Pictures at Home with Crew

Since we have been home

We are so happy to be home and be reunited with our children.  It has been wonderful to see our kids interact with Crew and fully enjoy their little brother.  Crew has done amazingly well.  He has smiled a lot and enjoyed playing with new toys.  He has not acted over stimulated but we have tried to keep him in the house with just us as much as possible.  Sleeping has been our only struggle.  Crew sleeps well during the day but wants to be awake all night.  We think he has his days and nights confused since Ethiopia is eight hours ahead of us.  He will sleep from 8 to 11 p.m. and then be up every hour or more after this until he gets up for the day around 4 to 5 a.m.  We have also been struggling with rocking him to sleep.  We have been big proponents of letting our children cry themselves to sleep at nap and nighttime but have been told his isn't good for attachment.  So we a rocking Crew to sleep and then transferring him to his crib.  Well he is really good at going to sleep but then waking immediately up when we put him in the crib.  This leaves me feeling frustrated and it has taken me an hour at bad times to put him to sleep.  This is fine with Justin home but when he goes back to work next week and I have two other children to care for I'm going to have to decide what to do.  I know we will just have to figure each other out and decide what is best for attachment and my sanity so until then I guess I will be rocking and praying he stays asleep when I put him in the crib. 

Yesterday I took Crew to the doctor for a check up.  He looked at Crew and did not say a whole lot expect that he was impressed at how he was standing up and moving around.  He saw fluid behind his ears and a lot of stuff in his nose but thought his chest sounded okay.  We have a follow up visits in two weeks to see if it clears up by itself without the help of antibiotics.  We were sent home with a kit to collect Crew's stool to see if he has parasites which is very common for children over there.  We will also be doing a lot of blood work soon to look at HIV, Hepatitis, and TB.  What fun things Crew gets to look forward to.  I asked our doctor about giving Crew Melatonin to help him get his days and nights straight.  He said we could so I ran out and got him liquid Melatonin and I am happy to report that Crew slept from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. with just getting up at 11 p.m. and then again at 11:30 p.m. for a short while.  Justin and I feel much better. 

Thanks for following along on our adoption adventure with us.  We were told this is the end of the beginning of the adoption process as our paperwork is finally done but now we are starting our adventure as a family of five.  I can't wait to report all the fun things we do together and how Crew grows and changes.    

Flight home

On Friday night at 10:15 p.m. we left Ethiopia on a 17 hour adventure to Washington DC airport.  Crew did well with not crying uncontrollably until the last 1/2 hour of the flight.  Although he slept much less than I expected.  He fell asleep as soon as the plane took off and slept for about 6 hours waking up once for a feeding.  After this six hours he barely slept so it was me constantly entertaining him, keeping him from grabbing my food or drink, and sleeping short 1/2 hour naps when he did.  Crew still does not prefer Justin so handing him over to him would just make him cry more.  He did enjoy some short time playing with toys on the seat in between us (we bought Crew a seat to help my sanity).  Crew did sleep on his seat for those six hours he slept but he is so mobile that he kept trying to roll off.  So the only way I slept for three hours was laying on the seat next to him trying not to fall off the seat.  Again we found that Ethiopians do not like children crying so a women next to me was giving me parenting advice on how to calming Crew down and held him for a short while when he screamed.  To me he was just tired and probably did not like looking at the same scenery for that long.  There were several other families bringing home their children around us so we all bonded together and tried to enjoy the ride as much as possible.  I could not have been more excited when we finally landed in DC and made it past the immigration officer without any problem.  Crew was officially a US citizen once we landed on US sole.  It was such a great feeling.  We landed in DC at 8:30 a.m.  (local time our time it was about 3:00 p.m.).  We then flew into Ohare Airport at 1:30 p.m. and drove home to arrive in Bloomington at 4:30 p.m.  On the way home Crew finally slept which we were grateful since it was his first time in a car seat and we weren't sure how he would react.  I looked at him and just could not believe it had finally happened.  I had been praying and thinking about Crew for about ten years now and I could not believe he was finally here.  I was thinking about all the great things he will get to experience here in the US but the most important that he will be brought up in a Christian home where he will hopefully know Jesus as his personal savior at a young age.  I can't wait to see what God has his store for our little man.  I was also reminded what a guide told us about our Ethiopian heritage.  He said that we (meaning Justin and my self) are also Ethiopian in culture because of having Crew in our lives.  This made me really think about how this is true.  Crew will not only be Ethiopian or American.  He is Ethiopian American so we will have to do our part for him to know what that means and that it is important to us as well.  We look forward to the adventure that lies ahead of us as we parenting three children and adjust to having a 9 month old in our house that is not familiar with, his surroundings, or the English language.     

