Rob and Tamara's Ultimate Ethiopian Baby Adventure

Getting Ready for #2

2011-02-27T21:41:00.000-06:00

Haven't posted here in what looks like a year-and-a-half; seems like a perfect place to share our news. We're expecting another child from Ethiopia--this time a boy. We'll be leaving next week for our court date in ETO and will meet our little guy. No chance of bringing him home yet. Ethiopia has new adoption laws and now requires two trips for the adoptive parents. Hopefully he'll be home by summer.

More to come....

Trip "Up Nord"

2009-06-08T21:05:00.003-05:00

Trip to Grand Marais was great, in spite of the 38-degree weather and wind that sunk the Titanic (yes, in June). You'll see Gia is a hiker in training. Also, we stopped at the World's Best Donut Shop, where predictibly, we had great donuts. We ended the trip with a visit to our favorite rock store where Gia checked out the gems for her future wedding ring (hint, all you interested parents with sons, start saving!).

Cousin Patrick's Wedding

2009-06-08T20:58:00.003-05:00

May 30th---Cousin Patrick's wedding to beautiful Nicole in southeastern Minnesota. The trip that was predicted to be a 2 1/2 hour drive was more like 5 hours, and with a toddler, you feel every one of them. (You'll notice pictures of Gia and her beloved cousin Addison---they wrestled in her white dress. Such lady-like behavior at a wedding!)

The weekend was beautiful and the wedding was great!

Grandma Stoebner Working the Slide

2009-05-22T21:31:00.002-05:00

Gia's got Grandma Stoebner wrapped around her finger (well, all of the grandparents wrapped around her finger). She loves getting Grandma Stoebner worked up over her daring stunts on the swingset. (Rob and I....we're not so impressed, we taught her the tricks).

Mother's Day

2009-05-22T21:24:00.004-05:00

My Mother's Day request---please let me sleep in! Which was granted. And afterwards, Gia and Rob gave me all kinds of fun handmade gifts (and one from a special jewelry store) and we took a hike to the lake. I will add, Gia ran during most of the hike, and when we got home, fell asleep at 5:00 pm and didn't wake up until the next day! So how was my first mother's day? Pretty special because I'm the mom of a great little girl!

Daddy Saves the Girls from MOA

2009-05-03T21:34:00.006-05:00

So today was Gia, Mommy, and Grandma Stoebner's first shopping day. We started at 10:30 am and didn't get back until 7:30 pm. No nap, hard core shopping. Well, not quite. At about 3:00, when Grandma and I decided it was time to head back for Gia's nap, we discovered my jacket, with the car keys, was missing. M-I-A. No where to be found, nada, nien, ixna. Not in the stroller, not in the shopping bags, not in Nordstrom's, not in Banana Republic, not at Caribou, and not at Wolfgang Pucks. Oh sure we made several trips to every dressing room, bathroom, and restaurant we even came within 25 feet of, but, nothing. No keys. Not anywhere.

Dramatic phone calls to Rob, to Grandpa Stoebner---help! We're stuck at the Mall of America with no way home and a two-year who hasn't had a nap! Help, help, help! Eventually we got a hold of Rob (now 3:45 pm), who left Reserves to drive back to our house, pick up the extra set of keys, drive back to the MOA, and save us. Meanwhile, floating on our life raft called the shoe section of Nordstrom's, we were able to snag an additional two pairs of shoes, that were not on sale and cost us, well, let's just say more than the extra trip in gas, missing keys, and missing jacket combined. Hanging out an additional two hours at Nordstrom's, we were able to make quite a few extra friends while advising many other women on the shoes they should purchase (because frankly, our stroller was full of bootie). Gia was a hit, with everyone....strangers came up to us constantly to comment on how beautiful she is, she should be a model, "here little girl, would you like some candy?" (no joke, that actually happened), and so on. We also were called upon to give advice to mothers of other little girls on how to style their daughters hair.

Finally, Daddy was able to find us, and we were all rescued! To celebrate the fiasco, we had dinner at the Good Earth (now entirely beyond Gia's bedtime), and ushered in a new round of "ain't she beautiful?" All told, Gia was a trooper. I only had to peel her off the floor twice, and we learned that she too, loves shoes--though at this age the shoe attendants prefer it when she doesn't try on the floor models.

Naturally we're looking forward to our next shopping day (when I redeem my Banana Republic bucks), and hopefully, it won't be quite as exciting. In the meantime, if you see my keys anywhere at the Mall of America--give them back!

Big Girl Can Talk!

2009-05-02T21:17:00.003-05:00

Gia has started putting short sentences together. We were a little worried as her language skills seem somewhat delayed but yesterday she put her first complete sentence together, and ironically, it was to correct Rob! Rob was singing her favorite song, "Gia's here today, Gia's here today...." when Gia said, "No! It's 'Gigi's here today!'" Gigi is Rob's nickname for her and I guess she needed to remind him of that! Poor Rob, now he's got two women in the house nagging him!

Gia's other big event was getting to hold a REAL baby! She loves putting her dollies to sleep, rocking them, reading them books, kissing them, diapering them, and so on. So it didn't come as a surprise that when she met Paul, a 4-month old little boy (the younger brother of her future husband Tommy), that she immediately wanted to hold him. Paulie's mommy was a good sport and let Gia hold him. I had to help a little, and in doing so, I could feel Gia's heart pounding with excitement. Maybe a brother or sister isn't too far away??? You never know.

Gia Becomes a US Citizen

2009-05-02T21:12:00.004-05:00

April 23, 2009---Gia becomes a U.S. Citizen. It's a big day...the judge officially declares us an American family--made with U.S. and Ethiopian parts. This is our first, and hopefully last, time in juvy court.

Easter with the Cousins---Mayhem!

2009-04-12T22:40:00.002-05:00

Four kids, four Easter baskets. Need I say more?

Gia Reading a Book

2009-04-12T22:39:00.002-05:00

Gia loves books!!! Rob and I are so relieved, since this is our life.

Gia Gives Daddy a Heroes Welcome

2009-04-12T22:38:00.002-05:00

Rainbow Hair

2009-04-12T22:36:00.002-05:00

This only took about an hour to get in place....and another hour to remove. But it was pretty fun and really easy once it was done. All the kids in daycare liked her colorful bands.

