Lost Camera

We haven't posted many Christmas pictures because Mr. Fiddley Fingers (as Jim calls him at times) took the camera and we can't find it. I am waiting for my brother to e-mail me some that he took.

Tonight we took Jake to the local Ethiopian restaurant. At first he was shy towards the owner who spoke to him in Amharic. Then, he began to ham it up and soon he was on the lap of Addisu, the owner. He also ate tons of Ethiopian food like a pro; using his injera like a native. :)

1st Christmas!

Jake enjoyed his 1st Christmas.

Sledding

Jacob really enjoyed sledding. We found a sled with a pull string at Home Depot. We used it to pull him to a neighborhood hill. He loved being pushed down the hill with one of us waiting for him at the bottom. We were quickly tired out from pulling him or carrying him back up the hill. We also had a blow up tube sled which we sat on with him. That went really fast, and we enjoyed sledding too. It is fun to experience these childhood adventures all over again with Jake.

First Snow!

How fun! Jacob experienced his first snow storm. We were out at 7am watching daddy prepare for a ski trip with Uncle Mike and Joshua. Jake didn't want to come back inside. We are planning to go sledding later today! Yea snow!!!!

Update

We are learning together. It is getting better each day; less testing and more trust. We are tired, in a good way, each night. The parenting process is bringing Jim and me closer together. Today, Jacob had his 1st Dr.s appt. She was impressed with his development.

Here is a picture of bath time. He LOVES these times.

The Ceremony

This is going backwards a little bit. Here are two pictures from the going away ceremony held at the orphanage. The children were dressed in traditional outfits for prayers, cake cutting, and a transfer between the nannies and the new parents. Other children, waiting to be adopted, watched and sang for us. They work to make the transition a happy event for all. We have wonderful memories, pictures and a video to show Jake later.

1st Time Meetings

Jacob is adjusting to his new home and schedule quite well. Yesterday we took it easy and kept him at home all day. His cousin, Joshua, came over and they played really well together. Joshua has been really sweet. He laughs when Jacob says his name. The kids communicate in their own playful way.

Jake is taking well to new people. In fact, he seems to love everyone he meets. I think he used his charm to make his life easier at the orphanage. He loves people and reacted with fright near dogs and cats. He is slowly getting over his fright of our cats, and this morning he gave Lil a big kiss. Yesterday, I found him laying beside Rebel on the floor.

Jim and I are adjusting to parenthood. :) Everyone said it was a lot of intense work; with joy. We are finding this to be true.

In the US!!

We are almost home. We stayed overnight at Jim's sister's house in D.C. Jake was kind enough to wake us up at 3am. Now, it is 10:30am and he is napping. We plan to drive home when he wakes up. It was great to crash here and he was very sweet with his Aunt Diane, Uncle Chuck and Cousin Caroline.

He traveled really well! He slept some on the airplane and really liked to listen to the i-pod with Christmas music. He also spent a LOT of the plane ride playing with the movie remote and earphones. Of course we had a whole backpack of toys, but he likes electronics the best.

It was great to have about 4 hours in a Yotel in Amsterdam. That quieted him down as you can see in the picture. Both of the guys took a nap. :) "?

See Him in Action

Here are a few picture of Melkamu, posted from the Yotel in Amsterdam ("hotel" room that you rent for a few hours). Jim is sleeping and Melkamu is trying to sleep.

We will soon be home and can't wait!

The Last Post From Ethiopia

We now have our son full-time! Yesterday there was a beautiful going away ceremony at the orphanage (they call a care center). They dressed the children in traditional outfits and said many touching things about them. Then, we took them back to the house where we are staying. In the afternoon we had to take him to the US Embassy building. We thought there would be a problem with the paperwork, but all of it worked out fine.
He slept through the night with no problems. That was from 6:30 - 6:30. :) He looked soooo cute in his pajamas with feet from his Aunt Laura and cousin Abbi. Right now, we have him at an internet place at a close by hotel. This will be the last posting until we return because we leave tomorrow and the internet locations are not easy to find. Our flight out leaves at 11pm tomorrow, so prayers would be appreciated. We hope he is able to sleep, but he will be interrupted quite a bit.

I'll give you more details from the States. I can't wait for you to meet this amazing little guy who already has captured our hearts.

Day 3 in Ethiopia

Each day is so full of emotions and new experiences. Today we spent 6 hours on a crowded bus and saw the beautiful countryside of Ethiopia. What a gorgeous country! Our desitination was to meet the birth families. It was a life changing experience; completely heart stretching! I reserve the details which are too intimate. We will share the details with Melkamu when he is older. There were lots of tears from everyone.



We did not see our son today, but we did yesterday. He was more subdued and seemed to have a small fever. He was sitting on my lap a lot. We saw him over lunchtime and he sat in my lap and sang a very sweet song to himself. The nannies asked him to give us kisses and hugs. He is encouraged to be loving and kind and it already seems to be his nature. During lunch other boys tried to hug Jim and Melkamu (his name here) pushed them away; already claiming his Aba ba. He calls me Ema Ma which sounds like sweetness to my ears. :)



Tomorrow we have our children for half a day! We are so excited to be together again. This is the first time we take him out of the orphanage and bring him to our guest house. I hope he is feeling better.



