Apples

Yoni and I had a great day today! He woke up around 8:30 and we had breakfast. I pointed out and named some objects for him. Yoni can say mirror now! It sounds like meer but hey, he's only 16 mo's! He scribbled over a coloring page with pictures of things that are red, the main one was an apple! We read and I pointed out everything that was red throughout the day. We went to Iron's fruit farm and were going to pick apples, but apparently they only do that on the weekends. So, we looked at all the animals, pet some goats, and picked up some apples, apple donuts, and some pumpkin butter for daddy. We ate our donut under the tree, then we came home and took a nap. We made jello together and did our first attempt at finger painting. Yoni wasn't sure what to do w/the paint on his hand and the painting was more an attempt to get the paint off! We also dipped some apples in the paint and rolled them around in a box and made a pretty picture! We took a nice walk, had some lunch and then fiddled and played around the house, read a little while we sat in a laundry basket and watched a little veggie tales...took another nap...we tried the finger painting thing again when daddy got home, but he really didn't like it so much this time! He played in his little pool for awhile....We had a great day! I love that little guy soooo much. I can't imagine life without him even though he has only been w/us for such a short time.

Operation fatten Yoni has begun!

Yoni had an appt w/his pediatrician yesterday and this child has still not gained any weight or gotten any taller! The only thing that is growing is his head! The Doc. wants me to start adding fat and cals to his food, such as, using cream instead of milk for mac n cheese or putting butter on his spaghetti, etc. So, I looked a bunch of stuff up on the internet and operation fatten Yoni has begun!! For breakfast I made him an egg made w/2 TB heavy whipping cream, 1 TB butter, and 2 TB of cheese...I don't think there was much egg left after that!! This is what his diet will be like for the next few months...I will probably end up fattening myself up more instead of him!!

3 months home

It's hard to beleive that we have been home for 3 months now w/Yoni and also that it has only been 3 months with Yoni. It feels as if he has always been here! A lot has happened in these past 3 months. We met Yoni for the first time on 5/10 and got to take him with us on 5/11. We all came home on 5/15. Yoni is thriving and is such an amazing little guy. I love him so much and can't imagine life without him. He has adjusted amazingly well and is usually very easy going. He is also very, very smart! Not that I'm bragging here! Yoni can now say about 20 words, stack 3-4 blocks, kick and throw a ball, feed himself (messily!) point to things and communicate what he wants/needs very well. He has had several dr's appts and has been to an orthopedic Dr. at children's for his club foot. He has had 3 casts, a heel cord surgery w/cast for 3 weeks and now has to wear braces on his feet w/a bar between them, 23 hrs a day for 3 mo's and eventually will only have to wear them at night. Yoni is really not digging the braces as he can't walk in them but he gets so happy and giggly when he gets to take them off for his hour of freedom. It is so funny! I have started back to work, which I do not like at all! Yoni isn't a fan either. Yoni also has 6 teeth now with more right behind. He was sleeping well but the day he got his braces on he started screaming every time we put him in his crib and would wake up screaming almost every hour or so. He would scream for over an hour if we let him and was so stressful to all of us, so Tim and I have started letting him sleep in bed with us...this creates other problems but at least we are all sleeping better. We have our 3 mo post placement visit this week along w/an appt to Yoni's pediatrician, so I will be talking w/the social worker and dr. about this If you have any ideas please let me know. I think it may be a result of me going back to work more than anything... but who knows. We have had a great summer playing and going to the zoo, etc. and now that Yoni's cast is off, he can play in the pool. Tim's step mom had a meet the Brakefield family get together so everyone could meet Yoni, Yoni and I went to visit Nana and Poppa in GA while Tim was on a mission trip with his youth group, we have met w/our local Ethiopia group and Yoni has played w/other children from ET. Yoni has had his 1st haircut w/daddy.....it goes on and on...here are some pics since we have been home.

My kid is so stinkin Cute!!

Since we weren't able to have a birthday cake for Yonas for his birthday while we were in ET, I decided to make a little one for him here so that I could have some birthday cake pics!!

Freckles

Sometimes Yonas will take his index finger and put it on a crumb and then put it in his mouth. Today Yonas had his first Doctor's appt in the US. We were in the exam room and I was holding Yonas and he put his finger to one of my freckles and then put his finger in his mouth! He was trying to eat mommy's freckles!! Anyway, I just thought that was hilarious and had to share!

