Our Adoption Story

All Done!

2010-09-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Now that we officially had Adia's 12 month post placement visit, this closes the door to our adoption journey in a way. I want to keep this blog and turn it into a book to remember every second on this process!

I will not be posting anymore on this blog. But, if you want to stay connected I started a homeschooling blog to track out journey and learning. You can follow that HERE! Or, find me on Facebook :)

Its been a journey and we are so blessed and trucking along as our family of 4! God is GOOD!

Homeschooling...

2010-08-27T01:30:00.000-07:00

Many of you know we are going to be homeschooling the girls...so I will have more posts about that soon. But, I wanted to share a blog link with you that I am now a part of. It's called Living Charlotte Mason in California. Check it out for homeschooling ideas and information about the Charlotte Mason method.

Did you know she had Cerebral Palsy?

2010-07-24T15:35:00.001-07:00

(excuse picture quality..their all cell phone pics. I'm a photographer, so I had to give that disclaimer..ha!)

I am often asked " Did you guys know Adia had Cerebral Palsy when you adopted her?" The answer is ... no. Adia's condition went undetected during her 8 months of being in Africa. It was not until she was home a few weeks that we even began to notice some signs of irregularity.

(in therapy with her OT)

The next question that usually comes is..."How did you handle it when she was diagnosed with CP?" Jonathan and I were thankful. We were thankful that Adia's CP went undetected. If they had known, she would have been put on the "Special Needs" list and not been given to us.

( Adia with me on a shoot)

We know Adia was meant to be our daughter...because she is. God brought about these providences in her life and in ours to bring us together. For that we are thankful. We understand that this road is more then we planned, we did not expect this, but we know that with Gods grace, Dr's and whatever means God grants us -- we will get through and raise our little girl. We have such loving family, friends and church family that love us and her. We really could not ask for more support then what we have.

(reading partner)

We have zero regrets. We never wished we had gotten a "healthy" baby. We got our daughter and that is perfect. At times its not easy..but it has not felt like a big burden either. As she gets older, it might get tougher, but we hope we can handle it with joy and trust in God.

(helping me with dishes)

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

It's been a long time! Updates....

2010-07-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

I have neglected my blog, but enough of you have nudged me to give an update to make me do it! So........what have we been up to? A bit of everything. We have been staying busy with our normal life, camping trip, nature days, therapy and a ton of photography stuff. I have been studying up on how to start homeschooling which I am excited about. I still have a bit before I officially start, but there are so many habits and nurturing I can do now to get us off to a great start. Jonathan has started teaching the high school Sunday school class at church, Madison is such a little helper and excited about schooling type things and Adia is a little bundle of cuteness. She is putting up with a lot right now (see below) and at the prime age for training, so a lot of my efforts are with her, but we are doing well and seeking wisdom from the Lord and chugging along. Life has been full and fun.

Some pictures of our super fun camping trip with friends up to Ellery Lake..

Update on Adia's treatment:

Adia has for sure reached a point where she is frustrated with her limitations. She has the desire to walk and to play like those around her and gets sad when she cant make her body do it. But, at the same time she has learned to walk on her knees pretty quickly, gets around pretty fast and still has a fighting spirit to do what she can. We are so thankful we are around such sweet children that love her. Her little friends will pick her up and bring her around to where they are and include her. She is not looked upon as a burden. That is such a gift.

Adia is doing well in therapy, they love her and she loves them...but spasticity in her left leg is getting tighter and the therapist told us that she will not be successful in her AFO brace and walking if we do not help her along with medication. They suggested Botox injections to her hamstring or an overall muscle relaxer medication. I was not happy about either of these options. So I made appointment with a Orthopedic Dr to go over her leg and options we had outside of medication. It was an encouraging visit, he knew a lot about her condition. He actually did not think either form of medication would be good for her right now and prescribed her a new brace. A KFO....which is one that goes above her knee and that will have a joint lock/unlock at the knee joint that we can adjust as she needs it. This is our next step and the order is in the works. This will be Adia's 5 casting and 4th brace. He also mentioned she will most likely need surgery in 2 years to relieve some of that muscle strain on her leg. Please keep this in your prayers and that we would have wisdom on making these decision for our little girl.

Here is a little video to give you an idea of how Adia is progressing. She loves to walk along furniture and push toys, but as you can see she is still very unstable with her left leg. Her therapist says she will most likely walk with her foot turned in like this, but hopefully as she gets older, they will be able to straighten that out.

We are beyond thankful for our families, friends and church family. Above all, we are thankful for God and what he has given us in His Son. Thank you for all your prayers and concern for our family. I appreciate all your emails and inquiries of how we are. We feel the love!

Checking in...

2010-05-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

We are doing great! We have been doing the same - o - same - o. Busy with Photography and life. God has been so gracious to allow us so many fun times and sweet relationships.

Adia got her new brace...again. Let's hope this one is the correct one. She is doing great in therapy and they said she is getting so so strong. They are hoping once she is used to this brace she should be walking soon. We are so excited for that.

I got some lessons for Adia's hair from a friend at church. I really cant believe the efforts, products, expenses, time and care that goes into black woman's hair. It is quite the big deal. If you don't believe me...watch Good Hair. Thankfully I have some sweet patient friends to help me out and make sure Adia's hair will be looking cute! :)

Madison and Adia are still doing great and growing as sisters...we are thankful!

Garden, Fort and Adia's progress

2010-03-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

Well the Rogers house is cruising along!

Our garden is so much fun and I love it more then I ever thought I would. I like the work, experiemnting and all we learn together as we take care of it.

Jonathan has started building the girls a fort in the backyard! I am so excited about it. I think the girls will love it...maybe as much as I will :)

Getting closer!.....

Adia is growing. Now that she is 15months, she is beginning to fit into 6 month old clothes and feels bigger to me. She seemed to stay the exact same size for so long, but I think she hit a growth spurt. We are now finished with our 3 and 6 month post placement visit...one more of those to go at her 12 months home mark.

Adia seems to be progressing in therapy. They have been taping her shoulder blade down to hold it into a more proper position, she does not mind it at all.

She wants to stand all the time! She pulls up on anything she possibly can. She is still only wearing her brace 2 hours a day, but we hope as she can wear it more, she will progress in keeping her foot flat and move toward walking. She is scooting along furniture very slowly, but no where near being able to let go.

Lately she has been utilizing her left hand. I wanted to take a video of this because it is so neat to see. She can not grab for things with her left hand but she is learning that if she puts something into it with her right hand, she can hold it tight! This is how they explained they think she will be able to use this hand for the rest of her life. It will be able to assist, but not have full function of motor skill. We shall see...

Today at therapy they added a soft brace that went around Adia's whole leg...they wanted to see if it was easier for her to try and walk with this full support. She did great, so they think they are going to change her brace a bit to give her more stability. This is a temporary brace I will use here and there as I work with her at home.

I am sure most of you have heard the news of the change in the Ethiopia program?? Well, if not, the Ethiopia program now requires the families to travel twice!!! You fly there once for the court hearing, stay 5-7 days and then come back in 10-12 weeks to go pick up your child. As you can imagine this would difficult news for families in the process already! Traveling twice AND the cost of their traveling doubled! Please keep these families in prayer as they endure this change and cost.

We are thankful for so many things...too many to mention. Filled to the top really :) God is gracious to allow us to enjoy so much, but above all....for Christ and all we have in Him!

Until next time.....

Little Madison....

2010-03-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

Our little Madison is growing up and so much fun. I love this age...we have the best conversations. As her little mind develops and matures...so does her comments, questions and ideas. I adore it.

This is how all ballerina's play right?

Because she often says the funniest things ever, a friend suggested this book to me. You could easily make one of these yourself, but I think it would be fun for all mommies to keep one..... I got mine HERE.

If you cant read it.. her latest quote is " I want to go to Africa and have them put a baby in my tummy. Then it will cry when it comes out of my tummy and I will pat it's bum and say "no fits".

HA! See, I don't ever want to forget this quote. The way her mind thinks. This provoked our first conversation about marriage and children. It was so fun. I am still not sure if Madison realizes Adia came from another ladies tummy....I think she thinks Adia was birthed out of Africa itself. :) In time... In time..

Update on Adia....

2010-03-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

Well, Adia is doing great and slowly progressing. She found a way to sit up which has been so fun. She pops right up with her legs under her. She sits like this all the time and must be so glad to not have to be on her tummy all the time when on the floor.

She pulls up on anything she possibly can and this week she started scooting a tiny bit along furniture. She pretty much stands on one leg though, so it is hard for her.

Today we got in her new brace! The one they should have made in the first place. It is quite more involved then the last one. It is padded, bends at the ankle, has more straps, and has a "toe rise pad" that straps around her big toe and keeps her other toes from clinching. The brace also has a very slight incline to it so it will stretch out her leg muscle when she wears it. It is quite an amazing little thing. It is not easy to get on yet, but we see the therapist on Wed and she will give me lessons as well as make sure it is all correct.

She has to wear socks, but I wanted you to see what was going on...

We might have to purchase special socks and shoes for this brace. There are shoes called Hatchbacks that are recommended that make wearing an AFO brace much easier and much easier to put on. You can see those HERE. They are expensive, but have the best reviews online and by a mom I talked to who's daughter wears braces on both her legs. They recommend her wearing special socks that have a separate big toe so the toe rise pad and strap will fit right, eliminate pressure and keeps skin dry. You can see those HERE.

