And Then There Were Three

Hey guys,

So I'm writing from the trenches of Week 1 post adoption! Woo hoo! Mission accomplished. Now on to the real work...

So now I've got three kids instead of two. Just for the record, I adore my oldest two, but for the purposes of this adoption blog, you'll mostly be hearing about Jude. Don't think I'm totally ignoring the others, and you'll still see them from time to time, but I'm figuring that most people want to see the picture of life after adoption around here.

OK, so back to that "now there are three" thing... Whoa! Three is way more than two. Just one more, technically, but it feels like I need at least six more arms. Everyday that he's here he's wanting to be held more and more, which is really a great thing. And you guys know that I'm always going to be perfectly honest with you, so here goes. At first I only wanted to hold him. Like all the time. Now I've got to do laundry. And dishes. And meals! I'm starving right now and I just don't see when my next meal is going to happen. Abby just ate goldfish for breakfast. (Sidenote: My madre is on her way right now to help me figure out what in the world I can make ahead of time for breakfast. Mornings are chaos.)

The house is messy! Really messy and it's been frustrating for me to hold him and watch the house go into crazytown. But I'm trying to remember that the real work is bonding with Jude. I keep telling myself that. And on one hand that's really easy and fun to do, and on the other hand I feel irresponsible for letting the house get out of hand. BUT it's where we're at right now. A peaceful house is not necessarily clean, and a clean house is not necessarily peaceful, right? Better focus on the peace.

Having Jude home is both easier and harder than I ever dreamed. I thought adding one to the mix would be not so hard, but we're outnumbered now and it's starting to show. On the easier side, he's an angel, really. The best baby I've ever met. He's absolutely joyful most of the time. He sleeps pretty alright at night. He's pretty amazing. And adorable to boot. He's attaching as well as could be expected. He loves us already. He fits right in. But you can tell he misses his home and his nannies sometimes. Mostly when he wakes up, and it breaks my heart for him. But overall, a good, but BUSY first week!

Day 1 Totals!

Just thought you should totally see this! 

Today's wrapping up Day 2. Want your dollar in the next grand total video? Hit that donate button over there on the left. I love this. 

White Arrow Collection

You guys, let's talk shopping. It's time. It's October, which is almost November, which is almost December and now we can't deny that we're going to have to make some purchasing decisions soon. We've got a plan of action. We've been scaling Christmas gifts way back for the last few years and it's a change I want to keep up. So here are this year's tweaks:

*Most of my Christmas presents will benefit someone besides Target.
*We'll be focusing VERY heavily on the Christmas story. My oldest two are old enough to process more of that. It'll still be fun and cute though.

Anyhoo, lucky for me I've got Sseko up my sleeve to help me out with my first resolution. They just came out with their White Arrow Collection yesterday and it made me actually gasp out loud.

See that bottom right one? Yeah, it's mine. Going into my little Sseko clutch collection. And I better get one for somebody else on my list too, huh? 

New Week - The Cash Family

Hey guys,

So we did it! It's done. He's here. Here's little Mr. Jude in our actual backyard last night.

He's enjoying life and having a good time. Like, all the time. He's so happy! His doctor said "he's a very joyful child". That was an understatement. But I'll tell you all about him later this week. You've got forever to get to know him now. Today we're chatting about the Cash family.

This particular family is extremely close to my heart. They are sweet as can be, but what made me seek them out to offer them a week was who they are adopting. While we were in Ethiopia we met a beautiful teenaged girl that we just fell in love with. Like, really loved her. She has a little brother and sister who were just cute as can be. She was in the transition home, which usually means that they are already adopted, just finishing up their wait, but at the time, she didn't know it. She was really sad about it, but put up a good front. We left in tears because you could just tell that she wanted a family so bad, and it was just heartbreaking. We went home and inquired about her and were told that she did have a family, and by that time she had been notified of that. The family that was adopting them had sponsored  them and been arranging this adoption for years. Pulling strings and moving mountains and she had no idea. It's a beautiful story that makes me cry every time I tell it (or write it). Someday she'll be able to wrap her head around what God has been orchestrating for a very long time. And if that didn't make you cry, just head over to the Andersons (last weeks' family) grand total video. That'll surely wreck you first thing in the morning. So, anyhoo, look at this family! They are amazing! Let's give them lots of money, ok?! Seriously, their teenagers danced on camera for y'all!

Day 4 Totals

Hey Guys! I'm heading to the AIRPORT!!! Sorry I've been such a super slacker on the blog this week, but honestly, these videos are so awesome! I actually kind of screamed and then cried when I saw this one. WOW!

