Paris

In two days in Paris, we have seen:




























But, what we really want to see is:

Packing

What do two people pack for a 16-day adoption adventure with stops in Paris, Dubai and Addis Ababa? An adventure that will include traveling home with a six-month-old baby girl? The list includes:



120 diapers

baby wipes

baby wash

diaper cream

6 bottles

2 cans of formula

$200 worth of baby clothes to donate to orphanage

12 outfits for our baby

baby blanket

camera

laptop

toiletries

clothes for 2 adults

shoes

medicines

reading material

adoption documents

etc.



We managed to pack all of this and more into:

Ta-da! Pretty amazing, right? We were able to carry everything on the plane with us. No checked bags. No worrying about lost luggage. It can be done.

Update on Sister

"Yidnekat is continuing her healthy growth, both physically and developmentally. She is now comfortable sitting on her own, and enjoys the position thoroughly. She likes to keep an eye on what is going on around her. She loves to be held, but is also okay by herself. She is doing great."

Take a look at that hair! She's no longer a bald baby. We also found out she weighs about 15 lbs. Baby Sister is getting big...hope the clothes we have for her fit!

Revelation

It really dawned on me yesterday that a baby will be coming home with us from Ethiopia. A baby who needs a car seat installed in the car, and a stroller that is assembled. And diapers, bottles and clothes. My heart has been ready to receive this baby for over a year, but my head is just now getting used to the idea of a real, living, breathing, little person in our house.

Yidnekat

Referral Photo

October

November

Success!

We had a successful day in court. Yidnekat is officially our baby. We'll travel the first week of January to bring her home. Thanks for all the positive thoughts and prayers. More pictures to come!

Big Days

Baby Sister is six months old today. Tomorrow is our court date. It's hard to think about anything else. Please keep Sister in your thoughts and prayers.

Memories

Our boys both celebrate birthdays in December. We started a tradition a couple of years ago - around the boys' birthdays, we pull out their baby books and look at the pictures and reminisce. The boys love to hear stories about when they were "little," and Chip and I get to take a walk down memory lane. Its a wonderful family exercise because it reminds us how very fortunate we are to have each other. Tonight, after we perused the pages of the boys' books, Chip pointed out that we'll need to get a baby book for Sister. I felt excited and a little sad at the prospect. Excited because we get to make new memories with our baby, and sad because we've missed sharing her first six months.

Our court date is fast approaching - four more days to wait. Please send positive thoughts and prayers our way. We need to start making some memories with Sister!

December Update

We received an update on our baby. Her most recent picture is adorable. She has bright eyes and a beautiful smile. This is what the agency rep had to say:

“[Sister] has become much more comfortable upright than she ever has before. This is probably a direct correlation to her terrific growth and the strong development of her muscles! She has grown almost 1.5 lbs since her last update, and she carries it well. I've mentioned that her grip is very strong. Well, she proved it when she held onto my fingers as I pulled her to sitting! She even lifted her entire body up when she was on her stomach. That is just one example of how she has grown in the past few weeks! Her eyes followed me around the room, and her attention stayed with me throughout our entire playing time. She has started to use her voice as well, which is great, and she can say ah-goo and other assorted vowel-consonant combinations. I should mention that [Sister] has one of my most favorite smiles of all the kids, because when she smiles, she also buries her face in the blankets!"



Now we hope and pray that our court date goes well and that Sister and all the other children in the foster center stay healthy.