In Ethiopia

We arrived in Ethiopia at 8 AM this morning.  Our flight was as good as could be expected.  The flight wasn't full so we had an empty seat next to us.  This is a blessing on a 14+ hour flight!!!  Especially one on which none of the TVs in front of your row of seats are working so you can't watch any movies.  Unfortunately, I still couldn't sleep, but I did, at least, lay down and try.  Unfortunately, one of the couples from our travel group were attempting to fly out of Vermont in a snow/ice storm and their flights were all canceled.  They tried to rearrange flights as best they could, but ended up driving to Montreal in order to be able to catch a flight to Germany so they could make a flight to ET.  They were to arrive on the same flight that we were on this morning, but instead will be arriving here soon.  We are happy that they were able to arrive on the same day, just later in the day.

It is Timkat in Ethiopia today (and for the next 2 days).  If you don't know what that is, you can read about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timkat
We went out and drove through Addis today to see some of the processions, then we went to the main festival site and walked around, watched the festivities, talked with some of the children, tried some new foods (pray for no ill effects), and just generally LOVED seeing this amazing time of worship.  I can't upload pictures here, but I will post pictures and videos when we are home (and recovered).

Tomorrow, we are traveling north of Addis to Debre Libanos, and to a variety of other sites along the way.  I can't wait!  Then, we will get to start our time with our sweet Markos on Friday!  Really can't wait for that!!

We met some other adoptive couples at the airport and at our guest house.  I can't begin to tell you how incredibly awesome it is to be amongst this group of people, to share this love, to share this experience.  Despite these new people being with two other agencies, their hearts are the same.  My old MOPS friends, you remember how you teased me when I found out I was pregnant with Daniel when Mackenzie started school and you teased me that I only got pregnant so I could stay in MOPS with all of you?  Well.....if we would decide to adopt again, it will not be solely for that reason, but I have to say, it certainly doesn't hurt!!  :-)

Love to you all from Ethiopia!

Introducing Markos!!

Wooooo hooooo!!! The moment that many of you have been waiting for! We're finally on our way to pick up our son and are therefore allowed to publicly share pictures. Enjoy!!

This is the very first picture taken when Markos entered care. It was taken in Wolayta at the orphanage there. Unfortunately, when they first opened, their digital camera usage or camera was poor and all the pictures received from there were these tiny little images.


Thankfully, Markos was moved to Addis fairly quickly so we also received these 2 pictures with his referral packet:




Our first picture update:


Our second set of update pictures:




Finally, a few pictures from our first trip to Ethiopia:




(this is not the greatest picture of me, but look at his big, beautiful, brown eyes!)




Can't wait to share many more happy, smiley pictures of Markos in the future!

Prayers Please

I can hardly believe that we are approaching the end of this adoption process journey (and the beginning of our new life with 3 kids!). What a crazy, crazy trip it's been! And, yet, despite the ups and downs; the many, many tears shed; the mid-process changes; the frustrations; and the seemingly endless waiting; one thing has been amazing to me throughout it all -- the peace that we've had the majority of the time. Definitely a peace that passes all understanding. Definitely a peace that only comes from our God. So, thank you for all your prayers thus far, and thank you in advance for praying for us over the next few weeks as we travel to Ethiopia again. We rest in the knowledge that our God is in control.

Many people told me that they appreciated the break-down of our days with regards to specific prayer requests that I did on the blog for our first trip, so I thought I'd do it again for this trip. Here is our itinerary and some specific prayer requests:

Monday, January 17th - Please pray for my dad as he travels to our house to stay with the kids, also that we would get all the packing and preparations completed!

Tuesday, January 18th - Please pray for our flights and that there would be no delays or cancellations due to weather; also pray for my dad as he manages the kids schedules, packs lunches, prepares meals, etc.; and pray for the kids - that they would also have peace (and fun with Pappy - not that that is ever really much of a problem though).

Wednesday, January 19th - Please pray that we arrive safely in Addis, and that our luggage does as well. Also pray for a good day and safe travels that day in Ethiopia. We are in the process of arranging a possible day trip to the south of Addis, or visits around the capital to see a variety of other agencies, orphanages, etc.

Thursday, January 20th - Please pray for the bulk of our travel group who will be arriving late this evening, that they would arrive safely. Also, pray for Eric and I and our travel friends who will be accompanying us north of Addis on a day trip.

Friday, January 21st - Please pray for our time with Markos. We should spend a majority of this day with him at his orphanage, learning his routine and his likes/dislikes, etc. Pray that Markos would be comforted and would also feel peace in this transition. **Back on the home front, please pray for my mom as she travels to our house to meet up with my dad for the remainder of the trip. Pray for no snow as she travels over the mountain because she is not a fan of driving in the snow.

