Best Husband Ever

So, I just feel the need to say that I have the best husband ever. No, he didn't do anything particularly sweet or wonderful today, I just think he's wonderful. God knew what he was doing when He made sure we met. I don't always feel this way because he's a man and I'm a woman and we just operate differently, but on all the big stuff (and most of the little stuff) I sure did luck out and I don't say it often enough.

As we were walking into the airport to fly to Ethiopia to adopt our daughter my mom said to Chris, "I'll bet you had no idea what you were getting into when you married into this family." I didn't hear her, but said something very similar to him a few hours later. I'm a crazy adventurous person and I never sit still for very long. I always have some huge change that I'm planning and have lived and extra-ordinary life. Chris is always along for the ride, and happy to be. It's been one heck of a ride and we're no where near done. The best part is that he not only supports me in what I'm passionate about, but he gets to the point where he's passionate about it, too. He always says he loves my dreams and is glad to be a part of them, but that he would have no idea how to accomplish them with out me driving it.

I love this man. I am glad that he is mine. Without his support and his keeping my feet partially on Earth, I don't know that I'd be able to accomplish 1/2 of what I have. He is a good match for me (and a wonderful daddy!). I have the best husband ever, at least for me.

Kayla's Legs

While we were in Ethiopia, we met with our daughter's pediatrician to discuss any questions we might have about her health. The meeting was filled with good news and some not so good news. Kayla's heart issue is not longer an issue (praise God!). She is making progress in many areas, though she is still fairly far behind. Her legs, however, are the major issue--one that we were not aware of. She doesn't use them at all--at 11.5 months old. She would not bear weight on them for us or for the pediatrician at all. He said that they were concerned about this and that they had run tests to see if her muscles were developing properly or not. They are, she just prefers not to use them. This is likely due to lack of stimulation, but at this age, it's not okay. We asked what they would do about it and they mentioned physical therapy, but neither Chris nor I really got the impression that there would be much follow through there.

That night, I laid in bed and just prayed for a miracle. I prayed that she would walk the next day (why not?), but that if that wasn't God's will, that we would see some improvement in her legs the next day. Well, when we got to the care center (legally her parents), she did not come running to me :)! However, when I laid her on the floor and played with her legs, she loved it--we even got some giggles. When I would stop, she would forcefully shove her feet back in my face--this means that she was using those little legs! We got her to bear about 50% of her weight on her legs and she didn't mind at all. Just playing with her for 20 minutes produced these results, so we had hope. Then, the nurse came to see if we had any questions and Chris asked about the physical therapy and she told us that they had already set up an appointment for Kayla for that afternoon! Talk about an answer to prayer. Whew! Coming home knowing that she will not just be getting worse, but actually receiving help for her major problem made leaving much easier.

This is one amazing little girl and while she has some major hurdles to overcome, we truly believe that God has placed her with the right family to help with this and we have very high hopes for her future. We got her referral out of turn and I know it was because we were open to her health concerns. Those issues are resolved and now we have new issues, but nothing that makes us question her place in this world as our daughter. I can't wait to get her home!

SHE IS OURS!!!

Well, we just returned from our first trip to Ethiopia and I am so happy to report that we heard those three magic words from the judge. She is ours and we are hers. It was an amazing trip for so many reasons. I will get into all of them in the days to come, but for now, just a quick update. And, since we are not supposed to post photos of her yet, I'll just give a few teasers.

Sunday was a free day. We hired a driver and toured the capital--Addis Ababa. We visited some tourist attractions and did some shopping. It was fun to get out and experience some of the city.

(At a great coffee shop in Addis)

Monday, we attended orientation and then met Kayla. We got to spend about 2 hours with her before her nap time when we had to leave. She is everything I imagined her to be and so much more. I was in love before, but now it is so much more real. I miss her already! We also met with our lawyer to review how court would go in the morning and then headed to the Care Center for another couple of hours with Kayla and a meeting with the pediatrician about her health. There were some surprises in that meeting--some good and some not so good. I'll get more into that later, too.

(The fingers we just fell in love with)(and the toes!)

