Days 9 and 10

Day 9
Day 9 began with a trip to the Gladney Care Center for a follow-up appointment with the doctor. He said Sophia Mekdes was doing much better and to just continue her medicine until it was finished. We came home for a little bit and then headed to Dreamland.

This is a view of Gladney Care Center #4, for those of you with children there.

Dreamland is a hotel and restaurant about an hour away on Crater Lake. It is beautiful. The drive was much smoother than I had been told, which I appreciated. The road is very busy and is a main route to Djibouti, so it has a lot of importing and exporting going on. It was nice to get out of the city and see a little bit of a different side of Ethiopia. We had a nice meal and headed back to the city.

Day 10
Today we began our day with an attempted Easter photo shoot with miss Sophie. It wasn’t too successful, but I will post a few of the pics we captured.

Today we had the VERY emotional journey to the government run orphanages. We visited all three and I can’t even put it into words what it was like. Belay, the Gladney in-country director, was our guide through the orphanages. We video-taped him talking about all of the needs of each orphanage. He also spoke about all of the programs Gladney has implemented. Gladney is the main adoption agency involved with the orphanages and impacting the lives of the orphans there. I so wish I could post pictures of the children, but it is not allowed. I can show them in person, but I can't post them online.

The first orphanage we visited was Kolfe, which is for older boys. I think they take boys in the 11-20 age range. I am sure that is not the exact range, but close. Here are a few pictures from Kolfe. They are working on renovating the facility and also developing income generating programs for the boys.

The next orphanage was Kebebe Tsehay. It is home to babies up to seven year olds. The baby room was one of the saddest things I have EVER seen. It reeked of spit-up. They had three workers for probably 25-30 babies. The babies had their bottles propped up and they were the tiniest babies you have ever seen. They have a big problem with communicable diseases. One of the babies got chicken pox and they didn’t catch it until it had spread. They lost eight babies in one week. Think on that for a minute. I asked Belay how much it would take to pay the salary of one caregiver. His response, “$50 a month”. Please think about that. $600 a year could be the difference between life and death for these children. $600.

There were so many precious children. Michael and I fell in love with a little girl about five or six years old. She was so sweet and loved Michael. She has a little brother who looked to be about two. We asked if they were available to adopt and Belay said their mother refused to relinquish them, meaning they would stay in the orphanage forever, if that didn’t change. I teared up watching her and leaving the orphanage today.

The final orphanage we went to was Kechene. This orphanage is home to babies, younger children and older girls. We loved it. It was very peaceful. The children seemed so happy and LOVED having their pictures taken. I need to get them all printed and send them with another traveling family, so the girls can have them. Pictures are like money here. EVERYONE wants pictures.

We have so many thoughts running through our head. You cannot see what we have seen and not do something. Part of our hearts will always be here. I can’t wait to share the pictures and videos with our family and friends. Please pray about what God might be calling you to do today. Is it adopt? Is it to finance a project? Maybe it is something small or something great. Please ask God to open your hearts to the possibilities ahead of you.

Days 7 & 8

Day 7 started out with me getting sick and spending too much time in the bathroom.  I’ll leave it at that!  Our Embassy appointment was moved to the morning and we had to be there at 8:40 am.  I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  It wasn’t really what I had anticipated.  We went through all of the security measures and then stood as a group, as they called each family one by one upstairs.  They asked us a few questions and then gave us the stamp of approval.  Later that day her visa was delivered to us.  We also received her birth certificate, vaccination report and other important documents. We were told, in our referral, that her birthday was October 22, 2009, but the birth certificate says October 12.  It’s not a huge difference, but we will have to go with what is on her birth certificate.  Here is our princess holding her passport with each of us.  She doesn’t seem nearly as excited as we are!

