT3K7Ovq1oQIDfxwlw_tw45rL/s640/blogger-image--780234292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0PwdfK1zD9EL2LxhiNLN-FmpiUakRQkc2FXzkOLvt7KHC2qgeMfAwH0oqNpPxqrx4o8P9fMhyphenhyphenHGIqo-uR7fLWk6z_MJeYE8e_Va1lcehxyqfr0Wn4xeaT3K7Ovq1oQIDfxwlw_tw45rL/s640/blogger-image--780234292.jpg" /></a><br />
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If you are praying for us, thank you! Bedtime is where we could use the most prayers right now. We're seeing lots of progress but it's still a time met with fear, delays, and a need for mama to be present a good portion of the night. We're so thankful for the trust being built and hoping each month makes IC more comfortable with falling asleep and feeling safe.<br />
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Halloween was a blast. Captain America quickly learned the tradition. He went with 20 other kids and started at the back of the group, slowly making it from house to house. By about five houses in, though, he was sprinting from house to house and was at the front of our group. We still have two full tupperware containers of Halloween candy. He's too observant for me to pitch it! The joys of having a smarty kid:).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9HGnU_iTVd7OhSD1Xy7f50BKsY_jutEf-ab7lqkjI6nFqxhHNn2mhnzfPANBlcCHj6ABTvArFhn1NzDhsA77-6WbJMS24ETqJtP6Gn6QaJjZFirEzMXEz1xga6YRmUH_PbdsT7OpmGbN/s640/blogger-image-538338522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9HGnU_iTVd7OhSD1Xy7f50BKsY_jutEf-ab7lqkjI6nFqxhHNn2mhnzfPANBlcCHj6ABTvArFhn1NzDhsA77-6WbJMS24ETqJtP6Gn6QaJjZFirEzMXEz1xga6YRmUH_PbdsT7OpmGbN/s640/blogger-image-538338522.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't try to tell me there's ever been a cuter Captain America. It's not possible.</td></tr>
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We've seen IC start to understand the weather here. And let me tell you, the results are mixed. The cold isn't his favorite:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8MfLUVpCv9-Vx-VYqHKENDEE0a-NxGFb65m0PzL8g9Lv__X6449sBPUZVe_jjWjS-GuxJ5RvQ2l8a7bZlmW43bGicyMIglliZQTeQDHEZTQR1wQZCIC4w4xBdX-vKnd386jCi5JJS3Ji/s640/blogger-image--728381026.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8MfLUVpCv9-Vx-VYqHKENDEE0a-NxGFb65m0PzL8g9Lv__X6449sBPUZVe_jjWjS-GuxJ5RvQ2l8a7bZlmW43bGicyMIglliZQTeQDHEZTQR1wQZCIC4w4xBdX-vKnd386jCi5JJS3Ji/s640/blogger-image--728381026.jpg" /></a></div>
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But he does LOVE snow. We've had a few flurries and he's in love. The very first time it snowed, we had less than an inch of accumulation but he was still rolling on the ground, giggling, and sticking his tongue out to catch snowflakes. I can't wait til we really get some snow this winter. I have a feeling it will be quite the party.</div>
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We've really been amazed at how God has worked to orchestrate our family. We've seen lots of little reminders that, while our family started with loss, God has blessed it with lots of good things. We'll be working through healing and attachment for months and years to come but we are seeing so many great strides. </div>
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Our holiday season started off with a wonderful Thanksgiving and we can't wait to experience Christmas as a family of three. I hope to keep up to date better but life is full and we wouldn't have it any other way.</div>
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<br />JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-907025706841574322014-08-17T22:06:00.004-05:002014-08-17T22:14:43.936-05:00We're Home: Four WeeksYes. I realize that my blog has had us stuck in Ethiopia for the past few weeks. The reality couldn't be further from that. On July 19 we scooped up everything from the guest house, took our sleepy little son to the airport, and spent the next twenty-something hours traveling and trying to make it home. It was hard. But sometimes we got fun pictures like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFiEw-uZppCG0kTwlWG_QD27qQIfCaFEnCCdIItHFR-KSKl_Nscvafzsz8aIpwVGX73lRSYtHvrN6NnW_fZLeX1VdY2gc67ukpzSP1TNPT_vrPOxyENsQzahX5RVsH-LVyXysllucIoHw/s640/blogger-image-406379491.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFiEw-uZppCG0kTwlWG_QD27qQIfCaFEnCCdIItHFR-KSKl_Nscvafzsz8aIpwVGX73lRSYtHvrN6NnW_fZLeX1VdY2gc67ukpzSP1TNPT_vrPOxyENsQzahX5RVsH-LVyXysllucIoHw/s320/blogger-image-406379491.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And then, when we thought we could not take it one more step, handle one more in-flight meal, or deal with one more airport, we arrived home. In our tiny town. In our tiny airport. With our friends and family. That airport moment? The one we had been waiting for since March 2011? It finally happened. On July 20, 2014 three of us stepped off the plane in our matching attire and our friend Gerik snapped this photo of our family, finally in our town.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10KlrJnj_xpV2Ssml7lXXW9K4GOAx7PKYItvgak1hteHJfSOhPG9ga0aK1q_hTv9PV409Fq1s4CBYE-mqcHhje6VmDkKuZFtJ2JKIAzI473hgP8zxkfCzZFa1RMnnPrs6BN_PCDiFR6Ou/s640/blogger-image-168717380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh10KlrJnj_xpV2Ssml7lXXW9K4GOAx7PKYItvgak1hteHJfSOhPG9ga0aK1q_hTv9PV409Fq1s4CBYE-mqcHhje6VmDkKuZFtJ2JKIAzI473hgP8zxkfCzZFa1RMnnPrs6BN_PCDiFR6Ou/s1600/blogger-image-168717380.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aren't you glad you can't smell airport stink in photos? You should be, my friends. You should be.</td></tr>
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I drove the short drive home with a wide-eyed boy in the back, next to my husband. We gently placed him in the bed we'd lovingly assembled and crashed into dreamland. Hard.</div>
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And that, my friends, was the beginning.</div>
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I've wanted to write you for four weeks. To tell you what life is like and tell you we're safely at home as a family of three. That's easier said than done. I am more tired than I can explain to you. The free moments are fleeting and usually, by the time our little is asleep, I send out a few work emails and crash. Hard.</div>
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I struggle to tell you what the past four weeks have been like. If you have heard of Jen Hatmaker, she says things way better than I ever could. Of course, she's a professional author so that's probably why. <a href="http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2011/09/06/after-the-airport">Here's </a>a post Jen wrote a few months after she arrived home. And <a href="http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2012/08/21/the-truth-about-adoption-one-year-later">here's</a> one she wrote a year later, reflecting on what their journey was like.</div>
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For us, we had heard we would have a "honeymoon period" where our son would kind of live in "fake world" before he started to deal with the struggles of trauma and brokenness. While this may be the experience for some, this wasn't ours. Pretty much from the moment he got home, we saw how hard this whole thing was for him. As we've mentioned before, we aren't sharing the details of his particular story or struggle. Those details are his. But know that adoption always comes from brokenness. And we see him struggle with coming to terms with that brokenness each and every day.<br />
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Picture, if you will a moment, you're seven. Everything you've ever known has been ripped away from you by some people who don't look anything like anyone you've ever seen before. They promise you it will be for the best but you met them about a month ago so in your head, you have no reason to believe them. They tell you family is forever. You have no concept of this. They take your language, your food, your friends, your school, your smells, your home, and everything you've known. And then, they expect you to act happy. Grateful even.<br />
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Guys, that's the definition of insanity. I mean.<br />
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But attachment is a dance. And in between the hard stuff, our days are filled with beauty and connection and love.<br />
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Anyway, here's what I know. The last month of my life has been incredible. I love a little boy more than I could ever, ever imagine. In four weeks, he's wrapped himself around my heart in ways I thought might be possible but I had no. stinking. idea.<br />
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I realize the next sentence makes me really lucky. I got to take a month off work to bond with my child. This month could not have been more needed. And it made me realize how lucky I am to have adopted an older child. Because bonding? Well. Lets just say I'm pretty tan from all our bonding. Exhibit A:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNuo-a-JNE9yMNDhrJhgM5dCOy8QqozLhOfgEjdqcEls_LoKYXVK9Zh4fJosET8EN8bDHQwT7deUyXcPwFtY98viwabtBVDvrYQSPGL00MDKUoz6acQvm7qql-aK6qnqcoQoC35CS8Xnr/s640/blogger-image-2055281076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNuo-a-JNE9yMNDhrJhgM5dCOy8QqozLhOfgEjdqcEls_LoKYXVK9Zh4fJosET8EN8bDHQwT7deUyXcPwFtY98viwabtBVDvrYQSPGL00MDKUoz6acQvm7qql-aK6qnqcoQoC35CS8Xnr/s320/blogger-image-2055281076.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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From the moment we got IC home, he talked about the pool. So we started going every day. I can't say this has been the best summer for the pool. It's been a little cold. But he hasn't noticed. We go almost every day, rain or shine. In case you were wondering, no, he had never been swimming before. But he went from staring in amazement to spending almost our entire three hours each day underwater.</div>
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We've taken to getting ice cream after our pool adventures so I have a regular little Starbucks lover. He did eventually figure out what real ice cream is. But mama still gets Starbucks and he then goes through the ice cream window for a vanilla cone with sprinkles.</div>
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Another thing we've been doing lots of: bike riding. A sweet friend got IC a bike. Before he had ever met us, one of his updates said he would like to learn to ride a bike. We promised to make this happen. So on day four of being home, we tried to teach him. And on day five, we bought training wheels and went back out again. Because teaching without training wheels was surely going to be the death of E or me.</div>
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For the first few weeks we ran beside him and he pedaled. We found a cute park near our house and would take morning outings to the park. IC loves to take pictures. He usually asks to send them to daddy or grandmama. Like this one:</div>
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And this one:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCrZtJpKBhhmVRq9vAn0qJXuyYKvhnVKmoB1pzgl_RoVsMHq2Hb3pvpqNP_Ftg58MIcADKZPJSmA1sXcJZNsSLafuQw97DnpkzU8riEijSoV52d1zRDlt6gVLmywk92kwc5J_hYXX1DlV/s640/blogger-image-635609745.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCrZtJpKBhhmVRq9vAn0qJXuyYKvhnVKmoB1pzgl_RoVsMHq2Hb3pvpqNP_Ftg58MIcADKZPJSmA1sXcJZNsSLafuQw97DnpkzU8riEijSoV52d1zRDlt6gVLmywk92kwc5J_hYXX1DlV/s320/blogger-image-635609745.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The running-by-the-bike worked for a short while but it wasn't long before I was panting. Well. A dear friend and neighbor offered me her bike and I started riding next to him early two weeks ago. Which was just in time. Because last Saturday we were on a ride, he headed home, found a wrench, removed his own training wheels, and took off with fury. I was so glad I had a bike to keep up. That kid is fast! And he NEVER gets tired. Between E and I we probably rode 25 miles or so with him this weekend. Is IC tired? No. But mom and dad are sleeping well at night.<br />
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And maybe you're wondering how the dog thing is going?<br />
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Let's just say Dash has a new best friend and we have one less dog sleeping in our bed at night. Those two are inseparable. It's like they knew they were meant for each other. We're so glad they have each other. They have a sweet little friendship going on.</div>
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Yes, this month has brought us so far. We're figuring each other out. We're falling in love and learning how to love better.</div>
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I am sure a million times a day I'm doing it all wrong. But as my friend texted me the other day, I have never been more in need of Jesus and his grace than I am right during these early days as a family of three. </div>
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I've been so thankful for our little village. We've had meals dropped at our doorstep, gift cards mailed to us, texts sent, visits on the from stoop (so as not to disturb our bonding process), prayers given, hugs given, tears shed with us. And we know this is just the beginning.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone found the costume bag</td></tr>
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We're slowly beginning to add real life back in. I went back to work this week. We've started to attend church. And yes, little IC starts second grade on Tuesday. I've never seen anyone more nervous to start school in my whole life. If you think about it, say a prayer for our beauty on Monday night or Tuesday morning. One more thing in the list of new experiences and our little perfectionist is so worried he won't do well because his English isn't at the standard he has set for himself.<br />
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In the midst of all this, I have an amazing husband. When I'm sure I can't be alone for one more second, he sends me to Target or the bathtub or the grocery store. Or, amazingly, to take a nap. And I am refreshed. And thankful to co-parent with a man who loves God most, me second, and our little IC in amazing ways.<br />
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Each day we cling to each other and our faith as we learn how to be a family. And each day we laugh, we smile, and we know God's up to something good. And sometimes good means hard work. And that's just fine with us. Because we can't imagine life without our little IC.</div>
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JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-35108824352012253652014-07-17T15:01:00.000-05:002014-07-17T15:03:04.136-05:00Road Trip Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Guys. I am so tired. We went to the Blue Nile Gorge today and crossed the Portuguese Water Bridge. It was beautiful. And exhausting. We are all so tired. So with your grace and permission, I am just going to post pretty pictures today and head to bed. Because this mama is BEAT. And frankly, so was her son. His head couldn't hit the pillow fast enough, poor buddy.</div>
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Today included a 6 hour trip that should have been four hours, a vomiting child (not mine!!), a LONG hike, LOTS of baboons (close up, even!!) and lots of great Ethiopian food. I was emotionally and physically exhausted so I can't imagine what a toll this took on our little guy.</div>
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Please enjoy the photos by husband while I head to the pillow to crash. xoxo</div>
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JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-47622385755290988922014-07-16T14:24:00.002-05:002014-07-16T14:24:34.756-05:00Farm Animal Juju and Other Tales from Today<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcooryYgSV6R9czkQiJ5G2uRKRrg5UZ3WN52Lw4kL0rhehDHxBw2sJpXb91cTQYgj6gVgtiqSnNDQVU_zajg_HlSFz1RrWjh0JcWVy54d_mM6YykC_yGq1aQi6C2Gs__Kd1YsWYu013ip/s640/blogger-image--1871157970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcooryYgSV6R9czkQiJ5G2uRKRrg5UZ3WN52Lw4kL0rhehDHxBw2sJpXb91cTQYgj6gVgtiqSnNDQVU_zajg_HlSFz1RrWjh0JcWVy54d_mM6YykC_yGq1aQi6C2Gs__Kd1YsWYu013ip/s640/blogger-image--1871157970.jpg" /></a><br />
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Yesterday, despite the absence of a blog post, was a great, filled day. The picture above is from a drive we took. That same drive we saw baboons. Very close up. But as we went to get the camera, they moved along. Probably good. I'm not sure how friendly baboons are.</div>
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For those of you that aren't Facebook friends with me I feel like I need to tell you one thing from yesterday. We hit a donkey with our van. Well. The driver did. We were on our way out to the place where we took the above picture and we came to a small town. It was market day so everyone was walking their farm animals to the market to be sold. There were people and animals around every curve. We came around a curve and our driver started to honk. And slow. But the donkey out in front of us did not care. We came to a screeching halt--right into the donkey.</div>
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It took about an hour for the scene to be settled. There were police who our guide told us had to measure things (What things? We do not know.) and they arbitrated the dispute. The townspeople gathered 3-4 deep around our van while we waited and another group gathered around our driver and guide and watched the arbitration like a TV courtroom drama. Big entertainment, I tell ya.</div>
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In the end, the donkey breathed its last, our driver paid a fine, and we left after an hour. Our guide mentioned a conspiracy theory the police had that this person had brought their blind donkey to be put out of its misery by a car. Apparently this is a common phenomenon. A donkey has an ailment. A family needs money. The donkey get "helped" and so does the family. I can't confirm this donkey was actually blind. His testimony was lacking in substance. But the whole thing did lead to a good story.</div>
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On to today. We woke up and tried to figure out what we were going to do for the day. Some of the other families were headed back to the transition home so we asked IC if he wanted to go see his friends and he said yes. We got his sneakers on and headed that direction. It was a weird morning. I can't exactly describe it but basically it felt like we didn't fit their anymore. We had our son. He had us. And though it had only been two days, it just felt different. I did get to play a little with some toddlers, which was adorable. And IC got to say goodbye to his friends (we said goodbye to some of them too since we'd grown affectionate toward them in our time there) but really, when lunch came, we were ready to roll. We agreed that was probably the last stop we'd make there. It was time for our family. The TH was no longer our place.</div>
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When our driver arrived to pick us up, he handed us the golden ticket!! We now have IC's passport, visa, and sealed file to hand to immigration upon arrival in the US. We're ready to go when it's time on Sunday. I think we are still finding it hard to believe that ALL the paperwork is done. I mean, except for lots of social worker post placement visits and yearly update reports. Oh yeah. Those.</div>
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We did lunch back at Makush, a restaurant and art gallery. Restaurants are a funny dance because the waiters can speak to IC better than we can. But, of course, we want to approve his choices. So we have to let them talk. Then talk to the waiter, then talk to IC and hope he gets it. He liked whatever we ordered today so I'm calling that a win. We also worked on using a fork today. Since most of the time he eats with injera (the spongy bread) he's really not used to utensils. So we tried to mime using a fork for his meat and just holding his bread instead of using it to scoop. It was a funny scene. It's going to take a little getting used to, I think, but it went well over all.</div>