Making Cookies with Grandpa

2009-04-12T22:34:00.001-05:00

Gratuitous Cake Photo

2009-03-31T21:00:00.002-05:00

Hanging Out with the Dudes at the Car Show

2009-03-31T20:55:00.002-05:00

Gia at the car show with the Stoebner/Schryver "men." Her fave car---the Smart Car.

Gia Gia Quite Contrary

2009-03-31T20:53:00.003-05:00

Last week and this week Gia has started demonstrating a new behavior---kicking her toys. At daycare. And at home. Rrrrr! Apparently this is to be interpreted as "testing her boundaries". Of course, I always work with her to pick them up and put them back nicely, but it's the oddest thing. She just....kicks them. No [apparent] trigger, no warning, just a good 'ol fashion drop kick. I'm seeing soccer in her future.

Water Park

2009-03-23T22:01:00.003-05:00

Rob, Gia, and I along with my brother and his family (Renee, Conor, Parker, & Addison) hit the water park over their Spring break. We had a GREAT time!

We were pretty proud of Gia---she went down the slide, by herself, over and over and over and over, and even---face first! Not sure if she'll do this when she's three--but for a two year old, she seemed pretty brave.

Eating Peas!

2009-03-10T21:13:00.003-05:00

This is how you get children to eat vegetables...encourage them to play with them!

Gia Playing with Daddy

2009-03-10T21:11:00.002-05:00

Gia has way more fun playing with Daddy than with me. Pictured here, she's squirting him with a water bottle (an empty water bottle). Wait until I surprise Rob and put some water in it! Ha, ha, ha.

No Runner Up in Ethiopian Cooking Contest

2009-03-10T21:00:00.003-05:00

Last week I was jazzed to participate in an Ethiopian cooking contest judged by none other than the head chef/owner from Queen of Sheba. Of 25 or so entries, I did not win. I "accidentally" sneaked a peak at the scorecard. Apparently my Misir Wot (lentiles), were too runny, but---delicious. I noticed the three winners all had meat as their main dish---clearly a case of vegetarian discrimination. In any case, Gia enjoyed a sampling of the various dishes (as you can tell from the picture).

Try, if you can, to find the two tiny braids I inserted in the front of her hairline. No joke--I had to use a toothpick to get them out. It will be a while before I braid again....she is really wiggly and it hurts my poor back to chase her around bent over, braiding.

The picture of her on the chair was taken when I spent 3 hours with customer service trying to figure out why my computer wasn't working. Gia sat quietly for the last half hour, watching the drama unfold. This was the climactic point where the customer service rep had me take my hard drive apart and tighten any loose wires. I'm proud to say I now know how to rip apart and put together a hard drive.

Gia Had a Great Week!

2009-03-01T12:54:00.004-06:00

Gia had a great 2weeks (sorry, I'm getting behind in my blogging). We've had some challenges in the evenings on daycare days where she just wants to be held, doesn't want to eat, and doesn't want to play. She's starting to figure out the drill. After daycare, she gets a snack, Mommy makes dinner, Daddy talks about his day at work, we eat dinner, then play, then bathe, then books, then bed. She seems to understand the routine a little better, but by Friday (my day off), we go into the weekend routine (also known as Fun! Fun! Fun! and very little structure). Mondays are a little painful. Overall, she's picking up on the various routines, which has been good for her and us.

Some highlights of the past two weeks:
1. The Fruit Frenzy: Last week she ate 3 bananas and 2 tangerines for a snack. This continues to amaze me. And yes, she did eat lunch and dinner later.
2. Lovey-dovey Gia: She now says, "I love you", and says it frequently to both Rob and I. It's totally great, and even if it is a phase, we're suckin' it up.
3. Future Chef: She poured Hidden Valley Ranch on her Cocoa Puffs---and ate it! Don't ask how the two items ended up at the same meal.
4. She can count to ten in English, Spanish, and Amharic, with help. Still, I'm impressed.
5. She continues to call Rob by his first name, "Rob! Rob! Rob!" It's quite hilarious.
6. She's losing her baby fat, but turning into a very pretty little girl.
7. She's pretty comfortable with all members of our family, except my Dad (who she finds interesting from a distance), and my brother Jeff (who is downright scary. You'd be scared too if someone stood four feet taller than you and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Call me the King!").
8. The teacher in her daycare said she and one other little boy were the two children with the most self control. I had to blink a few times and ask, "What????? My child?????"
9. She's always the first one finished with her meal and always wants second or thirds at daycare. No surprise there.
10. She is a great little helper. She helps a set of twins get their jackets on everyday at daycare and gives them a hug before they leave. She carries laundry from one room to another. She wipes up messes on the floor. She feeds the dog. She wants to wipe my bottom when I go to the bathroom (that is where we draw the line).....She, well, you get the point. She wants to be a big girl.

The photos for this entry are of Rob and Gia in her tent. It was hard to get her to smile because I had a new flash on the camera and she was fascinated by it. The other photo is Gia and I hanging out. Look how big she's getting!

Gia's First Valentines

2009-02-16T22:06:00.004-06:00

Video speaks for itself. Please, pretty please, pretend like the mascara smeared across my cheeks isn't there. Make-up and wardrobe were off for the day and Mother Nature has been unkind.

Technical Difficulties

2009-02-15T23:36:00.003-06:00

Due to irritating technical difficulties, I will not be able to deliver any visual this week (video or pics). It's enough to put my whole writing out of whack, I can't generate a compelling reason of any sort to post anything. There is nothing worth describing in words. Hmmm.

Two Year Old Check Up:
Went well. Pediatrician noted that it was fine and normal for a toddler who is almost potty trained to untrain herself. Will delay potty training until there's a more reasonable climate available....say summer. She's at the 50-75th percentile for height (depends upon who's measurements you trust, the nurse's erratic get-it-done measurements, or my painfully precise measurements). She's about 50-75 percentile for weight. She's 110th percentile for cute and fun. So all is going well. She got her 2 year old shots and screamed like mad until snot came racing out her nose. Success was had.

Valentines:
Great. Mommy got a ring from Tiffany's and Gia got a jar of Jelly Belly's. Was the best Valentines ever. All five of us (Dad, Mom, Gia, Quinn, and Gia's dolly) snuggled in bed Saturday morning, stuffing our faces with chocolates. Made mental note to get the stains out later this week.