Also, today in therapy they worked with her shoulder blade a lot. Because of her abnormal muscle tone in her left side, her left arm and shoulder pull back into an abnormal position. When the therapist manually pulled her shoulder into the right position Adia's left arm fell into the prop posture. It was amazing. So, they put a piece of some sort of therapy tape on her back to make sure her skin does not have a reaction to it. If it is okay, they plan on using this tape to tape her shoulder into the proper position to help teach the muscle to pull back into the proper place. She said Adias skin is even pulled/stretched that is how hard her muscle is pulling her should up and out.

They also said that as she gains her balance, her upper body will relax as it will not try to compensate for her feet. Her feet will hold the weight and relieve her arms from trying to balance. We shall see....

Adia is happy, this hardly slows her down. She tries to play with all the other kids even if she has to super army crawl to get there. Madison is great with her and they play together all day. She is trying to sign more and more and says dada and mama.

We are blessed....

Total side note... this is the doll house we gave the girls for Christmas. Jonathan built it and I painted and decorated it. The girls love it. It is so funny because I got the "African American" family to go in it simply because I liked their look more, but the baby room furniture set came with a white baby. So...their baby dolls adopted too :)

Another Brace and Pictures

2010-02-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

I found this wall and had to do a mini shoot of the girls....

When Adia went to physical therapy this week they told me her brace was all wrong. So, we had to go in and get her re casted and they are sending it out to get the correct brace the therapist ordered. So we will be getting another one for her in a couple weeks. This one sounds like it is going to be awesome....I'll update you when we get it.

Adia's new accessory!

2010-02-08T17:12:00.000-08:00

Today we got Adia's brace. It is so stinking tiny and cute. It was the smallest this company has made yet. :)

It does not seem to bother her so far and does keep her foot much straighter. It does not bend like I thougt it would, so I will make sure the therapists approve and then we'll go from there.

We will see how this goes!

Adia and her therapy...

2010-01-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

Many of you ask me what Adia's therapy is like...so I thought I would take some quick pictures today to show you. I also wanted some for her baby book! :)

They make it fun for her, but they do work her hard. She is so tired and ready for her nap when they are done working with her.

She does physical therapy for 30 mins and then they switch her to her occupational therapy for another 30 mins. Back to back, two times a week.

They adore Adia and always talk about how pleasant she is to work with. Also, they tell me how motivated she is to move and challenge herself. Actually today they told me she had progressed a lot in the last couple weeks. She is becoming more sturdy in her core and once her brace gets fitted, she would be able to progress to scooting around pretty soon. (Scooting around means holding on to furniture and taking steps around it). I'm excited to see what happens in the next couple months.

Madison and I have an hour to make productive when Adia is in therapy... so we do puzzles together, read books and work on sign language! :) She is so patient during these visits.....sometimes if no other kids are having therapy done, they will let her play on some of the equipment.

Yup..She's tiny

2010-01-20T15:48:00.001-08:00

Today we went to the Dr to check on Adia's cold and to get the prescription for her leg brace. She is so little...she is still not on the growth chart. The little dot actually moved lower because she is growing in age but not in weight. So, we need to focus on getting a bit more calories in her.

At 12 months old she weighed in at a whopping 15lbs 4oz (0 percentile) and 28inches long (25th percentile). She still cannot sit up, crawl on knees or stand on her own. But, she is doing great in therapy and has a heart to move and get where she wants to go. She is motivated and progressing in her mobility. She can army crawl like no ones business and she can crawl over things like a warrior. She has started to pull herself up to things to stand which is great...even if she falls over after a while :)

The therapist tell us that with the brace, she should be able to begin some of these staple things for children her age. We shall see :)

In the mean time, she is loved, happy, learning and having fun.

Will we adopt again?

2010-01-19T10:11:00.000-08:00

We have been asked this question many times. I think I normally say "we'll see". Let me translate what that means. That means we are open to it. We have talked a lot about it lately and we know there is a desire there to do adopt again. There are some things that we have to consider though.

*We want to see how Adia's physical therapy progresses. This will give us a good idea on how much assistance she will need as she gets older. If it seems that between her and Madison, we could physically take care of another child, then we just might do that.

*Adoption is so expensive. If we could afford it again, come up with an amazing fundraiser or somehow cover costs. Then we just might do it again.

Those are the biggies. Our house is small so that is something to consider, all the kids we have will need to share a room. But that is not the end of the world and would not stop us from doing it again. We have also talked about adopting a child with special needs..... hearing impaired/deaf, CP, etc. So that is something we want to keep in prayer too.

We would probably adopt a 1 year old... not an infant. But "we'll see". There is a lot to consider and much would have to happen first. But we are for sure open to it, even desire to do it. We will see what happens as time unfolds and God reveals His plan for our lives. This might be just keeping it to the two lil girls we have now. We are okay with that too. So once again, we'll see.

Keep that in prayer for us if you think about it :)

P.S. This week Madison said " Mama, I want to go to Africa again. It was fun. I want two babies. One Adia and one baby boy!"

Here are the girls showing off the beanies their aunt Shannon made for them :)

I adore these 3 people....

2010-01-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

Our Ethiopia Pictures - Happy Family

2010-01-11T11:02:00.001-08:00

Amy, an adopting mommy from Ethiopia bought one of our prints that we took in Africa while we were picking up Adia. She asked me if she could do a blog post about it and we happily agreed. It is so sweet and I wanted you to check it out! Click HERE!

A cute cape...

2010-01-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

Some of Madison closest friends, who are boys, like to play knights. Swords, capes and all! We are not too fond of the whole princess play......so I was unable to find a cape I liked in the store that wasn't all princessed out. Well, finally I thought to look on Esty and Wa-La, this cute little Shop came up called Squeaket! It's perfect, so I thought I would share.

She is all ready for the battle now...

We have a 4 and 1 year old!

2010-01-06T12:50:00.001-08:00

We are still here... we are doing great and totally happy. :) Jonathan and I just love our girls and how much they love each other!

Madison and Adia's birthdays are 6 days apart at the end of December....so now, these little bundles of cuteness are 1 and 4! It is hard to believe my little 15 pounder is 1 year old! But she is quite smart and learning quickly...her body will catch up in time and with therapy :) Madison is doing great and loving being a big sister...after being home almost 5 months, Madison still asks me if she can get Adia up from her naps and if she can hold her. She rarley has those "my sister is bugging me" moments so far. She is a great help and tells me all the time how much she loves her baby sister and that we got her from Africa.

Some pictures from our resent Joshua Tree trip..

As for Adia's progress:

She still is doing the "army crawl" and unable to sit up unassisted. She has just started to pull herself up to a standing position if the object is just the right size. But she will fall over if not helped. She is going to physical therapy twice a week. 1 hour for physical therapy and 1 hour for occupational therapy. They think she is doing great and will progress quickly. They think she will be able to sit up very soon and pulling up and holding her balance soon too. They are going to need to brace her leg with something like this one below, but tiny. :) It bends and she will need to wear it anytime she is in the standing position and when she is walking until her leg gets straightened out.

Today they gave me home programs to do with her... so we will be putting that in place at home. Basically they are all to stretch her abnormal muscle tone, keep her loose and build strength in her core and buns so she can balance in a sitting and standing position.

She always scores normal/high on her social and cognitive feedback, so that is great! She is saying some words,signing words, and responding pretty well to training. She is still the happiest baby I have ever seen.

Overall, we are blessed beyond what we deserve. So happy as our little family of four, and thankful for Christ and all He has given us in His mercy.

I will try to update more often now that things have slowed down after the holidays!

Pictures... I love'm

2009-12-08T23:16:00.001-08:00

Our tree...and FOUR stockings!! :)

lil update

2009-12-08T00:08:00.000-08:00

Adia went to the Dr. this week to get clearance for her MRI on Wed.... she is a whopping 15.5 pounds at 11 months! :) 2% weight, 10% height. Our lil tiny girl. So cute. She is happy and growing and we all love her to pieces!

P.s. Madison saw a plane and said "Mommy, are they all going to pick up their baby sisters too?"

Pictures to Purchase....

2009-12-01T12:41:00.000-08:00

Ask and you shall receive.... We finally got pictures up from Africa, Rome and Jonathan's landscapes up for sale. We have been asked a ton of times to do this, so here you go!

See our site HERE!

If there was a picture you had in mind to purchase that I did not load, let me know and I will get that taken care of. Thank you!

This will help us pay off our remaining Adoption expenses too! Enjoy!

P.S. If you were in our travel group...your goods will come some day, it is still something we plan to do.

Progress and Play

2009-11-26T11:24:00.000-08:00

Adia is making great progress in her ability to use her left arm and leg....if you watched her other video, she practically would drag her left arm and now she is almost doing a full arm over arm movement! See.....

What else do we do outside of therapy!? Lots, and I was in a picture mood to prove it .

Walks...

Cooking...

Baking...

Gardening..