Saturday, January 22nd - Pray again for our additional time with Markos at the care center. Also that we would have clarity of mind to ask the questions that we need to ask to make our transitions easier.

Sunday, January 23rd - Please pray for us as we travel 7 hours south, close to the area where Markos was born and raised for the first 3 years of his life. Also, please, please, please pray for our meeting with Markos' birth father. My heart hurts at the thought of this meeting. I am scared, anxious, excited, and in awe of the possibility. Please pray for our composure -- that we would not be complete basket-cases who are crying so much that we can't even talk. (seriously, it could happen!) Also, pray that his father attends the meeting. We long to be able to share as much as possible about his family, his birth, his infancy, etc. with Markos as he gets older, but we need his father to show up for this meeting in order to do so.

Monday, January 24th - Please pray for our trip back to Addis, and also for all 3 of us as we take custody!! Pray that we are comfortable in our hotel room with each other, that Markos transitions into our care easily, that we continue to have peace and confidence in our ability to parent once we are all he has! (yikes! what a responsibility!) Also, pray for our ability to communicate with him. We are grateful that we are staying at the same guest house where we stayed for our first trip and that the staff there are AMAZING. We know that they will be helpful with this, but it's still a little scary that we won't speak the same language as our son!

Tuesday, January 25th - Please pray for our U.S. Embassy interview and also for all our travel buddies' interviews. There are a lot of rumors going around right now regarding changes in American policies regarding relinquished children, changes in Ethiopian process, etc. It's scary, but our agency is assuring us that we have nothing to worry about (and yet that won't stop me from feeling called to worry!) ;-)

Wednesday, January 26th - Please pray for Markos and his friends as they say goodbye at the farewell ceremony. :-( Pray for Markos as he again says goodbye to the caregivers who have loved him and cared for him this past year, and as he, once again, has to endure great loss.

Thursday, January 27th (otherwise known as MY 40th BIRTHDAY!) - Please pray for the start of our trip home! Pray that all of Markos' documents from the U.S. Embassy are completed on time and accurate. And, pray for the start of our LONG trip home! We fly out of Addis at 10:15 pm. We have a direct flight to DC, but we will stop in Rome to refuel, we just won't get off the plane.

Friday, January 28th - Please pray that our flights continue to be on time, and go smoothly. Also that Markos is getting along well with us, and that we are able to communicate effectively. Also please pray that everything goes as it should as we go through customs with Markos. After a few hours in Washington, DC, we should arrive in Pittsburgh around 1:15 pm (and hopefully our luggage will arrive there, too).

Of course, we ask for prayers for our kids and parents back home as they attempt to get along without me/fill my shoes. (they're BIG, you know?!) ;-) kidding!

Thank you all for your prayers and your support throughout the journey! Thank you, God, for allowing us to participate in Your Kingdom! Oh, how WE are blessed when we choose to do so!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21

FIVE!

Sing it Elmo! Yes, that's right! We leave in FIVE days!!





Cleaning, packing, preparing. Hoping and praying that all this snow doesn't affect our flights, or my parent's ability to get to our house to stay with the kids!

Eric's and Lori's Birthday Wish List: Water

Warning: This post may seem presumptuous,
but it's a risk we're willing to take.
:-)

As most of you know, we're leaving in NINE days to go back to Ethiopia to pick up Markos and bring him home. We are so very excited to go back to Ethiopia - not just to get Markos, but also to be in Ethiopia again, to travel around and see more of the country, to learn more of the culture, and meet more of the people. There is a part of me that finds it strange that I have such a strong desire to go back to a place that broke my heart the last time I was there; a place where I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I will have my heart broken all over again.

When I look through the pictures from our first trip, in the background of many of the pictures that we took driving through the city -- the CAPITAL city -- I see large yellow plastic water jugs being carried. Being carried by children. Being carried by the elderly. Being carried by women. Being carried up roads so steep that I truly thought that the van we were riding in was NEVER going to make it. Water. Walking and walking for water. And this was in the capital!

On our next trip, we will travel south. South, not quite to where Markos lived, but far enough out to get the idea of how he lived. In rural Ethiopia, women and/or children sometimes walk for hours to get water. Miles & miles to fill that yellow jug with water. Then, they get up the next day and do it again. And the water they walk to get is not clean. It is teeming with parasites and bacteria. It sickens and kills. Here's a few statistics:

• More than 1/2 of Africa has no access to safe drinking water.
• 76% of Ethiopians have no access to safe drinking water.
• Every 19 seconds, a child dies from unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation facilities.

I prayed that I'd be changed by what I saw in Ethiopia, and I have been. What I fear is that I will forget and that I will come home to my nice, cushy, American life and forget. That I will become complacent and happy to keep the news turned off and my blinders on, so I don't have to have my heart broken. But, I certainly hope that doesn't happen.

