6 Months Together!

It's hard to believe that we've been together 6 months, a full half year!!!

Caleb

You are such an adorable ham.  The light in your eyes turned on a couple of months ago, and you are such a delight.  You are learning English so fast.  "I want one."  "I need to go potty."  "Where's Bekeh?"  "Time to go night night?"  "No, not this one.  I want that one."  "Caleb no whining!  No spankings.  Spanking yucky."  "Bekeh eat a cheese-a-bugger?"  "Yes!  Yes! Yes! Yes!"  "No Lem-no-ade.  No water.  I want Spite!"  "That's green."  "Daddy at work?"  "Mommy got an owie?" . .  . . . just a sampling of what I've heard in the last few minutes while editing your pics for this post.  You talk, or make noise at least, constantly.  Your older brothers and sister are constantly asking you to be quiet for a second!

Our favorite things you do. . .  you love to make funny faces and pretend to be a monster walking around with your hands in the air, your body bent over, moaning and shaking.   Once you begin laughing you'll laugh for minutes on end, and by the end, we're all giggling uncontrollably.

You are the easiest little boy to put to sleep.  All I have to say is "Close your eyes." and where ever you are you close your eyes, scrunch up your face, and within a minute or two, you're snoring.

I can count the accidents you've had on one hand since you moved into big boy underwear.  Clothes are still a favorite thing.  You love having pants, and if I didn't watch you closely you would change pants a hundred times a day.  Every time you go potty and we pull your pants back on, you giggle and clap your hands with delight.  Sometimes when you need disciplining for a bad choice in the bath tub or after swimming, making you wear your underwear without pants on is worse to you than a spanking or time out.

Being in the water is your favorite thing ever.  You live to be in the water.  Not really in the water, more under the water.  If a child could grow gills by desire, you'd have a set.  We literally have to pull you up and make you take a breath.  You love it and you go non stop.  You love to be thrown in the air as high as we can, and come splashing down and then sit under water happily until we grab you and pull you up.  It's crazy, and you amaze everyone who watches you enjoy it so completely.

You no longer hide under blankets, but you still love them.  You love hand towels.  You carry one around with you everywhere.  It's your cape, your skirt, your head wrap, your rope.  I'm constantly picking up random dish and hand towels from around the house you've laid aside.

You've grown a lot in the past 6 months, but you're still tiny.  18 month pants still fall off you.  But you have massive hands, and little feet.  It's a funny combination.  You've changed so much in 6 months, I can't imagine what the next 6 months will hold for you and our family.  We love you like crazy.

Bekeh

You are an adorable firecracker, spitfire, mischievous, sweet princess.  Over the weekend Brooklyn was chatting away with her cousin Natalie and ignoring you.  After the 5th or 6th "Brooklyn!" from you, she, being highly annoyed, yelled back, "What?"  You stopped, rolled your neck around as if to say, excuse me! and instantly shot back at her, with big attitude, "I'll tell you what!"

You love to test your boundaries.  If mommy says, "Here's your water."  You sass back with, "Bekeh no water!  I want apple juice."  Which quickly gets you no drink at all for the bit.  You still have to try it every time though.  When I put the paint away, you get it back out.  You hate the consequence, but it's still your job to try it.  That's what 5 year olds do.  They see the boundary and have to try and move it.  Thank goodness I love you enough to stay the boss.  Today you told me I was not the boss.  Someday you'll learn that's just a challenge to mom's to prove you wrong.  But for today, we just laughed and giggled with a tickle game of "uh-huh I'm the boss!"

Even with the amazing size of your attitude, your delightful loving side is even bigger.  You love to stroke faces, and rub hair.  You love everything that smells good.  You make everyone, and I mean EVERYONE smell your hands if you have on lotion or perfume, or recently washed soap lingering. 

You have an excellent memory!  If anyone loses something in the house, all we have to do is ask you where it is, and you'll go straight to it and bring it to us.  Not sure yet if that's because you have a photographic memory of everywhere we've dropped our things, or if you're the one who took them and caused us to lose them in the first place.  Either way, we're glad you always know where things are!

You are super duper smart.  You and Brooklyn are having a wonderful time playing school this summer.  She takes you into the room y'all share, and she has the alphabet and number charts hanging on the wall.  She takes you through the pages of your alphabet and numbers workbook.  You pay closer attention to her than you do me, so it works great.  You've learned most of your animals, many letters by sight of the alphabet, all your colors, how to count objects to 15, although you always skip 8, and you know all your shapes.  You're an expert at puzzles, especially puzzles that make pictures out of shapes.  You speak in complete sentences, and know how to express your needs and wants very clearly.