Gladney staff takes families on a tour of the Church of the Holy Trinity.  Religion is extremely important here.  I stayed at the guest house, because I was feeling so terrible.  Michael went and took a lot of pictures and video and I will have to have him write a blog about it sometime.  Ethiopian Christians are fasting right now from all animal products.  They fast for 55 days and break the fast at about 2:00 am Easter morning.  We can hear them singing prayers from our bedroom window.  It is amazing.

Here are a few pictures from the church:

The Ethiopian Orthodox Pope was at the church when they visited:

The day ended with a trip to a traditional Ethiopian restaurant.  Thankfully, I was feeling better and was able to attend.  They served a wonderful meal and had traditional dancing and singing from different regions of Ethiopia.  It was amazing.  I cannot even begin to imagine how they move their bodies that quickly.  They spent about 30-45 minutes just on dances from Gonder, where Mekdes was born.  We videotaped the entire Gonder section and will put some of it up when we return.  It was so special to be able to get a glimpse of Gonder. 

We have really enjoyed our time here.  The people are so beautiful and kind.  It will be bittersweet to leave on Tuesday, knowing that we are taking our daughter away from the people and country of her birth.  She will naturally lose that part of her identity and that makes me sad.  She won’t know Ethiopian heritage like she would if she lived here.  We will do our best to teach her and we hope to bring her back someday, but that is not the same.   

 

Day 8

Well, I was really sick in the middle of the night and threw up.  We decided to chill at the guest house all day.  I was really thankful for all of the meds I brought.  I am feeling better now and I really hope I am back to normal tomorrow, because I don’t want to miss anything else. 

There were five Gladney families here this week and three of them departed tonight.  Two of those families were staying at the Bejoe Guest House with us, so we are now the only family.  It will sure be quiet.  Here is a picture of our house mates:

 Mike, Denise and Gatiso, Michael, myself and Mekdes, Robyn, Ryan and Madabo

More pictures of sweet Sophia Mekdes…

Can you get any cuter?!?!?!

Watching TV with Daddy (with the bib on, of course!)

Day 6

Today we visited the Gladney Care Centers. We got to see where Mekdes lived for almost four months. We got to meet her special mother. My favorite part was meeting eight darling children and loving on them for their parents. It was so special to hold them and tell them mommy and daddy would be coming soon. If you are one of these families I promise to send you pictures as soon as I can when we get home. My email is not letting me attach any photos, and I obviously can’t post them here. Your children are precious and are being loved on until you can hold them forever. I am crying as I type this because adoption is such a beautiful thing and I feel so honored to have met these children whose parents have fallen in love with them through photos and updates. I wish everyone could experience something so amazing.

It was strange to be in the exact spot our daughter was just a few days ago. We looked at the crib and thought of what it was like for her there. They took her and changed her into a traditional Ethiopian outfit. The picture below is of her with her “special mother”. Her special mother is the woman who took care of her the most while she was in Gladney’s care. Please ignore the red and black onesie underneath…not so much traditional Ethiopian!

They also have a traditional coffee ceremony at the care center and they brew the coffee and pop popcorn. Here is a picture from the ceremony:

We snuck away during part of the ceremony to visit the Gladney doctor. Mekdes has not been feeling well and we wanted to have it checked out. She sounded awful last night while she was sleeping. She was really struggling to breath. She has had a cough and a runny nose all day. He said he was pretty sure she had pneumonia again. He wrote a prescription and we gave her the first dose tonight. I hope she feels better soon and I also hope she doesn’t spit it all up, as she spits up large quantities at least 32 times a day….I wish I was kidding!

After the ceremony we all went to a restaurant called Top View. It was great food and was nice to get to know the other families, as well as the in-country staff, a little more. The view was great. Here is a pic from the restaurant:

We came home and we were all three drained. Here is a picture of how Mekdes felt. I realize she is experiencing MAJOR pattern overload, but I was trying to keep her warm and the bib is a must with the large amounts of spit-up!