That's it for now!

Eat! Eat! Eat!

2009-02-06T20:55:00.004-06:00

Gia has entered into a new phase of feeding, and for a while I thought it was because she was in another growth spurt....but....looks like... she just likes to eat. For example, last Friday morning she ate a bowl of Cheerios, a banana, and 4 oz. of yogurt. Two hours later, stuffed her face with Goldfish crackers. For lunch, a McDonald's hamburger, medium fry (she stold my fries), and milk. Snack after nap--Sesame crackers. Dinner--a 6" cheese Subway sandwich, more milk, and a cookie, of course. And then....there's more....she had a big hunk of Ethiopian bread with water.

At daycare, the teachers tell me she's always the first one done and typically wants seconds or thirds. She recently discovered tomato soup---and loves it. And is now eating apples, bananas, and oranges. She loves hummus (can easily down half-a-tub in one sitting) and raisins. Other than potatoes, she still turns her nose up to vegetables. But hey, at this point, I'm not complaining. Compared to six months ago, she's eating several protein sources and fruits. I can't complain.

I'm almost worried about the other problem commonly associated with overeating. Stay tuned, next week she has a physical and according to my calculations, she'll be at the ninetieth percentile for weight for her age. Where she carries this weight, I don't know. She's pretty lean and so of course I'm assuming she is genetically superior and just has a high muscle mass for her height. Hmmm, we'll see.

Erdole Finds Gia (Meretech)

2009-01-25T10:50:00.003-06:00

A small world story.... We recently attended an Ethiopian Kids Community event and low and behold, eight kids came running up to Gia yelling her Ethiopian name, "Meretech! Meretech! Meretech!" Turns out this family's (yes, a family with 8 kids) daughter Erdole, who is now 2 1/2 years old, was Gianna's bed mate in Ethiopia. The two girls had shared the same bed for several months and it had been documented in a video the family received about their daughter, Erdole. When we went to reintroduce the two girls, they immediately recognized each other. It was a very touching moment. They were stroking each other's cheeks, hands, and hair, and had sustained eye contact (so unusual for toddlers). Gia gave Erdole a hug. As it turns out, this family lives in Owatonna, MN and we'll be able to see them as the girls grow. As a side story, the family is amazing....8 kids, 7 of whom are international adoptions. Very inspiring (except not so inspiring that I would do it myself...but still).

Enjoy the pics. It was hard to get the action shots with a digital camera, so the full extent of their love isn't really recognized here.

How to Get a Toddler to Eat a Banana

2009-01-25T10:46:00.002-06:00

I finally discovered how to get a toddler to eat a banana (beside hiding it in a smoothie). Let her peel it! Proof that this method works is the picture....she ate two bananas in that sitting.

Monkey See Monkey Do

2009-01-22T20:02:00.002-06:00

I was reminded last night how much our children mimic us with the following incident.

Gia has learned that Daddy's name is Rob, and that shouting his name at the top of her lungs is what her Mommy does. While drawing the water for her bath, I watched her as she stood at the top of the steps, stripped down to her socks, and threw her clothes down the steps shouting, "Rob! Rob! Rob!" And then laughed hysterically. Other than the obvious (shouting Rob's name), I'll leave it to you to figure out which part of that scene she picked up from me. The stripping? Throwing clothes? The mad giggle at the end? You'll never know.....

Photos of 2nd Birthday

2009-01-12T21:33:00.003-06:00

Should be relatively self-explanatory..... Well, almost. We had her birthday party at the Blue Nile, an Ethiopian restaurant, and it was a quiet night so the kids took advantage of the extra space. Everyone was a good sport about trying Gia's favorite food. Some even said they'd come back! (Good, cuz then they can pick up the bill next time.)

Gia's 2nd Birthday Party

2009-01-12T21:15:00.003-06:00

Here's the family singing "Happy Birthday" to Gia. We sound pathetic...maybe that's why she looks so unenthused. She did love the cake however. Ethiopian carrot cake. Yum, yum.

Mama Goes Back to Work

2009-01-10T20:40:00.003-06:00

This week was my return to work after a nice, long maternity leave (5 months). Our major concern was Gia's adjustment to 4 full days of daycare and I have to say, we were expecting the worse. But really, it went very smoothly. In fact, I think she likes daycare almost, well, almost better than me! Rob did the drop offs in the morning, and I did the pick ups at night, and when I went to pick her up, I watched her through the window before announcing my arrival. Gia was having a great time! Usually she was laughing, rolling on the ground, jumping around, playing with her friends, or hugging a little baby named Grace. After announcing my arrival, she'd give the obligatory cry, but then return to play. We were so happy! And even happier that we had practiced going to daycare. The only rough spot was in the evenings when she wanted to cling to me while I prepared food and ate it. I think it will take a few weeks to work through that, but otherwise, it went well.

Our other highlights for this week....Genna and Tots 3 Swimming Class.

Genna: We attended an Ethiopian celebration of Genna (same meaning as Christmas) and had a great time. There were several Ethiopian families, along with several Ethiopian adoptee families celebrating together. We actually ran into two toddlers who shared the same room as Gia while in Ethiopia. They were picked up by their forever families after Gia had been and we remembered their faces. It was surreal to say the least. Gia didn't seem to remember them, or really didn't care, but we're going to try to keep in touch with these families and maybe when the children are older it will mean something.

Rob, Gia, and I have joined the Winter Session of Ethiopians for Ethiopians. Basically the Ethiopian Evangelical church holds cultural classes for families who have adopted Ethiopians. We attend the class once a week with the idea that we will learn and incorporate Ethiopian traditions into our lives, along with meet other Ethiopians (I think the Ethiopian Evangelical Church has some other, possibly religious-based objectives, but we're pretending we don't know that). We did this last year but found it a little hard to get involved without actually having a child. This year seems more promising.

Today was Gia's first day of Tots 3 swimming lessons. If you'll remember in November we were sweating it out as to whether or not she'd pass her Tots 1 test (basically floating, assisted, on her back for 5 seconds--my Dad about choked from laughter when he heard this was the "test"). Turns out she passed the test and did so well the teacher said she could jump up to Tots 3. I was a little worried that it might be too challenging, but she had a stellar day and proved she earned her spot. (Never mind the curriculum in Tots 3 is exactly the same as Tots 1....small minor detail.)