Tuesday, we went to court and answered a few simple questions. The judge was very kind and this was a wonderful experience. The last question had to do with whether or not we understood that the adoption was irrevocable. Yes, we understand and we're glad that works both ways! Her final words to us were, "She is yours". And, she is. Ours.

(That's my girl--irrevocably.)

Leaving

Well, we are leaving tomorrow. The day has FINALLY almost arrived. Final packing and cleaning will take place tonight and then we're off. My mom and dad will stay at our house with our boys for the six days that we are gone. This morning, Reily told me that he is really excited about getting Kayla. I don't think he quite understands the purpose of this trip. I'm afraid he'll be a little disappointed when we come home without her (me too).

Here's a rough break down of our schedule and I've added the Ethiopian date and time to the top of our page so you can figure out what all these times mean back here.

Friday, depart at 3pm. Switch planes in Minneapolis and Amsterdam. Arrive in Addis Ababa at 9pm (their time = 1 pm here, Saturday).
Sunday is a free day for us. The care center is closed, so we will not be meeting Kayla. We hope to soak in as much of the culture as possible and do some shopping and site seeing.
Monday morning (midnight-ish Sunday here) we have orientation and then we get to meet our baby girl. We are slated to have only 2 hours with her. We will then meet with her pediatrician to ask any questions we might have about her health. I don't know what the rest of that day holds.
Tuesday morning (again, midnight-ish here) we will be preparing to head to court to stand before a judge and declare our intentions to adopt this baby. Then, we go to say goodbye to her (maybe a 30 minute visit) and then we're pretty much done and just wait until 11pm for our departing flight.
Wednesday, we arrive back in WI around 1pm.

Please keep these things on your prayer list for the next 6 days:

• Safe travels & good health
• Our boys
• My parents as they take care of our boys
• Kayla
• Court proceedings and for favor with the judge

We can't even begin to describe the emotions that surround this trip. At times there is great excitement, at other times complete dread. Most of the time, it's somewhere in between. We feel so blessed to be following God's leading in this direction, but it is a hard road to travel. I am weary and my heart is aching and will ache even more in the coming months as we wait to bring this beautiful little girl home.

As we get ready to leave, I want to leave you with a few cute pictures of my kiddos. I sure do love these boys and I will miss their sweet faces and all their loving while I'm gone!

Thanks for all your support!

Apple orchard

Pumpkin Patch in Rice Lake with some friends

Chris, Gavin, Reily and our buddy, Hunter

Our old dog, Max--yep, he has 3 legs now--it was good to see him

Reily, just being Reily

Some photos I included in our little album for Kayla

The big brothers

Guess what?

We leave in two days. I'm so ready. Friday can just not come soon enough. Stinks that we have to wait around until 3 pm to take off. Friday is just going to DRAG on and on and on until we're on that plane. But, we've waited this long. What's another few hours?

THREE!

We leave in three days and I'm working on that to-do list like a maniac. Last night, I typed, organized and printed tons of information that we need to take with us and leave for my mom (who is caring for our kids). I also sent the new photos of our girl to be developed--not that this has anything to do with our leaving, but I want them! Tonight, I'm making the dreaded Wal-mart run for a few necessities and groceries for the kids while we're gone. Thank goodness my mom offered to watch the boys while I do this. Tomorrow, I guess I'll knock out the rest of it. Thursday we'll finish packing and then Friday...we're off!

I have never been to Africa. I have always wanted to go. I have been to many other places and experienced many wonderful and heart breaking things, but never in Africa. I am expecting this experience to be one that I cannot put into words. My heart already longs for a country I have never visited and it's not just because my little girl is there. I read stories of other adoptive parents who have visited this country and have seen their photos and I am excited to take in this new country--the sounds, the culture and the people (not so much the smells probably). Chris and I have a strong desire to go into foreign missions in the coming years and the further we get into this process, the more I feel a tugging on my heart towards Africa. I don't know what the long-term future holds for us, but I do know that this girl is excited to see what she's been missin' all these years. My heart is ready for this experience--both Africa and my girl.

