Tuesday Update

Great day today! Embassy appointment was successful and Ellie Tsion is now staying with us full time!

Monday Update

Today was a MUCH better day!

We all got good sleep last night with the exception of Garrett waking us up at 4 a.m. wanting water and a snack - but we gave in since, bless his heart, he isn't stopping much to eat (too many new things to see) and is quite picky. We are so glad we brought so many snacks for him!

This morning we went to the Baby Home to spend some time with Tsion and go over our paperwork for the Embassy tomorrow with the attorney. Tsion was immediately in a much better mood in her own environment - laughing, "talking" and generally happy. She let me hold her but wouldn't let me feed her b/c her favorite caregiver was in sight. After her nap I took her out of the baby room and while she fussed at first, she calmed down pretty quickly.

Tsion is still not so sure of Kenny. I am primarily holding her and caring for her. She doesn't scream at him or anything but just isn't so sure of a man (since she really hasn't seen many of them). Kenny has been so wonderful and gentle with her and given her the space she needs.

Garrett hasn't sat down to play with her much but he hasn't been overly jealous or anything. No agression or regression on his part. PRAISE GOD!! It has really been a lifesaver to have Heather here with him - there have been so many times Kenny and I needed to be alone with Tsion or to do paperwork, etc.

Tomorrow we plan to go to our Embassy appointment in the morning, go to lunch with the orphanage director and Tsion, drop Tsion back off at the Baby Home, come back to the Guest Home to pick up Heather and Garrett and THEN go out to a village called Bantu where Buckner ministries (school, vocational education, etc) are taking place. As of right now, we have several things planned for Wednesday that we need to do BEFORE Tsion comes back home with us to the Guest Home. The plan is for Tsion to come back to the Guest Home with us Thursday (lunch-ish)!!

Alrighty, all for now!

Jill (for us all)

Easter in Ethiopia

We have had a wonderfully smooth trip so far! Garrett was an absolute doll on the plane - slept on and off but didn't eat much other than his snacks. Heather and I had quite the upset tummies but felt much better the next day.

Our first day here we spent at the baby home with Tsion....as we walked up the stairs she greeted us! She was walking down the hallway all on her own. It was a chaotic meeting and entire day because the older boys were home from school and were quite excited. Garrett got very overwhelmed by them but still did great with Tsion.

Today is Easter here and last night there were celebrations all through the night - singing, parades, prayers blasted over the loud speakers throughout the city, etc. We were all up from about 11pm-4:30am and then up again at 5am.

We called Tegist (the orphanage director) and changed our plans for today (Sunday) so that we could nap this afternoon. She offered to bring Tsion to the Guest Home we are staying at along with a caregiver so we could still spend some time with her (and allow Garrett to nap/not be overwhelmed by the big boys).

When they arrived today Tsion was sleeping. We had a chance to ask lots of questions about her schedule, preferences, etc. When she woke up, she was very overwhelmed and confused as to where she was. Poor little girl... Eventually the caregivers left the room and Kenny and I spent about 1 1/2 hours with her. She was extremely shy and probably scared - SO not like the little girl I met in January. Stranger danger/separation anxiety has definitely kicked in for her.

Tomorrow we plan to spend the bulk of the day at the baby home with Tsion in her own environment. Please pray she opens up and feels more relaxed with us. We really want this process to be as smooth as possible for her. It is breaking our hearts to see her scared. As far as food goes, we are loving the pasta and pizza! Garrett loves the strawberry/banana smoothies they make here, too. Luckily, we are all in good health (thanks to probiotics and preventative Pepto!).

All for now.... Jill

Twitter Updates

While we are gone you can follow our journey on Twitter by using this link http://twitter.com/kwade99 (you can click on it without joining).

We hope to update here on our blog but internet connections in Ethiopia are few and far between!

It's All Coming Together

Today is the first day that I have allowed myself to get really, really excited.

