Elmo Birthday and Easter Baskets

Ten new things I have experienced with Kayeso in the last month
10. His favorite color is orange, or he just loves saying orange I don’t know.
9. He loves to describe whether we are inside or outside and the temperature of the weather hot or cold.
8. Kayeso is learning his letters and numbers. He drew a y for the first time today.
7. Kayeso loves to watch the same shows over and over right now. He mostly likes Curious George and Cailou.
He is upset because Yordie doesn’t want to be Rosie when he plays Cailou. She says, “I’m not a baby.”
6. Thursdays he spends time with my parents, Nana and Papa, so instead of it being Thursday it is Papa Day when he wakes up. Nana is a little bummed.
5. His favorite phrase is “Kayeso do it.”
4. Kayeso rode a skateboard for the first time and loved it.
3. Kayeso loves to eat at Carl’s Junior. He starts saying “Happy Happy Happy”as we approach.
2. Kayeso loved Easter. He talked about his basket for two weeks before Easter everyday. He wanted to know when it would be Basket Day.
1. Kayeso turns 5 on May 18th. We are having breakfast with Elmo and Friends at Sea World for his Birthday.  He says on Elmo Day Kayeso is 5.

We went and got our court date on Friday for the readoption.It will be May 14th. Wow how quick. For those in California you can definitely do it yourself

 

“I can’t do that.”

This is Kayeso’s new favorite phrase of the week. It usually refers to cleaning up a mess he has made. We are sorry for any delays in updates on our crazy life. It has been a hectic couple of months. I am back at work, baseball season, soccer practices, gym classes, and Chuck E Cheese Birthday parties. Kayeso is in preschool 3 days a week with Yordie and he will be starting kindergarten in the fall. He has learned so much English. His favorite show right now is “Team Work” Wonder Pets I guess is harder to say. I can’t beleive it has not even been 3 months since he came home. He has learned to ride a bike, and do puzzles, and spends time with friends. He loves playing with his friends at school, brother and sisters, and his gymnastics class he takes with Yordie. He is doing great. Our other kids area adjusting well to the last addition to our family.
I can’t believe the school year is quickly coming to an end. Meron will be 8 next month. Wow! Estifanos is finishing up kindergarten, and Yordie well our little Ethiopian princess will be four in May and is always keeping us busy. Crazy how they grow.

 

Here are some new photos of Kayeso

By popular demand:

 

 

The Communication Gap

People often ask Brian and I how it is communicating with an older child in the first few weeks home. I have realized that although at times it is challenging it is also not a major obstacle. You can communicate with Amharic that you know, and hand signals are key in the early weeks. Many things are just understood through nonverbal communication.

I watched my new 4 year old son playing in the yard at my parents’ house today with my 3 1/2 year old daughter. As they played and talked to each other language was not important. They enjoyed being together, and they enjoyed each other as people even though they don’t speak the same language. Their laughter and smiles said so much. The brother my daughter had wished for was now here with her, and that was all that is important.

 

10 New Things I have Gotten to Experience with Kayeso This Week

10. His excitement on riding on a flying mechana “an airplane.” It looks like a flying car.
9. Turning on and off Light switches 100 times a day.
8. Wearing our shoes to bed. Can’t take off those Elmo shoes Mom gave us.
7. His obession with watching the Food Network 24 hours a day.
6. Looking at himself in every mirror possible.
5. His first experience with self flushing toilets.
4. Learning how to use a drinking fountain, and that we don’t wash our hands in it.
3. The look on his face when he learned that his sandles light up.
2. Riding the escalator 100 million times at the Washington airport.
1. Watching his love for glow sticks at our neighbor’s New Year’s Party last night.
I am so glad to have my baby home with us, and that we have completed our family. I am just trying to enjoy every minute in the chaos with my 4 beautiful children.

 

We Are Home

We got home last night with our beautiful new son Kayeso. It has been an amazing journey to Ethiopia. We got to spend a week learning about him and his culture. We were able to travel south to Arbegona and meet with his birth family. That was a trip of a lifetime. We also traveled with several other amazing families who shared this journey with us. We are so grateful to have our family be complete.

 

Pictures!

 

Kayeso Is Coming Home

We are proud to announce that we made it through court, and Kayeso is coming home.  We are traveling to Ethiopis on 12/18 to get our new son.  The wait is finally over.  WOO HOO!!  Although  Santa will have to visit our other three kiddos at my parents house we are all so eexcited for this amazing Christmas miracle.  We welcome Kayeso to our family.  We are fianlly complete.

 

The Waiting Place

I read Estifanos Oh The Places You Will Go the other night, and when I got to the part about the Waiting Place it hit home.  The whole book actually hit home.  On any given day I feel excitement for Kayeso to come home, happiness for him to join our family and to be his Mom, sadness he is not here yet,  and anxiety about his needs and caring for four children.

Are we ready?  Are we prepared?  Are the kids ready?  Are the kids prepared?  How do I feel?  How does Brian feel?  How do the kids feel?  These are all questions that we are asked about a zillion times a day, and that I think about from the moment I wake up til my head hits the pillow.  When I am at a soccer game, making lunches, at work, a dance class, church, or in he quiet of the night I think about how life will be different in less than three months.

Are we all ready?  We talk about it on a daily basis, but I don’t know if you are ever fully ready.  Who knows what the future holds.  I am just ready to stop waiting and get to travel to get my son, and begin our journey as a complete family.

 

Just Another Manic Monday

We found out today that we were approved to adopt a waiting child, and adopt out of birth order.  This is so exciting.  I was talking to one of the staff I supervise when all of a sudden my phone rings.  I see our social worker, and think hey hope this is good news.  I scurry her out of my office to talk to my social worker. 

Our worker tells me that they have waived the policy for us, and we can adopt a four year old boy inbetween Estifanos and Yordie.  This means we should have a referral in the near future.  Our homestudy was done today, our dossier has been accepted, and Brian will get CIS appoval tommorrow. 

I am so excited to be an expectant mom one last time.  I am excited to travelagain to bring home my son.  I am excited for Estifanos to have a brother close to his age to hang with and grow with.  I am  excited to complete our family, and meet the son I have dreamed about.  It is not exactly what I initially expected, but nothing in the adoption world is.