One thing that became convictingly clear while we were there the first time, was how very much we have, how very little we need (if anything!), but how very much others elsewhere in the world need. And need to SURVIVE. Not to be more comfortable, not to be "happier", not to live an easier life, but need simply to LIVE. And, so, after struggling to get through Christmas this year with this painful knowledge, Eric and I have decided that we absolutely WILL be giving up our birthdays this year. (This is where the slightly presumptuous part comes in!)

As you might know, I turn 40 the day that we leave Ethiopia to come home with Markos. I'm not having a big party (and have threatened Eric's life re: any surprise parties!). I don't want gifts. I don't even want cards. What I want is for you all to donate to the well that we will be sponsoring through Charity:Water. Each campaign lasts for 90 days, so we will start around my birthday and end around Eric's birthday -- thereby giving up both of our birthdays!

I will send more information later, but for now, please know that we have all that we need and so much more. Our heart's desire is that all the beautiful people in Africa would have at least the simple basic necessity of clean water. That other little boys like Markos will not have their mother, brother, and sister die from disease caused by the unclean water that they were drinking, thereby forcing their father to relinquish them for adoption.

We hope to raise $5,000 which will cover the cost of drilling a well in Africa, supply a rural village with clean water for 20 years, and train the local men to drill and maintain the well! $20 will provide one person with clean water for 20 years!! That means that with the cost of birthday cards and stamps these days, the sacrifice of 4 birthday cards will provide one person with clean water for 20 years. 100% of your donations to our Charity: Water campaign will go directly to the well drilling project, and in 2 years, we will receive the satellite coordinates to the well that was dug and be able to go to Google Earth and see the area where the well is located.

I know that some of you might also want to buy gifts for Markos when we get home, but again, we have all we need. Truly. Markos is already going to be overwhelmed with all the toys and such that he already has waiting for him here. Please save your money and give it to the well in honor of his family in Ethiopia instead.

OK, this was my little heads-up, we're going to be hitting you up, warning. :-) As I said, more information will be coming after we're home. Just wanted to catch you before you start sending those birthday cards, or buying birthday gifts (MOM!) ;-) Instead, watch the following video and begin praying about giving to our well!





For additional information about Charity: Water, go to:
http://www.charitywater.org/

Happy New Year, Happy News, Happy Birthday!

Well, it finally came -- our much-awaited travel email!! It's official. We are being submitted to attend a visa interview on January 25th at the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia. Therefore, we will be flying out of Pittsburgh on January 18th! (Holy cow! That's only 15 days away.) We will have a free day in Ethiopia when we arrive because in order to get the flight schedule that we wanted on the way home when we have Markos with us, we had to fly in a day early.

If all goes as has typically gone with other travel groups, our schedule will be:

• Jan. 18th - leave Pittsburgh at some unGodly hour in the morning & fly all day & night to arrive in Addis Ababa, ET the next day
• Jan. 19th - arrive in Addis, check into the hotel, and hopefully do some sight-seeing, visit AHOPE, etc. for the day
• Jan. 20th - more sight-seeing, meet up with the other families that are arriving that day
• Jan. 21st - visit with Markos at the care center, talk with the nannies to learn his routine, etc.
• Jan. 22nd - spend more time with Markos at the care center
• Jan. 23rd - drive south, 6 hours, to Durame to meet with Markos' birth family
• Jan. 24th - return from Southern Ethiopia and take custody of Markos that evening
• Jan. 25th - attend our visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia
• Jan. 26th - attend farewell ceremony for Markos at the care center so he can say goodbye to his friends and the nannies that have cared for him this past year (sniffle, sniffle)
• Jan. 27th - collect Markos' completed visa packet from the U.S. Embassy that afternoon so we can fly out that night to bring him home -- ON MY 40th BIRTHDAY!!!
• Jan. 28th - arrive back in Pittsburgh with our new son
  

There couldn't be a better birthday present than to finally get to bring our new son home! Praise God for His provision, His timing, His goodness, and His faithfulness this past year as we've journeyed along this adoption path, and always!!

Additionally, we have talked with the families that we were fortunate to have traveled with for our court date and we are blessed to be traveling with ALL of them again this trip! I am so very happy to get to see them all again and spend time with them in Ethiopia with our new children!

Happy New Year!! And, what a happy birthday it will be!!

Attachment - Post 3 - Messing with 2 of my Favorite Things

Eating and sleeping -- two of my favorite things! Also, two of the most common problem areas for newly adopted kiddos. Change is possibly a comin' to our house. :-(

This is my bed. (Ignore the work table at the end of the bed. Although, as an adoption side note, it was there when our social worker came to do our home study. Apparently, Daniel excitedly exclaiming, "my dad and me are building a robot!" overrode her possible concerns about the table full of electronics in our bedroom because we received a favorable home study!)