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We stopped at a market after lunch to pick up spices. There were three adoptive families and zero guides so the comedic value was higher than usual. We headed over to the spices, each of us trying to say the Amharic word and looking at our kiddos to point to the matching spice. Berbere? Got it. Shiro powder? I think so. But mitmita? Not so much. We asked and they pointed to chilies. Whole chilies. We asked again. They pointed again. We gave up. I googled just now. It does have chilies in it but there are more ingredients. Sadly, IC will have to live without mitmita. We tried, buddy. We really did.</div>
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By the time we got back in the van, IC was showing signs of exhaustion. At the TH, they take a nap each day. It doesn't seem to be wearing on the other kids but we can tell immediately if IC has gone too long without it. He crashed on my lap on the bus and awoke when we got back to our guest house. He was so tired, though, that he let E pick him up and carry him the two flights up to our room. He laid straight back down and crashed for two hours. We woke him at five. Who knows how long he would have kept sleeping. Of course, he's missing nap time. But it's also a LOT of change on his little person. And change is hard. And draining. And napping helps. So nap we did.</div>
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After a long nap he headed down to play with the other kiddos. We don't let him play on the phone or computer (except for a little educational stuff in the morning) but when he's with the other kids we let them do what they are doing. We look over and he is playing a video game on someone's phone and has headphones into an mp3 player listening to some Ethiopian pop music. A minute later he was playing with Legos and it occurred to me if you didn't know better, he looked like any other American 7 year old in that moment. See:</div>
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All the adoptive families still around (our suitemates left today) decided to do dinner together. E and I wanted wine. It was a pretty small restaurant and when we ordered the import wine they told us they were out. So we agreed to try the domestic wine.</div>
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Never, never try the domestic wine. Never. Picture you have a neighbor who knows nothing about wine but decides after watching a youtube video they are going to bottle some. So they find some bottles, do a rudimentary fermentation procedure, and invite you over. Can you imagine what that might taste like? Like badly fermented grape juice that you immediately want to forget? Yes. Yes. And Yes. But it was an adventure. Never say we're not up for an adventure.</div>
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We left the restaurant and as we were standing on the porch, I noticed a shadow. What? Yes. It was an escaped bull. With horns. Running through the street. As our friend Michael, who was with us, said, "your family has bad farm animal juju." Yes. We do. We hopped in the van and then were stuck in traffic. Guess why? That's right. The bull (or oxen, as our driver said...anybody know the difference?) was holding up all the traffic. A city block's worth of people was chasing the oxen up and down the street, trying to wrangle it. At one point it was running straight toward our bus window. But he passed us and we were finally free to move toward our guest house. Adventure. It's all over us.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bus selfie!</td></tr>
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We got back just in time for shower (IC's favorite...he still giggles the whole way through), Bible story, and prayer. It was a full, good day and tomorrow is even busier. We are headed on another trip to the countryside.</div>
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I want to stop my narration for a minute to thank you all for praying for us each day. Our days are filled with lots of fun stories and great moments with our son. However, as each day passes we see how much we are asking of IC--to give up everything he's known to be a part of our family. We see glimpses of how hard this is and will be. He's a wonderful little boy but everything in his life is changing. Thank you for you prayers. Please continue to pray for strength and patience for our little guy and his parents. </div>
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Can't wait to tell you about our trip tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. As long as there are no farm animals.</div>
JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-8590156443606914082014-07-14T11:37:00.000-05:002014-07-14T13:51:35.738-05:00Embassy Appointment: Complete<br />
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We are going to try to get to bed early tonight so I'm going to write a quick post while we wait for dinner to be delivered.</div>
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Today was a good day. A good, good day. Let's start with this: at 5am little IC had made his bed and was standing over us, ready to greet the day. Only problem is mom and dad weren't quite as pumped. So he crawled in and let us sleep a little longer. E got up before I did and when I finally woke up, IC spoke his first sentence to me, "Where is Dad?" Guys, I couldn't be prouder. A full sentence.</div>
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We found dad on the roof waiting for the sunrise so we joined him and all watched the sun rise in Ethiopia together. I feel like there's a metaphor about the dawn of our lives together or something but I'm too tired to flesh that out so go for it, if you so choose. The sunrise really was lovely and as soon as it was fully up, we headed back downstairs to get ready.</div>
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I have to show you IC all ready for the day because, I mean. I have a little looker on my hands, in case you didn't already know. Case in point:</div>
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As soon as we were ready to go, we loaded the van and headed to the embassy. Just as I was told, the embassy is a very nice building. Very nice and not friendly to photography. We can't even take photos outside the building. So we didn't. I'll give you the pretty basic rundown: we came in, we talked through a window, we left. The guy at the window was super nice. We exchanged a few comments about the World Cup (which we didn't watch because it was on LATE here!) and then he told us we could pick up his visa and passport later this week. Easy-peasy and quick.</div>
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We went straight from the embassy back to the transition home for a few last items. We arrived and they had prepared a coffee ceremony for us. In Ethiopia the traditional coffee ceremony is a big deal. You may remember we had one at the traditional Ethiopian dinner last time we visited. It typically has coffee that is roasted, ground, and boiled to completion right on the spot. There's always incense and there's always popcorn. Which is good for our family because we LOVE popcorn. And coffee. It's a very nice thing to do a coffee ceremony for visitors, so it was sweet to have one done as we removed our kids from the TH for good.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All Photos of the coffee ceremony by IC</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIUUrB4QKzvtWxqJiTh_EhzcruH-5cQeo71qT8bsYm_FgJDdAE3TgSbOZhuCG6NIcXrQqk8aFdqGqYkAp5OhTecjB04L3E_BPae9RFzui7qG_1AjtA2IQQ6hw62c5ty-_KKDcQQV4mPK2/s640/blogger-image--1655908288.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIUUrB4QKzvtWxqJiTh_EhzcruH-5cQeo71qT8bsYm_FgJDdAE3TgSbOZhuCG6NIcXrQqk8aFdqGqYkAp5OhTecjB04L3E_BPae9RFzui7qG_1AjtA2IQQ6hw62c5ty-_KKDcQQV4mPK2/s400/blogger-image--1655908288.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We met with a few of the officials from the transition home and took a few pictures for families still waiting to visit. We talked to the counselor about several things, one of which was the dogs. We tried to explain that Dash, his favorite dog, might be too excited to see him and he might jump up on him and put his paws on his shoulders. We didn't want him to be scared. But as the counselor started to translate, IC went into fits of giggles. He thought it was the funniest thing he had ever heard! He even told one of the other boys about it and laughed the whole way. So we're hoping it will be that entertaining when it happens.</div>
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By this point, we were all so, so hungry. It took quite a while so I got to play "mama" and hand out a pre-lunch snack to my little guy. I felt pretty awesome that I had come prepared and could help him in this small way. Because, you know, this mom thing is new.</div>
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We loaded the van and headed off to lunch.</div>
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Lunch took a while and a few families had just arrived so by the time it was over, pretty much everyone (myself included) was yawning. We headed back to the guest house and I crawled into bed, with two sweet boys next to me, for a nap.</div>
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I woke up and the boys had gotten up and were playing memory in the living room. They really are a sweet pair. We inflated a soccer ball and Mama G and I watched the dads play from the balcony of our room. I knew they had finished when I heard a loud commotion coming up the stairs. We calmed down with tetris and tangrams. And then as I started to write this post, the boys began to work on school. I can hear them spelling out words now and IC is working so hard. If you think we are the ones pushing the school thing, you are absolutely wrong. He loves working on school and will work until he is fully exhausted from working so hard.</div>
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As I mentioned, we're waiting for dinner and we'll be heading to bed a little early. Full disclosure: I don't expect to get a blog post in tomorrow. So I hope to chat with you again on Wednesday.</div>
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Much love from Ethiopia.</div>
JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-13806289668312633572014-07-13T15:04:00.000-05:002014-07-14T10:43:35.957-05:00We've Got Our SonHappy 7th Anniversary to us!!<br />
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We touched down in Addis about 11:30pm. So I think that means our official anniversary day began somewhere along the Visa and immigration line. We were the last ones in the line and thus became the last ones on our plane to go through. We quickly grabbed luggage and found our driver. An hour or so of unpacking, an anniversary kiss, and we crashed hard. </div>
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Don't hate me but because we went to bed between 2 and 2:30 am, we decided to forego church for sleeping. We each got some personal bible time after we woke up at 9am and did breakfast. </div>
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Our driver arrived at noon. Our original plan was to grab lunch and then pick up our kiddos. But our guide asked if we would be ok picking up our kids and then heading to lunch with them. You mean that is an option? Yes, please!! </div>
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So we headed over to the transition home and as soon as IC saw us he was in a dead sprint. I got a big hug and then he gave the same to daddy.<br />
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We gave him marbles--something he had requested we bring back. Methodically, he divvied them out to his friends, making sure everybody got the amount he deemed appropriate. Then he kept a few for himself. The guide asked me the English word and I told him "marble." I asked him the Amharic and he told me what it was. To me it sounded pretty guttural and I told him it was a difficult word. To which he replied, "You know what is a hard word? Marble." Touché.<br />
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IC said some goodbyes (though I think we will be back for a few housekeeping items later in the week). One of the boys turned and asked me how old I was. I told him I was 30 and asked why he was asking. Our guide said he said I looked like a very young mom. And that's when I adopted a second child.<br />
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Just kidding. But seriously. Who doesn't love hearing they look very young? This girl eats it up.<br />
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We walked out the gate and took pictures by the sign, signifying the end of our son's time in the orphanage. At this point I feel like I should mention there was another sweet family with us. Not just any family. It just so happens God saw it fit to have the G family end this journey with us. Here's what you need to know about the G family. Mama Rachel and I became friends online when we received referrals at the same time. Then we followed each other through the process. They live one state over from us and we met them at a conference. We immediately felt like our families just meshed. Good thing, too, because we found out our kids actually are from the same region and the same orphanage before joining our agency's home. We are hoping to keep them lifelong friends. Because we sure think we are lifelong friends now!<br />
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We headed off to pizza lunch all together and shortly after, we arrived at the guest house to hang for the day. It's a weird distinction, the difference between embassy trip and court trip. Court trip the guides and the agency dictate your schedule. Embassy, not so much. We had some requests for the week but we really get to decide what to do and when to do it. Because, you know, essentially we are just hanging out with our son now. So that's pretty cool. And completely different.<br />
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First things first: we got cleaned up at home. This included a shower tutorial and newly cleaned clothes. It was precious. And then? Well. Then we played for the rest of the day. We said no to TV and video games and were met with utter compliance (somehow). We got out a 1st/2nd grade workbook and went through several pages. He did really well but some things in the book require cultural understanding. For instance, when we were matching animals to their surroundings, IC had no idea what to do with the dog. So he used deductive reasoning. "Bear? Cave. Bird? Nest. Dog? I guess it goes in this weird building but here they pretty much live on the street." Good point, buddy. Good point. For the most part, though, he did really well.<br />
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We put together a puzzle, did a little reading, put temporary tattoos ALL OVER (remember the tattoo story from our first day? We brought temporary tattoos and he was the happiest kid on the block) and did quite a bit of drawing. And then Mama Jess got tired so we laid down for a little while. I woke up and realized IC had crawled in next to E and we were all snuggling. Seriously, guys, great anniversary.<br />
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We headed up for a little sight seeing from the roof and IC and I did some cartwheels, spins, and handstands. My kind of thing! And then we headed down for soccer. Not my thing, but definitely his. He's so cute to put up with me as I attempt not to shank the ball ever 3 seconds. Daddy, expectedly, does better than I do. We gave a two-minute warning and headed up to dinner.<br />
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Since we had so much leftover pizza, we just did pizza in the room for dinner. I also had some apple squeeze packs and quickly found out he likes apple sauce. Another win. After dinner, we didn't do much. Just chilled, and played with our G fam friends and watched the kids play games. They are super cute together and we've kind of already arranged a marriage. Don't tell.<br />
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Around 8:30 we geared up for bed. Another shower (hey--he likes them!), jammies, a snack, and then tooth brushing. We read the story of Jesus' birth from the Jesus Storybook Bible, and said our prayers. E and I in English. IC in Amharic. It was the most perfect end to the best gotcha day ever.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Have you ever seen a cuter kiddo in jammies? I'm sayin.</td></tr>
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E and I headed back into the common area of our suite and cracked open a bottle of wine and toasted to our anniversary. It's not where we planned to be when we were two selfish kids who stood on a mountain 7 years ago and said "I do." But God's stories are the best stories and this is more amazing than anything we could have written for ourselves.<br />
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We are up early for our embassy interview tomorrow to officially conclude the paperwork-ish process. We can't believe there's a sweet little boy sleeping in the bed next to ours tonight. Thank you for loving us and cheering us along on this journey. We're so thankful for you. And we're incredibly thankful to the Father. We covet your continued prayers on our behalf. This is just the beginning.<br />