You still love to sing.  You no longer sing in Kembaatan.  Your favorite songs to sing loudly are Itsy Bitsy Spider, One Two Buckle My Shoe, and Lady Gaga's Bad Romance and Poker Face, the Glee versions.  Even Caleb sings along.  It's pitiful what you're being exposed to by your siblings!

The transition, attachment, and bonding are going good.  My mother in law paid me the biggest compliment yesterday.  She said, "I tell everyone how amazed I am how easy you guys are making this look and how well you've added two more to your family.  When you say, "Let's go" everyone falls in line and obeys.  I know it's not easy, but you've done a great job."  Jason and I love watching So You Think You Can Dance on t.v., and one of the greatest compliments the judges give the dancers is to say they make their movements look effortless.  I felt like a leaping ballerina. 

The last six months have been the most difficult months of our life.  I never knew two innocent beautiful children could shred my self-confidence so completely and make me question everything I ever believed about myself in such a short period of time.  I never thought after raising 3 children that the 4th and 5th ones would make me question what God was thinking when He made me a mother.  I've known my husband for 20+ years, and yet I found myself wondering at times over the last 6 months why he didn't run scared.  And all of it, the fact that this transition almost cracked us, and yet we made it look effortless, is not a testament to us, or the strength of our love, family  or marriage. . . it's all a testament to the power of God, the empartation of skills and wisdom by the Holy Spirit, and the power of downright desperate prayer and brokenness before His throne.  There were times I cried out to Heaven to show me the way to send them back to Ethiopia.  It's honest, and true.  I didn't mean them as soon as the words left my tongue, but for some reason my flesh needed to scream it out in that desperate moment for some relief.  There were times I thought that if anyone could really see the mom I was behind closed doors they would throw me away with no pardon.  And yet, God calls me spotless and beautiful.  There have been times I've questioned whether I've ruined my three biological kids lives, and yet, God showed me how much they've grown and how huge their capacity to love has been expanded to.  There were many times a day I asked God what He was thinking, and many times He answered, "I have great plans for you and your family Gina."  Too many times I cracked, and He healed me, stronger than I was before.  Too many times I messed up, and He showed me His power to redeem and restore.  We're through the deepest valleys of the transition so far.  There will be others.  Each new season of their lives will bring with it new challenges and new expressions of their attachment and bonding needs.  But, we're ready for them.  We love them so deeply.  Jason's 100% there, he loves them as he loves the other three.  I'm not there yet.  I'm closer than ever and I can see it in our future, clearer than I thought possible even two months ago, but it takes time.  I've read others say it at 8 months, others at 12, some at 2 years together or more.  God has planted them in my heart forever, I'm not worried about when they bloom there as brightly as Corban, Nathan, and Brooklyn.  I know they will, I know they're getting close.

It's been a beautiful half year, and I can't wait for the next 6 months.  Fall is my favorite season, and then there's Thanksgiving and Christmas.  What an amazing time it will be, and so much richer as a family of seven.

Summer Fun!

The kids have absolutely no fear of the water so we're really enjoying spending most days in the pool.  We shot video yesterday when they decided it was a good day to figure out how to kick and move their arms and actually swim.  Sorry we forgot to turn the iPhone horizontal to get a better pic!  Next time!

Bekeh tried first. . . .


And whatever Bekeh does, Caleb has to do. . . .

Happy Birthday America!

God has purchased our freedom with his Son's blood and has forgiven all our sins. Colossians 1:14 NLT

We love celebrating July 4th!  One of Jason's favorite activities is watching fireworks, and so each year we celebrate at Kaboomtown in Addison.  We were anxious this year to introduce one of our favorite family outings to Bekeh and Caleb.  They absolutely loved it! 

As you can see, itt was rainy and soggy, but worth it!  The show was amazing, as always.  It lasted a little over 25 minutes and was beautifully coreographed with the music.  Bekeh especially loved the purple ones!

We were excited that Mimi was able to join us for the festivities, it had been many years since she'd grabbed a seat on the grass and enjoyed the show with us.

We were also excited to have all of Nana's family join us! Jason's grandmother, young at 92, was driven down from Wisconsin by Uncle Tom and his wife Charlotte, and Aunt Janice and her son Tripp flew in from Hawaii. 