As an aside, all the other parents in the Tots 3 class are Dads. I'm assuming this is because it's a Saturday class and all the moms are forcing their husbands to "bond" with their child so they can have some free time (I only went today instead of Rob because he had Reserves). You should have seen the Dads when Gia climbed out of the water on her own. Suddenly they became fiercely competitive. I noticed one Dad henceforth ceased assisting his child out of the pool. Let's just say it was a little silly.....it took the poor kid about 5 minutes to get out of the water and the instructor finally had to help. Whatever, Gia is so a Dolphin and those other kids are so tadpoles. They're just lucky she jumped up a level.

Tomorrow we will be celebrating Gia's birthday. She is turning 2! We'll be back to tell you all about it!

Stoebner Family

2009-01-02T15:16:00.003-06:00

My Mom's Christmas gift--a picture of the entire Stoebner family.

Week 20 Gia's Love Life

2009-01-01T20:12:00.002-06:00

Just a quick update on Gia's love life. She had a playdate with her potential husband, Tommy. We mommies caught them snuggling. Apparently Tommy's overtures aren't going unnoticed. Here's a quick shot of the lovebirds. (I can't tell you how pleased I am to have this matter settled, though I have heard there are a few other candidates out there. I would suggest their parents get the child's headshot and application in pronto. The dating process should not be taken lightly!)

Week 20 Christmas Break

2009-01-01T19:49:00.006-06:00

Christmas went pretty well. Lucky Gia, she had three celebrations--one with the Schryver side of the family, one with the Stoebner side of the family, and then just our small little family. She did well on the gifts, so between Christmas and what she plays with at daycare, we shouldn't have to buy a toy until next Christmas (and that of course, is the goal of Christmas afterall).

Pictures:

Rob & Gia after a successful potty break

Gia and her Schryver grandparents

Gia getting help from her cousins in opening gifts

Gia at the Children's Museum

Gia and Mommy in St. Paul when it's -1 Farhenheit. Ya, harty Minnesotans, ya!

P.S. We highly recommend the St. Paul Children's Museum. We had a blast, and that was only visiting one of the four levels!

Week 19 Potty Time

2008-12-27T14:16:00.002-06:00

Gia decided she would like to start using a potty. I had been hoping to delay potty training until she was 3, at least, but she's adamant that NOW is the time, and according to the books....well, you know---the books are always against the parent. In any case, we spend a large part of our day in the bathroom now. Sometimes there's success and sometimes it's a ghost pee or poop. She's doing numero uno and dos. She loves her DORA pull-ups. I secretly despise them because I know they're a huge landfill issue, but I'm too weak to use real underwear. At least not now in the nascent stages of potty training (potty "learning" according to the book). So anyway, all playdates now take place at our house, a mere 10 feet from the bathroom. Talk about cabin fever. There is nothing worse than potting training in the winter, rrrrr.

Week 18 Macy's Holiday Event

2008-12-16T22:21:00.004-06:00

This weekend we hooked up with the Stoebner family and visited Macy's annual holiday event. We actually got up early on a Sunday morning to beat the crowd, and while I hate getting up early, it was worth it. We saw lots of stuff, including Santa, again. Santa wasn't nearly as scary as last time, but Gia still wasn't going to touch him. I feel sorry for Santa---all those crying kids, one after another. What a thankless job.

On the other hand, Gia ran into several unexpected cookies at the event and ate every last one of them with her typical gusto. Pasta, pizza, and cookies--the world doesn't get much better than that from her perspective.

I've included a variety of photos. A few from the Macy's event, and one when she was with us less than a month. You'll see she's grown quite a bit. Her face is thinning out, and she's becoming a young girl. It's a happy, sad, and humbling feeling all at the same time.

One final note---Gia and I were the only ones to attend her swimming lesson today! I know it was because the temperature was -3 F, but seriously, I'm getting over the flu and yet we still made it. Total wimps. I bet those other moms never spent their summers teaching canoeing and riflery in the Boundary Waters. Hump! (I say this while Rob's outside shoveling, at 10:30 pm, after a 2-hour commute home in the snow.)

P.S. Does anyone else hate the formatting in blogspot as much as I? (Rrrrrrr)

Week 17&18 Toddleritis

2008-12-10T22:31:00.013-06:00

This week was particularily trying and I don't know why. It was full of tantrums, no naps, skipped meals, and clinginess. All my favorite. By Friday I was convinced that I had a sick child on my hands so I took her to the doctor. After a thorough physical examination, which included a blood draw and strep test, he relayed the diagnosis, "Toddleritis...she's about to turn 2." Ah, so it is.

We hobbled onto the weekend where I tried to introduce her to Santa, or "Tanta." Santa was fine from a distance, but up close....not so much. My screaming, twisting, purple face-child was pertrified and it showed in the photo. Not sure that I'll post that photo..... Toddleritis.

On a more positive note, she did eat slices of an apple, and that's good enough to make any dietitian's day complete. Other firsts....hamburger patty, squash, and canned peas (yuk). I did figure out later though it wasn't the peas she liked, but the salty brine they came in. She hasn't eaten a fresh or frozen pea since. Toddleritis.

This week, on the other hand, has been great! She was full of life in swimming class and actually kicked. Normally she just cruises on her floatie or in my hands, but when I yelled "KICK!", she kicked like her life depended upon it. Maybe it was the small toy I threw out in front of her. Hmm, could be.

Her playdates have been great also. She and her friend Tommy yukked it up over a pile of Tupperware. I have pre-approved Thomas as a potential husband. He comes from a good family and from extremely intelligent parents. Tommy loves Gia. He kisses her and hugs often. She's not entirely accepting of his affections but by the time she's 20 she should be convinced. Her other pre-approved husband is a little boy named Senbetu. Senbetu is a toddler who was adopted by another family on our Ethiopian trip. He now resides in Rochester where his mother works at the Mayo Clinic. Clearly he's headed down a path of brilliance as well. We are taking applications for future husbands, but be warned, the criteria are stringent and there are several hurdles along the way.

Today Gia had a blast with her cousin Addison. Aunt Renee found them some sun glasses and they laughed their heads off staring at each other. I wish I could have caught it on tape. It was priceless.