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JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-8424658571345521002014-07-10T08:44:00.004-05:002014-07-12T10:53:28.532-05:00Off We Go!Greetings from the Qatar airport! It was my most sincere intention to write this post a few days ago. As it turns out, planning for international travel, prepping a room for a cute little guy, and trying to prepare to be gone for a month at work keeps one busy. Quite busy. <div><br></div><div>So instead I'm writing this on an airplane. Somewhere between here and Qatar. No idea where. But if you will indulge me, I'd like to take you back a couple of weeks. </div><div><br></div><div>The last week in June we were checking email very carefully to see which steps had been completed in IC's embassy process. We were really hopeful we would be submitted July 2nd and be on our way to Ethiopia shortly after. But we got an email June 29 saying we wouldn't be submitted until July 9. Well. The good news is we were told it was pretty certain we would ge submitted the 9th and should get cleared 1-4 days later. Normal people would be excited about this development and would patiently wait to be cleared and book tickets and happily travel once they had their interview dates in stone. </div><div><br></div><div>If there's one thing IC needs to know, it's that his parents are not normal. Never were. Never will be. </div><div><br></div><div>When we heard the news we would for sure be submitted on the 9th, the only date we saw was the 13th. We desperately wanted to be with our son on the 13th. Our anniversary. Our 7th anniversary. So we chatted. And we chatted. And we took a leap. </div><div><br></div><div>Before we were submitted to the embassy, we bought plane tickets to go pick up our son. </div><div><br></div><div>I don't think there's a strong enough way to say this: we do not encourage our behavior be modeled by anyone. Ever. EVER. </div><div><br></div><div>Because in Ethiopia (and let's be honest, in every government ever) nothing is ever certain. There were a million ways this could go wrong. Our paperwork could get lost. We could have a weird unexpected delay. Anything. But we didn't care. We wanted to get to our son. So we booked plane tickets. </div><div><br></div><div>Round trip plane tickets. With a return date we weren't sure would work. </div><div><br></div><div>And then we prayed a lot and laid low. Well not too low. We had a lovely weekend with my family for the 4th. Their friends threw us a shower so beautiful and so overwhelming I still can't wrap my head around it. To grasp this, you have to know my parents moved to their current home two weeks before my wedding. So I never lived there. And they have lived there 7 years. and yet somehow the people have surrounded our family and made us feel like small town locals. Like we've always been there. Which is a big deal in a small town. </div><div><br></div><div>Anyway, the next week we held our breath and waited for the definite yes that meant we had been submitted. As we prepped the room and packed suitcases we knew there was a slim chance this all</div><div>might come crashing down. But Wednesday came and I got the "your case has been submitted" email. First sigh of relief. </div><div><br></div><div>We had heard most people cleared within 1-4 days of submission and we had asked those who knew we booked tickets to pray we would be cleared before we actually left the US. So when I woke up Thursday morning to no email, I was a tad but disappointed. But I really didn't expect it. So when my email "pinged" at 6:45 while I was getting ready and it was THE EMAIL, I was floored. Our prayers were answered. We were cleared to pick up our son. The return ticket would work. And it was all really happening. We would pick up our son on our anniversary. And he would be ours forever. </div><div><br></div><div>And then it really, REALLY hit me that we were less than 24 hours from take off and there was still so much to be done. I thought I would be more prepared booking a week ahead but it turns out no. It doesn't matter how much you prepare. You're gonna be down to the wire. If you are me, that is. </div><div><br></div><div>So I marched into the office Thursday with a mile-long to-do list. We started the morning with meetings. And it quickly turned into a beautiful, overwhelming surprise baby shower with friends and coworkers. Oh my goodness it was so much love. Like so much. If I could write a book on how to support adoptive parents, it would be all about the way our friends and family have already done everything by the book. The unwritten book. So maybe this metaphor falls flat. But you get it. </div><div><br></div><div>I left work with a trunk full of goodies and a back seat full of donations and realized it all needed to be put away and I needed to be in the airport in 10 hours. So we did what any good couple did: we called our family in town. Uncle Pete and Aunt Cay Cay arrived with dinner and unlimited energy. And by 1 am, all the bags were packed, the donations were stuffed, the toys were tucked away (more on this later but we are trying to not overwhelm IC so many of the gifts will make their appearances later), and the to-do list was ta-done. </div><div><br></div><div>We crashed and 4 hours later headed out of the house. I mean. </div><div><br></div><div>Here's the good thing about our flights: we found it was the same price to fly out of our small town. Win! </div><div><br></div><div>Here was the seemingly bad thing about our flights: we were to spend 13 hours in Chicago. </div><div><br></div><div>But I called a good friend and she agreed to meet up with us for breakfast. And we got to check our baggage all the way through. Prayers answered, again. And when our sweet friend picked us up off the train, she had an idea. What if, after breakfast, we put our stuff at her place? </div><div><br></div><div>We loved this idea. And in fact, we asked if maybe, just maybe, we could crash there for a little while. And that's how we got an almost three hour nap. The best gift. We enjoyed the city and headed back to the airport in plenty of time. What seemed like a really hard plan on paper turned out to be a delightful day. </div><div><br></div><div>I'm not wrapping this up in any pretty way. Because, I'm on a plane. And in a few long hours I'll check into our guest house, post this blog, get a few hours of sleep, and E and I will take custody of our son. On our anniversary. On July 13. And we are happy people. So all those details and no conclusion. </div><div><br></div><div>To be continued. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibht83oEN3vIfoz0w10bCKDfYkYo5hiVVypl6Qne-7XIJYiGUX3HHY80w9JTiKFta1MeDRW_KUEy2AoznBur4ZLTEn9hgra4JpCkI9I9H9iJzOTS_Oji6nRK9zB61TR0EJmcIs-ZCcD7Ns/s640/blogger-image--884627841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibht83oEN3vIfoz0w10bCKDfYkYo5hiVVypl6Qne-7XIJYiGUX3HHY80w9JTiKFta1MeDRW_KUEy2AoznBur4ZLTEn9hgra4JpCkI9I9H9iJzOTS_Oji6nRK9zB61TR0EJmcIs-ZCcD7Ns/s640/blogger-image--884627841.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggruIJnoIvbeskZ_BIG_xEKDOMsxtCwpk7wmF4ZXkiPpOd1EHRy0efxhmRUcka3ePp0RibTm_nWLawG2Bh4Bjroh9dRBUUn9iTeHF4XQ2AcYnwOppHeDct9fubGQeiEeTaj33zGTKZ3CCP/s640/blogger-image-1702590363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggruIJnoIvbeskZ_BIG_xEKDOMsxtCwpk7wmF4ZXkiPpOd1EHRy0efxhmRUcka3ePp0RibTm_nWLawG2Bh4Bjroh9dRBUUn9iTeHF4XQ2AcYnwOppHeDct9fubGQeiEeTaj33zGTKZ3CCP/s640/blogger-image-1702590363.jpg"></a></div></div>JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-61692527490941403002014-07-05T12:03:00.000-05:002014-07-05T12:03:24.448-05:00Preparations and a Baby Moon<span style="font-family: inherit;">We have been hard at work, making preparations for our little guy to come home soon. If you recall, here's the list of things that need to happen before IC can come to the US:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">pass court in Ethiopia</span></strike></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">wait for court decree</span></strike></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">translate court decree to English</span></strike></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">use court decree to get birth certificate</span></strike></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">use birth certificate to apply for passport</span></strike></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">get passport</span></strike></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">go to embassy medical appointment</span></strike></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><strike><span style="font-family: inherit;">do final once-over of all immigration documents</span></strike></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">submit documents to embassy for approval</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">wait for clearance email and set up flights and an interview date in Ethiopia</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">hang out a few days in Ethiopia as they process IC's visa</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">fly home with our cutie!!</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">So yes...we've knocked out "get passport" and "go to embassy medical appointment" this week. They've checked our documents. Now we're waiting to be submitted to the embassy. This can only happen on Wednesdays s we're just chilling for now. But still. We're getting closer to getting our little dude home!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">In the meantime, we've had three major priorities:</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">See our friends since we'll be cocooning for a while after IC gets home.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Prepare IC's room and prep our house for our newest members.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Spend as much time as possible with each other, knowing our alone time is going to disappear for a long while. Very soon</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">We've gotten to see several friends, which has been a blessing. We're so thankful for friend who love us and have taken time this month to see us and encourage us as we wait for IC.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">As far as room preparations go, we've been hard at work. Lots of sanding and painting and sanding. And things are finally coming together. Exhibit A...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just a few more additions and we'll be ready. Curtains, knobs, and putting things in drawers. I am chomping at the bit to finish it up and make it look like someone really lives there. Because someone WILL live there. Soon!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But the BIG splurge-y fun we had was last weekend. My friend Jillian brought her son home last year. She messaged me when we got home from Ethiopia and highly encouraged us to get away. She said it was one of the best things she and her husband did and to just do it, even in the middle of the busy-ness and expense of adoption. So I asked E for permission to splurge and he allowed it. I booked one night in a bed and breakfast close to us. Close enough that we wouldn't travel much but far enough that we wouldn't be able to clean, sort, arrange, paint, plan, anything inside our home. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We were so excited all week for our little "baby moon" as we dubbed it. Our anniversary is July 13 and we were pretty sure we wouldn't get to do something that day. Because in our hearts, we've always been sure we'd be in Africa then. So we just geared up for an early anniversary celebration. And then, a couple of friends and family sent us some notes that said they were in such support of our getaway they wanted to help make it possible. We felt so blessed to have people love us so much. And it made the getaway much more stress-free. Wow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We arrived at the B and B Friday night and immediately life slowed down. We had a great dinner at a local winery and then went to a quaint little place for the most giant desserts I have ever experienced in my life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next morning we wandered the streets and went antiquing...And by antiquing I mean we just chilled and walked around and took pictures...</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLfV5qam0mKZatsfeCsfE_41b68KL5MmnT98eejc0zPCU3a6UC9oO2B2-wt_MHGL8bjxmnB8YOoZP53ZO5UOEBoitGVwpjJE08biE1DDzC9HYmGL_CnBzunZ07buRxzZv8JpOww-fI0h6/s640/blogger-image--1702519574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLfV5qam0mKZatsfeCsfE_41b68KL5MmnT98eejc0zPCU3a6UC9oO2B2-wt_MHGL8bjxmnB8YOoZP53ZO5UOEBoitGVwpjJE08biE1DDzC9HYmGL_CnBzunZ07buRxzZv8JpOww-fI0h6/s640/blogger-image--1702519574.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This guy is obsessed with taking pictures</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We enjoyed some relaxing time over at the winery. It was such a beautiful day and we felt blessed with weather.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a beautiful town and a wonderful day. We just kept saying that even though we were so excited to have IC home, we just could not believe what a blessed weekend it was for the two of us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We spent quite a while over a glass of wine talking about what our attachment and cocooning plan will be. I hope to share that with all of you soon so you can support us as we come home with IC.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We decided to take a moment at the end of our baby moon to get a little souvenir of sorts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When we finally got the call for our son, I felt like I needed a physical representation of this journey. If I were to birth a child, the pregnancy and the labor and all of that work would culminate in a physical process. A process that changes your heart and mind and body forever. Not only do you also have a child out of the deal but you are forever changed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In adoption, we also go through labor but the labor is emotional. And our hearts and our minds are changed forever. But my body? Well, I wanted a physical representation of the emotional labor of the last three years. A way that would alter me and remind me of the experience we've had.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FeodF2mB8mxu6vw31IS57FeTrjXqV9bRGktKzm-H9uTbvTrWBA2gLU0pk95gX4AvFd_UxxkrS6JROpEc6S65D801F9B6k5NrhLF4SCfU22T5zvCR4Tw3SXz5_NxE40UOAWx6ijnFDCp6/s640/blogger-image--1217609428.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FeodF2mB8mxu6vw31IS57FeTrjXqV9bRGktKzm-H9uTbvTrWBA2gLU0pk95gX4AvFd_UxxkrS6JROpEc6S65D801F9B6k5NrhLF4SCfU22T5zvCR4Tw3SXz5_NxE40UOAWx6ijnFDCp6/s400/blogger-image--1217609428.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And so E and I headed in to the tattoo parlor for our baby moon finale. I had shared with him what I wanted several months ago. And he agreed and said he wanted the same. We can't wait to have our little guy home. He's changed us already in ways I can't describe or explain. But now we have a physical representation of those changes as well. We'll never be the same and we'd never have it any other way.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7k0xwNQ4RDOAYLJXqpC1x7TtMl0CucXlso6DnsMmjFUnMHipBLq2gc-ukoaQodfabwTr7S51Fkagw6I3h4SFw2IY0p_LvP8jpjbkHTVFdgbKsgkcV7WRyCfhwqiGvGWC7jU5QE3p0crH/s640/blogger-image-651888022.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7k0xwNQ4RDOAYLJXqpC1x7TtMl0CucXlso6DnsMmjFUnMHipBLq2gc-ukoaQodfabwTr7S51Fkagw6I3h4SFw2IY0p_LvP8jpjbkHTVFdgbKsgkcV7WRyCfhwqiGvGWC7jU5QE3p0crH/s400/blogger-image-651888022.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope to update you with plans on our travels and cocooning plans soon. We are already packing so if you think you'd like to contribute to the orphanage donation piles, this week is the week to do it. Because we're leaving as soon as we can. AS SOON AS WE CAN! And until then, we're treasuring every moment.</span><br />
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JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-25047902003168563602014-06-20T16:20:00.002-05:002014-06-23T07:59:02.878-05:00Home For 1 Week: Where Are We Now?Welp. Tonight we will have been home one week. One week away from the cute guy that stole our hearts. So I figured I'd give you the update on how close we are to getting back to him and bringing him home on the "jet" as kids there said. Apparently airplane is not the word they learn? I move on...<br />
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I don't know if I ever explained all the steps needed to bring IC home. So here's a quick rundown:<br />
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<li><strike>pass court in Ethiopia</strike></li>
<li><strike>wait for court decree</strike></li>
<li><strike>translate court decree to English</strike></li>
<li><strike>use court decree to get birth certificate</strike></li>
<li><strike>use birth certificate to apply for passport</strike></li>
<li>get passport</li>
<li>go to embassy medical appointment</li>
<li>do final once-over of all immigration documents</li>
<li>submit documents to embassy for approval</li>
<li>wait for clearance email and set up flights and an interview date in Ethiopia</li>
<li>hang out a few days in Ethiopia as they process IC's visa</li>
<li>fly home with our cutie!!</li>
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As you can see, we are moving along in our steps. Thanks for praying! Keep praying we can get that passport and medical appointment done quickly.</div>
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On a state-side note, I took IC's birth certificate, along with a thick packet of paperwork, to register him for school yesterday. I didn't really want to have to add that to the list of things we'll have to do when we gets home. So I just went for it. I filled out all the paperwork as best I could (there were lots of blanks and question marks!) and headed off to the elementary school.</div>
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Our district does English language learning cluster schools. I actually didn't go to the school he will attend. I went to our home school. When I told them our situation, they told me he would have to be tested to make sure he qualified to be placed in an ELL school. However, after going through his extensive English vocab (which is mostly mom, dad, I love you, thank you, Batman, and Angry Birds) they agreed with me he would most likely go to the language learning cluster school. I have to share that I got really nervous! I felt like it was part of my indoctrination into mommyhood! I was so nervous they were going to shoo me out or tell me I was doing it all wrong. Luckily, the staff was SO incredibly nice to me and congratulated me on the adoption. While he's not 100% registered, I feel good about the fact that I was able to "blend in" as a big-kid mom and had a good first experience with the school. </div>
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I shared my foray into elementary-school mommyhood on Facebook and got great support. It warmed my heart to see how many mamas were cheering me on and even offering their kids as little English mentors to IC. We feel very blessed that his school specializes in English language learners and the kids there are used to helping out their non-English speaking friends. I know God's placed him in the right spot.<br />
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On the "nesting" side of things we are making progress. Not as much progress as I would like but we're working on it. He has a bed. His mattress is on the way. My goal this weekend is to paint his furniture. It's so surreal after three years of putting off preparations it's finally time to hurry and do it all!! I'm thrilled and overwhelmed but so glad I waited. It's definitely keeping me busy as I wait for the little man.</div>
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I'm hoping I can come back next week with a few more "to-do's" ticked off the list. This family is ready to add a little boy!</div>
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<br />JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-60624059053594236772014-06-16T19:05:00.000-05:002014-06-16T19:07:42.187-05:00So This is Jet LagWe got home from our travels Friday evening. Which was ironic because we left Ethiopia on Friday. The whole gaining eight hours on the way back was a complete trip. Ha. Trip. I'm hilarious.<br />
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Anyway, we have now been home for about three days and I feel mostly like I've been hit by a bus all the time. Jet lag. There's just nothing like it. So what I'm saying is I'm really looking forward to feeling like this in a few weeks or months while transitioning my non-English speaking son to the US and into our family. Who said I wasn't going to be sleep deprived because we weren't parenting an infant? LIES.<br />
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I kid a little. Of course we'll do anything to get him here and make him a part of the family. The past three days have been a mix of emotions. I'm taking up my traditional coping mechanism of staying way too busy. Which does seem to help. The day we traveled when 5pm ET-time hit I got pretty sad. I realized it was the first day that IC had no visitors at the transition home. Had we been there, we would be back on the bus at that time to go to the guest house with a day full of memories. But no memories on Friday. Just tired traveling. When my days stay full, I focus less on the heartache that someone else is getting to visit their kids while our little guy is being shooed off the porch to play by himself. So, busy it is.<br />
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Saturday was a fun day celebrating my friend's birthday at the winery. Girls, stories, wine. Great times. Oh yeah, and we did the most fun adoptive parent thing ever. We went to Target and on Amazon (at the request of some super friends) and we registered for our little guy's non-baby showers. That's right. Registering for a 7 year old HAS to be more fun than an infant. I mean, not that I know from experience. But when they gave me the little "congrats on registering" packet, it came with a bottle, a pacifier, and breast milk storage bags. Meanwhile I registered for Legos, Toy Story, and a dinosaur nightlight. I mean, who's winning here? Totally the elementary-age registry. Seriously, though, we would have never done it had we not been prompted. And we had a really good time and felt super blessed at just the thought.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously so fun</td></tr>