The kids had a blast with Uncle Tom.  He's really a big kid at heart, and one of his passions in life is toys that light up.  The street vendors were thrilled to have him attend last night, and so were our children!  They loved the swords and light sabers and all other gadgets that Tom purchased and let them pass around all night!  Thanks goodness for his collection of duct tape as well.  Bekeh and Caleb still aren't good at being careful, and there were many emergency repairs in the field.

With the Hurricane in the gulf we've been experiencing very soggy weather around here, and we were anxious that the fireworks would be rained out.  Janice and Tripp had requested the trip take place this time of year specifically to see them!  We prayed like crazy and although it was black and downpoured through dinner at 6:30pm, by 9:45pm when they began, it was perfectly clear!  Thank you Jesus!

It's really a free for all who joins us every year.  Some years it's just family, other years just friends, most years a little of both!  We always park it in the same spot and everyone and anyone who wants to join us is always welcome!  It's a standing invitation, so perhaps next year it will be you!

 

May God Bless America and May God Bless You!

5 Months Together!

It's crazy how fast this transistion period is flying by.  I have so much to say about how far you guys have come this month, with your english, your bonding, your peace and comfort.  But, I'm just exhausted and it's stinking hot here in Texas.  I believe this monthly update is simply going to be about your gorgeous faces, and less words!

You guys have no fear, and no sense of which end is up when you're tumbling and having fun!

We really loved traveling to Houston for the Memorial Day Weekend.  You guys got to hang out with several of your buddies from the Transistion Home in Ethiopia, and I got a chance to chat the day away with my Yahoo Group Sisters!

My sweet fellow AWAA Mom Cindi Koceich with Selah Studios took these portraits of the kids and we love them so much.

"Mommy, Bekeh like Ethiopia better."

So, Bekeh you've really been missing your homeland a lot lately. Our trip to Houston was perfectly timed, thanks to the Holy Spirit.

Your friend from the Transistion Home in Ethiopia flew in from Ohio, and y'all got to spend the day together. You were thrilled to see Winnie, and we could tell it really helped you to have "part of Ethiopia" back in your life.

Look at how sweet you were playing "Coffee" in Ethiopia and now the smiles are just as big when you're together in Texas! Today was an especially good day. We laughed and giggled a lot. "This is awesome!" came out of your mouth over and over. After awhile I asked you, "Do you like being at Mommy's house?" You looked at me for awhile and softly said, "No. I like Askalech's house." I understand sweet Bekeh. All the food, love, and security in the world doesn't take away the hurt of leaving your family and your sister behind. Mommy said, "I'm sorry you cannot see Askalech, I know you miss her." You said, "Mommy, Bekeh like Ethiopia better." And I gave you a big hug.

So, then I asked you, "Do you like Mommy?" And you smirked and said, "NO!" "NO? What can Mommy do better?" I asked with a smile. You giggled and said, "Mommy play kitchen in my room." "Oh! I see. . ." And off we went to bake plastic veggies. . .

4 Months Together!

Do you know how I know things are settling into a little bit of normal around here? It's difficult for me to sit and think about what you two have done in the past month with us. For the first time since January, the family has not solely revolved around the two of you. I know that in and of itself might sound offensive to you guys, but I assure you it's the best thing for you. You have joined our family, and you are finally becoming part of our family, not this separate entity that sends out amazing and beautiful light and energy but also creates a gravitational pull that yanks everything around into it!

Caleb, I've been anxiously waiting to write this post for one reason, to announce to the world that you no longer use me as a battering ram. Wow, where did that word come from? I was thinking punching bag and battering ram came out of my keyboard. That just started a whole thing with the Holy Spirit in me. Whoa.

Siege armies used a battering ram to break down a gatehouse door or even smash a castle wall. To shield themselves from attack, they built a covered shed, in which they hung a thick tree trunk on chains suspended from a beam above. Carpenters tapered the trunk into a blunt point and capped it with iron. Soldiers swung the hanging trunk back and forth, and the forward end of the trunk moved in and out of the shed like a tortoise's head, battering its target. Castle defenders tried to burn the shed down with flaming arrows, though attackers responded by covering the shed with animal pelts or earth to make it fireproof.

I was never your battering ram Caleb, mommy had it all wrong. Jesus was your battering ram. He was the large tree breaking down the walls you built around your heart. I was simply part of the covering shed. I took the fiery arrows from the enemy trying to stop us from breaking down the strongholds. You weren't firing the arrows sweetheart, you were the prisoner locked inside we were trying to rescue. It wasn't until we covered ourselves in the blood of Jesus that we became fireproof and finally knocked through to where you were hiding. Oh praise your name Holy Spirit for showing me that just now. Thank you for being a battering ram for all of us, and forgive me for all those months I wasted feeling sorry for myself because I placed myself as that tree and whined about the beating I was taking against the castle wall. Thank you for tearing that wall down on April 24th and bringing Caleb out from his bondage.