New pictures!!!

We just got a DVD of Kayla a week and a half ago. I figured that would be it for updates before we got there--even though we were due for new photos and a medical/health/developmental update. Then, a friend of mine who is traveling with us in four days to meet her son told me that she got an update and photos. I just decided to check email to see if we had also gotten an update for some reason. We did! I have 5 new photos (wish I could share them) and a new report. She's doing pretty well and has even more hair than she did in the video. She's so beautiful with the biggest dark brown eyes. I just can't wait to pick her up and squeeze her in a few days.

4

Leaving in four days. Everything is pretty much packed. Chris is off Thursday night, so we can finish then. For the next 3 days, it's just taking care of the details. There are LOTS of details. Somehow, I'm managing to get my job done on top of it all, but I'm not sure how. My brain is just not in it. Thank goodness Chris takes care of most of the housework. There's no way I have the energy to do that this week. I just want to go already! In one week, I will be able to say that I have met my daughter, held her, seen for myself how beautiful and wonderful she is. Here's hoping I can add healthy to that list.

Five!

And back to excited...mostly. Yikes, I have a lot to do. I should get moving instead of blogging. We had a great weekend, though. I will have to post some pictures before we head to AFRICA. I'm going to Africa next week. What are you doing?

six

And all excitement has left and been replaced by dread. God, help me because I cannot do this alone.

Sebat

This means 7 in Amharic--the most widely recognized language in Ethiopia. Yep, we leave in 7 days, one short little week. One week from now, I'll be kissing my two boys goodbye and setting off on one of the greatest adventures of my life with the man I love. We will be flying for the better part of 23 hours and will arrive in Ethiopia very late on Saturday. Sunday, I don't know what the plans are, but we will soak up as much of the culture as possible. Monday, we will be meeting our baby girl for the first time and just loving on her as much as possible in the short amount of time that we'll be with her. Tuesday morning, we head to court to stand before a judge and declare ourselves. Hopefully, we will hear, right then and there, that we are her parents and that she is our daughter. Then, we get a quick goodbye with our baby girl. Tuesday night (late) we head home to arrive mid-day on Wednesday. We will be exhausted and emotionally spent, but it will be good to see the boys again. Then, our final wait begins...it could be anywhere from 6-12 weeks before we head back to pick up our little girl. If you're the praying type, prayers for a safe journey would be appreciated and while you're at it, I don't think it would hurt to start praying now that we get to go back as quickly as humanly possible. We're really hoping for a December 14 embassy date. It's a lofty goal, but maybe...

Oh, and I ordered TOMS for my whole family today (courtesy of my mom--thanks!) and had pretty much all of my hair chopped off last night by my little sister. I just don't want to deal with it at all in Ethiopia. I haven't had it this short for at least 12 years. It's definitely different and very easy to do. I'm not quite used to it yet, but I'll get there.

TOMS

My mom has been wanting to get each member in our family a pair of TOMS for Christmas. I'm not going to lie, I think these shoes are hideous. I LOVE the idea behind them, but was really thinking my $58 could buy a whole lot more than one pair of shoes and I wouldn't have to wear an ugly pair just to make my mom happy (sorry mom, now you know). But THEN, a friend of mine just posted this pair http://www.toms.com/womens/new-styles/charity-water-earthwise-women-s-classics and I can't even tell you how excited I am about them.

Here's why: water + TOMS special edition Map Shoe--because clean water is essential to the healthy development of children, each pair contributes to building three new clean water wells in Ethiopia. And as always, are One for One.
Not only will the purchase of this pair of shoes benefit someone else by TOMS donating a pair, but the proceeds will ALSO help build wells in ETHIOPIA!!! Fantastic. Now, this is something I can get excited about and wear some ugly shoes for.

Ocho!

Ocho mas dias!!! I'm tired of this flavorless countdown. I shall put my limited, alternate language skills to use.

Today's # is

9! We have finally hit the single digits. Woo-hoo!