This picture is of her bundled up in a blanket:

Tomorrow morning we have our Embassy appointment at 9:00 am. This is the final step before they issue her visa. We then tour a church at 3:00 pm and go to a traditional Ethiopian dinner, with dancing (them not us). She will only be attending the Embassy appointment with us, so we have to leave her with a caregiver for a while. Sad face. I probably will not blog tomorrow, but should have plenty of time to do so Friday.

I have so many pictures of Addis and will post them when I get home. It is taking me FOREVER to upload pictures and I have to pay by the hour. I promise to overload you with pictures of lots of insane construction, animals in the middle of the road and the people of Ethiopia.

Day 5

We ventured out into the city to do some shopping. It was our first time leaving the guest house, and our first time seeing Ethiopia during the day. Wow, this is one crowded city. There are cars and people everywhere. I’ve heard how insane the driving is, and it is true. Our driver, Beky did an awesome job of getting us safely to our destinations. We went to a little strip of shops first and got some neat souvenirs. After that Beky took us to a coffee shop, which he said is the BEST in town. He and Michael had coffee, but I opted out, since I am not a coffee drinker. Michael absolutely loved it. When we left there was a family who followed us to our car and the little girl was begging for money. It was so hard to look at this girl, who was probably 5 years old and think that it could have been Mekdes. She could have been begging on the streets. I don’t mean this to come across as a “Thank goodness, we saved this little girl” attitude. We DO NOT feel this way. She is the biggest blessing to us and it hurts to think about her living in such poverty. When we got home I just held her and cried.

Beky and Michael at the coffee shop.

After the coffee shop we went to the Leprosy Hospital. It is a beautiful compound where people with leprosy make tablecloths, scarves, crosses, dresses, etc. and they sell them in a shop. It was an amazing place and we loved supporting them, so we might have gone a little overboard on our purchasing.

Workers at the Leprosy Hospital

Shop at Leprosy Hospital

Here are some pictures of Mekdes from Day 5:

Mekdes in her new purple outfit Grandma bought her.

She LOVES bath time!

The princess in pink.

Day 4

We had a pretty chilled day today. Mekdes woke up around 1:30 am and wasn't too happy. We figured out she was just really gassy and we were able to give her some medicine and put a little pressure on her belly to get the gas out. She slept the rest of the night and woke up very happy and smiley at 8:00 am. The other two families met their sons today. It was nice to see it firsthand and reflect on the emotions we had just experienced the day before. The power went out in the middle of the night and was out all day. They turned the generator on, so we now have power. We really spent the entire day hanging out with her and taking lots of pictures, of course. It is strange to be so disconnected from the world, and yet a huge blessing.

So, what you are really here for...pictures!!!



She loves to be on her belly!

Mekdes loves bath time! The bathrobe was a gift from grandma.

And she absolutely loves her daddy!

update

Oh my goodness. We have gotten the sweetest pictures over the past few days. Beka very generously delivered a little package to our sweet girl when she was there to meet her precious son. She took three beautiful pictures of her and then surprised us with a short little video. She is spitting up during most of it and looks pretty overwhelmed, but we LOVE it! It is so nice to see her moving. Beka wrote this description of her:

“Your sweet M. is a beautiful baby. I touched her and talked to her...didn't want to pick her up because she looked very content and I didn't want to mess with that :). She was wearing the sweetest little cardigan. She is even more beautiful in real life! She has a sweet soul. Seems very happy and content. She even gave a little grin for the camera. I love those gummy baby smiles!!!”

We also received an update from Gladney. It included a great picture of her with her thumb in her mouth and showed off her big brown eyes. This is what the update said about her:

“This little doll is quick to smile with the slightest interaction. The smallest brush of the cheek or pat on the tummy elicits wide grins and kicking feet. And, I believe, she’s already pretty ticklish! I just sort of casually tickled her little ribs today and got quite the giggle for such a little one. What a doll!”

It has now been five weeks since our world changed. It seems like such a long time ago when we first saw our daughter. We are absolutely in love with her and each day we go without her stings a little. We know she is in great hands and we can tell from the pictures and the descriptions just how happy she is. We are so blessed to have these.