Some pics of Ethiopia

Home Sweet Home

Sun.

We got back from Ethiopia w/Yonas Sat. evening. We have been busy adjusting, trying to catch up on sleep, and Tim and I have been trying to get over what our doctor calls "Montezuma's revenge"! I am going to try to post some pics from our trip and a little about our experience. It may take me a few days to catch up, so please be patient!

We arrived in ET about 11ish Sun. eve. We were picked up by T and David, both are great guys! We exchanged our $ at the airport, there was no line while we were there so thought it would be easiest. We didn't have any major issues, the visa processing went w/o any probs. The trip was long and tiring but pretty uneventful. We had more trouble figuring out where we needed to go in the airport at Dulles then in Ethiopia. When we arrived at the Guest house, we unpacked a little, took showers and went to bed. Our room was on the 4th floor and by the end of our trip I really hated those steps! The room was very nice w/a living room area, kitchenette, and 2 bedrooms w/baths. We did not have to share a room. I don't know how we swung this b/c all the other families did.

Mon.

We met the other families at breakfast then went with T to the Hilton to do our paperwork and have lunch. We met Duni there and got packets with information about our children's routines, medical information, vaccinations, etc. We then went to the Transition Home to meet our children. All up us were very nervous and excited. We were the first family and we moved up to the front of the line to get our son and they then said that Yonas was at the dr's and would be back soon. We were disappointed and began to move back while the Farris family moved to the front. A nanny brought out a little boy that looked like Yonas w/o hair. Both our families stopped and looked around b/c he looked like our son but they were telling us it wasn't him and they thought that it didn't look like their son, but they were telling them it was! Finally the nanny said that it was Yonas. Yonas was very upset. He has been at the TH since he was 4 mo's old and is very attached to his nanny's and his surroundings there. Tim and I tried everything to comfort him but he would not stop crying. We finally ended up taking Yonas back to his room and staying in their w/him. Yonas calmed down immediately and fell asleep in my arms. We spent the whole afternoon there w/him. It was great! We also met w/the TH doctor. After that the women went to the spa for some pampering and then we went all went out for a traditional Ethiopian meal w/singing and dancing. They had great food and entertainment.

We are coming Yonas!!

We just got the call this morning, totally unexpectedly. We were cleared by the embassy to travel to ET and pick up Yonas!! We will be leaving Sat. morning!! Talk about crazy! I just can't wait to hold my baby boy!!

All Thumbs!

My Poor Baby! Yonas was playing with a friend the other day and accidentally got his hand slammed in a door. The poor little guy had his first trip to the ER! Yonas got stitches in his thumb! They took this picture when he got back to the TH (transition home). They also took an X-ray to make sure he doesn't have any broken bones. I wish I was there and could kiss his little thumb and make it all better :( This being thousands of miles a part just isn't working for me anymore.....

Nesting

I think that I am nesting...yesterday I made a hearty crock pot meal, Ethiopian honey bread (it's now a house necessity!), home made granola, and I started washing all my cloth diapers for the baby! Hopefully, this means we will travel soon! Yonas, we are ready to bring you home, we are just waiting for the word go!! We love you, you precious baby boy. Eh wed eh hallo, ye ney leej!! I know that is not how you spell it and I'm sure I didn't get the sentence structure right but it is supposed to say I love you, my son, in Amharic!

Ethiopian Honey Bread

I made this bread the other day and it was amazing! Our friends, A & S, say that the typical Ethiopian Honey Bread is a little denser, has more spices, and no milk or eggs. However, they said it was very close and tasted even better than what they have made or had before. So, I am gonna stick with my recipe!

Ethiopian Honey Bread
Ingredients
1 Tbsp active dry yeast -1 packet
1/4 C warm water
3Tbsp egg white
1/3 C honey ( I used whipped honey b/c it is what I had on hand and it was so good I will keep using it!)
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp sea salt
1 C warm milk ( I used 1%)
6 Tbsp melted light margarine
5 C white whole wheat flour (I just used regular all purpose flour)

Directions
In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Let stand 3 min. then stir to dissolve.

Set in a warm place 5 min, should double in volume. If it doesn't, repeat procedure (mine sat for about 10 min).

Combine egg whites, honey, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a deep bowl, mixing until smooth.

