Embassy Here We Come!

Great News!  Our other case was submitted to embassy a few hours ago!  This is the last step in the process before we get to go pick up the boys, but unfortunately there isn't an exact timeline of when the embassy will call us to come.  They go through the boys cases, interview birth relatives or anyone else connected to the case to verify the boys' adoption availability, and then schedule an interview with us for when we'll be there.  It all depends on how quickly they can contact and interview the people they need, which can take a couple weeks to a few months.  But it's SO good to know that things are moving along!

We've had a surge of motivation the past week or so to finish getting things done around the house to get ready for the boys, so we now have childlocks on every cabinet in the house, have ordered the stuff we need to finish bolting the TV to the wall and secure the stove knobs, and we painted and put together a magnetic board on the kitchen wall to put our daily picture schedule on.

We've been carving out spaces around the house for the boys, including in the bathroom.
We just don't have the counter space for a regular multi-toothbrush holder, and
we need to have them separate at first anyway until the boys are medically cleared of
any/all germs.

 I'm also on the hunt for a cheap dresser, and then I think we might be about ready.  As ready as we'll get, anyway.

Meanwhile, daily life goes on.  Kate has started asking me to take pictures of her toys or random other things.  In this one she wanted to document "the princesses and the guys" all crowding around to eat a pie.  I couldn't help including the fact that they live in a castle, own a boat, and have a bus for transportation.  Since this picture was taken they've also acquired a van and an airplane, thanks to Grandma and Aunt Maddy.  Ah, the life of a princess.  Or a guy, I guess.

Feeling Out of Sorts

It seems like it's getting harder to wait for the boys to come home.  There are still so many things that I would like or need to get done before we travel again (super childproofing, buy a dresser, make more Ethiopian food to freeze, buy a few more last minute things), but I keep feeling like I need to just relax while I have the chance, so I waste time, procrastinate, and get sidetracked by other projects.   Pretty sure it's just me playing the avoidance game so I don't have to think as much about the fact that they're not here yet.   I've even started occasionally napping in the afternoons.  Kate must be going through a growth spurt, because she's eating huge amounts (for her) and all of a sudden needing a nap every other day.  So I'll lay down on the couch with her and we'll zonk out for a bit.  I feel a little guilty about it since I have so many other things I want to do, but I tell myself that this probably won't be an option for at least a long time.  

A huge downside to all this waiting is that it gives us plenty of time to psyche ourselves out about everything.  Are we prepared enough?  What if we've overlooked something major on our to-do list?  Am I emotionally ready?  Is Kate really going to be ok with all the change that our family will go through very soon?  Are we just seriously insane?!?  Of course, the ultimate endpoint of all these questions is that yes, we will be ok, and yes, this is what we are supposed to do.  I can't imagine doing this without a spiritual confirmation that we're doing the right thing, and that those two cute boys are supposed to be OUR boys.  But that same confirmation contributes to the sadness that our boys aren't here.  And I want them to be.  

The Sunday school lesson yesterday was on prayer, and how prayer isn't about changing God's mind, but working toward being able to say "Thy will be done", and really meaning it.  Which sounds so easy, but right now is a lot harder to put into practice.  

Looking on the bright side, we got the boys birth certificates a few weeks ago, and we're praying that their cases get submitted to embassy this Wednesday.  So if you could say a prayer for us, too, we'd sure appreciate it.

Timeline Tweaks

This is what happens when it's too cold to ride her bike outside.
Also notice the awesome forehead bandaid she rocked for 2 days on
an invisible owie.

Ok, here's our timeline update: a couple weeks to three months.  Sad, I know.  I called the agency this week and had a good chat with the program coordinator (who has been fantastic), and she explained that there are 2 things that have slowed the process.  The first one is that the Ethiopian government processed things really slowly during December and January.  The second is that all adoption agencies working in Ethiopia are required to renew their licenses with the government there.  Apparently during the time where the government agency that oversees all this is going over all the documentation and other whatever that they do, the adoption agencies are allowed to continue processing adoptions as usual.  The snag is that the government hasn't been issuing birth certificates as quickly as they do when the agency is officially relicensed.  And that is exactly where our boys cases are at.  The agency staff have been busy getting all the other necessary documents and paperwork done so that once the birth certificates are issued, the boys cases can be sent right to the embassy.