Reading...

p.s. I just finished this book and it was awesome. Go read it too :)

A very sweet lady from church wanted to make Madison and Adia dresses. She let me pick out the pattern, fabric, buttons....everything. It was so fun. She brought them over the other day and I was in pain over how cute they turned out. She had to take Madison's dress back to bring it in a little bit, but it looks similar to Adia's... Too stinking cute - Thank you Kristi!!

Another friend sent me these cute dresses for the girls. Cutest fabric design. These were made by Poppy Dip. A lady makes these to raise money for their adoption fund. :) Thanks Tammy!!!

We are so filled with thankfulness for all the people who care for us...everyone from friends to family to people I have never met all over the country. Your kind words, prayers and contact is a blessing!

Updates...

2009-11-19T11:56:00.001-08:00

We had our in home 3 moth post placement meeting with our social worker yesterday. It went really well and she had very kind words to say about our family and Adia's attachment to us. That was great news.

Today we had our first in home Physical Therapy with OC Regional. They were so sweet and do a really good job when working with Adia. Basically they needed to assess where Adia was at and explained the process further for me. Nancy said that Adia is at about a 6 month old when it comes to her motor development but when it comes to everything else she rated her at a 9-10 month old. That was great news too...she also told us she really thinks Adia will be able to walk, maybe with a slight limp, but she was very confident she would be able to walk independently. She said Adia has good control over her left upper arm but is not sure she will be able to regain full function of the hand. She said Adia would probably use it more as an assistant then able to use it on its own. Will she be able to play an instrument, tie her shoes, type.....it may be modified, but she seems to have the fighting spirit to try :) Nancy said her leg will need to be braced and maybe even splinted when she sleeps to stretch out that left leg. They loved Adia and asked if they could steal her... I hear that often! :)

Sounds like OC Regional will not be doing her Therapy though...CCS will be picking that up which means we wont have in home therapy and I will need to take Adia in 2 times a week for Physical and Occupational therapy. I have my first meeting with CCS next week to get a better idea of what they will be doing and how often.

Adia was such a little champ and melts everyones heart. I have to also give Madison some serious props for how well she is doing with this. She was such a little lady while they were over and sat near us and colored in her books. Adia is getting a lot of attention and Madison is handling that really well. She is such a great big sister for Adia. What a blessing. :)

Rome - Better Late than never!

2009-11-15T23:02:00.000-08:00

We could not believe we were actually about to board our plan to Rome...one stop before Africa! Our lives were about to change forever! Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip to give you a glimpse into our time in Rome... I wish I could post them all :)

Let me check my planner...

2009-11-14T22:54:00.000-08:00

We have been so busy! Life, photography, friends, listening to Christmas music….and LOTS of appointments.

On Thursday Adia had 3 back to back appointments.

1st was Occupational Therapy – Went well, it was more evaluation then anything really. But, the lady did give me some great pointers on how to relax Adia’s leg (abnormal muscle tone gets very stiff) and foot. She also mentioned that Adia will probably need to be braced and wear special shoes to hold her foot flat and her toes unclenched. Overall, it was helpful and she raved about Adia’s cognitive abilities and was encouraged by what she is able to do.

2nd was Physical Therapy – Was awesome this time. We had a different lady this time and she was very energetic and more aggressive with Adia. She really worked her abilities and was so great with her. By the end of the 45 minutes, we saw improvement with Adia’s use of her left arm! So, we will need to continue bringing awareness to that for her and hopefully it will get as useful as possible!

3rd was a Speech and Swallow Evaluation – She needed to be seen for this to make sure she was no aspirating when she was feeding. Vickie watched her drink her bottle, eat her food and did all these checks with her mouth and tongue. At the end of the session she said.. “ I am sorry to have to say this., but Adia is doing great and everything seems perfect…I wont need to see her back and she does not need therapy in these areas”. Vickie was actually sad that she was not gong to get to spend more time with our sweet Adia.. She “melted her heart”. So that is great news and one less thing we/she will need to work through.

Next week we have our 3 month post adoption visit with a social worker and Adia’s first in home therapy session from OC Regional. I look forward to both of these things and will update you on the outcome.

Adia continues to be so happy and fits just perfect with us. Madison loves her and is doing really great with her.

P.S. Someone asked about her schedule…She is on a feed, wake, sleep schedule. Up at 8am - she is taking 2 naps about 1 to 1.5 hours long during the day and sleeps 11-12 hours at night. She has 4 feedings during the day, 3 of them with stage 3 baby foods and formula, and one at 7:30pm of just formula. Then down for bed at 8pm till morning! THANK YOU BABYWISE! It has done me good with both Adia and Madison. J (nice plug, right?)

Well, that is what we are up to….chugging along and thankful for Christ and His grace. We trip out all the time that Adia used to be in Africa...she was once in an orphanage. Now she is here..with us..our house..our love! Wow.It never gets old thinking about her beginnings.

What's new?

2009-11-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

Adia is doing great and is such a joy to us. She is a little ball of smiles and we are so thankful for her to be in our home.

She started eating a lot more this week......she was eating one Stage 1 food three times a day and all the sudden she is eating a Stage 3 AND sometimes and extra a Stage 2 three times a day!! She has to be hitting a growth spurt. Go little Adia!

In regards to her treatment... I have a ton of stuff coming up to take her to that the Neurologist ordered.

Physical Therapy

Speech and Language Evaluation

Occupational Therapy

Ophthalmology Consultation

ADOS Testing (Developmental Testing)

Hearing and Audiology testing

MRI Scan on her brain

Adia was also accepted into The Regional Center of Orange County program and we have her first in home session this month. She has also been referred to California Children's Services and might have some of her therapy taken over by them.

It is kinda confusing keeping track of all these different organizations we are dealing with now. Between our Family Dr. , Insurance Therapy, OC Regional and now CCS it is going to take a lot of organization to keep this all together. So far my binder is working great and keeping my head above water so far :)

We have our 3 month post placement that needs to be done with a social worker this month as well....so, that will be interesting. :) But, we trust they will see how happy and attached Adia is to us and us to her.

We are shooting a wedding and about 4 to 6 family shoots this month as well. We are thankful for our photography business and how it is so consistent. We work it around our family and the extra income is great for us! We are thankful!! We are busy!!

Madison is doing great with Adia.....over all she plays really well with her and uses the sweetest tones when talking and playing with her. She tells me everyday that she loves her baby sister.

So... we are hanging in there, feeling great and resting in Christ. He is good to us and we go forward with this journey full of prayer!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2009-10-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

Diagnosis.....

2009-10-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

Today I took Adia to see the Developmental-Behavior & Neurological pediatrician at OC Kids. It was such a nice place and I was very happy with Dr's and time they took. We were there with the doctor for over 2 hours going over everything about Adia. It was so refreshing to feel a Dr actually care about Adia and really want to make sure she is getting proper care.

When the Dr stepped out I snagged these.... :)

I was excited to see Adia gained a bit of weight...she is 14lbs 2oz! Now for head, height and weight she about in the 2 percentile across the board on American charts.

Being that we know nothing about Adia's history, they can not tell the reason, of course....but, as of now they would diagnose Adia with having an injury to the right side of her brain causing a " left hemiparesis with posture of the left arm". Basically.... Cerebral Palsy that effects her left part of her body. They are wanting to do more testing on her to rule out other things and need to do an MRI to see if they can see an abnormality in the brain. They are uncertain on how this will effect Adia as she gets older....if it is indeed Cerebral Palsy, the injury is done and will not worsen, but, we still dont know how this will play out as she develops and how much physical therapy she has/responds to.

They said Adia will need to have physical, occupational and possibly speech/swallowing therapy. I will continue to take her where she is getting PT now and they want to get it switched over to a Regional Center where all the therapy will come to our house.

The Dr's were very encouraged and impressed with her cognitive and social abilities and said they don't think there are any issues there. They also said the fine motor skills on her right side are very good and both of those things are GREAT news. :)

Adia was such a little trooper with the Dr's. I gotta give Madison a lot of credit too....she goes with me to all Adia's appointments and sits through her therapy sessions.... :) Good big sister!

I now have a binder with dividers so I can keep track of all Adia's notes, therapy and Dr visits!

We love Adia and are thankful she is with us. God is good and He is in control of ALL of this. We have lots of peace about it and are chugging along and just making sure we get Adia all the care she can. God is working according to His goodness and we take complete comfort in knowing He ordained Adia for our family!

She's on the move....

2009-10-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

All the sudden Adia is on the move scooting from room to room. It is adorable. She loves exploring and following us around. We went to her 3rd PT appointment this week where they continue to work on her leg, foot and arm. She told me they might need to brace/splint her leg and even her arm, so we will see. I am waiting to get a call back from the other therapists that have been referred and we have an appointment with the pediatric neurologist this next week.

Adia has started waving hi and bye....it is too cute for words so I had to show you here. Also, this will show you how she uses her right side of her body compared to her left. She is happy and tiny, but she is eating and looks healthy to me :)

Madison is still doing really great with her....is still excited and loves playing with her and helping me take care of her. Of course... Jonathan is in love with her too!