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By 6pm Saturday I was begging E to let me fall asleep. He held me off til 8pm. By 8:09 I was out. Like, can't move me, I-hope-the-house-doesn't-burn-down-because-I'm-not-going-anywhere, out. Which was good. I needed it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup. This is how I feel most of the time right now. P.S. I missed this girl.</td></tr>
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I had been anxiously awaiting Sunday. I missed all my little people. And also their parents. It was a good, busy day. Lots of hugs. Lots of well-wishes. We are so, so blessed by our church community. Say what you will about big churches but I have always felt so loved and had such a personal experience at our church. E got wished "Happy Father's Day" on multiple occasions. He told me that it secretly made him really sad each time, knowing that our little guy wasn't home with us yet. I promised him it was just everyone wanting to show love and express congratulations. It's hard to express how it feels to be so overjoyed to have met your son and so torn up to not have him home.<br />
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In general Sunday morning was great with lots of celebration and hugs and love. But, it made me realize how overwhelming it will be for IC when we get home. And it made me confident in our decision to cocoon when we get home. I'll talk about this more in-depth when we get closer to travel but for those who've not heard of it, let me give a brief explanation. Cocooning is the process of trying to simplify life, stay at home, and bond with your new kiddo as much as you can for a period of time. During this time, we won't be going to church...we'll be live-streaming from home. We want our little guy to have time to bond with us before we send him into the wide world of everything else. More on that later. But Sunday was just a good reminder of why we'll take our time on the first church visit. It was amazing support to me but if I didn't know any of those people and I didn't speak English I might be a little shell-shocked.<br />
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Sunday afternoon we celebrated Father's Day at my parents' house. My mom and my friend Amanda put on a Noonday fundraiser for our adoption. It was a wonderful time to share Noonday's mission and work in developing nations while also celebrating our time with IC last week. We showed the official "meetcha" video to the parents and got lots of hugs and support. I could not be more thankful for parents who love us and IC so well. They are absolutely over the moon in love with him and it is just beautiful to watch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYgtUATIn35dr31mfdaidVsWnoYTtqvK-JjyWpQVHmi954iR_np_b1kSd2pRMuvlklBqiBpXHJH0-AiM2XJiCCxtEYCjbdjtIlapuSrIuIRjpLMTbKmgwE8qD5c4ZKpjCqi1hJVS0l7MT/s640/blogger-image-1274175233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYgtUATIn35dr31mfdaidVsWnoYTtqvK-JjyWpQVHmi954iR_np_b1kSd2pRMuvlklBqiBpXHJH0-AiM2XJiCCxtEYCjbdjtIlapuSrIuIRjpLMTbKmgwE8qD5c4ZKpjCqi1hJVS0l7MT/s640/blogger-image-1274175233.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and I surrounded by beautiful Noonday jewelry</td></tr>
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We got home late so any semblance of making up for jet lag disappeared and I feel like I'm back at square one today. I seriously think about the time I get back to normal it will be time to head back to Ethiopia. Which is perfectly fine with me. Today consisted of laundry, grocery shopping, and oh yeah, calling the US Visa processing center.<br />
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A word about calling the Visa processing center. You all, our friends and supporters, have been so faithful to lift us up to the Father and love us and ask for God to bring our son home soon. Today was another little blessing that shows your prayers at work. When I was in ET, my friend Colleen was lamenting how long it took her to get ahold of the Visa people. Her husband had been calling for a week straight on behalf of their eight-year-old. While we were there, she finally got in but it took 1.5 hours on hold. I realized, after talking to a few people, her situation was not unique. Most people spend about a week trying to get their receipt number (needed to file a Visa request) and when they do finally get in, they spend several hours on hold.<br />
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So today when I got the instructions I figured I'd just give it a try. For fun. And five minutes later, I was in!!! I was on hold--a huge step in the right direction. Eight minutes later I hung up my phone. You guys. THIRTEEN TOTAL MINUTES. OK, I am just realizing the significance of that. How fun! Anyway, I spent 13 minutes today trying to get IC's visa application started. And it's officially done. And now we wait more. But a BIG hurdle has been cleared. Praise the Lord.<br />
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So to recap: Tired. Visa processing. Waiting.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup. That tired. And yes, that's my Kids Club shirt. Trying to feel like I fit in.</td></tr>
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I plan to make a list of all the things I want to do in our waiting time. And I'm secretly hoping not many get done because we get the call to fly quicker than we could anticipate. Again. Thanks for praying for us!JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-91602651357693058052014-06-12T10:24:00.000-05:002014-06-12T10:24:36.212-05:00Goodbyes Are Always HardToday was the hard day we knew was coming. We said goodbye to our little IC, not knowing when we would get to see him again.<br />
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Since today was our last day with IC, we didn't plan any cultural activities. We headed straight to the transition home, where he was waiting inside the gate for us. He grabbed his backpack and we headed off to play.<br />
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First things first: he went through the whole pack. Then he found his new shirt and we helped him switch into it. We made more pipe cleaner jewelry today and E and I each got a hat with a bill. It was too cute. We made him some jewelry as well. He taught us hopscotch and we taught him our version.<br />
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I did a little nail painting again today, too. I have one hand painted because a little girl worked really hard to paint them but we didn't get time for the other side.<br />
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Math was also a big hit again today. E spent a ton of time last night looking up math problems and IC flew right through them just the way a mathlete would, grinning and giggling all the way. He had a great time and E was pretty happy seeing him get all the questions right.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guys, I have the cutest son ever.</td></tr>
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<br />Today we also pulled out the phone for music. At first it was just me dancing and then I had a genius idea: the Cupid shuffle. If it can get grandmas to dance at weddings, surely it can get kids to dance in Ethiopia, right? Well, sort of. E popped up to dance with me and a couple of sweet girls played a long. We had a pretty good time and I think the girls did too. There was lots of giggling and smiling. IC wasn't sure what to do so he took pictures of his looney parents doing some robotic dance on the porch.<br />
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We could tell from the beginning of the day he knew this was our last day of this trip. He wasn't as interested in playing ball (though we did play) or playing games. He really wanted just to sit together and snuggle. I couldn't blame him. We were pretty happy with just snuggling. He had a hard time saying goodbye just for lunch but we promised we would be back.<br />
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Lunch was at a restaurant we hadn't been to before. We sat down in a quaint cafe and noticed the boys next to us were speaking and studying in English so I asked where they were from. One was from Oklahoma and I told him where we were from. At which point the girl on the other side of us, in her early twenties, spoke up and said she, too, was from our home state! And that she just graduated from Mizzou. Um, what?? Yep. She has family in Ethiopia and is working here for a few months before starting her job in Washington, DC. At work, my friends joke that I am an extreme extrovert. But here's the thing: if you don't talk to random people in Ethiopian restaurants, you don't find out you're from the same stinking university town. I'll reach out every time. God always has fun treasures tucked in the least expected places.<br />
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After lunch, the first thing we wanted to do was head to the Ethiopian equivalent of Starbucks. Ironically, this is called Kaldi's. Kaldi's is also the name of the coffee shop where E and I met for the first time. We wanted to have coffee and take pictures. Our driver and guide obliged so we made a little pit stop before heading to the transition home.<br />
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The afternoon was just really, really hard. We knew we were leaving and he knew we were leaving. There was a little ball-playing, a little coloring, a little more Cupid shuffle. We got to take photos for a couple of families who had sent us approval to do so. Mostly, though, we spent the afternoon just hugging each other. Lots of tears. And finally we had to go. We all just sobbed and sobbed and hugged and sobbed more. He blew kisses and so did we and finally the gate shut and we couldn't see our sweet son any more and both of us let the floodgates of tears open up. I'm trying not to let tears well up as I write it. As much as you tell your son who doesn't speak English that you promise to come back and you count to forty and tell him it will be about forty days (which we don't know but figured might be a long estimate so he wouldn't get disappointed), it's hard to know whether he understands. And even if he does it's hard to do.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of our gifted bracelets. We kept pointing and saying "Family."</td></tr>
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Because this week little IC became our son in a way he wasn't before. Legally, yes, but in our hearts, definitely. We love him more than words could express. It's clear to me more than ever that God is the one who makes families, no matter how he makes them.<br />
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We get on an airplane in a matter of hours so I am going to take the last shower I'll have for the two days of traveling and finish packing. Thank you for your love and support through this journey. By Friday night we will be back in our beds, counting the days until we can return. We'd love your prayers as we wait. Prayers for IC and his heart, that he believes we will return. Prayers that the connection we established this week will not be diminished by the wait. Prayers our trust and love of God will grow stronger and we'll stabilize on him as we wait. And prayers the wait is short, short, short. Like, miraculously short. What does that look like? Well 2-3 weeks would be a miracle. Want to join us in praying for that? You all have made our journey beautiful. You have covered us in traveling mercies and beautiful moments with our son. We'd love for you to join us in asking the father for him to be home with us as soon as possible.<br />
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Goodbye for now, Ethiopia. We've fallen in love with you and your people forever.<br />
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JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-77211661391862488322014-06-11T13:55:00.001-05:002014-06-11T13:55:17.892-05:00Mountains, Bracelets, and Flowers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today started with a little sight-seeing. One of the things we really wanted to do while we were here was see Entoto Mountain. It has a storied history, the best views of Addis in the city, and it's got a beautiful palace and church. Problem was, we didn't have any time. At all. Well, our itinerary changed last-minute and we got to go with the O family up the mountain.</div>
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When I say "up the mountain" I'm going to need you to picture a tall, tall Colorado mountain but with no snow. I mean. Those mountain passes you've taken to get to the ski slope? We were taking them in a 15-passenger van with a guy who's used to driving on streets with no rules. We cut back and forth so fast it was dizzying. And awesome!!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Locals carrying their firewood down the mountain</td></tr>
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When we got to the top, the first thing we had to do was go through the museum. Our museum guide spoke in the quietest, fastest form of English I have ever heard. Picture an adult Ethiopian man speaking like the girl from Pitch Perfect. Seriously. Some of the history was super interesting. And other times I just wanted to get to the palace/church part and look over the views of the city. Our museum guide asked if E was from Holland. I giggled. That was a first!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A flag outside the former palace</td></tr>
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We finished up in the museum and headed to look at the church and the palace, which was partially destroyed in the war with Italy. Which Ethiopia won. But with some hardship.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The church...we can't go in but it's beautiful even from the outside</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tomb of one of the former leaders. Also known as: a pretty building.</td></tr>
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As we were walking, we heard quite the commotion. We looked over and saw quite a few people headed up to the church, water jugs in hand. One was yelling uncontrollably. I had heard from my friend Amanda about the holy waters of Entoto mountain so it wasn't shocking to me to see this site but I wasn't sure I would actually get to see it. Yes, sir. A steady stream of people with ailments, from the one who our guide told us had a demon, to people who had to be carried up on the mountain. It was a tragic site to see so many needy headed up the mountain. If you know about Noonday, their artisan group works with some of the women who come here for healing. They give them medicine, jobs, and hope. And the people I saw today needed hope.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a few photos at the palace</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the palace</td></tr>
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By far my favorite part was looking out over the city. Sure, it was pretty foggy today. And sure, you can usually see the entire city and we couldn't really see too much. But it was still beautiful. A site I am so glad I saw. </div>
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We headed back down the mountain and stopped to take photos at some of the most beautiful overlook spots along the road. Because in Ethiopia, you can stop your van anywhere on a tiny mountain switchback road for your passengers to jump out and take photos. Totally normal.</div>
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At this point, afternoon was approaching and E and I were DYING to get to IC. But instead, we had a notoriously long lunch. With no power at the restaurant. Again. A group of 40 sat down just before us and it took two hours to get our food. I think E was about ready to run to the transition home and would have, if he had any idea where in the world it was. But Ethiopia doesn't have street signs. It's nearly impossible for us white people to figure out where were are at any given time. Well, by that I mean, I have no idea where we are at any time.</div>
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It felt like midnight when we paid our check and drove off. We finally arrived at the transition home to see our son and he came running.</div>
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We started our time together with the sweetest moment. I think I shared with you that we gave him a bracelet the first day and we each have a matching one. Well today, IC came out with bracelets of his own. He had made a friendship bracelet out of yarn for each of us, matching exactly, and one from rainbow loom loops. He carefully tied both on dad's wrist. Then mine. Then he pulled out his matching two and asked me for help. I tied them on. Matching family. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCO9u0FsQTivKRXfB80wFSHVAE_u-Pi2VPNiBHE_Qoqc8YPhbDkKm1peAMavx6zjvtT9gmpfTKJFQzwSIN8PUBye4ap2_a111ZdRoiBO4vTIqf50c0yC0svoK9dVFDoXcIMop5kT5M8hDc/s1600/DSC01431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCO9u0FsQTivKRXfB80wFSHVAE_u-Pi2VPNiBHE_Qoqc8YPhbDkKm1peAMavx6zjvtT9gmpfTKJFQzwSIN8PUBye4ap2_a111ZdRoiBO4vTIqf50c0yC0svoK9dVFDoXcIMop5kT5M8hDc/s1600/DSC01431.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo is from yesterday. I add it because 1, you can see his bracelet (the turquoise and gray one) and 2, He's looking at Kids Club photos on my phone. I think he's ready to go!</td></tr>
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We spent the afternoon playing catch, drawing, and playing with a craft set I found with beads and pipe cleaners. We made spiders and snowflakes from the box. He asked for a necklace with beads and E obliged. I made him a crown and he wore it with pride. And then, with no explanation on the box, he created a flower and gave it to me. Today, I got my first flower from my son. It's sitting right here next to me. I will treasure it.<br />
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I also got to paint a few nails today. Shout out to my friend Tanya who ran around town gathering some goodies for me before I left. One little girl had been following me around all week. I pulled out the purple polish and she held her hand very still as I put it on every nail. She grinned and ran off. Turns out, she was grabbing a friend. The friend picked out a color: pink. The friend then proceeded to tell me first little girl's favorite color was purple and she was so happy I chose purple. I'm gonna call a holy spirit interception on this one. I had no idea. But it made us all very happy.<br />
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After several games, E started writing out words in English and we'd sound them out together. This was a fun game so he went on to math. E started writing out simple addition problems. He looked at us like, "you kiddin' me?" and answered them all. E went a little harder. Then subtraction. Then multiplication. He looked like the happiest guy in the room as he went through each problem, getting them all right. We have a little mathlete on our hands. Let's all get jackets.<br />
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It felt like it went so fast again today!! Before we could even realize how long we'd been there, our guide told us it was time to take off. We hugged pretty hard today. We got in the van. He hopped in and hugged again. The driver closed the door, IC still inside. He was grinning from ear to ear. Sorry, bud. We tried as hard as we could (with zero Amharic skills) to explain we'd be back tomorrow and he'd get to ride in the van soon. We all had pretty sad faces as we drove away.<br />
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We got back and decided to head up to the roof of our guest house. We'd heard about the views but hadn't ever caught it when the roof was unlocked. Today we got lucky. Everything they said about the views were right. It made me so happy to see the bustling city from so high up. Everything about it is uniquely Ethiopia.<br />