I only have 3 weeks left until my maternity leave is over. I'm really glad I had the 5 months to bond with Gia. I am so worried about going back to work, even though I know Gia is in good hands at Kinderberry Hill. She has been attending daycare three times a week for two hours to help her transition in January and her teachers are great---Norena and Sam. But I'm going to miss her. She's so sweet! And by the way, her little personality is starting to pop out. She LOVES babies. She tries to help the younger children in swimming class get out of the pool, and she pets any baby she sees or tries to hold their hands if they are crying. Needless to say, she is always carrying her baby around the house, along with a wad of Pampers in case they should need a fresh diaper. She is so sweet, we are so lucky. Enjoy the photos!

Week 16 Family Picture

2008-12-02T21:39:00.003-06:00

I had no idea how hard it was to get family photos when you have a young child. Here's one we finally managed to squeeze out. We are at Buca's, waiting for our meal to arrive, and struggling to keep her entertained. The glasses, pictured in the forefront, get removed immediately after the photo, but the Parmesan cheese---a goner. She and her cousin Addison empty two cheese shakers in 20 minutes on the table top, and I'm left debating whether or not the label on my sweater which says "dry clean only" is for real.

Week 16 Motorhead

2008-12-02T21:28:00.006-06:00

Yes this is my daughter in a Porsche. She is being schooled by her Uncle Jeff and cousins on the intricacies of cars and now hangs out on the weekends in their Garagemahal. I believe she will be the most sought after girl in high school with her good looks and superb car knowledge. She might even be the star of her own show someday, "Gia, the Car Whisperer".

Week 16 Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T21:18:00.004-06:00

Thanksgiving weekend was great fun with my Mom's side of the family (about 25 people, a three day event). Gia does not currently eat fruits and vegetables that aren't pureed, and I am only willing to puree one item a day--her morning smoothie (which by the way, contains a full banana, two oranges or strawberries, and 4 oz. of yogurt--a hefty serving of fruit for a toddler!). With that said, I am trying to familiarize her with fruits and vegetables by trying to serve at least one or two F&V at each meal. With Thanksgiving, apples have been in abundance in our household (yes, I make the pies for the Thanksgiving extravaganza). In any case, Gia was fascinated by the fruit, even took a bite of it, but spit it out. We caught it on camera. It's almost a week later and she's still doing the chew and spit technique. I'm hoping she'll get used to the texture soon as we are running out of apples!

Week 15 Growing Tall

2008-11-25T21:10:00.002-06:00

Just a quick update on Gia's growth. Her weight has remained the same since coming home. I know, you're thinking, "Wow, they haven't fed her?!" Wait. She's grown 4 inches since August. I double checked it twice in the doctor's office and had a nurse do it a third time. I am trained at this (anthropometrics that is) as it was part of my graduate research. We knew she was getting tall, but this is amazing! We were wondering if something had happened---she can now open the cookie cupboard by herself and this explain why!

Week 14 Naughty'n Nice

2008-11-24T19:38:00.003-06:00

This week was particularly trying as Gia's is exerting more and more independence, says "no" to everything, and has strong opinions about what she wants. Thursday I had to say "no" to her at two different times during the day (well, more than that), and at one of those times she slapped me, and at the other, she bit me. I was pretty shocked that my sweet little girl would do this! She redeemed herself later in the day when I was getting my blood drawn at the doctor's office. She sat by me in the chair, leaned over to watch the technician poke the needle in my vein, and whispered, "Owie? Owie!". It was terribly sweet.

This is the week we also started transitioning to daycare. We went for two hours on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Friday was her first day alone. It was so horrible, leaving her at the daycare center, even though it was only for two hours. I was sure she was going to hate me for the rest of her life and it didn't help that I heard her crying for me all the way to the front door. But when we came back to pick her up, she didn't want to go home. So I guess it went okay. I still don't like it, but doing the transition slowly is better than doing it all at once. We are planning on sending her for six hours a week until I go back to work in January. That will be the real test--for all of us. Wish us well.

Happy Thanksgiving! It should go without saying that we are very grateful to all of the people who helped us on our journey to adopt Gia. She is a total doll and at times I still can't believe I get to be her mother. Thank you everyone, here in the U.S. and in Ethiopia.

Week 13 First All Cousins Picture

2008-11-16T13:22:00.004-06:00

Conor, Parker, Addison, and Gia, all together for their first cousins picture. When I look at this picture I just laugh and feel good that Gia has 3 older boy cousins to teach her all about cars, soccer, chess, and someday hopefully, about boys. We are inside D'Amico's restaurant and in about 5 minutes we leave because the roughhousing starts to escalate beyond acceptable levels.

Week 13 Coke-tastrophe

2008-11-16T13:00:00.004-06:00

I am now following a migraine diet, which means all my Diet Coke is stashed in a secret place to be unleashed when I prove this diet doesn't work. In the meantime, my daughter found the secret place and started carrying two cans of DC around the house, unbeknown to me. How does that happen, you ask? You try carrying a pile of folded laundry from one side of the house to the bedroom with a toddler in tow. Oh sure, I could see her head, but that's it. Nothing else was visible over the mound of freshly folded laundry, and I certainly wasn't going to arch my head to see--that would totally destroy the delicate balance.

In any event, Gia made her way to our bedroom, and I can only deduce by the crime scene, shook up the two cans of DC, clanked them together, at which point, they punctured and exploded onto our white carpet. Smart girl that she is, she quietly resumed her spot at my side, and said nothing.

When I saw the DC carnage (again, on our white carpet), I freaked out!! I was careful to direct my shock to the carpet, and not Gia, but it was complete and totally maniacal moaning and screeching. Then came the race against time---sop up the carpet before it stains. Quick as a cougar I raced to the kitchen, got water and supplies, raced back to the bedroom, and started scrubbing harder than I've ever scrubbed in all my 26 years (oops, did I say 26?). Meanwhile, Gia stood by and stared. And then her compassionate side kicked in and she started rubbing me while I scrubbed the carpet. At this point, the whole thing was so ridiculous that I collapsed on the carpet and started laughing. Gia started laughing too, and we left the the rest of the stain for Daddy to clean up. Which of course he did--meticulously. All told, the carpet doesn't look too bad!

Attached is a picture of my lover, whom I'm sure I'll reunite with soon.

