Guess Who Got Some New Specs?

A few weeks ago Garrett's eye doctor came in town from Connecticut (yay for us - we didn't have to make the trip up north this year). We were so excited to learn that his eyes have "grown up" so much over the past year.... his depth perception used to be functioning at a 30% and now it is at 90%! AND, AND his astigmatism is completely gone! I was amazed as I watched Garrett go through over an hour of testing (the same as last year); I vividly remember how weak and clumsy he looked last year as he went through the testing. This year he appeared so strong and confident. It's amazing how much of a difference one year and some magical glasses can make!

Today the new specs came in the mail - doesn't he look handsome? I think so!

Two Months

We've been home from Ethiopia for about two months now, and I honestly cannot remember the time Ellie wasn't home. Well, okay, when I take both kids to the grocery store, I remember then how much easier it was with just one! But really, life with both of our kiddos is so sweet. Hectic, yes. Trying at times, yes. But overall, we are head-over-heels-madly-in-love with the TWO precious children God has given us the honor to parent.

Here are a few fun pictures from the past few weeks:

You Likey?

Do you like my new blog header? It was created by none other than our oh-so-fabulous friend, Janet. Go take a peek at her fabulous site and blog!

Caught in the Act of a Little Sibling Sweetness

Yesterday afternoon while I was cooking dinner, I put Ellie in her high chair with some fruit, and Garrett was off somewhere playing. The next thing I knew I heard shrieks of laughter coming from both of the kids. Garrett had come into the kitchen and was tickling and kissing on his sister. While our days ARE sprinkled with sibling love, it is very rare that my 4 1/2 year old, non-napper boy is in a really sweet, affectionate mood so late in the day. So, I ran to grab my camera....proof for Daddy that the big brother really does love the little sister in the evenings.

The last two pictures were some other fun moments from the afternoon....Garrett tickled about something and Ellie chasing me saying her latest and greatest phrase "DEESE!" (cheese) when she sees the camera.

A little playing with Brandon, Jess and Jordyn

On Sunday we met up with Brandon, Jess and Jordyn for a little play time, and the kiddos had so much fun! The "big kids" (Garrett and Jordyn) ran and chased and squealed and hollered until they were wiped out while Ellie tried her best to keep up or do her own thing! It was wonderful to see ya'll B family!

Coloring 101

This afternoon Garrett showed Ellie the ropes when it comes to coloring ... she loved every minute of holding crayons (and trying to eat them, too)!

Dear Dr. Ignorance,

It was so lovely to visit you at your office yesterday for my check-up. Even though I dreaded coming to visit you, I dolled up my little girl and brought her along so that your staff could see what a precious peanut she really is. After all, your nurses and staff, and well, you, took good care of me for the six months before she came home...so really, you all grew to love her picture updates and supported me through the end of our adoption journey. Your sweet, kind nurse from Ethiopia was so excited to see Ellie Tsion, and I really think Ellie Tsion was overjoyed to hear someone speaking Amharic. All of the other ladies at the office oohed and ahhed over her for the one hour and forty-five minutes I waited for you.

To my surprise, you failed to apologize for your tardiness. However, you thought my little girl was precious. After our "check-up" you proceeded to tell me all about your views of adoption and parenting in general which really ruffled my feathers. I'd like to take a moment to educate you on just a few of your ignorant statements....after all, you have no wife to give you loving rebukes nor do you have children of your own to help teach you about these little people.

1. I AM HER REAL MOM: When you ask adoptive mothers what the "real" mother was like, it's just rude. It's rude to me, rude to my child and rude to her birth mother. I REALLY am her mother. I REALLY take care of her in the middle of the night when she is screaming. I REALLY wipe her poopy bottom. I REALLY teach her new words and sign language. My heart REALLY hurts when she cries. I REALLY do her laundry and REALLY give her a bath each night. REALLY.

2. I WON'T INDULGE YOU WITH DETAILS ABOUT HER OTHER REAL MOTHER: Her OTHER REAL mother, the one who gave birth to her and loves her enough to make self-less sacrifices for her, well, she's REAL, too. But, in an effort to honor my daughter and her privacy, I won't give you all of the details about her. It's none of your business how old she is. It's none of your business if she was cute or ugly. It's none of your business if she's rich or poor. IT'S JUST NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. SO DON'T ASK.

3. THE MENTAL HEALTH OR FUTURE MENTAL HEALTH OF MY CHILDREN ISN'T UP FOR DISCUSSION: Dr. Ignorance, when you told me "you just never know with adopted children what you'll get mentally" ... that was just plain rude. Even if my children do end up being crazy lunatics one day, I'll still love them anyway. Because that's what REAL mothers do. And FYI, just because I don't know or won't tell you the full mental health history of my children, doesn't make them prone to being "demonic" as you so stupidly stated. And yeah, in the future, there is NO NEED to tell that story about your friends who adopted two children and how one of them was angelic and the other was demonic. That's their story. I'm sure you have friends or acquaintances who were NOT adopted and grew up in their biological family only to have mental health problems. Maybe they ended up being demonic. Or maybe they just had really bad manners, like you.

So, Dr. Ignorance, even though you are a highly educated man who has helped restore my health, I must say that you have some work to do. I did not yell or gripe or return your inappropriate comments with all of the mean words brewing in my mind, but today I just had to get some of my (albeit sarcastic) thoughts off my chest. In the future, I'd love to answer any questions you have about adoption in general. I want you to know that adoption can be a beautiful thing and am always open to genuine, heart-felt questions about the subject - just not specifically about MY children and their heritage.

Sincerely,

REAL Mommy of Garrett Joshua and Ellie Tsion