Wow Son, didn't expect God to speak through my typing this blog post, but that's the cool thing about your Heavenly Daddy, He shows up everywhere. That just changed my perspective on everything in 5 minutes. Gotta take a break and process and pray, be right back.

Deep breath. Ok, Caleb, so, our bonding nightmare is behind both of us, and we're able to just move forward with normal bonding. It will take months and years and will never stop, but at least we're together finally. No more frantic screaming, no more avoiding eye contact, no more hiding under blankets. You still startle really easy, it will take time for you to trust and find peace, but we'll get there together. As you toddled around the house today playing and trying to talk in your undecipherable jibberish, I thought to myself, "I really do enjoy that boy." You are hilarious, you have a snorting laugh that cracks us up, you announce very loudly anytime anyone burps or toots in the house, and your cheeks are filling out with extra sweetness enough that the most adorable dimples have appeared! Just squeezable. I love your prayers. I love how you repeat "Caleb no tee tee on the floor, that's yucky. No tee tee in pants, yucky. No tee tee on Bekeh in bath, that's yucky." everytime you go potty. You don't have accidents, maybe because you remind yourself so often. . . You're talking a lot, although it takes one of us to interpret for you to outsiders. Still got a lazy tongue and lips, but we'll work on it! You love playing outside, you love playing pretend kitchen, and you still love WIGGLES!

Bekeh. Your biggest change this month has been in your peace. Although you still pout when you feel left out of anything, which is a lot, you are a more peaceful person. I think a lot has to do with the fact that you now have a voice and vocabulary to express your needs. The other day you came in to me after school and said, "Mommy, Bekeh no like this dress. No more wear it." You had whined everytime I put it on you previously and just got chidded for being whiney. It was good to express your taste, cause the dress went in the giveaway box, and you were very pleased. You have also learned the concept of money and buying. You received a birthday card from Great Grandma Mullen, and about thirty minutes after opening it you came to me and said, "Mommy, where my money from Grandma Mullen?" I laughed cause you were so serious and it was your longest thought and phrase to get out clearly up til then. So I said, "It's in your wallet." Immediatley you responded, "Where's my wallet?" So I showed you in the kitchen. The next day you saw a Wiggles coloring book at the store and begged for it. I said no, and you said in an excessively whiney voice, "Bekeh want it." So I said, "Do you want to buy it with your money in your wallet?" Your eyes lit up and we bought the coloring book and when we got home you counted out five dollars (it was a thick one) and gave it to me. You carried that book around everywhere and told everyone, "Bekeh bought it - money!" I love being able to talk with you now. It's still progressing, and you have to have insider knowledge to understand everything, but you've been telling me whose absent at school, whose parents visited the classroom, who got in trouble in class, what you did, where you want to go, what you think about things, etc. I can't wait to really learn about your personality more when you can express all those amazing things swimming around in your head!I love this picture because Brooklyn took it, and you'll smile differently for her, and because you're wearing a beloved article of clothing! Brooklyn, Emily, and Natalie all received these Hello Kitty nightgowns from Mimi manyyears ago when they were tiny. I think Brooklyn had just turned 3. When she got it, it came to her ankles, and she was still wearing it last month, only it barely covered her toosh. But she loved it and would never let it go. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I convinced her it was time because it didn't have to go away, she could pass it down to you. It was actually a tough choice for her, but seeing you in it makes her smile, and me too! I love that you will wear it til it's bone thin and barely covers your hiney too.

I'll try and take notes during month five so I'll have more to report, but it was an AMAZING month and we've come so far in getting used to each other and figuring this whole new normal out! Love you babies! (Oh, sorry, you HATE it when I call you that. You don't understand the concept of nicknames or terms of endearment at all!!!) SO. . . .Love you big girl and big boy!

Bear's Coming Home!

We are so blessed to have a tight knit group of Ethiopian/Texan families that we share this journey with. Bekeh especially loves Ms. Linda, and thoroughly enjoys our car rides to lunch. She's been waiting for "her baby from Ethiopia" to come and play with her and we're thrilled to pieces he's on his way home this week!!!! He's gotten so big since we held him and kissed all over him for Ben and Linda in January. Can't wait to kiss all over him some more this weekend! He's coming Bekeh and you can play with him again finally! We love you Bereket!!