Week 12 Cheesey Self Portraits

2008-11-12T22:03:00.003-06:00

In an effort to teach Gia about cameras, Rob and I did some self portraits with her. Cheesey, and not the best pictures of us, but still fun. Apparently she did learn something, and that was to lay on the ground and look at me whenever I whip a camera out. I have no idea where the lay on the ground part came from....maybe it has something to do with me crawling on all fours to get to her eye level???

Week 12

2008-11-12T16:00:00.005-06:00

Thought I would show you a few of her play date buddies. The little blond girl is Anya, the strawberry blond boy is Thomas, and of course, the mischevious older boy is her cousin Addison. These are not all of her play date buddies, just the regulars. Moms, I have found, are a tight knit community and do lots of things like play dates, classes, parks, and DVDs, to prevent themselves from going crazy secondary to lack of adult interaction. Gia and Thomas got into a physical fight over a toy on Tuesday. I thought it was hilarious and wanted to see who won, but the other, more responsible mother, stopped them. I guess that's the right thing to do (whatever).

Her big developmental milestone this week is being able to console herself when she wakes from sleeping. This is huge!! At least three times in the past week she's woken up from a nap and managed to fall back asleep on her own. It's always a pins-and-needles game for me, so when she relaxes, it helps me relax.

In other notable news, Gia passed her swimming lesson yesterday and can now move to the Tots 2 class. Yeah for Gia! I've signed her up for the Saturday class so that Rob can take her to class (and I can sleep in). It will be so much fun climbing out of a warm bed, layered in a swimming suit, sweater, and parka, and then back again, only in a wet suit. Rob and Gia are going to really bond!!

She has taken to mimicking our every action. Yesterday I was on the receiving end of her pointing and holding her hand up to me. Something I do every day (I guess) when I tell her, "Wait, hold on, don't move. I'm [fill in the blank]." At first I thought it was a pretty bossy, gutsy thing to do, but then I realized, right, yeah, she learned it from me. Thankfully Rob and her grandparents find it humorous (for now).

A few photos are attached. Don't know if you can tell, but in one photo, I've got eight ponytails in her hair. Wonder how I got them in? Two ten minute sessions separated by an hour of play. Unfortunately it took Rob a half hour tonight to get them out in order to wash her hair. Guess we won't be doing that again for a while. In person, the ponytails were really cute. Enjoy the photos!

Week 11 (and some of 12)

2008-11-05T14:48:00.006-06:00

Today is the day after the election and I am very humbled by the outcome. While I know people reading this blog come from various backgrounds and typically I don't share my political views, I am extremely joyful that the first President elected into office on Gia's watch is someone who is not only intelligent, well-educated, and a leader, but has ancestral roots in Kenya, the country south of Ethiopia. I am pleased that she will have a leader that she can look up to in more ways than one. It is a blessing for us.

Last week and the early part of this week has been unusually warm in Minnesota, so Gia and I have been playing outside (nice). Halloween was a bust for us (long story not worth sharing), but we did get a chance to go the Grandma's for some M&M (mixing and mingling) time.

Gia's big developmental news is that she now has latched onto a "thing". We were hoping she would find a favorite blanket, toy, etc., to share her affections with and to help soothe her. For the past four or five days she has had her dolly in tow at all times (not ShangHai Barbie, which is the doll that Gia is dunking in the picture above. We did not buy ShangHai Barbie...a gift from a McDonald's Happy Meal. Pause.....wouldn't ShangHai Barbie have dark hair and skin? Just a question).

Additionally, today she stroked/petted/patted the hair of several children at the gym during playtime (obviously younger children who can't run), and she fed her cousin Addison Cheerios along with holding his hand (at which point Addison noticed that her skin was brown and his was white. I was pretty impressed at his use of PC language to describe her skin color). Her social, empathetic, and caring side is starting to come out. It's very sweet and fun to watch. You'll see it also demonstrated in the picture with Quinn. As always, enjoy!

Week 10 First Time Eating Out!

2008-10-29T20:10:00.006-05:00

Our little girl is turning into a toddler! She now runs away and hides whenever I: a) fix her hair; b) put on her jacket; c) put on her jacket; d) all of the above and more. Correct answer: d. But she's still a cuddle bunny so I guess we'll keep her.

Posted are some pictures of her at snack time at ECFE class, supper at McDonald's, her first fancy meal lunch at a restaurant with the extended family, and trick-or-treating at the General Mill's Fall Festival.

More words this week: hug, cookie, cracker, hi, and others that I'm forgetting right now.

Also, big news---in two weeks Gia has her first skills test in swimming class to see if she can move onto the next level. I, and all the other mothers in the class, couldn't hold back our snorts when this was announced. Give us a break....these kids are 8 months old to 2 years old--a test?? We all agreed that staying in the same level would be just fine. We'll let you know how it goes. Gia hates doing the back float. It just could be her Achilles heel.

Week 9

2008-10-22T22:06:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. While I have lots to tell you, I have little in the way of photos. You have no idea how hard it is to get a photo of a toddler. In the event that you've forgotten what a toddler is, the definition is "a little human in constant motion." Blurred pictures are the norm, and forget about trying to get her to smile or even look at the camera. So posted are our best attempts--don't laugh.

The words are coming fast and furious. Though I haven't counted I would say we're up to 20+ words. Some of her newer words are airplane, puppy, kitty, ice, nose, ear, eye, elbow, cracker, car, oh-oh (as in woops, mommy made a mistake), banana, bird, duck, quack quack---mostly nouns. No verbs yet.

She has mastered the art of saying no and shaking her head no, to everything we say, albeit to her benefit or not. And she's in constant motion--did I mention that? On a daily basis she empties the tupperware cupboard, napkin cupboard, towel drawer, spoon drawer, utensil drawer, pen drawer, and garbage. And I pretty much let her because usually during these times I'm trying to prepare some new nutritious, tasty meal that she most likely won't eat. Eating has become less important to her and though I wouldn't call her a picky eater, she definitely has her preferences--sweet or salty carbs. So unless it's graham crackers, cake, chips, pasta, or bread, I'll probably only get a bite or two down her bird mouth (hence her learning the word bird). In all fairness, I would add that she loves dairy products--milk, cheese, and oh yeah, YOGURT!! When all else fails, pull out the yogurt--any brand, any flavor, she's not choosey.