We continue to seek God for strength to be faithful parents that teach them about the gospel and all other things that matter in this life :)

PT appointment #2

2009-10-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

Elenor ( Adia's PT) worked with her again today. Went through a check list trying to understand the degree of Adia's condition. She saw a lot of positive signs of things Adia can do or almost do...but also told me she was concerned when I told her that Adia will stop and cough often when she is drinking her formula (also when I told her she had not gained any weight). So now Elenor wants Adia to get checked out by another PT....I forget the name of this one, but they specialize in swallowing, reflux, speech, etc. She just wants to have her looked at to see if the coughing is a sign of concern or not. Just get that out of the way. So we will be setting that up too.

I am gaining a huge appreciation for Physical Therapists.....there are ton of people in there getting treated and worked with. The progress people have told me about when their babies needed PT is encouraging!

She gave us some work sheets of exercises to do with Adia.....the ones with her feet being the most important.

Along our path we walk..... :)

Operation Chubber Chunk begins...

2009-10-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

I took Adia to her 9 month check up and she has not gained any weight! I was shocked. She is still 13 pounds which puts her in the negative 3% in her weight. She is 27 1/4 in her height (50%) and 5% in her head circumference.

The Dr. told me this is not something to worry about just yet as she has not been on solids for too long and still getting used eating larger amounts, but she did give me ideas on what I should do to get her eating more calories. So....now our little Adia is in full Operation Chubber Chunk until she gets to a healthier weight!

She is so little.....cute and full of smiles.

Tomorrow I start her physical therapy appointments .... 2 times a week! We are going to be busy getting this little girl taken care of :)

Physical Therapy Appointment #1

2009-10-05T19:21:00.001-07:00

We had our first physical therapy appointment for Adia.

The therapist said that at some point, in the womb or out, she incurred an injury to her central nervous system. This is why the left side of her body is affected and has the indicators that we have been seeing. She said Adia seemed bright and very aware, so we would not be able to see if she has any mental issues until school age. She wants Adia to see an Occupational therapist for her left arm as well.

I asked if this could affect her ability to walk and she said yes, BUT, there is a lot that can be done to help her at this point and as we still don’t know the full extent of her condition until they do more therapy. She could possibly need to have a brace on her leg and things like that. As for now, she wants to start working with Adia 2 times a weeks to strengthen the muscle around her abnormal muscle tone and avoid any further stiffening in her foot. They really want to get her sitting up on her own.

We also have an appointment in 2 weeks to see a pediatric neurologist to see what they might diagnose or suggest for her.

Adia is so happy and such a joy. We are so thankful God put her in our family and we trust God will give us the grace to get through whatever she needs. She fits perfect with us and is loved tremendously.

God is good to us!

Keep us in your prayers for wisdom for her treatment and provision for the cost of her therapy. Thanks guys!

P.S. She has 2 bottom teeth now and does this funny half body army crawl around the floor. Smiles all the day long!

Family Photo's by Dana Grant

2009-10-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you DANA for giving us the raddest family shoot we could have ever asked for! We love it.

Part of our journey....

2009-09-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

I know I have more days to post of our trip and I will get to it when I can ....

Something has come up with our sweet little Adia. About a week ago I noticed her left leg looking a little curved. Did not think much of it, but then I brought it up to Jonathan and then he noticed it too. Then we noticed how she completely favors her right leg while she put little weight on her left. Then we noticed that her left leg is very stiff and cannot bend at all in a certain direction that her right leg can do with ease. I made a Dr. appointment.

Right before her Dr. appointment I began noticing her left arm as well. She uses it and pushes herself up while on her tummy, but clinches it a lot and only grabs for things with her right hand.

Adia can not sit up...we expected this as she came from her circumstances, this is not uncommon, but we also noticed it seems to be because she can not bend her left leg with ease or at all in certain directions which makes her body weight fall to the right....she cant get her balance.

Our Dr. Appointment came and I showed her everything we were seeing. She of course mentioned all the things we thoughts of...like she was not stimulated enough at orphanage, could have had an injury on the left side of her body that did not heal right, and then she said "worst case scenario it could be indications of cerebral palsy". I quickly blew that off and took her orders to get Adia's leg x-rayed and a number to make an appointment for physical therapy.

When we got home Jonathan and I started researching Cerebral Palsy as we were totally ignorant of it. We were learning what sign infants can show and things to do with them to find indicators. This began a night of experimenting with her and finding out things we had not noticed, nor would we, unless we knew to look for them specifically. Adia matched some of the indicators .... but she also did not match some of them.

This prompted me to get ahold of our Dr again and let her know our new findings and concerns. The Dr then told me Adia's X-ray came back normal so her leg not bending is not due to a bone issue or past injury to her hip. She then set up a plan for Adia to be seen by two different physical therapists and is putting in a request for her to be seen by a pediatric neurologist.

We are in stages of needing to find out if she just needs some type of physical therapy to help that side of her body, loosen her leg and strengthen her left side, confirm/eliminate CP or learn of another option.

She is happy, bright, attentive, content and sweet little baby girl. We have no regrets no matter what they find and are SO happy she is with us. We will love her and care for her through anything. This may be something simple or something that will take great care.... but we are at peace and have complete comfort that God has ordained Adia's days and story.

It will be weeks until we can get in for her physical therapy and months probably until we can get into the neurologist. We will keep you guys updated as we know things.

In the meantime, we will work with her on sitting up, gaining weight and being healthy happy little miss!

Day 3 (Tue) & Day 4 (Wed)

2009-09-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

I am going to post these 2 days together as I have almost no pictures to post. These are the 2 days I was the worst and was just trying to survive....

On Tuesday we went to the markets in the morning... (I think) before we headed to the transitional home to pick up Adia for good. Here are some more pictures of the markets and streets that Jonathan got. There is a chance I am not remembering the order of things right.

Future travelers need to be prepared for the smell on the streets and in the van. It seemed like every car, bus and van had smoke coming out the back and it was so thick, that alone would make people queasy. I am not exaggerating, it is so thick you can feel it in your throat. What I ended up doing was put cologne or carmex on a bandanna and hold it over my nose in the van. The driving is out of control, but I thought that was kinda fun. There are no rules on the road and everyone just makes their way by squeezing on spots on the road and honking. Making their way through traffic, people and animals. You will see many unattended children on the streets, very close to the road. It is nuts. You constantly are seeing sites that make you sad or thankful or curious or humbled. I wish I did video of some of the driving... you get so close to the other cars you could reach out your hand and touch them.

Madison loved the bus, she didnt mind the smells a bit and thought it was so fun she got to sit in the seat like a big girl.

Oh, I cant fail to mention that one of the radio stations they had playing in the bus was something like 580Afro Fm. At one point "Gangsters Paradise" came on and I cracked up that more then a few of us knew the words and sang. It was funny that I was slightly comforted by this song as it was a piece of home. Ha.

This is the day you pick up the kids, drop off your donations and gift for staff and transitional home. This is also when you take pictures of other children for families back at home. I was sick as a dog, but this was so fun for me. I took pictures of lots of children, helped them open their care packages that their families sent. Some dug right in, some had no idea what to do with it, but they all were happy to get gifts from their families. It was so neat to do this for other people, as so many people did it for us and Adia.

Some of the transitional home nannies saying bye to Adia.

On the way home on the bus is when I felt horrible, I was crying, throwing up and my limbs started feeling numb. I had not been able to eat or drink much at all so I think it all caught up to me in that moment. We decided I needed to go in our room and try to get rest and if I woke up still sick, we would need to go to the hospital.

Before I laid down, I managed to get this clip of the rain from our balcony....when it rains there...it RAINS! Robel hung out with us for a bit too...he played with Madison a lot. Madison still talks about him...

On Wednesday I woke up sick and had been throwing up during the night so Robel came over early and took Jonathan and I to the hospital. (This is another moment where having Patty and Randy there was priceless, they stayed back and watched the girls for us!) I have to admit I was nervous to go to the hospital but I know my body was about to fall apart if I did not get help.

Despite me being nervous and sick, the hospital was a neat experience. It was a Christian Medical Center. Some of the Dr's I saw walking around were of all different races. The staff was friendly. I ended up talking with a Dr who ordered me to get blood work done, samples and an IV. I could not believe this was happening. I have a medical card from Ethiopia! Thankfully Robel was there with us an guided us through everything. He kept making me laugh and making light of the whole thing. We had a lot of time for my IV to finish to just talk about life, Christianity, Ethiopia, America......it was neat. He had never been to the hospital before so he was curious himself... we kept making fun of the fact that above the doors were "exit" signs.... but the picture on it was a person running for their life. I could relate a bit...

This day was the day of our Embassy appointment and we could NOT miss that. We could not wait for my results but my blood came back with high white blood count and the Dr said if she had to guess it was something in my GI track...food contamination of some sort. We literally unhooked me from the IV and left to the cab to meet up with our group at the Embassy.

We made it! We met our group there and spent lots of time waiting...me gaging in a bag... nice huh? Finally they called all our names and we went to a window where we had to answer some questions and it was done! Very simple. For some reason I was thinking the Embassy appointment was going to be a big deal...once you get through security and the guys with the guns, it is all a piece of cake.

I seriously don't remember what came next..probably a meal and then we went shopping again then back to the guest house!

This is when I decided to start taking the Ciprofloxacin and Metronidazole we had brought "just in case" one of us got sick. This is what eventually got me to stop throwing up and start keeping down liquids.

