Going to the grocery store with two little children is a totally new ball game. A few reasons why:
1) Social time
It used to be that I walked into the grocery store, slipped silently through the crowds to collect what I needed, said a cordial "Hi, how's your day; I'd like the receipt in the bag please," and was home in 45 minutes or less. Now, with two kiddos in the basket in front of me, it has become a social event! Not only do the kids and I talk about everything we see (and smell and taste), but we also meet little grandma ladies, stay-at-home moms, children in other carts and every single worker in the store. It takes a little longer to navigate the aisles, but it's a fun change.
We have been included in conversations around why the fresh-squeezed orange juice is so good ("and can you read the expiration date on this bottle for me, dear?"), how a family has been living in a hotel since their house burned down, and whether...something about football players being free agents and going to other teams. (Or maybe that was basketball, I don't know these sports things....)
2) Attention
Given that we now have 2 children, we attract a lot more attention than we used to. And with two kids who secretly like being the center of attention, you better believe it - we get a lot of attention! Take, for example, Monday's outing to the grocery store. Ibra was especially excited that we got homemade tortillas ("chapati" to the kids) from HEB, and dedicated the next 20 minutes to singing:
Baby Chapati, Baby Chapati
I love you, I love you
You are my Chapati, You are my Chapati
I love you! I love you!
(to the tune of Frere Jaques)
He wrapped up the final chords of the song about the time we entered the cheese section and was delighted to hear at least 7 ladies around us cry, "Bravo!" and give him a standing ovation. Yes sir, that's all the encouragement he needed to continue his song for the rest of the trip. :)
3) Acts of service
Admittedly, the refridgerated section of the store is pretty cold if you're only 2 years old. Suma started shivering once we got near, and Ibra - gentleman that he is - offered her his jacket to wear. She graciously accepted. I love it!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
sunday school
Also known as "Sundee schoo'", if you happen to be from a small, podunk Texas town. (Or so I hear.)
Successful Sunday! After two weeks of keeping the kiddos with us at church, we thought we would go out on a limb and take them to Sunday school. With kids their own age. All by themselves.
I admit, I was not terribly comfortable with it. What if they thought we weren't coming back? What if they threw a fit? The powers that be won't let me stay in the room with the kids without a recent background check (like we've not had enough of those during the adoption process). I respect that, though I hated to be more than calling distance away from either of the kids. It was our first day back with our class as well, and I'm sure that I looked more like I swallowed a lemon than like I was thrilled to be back. In the back of my mind, I kept waiting for one of the nursery workers to text us with some message about how one or both of our kids was melting down.
But you know what? The meltdown call never came. Both kids did great. I mean, really great! When we went to get them, we found two happy kids who are ready to go back next week! Ibra made a bracelet with a jingle bell on it and got to play with other boys his age; Suma had taken her shoes off and was happily eating a graham cracker.
And what makes me happier is that they also did well in the service. Andrew and I decided a long time ago that we wanted our kids to sit with us during "big church". We go to a church where they have great programs for the kids during this time, and I think that the kids who go enjoy it and get a lot out of it. For our family, however, we feel that our kids should sit with us during this time. It is so important to us that we worship the Lord our God as a family. Yes, the message is over their heads right now, but there is so much more to it. For them them to see that the church is made up of more than children their age, that it includes men and women of all races and backgrounds and ages - that's a big deal. We pray that they will love the church and serve the Lord by serving His Bride and making disciples. For them to observe baptisms and offerings and communion, to see their parents pray and worship the Lord, to take part in the prayer and worship times themselves - that's a big deal. We pray, more than anything, that they will love the Lord Jesus and walk with Him all of their lives. So, even though they can't yet understand everything that happens in "big church", I pray that the Lord will begin to stir their little hearts an draw them to Himself as they observe His church in action.
Thank you, Lord, for their happy hearts in Your house today!
Successful Sunday! After two weeks of keeping the kiddos with us at church, we thought we would go out on a limb and take them to Sunday school. With kids their own age. All by themselves.
I admit, I was not terribly comfortable with it. What if they thought we weren't coming back? What if they threw a fit? The powers that be won't let me stay in the room with the kids without a recent background check (like we've not had enough of those during the adoption process). I respect that, though I hated to be more than calling distance away from either of the kids. It was our first day back with our class as well, and I'm sure that I looked more like I swallowed a lemon than like I was thrilled to be back. In the back of my mind, I kept waiting for one of the nursery workers to text us with some message about how one or both of our kids was melting down.
But you know what? The meltdown call never came. Both kids did great. I mean, really great! When we went to get them, we found two happy kids who are ready to go back next week! Ibra made a bracelet with a jingle bell on it and got to play with other boys his age; Suma had taken her shoes off and was happily eating a graham cracker.
And what makes me happier is that they also did well in the service. Andrew and I decided a long time ago that we wanted our kids to sit with us during "big church". We go to a church where they have great programs for the kids during this time, and I think that the kids who go enjoy it and get a lot out of it. For our family, however, we feel that our kids should sit with us during this time. It is so important to us that we worship the Lord our God as a family. Yes, the message is over their heads right now, but there is so much more to it. For them them to see that the church is made up of more than children their age, that it includes men and women of all races and backgrounds and ages - that's a big deal. We pray that they will love the church and serve the Lord by serving His Bride and making disciples. For them to observe baptisms and offerings and communion, to see their parents pray and worship the Lord, to take part in the prayer and worship times themselves - that's a big deal. We pray, more than anything, that they will love the Lord Jesus and walk with Him all of their lives. So, even though they can't yet understand everything that happens in "big church", I pray that the Lord will begin to stir their little hearts an draw them to Himself as they observe His church in action.
Thank you, Lord, for their happy hearts in Your house today!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
addie
Some of you eagle eyes may have noticed a small oddity in one of the last pictures that we posted.
No?
Take a closer look....
Yes, right there in lime green embroidery. Addie.
Now, don't feel bad if you looked at this picture for 20 minutes and couldn't see a thing wrong with it. I didn't see it either when I bought them at the consignment sale. I didn't even see it when I showed the newly-acquired PJs to Andrew after I brought them home.
Oh well. She hasn't said anything about it, so it must be ok. :)
No?
Take a closer look....
Yes, right there in lime green embroidery. Addie.
Now, don't feel bad if you looked at this picture for 20 minutes and couldn't see a thing wrong with it. I didn't see it either when I bought them at the consignment sale. I didn't even see it when I showed the newly-acquired PJs to Andrew after I brought them home.
Oh well. She hasn't said anything about it, so it must be ok. :)
since we've been home
We have been home now for 2 weeks, and wow! What a ride. I don't even know where to begin, and to tell the truth, I've just typed and deleted about 12 different openings for this post. But, in the wise words of a certain King of Hearts:
"Just begin at the beginning and go on til you come to the end. Then stop."
- Alice in Wonderland
So to begin at the beginning...
Jet lag
Coming home from international travel in the past has always been an easy adjustment for me. Scientifically, I hear that it's usually the other way around, but I tend to get back on my good ol' Texas schedule within a day or so without any issue. But of course, that was always travelling without children.
I had high hopes that they would come home and go straight to sleep. In this regard, I was not disappointed. What I also should have hoped for was that they would sleep through the night. :) Those first few days were early and late all at the same time since the kids were up at 11pm, 1am, and 3am (for the rest of the day). Thankfully, they are now on a much more manageable schedule and only wake up once around 6am.
Also, they LOVE their beds! (Thank you, Mr. Cool and Aunt Julie for getting them ready for us!) As you can see below:
HEB
Ok, so all of the adoption advice is to not take your kids anywhere for 3 months. When I first heard that, I admit, I thought that was ridiculous. While we were in Uganda, we had to get out all the time: to the store (fruit/milk/etc don't stay fresh as long as they do here), to various court & medical appointments, to get chapati in the mornings. There are always a ton of people around and the simple act of driving often turned into an adventure. I figured that if the kids could handle that, they could handle anything.
And then we went to HEB.
All we needed was some basic things: 3 gallons of milk, 12 loaves of bread, 1400 eggs (these kids eat, I tell you!). It was a weekday afternoon, so we thought it would be a quick trip. Well! If you have never seen a store as big as HEB, if you have never had so many free food samples at your fingertips, and if you have never seen frozen crab legs (and all the other interesting things in the meat section) - you will not be in and out in an hour, my friends.
The kids did great and had a lot of fun. I'm beginning to think that part of the rationale behind the stay-home-3-months advice is not just to help keep the kids from being overwhelmed...it's also to help rookie parents from setting themselves up for future failure. Our kids are now ruined for future grocery trips because they happened to like every. single. sample. Heaven help us if we need to make a quick grocery run or go somewhere without food samples.