Friday's blog

We did not get a chance to blog on our last day in Ethiopia.  Justin in his efficiency with packing had us all packed up by 4:00 p.m. for a 10:15 p.m. flight so we did not have access to the computer.  Friday was our last day in Ethiopia.  We decided to go to one of the mountains to enjoy the view and hear about some Ethiopian culture.  Our driver took us up to the top of the mountain called Entoto Mountain.  We looked around at two churches and a palace that one of the Emperors lived a long time ago.  One of the churches was the first church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  It was tiny in size and we would not have recognized it as a church unless our driver had pointed it out to us.  There was a museum on top of the mountain inside one of the old churches.  A guide took us around and explained what each item was.  There were a lot of clothing wear by previous Emperors and crosses made with pure gold or various metals.  There were also the four gospels: Mathew, Mark, Luke & John, written out in Amharic on parchment paper.  The view was pretty neat but it was a cloudy day so we could not see as much as you could on a clear day.  It was still neat to look over the city.  
After lunch, we were taken to the location that Crew was abandoned.  I wanted to be able to take pictures of the location that Crew was probably born near.  There was another family with us so they were nice enough to video tape and take pictures for us so that Justin and I could just walk around and soak it all in.  I felt immediately emotional as soon as I got out of the van which I didn't expect.  I felt overwhelmed with sadness thinking about Crew lying next to the road alone before a police officer found him.  I also felt sad for Crew's biological mother.  The fact that she will never have the privilege to see Crew grow up and what a sense of desperation she must have felt to leave Crew on the street (if she was the one that abandoned him).  I pray that if she is alive that God will give her a sense of peace about Crew that he is okay and will be taken care of.  The area was well populated so I'm sure Crew was found fairly quickly.  It did not look as bad of an area that I was thinking but I guess there is a slum right behind the butcher shop that he was left by which is likely he was born in.  I'm glad that we saw the area and pray that if he tell Crew this part of the story when he is a lot older that we will be able to tell him about the desperation of the Ethiopian people when they are literally starving to death.  As a mother I can understand desperation when you see your child literally starving to death.  I don't know if I could stand by and watch that happen either. 

Ethiopian way of life

us and one of our guides

Black maned lion

Lion Zoo

Last night was interesting.  Crew was pretty cranky until midnight when we broke down and fed him early.  He was good after that, but just a very restless sleeper which keeps us awake.  The noise machine was not working as we did not have power much at all last night and that kept Chris up, so not much rest.  It makes us want to come home as soon as we can.  Our trip this morning was to the lion zoo.  It was tiny, but the lions were not.  The cages were small, but we were very close to them.  There is no way the US would let zoogoers that close to the animals.  The Black mane lions were pretty cool.  The male’s mane was very black.  We also saw a baboon open its mouth for people to toss food into.  They have a ton of very large teeth.  During that time, our guide went to the US Embassy to procure Crew’s passport, visa, and mystery envelop for US customs.  We cannot open this envelope.  The US customs officer will open it upon arrival in the US.  That was an exciting moment because these are the documents that confirm his US citizenship and are the last official documents that we need on this trip.  So whether Crew likes it or not, he will be an American as soon as we land on US soil. 

We went to lunch which was a 3 hour experience of mostly waiting.  It was in an art gallery, full of local paintings and sculptures.  The owner and the waiters were extremely helpful and nice.  Crew was very cranky during this time.  I went to the bathroom to change Crew’s diaper.  The owner saw me and took me to his office.  He cleared off this desk and then closed the blinds so we would have some privacy while changing his diaper right on the owner’s desk.  When we came back, Crew was super mad about the diaper change on top of him being cranky already.  All the waiters kept coming over and offering to hold him and play with him to keep Crew from crying.  One of the waiters told me to put him on a dining table by the window.  He moved off the table cloth as Crew was sliding on it.  The waiter played with Crew for 10-15 minutes by making sounds, drumming, and playing games near the open window.  This is a custom we would love to see come to American restaurants. 

After lunch, we went back for more shopping.  Crew and Justin’s favorite past time.  It was also our guide’s favorite as he is there numerous times a week.  We definitely feel like there is a target on our back when we are out in public.  We are either being stared at, asked for food, asked for money, or asked to come into the little shops as you walk by.  Not to mention asked for a shoe shine, or if we want to buy a map or music or etc. you get the idea.  We were able to buy some Ethiopian music at a shop that sold CDs and tapes…yes tons of tapes, which is interesting considering our guide has an iPod.  The clash of technology and culture is very evident.  Justin is hoping that the internet is working in a few hours when the games start.  We are hoping for better sleeping tonight.  We are very excited to fly out tomorrow (expect for the 17 hour flight to DC) and see everyone.

Ethiopian Church from the van

A church where people are coming to pray every day during lent.

Drool

Coffee Bean Roaster

This picture is smokey because the smoke in the room was so thick.