Anyway... I LOVE my bed. Seriously. Nearly every night when I climb into this bed and cover up, I say (out loud), "I love this bed!". And not because I am exhausted (although I usually am), but because it is an awesome bed. And it's not just me. Eric does the same thing.

Eric and I shared a tiny little double bed for years. It barely fit in our bedroom with about a one foot wide path around it for us to walk in and attempt to open our dresser drawers. When we did the addition on the house, I had my 'must haves' - walk-in closets, large windows facing the sunset in our bedroom, ceiling fans, etc. Eric had only one 'must have'. It was a bedroom for us that was big enough for a king-sized bed. And so, our bedroom is now quite possibly the largest room in our house. And, our bed is awesome!

With our 2 biological kids, we were sticklers for sleep programs when they were old enough. We let them cry it out. We didn't enjoy the process and I distinctly remember sitting outside Mackenzie's door crying along with her. But, we insisted that they learn to fall asleep on their own. Solving Your Child's Sleep Problems by Ferber was my go-to book. And, quite frankly, we've always been really happy that we did. Both of our kids are GREAT sleepers now. Daniel has his moments where he still gets up and wanders into our room at night, but I generally take him right back to his bed and make him sleep there. (Remember, I love my bed and I love my sleep. Children tossing and turning and kicking me and laying all over me, not so much.)

Thankfully, we haven't had quite as many rules regarding food. We are not a family that requires all food to be kept at the table. Nor are we a family that is terribly controlling about the amounts that our kids eat or when. I breast-fed both kids on demand. No schedules. No limits. And, everyone was happy with that (except me when they seemed to ALWAYS want to nurse the second that my food was delivered when we were out at a restaurant, but that's a whole different issue).

Anyway, as Eric and I attended our mandatory adoption training classes, we learned all about attachment parenting and about what to expect when we bring Markos home. We learned about the common problem areas and they are eating and sleeping.

With regards to eating, many of these children have suffered hunger and thirst that we truly have never experienced and couldn't possibly understand. As a result, many will eat enormous amounts when they first arrive at your home. They have not always learned that there will be another meal in a few hours. They think they need to eat as much as they possibly can because who knows when they will get to eat again. Many children will also hide and hoard food. They will stash food in their rooms or shove their pockets full, again, because they might not have food later. Some will eat until they throw up. They have not learned to stop when they get that full feeling because they've never really had that full feeling before.

Other children will struggle with eating. The foods are different from what they are used to. Many have sensory aversions or poor motor coordination resulting from unpleasant feeding practices in the orphanages. Although I really believe that the children in the care center where Markos lives are loved and cared for amazingly well, I have seen their lunchtime. Regardless of how loving the nannies are, there is still the problem of 5 or 6 nannies trying to ensure that 40 kids eat. Kids who are suffering from malnutrition and who desperately need to eat. So, the nannies do force some of the kids to eat. They put huge bites in the kids mouths in a short amount of time. Just another negative orphanage necessity, I guess.

Like I said, we haven't ever been a terribly organized, scheduled sort of family when it comes to eating, so this area won't be too problematic for us -- or at least, it won't be too different for us! With all of Daniel's food allergies and eating issues, we're used to meal times taking forever. We're used to pickiness. We're used to having "grazers" for kids. So, allowing Markos to keep healthy foods with him at all times, to sleep with a bottle of water if it provides him with some security, to eat a lot or a little until he feels more safe is fine with us. No biggie.

Now the sleep thing, that's a whole other issue! We're prepared. We'll do what we have to do. But, as I said, I love my bed. I love my sleep. This may require a lot of prayer and supernatural strength from God. ;-)

Many of these children have never slept alone. They have not slept in the dark or in a quiet place. Their anxieties increase as they get tired. They may have experienced times where they were not safe at night. Some newly adopted kiddos from our agency have reported to their parents that wild dogs used to come into their village at night. Many have spent nights alone as young children. Many have lost parents, so how can they be sure that when they wake the next morning, their new parents will still be there. Some adoptive parents have shared that their new kiddos would literally refuse to sleep and would come into their room at night and just stand by their bed and stare at them all night. They would wake to find their child standing by their bed just watching them, afraid that they might leave. (Um, yea, that would be a tad disturbing to wake to in the middle of the night, every night!)

We are somewhat hopeful that because Markos will be sharing a room with Daniel, he will feel a little more safe. However, we are also prepared to allow him to sleep in our bed if necessary, or to move a mattress into our room, or to sleep in his room with him for a while. Whatever it takes for him to feel comfortable and safe. It won't go on forever, and thankfully, we do at least have a king-sized bed now, so our new tiny little peanut should fit just fine in there with Eric and I. We'll just hope he's not a squirmy sleeper like Daniel!