Camping
We camped in the living room and watched Finding Nemo. Big success.
Thanksgiving
The great thing about 4-year-olds and quasi-2-year-olds is this: they like to help cook. Especially if it involves licking the bowl.
And finally, we spend most of our time playing. "Going to wagon" (also known as: going in the wagon to the playground) is the all-time favorite, but we've also found some other things around here to keep us entertained.
For our little future engineers:
Ibra is singing the Arabian Horse song to Big Bear and teaching him how to find Africa on the globe (thank you, Kerry and Neltia!).
And one of my favorites: nap time! This is the considerate boy we have: not only did he offer his best jeans to his bear, but he also made sure that Big Bear was warm enough for nap.
"Just begin at the beginning and go on til you come to the end. Then stop."
- Alice in Wonderland
So to begin at the beginning...
Jet lag
Coming home from international travel in the past has always been an easy adjustment for me. Scientifically, I hear that it's usually the other way around, but I tend to get back on my good ol' Texas schedule within a day or so without any issue. But of course, that was always travelling without children.
I had high hopes that they would come home and go straight to sleep. In this regard, I was not disappointed. What I also should have hoped for was that they would sleep through the night. :) Those first few days were early and late all at the same time since the kids were up at 11pm, 1am, and 3am (for the rest of the day). Thankfully, they are now on a much more manageable schedule and only wake up once around 6am.
Also, they LOVE their beds! (Thank you, Mr. Cool and Aunt Julie for getting them ready for us!) As you can see below:
HEB
Ok, so all of the adoption advice is to not take your kids anywhere for 3 months. When I first heard that, I admit, I thought that was ridiculous. While we were in Uganda, we had to get out all the time: to the store (fruit/milk/etc don't stay fresh as long as they do here), to various court & medical appointments, to get chapati in the mornings. There are always a ton of people around and the simple act of driving often turned into an adventure. I figured that if the kids could handle that, they could handle anything.
And then we went to HEB.
All we needed was some basic things: 3 gallons of milk, 12 loaves of bread, 1400 eggs (these kids eat, I tell you!). It was a weekday afternoon, so we thought it would be a quick trip. Well! If you have never seen a store as big as HEB, if you have never had so many free food samples at your fingertips, and if you have never seen frozen crab legs (and all the other interesting things in the meat section) - you will not be in and out in an hour, my friends.
The kids did great and had a lot of fun. I'm beginning to think that part of the rationale behind the stay-home-3-months advice is not just to help keep the kids from being overwhelmed...it's also to help rookie parents from setting themselves up for future failure. Our kids are now ruined for future grocery trips because they happened to like every. single. sample. Heaven help us if we need to make a quick grocery run or go somewhere without food samples.
Camping
We camped in the living room and watched Finding Nemo. Big success.
Thanksgiving
The great thing about 4-year-olds and quasi-2-year-olds is this: they like to help cook. Especially if it involves licking the bowl.
And finally, we spend most of our time playing. "Going to wagon" (also known as: going in the wagon to the playground) is the all-time favorite, but we've also found some other things around here to keep us entertained.
For our little future engineers:
Ibra is singing the Arabian Horse song to Big Bear and teaching him how to find Africa on the globe (thank you, Kerry and Neltia!).
And one of my favorites: nap time! This is the considerate boy we have: not only did he offer his best jeans to his bear, but he also made sure that Big Bear was warm enough for nap.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
home!
We're here! We're home!
Oh, it feels so good to say that... and it feels even better to be here: Sitting in my 2nd favorite chair in the world, a cup of coffee - with a dash of eggnog - on the window sill next to me, enjoying a cloudy day in Texas during naptime. It's a good day. :)
Our trip home went well! We had two attempts to nail it, and Attempt 2 was a great success. During Attempt 1, we were thisclose to boarding the airplane when the man checking our tickets asked us about our Schengen visa. "Oh no," we said, "We have all the visas that we need - we're going to America." But not so fast - we needed to be educated on something really important: if you are not an American citizen and you need to travel through Europe, you need a transit visa for certain countries.
Oh no.
So, long story short - they off-loaded our luggage, and we went back to Kampala. Our friends, Kerry & Neltia, were gracious and invited us to stay at their home for the remainer of our time in Uganda. The next day was spent visiting the airline's office, the Belgium embassy (to find out about transit visas through Brussels), and on the phone with Continental. In the end, we were able to book flights so that we could bypass the transit visa issue AND have plenty of time to clear customs before we arrived home. Yay!
We can not stop thanking the Lord for how He has provided for our trip home:
- We found out about the visa issue before we arrived in Belgium... Can you imagine? What an expensive headache that would have been! At that point, no one had caught this or brought it up...and let me tell you, there had been ample opportunity for it to come up. Thank you, Lord.
- We got to see the Hendersons for 2 more days.
- Continental basically gave us additional frequent flyer miles for free with our new itinerary when they heard our situation.
- The kids enjoyed take-offs/landings and slept well on the airplanes, and the length of our 2 layovers were perfect for what we needed to do during each of them.
- On 2 full flights, the Lord kept 1 seat open near me or Andrew so that our family could sit next to each other. (Even though they did great, the idea of sitting with 2 kids by myself where the in-flight meal involves red sauce and crumbly cake is a little crazy.)
- Friends and family were waiting for us when we landed!
Oh, it feels so good to say that... and it feels even better to be here: Sitting in my 2nd favorite chair in the world, a cup of coffee - with a dash of eggnog - on the window sill next to me, enjoying a cloudy day in Texas during naptime. It's a good day. :)
Our trip home went well! We had two attempts to nail it, and Attempt 2 was a great success. During Attempt 1, we were thisclose to boarding the airplane when the man checking our tickets asked us about our Schengen visa. "Oh no," we said, "We have all the visas that we need - we're going to America." But not so fast - we needed to be educated on something really important: if you are not an American citizen and you need to travel through Europe, you need a transit visa for certain countries.
Oh no.
So, long story short - they off-loaded our luggage, and we went back to Kampala. Our friends, Kerry & Neltia, were gracious and invited us to stay at their home for the remainer of our time in Uganda. The next day was spent visiting the airline's office, the Belgium embassy (to find out about transit visas through Brussels), and on the phone with Continental. In the end, we were able to book flights so that we could bypass the transit visa issue AND have plenty of time to clear customs before we arrived home. Yay!
We can not stop thanking the Lord for how He has provided for our trip home:
- We found out about the visa issue before we arrived in Belgium... Can you imagine? What an expensive headache that would have been! At that point, no one had caught this or brought it up...and let me tell you, there had been ample opportunity for it to come up. Thank you, Lord.
- We got to see the Hendersons for 2 more days.
- Continental basically gave us additional frequent flyer miles for free with our new itinerary when they heard our situation.
- The kids enjoyed take-offs/landings and slept well on the airplanes, and the length of our 2 layovers were perfect for what we needed to do during each of them.
- On 2 full flights, the Lord kept 1 seat open near me or Andrew so that our family could sit next to each other. (Even though they did great, the idea of sitting with 2 kids by myself where the in-flight meal involves red sauce and crumbly cake is a little crazy.)
- Friends and family were waiting for us when we landed!
Thank you all so much for your prayers from the time we got on the plane to now. We are so thankful for each of you and have rejoiced to see how the Lord has provided. We still have a long way to go as we transition to life in America and figure out what this family/parenting thing is all about. The Lord continues to remind me that:
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah 40:11)
He is faithful!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
monkey-ing around
The past two days have been full of fun at the Brown house! Yesterday, we went with our new friends Rob & Amy to Friday Market to look around. It reminded me of the craft shows that my mom used to take us to - only with an African twist (read: hot and outside). :)
Let me tell you, these vendors are good. Not only were their crafts - jewelry, bags, dolls, rugs, carvings, drums, etc - top notch, but they were great salesmen too. As soon as we walked in, a boy put a toy in Ibra's hand while a woman put a doll in Suma's arms. Ten minutes later, we walked away with both. Note to self: next time, don't bring empty-handed children along. Even though we got taken in, we had a great time, and Andrew really enjoyed negotiating with the vendors. The kids were so excited to play with their toys, and they scarcely ate breakfast today because they wanted to play.
After the market, we joined our Aid Sudan friends for a Rain Festival that was hosted by one of the international schools nearby. It was like a fall festival, and each grade had a different theme: North Pole, rainforest, ocean, forest, etc. There were some really creative costumes! We enjoyed watching the costume parade and eating dinner with our friends. Below are some pictures of the kids playing outside. You'll see Ibra with our friend Blake. Blake is homeschooling the kids for one of the Aid Sudan families here, and our kids have loved getting to play with him. (Thank you, Blake, for loving on them so much!)