In 2 weeks I lost 15 pounds... and no ladies, it was not worth it.

Day 5 coming next.... (lots of neat pictures coming)

Day 2 ( Monday) Updated with Meeting Adia Video.

2009-09-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

Our internal alarm clock was off a bit and we were up early and could not go back to sleep. Not to mention roosters start doing their thing around 4am and you hear a lot of dog barking. Jonathan, Madison and I decided to check out the roof balcony and see Addis in the morning from there. I love all the colors...

How is this for laundry service?

I looked over the balcony and there was a mother bathing her child in the back yard with a cup and bar of soap. They looked up and saw me watching, I thought for a minute they could possibly be offended, but they looked up and started waving and smiling real big. This is their house.....later we were able to give them some suckers and the little girl hugged and gave me a kiss on my cheek.

The morning started with me feeling not too good, but functional and ready for this day of meeting Adia that we have waited for for so long. We had breakfast and then it was time for what they call the "paperwork" party. All our paperwork for the Embassy appointment that would be coming up on Wed. ( Traveling families, make sure you bring everything that is on your check off list AWAA will give you and a copy of your I71h form)

This was a sweet time where our travel group gathered around and prayed for me and my health. Then it was time to hit the bus .... here is a little clip of some of the streets.

From there we got to the markets for a little while...you have to bargain with the sellers (which I hate) but that is how it goes there. Robel was around to help and give advice. There were lots of neat things in the markets.... silver, drums, neat rings and wooden things. Ethiopian clothing and shoes... fun stuff. I started feeling a bit worse so I was not up to the type of shopping I was wanting to do. But I went along and took in the experience.

This wooden scaffolding was hard to believe even before your eyes... if looked SO unsafe. It was everywhere.

Some things I remember from the market was #1 the lady who would hit the beggars if they got too close to the shoppers. I guess the shops hire her like a security guard so the beggars will not disturb the shoppers. If the kids in the street got too close, she would literally hit them with a big stick. #2. There was a group of boys in the streets that stuck close to us..maybe the ages of 6-9 ish. Robel, who was our guide that we got pretty close to, knew them and would call their names and talk to them. It ended up that they were a group of boys that he helps care for. They are either orphans or children of beggars who Robel helps start a little "business". They start out with shining shoes (which is very popular there with all the mud people walk on) and selling gum. He gets them trying to make money for themselves and their families and also disciples them in a way. Their clothes were tattered and I think one of them only had one shoe on. Jonathan asked Robel if they had bibles and Robel said "no, they have no place to put them". Jonathan also asked what the kids do when it rains and they need shelter. Robel said "many of them go and take shelter in sewers". #3. There was a boy (one of the boys Robel helps) that had an eye issue that was treated (so that he did not go blind) for about 300 or 400 birr (about $35 US dollars). His parents are beggars that are blind who are unable to afford this medication ...so they remain blind. Can you believe that? For the cost of what we may spend on coffee a month, could heal their blindness.

When we started taking off on the bus Jonathan started throwing suckers out to the kids and man... they reached for those as it was their life! We were glad we brought little treats like this to hand out to the children on the streets and orphanages.

From the markets you head to a group lunch. The restaurant was very nice and the service was great. I think this was one of the last meals I ate before I got super sick and unable to really drink or eat anything. I don't think this meal caused it as I was sick before, but I think dehydration kicked in or something and the vomiting and nausea was on! It was the beginning of a rough rest of the trip. Thankfully, Madison, Jonathan, Patty and Randy stayed healthy!

We left the restaurant and headed to the transitional home for the moment we all dreamed about for so long. When we pulled up and saw the American World sign I was in shock that it was really happening. We pulled in and saw all the little clothes hanging out to dry that I have seen in all the other families pictures that had gone before us. It was a trip.

We lined up in front of the building and immediately they started bringing out each child/children to their families in alphabetical order. We were toward the end so by the time they got to us, I was already crying. Seeing these moments for all the families we had become friends with was amazing. Them holding and kissing their babies for the first time...in that moment. Then they said "okay... Rogers Family". I started shaking as we walked up the steps and out she came! There she was..her little body and cute braided hair. She went to me well and was so sweet. She just went to us and looked at us and took us in. She was smaller then I imagined her to be, but looked the same in her face. It was a rad moment that I cant describe .... but there she was. We were holding our daughter (our gift). We all took a chance to hold her and then stepped off to the side for other families to get their children. We had some neat moments with her laughing and grabbing our faces and laying her head on my shoulder. She was happy and content. Madison was the happiest sister ever..

p.s.. I have no idea how to edit video..so here is the raw moment.

Right after this moment, I had to hand her off and begin throwing up and feeling horrific. So, the afternoon did not go how I imagined in my head, but I am so thankful for those moments with her before my full blown yukkiness set in. You spend a few hours there at the home with your babies, you can look around and see where she sleeps and where the older children have class. The nannies love those babies, I saw lots of hugs and kisses being passed when they would care for a baby. But it still just grabs your heart when you see all these cribs and all these little bodies in them .... at least we know that if they are in the transitional home, they are about to be adopted and have families waiting for them.

We do not bring the children home with us that day. So when I had to put Adia back in the home.. Madison cried! Madison cried on the whole bus ride " I want my baby sister" ! She was so sad that we could not bring her with us until tomorrow. It was one of the only times Madison cried or was sad on that trip. It was sweet...she has waiting a long time too.

This is the point of the trip where the women have the option to go the spa for a pedicure or manicure. Me and Patty passed on this as I was so sick and Patty helped with Madison so that when we got back to the home, I could sleep. I think I went to sleep and did not get up till the next morning...getting up here and there to throw up. That was the night where the group went out for the traditional Ethiopian meal where they perform music and things like that.

I woke up throughout the night sick, but got a lot of rest thankful to Jonathan, Patty and Randy taking care of Madison.

As you end each day, you can not help but have your mind swarmed with a million thoughts of all you see and experience. This trip is huge and life changing. I know for me, I spent a lot of time in prayer and just pondering the sober things of life and godliness. I know my trip was rougher because I was sick, but I know everyone in the group was in need of grace and seeking God for strength and endurance for each day you were about to begin.

... day 3 coming soon.

Ethiopia....how it began( Sunday)

2009-09-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

I want to share both the joy and hardships of this whole journey. I think it will help those understand who go after us on what to expect and be prepared for (also, for me to remember later when I turn this blog into a book). No doubt..your trips can be different filled with all totally different providence's. But I want to share our story... the whole story. I almost feel like I will not be able to adequately put it into words as it was a trip that was so huge and different then anything we have ever done or seen. But here I go....

We went to Rome for 2 days before Ethiopia...but as I am behind on pictures, I am going to start with Ethiopia and get to Rome after. I have mixed feelings about going to Rome first before Africa. Rome was beautiful and has some amazing things to see and take pictures of. Buildings, statues, fountains, shutters, cobblestone streets and markets. Totally worth seeing and visiting. BUT... I noticed not being able transition into "vacation" mode in my mind. I was in "adoption" mode and "Africa" mode. All our prayers, planning and preparation was for Ethiopia and though I think being there may have helped us adjust to the time change, I kinda feel like some of my strength was drained there. Does that make any sense? We had fun, no doubt and got some pictures that I want blown up and put in our house....I just go back and forth on if I would advice someone else to do it or not before their trip to Ethiopia.

I felt great the whole trip thus far, Madison had been amazing in all the flights, Jonathan was having fun and our in laws where enjoying the sights. We walked a lot and it was hot so we were pooped when we got to our hotel lobby to wait for our van to take us to the airport. While we were sitting there I started feeling nervous and sick to my stomach, it was weird, it hit me like a brick. I thought I was just starting to get nervous and excited/scared for what was about to take place. All this time we waited for this to happen and now we were about to catch a plane to meet our daughter. Then all the sudden I got so sick and was throwing up! I had a little mini melt down as I did not know what was going on with my body and we were about to get on our plane.

I started feeling a bit better and we headed off to the airport ... our flight was not until 1:15am or so, we waited in the airport for a long time. It was part exciting and part exhausting. We caught a bench and chilled and waited until we could check in.

Getting through check in and getting on the plane was pretty easy..nothing was a big deal. I guess I was expecting a big customs ordeal but there was not at all. Getting on the plane to go to Africa was so exciting. The thought of being on our way to the place we have been thinking about for almost 2 years had come! The flight was not bad at all and Madison slept great and just enjoyed her little on board movies. We also brought her little wrapped gifts for surprises if the flight felt long. Something about plane food is fun too..its cute little packaging.

Yes, she wakes up this happy and with this crazy hair.

Jonathan's parents who started out as support and luxury of extra hands... who later turned into our " we could have not survived without them" hands. More to come on that.

About 6 hours later we arrive in Ethiopia. We landed and I just kept saying " we are in Africa!" . It was surreal. He had to stand in line and get our Visa's, then stand in line to get through customs before we headed to go get our luggage. This is where we met some of the other families! We got our luggage through another scanner point and then waited in the airport for our drivers to get us. It was a nice airport and friendly people. There were three ladies that kept asking to see Madison so I took her over there to say hi. They were infatuated with her. Kissing her arms and cheeks and stroking her hair. They thought she was beautiful... Ethiopians are very affectionate people.