Add yeast mixture, milk, and 5 Tbsp melted margarine. Beat until well blended (I just mixed w/a spoon). Stir in 4 -4 1/2 c flour (1/2 c at a time), until it is too stiff to stir. (You may not need all of the flour- I didn't).

On a lightly floured surface, knead daugh. Add remaining flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Knead about 5 min.

Place in a large, greased bowl. Cover w/a damp cloth and let sit in warm place for 90 min.

Grease baking sheet w/ 1 Tbsp margerine (I used shortening).

Punch down dough and knead again for 3 min.

Shape into a round (I braided mine), and place on baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 325.

Let dough rise 10 min while oven preheats.

Bake 1 hour until top is crusty and light golden brown.

New Pics!

Thank you Connelly Family for delivering our care package and loving on our little man!

We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life.
But those who make their journey home across time and miles,
growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them,
are carried on the wings of destiny and place among us
by God's very own hands.
---Kristi Larson

My Montage 3/25/10 at OneTrueMedia.com

We got the long awaited call this morning that we passed court and Yonas is officially ours. It will still be a little while before we can go to pick him up but what's a little more wait!! Here is a beginning stages collage of our little guy!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Court Date!

We finally have a court date!!! Yeah!!! We are so excited. Our court date is 3/25/10. Please, pray that we pass court the first time w/o any problems so we can travel as quickly as possible to finally pick up our son!

News

Well, since we last posted, Asher had gotten sick with pneumonia, as well as many of the other children at the TH. He was treated with an antibiotic and is now done with his meds and is over the pneumonia and reportedly doing well. We also just received word today that all of our paperwork has now been signed off on, which reportedly is a miracle in and of itself. More information to come on that topic another time. We are being told that it will probably be about 2-3 more weeks before we get a court date, however. Our agency will petition the courts for an expedited court date for us as we have been waiting so long. So, please keep us in your prayers and hopefully we will have a court date for mid-late March and pass the first time. Please also pray for our friends the Heddleson’s as they have been waiting even longer and going through many of the same issues to bring their son home. We just found out that they did not pass court today due to a paperwork issue and they are very, very frustrated and heartbroken. Our agency is trying to get them another court date tomorrow.

January Update!

Well, we received our January update of Asher. He is almost 9 mo's, weighs 15 lbs and can crawl and pull himself up to stand. He is eating cereal/pastini, and mashed fruits and vegetables in addition to formula. He is becoming such a big boy! and he is so incredibly gorgeous! I just can't wait to hug him and kiss him and love on him. I don't think I will be able to put him down for at least a year!! I think me and Tim will be fighting over who gets to hold him! I can't wait until we can post pics of him and show you his gorgeous little face! Please keep us in your prayers as the wait is really beginning to seem unbearable.

Dream

I dreamt of Asher last night!! I think about him constantly but this morning I dreamt of him for the first time! It was so wonderful I didn't want to wake up. Tim and I were bathing him, cuddling with him, and caring for him. It was perfect. I just can't wait to hold him in my arms and kiss him all over! My mom also had a dream of Asher last week and said that he is coming home soon. Hopefully, she is right and that all this waiting will end and we can have him home with us.

update

Hello everyone, sorry that I have not posted anything in a long time. We are still waiting to get a court date and pick up our son. Basically, there was an investigation in the part of Ethiopia that our son is from in November. (no concerns w/our case or agency) Since then, they have resolved this issue, however, movement in the area has been a bit slow and they are still working on things. So, at this time we are still waiting for things to be taken care of and for a court date. We don’t know when this will happen, but rest assured that we will let everyone know when it does. At first, both Tim and I were heartbroken by the additional wait and unknown’s. However, we both knew that all kinds of things can happen and come up in adoption, especially international adoptions. It was very hard for us to even think about this, much less write or talk about it. However, we both have faith that God has a plan for us and our son and that He will see this to completion. That faith has never waivered and will not. We know that this is true. We have been trying to keep busy and pray and during this time. Our son is almost 9 mo’s old and at the last update weighed 15 lbs and is doing well. We know that the Transition Home for our agency is taking very good care of him and we are all ready to go, whenever all the issues are taken care of and we pass court. We can’t wait to hold our son and kiss him all over. Please continue to pray for us and our son. We will try to update more often.