What Berhanesh has to say about Santa!

Gotta love it!!!

Merry Christmas!

From Our Home to Yours,

Merry Christmas with Love!

Urgent Prayers needed!

Would you STOP what you are doing right now and join me in prayer?  A sweet, fellow adoptive family, The Reeds, just returned home from Ethiopia with their precious baby girl.  Tulio and I had the honor of being one of the many families who prayed over and photographed their baby, Maura, while we were in Ethiopia getting Berhanesh.  Erica, Jason and Maura returned on Saturday and immediately took Maura to Vanderbilt Hospital.  She is very sick.  This morning, a heart cath and biopsy are scheduled.  

My heart is heavy.  BUT, our faith is not in doctors but in the GREAT PHYSICIAN!  Would you stand in agreement with me for this family?

Please pass this on to your churches and prayer chains!  

You may follow their story at: www.reedadoption.blogspot.com.

Thanks!

Thanksgiving 2009

Here are some of my favorite people that I am Thankful for! We had a great time during the Thanksgiving holiday. The turkey was great and the company was even better.

Love these girls!
First Thanksgiving dinner!

Tree is up, lights are strung and presents are wrapped in anticipation of a wonderful Christmas soon approaching!

What a special photo!  This is the ornament I made last year as we waited for our child to come home from Ethiopia!  It reads "waiting in love."  When Abby found it in the ornament boxes, I nearly lost it!  She's home!  Thank you Jesus for your goodness!


First ornament hung!

We are thrilled to be able to share all of our holiday joy with Berhanesh!  Above all, we are reminded of where she was a year ago today.  Unthinkable, really!  We are lucky and honored to be a part of her life!

The start of something NEW!

As Christmas approaches, so do holiday traditions.   We are a multicultural family...Cuban, Texan (a whole breed of its own!) and now Ethiopian.   It is important that we honor our differences.  Berhanesh is from Sidamo, Ethiopia.    The main language spoken in Ethiopia is Amahric.   I am sure Berhanesh heard other dialects before she arrived in Addis Ababa (where the Transition Home resides).  To honor her and her beautiful country, I made a special pillow, just for her!  It reads, "Melkam Gena!" ----  Merry Christmas!   While I was taking her picture, she said, " I can't believe it, Oh my Word!"  She must hear SOMEONE say that A LOT!!!

This weekend, we will began decorating and feasting on hot chocolate and cookies!  Let the decorating begin!  

Happenings at Home!

I seriously can't wait this long between posts!  So many things can happen in our home in one week and when I don't post, I don't remember.  Call it old age or the busy mom of three.  I am just plain forgetful these days!  

We celebrated Little Miss B's first halloween!  I had a blast making her costume (Abby's too)!  Cookie Monster is no longer her favorite but very close in the running to Dora and Diego!  She LOVED trick-or-treating.  She actually is still trick-or-treating EVERYDAY at home.  She brings her little red purse to us and says "trick-or-treat,"  we pretend to put something in her purse!  So fun!  

We have visited Hobby Lobby a few times and explored the Christmas section.  I am a little nervous that she may become overwhelmed.  I am trying to prepare her by showing her things and letting her touch different christmas items.   She is loving the trees!  I can't wait until we put ours up!    I am not sure how she will react to presents and Santa.   Guess we will have to see...

As many of you know, we had quite the scare a couple of weeks ago with Berhanesh's health and spent the night at the hospital.  She developed a very high fever, very quickly and needed lots of iv fluids.  We are blessed to have a Godly doctor who prayed with us and directed us to the best care.   During times like these, I am GRATEFUL that I have a support system within my family, friends and my Yahoo Group.  I KNEW that my friends from all over the US (most I have never met) would lift our daughter up to the Lord in prayer!  The blessings that come from adoption are amazing!  I never dreamed that I would be connected in such a powerful way to so many families.  Thank you for believing for our daughter's healing and for standing in the gap for us!  

Little B went to some dark places during her hospital stay.  So many emotions were displayed on her sweet face.  The sadness and pure terror were awful to watch.   Trust was lost and Tulio and I fought hard to gain it back.  There were obvious memories and demons our daughter battled along with being sick.   We are hopeful that she is once again gaining confidence that we ARE her forever family and that we will NEVER leave her. We believe that God will use this experience to strength the bond between us.   Berhanesh is having some memories of Ethiopia.   At random times, things are mentioned and we believe she is remembering.  At bedtime last week, I was laying down with her and she said, "Me, Ethiopia, mommy got me and daddy too."  Then she wanted to know why Abby and Ben did not come.  We told her they were getting her room ready.   When we pray, she prays for Ethiopia.   She is trying so hard to process all the changes.  B trys to convey to us what she is thinking.  She pauses and tries to get the words out correctly.    Can you imagine?  Being so young, having lost so much, taken away from everything you have ever known (whether good or bad) and being placed in a home where everything and everyone is different?    When I become frustrated and feel things are not progressing in the way in which I think it should...I just need to remember the road my daughter has traveled.  

As we approach Thanksgiving, all I can say is WOW!!!  I am blessed beyond measure.  

Blessings to you and yours!

K

I'm a bad, bad blogger!

For the two readers that are still following me (Aunt Mary and her friend!).  So sorry for the lack of posts.  We are all doing super, just busy!

Berhanesh and I spend most of our days...playing!  

Last week, we celebrated 3 amazing months with our daughter home with her forever family.  In the 3 months that B has been home, she has gained 7 pounds and grown 3.5 inches!  She is blossoming right before our eyes!  I love watching her grow, physically and emotionally.  We are confident B's little personality is beginning to emerge.  Some days are better than others, the memories are still there.  We will probably never know what she remembers, but the look that comes across her face is something I will never forget.  I don't want to.   New memories will replace the sorrow and sadness but I pray that I will always be sensitive to her "story."   

Things we have learned about Ava Berhanesh so far:

*  Berhanesh loves Dora and Diego.   

*  Goldfish and apple juice have once again, become a staple in our home!

*  All Berhanesh's babies have to naked, all the time!  This drives Gaga crazy!  

*  Cell phones are very popular with Ethiopian princesses.

*  Berhanesh's language is growing every day.  When she gets really excited, she jumbles all the words together.  Makes no sense, at all.  But it does bring a great laugh!

*  Prayer is really important to this little girl!  Just today, she began praying on her own.  When it was her turn to pray at bed time, she said "Jesus, I love you.  Thank you cookie, halloween, Gaga no hurt arm and then a bunch of rattling and then Amen."  When she prays, she throws her head all the way back and prays with such excitement!   If we could all be like this!

*  Loves music...funky music.  The funkier, the better.  Although, there are times when I have Kari Jobe on in the car, really loud and I am just singing...I look back and she is totally joining in.  I have been know to raise my hands at the stop light while singing and I sometimes see her doing this!  OH MY GOSH!!!  Melts me to a puddle!  What an honor to share with her the love and power of Jesus!  

*  Coffee con leche is a must in the morning!  

*  Sleeps all night (11-12 hours) in panties!  No accidents!  Unbelievable bladder control!  Naps are still around 30 min.-1 hour.  Enough time for me to potty by myself and do a load of laundry.  Fun!

We went to Seaworld a couple of weeks ago and she loved Shamu!  Was not too fond of the jack-o-lanterns in the park (she calls then naughty pump-i-kins)!   

What you all want to see!  Enjoy the photos!