Coffee Factory tour

Coffee Factory tour

Crew has been sleeping through the night with a couple feedings in the middle.  We are feeling pretty rested, especially Justin who seems unable stay awake past 9:00.  We had a leisurely morning before going to a coffee factory for a tour and some coffee.  It was a very informal tour.  It was lead by a gentleman who spoke extremely quietly next to loud machines and English was his 3^rd language.  From what we gathered, Ethiopia grows their coffee in the east and west portions of the country.  It is moved to this plant in the city to be process and roasted.  It is then sorted into groups.  The quality beans are sent to large companies like Starbucks and sold in the US and Europe.  The beans that do not pass the quality test are sold to local merchants and used at coffee shops in the city.  There were tons of ladies that worked there.  The process is extraordinary manual.  In the states, there probably would be 5 people manning the entire place, but there were over 100 women there working and it was a slow day.  We were told that most Ethiopians roast their own beans in pans over an open flame.  Coffee is a large part of the cutler and people are invited to homes for coffee to talk for several hours.

For lunch we enjoyed a nice Mexican meal.  We did not expect them to have Mexican in Ethiopia.  Justin thought the nachos were the best he had ever had.  They had freshly made salsa and guacamole.  We got a little adventurous with that food and so far are living to tell the tale.  This afternoon, we are relaxing and playing with Crew.  We are playing in the dark as its raining and the power is out.  No connection between the two, just makes it dark with no lights and the clouds covering the sun.  We are not sure if you will read this today or not.  The power has been off 50% of the time this week.  They have a generator, but it does not run most of the time.  Crew is starting to feel comfortable with the surrounding living area.  He is starting to play with toys, crawl around, and make some noises.  We are excited to receive the immigration documents tomorrow.  Justin is not comfortable until the process is fully complete and the documents are in hand.

Bath Time

More playing in the common area

Crew playing in our common area

He really likes this table

Our future track scholarship winner for Taylor

Embassy Day

We received a call last night changing our Embassy time from the morning to the afternoon.  That freed up time for us to go shopping in the morning.  Crew as a typical male thought it was boring and slept through most of that time.  I was reprimanded for not having him covered up by a shopkeeper because it was a bit chilly today.  They just don’t understand what cold actually is.  Shopping went very well this time.  We had specific items and knew the surroundings this go around.  It has been raining on and off today, making everything very, very muddy.  The shoe shiners were out in full force, willing to shine any shoe…I did not know tennis shoes needed shining until we stayed here.  We still don’t understand who utilizes the shoe shiners in such a poor country, but they are everywhere. 

After lunch, we went to the US Embassy for our interview.  We waited for about 45 minutes before our interview.  In classic American government style, there were 15 windows to serve people and only 3 of them were staffed.  There was also only 1 person doing interviews.  The US Embassy was very American and if you close your eyes you would think you were at the DMV.  The interviewer was from St. Louis and Justin and he bonded with their love for the Cardinals.  He asked us very basic questions about Crew’s history and about the adoption process.  It was behind glass and there was a loud speaker going off.  It was very difficult to hear him.  He did say the words we were hoping to hear “Your adoption is now finalized in the United States and upon arrival on Saturday, Abenezer will be a US citizen.”  We now have to pick up the final paperwork from the Embassy.  It is a large envelope that cannot be opened until it is handed to a US Customs officer in Washington DC.  Thank you for all the prayers you were pouring up for this appointment.  God answered this prayer very positively.  It is amazing how often we have seen God work and directly answer prayer throughout the adoption process.

Crew has a bit a of fussy day today.  We are figuring out his schedule as the info we received was not accurate on his schedule.  He sleeps pretty well at night, but is a bear from 3-6 in the afternoon.  He is much more of an infant than we would have thought.  He eats only milk (refusing all baby food) and sleeps every couple of hours during the day.  We believe this is just another symptom of him being delayed in his overall development.  This will be something we can remedy as we have consistent time with him in our house.  We gave him his first bath today (not his first ever, just by us).  They gave him an infant bath which we tried to fill in the shower.  He was not a fan.   He liked it for about 30 seconds, then stood up, slipped, and knocked his head against the tub.  He repeated it immediately and caught the shower door the second time.  Needless to say, he cried through the rest of it.  We used our new found Ethiopian baby products and his hair is now super fluffy.  Justin thinks that in 6 months, we could puff it out for a solid mini-fro.  He had a great 2 hours before he went to bed last night.  We learned he can crawl without problem, sit up on his own, and pull himself up on furniture and stand holding on to it unsupported.  That was light years away from when we saw him last, just a few weeks ago.

Another picture of Crew sleeping. He really does more than sleep.

Crew sleeping in his stroller bed. We did not know he was down for the night, but he way. He slept in his Cards uni.