Then we headed off to the bus where lots of men swarm you to try to help with your luggage for tips. Some of them are pretty aggressive in trying to help but we were warned about this and just told them we could do it ourselves. They loaded up our van with the other families and on our way we went to the guest house!

Immediately I could not believe the things I was seeing. Pretty land, then into the city where we saw markets, goats, beggars, tin roofs, donkeys and some of the craziest driving I have ever seen. I loved how colorful the gates and stores were. Many people smiled at us and waved.

We were on a street with little markets and all the sudden turned into this little muddy alley and there were these little houses with tin roofs and wire around them and then you see our guest house standing tall amongst them. There was a guard outside and razor barbwire around the gates. We pull in and get our luggage out and to our rooms. We were on the 3rd floor and boy could you feel it. The elevation is high there so as we walked up each floor I could literally feel my heart race and get slightly dizzy. There are no elevaters so you walk that many times during your stay. They guest house was very clean and the staff was so friendly. Our room had a living room area and a kitchenette and two bedrooms. Madison, Jonathan and I had one room and Jonathan's parents had the other. It worked out great for us.

Even though the rooms were very clean, we still had to be so careful with the water. Many people get sick from getting water in their mouth when they shower and things like that. We actually planned not to take showers but to just wash up with wipes and soapy clothes and bottled water to avoid sickness. If we washed our hands in the sink we would use hand sanitizer afterwards to be safe. We did not want to take any chances with getting sick.... I know other families took showers and just covered their faces and mouths and were just fine.

Note about the guest house: The power is off every other day. During the day you can not use electricity until they kick on the generators around 6pm. This is why you don't want to put perishables in the fridge and bring a flash light. They do provide one flashlight per room. The drinks in the fridge are very inexpensive and they also provide 2 bottle water free each day. They freshen up the room while you are out and replace towels. Also...there is a hot pot in each kitchen so you can boil water to use for cleaning, dishes, sanitizing things. You obviously can not use this when the power is off. The transitional home gives the babies their bottles warm... but we started using room temperature water right away and Adia took it just fine. This way you can just use bottled water the whole trip which makes things much more convenient.

View from our balcony....

In this street in front of the guest house there was so much to take in alone. The people that would walk by selling things, carrying things on their head, playing music, stray dogs, kids playing. I could have watched for hours.

This night all the families that were there got together and walked to the "Zebra Grill". This was our first experience on the streets. While we walked there would be mothers with babies on their backs that would come up and walk next you and say " mama...sister" and hold their babies out for you to touch them as they wanted money. It was muddy, they were bare foot and one of the ladies had a swollen leg from infection. It was so hard to simply walk down this street and see all of this. You want to help them all.

The Zebra Grill was nice and the food was good. I still was not feeling well at this point so I did not eat much but It was great to sit and get to know the families. What a neat group of people.

We walked back to the guest house where we all tried to get some sleep... the next day we would meet Adia and hold her for the first time!!

Day 2.. coming soon

P.S. I have video clips that I am going to load of the streets, rain, meeting Adia and more.

Holland's Video

2009-09-02T19:03:00.001-07:00

The Hollands are a sweet funny family that was part of our travel group...they made a video of their trip and guest house we stayed at. You can check it out and get a feel for where we were at. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rysTcVbyXdo

We are back home and I really hope to get to writing our story and posting my pictures soon!!

Where am I?

2009-08-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Trying to recover from the trip.. that is where! :)

I know I have a ton of stories to tell, pictures to show and families to get pictures to. ( It will be worth the wait...we got great pictures of babies and Ethiopia as a whole).

I have been still trying to mend.. my body gets weak still and so I have needed help with the girls and this crazy transition. I thought coming home with a 7 month old would be much different from coming home with a new born. But it has not felt very different. Still a huge transition and sleeplessness. But, Adia is very close to sleeping through the night. She stretched till 6am this morning and my goal is at least 7...and eventually 8. 8pm to 8am is how I roll with babies needing to sleep. We are training her to sleep in longer increments and staying awake in longer increments. Adia is a very happy baby...rarely cries and is taking to everyone really well. She is such a little trooper and man, she smiles a lot.

So, I cant wait to be feeling better both physically and mentally. Being a new mom is some tuff business, it is for me anyway. But I hope to be in my groove very soon and enjoying all the joys of being a mom of 2.

Will post as soon as I am feeling up to it. Your prayers are appreciated!

Until I can do some posts....

2009-08-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

We are back.....

2009-08-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

....I have so much to say and share. SO SO much. As for now..know we are back and safe! I will try to do a post with pictures for each day of our trip...though I feel I could never fully explain the things we saw and experienced.

We are so thankful for your prayers ...we needed everyone.

Hope to post soon!

P.S. Our little "chocolate chip" is doing great and is so happy.

Last Post from Rome

2009-08-15T01:37:00.001-07:00

Last night we were in our jammies and getting ready for bed when I made the mistake of looking outside and seeing a cute little place with lights and umbrellas..people laughing and having wine. We could not resist... Jonathan, Madison and I were awake and got dressed again and went out right by our hotel. A place was closing up but let us come in for a glass of wine..it was 12am or so. That was so fun!

We got back to our room after Jonathan snagging some beautiful pictures of buildings at night. We slept great and woke up to a yummy breakfast. Overlooking Rome, we ate plums, toast, cereal, egg and more topped off with coffee! Oh so fun.

Now we are headed out to a full day of things to see in Rome. Then we will head to the airport late at night for our flight out at 115am for Ethiopia.

I will try to post from there as soon as I can with pictures and updates.

We are doing great..feel great. Madison is a sweet little traveler thus far.

Time to head out. Lord willing we will get to Africa safe and finally get to meet our baby girl soon!

We are in Rome!!

2009-08-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

I only have a minute ..but I wanted to tell you all we are safe and in Beautiful Rome. People are friendly, views are mouth dropping and pizza..incredible!

Madison has been a doll. Really just perfect, she was a champ on all the flights, walking around Rome (in the Ergo a lot...life saver!). Her and Jonathan are up in our dope little hotel room having a cold drink and getting ready for bed.

I cant post pictures now...but we have a lot already and we are not in Africa yet! The view from our room is so tight. Big black shutters that open up to a long narrow street with tall buildings with even more shutters and flowers.

We have a full day tomorrow...cram in lots of Rome and then get ready for our Flight to Ethiopia that leaves at 115am.

I will post again when I can... God is good and the fact we can enjoy this short stay has been too fun!

Please continue to pray for our trip...we dont take it for granted and know we need the Lord to prepare us for what is ahead...!!

....P.S. Did I tell you we were in Italy???? Ekkkkkkkkkkk

We are ready!!

2009-08-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

Bags are packed and everything is done! I feel ready. I'm excited and still in shock we are actually at this point. To hear about delay after delay and finally get the go go go....wow.

We have to be at the airport around 5am so I am not sure we will even sleep tonight! That's why I kinda feel like we are leaving tonight. I am going to try and update Twitter/Facebook through out the trip if I can and plan on posting here on the blog when I can get Internet access there.

If there are any bad guys tempted to be mean to our house, you would be sorry. Our house is being watched day and night by a big man that would do you some damage!! Plus, its filled with lots of thrift shop stuff you probably would not want anyway :)

Please keep us in your prayers...that we would endure. Safety, health, spiritual strength when our bodies are tired. Pray for Madison as this is going to be a long tough journey for a little one. Pray for Adia, that she would transition well to us. Jonathan and I, that we would be filled with patience and grace to handle everything that the Lord brings our way!

Thank you for all your prayers you have already said for us and all the encouragement you leave us with. We know we are going to come back a changed family...both in number and in heart!

Our heart are filled with thankfulness to God...in His providence bringing this about so far. He has been good to us, even when times were tough. He has worked out His timing and we continue to ask that His will be done.

Here is our final luggage count!

Almost Ready....

2009-08-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

Wow.. well I feel I have been moving non stop getting ready for this trip!!

Madison, Adia and donation/food luggage is ready....2 more to go. Yikes, I seriously tried to pack so light. We are going to have a lot more room coming home. Packing most of Madison's food and drinks and the donations is taking up lots of room!

I finally landed on the diaper bag of choice and am stoked with it :)

Put in the car seat today..I can't believe there is an infant car seat in the back again! Eeek. Madison is so happy Adia will sit next to her :)

Getting Madison's bag ready. Dvd player, snacks, books, colors, journal, etc...

A friend at church gave me a good idea that I built on. She told me to wrap little gifts for Madison so they are new and exciting for her! So I thought I would do that...plus, have her open them while the plane is taking off! Hopefully the excitement and power of distraction will keep her from noticing any discomfort in her ears (if it actually does). I will have gum, suckers and a sippy cup also to help with that. I hope this will also spark an excitement when knowing she needs to enter another plane flight....

My travel crazy friend Jen, let me borrow her Rome guide and that got me so excited for the couple days we will be there...

Oh my... I plan on devouring Rome and Ethiopia with these 2 babies!

I leave you with these pictures of Madison trying out her new headphones for the plane! :)

She asks me every morning and like 5 times a day "mama, can we please go get my baby sister today!?"

2 Days people...2.

Test Test Test

2009-08-07T21:42:00.001-07:00

This is a test to see if I can post from e mail to my blog...this is how I will need to do it in Africa! :)

Did it work!?