The kids were zonked after such an action-packed day, but oh wait, there's more....
One of the things that has made me laugh is that no matter what animal we see, they'll call it a monkey. They know the names for goat, cow, lion, elephant, dog and cat - but "monkey" is always the first thing to come out of their mouths. So when they heard that they were going to see monkeys with Rob & Amy - well! - they were so excited they could hardly stand it!
The zoo was such a fun experience. It was amazing how close we got to stand to some of the animals! We could have petted an ostrich, and the lions & hyena were really about 30 feet away (eep - do you know how big a hyena is? I hope I never run into one outside of a zoo!). We got to watch the zookeeper feed the chimps - which kept all of entertained for a long time- and the BEST part is that the little spider monkeys were all over the park. Yep - no cages for those guys, they were free-range all the way.
The kids fell asleep in the car on the way home from dinner with our friends, the Livingstons. You know they're tired when Suma, who is usually very particular about having a bath before she goes to bed, didn't even fuss when we skipped the bath/pj thing and put her in bed.
Let me tell you, these vendors are good. Not only were their crafts - jewelry, bags, dolls, rugs, carvings, drums, etc - top notch, but they were great salesmen too. As soon as we walked in, a boy put a toy in Ibra's hand while a woman put a doll in Suma's arms. Ten minutes later, we walked away with both. Note to self: next time, don't bring empty-handed children along. Even though we got taken in, we had a great time, and Andrew really enjoyed negotiating with the vendors. The kids were so excited to play with their toys, and they scarcely ate breakfast today because they wanted to play.
After the market, we joined our Aid Sudan friends for a Rain Festival that was hosted by one of the international schools nearby. It was like a fall festival, and each grade had a different theme: North Pole, rainforest, ocean, forest, etc. There were some really creative costumes! We enjoyed watching the costume parade and eating dinner with our friends. Below are some pictures of the kids playing outside. You'll see Ibra with our friend Blake. Blake is homeschooling the kids for one of the Aid Sudan families here, and our kids have loved getting to play with him. (Thank you, Blake, for loving on them so much!)
The kids were zonked after such an action-packed day, but oh wait, there's more....
One of the things that has made me laugh is that no matter what animal we see, they'll call it a monkey. They know the names for goat, cow, lion, elephant, dog and cat - but "monkey" is always the first thing to come out of their mouths. So when they heard that they were going to see monkeys with Rob & Amy - well! - they were so excited they could hardly stand it!
The zoo was such a fun experience. It was amazing how close we got to stand to some of the animals! We could have petted an ostrich, and the lions & hyena were really about 30 feet away (eep - do you know how big a hyena is? I hope I never run into one outside of a zoo!). We got to watch the zookeeper feed the chimps - which kept all of entertained for a long time- and the BEST part is that the little spider monkeys were all over the park. Yep - no cages for those guys, they were free-range all the way.
The kids fell asleep in the car on the way home from dinner with our friends, the Livingstons. You know they're tired when Suma, who is usually very particular about having a bath before she goes to bed, didn't even fuss when we skipped the bath/pj thing and put her in bed.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
the magic word
Today was THE day - visa interview day at the embassy!
After completing an amazing amount of paperwork...
After meeting the kids and growing together as a family...
After being awarded legal guardianship by the national court...
After purchasing our return tickets...
It was still entirely possible for the kids' visa applications to be denied. I don't know how this is possible, but it is (and we have met a couple who has experienced this...they are now living in Uganda so that they may finalize their adoption here before moving back to the US. They are 6 months into a 3-year timeframe). So were we a little nervous going into the interview? Yes.
We dropped off our mountain of paperwork before we met Ibra's great-aunt and Julius for lunch and returned to the embassy for the interview. The kids did well, even with our rookie parent mistake of ordering them spaghetti for lunch (given the choice between ordering them something that we know they'd like & is still somewhat ok for them vs. ordering them a soda and a plate of fries...I think we made the right move. We'll just remember to always bring bibs with us in the future).
Our interview was at 2pm, and the man who interviewed us reminded me of a guy that I used to recruit with - very even tempered, gracious, and 100% on top of his game. He asked us some questions about why we wanted to adopt from Uganda, why we wanted to adopt these kids, and how did we find out about them. He reviewed our papers with us and was pleasantly surprised when my rock star husband had an extra, blank copy of a signature form that we needed (yay Andrew!).
At one point, Interview Man asked about a relinquishment form that he didn't see in our paperwork. Oh gosh. Fortunately, Julius was right there with us and was able to help point it out for him. Whew. And then he said the magic words: "Congratulations. We'll have your visa paperwork for you soon."
That. Is. Awesome! Just about everyone we know has experienced at least one hiccup with the visa process, and the Lord took care of everything the first time. Even Julius, who has seen quite a few of these, was surprised. He turned to Andrew and said, "You are one blessed man."
Yes, sir. That is true. Thank you, Jesus.
After completing an amazing amount of paperwork...
After meeting the kids and growing together as a family...
After being awarded legal guardianship by the national court...
After purchasing our return tickets...
It was still entirely possible for the kids' visa applications to be denied. I don't know how this is possible, but it is (and we have met a couple who has experienced this...they are now living in Uganda so that they may finalize their adoption here before moving back to the US. They are 6 months into a 3-year timeframe). So were we a little nervous going into the interview? Yes.
We dropped off our mountain of paperwork before we met Ibra's great-aunt and Julius for lunch and returned to the embassy for the interview. The kids did well, even with our rookie parent mistake of ordering them spaghetti for lunch (given the choice between ordering them something that we know they'd like & is still somewhat ok for them vs. ordering them a soda and a plate of fries...I think we made the right move. We'll just remember to always bring bibs with us in the future).
Our interview was at 2pm, and the man who interviewed us reminded me of a guy that I used to recruit with - very even tempered, gracious, and 100% on top of his game. He asked us some questions about why we wanted to adopt from Uganda, why we wanted to adopt these kids, and how did we find out about them. He reviewed our papers with us and was pleasantly surprised when my rock star husband had an extra, blank copy of a signature form that we needed (yay Andrew!).
At one point, Interview Man asked about a relinquishment form that he didn't see in our paperwork. Oh gosh. Fortunately, Julius was right there with us and was able to help point it out for him. Whew. And then he said the magic words: "Congratulations. We'll have your visa paperwork for you soon."
That. Is. Awesome! Just about everyone we know has experienced at least one hiccup with the visa process, and the Lord took care of everything the first time. Even Julius, who has seen quite a few of these, was surprised. He turned to Andrew and said, "You are one blessed man."
Yes, sir. That is true. Thank you, Jesus.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
big day
Tomorrow is one of our last BIG DAYS - our visa paperwork is due tomorrow at 10am, and our visa interview for the kids is at 2pm (also known as 1am and 6am in some hemispheres). Ibra's great-aunt is supposed to join us for the interview.
Please pray for:
- Complete and correct paperwork
- Safe travels for auntie
- Visas for both kids to be in our sweet little hands on Friday
Thanks so much!
Please pray for:
- Complete and correct paperwork
- Safe travels for auntie
- Visas for both kids to be in our sweet little hands on Friday
Thanks so much!
Monday, November 7, 2011
a few of our favorite things
A few of our favorite things from today:
- We got to skype with our home church and share a little of our story with them in the evening worship service. The power was on, the connection didn't drop, and our little girl - who woke up at 1:30am and came out to see what was going on - sat quietly and went back to sleep afterward.
- We went to church yesterday with Wilfred, the man who runs Ibra's children's home, and we got to see some of the kids that Ibra knows. One boy - Elijah, who is about 8 or 9 - was thrilled when he saw me and realized that Ibra couldn't be too far away. He gave Ibra a big hug when he saw him - such a sweet boy!
- At lunch, Wilfred scanned through our visa paperwork for us and noticed that we were missing a form for each of the kids. Thank you, Lord, for pointing this out early. We were able to get these forms from our attorney this morning, and we pray that the interviews on Wednesday will go smoothly.
- Our friends, the Henderson family, invited us and other Aid Sudan family over for homemade ice cream this afternoon - yum! We also got to sit out on the veranda - which is the best in the world, no kidding - and see Peace's twin babies who are only 3 days old!
- Sumaya is running to her daddy more and more. She was wary of him the first few weeks, so it is really wonderful to see her call for him and want to be with him.
- Both kids decided to pray with us before bed time tonight, instead of simply listening as we pray over them. Ibra wanted to repeat phrases after daddy, and Sumaya wanted to thank Jesus for all of her friends in the babies home...especially Frieda (who we pray will be established in her family without further complications), Eric, Jemima and Adam (who came to her home the day before we met her - our new friend Jake got to see the process of him being admitted into the home...such a special baby boy).