I am going to try to post 1 picture at a time and see if this works.  The connection is not

First full day with Crew

We survived our first night together.  Crew slept from about 6 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. (getting up once to drink a bottle and then go right back to sleep at 11:30 p.m.)  He was able to sleep through us moving around the room which was a nice change from our other kids.  We have had a good day together.  Crew was much happier with us, talked to us, and even laughed some.  I woke up this morning to Crew kicking up his legs in the air.  I guess living in an orphanage teaches you to not cry when you wake up and just lay there until someone gets you.  I wonder if that will change once his daily needs are met by us on a routine basis.  I guess only time will tell.  We went back to the orphanage today to talk the doctor, deliver donation items, and get other paperwork (feeding schedule etc.).  I was a little worried that Crew would start becoming upset again because we were back but he seemed okay.  I never took him back to his room just in case it would set him off.  The meeting with the doctor was informative.  We confirmed our suspicions that Crew needs a helmet.  She called it a triangle shaped head and said it was from malnutrition and that he needed Vitamin D and calcium supplements.  She also said that she did not think the malnutrition affected his brain development so he should have good potential for typical development and learning.  His weight and height are still not on the growth chart but they are going in the right direction.  Crew’s meal menu was very interesting.  They had all different kinds of foods they feed him such as ground beef, pasta, fruit juices, cereal, and mashed potatoes.  However Crew does not seem to be a fan of any of the solid food I brought him.  He seemed to like the sweet potatoes a little bit more than the applesauce but didn’t act thrilled about either one.  We will definitely have to work on that.  After the orphanage we went to lunch at a pizza restaurant.  It was excellent pizza better than what we get in the states.  They also gave us bread with fresh salsa which Justin really enjoyed.  This afternoon we filled out paperwork that we will take to the US Embassy tomorrow to apply for Crew’s VISA.  Crew has kind of struggled since that time.  He cried from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. fighting a nap.  Justin had a brilliant idea to put a blanket over his head (while he rocked him) which put him almost immediately to sleep.  Now I am looking at the sweet sight of them both sleeping together in a chair.  I will have to take a picture when I am finished.  So please pray for us tomorrow for our Embassy appointment.  Pray it all goes smoothly so that we can get Crew’s VISA on Thursday.       

Back in Ethiopia

We are back again in Ethiopia.  We traveled on Saturday into Sunday and arrived at 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning.  We were both feeling pretty tired since we got up at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday morning and basically didn’t get to sleep on Saturday night because we were on the air plane and arrived local time at 8:30 a.m. but it was 11:30 p.m. Bloomington time.  It was nice to know what to expect this time from the flight to navigating the airport.  We were greeted by one of our guides who immediately remembered us and asked us about our safari in Tanzania.  I was impressed with his memory since he interacts with different American couples all the time.  We were brought to the hotel to promptly leave for church.  We attended the same church as last time but it was a little bit of a struggle to keep my eyes open.  Plus the chairs were placed very close together so we were having flash backs of being on the airplane again.  We then went to lunch and then to the orphanage to see Crew.  We were having conflicting reviews from the guides of whether we could take him home with us today or not but we ended up taking him.  We will have to go back tomorrow to see the doctor and receive his daily schedule (feeding, sleeping, etc.).  Crew was a little sad to see us but got over it quickly.  It seemed like he was saying “you guys again; I thought I just got rid of you.”  We took him back to the hotel after a couple hour stay at the orphanage.  His nannies said good bye to Crew with hugs and kisses.  It was very cute to see he would be missed.  He loved the car ride back to the hotel but screamed uncontrollably for about an hour to an hour and a half after arriving at the hotel.  We then gave him a bottle and he has been sleeping ever since.  I hope he does better tomorrow.  Hopefully he sleeps through the night as well.  We will see.  Stay tuned for tomorrow’s entry in our adventures in parenting a newly adopted child.   

Two new pictures of Crew

We got our February update from our adoption agency which includes two new pictures.  These were taken on Feb. 22.  Crew is sitting up now and weighs 16 lbs.  He looks like such a chunk in these pictures.  I can't believe how much he has changed in just one month.  It is amazing.  I can't imagine what he will look like in one year. 

Crew's finally coming home

Our good news finally came. We cleared Embassy today which means we will be traveling back to Ethiopia in two weeks. We will have a US Embassy date of either March 14, 15 or 16 to get Crew's VISA and then we will return with our little guy finally! Praise God. We are so excited.  Lots of packing to do and plans to make. 

Cleared for Embassy

We receive a call from America World today saying we were approved for Embassy the week of 3/14.  For those of you who know Justin it is creating a major inner conflict for him as it is the best week of the year MARCH MADNESS.  They are still confirming the exact day, but we are excited to pick up our little guy and beginning travel plans.