As frustrating as this delay is, we have been able to see some silver linings.  The first is that in the next couple months we might be able to financially pull this off without any adoption debt whatsoever.  That would be amazing.  The financial blessings that we've had through this process have been miraculous.  Seriously, it's a good thing that the Lord doesn't show us the whole picture all at once, because I would probably have been more than overwhelmed at the price tag that comes with international adoption.

 The next is that if we have to delay having the boys come home, it also delays them having to deal with as much of a Utah winter as possible.  The idea of being able to wrap up in our little house for a month or so, and then have the possibility of starting to go outside, to the park, and working in the garden, is really a happy one.  I dreaded having them go from spending a lot of time each day outside in 70 degree year round weather to months of winter and almost no outside time.  So that's a definite upside.

The more flippant upside is that it will give me more time to become more proficient at cooking good Ethiopian food. :)  So far I feel like I'm doing pretty well.  Our freezer now has freezer bags full of Ethiopian lentils, vegetable stew, and injera.  I feel like I'm starting to master the art of cooking injera, and am now just in a waiting game with the injera "start" (it's like sourdough) to see if the flavor gets a little bolder as I continue to use it or whether I need to go back to the African market and beg them to sell me a start.  I've been making an Ethiopian dinner every couple weeks or so, and we're all getting more accustomed to the flavors.  Even Kate is starting to eat some without too much prodding.  She especially likes helping make the injera.

Anyway, we really are feeling blessed, even if things haven't happened in the time frame we were hoping for.

First Blog Pictures of Tam and Yeb!

Here they are!  Seriously, are these not the most handsome little boys on the planet?  Ok, maybe we're more than a little biased. :)

Yeb

Tam

All of us on the day the boys got to meet each other

Socks, Underwear, Toothbrushes and Impatience

Well, this is sadly more of a non-update than anything.  There isn't any new info about where the boys cases are at, so after talking to the agency last week we're still assuming that the US embassy hasn't started yet with all the stuff they do, but the good news is that we've known for the last few weeks that they boys cases have officially passed Ethiopian court, so at least there's that.

Saying goodbye to the boys after the first trip knowing that we weren't going to see them for a couple months was really sad and a bit surreal, but we were somewhat relieved that we would have some time to get things ready before they came home.  Well, since then we've bought socks, underwear, carseats, teff flour, and have clothes, shoes, and beds all ready for them.  I'm also pretty proud of the injera start that's been fermenting on the kitchen counter for a week, and am excited to make some injera and wat and lentils for dinner tomorrow.  So now that we're feeling at least physically prepared for them to come home, it's getting really hard not be a little bit impatient that they're not HERE yet!

During this last week especially, there have been so many more times that Kerry and I (and Kate) think and talk about the boys, and where we wish that they were here.  Pretty much every time I look outside and see all the snow, I think "Holy Moly, those little guys are going to think they moved to Antarctica and probably absolutely love the snow and hate the cold."  Kerry played outside in the snow with Kate on Saturday, and wished they were there, too.  Kate has mentioned multiple times out of the blue that she has brothers coming home soon and that she's "essited" for brothers.  She also announces when she thinks they're getting ready for bed or eating breakfast or whatever else.  Today she asked to listen to "Tam and Yeb's song".  We put our pictures of our trip and the boys in a simple slideshow to show friends and family, and Kate has seen it enough times now that she just refers to one of the songs as belonging to the boys.  I love that she is excited about the boys coming home, and that she is talking about them a lot.  We'll see if she changes her mind after they've been home for about a week and she realizes that they're not going to leave. :)

Tis the Season!

We've been thoroughly enjoying ourselves the past while with getting ready for Christmas.  Since we weren't sure when we would be traveling to Ethiopia, the majority of the Christmas shopping got done before Thanksgiving, which means we've had more time to actually enjoy the season.  I think I'll try to get shopping done ahead of time next year, too!

We've been baking regularly over here, partly because we wanted to give homemade bread as gifts, and partly because it's such a fun activity when we're cooped up in the house anyway.  Kate and her friend Joel have loved helping to put ingredients in, and with bread I'll give them each a piece of dough to knead.  As you can tell by the flour explosion, it was a hit. :)

We had our ward Christmas party this past weekend, and Santa visited at the end.  After last year where Kate was bordering on phobic of Santa, I didn't have any intention on purposely taking her to see him.  She still wasn't excited to see him, she actually hid on her chair when he walked in, and she told me a couple times that she didn't want to go talk to him, but once she realized that he was handing out GIFT BAGS she decided the tradeoff was worth it.  Fortunately, the kids weren't sitting on his lap, so there wasn't any pressure to get very close to him.  He asked her what she wanted for Christmas, and she pointed to the sack filled with bags and said "I want a bag".  Overall, I think it was a good experience for her.  She got semi close, she actually spoke to him, and there were no tears.  We'll count that as a win.