We leave in a week!

2009-08-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

This morning we got final confirmation from our agency that they are ready for us to fly. That means all Adia's in country testing and follow up after passing court is complete and she is ready for us! Good thing..since we were planning on coming if they were ready or not! :)

We decided last minute to go ahead and get the Typhoid vaccination. $225 later :( we are all Vaccinated up and ready to go. Madison hardly flinched when getting the shot..not one tear was shed. What a big girl!

I have had multiple requests to see the girls room. So I took a few pictures....almost all my blog picture are taken with my point and shoot..so sorry for the bad quality. Madison's bed is on the left and Adia's Pack'n'Play is on the right. We did not want to invest into another crib, we will eventually move them into bunk beds. Me and my sister used to have bunk beds, and I remember loving them. (except that one time when the ladder fell on my eye!) But still, I loved them.

The picture above the books is one I took of Madison after a rainy day..we put her in a little rain jacket and boots and let her play in the mud. It was a fun day and a favorite picture of mine.

Their room is small, but we put much love into making it warm and darling to make up for any lack of size :)

Madison is so excited for Adia. It is so cute. She asks me daily if she can hold her and feed her and push her in the stroller. Adia has the best big sister waiting for her.

In 7 days...we are off. Lord willing, He will bless our trip and give us great strength to handle all we have in front of us.

Getting ready....

2009-08-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

Our tickets are bought and our hotel in Rome is booked! This is nuts! I have a large to do list I am slowly checking boxes off ....but keep adding more! hmmm.

Anyways, I started packing Adia's bag tonight. That was a new moment of reality. Grabbing her onesies, bottles, burp clothes, tiny socks....

Here is a little sneak peek of the girls room. I found this perfectly old, chipped paint...pale yellow rocking chair at an antique shop that I love. This is where I will sit and feed Adia and read to the girls. :)

I'm tripp'n!

2009-08-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

1 Week and 4 days...... are you serious!?

Adia's July Update!

2009-07-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

It was so fun to open my e mail this morning and see our monthly update on Adia...one that I can share too!

Is now 7 months old!

* 12 pounds

* 24 inches long

* She can sit with little support

* She can bear weight on legs

* She is on medication for an "allergic dermatitis" on her face and scalp.

* She is happy and playful

* Like rattles

She look so big to me...but 12 pounds is a total little baby! I cant wait to see her in person!

We Passed..We Passed!!!!!!

2009-07-28T06:07:00.001-07:00

I cant believe I finally get to write this!! Adia is ours!! Praise God!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Is tomorrow our day?

2009-07-27T12:37:00.001-07:00

Tonight as we sleep our case goes before the judge for the 3rd time. In the morning we will get the call ..... eeeekkk!

I am not being pessimistic about the outcome, but I am being cautiously excited. I cant imagine not passing, but at the same time it would not surprise me if we heard something like.. the judge wants you to come back in 2 weeks. Whatever that could look like in the form of another delay.

So, if you think about it, please pray for our case tonight! Our little slide show is ready to post and show you our baby girl! Ohhh how we hope to get passing news tomorrow morning!!!!!

Okay Lord....we are waiting to see you reveal your will. We trust You.

An Atheist Argues that Africa Needs God

2009-07-21T14:33:00.001-07:00

"Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa’s biggest problem - the crushing passivity of the people’s mindset"

by Matthew Parris

I thought this was a great article....take time to read it HERE. Let me know your thoughts! :)

An Atheist Argues that Africa Needs God

2009-07-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

"Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa’s biggest problem - the crushing passivity of the people’s mindset"

by Matthew Parris

I thought this was a great article....take time to read it HERE. Let me know your thoughts! :)

I'm just saying....

2009-07-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Tentative Travel Dates-- Ekkkkk!

2009-07-17T22:56:00.000-07:00

Okay guys, this is getting very real again. Ahhh. We got our tentative travel dates from our agency. August 15th-21st! Time to start talking to the travel agent and getting down some travel plans in case we pass court on the 28th! These can always get moved around a little bit...but that is where we are at!

P.S. I had to leave you with some pictures of Jonathans that I love...took at our last camping trip.

New Court Date!!

2009-07-13T11:00:00.001-07:00

As we expected, we did not pass court this morning, but we are so excited to hear that our new court date is July 28th! This is great news for 3 reasons:

#1. MOWA will be open and writing letters
#2. It is before court closures (if they do)
#3. If we pass, which they think we have a good chance, we could be picking up Adia mid/late August!

Next month guys...we could have our baby girl. Let's see what is in our good God's plan for our family! Adia would be 7 months old if we can go get her at that time. I love that age.

Thank you for your prayers.

Update....

2009-07-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

We have a court date on July 13th, that we will not be passing at. We know this ahead of time. BUT, at that time we will be rescheduled a new court date and we can only hope that it is before court closures (if they do indeed close). If it's not and the courts close, we will get caught in the closures and our process will be delayed until the end of September possible longer because the courts get back logged a bit after courts re open.

Our agency still believes there is a chance that we could get in before closures, but they can not guarantee anything.

So far this news is "well with my soul" . I hope I am not growing in numbness but in faith. Faith that Gods timing and will in our adoption is better then all my quicker expectations. I have learned not to grow too excited over any type of news, but I think that is okay. I am trying to not get my joy in these circumstances, but in Gods goodness. We will see... I could be a mess later and that will show it is numbness. I will keep you updated. :)

I just love the people in our adoption Yahoo group. They are so encouraging, understanding and troopers as we wade through this journey together... there is a chance we could all (those who were caught in the abandonment cases) travel together. Wouldn't that be amazing!? :) Faces to names and e mails.

So... our next update will be on the 13th.

Since every post is better with a picture, I pulled out pictures of Madison from when she was 6 months old. That is how old Adia is right now. It helps me remember that age and all the fun things Adia could be doing right now. I loved this age!

Wake up call.....

2009-07-06T01:38:00.000-07:00

Call me slow to “get it” but something dawned on me tonight when talking to a friend about our wait for Adia. Something that I have been doing without really knowing it.

When we first started this adoption, we thought the whole process would take anywhere from 10-12 months ..max. That is how long it would take till we were home with our baby boy or girl. That time frame came and went....delay after delay after delay began happening and now we have entered our 20th month of this journey.

I think that somewhere in the middle of that I gave myself permission to complain and grow weary in waiting. I had been patient long enough. I gave it a reasonable amount of overtime. I have complete reasonable grounds to complain and become anxious. I no longer need to be content in my circumstances. Like there is an imaginary line that once you cross it, all these things become okay to do.

Right when I realized that, all these verses flooded my mind:

1 Tim 6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

Gal 6:9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Phil 2:14 Do all things without complaining and disputing

Phil 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God

I am so thankful for the Spirit bringing these verses to my mind. They are Gods words to me tonight and I stand happily rebuked by them. It only makes me see my weakness that much more and make me SO much more thankful for Christ. He paid the penalty of all my faults, sin and disobedience. How gracious and patient He is. I am so thankful that He is the one holding on to me and that it is His righteousness that I am covered in.

Even in my weakness I can rejoice because He said “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9)

I hope I begin waiting better then I have.....I must, if I truly believe Romans 8:28 (And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.)

Our agency is supposed to appeal to the judge this week again for our case to be heard. This verse brings me much comfort Prov 21:1 The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.

No ...no court news yet

2009-07-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

our agency has to bring our case back to the courts next week. We hope hope hope then our case will be heard and our file accepted and put in the que to be given a new court date. Expedited would be awesome. But, we shall see.....

Today I went to one of favorite places, the Orange Circle. It is a bunch of antique shops and cute eating places. Lots of charm and fun styles. We had such a good morning with my mom and scored some SUPER cute things for Adia. #1. A dope little apron that should fit her now. It is tiny and vintage looking like the one Madison got as a gift from there. #2. Darling little peach sweater from the 30's.

She is gonna be the cuttest little Ethiopian vintage girl ever! Oh we hope we get to bring her home soon....

Final Verdict: We're bringing her....

2009-07-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

Madison that is. To Africa. Now I know this news makes some people happy and others think we are nuts. There are strong opinions both ways that I have heard or read on bringing young children on this trip. We went back and forth multiple times, completely convinced it was the right thing to keep her here and other times it was the opposite. It was tough for me becuase I am home with Madison all the time..and the thought of being away from her that long would literally bring me to tears...but I also knew (and reminded by my hubby) that I need to be objective about it and we needed to decide what to do based on good reason..not just the mommy heart pull.

We finally decided that is would be best for her to be with us. One reason is that in the last few months, Madison has become so aware of what is going on. She asked about Adia all the time, she prays for her every night, she uses terms that show a level of understanding that we find would be awesome for her to be there when we meet her baby sister and see Africa. Also, I have talked to other moms that have made successful trips bringing their little ones (or older) with them. Gave me tips and advice, things to do or not to do. Things that will be hard with her and things that will be a joy.

We will also have extra hands...Jonathan's parents will be going with us! That makes a big difference. Extra hands for help on the plane rides and in Africa will be needed :)

I know for sure that is will not be easy and probably miserable at moments, but we really want her there and she wants to be there too. Madison is 3 1/2.. she is happy, good traveling, well - behaved little girl. I think with a good plan of action, we could have a good trip.