10 and what I've learned

You know what the 10 is for--we're getting so close! But, what have I learned through this entire process? Last night, Chris asked me why I think we've been so financially blessed lately. We had a good conversation. I don't believe we've just been blessed financially lately. God has always provided more than we have needed even when we've been in positions where we should have struggled and the numbers still don't add up. He made a way. We have always had more than enough. This adoption has been no different.

When we agreed that the time was right to adopt (finally!), we definitely felt the Lord's urging towards Ethiopia. We followed that path. We asked Him to be involved in every part of the process, but we just took over with the finances. I just assumed that because God had been so faithful to us that we could make the money part work and we could have. I had a plan (I always have plan). But, then the whole 2nd trip got thrown at us and I knew that God would have to provide for that, so I let go of that control and gave it up to Him. Let me tell you, THAT was the right choice. It was like God was screaming at me..."You foolish girl. Why would I lay it on your heart to bring one of my children into your home so that I can pour my grace over her just to leave you in debt?" You see, I truly believe that God calls all believers to care for the orphan, but not necessarily through adoption. However, He called Chris and I to adopt. We are following that calling and have been faithful to God with our finances all of our marriage. God has blessed us over and over and over again. This adoption has been no different. God asked us to adopt, He didn't ask us to go into debt to do it. Now, I understand that and I am so grateful for it.

Of course, I've learned a few other things along the way too, but this is the one that stands out to me as I sit here with 10 days left before I go on the most amazing journey of my life.

Roth

As promised, here are some pictures from Roth's game. It was great seeing him. His team did lose, but he played some pretty good defense and the boys had a great time.

Field trip

Reily's class went on their first field trip today. I had to work, so Chris got to take him and Gavin got to go along. Looks like they had a great time at the pumpkin patch!

One one

One one is how my kiddos used to describe the number eleven. Eleven is the number of days until we leave for ETHIOPIA!

Tonight was a good night. It was beautiful outside again and we had the opportunity to go and watch our previous foster son play football. It was great to see him play and doing so well. We are so fortunate to still have a relationship with him. It's good for all of us and the boys just love him. I'll post some pictures soon. Right now, this blog has way too many words and not enough cuteness.

Today and Next week

Well, we leave in 12 days and since it's Sunday I get to say that we leave NEXT week. That's awesome! I decided to skip a post with 13 days left to go--you know, like they skip the 13th floor in most hotels. Didn't want to jinx things with unlucky number 13. Not really. I'm totally kidding, I was born on the 13th and love that number--I am not superstitious at all, just figured people were getting sick of my countdown posts, but then someone requested that I keep posting daily so here you have it.

Today was a great day, too. Not only is it beautiful outside, but it was Pastor Appreciation day at our church. Since I'm a staff pastor, I was part of that. There were hugs, words of affirmation, cards with wonderful things written inside and a gift. Being a pastor is a 24/7 and often thankless job. My experience as one of four staff pastors has actually been pretty great. I'm grateful for what my job has taught me and how God has used me over the past 3 years at North Ridge. We have a great church and it is such an honor to be part of the leadership there. I wouldn't trade my experiences at our church for anything. Today was a great reminder of that!

2 weeks

We leave in 2 weeks! We leave in 2 weeks! We leave in 2 weeks! I'm excited, can you tell? I just cannot wait to see her in person and get pictures of three of us together. I'll get to take video of my very own that I can watch over and over again while we wait to bring her home. It won't be the same as having her here, but remembering how she smells, how it feels to hug her and hold her, and what her little personality is like will be so much better than wondering who she is!

15 and it gets better

We just got a DVD of our baby girl. She is amazingly adorable and seems to be doing well. It was good to see and just made me even more excited to just get there. 15 more days until we leave!!!

Sweet 16!

Today is a million times better. Since figuring out what was really bugging me, the cloud around my head has lifted. I know that today is Wednesday :). The cooking maniac is taking a break and will now be enjoying what's left of that phase (delicious soups and curry!). 16 days left...just 16.

17, but

I'm finding myself in a weird position. First off, I feel like I'm losing my mind. I am constantly wrong about what day it is, I have become a cooking maniac, buying things is totally helping me pass the time and I'm nervous. I think I just put my finger on that last one tonight and I actually feel a little relief at finally knowing what was behind the crazy. Knowing is 1/2 the battle, right?