Also on Saturday, it snowed like crazy, and this winter Kate has been fascinated by playing outside in the snow.  I took her out the first time it snowed this fall, which she loved, but I'm pretty much a wimp, so if she's wanting to play in the snow and Kerry is home, I try really hard to get her to ask him.  And as the great dad that he is, Kerry is usually really excited to go out with her.

They got all dressed up...

And then threw snowballs at the school...

And then made a snowman...

And then made snow angels.

There was also plenty of jumping over and in the full icy gutters, which meant that her boots were soaking, but she didn't seem to mind.  We finally had to carry her inside because she was so upset about not being able to stay out there all day.

Final Day in Addis Plus Kosher Pics

View onto our balcony

Well, I figured I better write about our final day in Ethiopia while it's still fresh in my mind.  I definitely want to journal about all this partly for me and Kerry, and partly for all you friends and family who want to know, but most importantly for the boys as they get older and want to hear firsthand about it.  When Kate was adopted, a caseworker said something to the effect that a child deserves to have as much information about their story as is available.  That has really stuck with me, and I truly believe it.  

When a family is adopting multiple children through our adoption agency, and when the children are in separate orphanages like Tam and Yeb are, the agency will sometimes arrange to have one of the children come visit the other orphanage for a day so that the family can spend time with both kids simultaneously.  That's what we got to do on Friday of our visit.  Well, part of the day, anyway.  We had planned to go on our final shopping trip Thursday night, but between court taking so much longer than anticipated and then being able to meet Yeb's birthmother and spend time with her, shopping fell to the bottom of the priority list.  After talking to the agency staff, we decided to go shopping first thing on Friday morning before Tam was brought over for the visit.

Amazing saddle in the national museum.  This one's for you, Grandad!

As a side note, when we first got to Addis and through the first couple days, we were a little miffed at our agency because it felt like communication was almost nonexistent.  Our frustration was only increased by the fact that we met a great adoptive couple on the trip over who are adopting through Holt International, and their trip was completely planned out for them.  They were in a group with other adoptive couples.  They were told exactly where to stay while they were there.  They had an agency van and driver to shuttle them around.  They had an orientation meeting.  You get the picture.  Which to us during the first couple days there seemed like a dream come true because we were faced with staying  in a hotel we had had to randomly choose, try to hire a driver at a daily rate (that's an entire post by itself), choose when and where to go, figure out how to get around by foot, hail taxis, try to communicate despite a language barrier, etc.  It was a pretty steep learning curve, and at the beginning we were definitely feeling some agency envy.

Ethiopian Orthodox Church on Entoto Mountain

However, by the end of the week we were feeling pretty confident in our ability to get around without any help, and really glad for the time flexibility we had had throughout the week.  Since the boys were in different places we had the ability to make it a priority to visit each of them every day, and at the times that worked best for us and them.  A huge advantage was that we could stay with the boys as long as we wanted. We were able to pick and choose from the sightseeing list, pick exactly what kind of restaurants we wanted to eat at and when, and in general just feel like we could do what we wanted when we wanted.  Since our hotel was close to Yeb's orphanage, we did a fair amount of walking to and from, and also explored the area on foot in search of restaurants and shops we had heard of.  We walked every day to the little mercado next door to buy water, went to the bank next to that to exchange money, and a little farther down a side street to an internet cafe.  And throughout the week the agency really did give us the support we needed, just not the kind we had been wishing for on Monday.

View to Addis Ababa from Entoto Mountain.  Notice all the smog.

Ok, with that in mind, by Friday we were feeling fairly confident, and decided to just take a taxi to and from a shopping district.  For some reason I was freaked out by the idea of hailing a taxi, but Kerry was adamant that it really was NO BIG DEAL.  We headed out of the hotel after breakfast, Kerry hailed a taxi, negotiated a price, and we hopped in.  Partway through the drive the driver pulled the car over and left.  We figured he had gone to get gas, but since he didn't speak hardly any English, he hadn't tried to explain before he left.  After waiting a few minutes, finally getting out and hailing another taxi, we were  just about to climb in the 2nd taxi when we hear the 1st driver shouting, and turned around to see him running down the street toward his car with a gas can.  It had apparently run out of gas, and he had to run to get some.  We climbed back in, he put the gas in, and after starting the car from under the hood, we were off again.  Poor man.  He was so flustered and apologetic, and reassured us that it would be no charge (don't worry, we did pay him).  After a minute he just started laughing, and just kept laughing, until all 3 of us were laughing about the whole thing.