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We decided the best decision for tonight was just to rest in the room. So we've been sharing leftovers, sorting donations, and even had a St. George (Ethiopian beer). We're trying to not think about the fact that tomorrow might be the last day we see our son for a month or longer. I can't think about that.<br />
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Instead I will think about how wonderful today was. I got a flower from my son. My math whiz son. And that, my friends, is a great day.<br />
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JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-22164648766486835572014-06-10T14:58:00.000-05:002014-06-10T14:58:24.207-05:00Our Incredible ChildYou all are so sweet about all my posts that I feel like I have to clear up one tiny little thing. That mom glow? It's called "Jess is only wearing beauty balm and no powder in a country that has as much weather swing in one day as our local town." Anyway, you all are really sweet. I'm so thankful for all your kind words.<br />
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I know you want to know whether we passed court. Whether we're legally parents? Well, I don't mean to leave you in suspense or anything so let's get right to the recap...<br />
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Today was our earliest day yet. We climbed into the van at about 8:30 and headed off to court. We were told the rules for court were no shorts and no short skirts. Basically, knees? No! Which is fine with me. I have a no shorts policy and only brought maxi skirts and dresses for the trip anyway.<br />
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We arrived to the courthouse, climbed the stairs and the two families (our family and the amazing G family, who have been our leaders, gurus, and friends through this whole experience) sat in this room with rows of chairs. There was one other family sitting there. We met our lawyer, who I have heard so much (all good!) about and our guide sat with us too. We arrived around 9:00 and I was expecting to wait but by 9:15 we were called in and went to the judge. The judge was in another small room and both of our families went at the same time. They ran through a list of questions with each of us, asking about our family, our intentions to adopt, and the kind of training we've had. It wasn't 10 minutes later we were officially declared IC's parents. So fast after such a slow process. I teared up. E just kept giggling. He was beyond ecstatic.<br />
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My friend Liz mentioned to me today that we can't really call our little guy Imaginary Child because not only is he not imaginary but he is, as of today, legally ours. But still. I'm all for boundaries. And you all already know him as IC. So today, our Incredible Child joined our family legally. He is ours. The courts said so and everything.<br />
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Our next stop was not, oddly enough, to visit our little guy and tell him the good news. Here's the thing: he didn't need a judge to tell him we were his parents. I'm not even sure he understood the whole proceeding anyway. What he knew is we told him we were his parents months ago, we showed up and proved it, and it's real in all our minds. Court? We don't even have the language to explain why court is important.<br />
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Our next stop was to a coffee bean production facility and roaster. As you can imagine, we were in HEAVEN. We pulled up and the smell of coffee was immediately intoxicating. They were roasting on-site and you could smell it just walking out of the van. We were waiting for a few minutes for another family and so I decided to pop in to the restroom.<br />
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And that's when I saw an Ethiopian man going to the restroom.<br />
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Apparently, locks are optional in Ethiopian coffee shops. Glad I know now.<br />
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So I apologized profusely and did my thing. I have zero idea if the guy understood my apology.<br />
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Yeah, back to the tour. I don't know if the pictures will really give you any idea what happens here. But basically they sort, wash, sort, and bag the "green" (read: not roasted) beans for roasters. And then they also do a small amount of roasting.<br />
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Never have I seen so many coffee beans in all my life.</div>
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The actual owner had to run out to do business so our guide showed us around. E had tons of questions that our guide couldn't answer so we are going to try to set up a meeting with him for embassy. Because my guy LOVES coffee. And it shows in the way he talks about it. He threw his hands in the air and grinned a giddy, schoolboy grin when he saw all the beans stacked high.</div>
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The smell of the roaster was so intense that the two kids with us had to leave the room. But I felt like it was intoxicatingly delicious.</div>
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And now? Well now our whole room smells like that because we may have bought a couple of bags to come home. You know, for fun.</div>
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As we left the roasting part, we heard a ZAP sound and all the power was gone! Hey, Ethiopian electricity. You're back to your old tricky self again.</div>
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They took us to the front shop for macchiattos after the tour and it was one of the best I'd ever had. Coffee, y'all. God is so funny to line up the details that one of our favorite things in the states was created in the birthplace of our son. I couldn't love it more if I tried.</div>
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On to lunch...I think E and I were hoping lunch would be quick. It was fairly quick by Ethiopian standards. At this point, all we wanted to do was get to our son, as soon as we could, for as long as we could. But we went to Lucy instead. Nicknamed for the early skeleton found in ET, it was a delicious restaurant next to the museum. It looked a lot like my favorite restaurant from my days in Mexico. I had shiro and injera. Because I am in Ethiopia. Why have lasagne? It was very tasty.</div>
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As we move to the part about meeting our son today, I have to tell you I am going to be very quick about it. We were so happy to see him. We took "first family day" photos but they are on someone else's camera. We played some fun games. And then things got hard. I told you all from the beginning that there are certain details, stories, moments, that are our family's to share and no one else's. Today was one of those days.</div>
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We are so thankful for our son. He is just more than we could imagine. But we know his story comes with loss. And today we started to see how painful that loss is in a real way and our hearts were broken for the road to healing our son is on. I had some teary moments and I know they won't be the last.</div>
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I will not share more but we are so thankful to have him in our life. We want him home as soon as possible. And now that we have passed court, the clock is ticking. They can begin to gather the documents needed for us to bring him home. Please join with us in praying the documents needed to come back and bring IC to the states will come quickly and without complication.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">My little guy playing memory today with my big guy. IC won. Big time:).</td></tr>
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The other family had to leave today so we were both pretty sad when we jumped in the van. We decided the best way to handle it was to share one last meal together before they had to get on the plane.<br />
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A candlelight dinner.<br />
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OK the reality is the power was out at the restaurant when we got there so we only had these candles. They could still cook but there was no way to light the restaurant. Second power outage today. I think it just makes the whole trip feel authentic.</div>
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We said goodbye to our friends after dinner. We are now the only ones visiting our little dude at the transition home each day. Only two days left. This is going so, so fast.</div>
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Thanks, again, for being excited to welcome IC into our family. We couldn't do it without you.</div>
JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-8054238659922161712014-06-09T15:42:00.000-05:002014-06-09T15:42:29.710-05:00Day TwoToday was even better than yesterday. It's clear we're feeling more comfortable with each other and that's shown in our interactions. It's feeling more and more "real." Know that, while I am trying to share my experience with all of you who are so near and dear to my heart, I am also very cognizant of keeping some special moments for just the three of us to share. I am trying to find the right balance. We'll see how it goes.<br />
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This morning we did breakfast as usual. We had to say goodbye to our medical mission friends as they headed off to a more rural area of the country. There were lots of hugs and promising to keep in touch.<br />
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We headed out to the Transition Home fairly quickly and IC was waiting for us as we entered the gate. Most of the other kids had gone on an outing so it was just us and a couple other kids for the morning, which was nice. He gave big hugs and E picked him up and spun him around, something he had done yesterday before as we left. My first goal of the morning was to take pictures of another family. They cleared embassy and were doing their "gotcha" day as a family of five and had brought their two boys. IC was patient to wait as I videoed their meeting, which was nearly as emotional for me as it was for them. They have a little, little (think toddler) and he's grown so much since they saw him last. It was a beautiful, emotional moment.<br />
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I quickly stepped back over to IC. We brought a backpack for him yesterday and tried to explain that the backpack is his but comes home with us each night. We will give it to him for good in America. The first thing he wanted to do was look at all the backpack items and see what we had brought in today. He spied the gum first and looked at us to make sure it was ok before he pocketed it. He knew that gum was a hot commodity and he didn't want to have to share it without making the conscious decision to do so. Smart kid. He did share one piece with me, though, and my heart was very happy with this small sign of affection.<br />
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We went through the bag together, looking at the contents. We explained again we would take the bag home but if there were things he wanted to play with he could. He wanted to keep it all in the bag so it would all stay his, and we were totally fine with that. We spent the first part of the morning putting together a Star Wars puzzle. For those of you that know me, puzzles are my jam! We worked together for quite a while and finally brought it all together.<br />
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E and IC played a little frisbee, IC and I hung off the monkey bars, and then, the main event. We pumped up the kickball to play soccer. He and a the few other children around ran themselves ragged. E and I would pop in to play now and then but mostly he and his buddies played and we watched like proud parents. He grinned and we grinned and he played so long that he eventually wore himself out and deflated the ball to give back to us for safekeeping.<br />
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We decided to try to set a standard to today when he, or any other kid, asked to play games on the phone we redirected. It went surprisingly well for IC, though many of the other kids were disappointed IC wasn't going to push harder for them to play. For him, paper airplanes and shoulder rides from Dad were pretty good. He didn't ask for more.<br />
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After the piggy back ride, it was time for lunch. He asked if we would return and we promised we'd be back after lunch. Our itinerary had shopping after lunch so we agreed with our guide the best thing was to shop for Ethiopian souvenirs as fast as possible and then head back to hang out with our number one little man.</div>
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I haven't talked a lot about what Ethiopia is like but I feel like this picture does a good job of conveying some of it. Traffic? It's everything you've heard and more. There are no rules, the horn is king, and most cars show signs of wear and tear from everyone gently bumping into each other over and over again. I joked that the horn is kind of the equivalent of "runner speak." Like: "on your left or go on through, pass me." But for cars. Lots of the Americans flinch as they drive by. I kind of find it entertaining so I don't think too much about it but it is pretty busy and wild. And fun.</div>
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We headed to a favorite Ethiopian adoption lunch spot, where they sell beautiful Ethiopian art. E and I each had a pizza. This was rookie mistake #1. The pizzas were called "small" but were actually huge. We could have shared. We each ate exactly half one pizza. Whoops.</div>
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Orange soda is big here and comes in two popular varieties: Fanta and Mirinda. I kind of like orange soda and kind of decided to drink it for novelty while I'm here. And shout out to my coworker who loves orange soda. This pic is for you (you know who you are...).</div>
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For the afternoon, the two families that hadn't passed court went back to hang with our kids. Since E and I wanted to shop first, we were just going to drop the other family off and tell them to tell IC we would be there soon. But wouldn't you know it, he was waiting around the corner with big hugs for all. We played for a few minutes and then explained we were going away and would be right back and our driver and guide were up and out to the shops.</div>
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I had heard for years about the famous "post office shops" where most people do their souvenir shopping. When people from our agency go, they take the beloved guide and get better rates. So our guide traveled along with us. I have haggled in several countries and this was similar, except, well, I had a local with me. And there's something so comforting about that. I don't know if it's because I grew up as a local in an area with so many tourists that you couldn't shake a stick without hitting one (and most days you wanted to hit at least one. Sorry, tourists), but having a local around is so comforting to me. We got everything we wanted quickly and there was only one item we had to walk away and come back for...a blue giraffe for IC's room. He loves blue. We couldn't say no.</div>
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We tried to rush through and make it back to our little dude as quickly as possible. (For those of you who were wondering, our schedule is very packed and we wanted to bring a few things home so we had to sacrifice time with our little person... it's a very hard decision to make. We are here for such a short time and we want to see him but we also want to grow to love his country. It's tough and we're doing the best we can to get both. And of course we hope to come back after our embassy trip when the timing is right).</div>
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We got back and he was excited to see us. I think we wore him out because he really just wanted to sit and snuggle. No complaints from this mama and daddy. Sitting and snuggling was just fine with us. We sat on the couch, snuggled, and looked at photos. We pulled up people and explained relatives. I forgot to mention that yesterday he pulled up photos of our dogs. He pointed to Dash and pointed to himself and said "mine." Then Gabby and to E and said "daddy's" and then to Rodrigo and back at me and said "mommy's." Yes sir. I think he has it figured out. He pulled them up again today and said their names. We have been so worried about the dogs but so far he seems to understand the concept that they are just a part of the family with us.</div>
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When it came time to say goodbye, we all held hands and stacked our hands up, sports-style and did a little "hooray" cheer.</div>
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We sat in the van as it started raining. We saw him looking at the van and he waved over. He realized we weren't taking off immediately so he hopped in and we hugged more, waiting for the other to come back. When it was time, we hugged again, promised we would be back tomorrow, and he hopped out.</div>
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At which point I cried. And E didn't look so good either. Each day our connection builds. And each day brings us one day closer to going home.</div>
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Without him.</div>
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But that's sad. Let's move on to dinner.</div>
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It's a tradition for families from our agency to go to a traditional Ethiopian restaurant for food and dancing. So that's what we did this evening.</div>
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We started with drinks. Our guide helped us order beer..</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOALyvD-lCRKl5rczk5VWVsWx9_Vyd3IiEFmMDSW1_tsj1BsJMGLAk_gZC79K0g3Lp0ad7kE0hd4EnJQ43hx37acvUvpL18a2eo6975Er84mKJas_CPyOSatm0muqnXbgq9ivBxWSAQQye/s640/blogger-image--1474252764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOALyvD-lCRKl5rczk5VWVsWx9_Vyd3IiEFmMDSW1_tsj1BsJMGLAk_gZC79K0g3Lp0ad7kE0hd4EnJQ43hx37acvUvpL18a2eo6975Er84mKJas_CPyOSatm0muqnXbgq9ivBxWSAQQye/s640/blogger-image--1474252764.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my beer, based on our guide's suggestion</td></tr>
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And then he ordered honey wine for us. I tried to ask E what honey wine tasted like, since I didn't feel like I could describe. He said, "It's like a high-alcohol wheat beer that you poured a half a cup of honey into." I would say more like a wine cooler. But whatevs.<br />
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So honey wine...Yes. we had it. And then LOTS of good food.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRihNp4LUwuvIjx2SaiE5dy73EknfRKW0MzYOEstUS3COLGiZVj5a7oaX0Anxoz876kAKZDPPpDxbX6uLPF_XmLjWRI7hd51crc43I8gMvs2OxwMn79tCCOYMDwg9lGJf2MfxRea-BsBx-/s640/blogger-image-495544458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRihNp4LUwuvIjx2SaiE5dy73EknfRKW0MzYOEstUS3COLGiZVj5a7oaX0Anxoz876kAKZDPPpDxbX6uLPF_XmLjWRI7hd51crc43I8gMvs2OxwMn79tCCOYMDwg9lGJf2MfxRea-BsBx-/s640/blogger-image-495544458.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric commented on how in America our wine is in a big glass to give lots of breathing room for smell, etc. Honey wine? Not so much. It looks like a potion. You hold it in between your index and middle finger if you're trying to be traditional.</td></tr>