Let's Party!

On Saturday we had a wonderful birthday party out at my brother's place to celebrate Caleb, Bekeh, and Rhett's birthdays. They each came home to our families in January of this year after being adopted through America World, so this was their first American Birthday, and we went all out!It was a cool family affair, and the kids were happily overwhelmed with the attention, and especially the gifts.
Caleb's favorite gift was from Nana, a green ride on Dog. It was the first gift opened, and he sat upon it to open all the others! He and Papa must have ridden up and down the steep driveway a hundred times!Bekeh loved her kitchen from Nana, earrings from Grammy and Papa, and is having a blast with all the sidewalk chalk and puzzles she received. Thank you!
Every American child enjoys the thrill of devouring their very own birthday cake on their first birthday, and these three were no different. Although the majority of their smash cakes were destroyed in a mature manner with a fork, Bekeh and Caleb were forced by their brother and sister to partake with their full face as well!Their first real sugar highs!!!

The kids had a blast playing with their cousins. They played on the bounce house, the zip line, took rides on the atv cart, blew bubbles, rode bikes and scooters. . . by the time we left, everyone had black feet and required baths at 11:30 at night!

Happy Birthday beautiful babies! We were so thrilled to celebrate with you and watch you blossom with all the personalized attention! We love you Rhett! Love Ya Bekeh! Love and Kisses Caleb!

5, 5, Glorious 5!

Bekeh has been waiting for her birthday for two weeks now. Somehow, on Caleb's birthday back on the 22nd of April, she understood the concept and has been literally counting down the days. First it was, "Two weeks, Bekeh's birthday!" and then "Next week is my birthday!" And Monday it was, "Two days, my birthday!" and yesterday, "Wedsay my Birthday!"
Last night I asked her how old she was and she said, "Four!" and then I asked, "How old will you be tomorrow?" and she held up all five fingers and screamed, "FFFIIIIVVVEEE!!"
So in honor of her 5th birthday today, 05-05-05, here are 5 of our favorite things about Bekeh.
1. She loves Butterflies. When I pulled out the butterfly wings from our dress up box this morning, her eyes were bigger than saucers and she began jumping up and down! Her favorite new song to request is Miley Cyrus, Butterfly Fly Away. She will do all the motions for a caterpillar, and then makes a chrysalis with her hands and then when Miley sings Butterfly fly away, she flaps her hands like a butterfly. It's adorable.
2. She's a smiley, giggly, happy, joyful girl! Sunshine follows her around. She brightens the room she enters, and her love is contagious. 3. She loves school. 11:00 is one of mommy's favorite minutes of the day. Bekeh runs out the door from school with a look of pure excitement and joy to see me, runs to my arms, and can't get all the thoughts to form into words fast enough to tell me about her day and share her creations with me. She knew she was special today sitting in the teacher's chair and having her friends sing to her. She was proud to have mommy and Caleb there to watch her dance and sing with her classmates. I was proud too. 4. Her favorite color is Yellow. She'll choose it every time. Again, she's pure sunshine. When she was first learning her colors, everything was yellow. Now that she knows them, she'll answer me correctly, i.e. "That's red. And this is yellow." and she'll point out whatever she can find that's yellow.5. She's an absolute trickster. She loves hiding things and giggling like crazy when you notice they're gone. She points and says, "Spider!" and then laughs when you look. Today at lunch Daddy asked for a kiss and she refused him and pulled away over and over, one of her favorite games, until finally when he said he didn't want one, she says, "Kiss! Kiss Daddy!" But today, instead of just kissing him, right at the last second, she stuck the apple out of her mouth and poked him with it!At McDonald's which she picked for her Birthday lunch, she was a bit quiet when I served her nuggets to her, which are normally her favorite, so I asked her what was wrong. With a very sad tone she said, "I want cheeseburger like daddy." So Jason popped up and went and ordered her a cheeseburger. She looked at me bewildered, knowing that's never worked before, and I said, "It's your birthday, you get to choose everything you want!" She took that cheeseburger from daddy's hands like it was absolute gold. Every bite she would shake her head with excitement and say, "My birthday cheeseburger!" She's already announced we're eating Pizza for dinner. Her other favorite new food, and the other four are thrilled with her decision! We make birthday's super fun around here, and she's certainly caught on. She knows she's the princess today, and I hope she feels like that everyday, for the rest of her life.
Run toward Six Bekeh, with all your heart. This is going to be a year full of new discoveries and new love. Enjoy it as much as we enjoy you sweet cheeks. Happy Birthday, we love you!