Take care, everyone and know that we miss you!

Wow!! What a Day!

We met our son today! It was an amazing experience. We drove up to the orphanage gate and saw children outside. We looked for him from a distance and I picked him out quickly. We had to wait to meet him until they were ready. We finally went into the room of toddlers and we saw him looking at a book. Many children came up to us. We sat next to him and I pulled him onto my lap. He was snuggly and sweet right from the beginning. He interacted with Jim, while I held him and hugged the others too.

We took him outside and he was soooo playful! He ran and interacted with us. He took another girl's toy phone and carried it around. That family was sweet enough to give it to him. Our visit was so short, and we just wanted to stay and play and love him.

Later in the day, we went back to see him for about an hour. He was so interactive and full of personality. Everyone loved watching his antics. He is so full of character. And, he is taking to us already. He gives great hugs and repeats everything we say including Wadelow (which means I love you!)

More later!!!! Thanks, everyone for your support which helped lead us to our beautiful son.

We Are Coming for You!

Jacob, We are coming to pick you up. The social report said you do not like to share adults with others. Well, you will not need to share us. We will love you unconditionally for your whole life. See you soon!!

GREAT NEWS!

We received the call this morning that allowed us to buy our tickets! We will meet our son in 6 days!!! After days of stress, we are sooo excited. We have lots to do this weekend to get ready. Now, I must call my family and let them know.

Happy Thanksgiving!

There are soooo many things to be thankful for this holiday season. I am trying to focus on the positives because we STILL do not know whether we will travel on December 2nd. I am proceeding as if we will. If we don't, the next group will leave on the 16th. Honestly, I would rather have a definite date, even if it is on the 16th because this unknown state has been very stressful. I just looked up flights and the costs are skyrocketing. :( Also, I am not looking forward to having to say to family members that will ask, "We still aren't sure."

My next post will be either very happy or disappointed.

A Wonderful Day!

What an incredible day at school! The staff held a wonderful surprise shower this morning. One of the best gifts was a parenting album. They wrote down advice from their experiences. They also put in pictures of their children at the age of 2. I read through it tonight and it took me from tears to laughter. It is a treasure.

Jake now has lots of toys, books, and clothes. I look forward to sharing these gifts with him soon!

Nesting?

Here is picture of Jake praying. He is the one covering his eyes (sort of).

I recognize that there may be very few weekends before we travel. We have been preparing all along and now I am just going crazy. Yesterday, I spent hours in the basement, cleaning and organizing (just in case Jake needs a clean basement??) Today, I have a list of projects. Jim is thrilled :(.

Soon!

If all goes as planned we may travel in early December. Now that we are 1/2 way through November, the time is going to fly by. There are several special events which will distract us; Joshua's 4th birthday, Jim's birthday, Sarah's birthday and Thanksgiving. Here is a recent picture of Jim working on his papers. He is almost done with Seminary and always seems to be working on a paper or a sermon. We are both looking forward to this upcoming trip and some more time together.

We Are Ready!

Here is a picture of Jake's room. If you look carefully, you will see all four of our cats who have decided that they will "look after things" until he arrives. They are testing out the bed. I say that they better enjoy the peace and quiet now. :)

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Almost 4 Months Waiting

We are really tired of waiting! The usual number of weeks from referral to travel is 14 - 16 weeks. We are past that by several weeks. :( The extension came from the closure of the courts right in the middle of our wait. We hope to hear our travel date yet this week. Knowing and planning will help the time pass more quickly.

His Birth Certificate Arrives

Today we moved one step closer to our son - we received his birth certificate. It states that we are his parents by Ethiopian law. His picture shows his big eyes and his previous head injury. I treasure each glimpse of him and each piece of paper which draws our lives closer together.

More Pictures of Jake

Pictures help to capture what we know about him at this point.

Introducing Jacob Dwight!

Here is our son, Jacob Melkamu Tamene Dwight! He is an active, happy 2 year old who waits for us in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Isn't he adorable?!! The care givers say that he is smart and learning quickly. The many pictures in his social report show us how active he is as he plays with toys and interacts with other children and adults. They say that he loves hugs and wants a lot of attention. We are ready to shower him with lots of love.

Now we wait to hear when we will travel. Our agency says to figure up to 8 weeks from the court date. It may be sooner, but shouldn't be any longer. We have some final papers to collect that will go with us on the trip. May the weeks ahead fly by!!

We Are His Parents!!!!

YES!!! We passed court today. What an awesome feeling. We are finally parents after years of waiting and dreaming. Tonight, Jim and I celebrated by walking to our favorite restaurant after contacting family and friends.

I am trying to figure out how to post his picture, to introduce him to you all. Please stay tuned....

What Wednesday Means

On Wednesday, October 21st, our case comes before a judge in Ethiopia. If all of the paperwork is in order, and the schedule isn't too full, we will officially become Melkamu's parents. Shortly after that, they will issue a birth certificate and assign our travel date.