The big news for the week is that she got caught up on her immunizations (5 shots--ouch), and, drumroll, she used the potty for Grandma Schryver and myself--twice with a deposit. Not sure I'm ready to potty train her, but she seems interested so I thought I'd give it a try. We've had a lot of false alarms, but the little bit of progress she made was fun.

We also picked out a daycare---might I add, the Taj Mahal of daycare. A brand new Kinderberry Care was built near our home and we toured it last week. It's a beautiful center and Gia seemed to be okay with it. Her teachers seemed very calm and friendly, and the curriculum (what? she's not even 2 years old!) is awesome. So we think we'll be signing up soon, though if you see Rob and I in a soupline, donating plasma, or recycling an unusually large amount of aluminum cans, you'll know it's all meant for the new "curriculum." Feel free to donate to the cause.

That's all for now.

Week 8 Milestones

2008-10-14T15:17:00.003-05:00

Week 8! That means two months! Well, big news this week. Rob was able to transfer her to her crib for sleeping at night. This now means we have some privacy at night. I was pretty impressed that he was able to get this done in one week.

We also got our first cold last week--both Gia and I. She did remarkably well, whereas I spent 4 days in bed. Yeah---pretty bad stuff. I would say her cold was mostly cosmetic--snot running out of her nose constantly. She might have been more sick, but great parents that we are, we missed it.

Well, gotta run. Crying toddler. That is the story of our lives. How to keep a toddler entertained.....

Week 7 MileStones

2008-10-04T11:17:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday night Rob, Gia and I attended a wedding. Gia did well even with the 300 guests and she was out until 8:30 pm!! (gasp) You'll find our family picture attached.

Words are starting to come now. Daddy, mamma, puppy, Quinn (pronounced "wiiin"), ice, airplane, hug, cacka (for a poopy diaper), okay, up....and a few more. The words aren't always crystal clear, but they're coming. She's so happy when she says a word we recognize---she smiles with satisfaction from ear to ear, so much so that I think her face is going to burst. We're happy with this too because it will make communicating a little easier.

I've been asked a lot how the attachment is going with Rob. It's right on par with biological families, meaning, she still prefers her mama, but she certainly will play with, hug, kiss, and go to Daddy. Rob's been doing weekend shifts to give me some relief and to help the two of them bond. So I think in all actuality, they are probably more bonded than a few biological parents where the mother does the sole parenting. Needless to say, this is a great relief for me.

Thursday we attended a shower for Gia hosted by my manager at work (thanks Indra!). It was very enjoyable, and of course everyone appropriately oo'ed and ah'ed. Up until Thursday, Gia would not go to new people at all (this is a good thing---called "stranger danger"). However, my colleague Ivette cracked the code and became the first new person Gia went to without reservation. What's the secret? Hmmm, Ivette gave Gia her cell phone---complete and full rights to all buttons---no holds bar. A shiny, flashy thing blinded my daughter and caused her to abandon all hesitation. A mama just can't compete!

Feel free to drop a line or post a comment!

Week 6 Mile Stones

2008-10-01T21:08:00.002-05:00

Actually, week 6 was pretty rough--for me anyway. I had a migraine and wasn't able to care for Gia Saturday through Wednesday, but between the Grandma's and Rob, Gia was well looked after. Never fear, the Grandma's are here. Might I add, Grandma's are a good invention.

However, that created the major milestone of her feeling more comfortable away from me. She did well with the G's, and did well with Rob, so we think Gia is learning to feel more secure with her immediate family.

The tutu--well, I just couldn't resist buying it. It was on sale, and oh soo cute, oh soo girlie. Enjoy!

Growing Up

2008-09-24T14:47:00.005-05:00

I love this picture--she's got her hands in her pocket and she's all grow'd up.

Week 5 MileStones

2008-09-21T19:04:00.005-05:00

This was a great week to be a working-at-home-mom (see, I'm learning new phrases). Gia made some major break throughs and we're all feeling more comfortable as a family.

1. Swimming lessons--we love them! Nothing really huge to tell you about unless your familiar with baby swim lessons. We did do our first "zoom" and she can swim on her back (with my assistance). We're working on learning how to get in and out of the pool.

2. ECFE--still ignores the other kids for the most part. I learned this is called "parallel play" and toddlers do it well.

3. Rob took care of her solo Thursday evening, Saturday, and Sunday, while I had a little free time, and well, a migraine (yuk).

4. We had 2 play dates this week, which went really well. Mostly because the weather is fabulous here right now and so we've been outside a lot every day.

In general, her social skills are improving, she's attaching well to Rob, and she's saying a few words. This week was just great and we're looking forward to more like it! Some photos we're posting:

1. I'm trying to fix her hair, and in the process, she wanted to fix my hair. So my hair looks like a bomb hit it, but we manage to get a few pony tails in hers, and I end up saturated with hair product.

2. Rob and Gia enjoying and after-bath moment. Notice her awesome Afro!3. Gia on two of her play dates. In the picture with the little boy, Thomas, they almost look like they are playing together. In the picture with the little girl, Kennedy, Gia is moving so it's blurry. Clearly Kennedy, at 3 yrs, is better at posing for photos.

Enjoy! This weekend Rob and I are going to a wedding.....hotel, ceremony, cake, guests---argh, all this social training is for this weekend! Wish us luck!

Dancing Mama's

2008-09-15T20:55:00.007-05:00

What I Like About Being a Mother

2008-09-12T20:34:00.005-05:00

Today is our one-month anniversary marking the date we took full custody of Gia. I'm not going to lie--it hasn't been an easy month--lots of ups and downs, but we're starting to see some significant progress in our relationship. For starters, Gia is now letting Rob hold her, kiss her, hug her, and play with her--but still on her terms. We'll take it. Maybe next week or next month there will be more equal play, but for now, it's progress.

For me, though I've weathered many temper tantrums, there are still quite a few things I love. For example:

1. Waking up in the morning with Gia cuddled in the crook of my neck, with her arm wrapped across my chest. (Yes, our family co-sleeps.)

2. Rocking her to sleep--I love the smell of her hair and her warm, cuddly body wrapped in mine.

3. Tickling her and hearing her deep belly laugh.

4. Watching her give commands to the dog in her baby language.

5. Watching her pour a pitcher of water on her head in the bathtub.

6. And even though I complain about her clinginess, I secretly love when she hides behind my legs.

7. Best of all--I love watching her give Rob a kiss--it's the greatest.

More Photos

2008-09-11T11:23:00.002-05:00

Grandma's Take Care of Gia

2008-09-08T20:43:00.005-05:00

The white fluff is Quinn, whom we also affectionately call "The Great White Shark." Clearly evident at mealtimes...