Three families received court dates for February 16!!! There are only two families ahead of us now on the unofficial list. Any day now… any day.

three months old

Our daughter is three months old today. We wish we could be there with her, but we know she is in good hands. It is nice that we can rest easy knowing that the staff at the Gladney Care Center is taking such great care of her.

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Congratulations to all of the families who received court dates and referrals this week. There is nothing quite like finding out about your child for the first time. I know Michael and I will never forget that moment. I am sure finding out you have a court date is exciting too. I would certainly love to find out. Hopefully we will hear something next week!!!

an update

We received our very first update on baby M. yesterday!!! Oh my goodness, she has grown a lot! The measurements we received with her referral, which were taken on December 8, were 7.9 pounds and 19.7 inches long. She was almost 7 weeks on December 8. The measurements taken on January 14, at 12 weeks old, were 10.1 pounds and 20.9 inches long. We are so grateful that Gladney updates us every two weeks.

In addition to the information about her growth and development, we received a picture of her. The picture brought tears to my eyes the moment I saw it. She has the biggest grin on her face. She looks so happy, which makes our hearts swell.

The update came with mixed emotions. We were so happy to see her and read about her development. However, it really made us realize how much we are missing. We are happy she is growing, but everyday that goes by is another day we will spend without her. We can’t wait for the day that we can spend every moment with her. Soon we will go from seeing one picture of her every two weeks, to holding her in our arms. Heaven.

ouch!

I just scheduled the appointment for our travel vaccinations. Gladney suggests we get vaccinated for the following:

Yellow fever
Hepatitis A and B
Tetanus
Typhoid
Meningitis

The grand total for vaccinations for the both of us is $804!!!! They told me they were going to give us receipts with codes on them and we could file it with our insurance, but that they do not accept insurance. I scheduled the appointment for next Wednesday, but when I told the lady on the phone that it was my husband’s birthday, she made me change the appointment. She said he shouldn’t have to come on his birthday! We are going next Thursday instead.

So, for any adoptive families who have traveled or will soon travel, I have a couple of questions:

1. Did you get vaccinated for all five? (We will not be traveling outside of Addis)

2. Did you find a place that accepted insurance?

grease, sweat, and a small bundle

Well, tomorrow makes three weeks since we received our referral. What a whirlwind it has been. We went straight into 12 days of extreme busyness. We had a production of Grease with our 7th-12th grade students. We spent 15-17 hours at the theatre most days. It was really hard to not be able to spend hours a day just thinking about our little girl and getting ready for her arrival. Our students did a great job with the show and we are so proud of them. Living life with kids who are passionate about something is such a joy. I have to get on my soapbox and say that parents need to make sure their kids are passionate about something. If they don’t have interests and passions when they are kids, they will not, in my opinion, transition into adulthood as easily as those who already know what it means to be passionate. They will be lost. This is just my 2 cents.

Here are a few pics from the show. This is a glimpse into our world. This is the world where talented, driven and dedicated teenagers live and the world where hairspray, sweat and a musty theatre, smells like home. This is the world of musical theatre.

(This '66 Mustang convertible was loaned to us, by a guy we didn't even know. Amazing!)

This week a special little package is going to be hand delivered to our little girl by sweet Beka. She is in Ethiopia right now meeting her son for the first time. We are so thankful that she would be kind enough to take a package with her and to take pictures of our daughter.

My sister got little M. some clothes to go in the small bundle. Aren’t they cute? We also sent a photo album with pictures of us and some of her family members. It didn’t photograph well, so I didn’t include a picture.

Michael and I are really feeling a strong desire to go get her. We have no clue how long it will be before we get to hold her. Several people have gotten really quick court dates lately, but that doesn’t mean we will. There is so much we have to do to prepare for her arrival and to prepare to travel. Sometimes, I just don’t even know where to begin. This waiting is MUCH harder than spending over 11 months waiting for our referral. It has only been three weeks, so I can’t imagine what three months will feel like.