- As they were (supposed to be) falling asleep, Ibra spent time teaching Sumaya the words to "Jesus loves me", which we sing every night as we tuck them in. He went phrase by phrase, repeating them until he was satisfied that she knew the words AND pronounced them correctly.
And finally...I've had a stanza from "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" in my head for the past several days. It's been my experience that when I need to hear something from the Lord, He often places songs in my head to remind me of things that are true. When I'm tempted to get frustrated or worried about how things are going over here, I find that I'm also singing:
Here I raise my Ebenezer - yes, "thus far, the Lord has helped us". Thank you for a smooth process thus far.
Here by Thy great help I've come - this is true!
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home. - soon!
- We got to skype with our home church and share a little of our story with them in the evening worship service. The power was on, the connection didn't drop, and our little girl - who woke up at 1:30am and came out to see what was going on - sat quietly and went back to sleep afterward.
- We went to church yesterday with Wilfred, the man who runs Ibra's children's home, and we got to see some of the kids that Ibra knows. One boy - Elijah, who is about 8 or 9 - was thrilled when he saw me and realized that Ibra couldn't be too far away. He gave Ibra a big hug when he saw him - such a sweet boy!
- At lunch, Wilfred scanned through our visa paperwork for us and noticed that we were missing a form for each of the kids. Thank you, Lord, for pointing this out early. We were able to get these forms from our attorney this morning, and we pray that the interviews on Wednesday will go smoothly.
- Our friends, the Henderson family, invited us and other Aid Sudan family over for homemade ice cream this afternoon - yum! We also got to sit out on the veranda - which is the best in the world, no kidding - and see Peace's twin babies who are only 3 days old!
- Sumaya is running to her daddy more and more. She was wary of him the first few weeks, so it is really wonderful to see her call for him and want to be with him.
- Both kids decided to pray with us before bed time tonight, instead of simply listening as we pray over them. Ibra wanted to repeat phrases after daddy, and Sumaya wanted to thank Jesus for all of her friends in the babies home...especially Frieda (who we pray will be established in her family without further complications), Eric, Jemima and Adam (who came to her home the day before we met her - our new friend Jake got to see the process of him being admitted into the home...such a special baby boy).
- As they were (supposed to be) falling asleep, Ibra spent time teaching Sumaya the words to "Jesus loves me", which we sing every night as we tuck them in. He went phrase by phrase, repeating them until he was satisfied that she knew the words AND pronounced them correctly.
And finally...I've had a stanza from "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" in my head for the past several days. It's been my experience that when I need to hear something from the Lord, He often places songs in my head to remind me of things that are true. When I'm tempted to get frustrated or worried about how things are going over here, I find that I'm also singing:
Here I raise my Ebenezer - yes, "thus far, the Lord has helped us". Thank you for a smooth process thus far.
Here by Thy great help I've come - this is true!
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home. - soon!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
life in the slow(er) lane
After all the whirlwind of activity in our first few weeks, things have slowed down a bit - hence the slow-down in blog posts. We have only 2 more big events - the visa process and a possible visit to Ibra's family village. In the meantime, we have been playing with Play-Doh, running small errands, and getting out to see the town.
The past few mornings, Andrew has taken one of the kids to a local vendor to get chapati for breakfast. Chapati is similar to a tortilla, but it's made with red onion, carrot and a ton of oil. Add a fried egg to it, and you have a fantastic breakfast for the family for only $0.50. We're all ok with that!
Yesterday, we had an added treat and went to Suma's babies' home to visit the aunties. We meant to go back the day that we received legal guardianship of Sumaya, but by the time we got the ruling, it was time to get the kids fed and go to sleep. After that, we felt it would be best for her to stay home as a family for awhile - the first few days that she was with us, especially as we were getting ready for bed, she would say, "Motorcar? Eva?" She hadn't quite understood that she wasn't going to live there again, though I think she understands now. :)
Here are a few pictures from our visit yesterday. We all had a great time! It was fun to see how happy Sumaya was to see everyone - especially Victor and Eva - and especially how happy she was to come home with us afterward. She told all of the aunties about eating chapati. When she wanted to see her bed at the home, Eva told her that there is a new baby sleeping there. Suma took it well and said that it was ok - she gets to sleep in a big bed at our house! They were happy to see how cheerful she was and how "smart" she looked in her new clothes and tennis shoes. Ibra made a special friend in Auntie Jennipher - everytime we visited, she loved to read to him and feed him part of her tea snack, and he always helped her with the little babies. It was wonderful to see each of these very special friends!
Today, we went swimming at the ARA. The Lord kept the rain away just long enough for us to enjoy swimming in the big pool without freezing. The kids loved jumping into the water to us, and Ibra had fun being dunked under water with daddy - brave boy! They went down right away for naps, and now they're racing around the house so that daddy can catch them.
Tomorrow, we will visit the church of Wilfred - the man who is the director of Ibra's home and the pastor of the local church. He mentioned to us that it is baby dedication Sunday for them, so we will join them to dedicate Ibra and Sumaya before going to lunch with Wilfred and his wife.
Other things that we'll do this week include: going to visit Ibra's family, completing the visa interview process, and going to the zoo with friends. Exciting times ahead!
The past few mornings, Andrew has taken one of the kids to a local vendor to get chapati for breakfast. Chapati is similar to a tortilla, but it's made with red onion, carrot and a ton of oil. Add a fried egg to it, and you have a fantastic breakfast for the family for only $0.50. We're all ok with that!
Yesterday, we had an added treat and went to Suma's babies' home to visit the aunties. We meant to go back the day that we received legal guardianship of Sumaya, but by the time we got the ruling, it was time to get the kids fed and go to sleep. After that, we felt it would be best for her to stay home as a family for awhile - the first few days that she was with us, especially as we were getting ready for bed, she would say, "Motorcar? Eva?" She hadn't quite understood that she wasn't going to live there again, though I think she understands now. :)
Here are a few pictures from our visit yesterday. We all had a great time! It was fun to see how happy Sumaya was to see everyone - especially Victor and Eva - and especially how happy she was to come home with us afterward. She told all of the aunties about eating chapati. When she wanted to see her bed at the home, Eva told her that there is a new baby sleeping there. Suma took it well and said that it was ok - she gets to sleep in a big bed at our house! They were happy to see how cheerful she was and how "smart" she looked in her new clothes and tennis shoes. Ibra made a special friend in Auntie Jennipher - everytime we visited, she loved to read to him and feed him part of her tea snack, and he always helped her with the little babies. It was wonderful to see each of these very special friends!
Today, we went swimming at the ARA. The Lord kept the rain away just long enough for us to enjoy swimming in the big pool without freezing. The kids loved jumping into the water to us, and Ibra had fun being dunked under water with daddy - brave boy! They went down right away for naps, and now they're racing around the house so that daddy can catch them.
Tomorrow, we will visit the church of Wilfred - the man who is the director of Ibra's home and the pastor of the local church. He mentioned to us that it is baby dedication Sunday for them, so we will join them to dedicate Ibra and Sumaya before going to lunch with Wilfred and his wife.
Other things that we'll do this week include: going to visit Ibra's family, completing the visa interview process, and going to the zoo with friends. Exciting times ahead!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
learning
As of today, our son has been with us for 13 days and our daughter has been with us for 5 days. Every day has brought a new challenge as well as a new joy. Thanks for your prayers and encouraging comments/emails! There are some days when we have struggled, but we continue to see progress as we learn how to be a family.
Things we are learning about our kids:
- Everything that Sumaya does is rhythmic - whether she chants, sings, cries, or snores. It's so funny! On the way home from the Henderson's, she wanted all of us to chant with her:
Suma: Alle!
Us: Luia!
Suma: Amen!
*repeat x100*
Maybe she'll be a worship leader when she grows up. ;)
- Ibra is a details man. We were coloring pictures of tractors, and he was very careful to color in the lines and color according to a pattern of colors he had in his head. He is neat when he eats, and in a matter of minutes, figured out how to operate the camera buttons and how to play with the DVD controls on the computer. Maybe he'll be an engineer when he grows up.
- Ibra is also an imp. His favorite tricks include hiding next to doorways to jump out at his sister and dad (I'm usually with him on these), and hide things from me. Before dinner tonight, we played a guessing game where I hid a piece of napkin in one of my hands and got him to guess which hand it was in. He wanted a turn, but when he opened both hands, nothing was there! He was so thrilled to pull one over on mom...we're going to have to watch this one...
- Both of them have been practicing their English small talk. Also in the car today:
Ibra: Suma, how are you?