Other side of Entoto Mountain.  Ahhh.  Clean air.  And how beautiful is that view?!

He dropped us off at a clothing shop that wasn't in the big shopping district we were wanting to go, but we knew we were close, so figured we could just walk the rest of the way.  This is the adventure part of getting around a city where you don't speak the language.  After walking around for a bit and asking multiple business owners which direction we needed to go, we finally just hailed another taxi.  That guy made a killing on us, but we didn't care at that point.  We made it to the shopping district, found what we were hoping for, and hailed another cab back to the hotel.  Then we packed our purchases into our bags, checked out of the hotel, and took yet another taxi to Yeb's orphanage/agency office.  We stowed our bags in the office, and then could relax a bit knowing that we were going to be there for most of the day.  We played with Yeb for a bit, and then Kerry went with the agency driver to go and pick up Tam and bring him over for the visit.  Before Kerry left he was holding Yeb, who totally fell asleep in him arms clutching a soccer ball, and so then I got to hold the sleeping little boy until lunchtime.  This was the first time that I had been with either boy during a mealtime, and it was fun to see all the little kids take off their shoes, sit down on the mat on the floor, and hold their plates in their laps.  Yeb was a little cranky from just waking up, and wouldn't sit down, and later wouldn't eat.  One of the older boys came over and worked his older boy magic to convince Yeb to sit down, but refused to eat until I fed him by hand.  Mentally I was cringing, because I know that feeding a child is a powerful attachment tool, and we really didn't want to start the bonding process in earnest when we were going to have to leave them, but emotionally I couldn't NOT do it.  Can you blame me?

Gorgeous countryside

There were a ton of donkeys carrying straw down the mountain road,
and also women who were carrying HUGE bundles of
eucalyptus branches down to sell as firewood.

After lunch Kerry and Tam showed up, and for the first couple hours we were wishing that we hadn't agreed to the get together.  Poor Tam was just freaked out being in a new place with new kids, and we felt awful that he was so on edge.  I started repenting for any prayers I had said pleading for Tam to be moved to Yeb's orphanage for the next couple months.  But after a couple hours, he started to settle down and relax, and by the late afternoon he was showing more personality than we had ever seen from him.  Kerry and I realized partway through that for the first time ever we had more than one of our children with us at the same time.  Weird!  Also partway through the afternoon Yeb disappeared to play in the water faucets and have some downtime.  I was so happy to see that he can entertain himself for a bit, because after meeting the boys and realizing that they are both really energetic, I am eyeing afternoon naptime/quiet time as my sanity saver.

Tam meanwhile was happy to explore and wanted us to watch him do all sorts of tricks, jumps, and ball  kicks.  He started doing this hilarious victory dance when he felt especially proud of himself.  That little boy can move!

4:30 rolled around, and we wanted Tam to be back at his orphanage by dinnertime, so we put all our luggage in the agency van, said goodbye to Yeb, and piled in with Tam.  The driver took us across the city, where we got out and said goodbye to Tam.  Fortunately the kids at Tam's orphanage started chanting his name when they saw him, so his goodbye wasn't dramatic at all.  Poor Yeb, though, was screaming bloody murder when we left him.  We both decided that WE're not going to be able to handle getting a babysitter for a while after the boys get home, not because the kids won't be able to be okay, but because we won't be able to handle their sadness as we leave.

The not so glamorous part of staying in a 3rd world country.
Doing laundry in the sink

Merry Christmas!  We put up the tree last night, and Kate was super excited about it.  YOu can tell which section of the tree she took responsibility for decorating. :)

The driver took us to the airport, where we were super early for our flight, but we really didn't want to drag out the goodbyes to the boys.  We bought some food there (fairly nasty), and waited.  During our trip we ordered cheeseburgers twice, once in the airport, and decided never again.  Same with the ice cream.  It's just not Ethiopia's forte.  What we did fall in love with food-wise was the for-real Ethiopian food.  My goal in the next couple months is to get a lot better at making it here at home, and now with a much better frame of reference, I'm excited to renew my efforts.