REFERRAL!!!!!

Today was THE day. THE call. It was THE day our lives changed. Today we saw the face of our sweet daughter. She is precious and we love her. She is two months old and is described as “a tiny bundle of sweetness!” We can’t post any pictures or her name online, until we pass court. Trust me, she is adorable. Her name begins with an M.

The feeling is surreal. It doesn’t feel like it has really sunk in. We decided to change our referral request from two children to an infant girl the week of Thanksgiving. She was brought to the orphanage on November 26, Thanksgiving Day. As we were thinking about the future of our family and making some big decisions, her birth mother made a very big decision too. We feel God’s hand in all of this and we feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be able to call little Miss M. our daughter.

We will now wait for a court date, which can take one to three months. After we pass court, which might not happen on the first try, we will travel within 2-5 weeks to pick her up. We hope to be holding her and kissing her squishy cheeks within 3-6 months!!!

My Grandy

My life changed this weekend. My Grandy went to be with Jesus on Friday, December 11 at 10:30 pm. My life will never be the same without him in it. He was an incredible man who loved the Lord and adored his family. He was precious. My mom describes her daddy as generous. He was generous with his time, his money, with everything. I think that really sums him up. I don’t think I will ever know a more generous person.

He was born in 1919 and he and my grandmother were married for almost 66 years. He spent his entire marriage putting her first. He had a passion for children and orphans. He worked for the Baptist General Convention in the Department of Child Care. He made sure that Oklahoma Baptist children were taken care of.

I have always felt that our adoption is a great fit for our family, because of his great work for the betterment of the lives of children and orphans. I wanted so desperately to be able to tell him he was a great-grandfather. I wanted to see him play with our daughter and see the huge smile on his face as he held her. He had a great laugh and I wanted to hear him laugh with delight as she entertained him. Unfortunately, these things will never happen.

He spent six days lying in his nursing home bed, slowly dying. We knew it was going to happen. He had a stroke on Sunday and they were unable to give him any food or water after Monday morning. He slept most of the week, but would open his eyes on occasion. During one of those moments, when I was all alone with him, I told him of his great-granddaughter in Ethiopia. I told him that we didn’t know who she was yet, but that he was a great-grandfather already.

My Grandy’s legacy will live on. He has impacted the lives of thousands of people and those people will carry on his legacy, his work, his love, his generosity and his patience. He made the world a better place. All you have to do is ask any of the people whose life he made better. They will tell you stories of Judson Cook and how their life wouldn’t be the same without him.

As sad as I am, this is a happy day. He is celebrating in Heaven with his family. He was the last of nine brothers and sisters to pass away. His father died when he was nine years old. The family is finally back together. When I told this to one of my 16 year old students she said, “So, it’s beautiful.” She said it perfectly. It is BEAUTIFUL.

My uncle wrote the obituary, which is very personal and highlights his life and work. I would love for everyone to read it and learn more about the work of my Grandy. Click here to read his obituary.

My Grandy hugging me at my wedding 6.5 years ago.

Another picture from my wedding, which I just love.

vintage finds

A few weeks ago I was spending a leisurely Saturday morning visiting estate sales in search of office furniture and wall décor for our businesses new location. I happened to stumble upon some cute vintage items for our babes.

The first is a Fisher Price magnetic letter tray. I remember playing with one of these when I was little, so I love the idea of our kids doing the same.

I also stumbled upon some brightly colored cafeteria trays. My sister told me a few months ago that she thought it would be cute to serve lunch to our kiddos on trays like these. So when I saw these for 50 cents each, I got ten! I will be able to use them when my nieces and nephews come over too.

We have now been on the waiting list for 32 weeks. There is only one family waiting for siblings in front of us on the unofficial list. The clock is tickin’. We could get our referral anytime…..or it could still be months. There is no way of knowing. I am excited for the families who have recently received referrals and can’t wait to find out about our children.