Suma: I'm fine. Ibra, how are you?
Ibra: Fine. Suma, how are you?
*repeat x100*
The only thing that beats this in length, is when they get into an "I love you" war. THAT is my favorite!
We're excited every time we realize that we've learned something new about our kids' personalities! There are things that we can learn by observing their behavior, but with the language barrier, it takes a little more time for some things to come to the surface. It's such fun to see the details emerge!
Here are a few more pictures for you...
Some days are like this....
Others are like this...
Some are like this....
And 5 minutes later, they're like this....
Wouldn't trade it!
Things we are learning about our kids:
- Everything that Sumaya does is rhythmic - whether she chants, sings, cries, or snores. It's so funny! On the way home from the Henderson's, she wanted all of us to chant with her:
Suma: Alle!
Us: Luia!
Suma: Amen!
*repeat x100*
Maybe she'll be a worship leader when she grows up. ;)
- Ibra is a details man. We were coloring pictures of tractors, and he was very careful to color in the lines and color according to a pattern of colors he had in his head. He is neat when he eats, and in a matter of minutes, figured out how to operate the camera buttons and how to play with the DVD controls on the computer. Maybe he'll be an engineer when he grows up.
- Ibra is also an imp. His favorite tricks include hiding next to doorways to jump out at his sister and dad (I'm usually with him on these), and hide things from me. Before dinner tonight, we played a guessing game where I hid a piece of napkin in one of my hands and got him to guess which hand it was in. He wanted a turn, but when he opened both hands, nothing was there! He was so thrilled to pull one over on mom...we're going to have to watch this one...
- Both of them have been practicing their English small talk. Also in the car today:
Ibra: Suma, how are you?
Suma: I'm fine. Ibra, how are you?
Ibra: Fine. Suma, how are you?
*repeat x100*
The only thing that beats this in length, is when they get into an "I love you" war. THAT is my favorite!
We're excited every time we realize that we've learned something new about our kids' personalities! There are things that we can learn by observing their behavior, but with the language barrier, it takes a little more time for some things to come to the surface. It's such fun to see the details emerge!
Here are a few more pictures for you...
Some days are like this....
Some are like this....
Wouldn't trade it!
passports & blessings
Great news! Isaac, our attorney, called us this afternoon to say that he may be able to have Ibra & Sumaya's passports ready by Friday! Holy smokes...if that's true, that would be really fast. Obviously, it would speed up the visa process, and we could be home a lot sooner than we thought. (Pray for our itineraries to work out well, if that is the case.) I'm trying to manage my expectations since it sounds too good to be true. We have loved being in Uganda, though I have to say that I will be glad to be home and into more familiar territory.
There are little things that I have missed: Sunday football (yes, I admit it), HEB (big time!), consistent power and hot water, my cell phone, extra hand towels, a Swiffer, morning coffee, and using tap water to brush my teeth. All of these things are easy to work around, but I have felt a little lost without them.
There are things that I will miss here: 2-gallon bottles of water that cost $.50 (sweet), chapati (like a tortilla, but made with carrot, onion and a lot of oil - I have to find out how to make it), Watoto church that meets outside in a tent, temperatures in the high 70s/low 80s every day, getting eye drops and other necessary meds without prescriptions, and getting to see friends that we haven't gotten to see in awhile.
We'll see!
There are little things that I have missed: Sunday football (yes, I admit it), HEB (big time!), consistent power and hot water, my cell phone, extra hand towels, a Swiffer, morning coffee, and using tap water to brush my teeth. All of these things are easy to work around, but I have felt a little lost without them.
There are things that I will miss here: 2-gallon bottles of water that cost $.50 (sweet), chapati (like a tortilla, but made with carrot, onion and a lot of oil - I have to find out how to make it), Watoto church that meets outside in a tent, temperatures in the high 70s/low 80s every day, getting eye drops and other necessary meds without prescriptions, and getting to see friends that we haven't gotten to see in awhile.
We'll see!
Monday, October 31, 2011
playing at Suma's home
We're still getting settled in to our new family routine, and as soon as everyone is feeling better, we'll be playing more at the ARA (and taking pictures). So to tie you over, we're posting some pictures that we took while we played at Suma's home, from a few days ago.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
packing list
Before we left, I scoured the internet, trying to see if anyone had documented their adoption packing list. Having never been a parent, I had no idea what to bring. Should we fill our extra suitcase with Cheerios and protein/vitamin powder, or is 1-2 containers of each enough? Are 4 coloring books enough? Should we bring more matchbox cars? How many containers of baby wipes would we actually use over the course of 4-6 weeks?
Well. This is not a complete packing list of what we brought, but rather a few thoughts on things that I'm glad that we brought, and things that I wish I'd though of:
Glad we brought:
- Soft, fuzzy blankets (thank you, Aunt Shirley and Uncle Charles - they LOVE them!)
- Swimming suits (we're within walking distance of the American Recreation Association and can go swimming soon!)
- Sippy cups and snack containers (never leave home without them!)
- Camera and Flip (thank you, Matthew and Chanie!)
- Baby lotion for bath time
- Books to read
Should have brought
- A jillion ziplocs in all sizes
- Trash bags (just a few)
- 2 additional sippy cups per child (1 for water, 1 for milk, 1 for juice)
- Baby chew toys (for both kids)
- Night light or light-up bedtime toy
What do you think? When you've traveled with little ones, what are things that you're glad that you've packed OR wish you had packed?
Well. This is not a complete packing list of what we brought, but rather a few thoughts on things that I'm glad that we brought, and things that I wish I'd though of:
Glad we brought:
- Soft, fuzzy blankets (thank you, Aunt Shirley and Uncle Charles - they LOVE them!)
- Swimming suits (we're within walking distance of the American Recreation Association and can go swimming soon!)
- Sippy cups and snack containers (never leave home without them!)
- Camera and Flip (thank you, Matthew and Chanie!)
- Baby lotion for bath time
- Books to read
Should have brought
- A jillion ziplocs in all sizes
- Trash bags (just a few)
- 2 additional sippy cups per child (1 for water, 1 for milk, 1 for juice)
- Baby chew toys (for both kids)
- Night light or light-up bedtime toy
What do you think? When you've traveled with little ones, what are things that you're glad that you've packed OR wish you had packed?
rite of passage
Something I always found interesting is how easy it is to tell which of my work colleagues had toddlers - specifically, toddlers who go to daycare. How? Because they tend to miss a day or two of work each quarter due to that dreaded contagion: Pink eye.
It's like a parenting rite of passage. You do your time as a kid and pass it around your play group circles for awhile, but then you spend decades free of it. Until, BAM! You have toddlers in your home, and if you're a rookie parent like me, you go through several phases before you figure out what's going on:
Phase I: Oh man, look at my eye. It must be dry here...OR I need more sleep.
Phase II: Am I allergic to something? I didn't know I had allergies...maybe there's something in the water that my eyes don't like. I'll wash my face with filtered water tonight and see what it does.
Phase III: Ew, what's going on here? Why is my other eye so pink? *gasps as the dreadful realization dawns* Oh noooo!
Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have gone through this rite of passage and may now join the ranks of my colleagues who proudly wear the title, "Toddler Parent"...and the pink badge that goes with it.
:)
It's like a parenting rite of passage. You do your time as a kid and pass it around your play group circles for awhile, but then you spend decades free of it. Until, BAM! You have toddlers in your home, and if you're a rookie parent like me, you go through several phases before you figure out what's going on:
Phase I: Oh man, look at my eye. It must be dry here...OR I need more sleep.
Phase II: Am I allergic to something? I didn't know I had allergies...maybe there's something in the water that my eyes don't like. I'll wash my face with filtered water tonight and see what it does.
Phase III: Ew, what's going on here? Why is my other eye so pink? *gasps as the dreadful realization dawns* Oh noooo!
Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have gone through this rite of passage and may now join the ranks of my colleagues who proudly wear the title, "Toddler Parent"...and the pink badge that goes with it.
:)
Saturday, October 29, 2011
things that make me laugh
Things that make me laugh:
- Julius, one of the workers from Ibra's home, drove back with us when we brought Ibra home and as we were talking, asked to know our last name. When we told him, he looked at our white skin and laughed, "Why you are called Brown?" Ha, I don't know, Julius...I don't know...
- When we took our kids for their first IOM appointments, we asked the nurse how we'd know if the kids had worms (they don't, but I wanted to know). She gave them a little pill to chew and said, "I hear that people are not de-wormed in America." We confirmed this and mentioned that it was uncommon for people to get worms. She shook her head like she couldn't believe it, "Never been de-wormed? So strange!" That's one right-of-passage that I'm glad that we've not experienced.