So, what am I nervous about? I'm definitely nervous about our pending trip--especially leaving the boys behind. I'm also nervous about our court hearing--I'd really just like to hear that she's ours before we walk out of the court. I also think I'm nervous to meet my little girl. This is the weird one. I've been living for this day for 6 months! But, I am nervous.

What if she wants nothing to do with us? She's been in a care center, cared for by various nannies for almost 8 months now--since she was 2 months old. Parents are not a familiar concept to her.

What if there is something seriously medically wrong with her? I mean, she's been through A LOT: serious malnutrition, malaria, rickets, bacterial meningitis and who knows what else. All of these have had an effect on her tiny little body and we really don't know the long term implications of that. Without ever having laid eyes on her, it's really hard to have any idea of what we're walking into. Don't get me wrong, NOTHING will change our minds about wanting her, but our idea of our future could change drastically depending on her medical status.

I'm excited, too! I can't wait to just lay eyes on her and see for myself that she's doing well and is well cared for and loved by the precious nannies that thrive on caring for these babies. I can't wait to just hold her (provided she lets me) and love on her. I can't wait to get pictures of her and take video that we can share with our boys. I can't wait for her to see us.

If you're a praying person, pray that I will have peace about what's coming in 17 days, please. I don't want the next 17 days to be a blur. I want to live in today, but before I can do that, I need to be able to remember what day today is!

18...and

The cooking madness continues. The curry dish has been made--some for dinner, some for the fridge and quite a bit in the freezer. I also made guacamole because I bought some avocados that I didn't know what else to do with. Did you know you could freeze guacamole? I didn't, but now that's in the freezer too. My freezer is a little full. I hope that I have this motivation in between our two trips so that I can store a bunch of meals in our freezer for once we're a family of 5 with a new baby/toddler taking up all my cooking time. 18 days left...

19

We're in the teens. We leave in 19 days. This is starting to feel very real. Donations are all packed. There's still lots to do, but we have a few days to make it happen!

Hmmm...

I had an interesting afternoon today. Yesterday, while at a Farmer's Market, I started buying fresh ingredients for different recipes that I have made in the past. Today, I figured it was time to cook. I made 3 different soups for our freezer and wanted to start on a chicken curry, but the kids needed something to eat so that ended my cooking for today. Still, it was fun and I enjoyed it.

Chris went to a movie with a friend, but before that we had to decorate for Halloween. The boys loved it, but now they just keep asking when all the other houses will have candy so that they can trick-or-treat.

After Chris got home, we packed up all the donations we (I) have purchased over the past few months to take to Ethiopia thanks to my family's Christmas charity donations. We have 80 lbs of clothing, sippy cups, baby dolls, puzzles, stacking cups, baby carriers and several other items that have been requested by the care centers in Ethiopia all packed into two suitcases. We're hoping we can fit everything we need for us into two carry-on bags. We have to pay for all suitcases we check, so less is much better! We're so excited to be taking all these donations.

Madison

We went to Madison yesterday. We enjoyed lunch at Ella's Deli, which is a dream restaurant for parents with small children. It is filled with every moving nick knack you could possibly imagine. Even the tables are filled with fun things to look at. Outside, there's a carousel. The boys enjoyed their ride.

After that, we went to the Farmer's Market and walked all around the Capitol Square and then down State Street to the lake and back. It was a great day for a walk. We ended up at the Children's Museum--which is pretty new. The boys had a great time climbing and building.

Gavin worked on building a tower while Chris and Reily worked on...something else. I'm not sure what.Gavin was VERY proud of the tower he built that was taller than himself.

These two pictures are my favorites from the day. There's a rooftop exhibit at the museum with these great views of Madison.

The lake

The Capitol building

Woo-Hoo!

21 days until we leave. That's just 3 short weeks. Also, our trip is THIS month. I think today is my favorite day in the countdown so far. Of course, every day is just a little better than the last :)

We're getting close!