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Food. Oh glorious food. I was joking earlier that my two favorite characteristics of food are spicy and containing bread. This makes Ethiopian food perfect for me because instead of utensils they use a spongy teff-flour-bread called injera and pretty much every dish laid on the injera, that is shared by the table, is spicy. What makes it not-so-perfect is it's taboo to eat with your left hand. People, I can barely do anything at all with my right hand. My guide said I would be forgiven because I was American. I hoped so because I would have certainly made a mess if I tried to eat as a righty. But the food was just so, so good I would have eaten it mouth-first if that was required.<br />
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My favorite? Doro wot.<br />
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It is just like me to have taken tons of photos of drinks and zero photos of food. Whoops. I was too busy actually eating the delicious food. Anyone want to open an Ethiopian restaurant in our town? I will be your first customer.<br />
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As we ate, there was traditional music and dancing. And toward the end of the meal they walked around and encouraged diners to dance with them. Read: they encouraged crazy white people to dance with them so the locals and the dancers' families could enjoy.<br />
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Did I dance?<br />
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Yes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QDFyHXvDDk0z8gdg-Gefh-Htamxyat9DqWQchCfiDVK4GmHw_SuFdz24yqcSRfCco0xPpgzMO9C3EAIEoqRTfi4ZP-k3jkLIh8b92d-nGaOpNtz_msmQW4Aaf1pD2KVJWApfTma9JrHx/s640/blogger-image--1658478894.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6QDFyHXvDDk0z8gdg-Gefh-Htamxyat9DqWQchCfiDVK4GmHw_SuFdz24yqcSRfCco0xPpgzMO9C3EAIEoqRTfi4ZP-k3jkLIh8b92d-nGaOpNtz_msmQW4Aaf1pD2KVJWApfTma9JrHx/s640/blogger-image--1658478894.jpg" /></a></div>
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Are there photos? Yes. But not on my blog. Be sure to grab my husband sometime. They are on his camera. Since this is my blog and they are seriously incriminating, I am not posting them.<br />
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Moving along, the last thing before the meal ended was coffee.<br />
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In Ethiopia, coffee is a big deal. It was started here after all. Any time coffee is served, it's served with incense and popcorn. Why? Well, I am not exactly sure but the family that knows more than we do says the coffee is so strong you can't take it on an empty stomach. So they serve popcorn.<br />
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They traditionally serve it black with sugar. I just had it black and black. And E and I both slurped ours down as fast as we could. Delicious.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZqHI_2PswhlE0o01k7CK3i1leg5jamRBRUbGtOx8IMLUOUO2mRfb3IsvOl_VagOz2zw-uPBMekjxIvQR_eLcy4Zlha1tTYmEYfZp6bttmEno2XDA9khqsnK4QrQVLEDx7pBegSmeRUGD/s640/blogger-image-763635635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFZqHI_2PswhlE0o01k7CK3i1leg5jamRBRUbGtOx8IMLUOUO2mRfb3IsvOl_VagOz2zw-uPBMekjxIvQR_eLcy4Zlha1tTYmEYfZp6bttmEno2XDA9khqsnK4QrQVLEDx7pBegSmeRUGD/s640/blogger-image-763635635.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the Ethiopian flag</td></tr>
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We left the restaurant full and happy. As we arrived at the guest house, our guide reminded us to bring our paperwork tomorrow. Because tomorrow? Welcome to the big show. The court will officially deem us fit to be parents. We hope.</div>
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Look out world. Not sure you're ready for E&J: The Parental Edition</div>
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On a serious note, thanks for your continued prayers. We feel them and need them more each day. </div>
JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-26029469286860474532014-06-08T13:40:00.000-05:002014-06-08T13:40:45.658-05:00We Met Our Son (no catchy title, sorry)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You guys. Today I met my son. And he's beautiful, and sweet, and we're gonna take him home. Well, not yet. But someday.</div>
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I am pretty sure I could just stop the post there and that would be good. We could all call it a day there. But I kind of want to tell you about the rest of my day. So, before we get to the "good stuff," back up with me a few hours, will you?</div>
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We had breakfast this morning at our guest house with a couple other families. One family is a mama waiting with her son. They passed court two weeks ago and she's staying with him until they go home. The other are here on a medical mission. It was nice just to chat and talk about what the anticipation is like. Breakfast was so tasty and we kept smiling nervously at each other, knowing we were going to be meeting the little guy later. The one family had met him and kept telling us what a peanut he was and how he had a great smile!</div>
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Our driver and guide came and we headed to church. I didn't take any pics of the service but it was an international church. This particular church service was all in English. We sang "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and "Every Hour I Need Thee." Our sermon was on Jesus in the temple. It was so nice to be there with everyone. We sat by another adoptive family and next to her was a sweet local mama and baby. At some point, she turned to my friend and said, "Can you hold my baby?" So there we were. Two American adoptive mamas ogling over a sleeping baby. At one point the baby woke up, looked a little surprised to have two crazy white ladies staring at him, and then fell right back to sleep. Apparently we looked scary but not scary enough to come out of his cute sleepiness.</div>
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After church we headed to pick up a family who arrived that morning and we all headed to lunch. Lunch was at Amsterdam, a restaurant known for being as slow as it possibly can be. This was not an appealing quality, as you can imagine, since we really just wanted to meet our son. Our guide walked in and encouraged them to be speedy and from what I understand, they were. We were there less than an hour and got on the road to the transition house.</div>
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We drove down the road and I finally saw the sign that I've seen in all the videos and photos from so many adoptive families with the logo of our agency. We pulled in the gate and all the kids started surrounding the van. The other family confirmed that our kids were tucked away so we wouldn't accidentally see them--we got the grand meeting. My heart started pounding. We created a plan for how to take each other's photos while the family who had already met their son agreed to be the "porch guard" so the rest of us could get some private time with our kids.</div>
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The other family went first and I took video. Their kiddos came out and I tried my best just to hold the camera and not think about the fact that our little guy was on the other side of the door, waiting for this little intro to end so he could meet his family. They hugged and we traded cameras. It was our turn.</div>
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My heart is honestly pounding just typing about it. We stood there and before I knew it, Little IC popped his head out the door and we stood in a three-person hug for a few minutes. I don't think I would remember the next part but we watched the video earlier and it came rushing back. E and I tucked down and just talked to him for a minute. I told him our names and that I was "mama" and E was "dad." And then we pointed to our bracelets and said we had a matching one for him. And in the tiniest voice ever he said, "thank you."</div>
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He pointed to Eric's arm and gave a quizzical look. Eric smiled and said "tattoo." He asked if he could get one. We said maybe later. Trying to give yeses, people, trying to give yeses.</div>
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We took a quick photo and then I pulled out the backpack we got just for him, filled with things. First things first: we pulled out that Mizzou shirt and put it right on our sweet babe. He's swimming in it:). We'll be attempting a smaller size before we come home. But he liked it and said "thank you" again. I then pulled out the gum and he grinned. He started handing it to everyone. Kids would look at us and I'd direct them to IC. He handed out gum and was quiet and patient and made sure every kid got some. </div>
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We only got to spend a couple of hours with him today but it was a good couple of hours. We colored and several other kiddos colored with us. All the kids immediately found Angry Birds on my phone and it was a scramble for who could play next. Each time I would give it to IC, he would hand it to another kiddo to play. I'd take it back and before I knew it he had given it away again. We played Uno, where we became aware that he can at least count to four in English when someone drew a "draw four" card. I blew bubbles and he helped pop them and then wanted to take pictures of me blowing bubbles. He wanted to take a picture of us. While I can't show you pictures of him, I can show you a picture he took of us. Ladies and gentlemen, I present: My Parents. By IC:</div>
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He's a prodigy. I know you can already tell. We played on the porch a little longer but then we pulled out the big gun: the soccer ball.<br />
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He and E and a little helper aired up the ball and then we got to see the skills. Guys, he really is good at soccer. This coming from someone who is so very bad at soccer that he kept cracking up. Which was to my delight because seriously, I don't care if your child is 3 weeks or 13 years, that first giggle you get to hear is everything. And it was. He giggled for us a few times while playing soccer. We played with several other kids and he was good about taking turns and including everyone.</div>
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Before I had blinked it was time to go. We hugged and promised him we'd be back tomorrow and he rushed off to snack time.</div>
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And that's when it really hit me that we were done with our time for the first day. It went SO fast.</div>
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We got in the car and I think E and I just stared at each other, completely unsure of what to say or how to process the fact that we just got to spend two hours with our son. The one we had pictured and prayed for and loved before we knew him. And he was so sweet.</div>
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We were whisked back to the guest house and the other couple who met their kids today went with us to dinner. They'd been here before so they said we could just walk to dinner, no problem. We had a few wrong turns and the original restaurant was closed but we ended up having hamburgers and orange soda at a cafe and all was well.</div>
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Both of us just keep staring at each other day, hugging each other tightly, unsure of how to put the sights and sounds and thoughts and smells and emotions and everything else into words. We can't.</div>
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We're excited to see him tomorrow. He already asked if we can all go home together at the end of the week. This leaving stuff is not going to be easy.</div>
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Thanks for your prayers and love. We're so thankful to have your support as we begin life as a family of three.</div>
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JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-76252900025533346552014-06-08T01:30:00.002-05:002014-06-08T01:30:28.982-05:00We're here!!Greetings from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! After 3 flights and more than a full day of traveling we are here! I am drinking good coffee and getting ready to head to church. It's sure to be an experience.<br />
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No photos today (sorry) but all you would see would be airplanes and terminals and one German breakfast. It was exciting to us but maybe not as exciting as you had hoped for.<br />
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Anyway, our travels started a little rough but smoothed out from there. When we arrived for our first flight, it had been delayed 2 hours. We got worried, sent out the calls for prayer, and you all must have responded big. Because not only was our flight moved back up and gave us plenty of time for our layover, but the rest of the trip was full of blessing.<br />
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In Newark during our layover, I got called to the desk at the terminal. Never have I been called to the desk at the airport terminal so I was super worried. I came up and the gate attendant handed me new boarding passes. He had noticed we weren't sitting together for either of our international flights so he took the liberty of switching our seats so we could sit next to each other on planes for the next 18 hours. When we booked we were so concerned about getting there I wasn't even worried about seat placement. But the fact that this guy took the time to think about it and switch it for us was HUGE. We got to snuggle and chat the whole way to Germany.<br />
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We know for certain we love Lufthansa airlines. They were so kind to us and have so many perks. The food was pretty decent for airline food and we got warm towels every few hours that really helped kick the airport stink. I can't say I slept much but I did rest a lot. E, on the other hand, watched 3 movies and lamented the fact he didn't have time to watch more. Ha! After eight hours of flying, we arrived in Germany.<br />
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Quick layover in Germany (complete with a German breakfast) and we were off to Ethiopia. As we boarded, I looked for our seats and noticed we were the very first seats after first class. That may not seem like a big deal but with that position came LOTS of extra leg room. Like I could sit in my seat and push my legs all the way out and barely touch the wall. Guys, for me that's great but for that guy I call man friend? HUGE. Because his legs are approximately 18 feet long. So we just kept grinning from ear to ear, knowing its was your prayers that kept us together in the first international flight and gave us ample space to stretch out on our longest flight.<br />
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I slept the entire flight. Like, E tried to give me dinner they served and couldn't wake me up type of sleeping. Which was good. Because this girl likes her sleep and at that point we had been traveling for about a full day. So I was so thankful for the opportunity to crash hard. E was worried about me not being able to fall asleep when we got to the guest house. He was worried for nothing.<br />
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When we arrived in Ethiopia at about 8:45p.m. their time. I had always heard about Ethiopia having a specific smell and I immediately recognized it. I can't accurately describe it, I'm sure, but the best I can tell you is it's a mix of incense and earth. It smelled so good and felt so familiar even though we'd never been there. I was never worried but it immediately put me at ease, none the less.<br />
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I was a little worried about navigating the airport but it went very well and we were out in less than an hour...through Visa line, luggage, customs, and money exchange. We were in the parking lot waiting for our guide approximately one minute before he arrived, introduced himself, and we were whisked off trough the streets. It was Saturday night and it was BUSY!!<br />
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We got to the guest house after some of the well-known traffic and interesting routing and re-routing. And promptly did a little unloading and crashed!<br />
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We both slept so soundly and are now up and around and headed to church this morning. We'll do lunch and then finally have the much-anticipated meeting. It's hard to even imagine after 3 years of dreaming we're almost to that moment. It's wild. I know some of these details aren't necessarily the stuff you are curious about but I want to try to write as much down as possible and hopefully will keep a journal too.<br />
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Thanks, again, for partnering with us in so many ways. Thanks for your prayers. We will try to update you when we can.<br />
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Much love!JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-77761497654323339422014-06-06T09:49:00.001-05:002014-06-06T09:49:51.717-05:00The Prepping WhirlwindWhen I was in 8th grade I took a 4-day trip to Washington, DC with about 40 other kids from my area. It was my first trip without my parents and I was excited and nervous. I wanted to be sure I thought through every last detail. I made my packing list months in advance. I actually started packing three weeks in advance. For 4 days in DC. I had shoes and jewelry sprawled all over my room. Not that I didn't all the time. But this time was for packing purposes.<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> I even planned a bunch of in-flight activities for myself for my 2 hour flight. I wrapped magazines in gift wrap so I wouldn't be tempted to read them in advance. Everything was meticulously planned. </span><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Well. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Eighth grade me would pass out cold about the preparations that have gone into this trip. I was so nervous to get my hopes up to meet my son that I packed and planned approximately zero things prior to getting our phone call. And wouldn't you know the phone call would come on a busy work day with no time to start planning. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">And, oh yeah, it would come two days before the actual trip. The trip that spans 2 days just to get there. Take note, adoptive families. Go ahead and gather donations and prepack. Or don't. Just know if you don't you'll be in a frenzy. But you'll live. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Oh 8th grade Jess would be crying on her pink carpet. She just wouldn't deal well. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">I am thankful for growth in my life. E and I started making purchases and combing lists on Wednesday evening. I hit my work to-do list hard on Thursday. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">And you, dear friends, arrived at our home and workplace with so very many donations on such little notice. Thank you!!</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">At 9pm last night, our floor looked like this:</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHMVFAjhjR1ZXxmaYTpqDhGtiKpdvGMDOuB8IH3oq5XBaLnIZ3vLVvdS4clfGi5xonVF-x59F4crWyclHFcjp8N8KX6BB0-w0V3z7eY39AIKR-MAjYnYlu74hiRvvFremV7OzUx4CEwtq/s640/blogger-image-1099470954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHMVFAjhjR1ZXxmaYTpqDhGtiKpdvGMDOuB8IH3oq5XBaLnIZ3vLVvdS4clfGi5xonVF-x59F4crWyclHFcjp8N8KX6BB0-w0V3z7eY39AIKR-MAjYnYlu74hiRvvFremV7OzUx4CEwtq/s640/blogger-image-1099470954.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">To clarify, our ENTIRE floor and every surface looked like that. But magically we stuffed everything into bags, weighed said bags, rearranged, and repacked a final time. At 11 we started to pack actual clothes for our own bodies. And by 1am we were in our beds. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In time to hear our 4:30 alarm. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">What I'm trying to say is coffee at HyVee has never been so delicious. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We arrived, parked, checked in, got made fun of for our luggage, explained it was all donations and made people feel guilty for making fun of us, got through security, and sat down at our gate about 1.5 hours before our flight. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We took this cute picture:</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKfzHMBgnRhzoFSJhGxLTiqEjRDNnI_l3S0GGYYP7fl9TcMtAIYB8hkz-ARmMeDtvqTmQc1Jd9ZyWwSXJywdTQxmJOalbjTxfnmaK3kjDmr1IfpLKHvYI0Q0NZf5NyNF1f6ixp-rHJ4p3/s640/blogger-image--1624062350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKfzHMBgnRhzoFSJhGxLTiqEjRDNnI_l3S0GGYYP7fl9TcMtAIYB8hkz-ARmMeDtvqTmQc1Jd9ZyWwSXJywdTQxmJOalbjTxfnmaK3kjDmr1IfpLKHvYI0Q0NZf5NyNF1f6ixp-rHJ4p3/s640/blogger-image--1624062350.jpg"></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And then I checked my email and realized our flight was delayed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We are having a lovely airport date just the two of us (and all the other travelers) and are hoping we won't be delayed any further on this trip. But we aren't banking on it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We are so close to meeting our son we can hardly stand it. And no amount of packing, lack of sleep, or airport delays can take that away from us. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We're coming, buddy. And we're as weird as we appear in all our photo albums. Get ready. </div>JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-78708704457390150222014-06-04T22:47:00.000-05:002014-06-05T07:16:30.880-05:00That One Time We Had 48 Hours Notice to Book International TravelThe time has come. We have waited and waited and waited more for the phone call that came this morning.<br />