The date will always be special. It is special for another reason; Nathan Byers, my sweet nephew was born on that date. He was the first niece or nephew in my family and always held a special place in so many hearts. Jim and I were blessed to share our home with him for a year. I will treasure our dinners together and late nights when I talked with him in his bedroom. Sadly, he passed away in March 2009. Passing court on that date will mean that our son shares a connection with his cousin already in heaven. Nathan will celebrate with us from his vantage point. I miss you!

The Social Report

On Thursday night we received the much awaited social report for Melkamu. It is 13 pages of amazing pictures and information about our son. He looks so happy! Just in the three months since our referral, he has changed a lot. I wish I was able to post some of the pictures, but we have to wait until we pass court on October 21st. Then, you will see how his eyes sparkle and how intensely he plays. He has beautiful big brown eyes set off by dark eyebrows.

The report tells us more about him. One of the statements that is repeated is how much he likes attention. :) We will be ready to shower him with lots of our attention. Also, it says that he is smart and understands his second language already. He recognizes people he has met once and likes to be held and kissed. Yeah!!

Thanks to our agency, CHSFS, that produced this social report for us. It will help us transition him into our lives.

Focus on the Blessing!

We have a lot to be thankful for. We have benefited from the generosity of my brother, Mike, his wife, Bernadette, and my adorable nephew, Joshua. They have passed many items to us that Jake will use. Here is a list of just some of their donations.

• two car seats


• jogging stroller


• toddler bed (to come)


• clothing


• winter boots/coat/snow pants


• tricycle with a handle


• toys

I hope Jake and Joshua will form a fast friendship and have lots of overnights and fun experiences together. They will be the closest cousins in age. Also, Mike and I share such a wonderful friendship, that our children should benefit. We are already planning some beach and skiing vacations together.

Very Upsetting!

Didn't I say that I didn't want any more disappointments? Well, today I received a note to call our specialist. It made me nervous, as I thought that maybe Jake was not recovering well. So, I excused myself from my intern and called Deb. She said that our court date was being delayed from Oct. 6th to Oct. 21st. I was speechless. What do you say when you hear such disappointing news.

I finally said that I couldn't respond well. I asked if it was just our case or others too. She said it was all of the cases in early October. I asked when we might plan to travel, with the delay. She said to count on 8 weeks after court. That puts us to mid to late December.

The news made me so upset that I had difficulty focusing for the end of the day. Our son will be without any personal, parental care for nearly 5 months. This is upsetting! I will need help to focus on the positives.

Disappointing News

Yesterday, I saw an e-mail from our specialists. I thought it would be the long awaited social report which gives us more pictures and details about Jake Melkamu. Instead it told me that he had been injured while playing, needed stitches on his forehead and the cut had become infected. He is on antibiotics for the infection. The news made me really sad. Mostly because he was hurt and we weren't there to comfort him. Also, because instead of good new, it was disappointing news.

We have less than two weeks to go before court. I am holding my breath for no more disappointments. We are praying for Jake's health.

My family held a toddler shower for Jacob. My brother, Mike, and sister-in-law, Bernadette hosted the special event. It was sooo wonderful to have this parenting rite of passage. :) Family and friends joined us in celebrating. We are really ready for him to join our circle of friends and family.

Yesterday, we received a medical update. They measure his weight, height and head circumference on the 15th of each month. I don't know whether to be concerned or not that he did not gain any weight or grow any taller since last month. As a first time mom, I don't know whether this is expected or not. He seems to be similar to other children his age at 27.5 lbs.

Recently, I was given some cute outfits by my secretary and a teacher at school. I also stopped at the Salvation Army to drop off some clothes and found some cute clothes in his size. Today, I washed and folded them. The clothes make him seem more real. It is hard to describe what it is like to begin to feel like a mom through the limited knowledge of our child.

There are two and a half weeks until our court date. And in that time we should get our social report which will have a lot more information about his personality, likes and dislikes and about 10 more pictures. I cannot wait!!!! :)

Just Starting Out

This journey to adopt began for us back in 2005 when we married and decided that adoption was in our hearts. We first completed our paperwork for China in 2007. With the long wait for our daughter, we decided to complete paperwork for a son from Ethiopia. We finished the paperwork in June of 2008.

On July 9th, 2009 we recieved the best news of our lives. Our son was introduced to us through pictures and a brief history via e-mail. We now wait patiently to be united with him. Right now, courts are closed in Ethiopia and we must wait until they reopen to move forward.
The days fly by with our preparations. Here is a picture of one way that we are preparing.

Our son, Jacob Melkamu Dwight, is a two year old sweetie. His birthday is July 19th. He was born in the southern part of Ethiopia. He is currently being cared for in Addis Ababa until we travel to pick him up. We estimate our travel to take place in November. Our entire family and many friends are excited to meet him and include him in our circle of love. We are counting down the days!

We are unable to post his picture until we pass the court date successfully. But, stay tuned....