- Ibra blew bubbles outside the other day, and there was 1 time in particular where he "got it" and blew about 10 bubbles at once. He turned around, grinned and said, "Nice bubbles!" as he did his little wiggle-dance. It killed me because it sounded so much like a preschool pick-up line.
- One of the aunties at Suma's home, as they raise their hands to pray before their meals, always says, "Babies! Humble yourselves!" before she begins to pray. I love it!
- The night guard at Suma's home guards the place with a bow and arrow. I have never seen this before! It looked so funny - until I remembered hearing about my dad's friends going bow-hunting for elk. Perhaps that guard's choice of weapons is more serious than it first appears. If nothing else, at least it won't wake the babies.
Finally, here are some pictures for you. The first is outside of our attorney's office, when we got his text. The rest are from this morning, playing before breakfast and outside before we went to get groceries. Yes, Ibra is wearing one of Suma's hairbows. They feed off of each other like that.
- Julius, one of the workers from Ibra's home, drove back with us when we brought Ibra home and as we were talking, asked to know our last name. When we told him, he looked at our white skin and laughed, "Why you are called Brown?" Ha, I don't know, Julius...I don't know...
- When we took our kids for their first IOM appointments, we asked the nurse how we'd know if the kids had worms (they don't, but I wanted to know). She gave them a little pill to chew and said, "I hear that people are not de-wormed in America." We confirmed this and mentioned that it was uncommon for people to get worms. She shook her head like she couldn't believe it, "Never been de-wormed? So strange!" That's one right-of-passage that I'm glad that we've not experienced.
- Ibra blew bubbles outside the other day, and there was 1 time in particular where he "got it" and blew about 10 bubbles at once. He turned around, grinned and said, "Nice bubbles!" as he did his little wiggle-dance. It killed me because it sounded so much like a preschool pick-up line.
- One of the aunties at Suma's home, as they raise their hands to pray before their meals, always says, "Babies! Humble yourselves!" before she begins to pray. I love it!
- The night guard at Suma's home guards the place with a bow and arrow. I have never seen this before! It looked so funny - until I remembered hearing about my dad's friends going bow-hunting for elk. Perhaps that guard's choice of weapons is more serious than it first appears. If nothing else, at least it won't wake the babies.
Finally, here are some pictures for you. The first is outside of our attorney's office, when we got his text. The rest are from this morning, playing before breakfast and outside before we went to get groceries. Yes, Ibra is wearing one of Suma's hairbows. They feed off of each other like that.
parent and missionary
It's currently nap time and both kids are asleep - thank you, Jesus. It is really nice to have a few minutes of quiet so that Andrew and I can catch a short nap, get a few things done around the house, and regroup.
The past couple of posts have been mainly to report the facts and hit the highlights so I can get to bed. Since I have a little more time, there are other observations that we wanted to share - at least until the kids wake up.
One of the challenges we faced when we went to Suma's home was to balance the "be a parent time" with her and Ibra and the "be a missionary time" with the other kids. There are so many sweet children there, who need a mom and a dad SO deeply. Holding them, paying attention to them - all of it is a drop in the bucket for these children who are thirsty for the love of a parent.
Little Hannah: a tiny little girl with a sweet smile and very peaceful demeanor.
Eric: a little boy whose favorite game is to walk up beside us and make a face that said, "Surprise!. He has a quick smile and sunny disposition that we just adored.
Job: you remember that kid in school who was always cracking jokes, distracting the other kids and getting into trouble? The one who the teachers adored, even as they sent him to the principal's office for another shenanigan? Yep, that's Job.
Dorcas: one of the younger toddlers whose bed was right next to Suma's...she seemed to always have one little tear on her face, and wanted to call me "mommy".
Omega: she is one of those babies who you can look at and know exactly what kind of woman she will become! Loud and with a hand on her little hip - watch out world, if she ever becomes an attorney!
Moses: this little chunk-a-monk is probably the cutest, chubbiest baby I have seen in a long time. I just wanted to kiss his face off!
There are so many more children that we wanted to love - some of them have been matched with families already, and many of them are still waiting. I pray that the Lord will bring their parents soon and redeem their hurts! Each of them has their own story and circumstances that brought them into the home...each of which would break your heart to hear it.
The aunties have been wonderful, and shed some more light onto Suma's story for us. Eva, in particular, was the one who told us that when our daughter came to their home, she knew that her name was Sumaya. So, we can easily guess that she is from a Muslim home. Eva also told us that some of the things that she heard Sumaya say - either in her sleep or to other children - led her to believe that she had family still around. It's common here, we have learned, for step-fathers to abandon or mistreat their wives' children from a previous marriage. We don't know if this was the case for our daughter, but we are thankful that the Lord knew 2 years ago, before we even began the adoption process (I think about this time, 2 years ago - we were heading to Saudi to see Andrew's parents for Thanksgiving) - that we would be a family.
Cool.
Suma just heard her daddy coming in the gate and woke up from her nap. Andrew went to the ARA to get our family membership started - hooray! Maybe we'll go swimming this afternoon!
The past couple of posts have been mainly to report the facts and hit the highlights so I can get to bed. Since I have a little more time, there are other observations that we wanted to share - at least until the kids wake up.
One of the challenges we faced when we went to Suma's home was to balance the "be a parent time" with her and Ibra and the "be a missionary time" with the other kids. There are so many sweet children there, who need a mom and a dad SO deeply. Holding them, paying attention to them - all of it is a drop in the bucket for these children who are thirsty for the love of a parent.
Little Hannah: a tiny little girl with a sweet smile and very peaceful demeanor.
Eric: a little boy whose favorite game is to walk up beside us and make a face that said, "Surprise!. He has a quick smile and sunny disposition that we just adored.
Job: you remember that kid in school who was always cracking jokes, distracting the other kids and getting into trouble? The one who the teachers adored, even as they sent him to the principal's office for another shenanigan? Yep, that's Job.
Dorcas: one of the younger toddlers whose bed was right next to Suma's...she seemed to always have one little tear on her face, and wanted to call me "mommy".
Omega: she is one of those babies who you can look at and know exactly what kind of woman she will become! Loud and with a hand on her little hip - watch out world, if she ever becomes an attorney!
Moses: this little chunk-a-monk is probably the cutest, chubbiest baby I have seen in a long time. I just wanted to kiss his face off!
There are so many more children that we wanted to love - some of them have been matched with families already, and many of them are still waiting. I pray that the Lord will bring their parents soon and redeem their hurts! Each of them has their own story and circumstances that brought them into the home...each of which would break your heart to hear it.
The aunties have been wonderful, and shed some more light onto Suma's story for us. Eva, in particular, was the one who told us that when our daughter came to their home, she knew that her name was Sumaya. So, we can easily guess that she is from a Muslim home. Eva also told us that some of the things that she heard Sumaya say - either in her sleep or to other children - led her to believe that she had family still around. It's common here, we have learned, for step-fathers to abandon or mistreat their wives' children from a previous marriage. We don't know if this was the case for our daughter, but we are thankful that the Lord knew 2 years ago, before we even began the adoption process (I think about this time, 2 years ago - we were heading to Saudi to see Andrew's parents for Thanksgiving) - that we would be a family.
Cool.
Suma just heard her daddy coming in the gate and woke up from her nap. Andrew went to the ARA to get our family membership started - hooray! Maybe we'll go swimming this afternoon!
Friday, October 28, 2011
it's official
We are the legal guardians of two little Ugandans-soon-to-be-Americans!
After waiting in the court room for about an hour, taking a lunch break, and waiting another hour in the attorney's office - we got a text from him announcing that we had a favorable ruling! We didn't see him at all yesterday, and we were starting to feel nervous about the verdict or think that something happened with Ibra's letter. Thanks for your prayers - depending on what the letter from Ibra's local council said about his birth certificate, we could have had to wait until December for the approval.
Our next steps here are:
1) Wait for the American embassy to complete its orphan investigation.
So, I appreciate the fact that they do this, but I'm not sure why this doesn't happen prior to the referral and the court ruling. Some families that we have met through the adoption process at Suma's home could have greatly benefited from this (pray that their daughter is established into their family). But once we get this back, we'll go on to step two....
2) Apply for the kids' Ugandan passports.
We will legally adopt them once we return to the US, so for now, they will have passports from Uganda.
3) Apply for the kids' American visas and complete the visa interviews.
We found out yesterday that Ibra's great-aunt will need to come in for this. No problem with this, but I'm not sure why it's necessary if we have a favorable court ruling and everything else in order. We'll ask our agency.
4) Come home!