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We are going to Ethiopia. We leave on Friday. Yes. THIS FRIDAY.</div>
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In case the timing is lost on you can I tell you the redemptive work God is doing through our story?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We needed two letters to be cleared for travel. Here's the first one. The second one is waiting for us in ET. We got it Monday.</td></tr>
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Last year at this time was quite possible one of, if not THE, <a href="http://imnotcounting.blogspot.com/2013/06/that-one-time-i-had-emergency-surgery.html">hardest week of my life.</a> It was also Kids Club, the biggest week of the year in my job. We had 550 kids and 500 adults come learn about Jesus and I was in charge of it (along with the rest of my amazing team). But I was also going through a huge loss. And last year on June 11, I experienced a surgery that changed my body and my life. I trusted and relied on God through the whole process but I could not understand why any of it was happening. I'm still not sure I do. Sometimes pain comes into our lives and God holds us near but the pain still happens. </div>
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Well. We got a phone call today at 9:15. We are going to meet our son in a matter of days. We have to be there by Saturday night in order to meet him and get things in order for IC to legally become our son on June 10. Yes. June 10 we will go to court and become a family of 3. </div>
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Almost exactly one year after my surgery, I will legally have a son. </div>
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We were told we might hear this week when we would go. We didn't exactly know that would mean we'd get on a plane 48 hours later. But we are thrilled. </div>
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And missing Kids Club. Yup. The biggest week of my year and I am missing it. But I get to meet my son so I'm going to roll with it. </div>
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So. To give you a rundown: we arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Saturday night. We will head to court on Tuesday. We will hug our son as tight as we possibly can on Thursday. </div>
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And on Thursday night we will leave our seven year old son in Ethiopia. </div>
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How long? Well, we don't know exactly. We have to wait for some documents to be completed. Once they are finished, we will get a phone call, request a visa interview, and head over to get IC and bring him home for good. We expect it to be 4-6 weeks and we hope to have IC home for good this summer.<br />
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We can't even believe we are really at this part of our adoption journey. Finally! And we are so thankful for you, our faithful friends who are walking this journey with us.<br />
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How can you help? Well...two ways come to mind.<br />
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1) If you are free tomorrow and want to bring donations to us (and you know us in real life) we are (quickly) collecting donations. Donations are basic things like kids clothes, soccer balls, games and puzzles, and baby items like bottles and formula. If you would like to donate items, you can contact me for a list. We will also be taking donations our next trip. If you want to gather things for us to take then, you can contact me and I'll send you the donation list.<br />
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2) Pray for us! Specifics:<br />
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<li>for safe and expedient travel</li>
<li>for both of us to remain healthy during the trip</li>
<li>for both of us to connect with IC and things to go well there</li>
<li>for IC to connect with us </li>
<li>for all of us as we have to leave each other to remain strong and connected until we can return</li>
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I am sure there are lots of other things you could pray for. You can just pray it and if you aren't sure, well, the Holy Spirit will intercede. </div>
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Thanks, again, for loving us so well. If you are wondering, we do have house sitters living at our place. So please don't try anything funny. Please. Please.</div>
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We can't wait. We've got so much to do and so little time.</div>
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WE GET TO MEET OUR SON!!!!!</div>
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See you soon:).</div>
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JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-55960981229844526582014-05-03T20:57:00.002-05:002014-05-03T20:57:48.887-05:00A Different Kind of Adoption {the dashing kind}Well, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may already know this piece of news.<br />
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We added to our family last month.<br />
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Again.<br />
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Please meet Dash:<br />
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I know there are no questions as to why we added a third dog just months before we add our first child (who is most likely terrified of dogs) after seeing that beautiful face, right?<br />
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Well just in case there are, let me tell you the story of how Dash became a part of our family.<br />
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A few years ago, we saw a dog on Facebook who needed a foster family. Yes, our local humane society has a foster program. They foster out dogs who need special care (they're sick, they don't do well in the shelter) or when there are no more cages available. We agreed to foster Boo, a sweet deaf boxer with kennel cough. He was so sweet and we loved him.<br />
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And somehow we got on the "list" so when there were needs from the shelter, we started helping out when we could. It was good for Gabby to have some social interactions with big dogs and we felt like we were helping. It was fun.<br />
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It was also, well, a bit hard. Because we love our Gabbydog but she is a bit of a, how you say, jerk. To other dogs, not to people. She likes to growl and try to prove how tough she is. And this usually gets her in trouble. Because Gabs can't fight. Doesn't even try usually. Just lots of growling and then she gets bit by another dog.<br />
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So the first time she lunged at Dash and he ran into our tiny Little Dog cage, we knew Dash was a good fit for our home.<br />
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Let me back up and say we brought Dash into our home on January 28. E picked him up from the shelter and before I was able to get home, I got this text from Eric:<br />
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"Have you Ever seen a dog with ADHD? Because you are about to."<br />
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You see, Dash had quite the reputation at the shelter. He threw himself against his cage. He whine-screamed at others as they walked by. When we called the shelter and said we were ready to take on a new "big dog" they recommended Dash. And when E went to pick him up, he knew why.<br />
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It took two adults 20 minutes to put a collar on our little angel. And when he made it to our house, we had a good several hours of him writhing and spasming on a leash before we felt he could even handle being alone, not tethered to a human.<br />
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Which makes it even more heartwarming that two days later, all he wanted to do was snuggle us and the other dogs.<br />
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In mid-April we had decided Dash probably needed to become ours. He was a great playmate for Gabs, he listens SO well (I know you just read the description of his first day with us and may not believe it but a week later he knew "sit" "stay" "come" "lay down" and "drop." It was pretty magical considering we are somewhat below average on training dogs).</div>
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We were discussing calling the shelter when they called us. The message I got said they wanted to set up a meet and greet. </div>
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Dash had a family.</div>
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Our dog. The one we snuggled and bought a ball specifically for. Our dog, who had been with us for almost 4 months without so much as an eyebrow raise from a potential home, was about to go to another family.</div>
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So, E called the shelter and explained. They said there was technically nothing they could do since the protocol required the first family with an app to get first dibs. But they agreed to call the family. And later that day, they called. The family heard our pleas and rescinded their application.</div>
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We became a three dog family.</div>
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(Ironically Dash got very sick the very same day we adopted him. Luckily, he's doing better but man was it quite the journey. Lots of X-rays and "did you eat this?" He didn't eat this. Or anything. And he's better.)</div>
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Things about three dogs I have learned:</div>
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<ul>
<li>I could make a full-time job out of sweeping my house.</li>
<li>I am never alone. I travel in a pack.</li>
<li>I buy a whole lot of dog food.</li>
<li>I have never had more snuggles in my life.</li>
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E taught Dash how to play frisbee one night. And as I was watching them play in the backyard, I heard E say to Dash, "Dash, IC is going to love you. You are the best dog a boy could ask for."</div>
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And that, friends, is why we have a third dog. Because my husband is in love and he is a perfectly lovable, sweet, well-behaved, and caring addition to our family.</div>
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And we pray, after some adjusting, IC will love him.</div>
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Welcome to the family, Dash. Just know from the get-go we are absolutely bonkers.</div>
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JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-81079260146528688682014-04-03T21:37:00.001-05:002014-04-03T21:37:43.681-05:00Slow but MovingWhen we got our referral, maybe I thought things would move faster. That every time people asked me what was new, I might have something new and exciting to say.<br />
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Here's the thing: no matter what side of this waiting you're on, it's waiting. And slow.<br />
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And some of the things we see as movement, well, they aren't that fun to give as updates. Because it usually goes like this:<br />
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You: "So do you have any updates this week?"<br />
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Me: "That document we were waiting for? We got it."<br />
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You: "Cool! So you'll travel soon?"<br />
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Me: "Yeah, no. It will now go to someone else and they'll review it and send it to someone else."<br />
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There's that.<br />
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So today, when we got two pieces of good news, it officially became a good day! First, that document we got to send to someone else? Well, it officially left the US today. This is a GOOD thing. It left and is currently in the same country as our son. And the embassy there will review it and then we'll move to the next step.<br />
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We are not traveling to Ethiopia any time soon but our documents left this week. Praise the Lord!!<br />
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There are good things happening. There are still several steps before we get to travel but we are really, really hopeful it will be this summer sometime. You can pray that all the time frames we've been given will stay on the "short" side of the window so we can travel as early as humanly possible. Because that's our prayer.<br />
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Secondly, we got new pictures and a few fun updates of our precious IC today. He's wearing an outfit we gave him and holding a care package we sent. I couldn't believe how little he looked in the photos! And precious, of course. He always looks precious. I may or may not have sent him teal skinny jeans and an orange shirt. Because it's only fair if he knows how much his mama loves color. He wore them. This may be the only time in his life he'll actually wear what I pick out. I'm going to take full advantage.<br />
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So yes, it was a good day.<br />
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And can I just say, as a sidebar, that even though there's not a ton to tell each time, please don't stop asking us how it's going. We LOVE sharing info about our little dude, our process, and our plans for when he comes home. Even if we don't have anything majorly new to say, it's so fun to share the process with so many we love.<br />
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And finally, any time I have your ear, I'm gonna give you some prayer requests. Of course, you can pray our process will be streamlined and we'll get moved through the next steps quickly. You can also pray for our little IC. Pray God would surround him and protect him and prepare him for all the crazy that is his parents. And, of course, you can pray for us too. This parenting thing? It's new. And exciting. And new. And we need lots of prayers.<br />
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It's not us but we're sure glad something that started in the US is now in Ethiopia!<br />
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<br />JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-88661137448347493972014-03-31T12:34:00.001-05:002014-03-31T12:34:59.584-05:00Little Man MondayHi Darling,<br />
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I can't even begin to tell you how often you are in my thoughts. This is the first one of these I've written from my office when your picture was sitting there, right next to me, as I type. It's so surreal to me that you are a person. A little man with thoughts and experiences. I know this isn't the first time I've expressed this. It's just still almost hard to believe. It's always in my thoughts.<br />
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This week or next week, all our "official" paperwork that brings us closer to you should finally be on your continent and in your country instead of in ours! Hooray! Oh, IC, I just can't even tell you what a relief that is. Hopefully soon it will be us in place of the paperwork. We're sure hoping we get the clearance to meet you soon. Soon is relative, I know. But I just can't wait to look into your eyes and touch your hands and give you a hug.<br />
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I've been working on getting our house ready for you. Not too ready, mind you. I want to meet you before we work on your room. But I did buy a night light last week. It matched and was on sale. And every little guy needs a night light. Every big guy needs a night light. Ask your Dad:). I keep looking at sheets and things for your bed but I'm waiting until we get to spend time together to do too much more. As Dad and I watched TV last night, we reflected on how you'll be sleeping in the room next door soon. It's just wild.<br />
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We went to the zoo this weekend. My favorite exhibit, the penguins and puffins, is closed. They won't be back on display until 2015. It was a big moment to realize the next time we see the penguins and puffins in the zoo you will be home with us, walking the paths and enjoying the animals. We hope you like the zoo as much as we do. It's kind of one of our favorite things. This past time, we saw elephants screeching. Never have I heard such a noise! I look forward to seeing all these things all over again for the first time with you.<br />
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You better believe as soon as we get the word we will be on a plane to look into your eyes and promise you we'll be yours forever. Can't wait!<br />
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All my love,<br />
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momJustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-83141691176387683302014-03-24T08:13:00.000-05:002014-03-24T08:13:04.000-05:00Created for CareA few weekends ago, I went to a retreat for adoptive moms. I was super excited. And also a little worried. Because, you know, I am a mama with no kids at home. I was a little worried I would be the only mama who was "retreating" from her zero children. I mean, not worried enough to not go. I wanted to experience what everyone had been talking about and meet other mamas who have been where I am going. Plus, we are really hoping to bring something like this closer to our home for mamas from our local area. So I was going but worried.<br />
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I had an 11-hour drive for my local mama friends to reassure me and scold me for my negative thoughts.<br />
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So we arrived and I was ready just to learn, listen, and live life with other mamas.<br />
