Name Game

I've been bouncing around for months now with what to do about naming my kiddos on the blog.
I want to protect their privacy now and in the future...
and the only way I know how to do that is to give them some kind of nickname to be used here.

I thought about using the nicknames we use at home, but those are mostly just forms of their real names.

I thought about giving them cutesy names just for the blog... something related to their personalities... but I think that may get confusing for my family who reads this.

SO.

My friend Jamey (Hi Jamey!! I have another haiku for you!) suggested that I go with their birth order.

Simple, effective, easy to remember AND I think my family can decipher easily who I am referring to!

SO.

Introducing....

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN - Baby boy

Hair Do Experimentation

Of the things we prepare and plan for in trans-racial adoption, the hardest (in my opinion) is "how will I know how to take care of their hair?!?"

Me personally... I don't talk hair much with anyone. I don't go get mine done at the "fancy" salon, I don't pay to get my nails or toes done and I don't like massages. I know, I'm weird.

So, add this non-girly mentality to the overarching inferiority complex of feeling judged by black women out in public for being inherently unable to properly do a black child's hair... and you have a recipe for a serious anxiety complex.

Oh, and I wasn't getting started with a bald newborn.
I was dropped head-first into hair drama with two girls AND a boy (more on that another time).

Deep in the trenches of hair potions, lotions, magical gels and concoctions... I have come up with some go-to styles for my girls.

I am fascinated by those with the ability to hold one section of hair while simultaneously adding tiny bits of oiled up hair from beneath the first sections. I see girls in the grocery store and out elsewhere with fancy parts and awesome braids with snazzy beads and clippy things and I ooooh and ahhhh over the sheer talent on display like some gawk over the Fashion Week runway shows in New York. I am totally in awe.

So... do not take the following photos as anything other than my setting a "baseline" for my own hair attempts.
I'm not showing off my awesomeness.
It's not there yet. I know. I am told often by my girls who "sizzle" while I try to learn flat-twists and cornrowing on their tender heads.

Go easy on me.

Ha ha ha... gotcha! No... this was her hair when we first met.

This was done by the nannies at the care center. I am sure they were telling her..

"oh, baby girl... this may be the last time you have awesome cornrows!"

Crazy comb out day! Yikes, Einstein...

This is Six, with her banded headband type do.

Front of our cheater corn row type style. 

I twist the hair between bands and use the 

elastics instead of braiding. Cheater, cheater. I know.

Here's the back of the same 'do.

And another view, same 'do.

Not sure what we were going for... but the day 1 'do was kinda weird.

She wasn't upset about the hair... though it could be inferred from this photo.

First try at a flat twist. Chunky, bumpy and just not right despite awesome video instructions over at Happy Girl Hair

I like her little afro, but it makes her look so much older!!

Is there a way to keep from needing to comb out the 'fro 15 times a day?

She HATES to have her hair combed out and I am SUPER gentle.

First try at Bantu Knots. I like these, but they are HARD to take out!!

Little puffs.

Sorry for the cruddy photo quality 

- these are taken with my phone.

itty bitty "puffs".

Back view of the little braids on Five.

Isn't it adorable that they want their babies on their backs - Ethiopian style!?

So cute!

Side view of the little hanging braids.

Side view of Five's headband thingy

Today's flat twists and bantu knot combo.

And the back... bantu knots.

Okay! I think that's about all the creativity I have attempted to this point!!

I think my favorites are the wedding veil or fake corn row types because they keep the hair tangle-free and stay nice the longest. I ADORE Five's hair just out and long, but she can't stand me re-fluffing it all the time! Any tips on that very WELCOME!

Travel Journal: Day 7 (Wednesday)

Since we were had a different appointment day than everyone else in our group, today was our appointment at the Embassy. It’s nice to have a reason to go out and see more of the city!  We got the kids up, dressed and looking cute, then went down for breakfast and played out in the courtyard until our driver arrived to take us to the Embassy.  We played with rocket balloons and a couple of balls until he arrived. We loaded into the van and we were on our way! The kids seemed really nervous in the van and Baby Boy started sweating to the point that his clothes were getting damp. I felt really sad for him. What was he remembering? What was making him so nervous? I know they had he long ride from the first care center to the transition home in Addis... was he remembering that big change? It's so hard not to know what will trigger memories that cause such sadness.

We arrived at the embassy and it started to rain. Several young men were waiting for the van with umbrellas and asking to escort us. Since we didn’t have any single birr notes with us, we declined.  We declined several times to several people, but they still insisted on “helping” us. Our driver said something in Amharic and they finally left. I felt very nervous being "out" with the kids in public. I had Baby Boy attached to me in the sling and Paul carried the girls quickly into the security check-in area at the Embassy.

We went through a metal detector and walked into a large outdoor waiting area where we sat for 20 seconds before being motioned inside.  Inside the building was chaotic. We handed over our passports and went through another metal detector where our bags were searched and scanned before passing through another door and back outside to walk over to the visa processing area. The rain slowed to a drizzle and we waited under a small overhang outside the main visa building to hear our names called. We met several other adoptive families from other agencies who were there for their appointments as well. Many, many people asked us if our children were triplets, or if the girls were twins!

Finally our names were called and we made our way up the stairs to the small interview area. There were 8 or so people behind plexiglass booths like at a racetrack. We made our way over to one of the men who waved at us.  He was a nice man and asked us several pleasant questions about Tennessee and our lives back home. You could tell it was nice for him to speak with some Americans for a few moments. We raised our right hands and swore that there was no fraud in our adoption and he stamped our paperwork and said our visa packets would be ready the following day! We were done and it was painless! We left the embassy that day knowing we were homeward bound for sure!