One of the moms I talked to was Brittlee.. I don't remember how I found her blog, but her daughter was actually a little bit younger then Madison when they brought her. She did a full post about it HERE you can read if you are interested.

A few things we plan on doing other then all the normal things you do on a vacation with a little person is this:

#1. We will bring a lot of her own food to avoid any food sickness as much as possible.

#2. When we are in markets or places with lots of people, we will keep her in a carrier on our backs. We were told the Ethiopian people are so friendly and love little kids that it is common for them to try to pick them up or even chase them a bit to talk to them or touch them. A mom posted this was a little scary for their little one as strangers don't do that here. :)

#3. Give Madison a wipe downs rather then showers or baths to avoid getting water in her mouth that could cause sickness.

#4. Put Tummy Tune Up in her juice. This is a pro biotic that is natural and helped heal my body when I was sick with an infectious disease in my intestines. It is safe for even babies to put in their milk. This will help her tummy or prevent upset.

I know many parents struggle with this choice and every parent needs to choose what they think is best for their family. I will for sure give updates on how it goes and all my do's and dont's we learn in case another family is trying to decide to bring their son or daughter.

Tomorrow (the 2nd) is when our case is supposed to be submitted to the court again. We are hoping that they give us an expedited court date and that we can travel as soon as possible. When praying about it tonight, Jonathan prayed for endurance and acceptance of Gods will. He also thanked God for our trial and that Adia would be kept safe until we arrive.... I love my hubby and was able to say a hardy Amen.

We will share news once we hear of any...

P.S. Since we will have Madison with us and Jonathan's parents, we are probably going to go a bit early and stay a night or two in Rome on the way to Ethiopia! Eeek. Many families have done this and said it was awesome, it was beautiful and helped with jet lag.

Madison and her raddish......

2009-06-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

I never knew how fun and gratifying it would be to have a garden and see these little sprouts turn to edible veggies! We thought it was a great time to add ANOTHER thing in our life we have to wait on and be patient about. :)

Here is a little taste of our excitement...

They are re-opening our cases!

2009-06-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

We got news today-- next week the court will officially be re-opening abandonment cases in Addis! Our agency has our case ready to go and will do everything in their power to get us the earliest court date possible! There are going to be a lot of cases submitted when they open so our agency told us to be prepared for a wait to hear news on when our court date will take place.

The court said abandonment cases will be a priority and our agency still has high hopes we will get in before potential closures!

We would love for you to be praying over next week with us and that the courts would give our case attention and speed! Also, that we would continue to seek Gods will for us and Adia.

Proverbs 25:25 as cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick......

2009-06-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

Still no news...which brought some tears today. But, I got a call from Kimberly and she was such an encouragement to me. They went through something kinda similar in regards to months of delays. All the way from Quakertown, PA I got this call that brought me through tears and smiles. The body of Christ and how it works together to encourage and carry burdens is so neat. Thank you Kim! You are so sweet and your words were heard.

During the phone call...Madison saw that I had some tears and she went and got me a napkin and said "don't be sad mama, Adia will be home soon and I'll keep you safe". What a sweet girl we have ...that God has blessed us with. She is a great joy and what a good reminder of Gods goodness to us. I'm gonna focus on that today....

Update.....

2009-06-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

I cant post specifics here, but we got an e mail from our agency of things that have taken place in Ethiopia with this investigation. Things are moving along and things are progressing!! YAY. We hope to hear something in the next couple weeks! That is great....:)

Her little hand.....

2009-06-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

I just got the most precious thing in the mail....

Julie traced Adia's hand for us when she was in Ethiopia. It is tiny and so special to me.

Us....

2009-06-07T18:04:00.000-07:00

There is rumor on some other adoption blogs that this next week will be when we hear on news of possible time lines for the ban to be lifted. But, it could be just that, a rumor. So, we really do hope to hear something soon...

But, in the meantime we continue to soak up Madison and invest all our love and efforts into her. Being her parent is a great gift and we cant wait for her to have her baby sister to play with and share this life with.

Here are some pictures Jonathan got of us a the beach on a cold windy day ..... I love them. They are so, well, US! :)

We sung a new hymn today at church (or the first time I really noticed it) and I loved it. What amazing lyrics and content. It totally lifted my soul!

"Before the throne of God above"

Before the throne of God above I have a strong, a perfect plea A great high Priest whose Name is Love Who ever lives and pleads for me My name is graven on His hands My name is written on His heart I know that while in heaven He stands No tongue can bid me there depart No tongue can bid me there depart

When Satan tempts me to despair And tells me of the guilt within Upward I look and see Him there Who made an end to all my sin Because the sinless Savior died My sinful soul is counted free For God the just is satisfied To look on Him and pardon me To look on Him and pardon me

Behold Him there the risen Lamb My perfect spotless righteousness The great unchangeable I AM The King of glory and of grace! One with Himself I cannot die My soul is purchased by His blood My life is hid with Christ on high With Christ my Savior and my God! With Christ my Savior and my God!

May Update

2009-06-05T14:43:00.001-07:00

YAY.... little Adia is 10 pounds! That is great news. Her hair is crazy long for a little one. She is adorable even with her little chicken pox bumps. Oh how I wanted to jump through the screen when I got her pictures from our agency.

She has started rolling over and they said she smiles a lot and hardly ever cries.

Oh Adia.... I hope it wont be much longer baby girl.

Little Update....

2009-06-03T19:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you for continuing to pray for us.

Today we had a conference call with our agency. They were very positive and hopeful that things are moving in Ethiopia and would be resolved soon. Still, no one knows for sure when...but we hope their hopefulness is right and we will hear the ban has been lifted quickly!

They sounded almost confident we would be able to get in before court closures...which normally starts in August. So...wouldn't that be great is we could go get Adia in the next month or so!?!?!?

But, again, non of this is certain and nothing has been confirmed. Keep praying with us!

Encouraging news brings smiles to this face! :)

Had to share....

2009-06-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

1st... our seeds started sprouting in the garden! Yippee!

2nd...what Madison drew last night. Oh man, I teared up. She just figured out how to draw people and last night she drew our whole little family.

Encouraged....

2009-05-31T21:51:00.000-07:00

not by any news or updates, because there is none. But, today we had a great message at church about being filled with the Spirit that was amazing. I am so thankful to be in such a solid church that teaches Gods word!

Also, we had a family who is going to be missionaries to Zambia, Africa come and speak at our church...that was so neat. I got to talk to the wife (Megan) for a bit and it was interesting to hear that they were in the process of adopting internationally and it ended up not panning out. But, she was so encouraging by sharing all the things the Lord did and taught her to prepare her for their calling to Zambia through that adoption process. She is now able to look back and see Gods hand in all those hard providences to get her prepared for this life changing move. She had many words of encouragement for me and had such a thankful heart to the Lord for all His workings during that trial.

On top of it all.... I came home and found 10 new pictures of Adia waiting for us in my e mail from Julie!!! Adia is darling....poor little one has chicken pox, but Julie said they don't seem to bother her too much. That is good!

I sent a care package with a 0-3 month little out fit and it is big on her in the pictures ( She is almost 5 months old). But, Julie says she looks healthy and is well loved! The pictures of Adia are her in the outfit and a little toy we sent her. I love knowing she has things we touched and now she is touching them!

** Remember I cant share picture of her until after court...whenever that may be :) ***

Here is more of what Julie wrote:

Kristin, she is sooo cute. She is little but looks very healthy...she's not skinny. I loved and loved on her. Yes, the 0-3 months is a little big on her. I couldn't believe all the hair she has!!!! It's gorgeous! She has a very sweet nanny who loved on her while she changed her into the clothes you sent. I can tell she's crazy about Adia. After she changed her, she put her in the crib so I could take pics. She's a snuggler. She cooed when I picked her up. She's just a doll and I can't wait for you to go get her!

She also traced Adia's hand for us and that is in the mail tomorrow :)

Good to hear...

2009-05-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

My YG/Blogger adoption friend Julie is in Ethiopia right now picking up their baby. We were supposed to be traveling together...but God had other plans, obviously. She was so sad by our news and has practically her whole state praying for us. She brought Adia a care package for us and I asked her to please hold Adia and give her lots of hugs for me! She just wrote me this:

Kristin, your little sweetie is just adorable. You better get to reading about hair care! She has a TON of it!! She is just beautiful. I held her and gave her lots of kisses from you.

That made me smile :)

She's excited...

2009-05-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

can you tell?

Nothing.....

2009-05-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

No news at all about our case. The government has not given any information out on how long this might take. There have been a lot of families not passing court due to the courts/MOWA becoming more strict. They just changed a new rule so many of us families need to redo a form and get it notarized and authenticated again and get it too our agency and then on to Ethiopia before they can pass court. Wow...it just does not stop.

Also, our fingerprints have still not been updated in the embassy, so I am working on that so everything is ready when, Lord Willing, they lift the ban.

So, we are still here, waiting, praying, sometimes crying over this and just hoping hoping hoping the Lord moves mountains and lets us go get our baby girl!

Simply trusting ev'ry day,

Trusting through a stormy way;

Even when my faith is small,