We still have a good amount of waiting to do, but we are happy to be on this end of the wait! We're also excited to be home all together, and to be within walking distance of the American Recreation Association (ARA)...we can go swimming, play at the playground, and all kinds of fun things.
Since we got the ruling yesterday, we were able to bring Suma home with us. I am so happy that we can all be together - finally! I can't hide it, though, it was a rough first night with Suma...
When Ibra came to stay with us, we could see that he was a little uncertain about everything. He was pretty quiet, but he didn't fuss or cry. When Suma came to stay with us, it was an entirely different ball game. As we drove home, we passed the turn to her children's home. She pointed at it and looked surprised, but didn't fuss. When we got home, we showed her where she'd sleep, had dinner, took baths, put on our PJs...and then she started saying it was time to go. Oh no. When we put her in bed, she started wailing. Although we and the aunties at her home told her what was going to happen, it was obvious that she didn't really get it. Her crying set Ibra off, and we had two wailing children.
Side note: homes in Uganda do not have carpet - it's all tile because of the dirt. So guess how that made the noise echo! Yes, it was super loud and I'm surprised that all the neighbors didn't come running.
So we took them to separate rooms to rock them and calm them down. After 30 minutes, Suma was quiet, so I thought it would be safe to move her to our room and put her in bed. Not so much. She woke up again and began to sob for her auntie Eva...it broke my heart to see her grief.
Ibra came into our room, and he is such a good big brother. He laid down quietly next to us, and sometimes he would talk to Suma in Lugandan or hold her hand.
At this point, Suma had been crying for over an hour, and there were no signs of her calming down. At all. I was crying too, stressed and wondering if anyone was going to sleep that night. Fortunately, my husband is awesome. He brought her some milk and said, "Since this isn't working...why don't we turn on a movie and see if that helps calm them down." Both kids have a fascination with motorcars, and I'm so glad that we got "Cars" before we came. It worked like a charm. Suddenly, all tears were replaced with squeals of delight, and they cuddled up with us to enjoy the movie. Thank you, Lord.
After waiting in the court room for about an hour, taking a lunch break, and waiting another hour in the attorney's office - we got a text from him announcing that we had a favorable ruling! We didn't see him at all yesterday, and we were starting to feel nervous about the verdict or think that something happened with Ibra's letter. Thanks for your prayers - depending on what the letter from Ibra's local council said about his birth certificate, we could have had to wait until December for the approval.
Our next steps here are:
1) Wait for the American embassy to complete its orphan investigation.
So, I appreciate the fact that they do this, but I'm not sure why this doesn't happen prior to the referral and the court ruling. Some families that we have met through the adoption process at Suma's home could have greatly benefited from this (pray that their daughter is established into their family). But once we get this back, we'll go on to step two....
2) Apply for the kids' Ugandan passports.
We will legally adopt them once we return to the US, so for now, they will have passports from Uganda.
3) Apply for the kids' American visas and complete the visa interviews.
We found out yesterday that Ibra's great-aunt will need to come in for this. No problem with this, but I'm not sure why it's necessary if we have a favorable court ruling and everything else in order. We'll ask our agency.
4) Come home!
We still have a good amount of waiting to do, but we are happy to be on this end of the wait! We're also excited to be home all together, and to be within walking distance of the American Recreation Association (ARA)...we can go swimming, play at the playground, and all kinds of fun things.
Since we got the ruling yesterday, we were able to bring Suma home with us. I am so happy that we can all be together - finally! I can't hide it, though, it was a rough first night with Suma...
When Ibra came to stay with us, we could see that he was a little uncertain about everything. He was pretty quiet, but he didn't fuss or cry. When Suma came to stay with us, it was an entirely different ball game. As we drove home, we passed the turn to her children's home. She pointed at it and looked surprised, but didn't fuss. When we got home, we showed her where she'd sleep, had dinner, took baths, put on our PJs...and then she started saying it was time to go. Oh no. When we put her in bed, she started wailing. Although we and the aunties at her home told her what was going to happen, it was obvious that she didn't really get it. Her crying set Ibra off, and we had two wailing children.
Side note: homes in Uganda do not have carpet - it's all tile because of the dirt. So guess how that made the noise echo! Yes, it was super loud and I'm surprised that all the neighbors didn't come running.
So we took them to separate rooms to rock them and calm them down. After 30 minutes, Suma was quiet, so I thought it would be safe to move her to our room and put her in bed. Not so much. She woke up again and began to sob for her auntie Eva...it broke my heart to see her grief.
Ibra came into our room, and he is such a good big brother. He laid down quietly next to us, and sometimes he would talk to Suma in Lugandan or hold her hand.
At this point, Suma had been crying for over an hour, and there were no signs of her calming down. At all. I was crying too, stressed and wondering if anyone was going to sleep that night. Fortunately, my husband is awesome. He brought her some milk and said, "Since this isn't working...why don't we turn on a movie and see if that helps calm them down." Both kids have a fascination with motorcars, and I'm so glad that we got "Cars" before we came. It worked like a charm. Suddenly, all tears were replaced with squeals of delight, and they cuddled up with us to enjoy the movie. Thank you, Lord.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
we're still here
So, there are few things more annoying (in my opinion) than following a blog that is rarely updated. My apologies - I blame the power (which is fickle), and the internet log-in procedure (which is different than what we're used to), so we have a lot to catch up on...for as long as we have computer battery and internet minutes (thank you Kerry and Kerrie).
On Monday, we went to the IOM to get TB tests for Ibra and Suma. We thought we'd let Ibra go first since he's been a champ with the needles, but whoa - that did not apply for TB. Once he saw his skin bubble up, he flipped...which made Suma good and scared for her turn. We had to hold both of them down. Not fun. It made me think of the times when my brother, sister and I had to get shots - we were awful about them! Sorry, Mom, I get it now.
We also moved out of the guest house we'd been staying in so that we can house-sit for a MAF family. The house wasn't ready yet, so we moved in to the Henderson's house for Monday and Tuesday night. Aid Sudan had a team in town, and we got to spend some time with them. We were also thankful for the opportunity to do laundry while we were there. Hooray!
On Tuesday, we stayed at Suma's home until lunch time and had a pizza dinner with the Aid Sudan team that night.
On Wednesday, we moved into the MAF house. Yay! We are so thankful. In the evening, we joined some of the other families here who are adopting from Suma's home for dinner. If we're not careful, Ibra is going to think that we have pizza several times each week! It was great to get together with them and compare notes on how things are going (emotionally and the paperwork that we need to complete).
And it was my mom's birthday. Happy late birthday, Mom!
Today, we went back to the IOM to see the TB results. Suma is fine, but Ibra's bump was pretty big. He had to get a chest x-ray (we told him that it was a big camera taking a picture of him - he even said "cheese!"), and we're praying that it is negative. We then went out to dinner
Tomorrow, we have what we hope is our final court date - the ruling that establishes Ibra and Suma into our home. We JUST now (right this second, no kidding) got a text from our attorney that he got the paper we were waiting on regarding Ibra's birth certificate. Praise Him! Tomorrow should be smooth sailing with that in hand, and Suma should be able to live with us from here on out. I'm really looking forward to having our whole family together. Suma has started to get anxious in the evenings when we've seen her because she knows that we're leaving.
Other than that, we're doing pretty well. We have a language barrier with both of the kids, and it can be frustrating for all of us - as noted in our first dual, in-the-car tantrums with the kids today after lunch. Granted, it was also naptime, but wow. I hope we get over these soon. They are absolutely charming in every other respect.
We'll have some more Silly Songs with Ibra soon as well as Rookie Parenting Stories - once we have more minutes and power. :)
Here are a few pictures from this week. The first one is a picture we took this afternoon - this morning, there was a massive pothole where this tree is planted (yes, it's in the middle of the road). This afternoon, well...I guess that's one way to take care of it!
On Monday, we went to the IOM to get TB tests for Ibra and Suma. We thought we'd let Ibra go first since he's been a champ with the needles, but whoa - that did not apply for TB. Once he saw his skin bubble up, he flipped...which made Suma good and scared for her turn. We had to hold both of them down. Not fun. It made me think of the times when my brother, sister and I had to get shots - we were awful about them! Sorry, Mom, I get it now.
We also moved out of the guest house we'd been staying in so that we can house-sit for a MAF family. The house wasn't ready yet, so we moved in to the Henderson's house for Monday and Tuesday night. Aid Sudan had a team in town, and we got to spend some time with them. We were also thankful for the opportunity to do laundry while we were there. Hooray!
On Tuesday, we stayed at Suma's home until lunch time and had a pizza dinner with the Aid Sudan team that night.