On the way back to the hotel we stopped by the Hilton and the Sheraton hotels to try to get our flights changed to something leaving Thursday or Friday. We were unsuccessful.  Once we were back at the hotel we ate and played in the room until bedtime.

After the kids are all in bed Paul and I watch the WORST American movies ever made! They only show horrible movies on the channels we get… ones we have never heard of, with Amharic sub titles. It’s really fun for us to watch them and make fun of the acting, the graphics and the plot. It’s even more fun to see the advertisements for the upcoming movies and know we will be home by the time they are on TV!

Thankful Thuesday

Yeah, I know it's TUEsday... but that doesn't "go" with Thankful.
I could have waited till Thursday...
so get over it! :)

Today I am listing some things I am thankful for, in no particular order!

I am thankful for the Barney VHS I bought at a garage sale for .25! So far, we are up to $.016 per minute of peace and quiet! Well worth that investment.

I am thankful for the cooler fall weather! While I may have frozen most of my children through the night, the cooler air brought an additional 45 minutes of sleep to two of my babies last night! YAY fall!

I am thankful for my hubby. When he isn't here, I think of all the things I could have had help doing, thinking, saying or dealing with... and I realize how much he is a part of me. He loves me even when I am at my worst... 5 days into a sugar-free/chocolate-free existence, and listens to my heart on all the things that I wonder about our future (without freaking out or making me feel like I'm insane).

I am thankful for my children. All 7 of them. I am thankful that the Lord thought enough of me to allow me to parent His babies and that He allows me to continue to do so. The days are long, but the years are short and I realize this more and more the older they (and I) get.

I am thankful for my family and friends.

• My sister blogs over at The Boltons. She is VERY funny and such a great mom to her new baby girl, my first niece, who is now 6 months old! She takes great photos and always makes me laugh about something! Where as my blog tends to be adoption/orphan/borderline-depressing ... hers is adorable, funny and happiness-inducing! Go say Hi! 
• I am thankful for my friend Jamey who encourages me and reminds me to be thankful in little things! She is a great mom also and quite an inspiration with the courage she has shown in the face of adversity over the past 4 1/2 months since arriving home with Little Miss from Ethiopia. She always admits when she fails and falls, but always gets back up... and that's the best any of us can do! 
• We met wonderful people in our travel group when we went to Ethiopia, and while we all live far away from one another, a quick email back and forth helps immensely! To just hear from folks who have been home the same number of days and weeks... and to know you are not alone... it's a huge blessing! 
• I am thankful for my new friend Katie who just returned home with our kids care center buddy, Yishak! They came over yesterday so he could see that our three aren't afraid of our giant Wooshah, and hopefully he would adjust better to their dog! It was so sweet to see these four kiddos playing together yesterday for the first time since July when they were all still waiting for their families! 

I am thankful for friends who drop off bags of hand-me-down's for my newest babies! This has helped SO much!

I am thankful for those shopping carts at T@rget that will mostly happily seat 3 littles... one in the cart and two in the 5 point harness molded plastic bucket seats! Aaahhhh!

I am thankful for my big comfy couch, which will cradle me this afternoon during nap time while I nurse my stupid headache!

I am thankful for leftover chicken made into chicken salad. I love chicken salad.

I am thankful for our swing set and trampoline. Never underestimate the power of outside play things.

I am thankful for sippy cups and baby gates. They keep my sanity more intact.

I am thankful for Sam's club and their .33/lb bananas. We do not currently have any, which reminds me ow much I miss having bulk bananas in the house.

I am thankful that my Grandpa made it through surgery last night. Life is short and sometimes it takes those harsh reminders to make you appreciate each day a little more.

One Year

One year ago this weekend someone dropped a pebble into the middle of a pond.

This was the weekend when my husband surprised me for my birthday!
He had been out of town and when he came home, he arrived bearing gifts!
He and the kids gave me the silver heart necklace you normally see me wearing, and
a new vacuum cleaner (don't gasp... it was a request!).
It was late in the evening, so I went and put the kids in the bed and came back down to have some time with my newly-home hubby!
It was then that he presented me with another gift!
I opened the gift and found a new Bible cover/carrying case.
I take a lot of notes and stick all kinds of things into my Bible and my old one was not working out well. The new one has a flap that folds out with a notepad and several pen holder loops! I hear it... "oooohhh! Aaaahhh!!"
After telling him how good of a job he had done, he said to open the Bible cover!
(I'm thinking... okaaaay... I can see on the tag what it does... what's the big deal?)
But I figured he was proud of his choice, so I opened it.
Inside one of the pockets was a check.
Not just any check...
but a check written out to the agency for the application fee!
I instantly burst into tears.
Not pretty little "single glistening tear down the cheek" crying...
sobbing-can't-catch-my-breath crying.
We hugged and laughed about my hysterics and began dreaming about the day sometime in the future when we would bring a baby home!
Little did we know what the Lord had planned!

On the other side of the world, on this same day...
A family in Ethiopia was in trouble.
Faced with two horrible choices...
Stay together and watch three small children starve to death
or
relinquish them with heavy hearts and hope for their future.
On the other side of the world, our children's birth family made the impossible decision and our three babies entered the Holt care center.

Later in December, when we saw their faces and read their paperwork,
we would see this date and know.
We would know that our first step in obedience had not gone unnoticed.

Today I sit here and look back on this past year...
the decisions we made along the way...
the difficulty in waiting...
the slow updates...
the lack of photo updates...
the money...
the fundraising...
the sleepless nights...
the emotional highs and lows...

Nothing compares to that September day in Ethiopia...
when a family was broken, and another was formed.