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I was immediately struck by how beautiful the lodge was where the retreat was held. I mean, you want to talk about an oasis. So, so pretty.</div>
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When you check in at C4C (cause they're cool and have an acronym), you get a name tag with your name and the country your kiddo/kiddos came from. So, I got a sweet Ethiopian flag on my name tag. And also, I quickly decided I needed a shirt that said, "Africa has my heart." Because it does. </div>
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Only my friend, Liz, also decided she needed the shirt. So we both put it on and took a picture. You can't see Liz's but you'll have to trust her shirt matches mine.</div>
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As soon as the retreat sessions started, I knew I was in the right place. There were three kind of breakout sessions: sessions meant to equip you (called Be Love), sessions meant to refresh you emotionally (Be Loved), and sessions meant to help you connect with God (Beloved). I tried to hit a lot of the equipping sessions. You know, because I am about to be a mom for the first time in my whole life and he's seven and I'm totally overwhelmed (I'm told all new moms feel this way, whether their child is a newborn or 15).</div>
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So, I went to breakout sessions and listened to moms with tears in their eyes share how hard and wonderful this journey is, all at once. I saw moms hug each other and pat each other on the knee knowingly and share how sometimes the hardest thing is how alone you feel.</div>
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Which is my biggest concern. Except, I know I'm not alone. I've been promised this by so many mamas going before me, all over the country and in my back yard, promising they'll be by my side with coffee and chocolate (and maybe even some wine) when the circumstances require it.</div>
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It was such a blessing to sit at dinner with women I'd prayed for but never met. To hug my friends that I've felt so close to but only from across a screen. I can't even tell you what this meant. </div>
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<a href="http://back2back.org/">Beth Guckenberger</a> (remember her? From <a href="http://imnotcounting.blogspot.com/2013/02/doing-battle.html">this post</a>?) was our keynote. Her knowledge of the Bible and heart for orphans just lights me up. And of course I've heard her 3 times in 1.5 years. So yeah. I feel like God just keeps placing her in my path. I got some awesome worship time and great words from the word, if you know what I mean. </div>
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But of course it wasn't all serious. Sometimes you just have to put on a crazy costume and take a picture with your girls.</div>
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Or several pictures. Whatever. It was so fun to be silly and enjoy each other's company. </div>
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So after a long, full day I went to bed, full and heart-happy.</div>
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And then I woke up with a stomach bug at 2am. Yeah. Not my favorite. Especially because my sweet bedmate and I had just met earlier in the day. Oh man. Hi, dear adoptive mama friend. What's that? You thought when you got away from your six kids you would have a vomit-free weekend? So sorry to ruin that for you.</div>
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But seriously. My roommates were so kind to take care of me and help me make it to morning.</div>
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And then I had to skip some sessions. You know, for rest.</div>
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I was down but I was not about to be out! I got myself around and headed back for some afternoon sessions. And, of course, more photos with these chicks:</div>
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Because seriously? When you get a weekend with the girls, you go for it, even if you lie on the ground to rest while everyone else chats.</div>
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I did get to go to the signature session of the weekend, called "Date with God." It lived up to they hype. I got a little over an hour to experience different stations and share some quiet time with God. It happened to be in a room with dozens of other women but it definitely didn't feel like it. I wish I could explain it to you. But it's pretty much a post in and of itself. And even then it is hard to explain. There are stations and different activities, all of which are meant to help you share time in the word and in prayer. It was a beautiful time for just the two of us. </div>
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After dinner, the mamas from my agency all got together for a group photo. It was amazing to see so many moms I'd prayed for and watched for the past three years. And to finally be the one who was being asked the questions about their referral and their process. Finally!!</div>
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Aren't we a pretty bunch? And pretty sweet and kind, too, if I do say so myself. I mean, the rest of them, of course.<br />
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So yeah, there was a stomach bug. And some skipping sessions. But in general it was amazing. And so many of my mama friends said, "We'll see you next year--can't wait to hear how attachment is going!"<br />
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Oh my heart.<br />
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So thankful for a weekend with adoptive mamas. Can't wait to do it again. Sans stomach bug next time, if I do say so myself.<br />
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JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-4315220972854889312014-03-06T08:07:00.002-06:002014-03-06T08:16:13.755-06:00Stitch Fix: My First ExperienceI am no fashion blogger.<br />
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I am no fashion anything.<br />
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But I mentioned on Facebook a while back I was getting my first Stitch Fix box and it sparked some interested. I promised I would follow up once I got my first box so that's what I am up to today. If you have zero interest in mail-order fashion, pass this post on by. No offense on my part.<br />
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For those of you who don't know, Stitch Fix is a fun way to get clothing items in the mail. For $20, a stylist will choose five pieces for you and mail them to you. That $20 goes towards the price of any item in your box, should you choose to keep it. You fill out a style profile ahead of time, giving examples of fashions you like and don't like, how adventurous you are, and what you think is reasonable price-wise. The brands are boutique-style, unknown but very cute.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLk13WBFMd88mU8nKiJ43xn-8T7Ab5iKZBaHR0m1bvyX_7eHJt1gROX57cOUp-gnbkj1hyyDtUSlxXNcFkhRXq06t1SbLzG62U-6DjcQAgWosx8F0B_aLtM3OgfsADugGxB3RYkOIGXyv/s1600/IMG_4270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLk13WBFMd88mU8nKiJ43xn-8T7Ab5iKZBaHR0m1bvyX_7eHJt1gROX57cOUp-gnbkj1hyyDtUSlxXNcFkhRXq06t1SbLzG62U-6DjcQAgWosx8F0B_aLtM3OgfsADugGxB3RYkOIGXyv/s1600/IMG_4270.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Because Stitch Fix is getting popular, I had to wait a few weeks for my first box after I ordered it. It came last night and I was SO excited. I tried to follow the rules and try on each piece with items already in my closet. And I made E take pictures. He played along well, though he kind of thought my fashion show was ridiculous. So in no particular order, here are my pieces and assessment<br />
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<b>3/4 Sleeve Studded Top</b></div>
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You can't tell it in the photo but the top is sheer. It's a long shirt, which I really liked. It's not something I would normally pick out but I did like it. It was E's favorite piece. For a sheer top, however, the price tag (close to $60) was a little much for my taste.</div>
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<b>Chevron Cardigan</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJA7vI-nONsHNYDZd63x8xH99okuU0fprHPsOHS8NJMzUdvCi3mJvH1Xpb3AT6wZDcAmNzuNTI0OV82kcwUxSPP6AEcE5Zel8Rta82afGp1RKq8UsWwDxMATe7tyegALtw3KFs90aKyRpH/s1600/IMG_4282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJA7vI-nONsHNYDZd63x8xH99okuU0fprHPsOHS8NJMzUdvCi3mJvH1Xpb3AT6wZDcAmNzuNTI0OV82kcwUxSPP6AEcE5Zel8Rta82afGp1RKq8UsWwDxMATe7tyegALtw3KFs90aKyRpH/s1600/IMG_4282.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Pay no attention to how very messy my house is! I know I'm about five years late but this was the very first time I tried on an asymmetrical cardigan. Also, first cardigan without buttons. It has a very loose knit and I could see myself wearing it all summer. It's versatile. And the price was right around $60, which for a sweater, I thought was mostly reasonable. It's probably more than I would spend regularly but for a piece I could wear through a whole season in lots of versatile ways, I decided I could splurge.<br />
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<b>Striped Fit and Flair Skirt</b></div>
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I liked this skirt but couldn't figure out if I would wear it regularly. You can't tell in the photo but it is a little fancier than I wear on a daily basis. If it were jersey, this might have been my favorite. The fit was amazing but it was maybe just a tad long, making it hit a weird place on my legs. Overall liked it but E mad a good point that it looked like something you could get jut about anywhere. My reason for getting a fix was trying to get pieces that were out of the ordinary.</div>
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<b>Colorblock Dress</b></div>
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You guys. I LOVED this dress. I LOVED it. I like the colors. I liked the way it was flowy and fun. I could see it in the box as my new dress to wear to summer weddings. The price was not quite $70, which I felt was good for a go-to summer wedding dress. I loved it. You know what I didn't love? How it was falling off on top. I could have fit a whole other person in the arm holes. Oh I wanted to keep it. I did. But fit matters more than anything else (thanks, bestie, for that smart advice). And so I had to send it back. With a super frowny face and a bit of a grumpy attitude.</div>
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<b> Tribal Print Tank</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqsVC-EfXY2kCQSZHOm5A9Jz5RL25hePMc8hkpzPEbKpyRby7mczFcmQK70SVg9QhEBOcam6XzXrni3fr8bS9ws61cOsHL-h9SKEojf1Hs49MEroKOKwS2tKHpI6Biafkbs7pWaIG0PqV/s1600/IMG_4287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqsVC-EfXY2kCQSZHOm5A9Jz5RL25hePMc8hkpzPEbKpyRby7mczFcmQK70SVg9QhEBOcam6XzXrni3fr8bS9ws61cOsHL-h9SKEojf1Hs49MEroKOKwS2tKHpI6Biafkbs7pWaIG0PqV/s1600/IMG_4287.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOX5uDBcfUzjdDaA0XyLZKbXQ8k8eJefbjx2iR3vcRhTrWsJCARz3E3eTYbKgYCZlClZCXbP-n8f-EYF1s7WH1ikv67_Sg6MGoEcJB16i0gXW0_DF56LIobP_0P6TNN9S5aTmLLgcT3DlC/s1600/IMG_4288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOX5uDBcfUzjdDaA0XyLZKbXQ8k8eJefbjx2iR3vcRhTrWsJCARz3E3eTYbKgYCZlClZCXbP-n8f-EYF1s7WH1ikv67_Sg6MGoEcJB16i0gXW0_DF56LIobP_0P6TNN9S5aTmLLgcT3DlC/s1600/IMG_4288.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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I feel like this is a little second verse, same as the first. I loved this print. LOVE turquoise. I was so excited about this in the box. But it was a little sheer so I had to wear a tank under it and I thought it was falling off my shoulders, which was highlighted by the tank underneath. Plus this one's price (a little over $50) was a little much for me to wear a tank top.</div>
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<b>Bottom Line</b></div>
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I thought my stylist did a pretty great job of picking pieces I liked. The fit wasn't amazing on some of the pieces and I definitely expect a perfect fit if I'm going to pay full price. Or at all really! The price was a little more than I expected on some of the pieces but others seemed to more reasonable. I kind of expected a few less-expensive items since that was on my profile but several of my pieces were more than what I requested.<br />
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So what did I keep? Well, if I would have kept all five pieces, I would have received 25% off my whole purchase. But since two of the pieces didn't fit well, that wasn't an option for me. So I kept the coral cardi and I am so excited to wear it this weekend.<br />
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The joy of Stitch Fix is the more your stylist "fixes" you, the more they "get" your style. So I am hoping Fix #2 has more pieces that I love in fit and style. And yes, I'm excited to have my next fix!!<br />
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If you are interested in Stitch Fix, you can sign up <a href="https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3151145">here</a>. I'm excited to say I think it will become something I look forward to doing a few times a year.<br />
<br />JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1835332061622159625.post-65746310372984474072014-02-24T11:35:00.000-06:002014-02-24T11:35:06.089-06:00Nontraditional Valentine's DayWe've never been "Valentine's Day" people. I think this is because we both try to do special things for each other when the moment strikes, not because of a specific day on the calendar. That and we are not big into spending money for the sake of spending money. So we've spent many a Valentine's Day at home on our couch, sans gifts, perfectly content to just enjoy a night together.<br />
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Which is why, when I returned home from Austin I was surprised to have Eric run into our spare room and tell me he was grabbing my Valentine's gift. Because, you know, it wasn't Valentine's Day. And we don't do gifts.<br />
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He came back with this little guy:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1WfmF7zZzTlIr2lkhKpxocyhpLpH8U7wLPtwcCjPquoZAoMuDygtLitCcKV8lvJXRwUHifVE63t7syY0M-3_7MFnQkMQ07bUNtcLi438X_tpBBkRR-AOLmLEtZWnpIRXhJVbC60psXrv/s640/blogger-image-1845455817.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1WfmF7zZzTlIr2lkhKpxocyhpLpH8U7wLPtwcCjPquoZAoMuDygtLitCcKV8lvJXRwUHifVE63t7syY0M-3_7MFnQkMQ07bUNtcLi438X_tpBBkRR-AOLmLEtZWnpIRXhJVbC60psXrv/s640/blogger-image-1845455817.jpg" /></a></div>
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A cute little minion-shaped Valentine box. It was filled with my favorite candy (Hot Tamales) and the sweetest card ever. So then, I pretty much had to put it on my desk, right?</div>
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Magically, it started to be filled with Valentines from kiddos from church. Magically or my coworkers put it on Facebook. One or the other. Either way it was adorable and I loved receiving so many fun Valentine messages from kids.</div>
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So what I'm trying to say is my Valentine's Day had pretty much already been made. I didn't need anything else and it had already been a great holiday. Before the holiday started.</div>
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But it got better from there.</div>
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I got to work on Valentine's Day and there was a special Valentine that wouldn't fit in my minion:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjyrMlWMW9gL098S5K3Gl3hrN1Gs2Db-zhDytaB4B4uZ7CzarNXodLJHdCtsruSdrX5renVcvbNepdKZOlusaHEnrElwBsEnFfSaTAMqOkZKnu3O2rX-usfdNxuzfsPmtageiUULkkn_q/s640/blogger-image-548306421.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOjyrMlWMW9gL098S5K3Gl3hrN1Gs2Db-zhDytaB4B4uZ7CzarNXodLJHdCtsruSdrX5renVcvbNepdKZOlusaHEnrElwBsEnFfSaTAMqOkZKnu3O2rX-usfdNxuzfsPmtageiUULkkn_q/s640/blogger-image-548306421.jpg" /></a></div>
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Tears brimmed in my eyes. My sweet friend had found this and thought of us. It is sitting on our mantle right now. I am sure, at some point, I will frame it. It was a reminder that though our little guy is not with us, he's always with us. And we can't think of love without thinking of him.</div>
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So, to get to the more "non-traditional" part of our Valentine's Day. I'm about to lose some of you. I know. That's ok. I'm cool with it.</div>
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E and I had been talking about getting new tattoos soon. We both wanted one. E's third. My first. I want one to commemorate IC's adoption but I wanted to wait until we got him home. So, I had another idea in mind. We talked and talked and talked about it. </div>
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And since we had no Valentine's plans, we thought that might be something fun to do together. We planned our tats and assumed the tattoo parlor would be nice and quiet since everyone would be out to dinner with their special someone. Surely no one else planned to get tattoos for Valentine's Day, right?</div>
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Well, that would have been true last year. Or the year before. Little did we know, though, the tattoo parlor we chose was tired of such a quiet, boring Valentine's Day. So they ran a special on Facebook. They were giving a huge discount to people who came in as a couple and both people wanted tattoos.</div>
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When we arrived the place was packed! We were told it would be a three-hour wait. We filled out our paperwork, finished our designs, paid, and went to dinner. Dinner was so lovely and leisurely.</div>
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Two hours later we came back and found we still had an hour-long wait. We finally got into the chair and left with permanent ink. Please note the photos were taken within a few hours of the art. They are a little red. They're still healing but we are both really pleased:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuitm0DR3SrMmKUONJckzlgyo0WwnIxC4t8JpZeGJztd6L6DkBC3fb7S6PFHcfL2xVFglIFWPgk8Ejk7oD7FGriEmQmqWAQ6itviT6ulX4nfehWSCa8a0UUTVbioqco3R8w44SFt9xkBte/s640/blogger-image-1056538428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuitm0DR3SrMmKUONJckzlgyo0WwnIxC4t8JpZeGJztd6L6DkBC3fb7S6PFHcfL2xVFglIFWPgk8Ejk7oD7FGriEmQmqWAQ6itviT6ulX4nfehWSCa8a0UUTVbioqco3R8w44SFt9xkBte/s640/blogger-image-1056538428.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My foot. From Esther 4:14. If you are really perceptive you might notice I used this wording in talking about my experiences at IF. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2U6mY4EMEkK_ru9JTGNwGkMo6jRwohzlHJvGYF1nACjHKjXk2aygCaOmRMpRndU5v6ptBbGqujId7NxJPRf8l5XsNyvnu2fiXbNTCOFG3_vaDd_mFJ8jjMKmfwMmLZXhjj0jwS1mz-E7/s640/blogger-image-2052756868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2U6mY4EMEkK_ru9JTGNwGkMo6jRwohzlHJvGYF1nACjHKjXk2aygCaOmRMpRndU5v6ptBbGqujId7NxJPRf8l5XsNyvnu2fiXbNTCOFG3_vaDd_mFJ8jjMKmfwMmLZXhjj0jwS1mz-E7/s640/blogger-image-2052756868.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Husband's arm. It definitely makes a statement. And of course, that statement is we are grafted into God's family through the cross. How blessed we have already been through adoption.</td></tr>
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We had such a wonderful night we've been talking about making it a Valentine tradition. Then again, we may run out of skin.<br />For now we'll just call it a beautiful memory. Nontraditional and beautiful. Just like us:).JustJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180719952783296876noreply@blogger.com1