I love you guys! Thanks for taking this ride with me. Thanks for helping out all these families. Seriously, you're amazing. I love the community we've knit. Keep giving over the weekend. I love watching this.  I'll see you next week with new pics!!! 

Day 3 Totals

Airport Craziness

Disclaimer: My most recent trip to Ethiopia was a little over a year ago, so perhaps some of this information is outdated. I'll let you know when I get back in December from my next trip if things are running differently or feel free to comment if you've had a more recent experience that was a little different!

I've been privileged to do my fair share of domestic and international travel. I really, really love to travel, see new places and experience new cultures. I even love airplane travel (yes, even when we have to go through that scan machine). What I do have to say, however, is that airplane travel to a developing country poses some unique challenges.

Ethiopian Airlines began it's nonstop service from DC to Addis Ababa I believe last year, which was a fantastic change. On my first trip over in 2009, I flew North Carolina to Boston to London to Amman, Jordan to Ethiopia. Something like 36 hours of travel time was over the top exhausting, not to mention to the 10 hour time change. Now, a nonstop to DC, overnight layover, and nonstop to Addis seriously cuts this time down. Know what it also means? You're less likely to have lost luggage. I am not even kidding you when I tell you more luggage was lost than not back in the day. In fact, someone I know had a bag that was lost for over six months. Here comes my first suggestion: pack enough in your carry-on luggage to survive initially in country if your checked bags never make it. 

 
We were pretty excited to take advantage of this nonstop flight. We arrived at the DC airport about two hours in advance to check in for our flight. The Ethiopian Airline employees informed us of how late we were checking in, as noted by the fact that they had already given our previously assigned seats away. Since when is two hour check-in too late? I suppose the good news for us what that we still got seats on the plane. The bad news was that they were the second to last row. This is bad for a few reasons. First, when you're the last to get off the plane, you're also the last in line for visas and customs. It's also bad when the turbulence happens to be so bad that the only thing keeping you in your seat is your seat beat and the rest of the passengers are yelling and making the sign of the cross. (On a side note, our friends in the middle of the plane said, "What turbulence?") Next piece of advice: check in early. EARLY, people. And book advance seats, knowing the last rows are not super desirable and the first row is where the babies are with the bassinets.

When you arrive in the airport in Addis Ababa, you'll get off the plane on the runway and board a bus that takes you to the terminal. You'll corral towards the visa and customs lines. Currently,  you can still get a visa for Ethiopia in the airport. I've been hearing this will change, but as of now, it holds true. If you are traveling to volunteer with an organization, you can also apply for a business visa beforehand. This costs $70 and you have to send in an application with a letter from the business to the Ethiopian Embassy, along with your passport, prior to your departure. This allows you to skip the visa line and it is good for two years.

You'll likely want to exchange money at the airport once you are through customs. The best plan of action is to have one person in your party go to the baggage claim carousel while the other goes to exchange money. There is a sign at the money exchange booth that says something along the lines of YOU MUST GET A RECEIPT FOR YOUR MONEY EXCHANGE, NO EXCEPTIONS. Except that they don't seem to ever have receipts when I'm there. So maybe it's not that big of a deal? Don't take my word on that one, though, because I'd hate for you to be stopped without a receipt and get in trouble. Try and get a receipt if you can. (I've also been there when they wouldn't exchange all the money I wanted because they said they didn't have money left. That poses a problem).

wow, i had definitely been traveling for more than 24 hours at this point

The worst, worst part of getting out of the airport in Ethiopia is having to send all your baggage through the x-ray machine on a conveyer belt before you exit. Although it doesn't seem like a big deal, this is your first introduction into Ethiopian "organization." So here's the deal: if you're not assertive, you will never get out of the airport. If you actually get in the legit line, there will be a continuous flow of people cutting in front of you. This means you have to be putting your luggage on the conveyor belt and push it forward as it should go. I think if I didn't stand out so much, people would think I work at the airport. Be nice, but get your bags through. You will have been off the plane for likely more than an hour at this point, so you'll be ready to go.

Once you're "free," you may be poking your head around for the person that is supposed to meet you there. Sometimes, the airport doesn't let non-travelers inside the building. If you don't see who you're looking for, you may want to check outside. Beware, though, once you leave the building, they may not let you back in, either. Make sure you're ready to leave because once you go, you might be gone.

As frantic as the airport fuss may be, in reality it's only a few hours of your trip. Don't let it frustrate you or ruin your first impression. Ethiopia is a beautiful country with rich history, delicious coffee and the most welcoming, friendly people I've ever met. I hope you enjoy life outside the terminal as much as I do.