On Wednesday, we moved into the MAF house. Yay! We are so thankful. In the evening, we joined some of the other families here who are adopting from Suma's home for dinner. If we're not careful, Ibra is going to think that we have pizza several times each week! It was great to get together with them and compare notes on how things are going (emotionally and the paperwork that we need to complete).
And it was my mom's birthday. Happy late birthday, Mom!
Today, we went back to the IOM to see the TB results. Suma is fine, but Ibra's bump was pretty big. He had to get a chest x-ray (we told him that it was a big camera taking a picture of him - he even said "cheese!"), and we're praying that it is negative. We then went out to dinner
Tomorrow, we have what we hope is our final court date - the ruling that establishes Ibra and Suma into our home. We JUST now (right this second, no kidding) got a text from our attorney that he got the paper we were waiting on regarding Ibra's birth certificate. Praise Him! Tomorrow should be smooth sailing with that in hand, and Suma should be able to live with us from here on out. I'm really looking forward to having our whole family together. Suma has started to get anxious in the evenings when we've seen her because she knows that we're leaving.
Other than that, we're doing pretty well. We have a language barrier with both of the kids, and it can be frustrating for all of us - as noted in our first dual, in-the-car tantrums with the kids today after lunch. Granted, it was also naptime, but wow. I hope we get over these soon. They are absolutely charming in every other respect.
We'll have some more Silly Songs with Ibra soon as well as Rookie Parenting Stories - once we have more minutes and power. :)
Here are a few pictures from this week. The first one is a picture we took this afternoon - this morning, there was a massive pothole where this tree is planted (yes, it's in the middle of the road). This afternoon, well...I guess that's one way to take care of it!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
silly songs with ibra
Something that I love about Ibra is that he is constantly singing. Most of the songs are in Ankole, his native language, but every now and again, I realize that I can understand the words he is singing! Here is our favorite song:
Sweet Ibra, one of these days, you will not believe us when we tell you that there was a time when you did not know English (or know everything). You make us smile and we love you!
Sweet Ibra, one of these days, you will not believe us when we tell you that there was a time when you did not know English (or know everything). You make us smile and we love you!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
counting our blessings
One of my favorite moments of the day is when Andrew and I get to debrief and talk about the day’s events – what went well, what was rough, what made us laugh. As we debriefed last night, we felt very thankful for a number of things….
- Legacy 685
This is the name of our adoption support group in Houston. Ever since we began the adoption process, we have been involved with this group – especially in recent months as we received our referrals and prepared to meet Ibra and Suma. They have been so open and willing to share their experiences with us, and as a result, we have felt very prepared for what we are walking through. Everything from meeting our kids for the first time, to attachment and connection, to discipline and managing meltdowns… all of that, coupled with the foundation that our parents laid for us have made us feel pretty prepared to get these two kiddos. We’re so thankful.
- Suma’s home
We are so excited to have Suma with us, and we are thankful that in the meantime, she is in a wonderful home. When we came home from court yesterday, she shouted for joy when she saw her aunties and her friend Enoch, and they were so happy to see her too! As we walked in, one of the aunties gave a small brown paper sack to Andrew...they had saved the clothes that she was found in so that we could have them. Wow. It will be hard to leave them; they have been so good to her and to us.
- MAF and Aid Sudan
Mission Aviation Fellowship is the organization that flies Aid Sudan in and out of South Sudan. They have a family who is on furlough, and we’ll look forward to house-sitting for them soon. We are really looking forward to having the opportunity to have better control of our schedules, cooking and family time.
We are also thankful for our Aid Sudan family in Uganda. It was been so encouraging to spend time with them, particularly on the days when we have felt a little overwhelmed at all the changes with the kiddos. We are also thankful to be able to borrow a car as one of them travels with the Aid Sudan team next week. To be able to get to a real store (!) and get groceries (!) – hooray!
Finally, here are a few pictures from today. We had fun playing outside for awhile at Suma's home with the kids, and we're looking forward to more playtimes!
Friday, October 21, 2011
introducing the brown kids
We had our first court date today – thank you so much for praying! The morning started out rocky with some minor melt-downs, but the court trip was fantastic! The judge asked us to come back next Friday for our verdict. The only thing that the judge wants to see before approval is a validated copy of Ibra’s birth certificate, so our attorney is working on that and doesn’t think that it will be difficult.
But now…allow us to introduce you to two little Ugandans who will be coming home with us soon!
Meet Ibra:
Ibra is about 4 years old. He has two Ugandan shillings that he loves to carry around, and is careful to place in his shoe when he goes out to play…he even sleeps with them at night. He is very brave when it comes to shots and good about taking his medicine (so far!). The men at his home called him “Ibra the Man” because he doesn’t fuss in the clinics.
We’ve tried a few different foods, and he seems to like most fruits and vegetables, he LOVES crackers (“bisi-quits”), and always seems to be hungry. We’re having trouble keeping up with him! He’s much smaller than we thought he’d be (we guessed a 4T, but he was wearing 18mo clothes when we met him…and they fit).
When we go to play at Suma’s home, he likes to ride on the push-cars. He likes playing with matchbox cars and daddy’s camera. He is a fast runner and loves to be carried everywhere, which of course, we are happy to do.
You can probably see that he does have something going on with his eyes, so we took him to a clinic yesterday to get drops for them. Apparently, it is a common eye infection; please pray that the drops will clear them up soon and not cause any lasting problems. He has taken the drops well so far, and even came to me and lay down on my lap when he saw me take them out. He also has some congestion that we are taking medicine for – and he’s taken that like a champ as well. I am so looking forward to having a healthy boy soon!
Meet Sumaya:
According to her birth certificate, she turned 2 on the 18th of this month. She is the belle of her children’s home with her quick smile, and she is in a toddler gang. She and her friends Enoch and Eric love, love each other and look out for each other. She’s picking up English words very quickly, and she is content to flitter around the room or to sit in our laps for as long as we’ll let her.
She is consistently the last one at the lunch/snack/dinner table, but I’m beginning to think that it’s as much related to her enjoyment of the social aspect as it is to the food.
For the most part, Suma is potty trained, which I am beyond excited about! She wears a pull-up at night, and we’ll keep her in one during court and the medical exams. That rocks.
She warmed up to her daddy and brother so much today! Court day can be an overwhelming day for everyone, but the silver lining today was definitely her feeling more comfortable with Andrew and Ibra. She let daddy feed her lunch, and she joyfully shouts Ibra’s name randomly. I think she likes them!
Sumaya is often called Suma at her home, though I’ve also heard Shumma and Sumaya from different kids. Suma is a good nickname, so we’ve been using that. She doesn’t really have a favorite toy, but I’ve noticed that she likes a stuffed ladybug that has a story written on its wings and she often plays with matchbox cars as well.
So those are our kiddos! There's one other picture that we wanted to share today, and it was from a pretty unexpected (but welcome) event.
Something that we didn’t expect to happen today was that Ibra’s grandfathers and a maternal great-aunt joined us in court today! It was a joy to meet them, and I nearly cried to see that Ibra looks just like his maternal grandpa. Their eyes, the slope of their noses – I think we have a handsome little guy, and I know he’ll be a handsome grandpa (and probably everywhere else in between). I think that this grandpa will join us again at the results hearing because he will bring Ibra’s validated birth certificate, so I’m excited about that. They asked us to come to the village where Ibra lived so that his extended family can meet us and see Ibra before he goes to America. Even though we do not speak the same language, we love the same little boy, and it thrills me to learn more about his family and possibly even visit his mother’s grave. Can you imagine the pictures and information that we’ll get to share with him as he grows up? I love it. Our attorney thought that would be a nice gesture as well, so we will look into that soon.
How to pray for them:
- That we will get to have a calmer schedule soon. Today was Suma’s first outing…probably ever, and it was certainly overwhelming to her. She perked up after lunch and a diaper change, but she seemed pretty stressed at first. Ibra is also having difficulty and is starting to make fusses. Poor baby, he doesn’t have any down time – between going to Suma’s house, going to court/clinic/etc, and hearing other kids who are in our guest house all the time...having an itchy eye infection and a cold… we are looking forward to when things calm down around here.
- That Ibra’s birth certificate validation will be wrapped up very quickly so that our next court date will be our last.
- That their parents will get enough rest so that we can be patient. We’re still a little jet-lagged, and there are parts of this process that are frustrating. Some aspects of our accommodations aren’t what we were told they’d be, and that’s frustrating as well. We are hoping to house-sit for a missionary family after we get the court verdict, and I think that would be awesome. I’m ready to be able to control our schedule, meals, transportation, etc a little more so that we can have a more smooth transition to home, AND it would save us some money.
I am so excited about how the Lord has put our family together. We have a few prayer requests, but we are definitely enjoying the adventure in Uganda!
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