I woke up this morning with my to-do list already written and ready to tackle the day. Chiropractor - check. Returns made - check. Comfy black shoes purchased - check. Lunch date with my two favorite boys - check. Pick up donations for the place we are staying - check. House sitter arrived - check.

And it's only 2:49 p.m.

Sure we have some minor packing still left to do, a bank run to make, a t.v. to install, paperwork to complete, and on and on and on. But, the majority of our sprint has been run.

And that's why I can finally breathe a sigh of relief and let myself fully feel these emotions. I have to continually tell myself it's okay to be THIS excited because it's really real. Two days from now we will be sitting in the airport, about to board the first of three flights towards Ethiopia.

I can smell the air there already. I can hear the chatter of Amharic and the animals making noises. I can feel the bumpy road beneath me that will ultimately lead our little family of three to that peach colored building that has been home to our little girl for so long. And in that moment that we walk up the stairs and peer into her pink room, it will have all been worth it.

Easter Festivities So Far...

This past week we have been busy, busy, busy getting ready for our trip to Ethiopia but took some time to participate in some of our yearly Easter traditions. Blogger is frustrating me so much tonight, so here is a brief recap in paragraph form instead of under the pictures: Garrett and his buddy, Anthony, at our neighborhood egg hunt, Garrett at M's egg hunt, dyeing eggs, a fun egg hunt at a grandparent's home and leaving out our key and carrots for the Bunny!

We're Usually Not This Wishy-Washy

Yes, friends, it is true! I will be standing, just like I am in the above picture, in that pink baby room next week!

Kenny and I usually are not ones to go back and forth changing our minds once decisions have been made. For instance, once we purchase tickets to travel half way around the world, we don't usually change or plans. At all. And certainly not THREE times!

But, that is exactly what we have done AGAIN! I am recovering much more quickly from my surgery than I ever anticipated, and my surgeon has cleared me to travel next week! I had to think long and hard on this one but in the end, Kenny and I decided it was best for our whole family to be together for this monumental occasion. I may be more tired than normal and may not be able to carry luggage or our 23 lb. girl much. BUT. I WILL be able to have the sweet memory of seeing both my son's and husband's face when they see Ellie Tsion for the first time. And that's worth it.

Our funny, thoughtful friend, D, will no longer be traveling with us. Originally, we had a helper going with us (more on her in a minute), but, once we found out Kenny would be the only member of our family traveling, we thought it was all around best if Kenny's travel buddy was a man. And now that I'm going on the trip, we are back to taking our original travel buddy. (Don't worry, D knew these continency plans all along - we are not truly cold hearted people who give and take away international trips on purpose!)

We are super bummed that D won't be going, but God's timing has once again proven more perfect than any of us could have ever predicted. His mother-in-law is in the hospital right now and it would be easier on his family if he was you know, HERE. And, we'll continue to look forward to our big trip back to Ethiopia with all of our friends/family who have adopted from there one day!

So now, let me introduce you to our travel buddy/helper, Heather:


Heather has been planning to go with us to Ethiopia since last fall but stepped back when we found out Kenny would be going alone (she totally understand Kenny was most comfortable traveling with another male). She has graciously agreed to serve our family as a helper, nanny, gopher, etc. We are taking our four year old son, Garrett, and while we KNOW that idea may seem insane to some of you, we feel it is important for him to experience bringing home his new sister. Although we don't think the idea to take him is insane, we do think trying to do it all on our own would be insane, hence, why we are taking a "helper".

Our dear helper and her husband have been friends of ours for almost a decade. We met at our old church when Kenny served with them in the worship and arts department. To say we miss seeing them each Sunday morning is an understatement.

They adopted their son internationally and TOTALLY "get" this stage of our lives. Heather and Jordan have been by our sides throughout this adoption process, and we must say, God has blessed our socks off with their support and friendship.

All for now....I'm off to pack! Seven more days to get ready!