Mile Stones--Week 3

2008-09-08T20:31:00.005-05:00

Just a quick update with a few pictures regarding last week's milestones:

1. Gia LOVES Quinn! Quinn is a great toy for getting her to stop crying!

2. Gia went to her first ECFE class last Friday and it went really well. I was afraid she wouldn't mix and mingle, but she got busy quickly discovering new toys, and well, ignored potential new friends. I did learn though that most toddlers aren't too interested in others--they're mostly interested in themselves.

3. Renee (sister-in-law) and I have started a play group on Wednesday's at 9:30 at Eden Prairie Mall at the indoor playground. Gia spent most of her first playdate in my lap, but did manage to take a few pretend rides with Addison on a miniature hotdog truck. Please join us if you can!

4. I did get her to swallow a few lentiles, but for the most part, it's still pasta, bread, crackers, and cake. I learned from some fellow Ethiopian travelers that their toddlers are also showing the same strong food preferences--obviously these foods were served often in the orphanage.

5. Big news---Rob and I got out for the first time together without Gia. Saturday was our 10th Wedding Anniversary so we had a date. Not that we did much for our date...we basically visited a few stores, sat in a parking lot and talked for an hour, and had dinner at our favorite haunt. We were back by 8:00 sharp.....pretty low key for us. The Grandmas had their first crack at babysitting, and by all counts, it went well.

Must close, but please enjoy...

Bath Time with Gianna

2008-08-31T22:09:00.005-05:00

This is great stuff (at least for us parents). (Please ignore the woman with the black bathing suit on.)

Week 2 Mile Stones

2008-08-29T20:42:00.004-05:00

This concludes the second week that Gia has been with us in the United States (third week with us as a family including ET). Some milestones that we've achieved in the past two weeks:

1. I went from not showering at all to approximately one shower per every three days.

2. Gia went from screaming in the carseat to loving the carseat.

3. We've been to McDonald's four times in two weeks. Considering we usually go to McDonald's four times a year, let's just say ol' Ronny boy is happy with us.

4. Quinn (our dog) was banned from the house the first week Gia was with us. The second week he joined us was a little rough---i.e., instantaneous, high-pitched screeching from Gia whenever Quinn came within four feet. As of Wednesday, they were able to share the same patch of earth without incident, and yesterday she actually petted him. "Pet" is a loose interpretation of sloppy slapping, but at least she's making an attempt to touch him. He on the other hand, has done pretty well---he has resisted any temptation to hump her and has only knocked her flat on her face twice.

5. She now looks forward to sitting in her high chair. Again---the high chair was initially met with resistance and the usual screaming, but she's starting to put two and two together. High chair equals food, food equals full belly, fully belly equals good, high chair equals good.

6. This week I was able to get her to eat a food other than pasta and bread...drum roll...she ate, I know, I know, she actually ate....MEAT. This tells you how far I've fallen. Our vegetarian household now welcomes any meat that could potentially be consumed by our toddler. Why? Because I'm desperate to get food sources of iron in her body. She doesn't like beans! What! Doesn't like beans? A staple vegetarian food...served in some form or fashion every night for the past 10 years and I can't get her to eat it. Grandma Stoebner is the meat-pimp, and Gia is the insatiable customer. Tomorrow night I will try preparing a different bean in a different fashion--I'm determined to tear down the bean wall. Gia---tear down your wall! (Think Ronald Reagan here).

7. Most importantly---this week Gia touched Rob. Oh yeah, we're headed for the big time. She touched him on the knee, then stroked his calves, then played with his hands, and tonight, she let him give her a hug. She enjoys playing with Rob, but is still wary of men. Basically this means I'm still the primary caregiver and lug her around quite a bit. But we worked on that this week also---I made her walk in the house (once she got over the fact that a dog walks here too), and now it seems like she wants me only 85% of the time (down from the 100+%).

As I have three weeks of parenting under my belt, I am now an expert and can give parenting advice FREELY. Feel free to contact me should you have any questions. I'll be sure to post a most important answer.

More Photos of Gia

2008-08-22T21:11:00.002-05:00

Photos of Gia

2008-08-22T21:05:00.001-05:00

Returned Home Safely with Gia

2008-08-22T21:02:00.002-05:00

Hi,
Just a quick hello to let everyone know we returned safely with Gia last Friday night. Ethiopia was great and meeting her was amazing. Unfortunately I have little time to spend on postings as she is currently "high need" (or "high touch" -- the term we use at work for demanding people). She is beautiful, healthy, and well, a toddler who is teething. She has attached to me, and is working on attaching to Rob. She likes to be carried 24/7, held when she eats, held when she sleeps, held when she bathes, and likes physical contact when she plays. This is not uncommon in internationally adopted toddlers---we are working on it, but it may take some time for her to break physical contact with me. In the meantime, I have only a few minutes to post some pictures.

Enjoy,
Tamara

Packing

2008-08-05T18:43:00.003-05:00

$375 in medicines and snacks, three days of packing, four adult size suitcases, four carry-ons, 1 stroller, 1 baby bjorn, and 3 electronic devices later---we're ready for our trip! Of course, there's still 16 hours left before we leave---who knows what else will be included.

A Thank You Party

2008-08-03T00:29:00.009-05:00

Tonight Rob and I threw a party for the arrival of Gia. Call it a "last supper" of sorts to celebrate a new chapter in our lives, for in four days we leave for Ethiopia to meet our daughter for the first time and to bring her home. This party was mostly thrown to thank all of the people who have helped get us to this point. This has been a long journey--longer than expected, and we have many to thank.

Thank you to Amy Pittenger and Pat Gleason, Kris and Mike Finger, and Eric Holman for writing referral letters (twice) during our adoption process. Thank you to Jan Brosz, my second cousin, for coming to our house on several occasions at a moment's notice to notarize stacks of documents needed for, well, literally every step of the process. A HUGE thank you to our parents for the free labor they've provided all summer helping us to prepare for Gia's arrival. From chocolate cakes with mile-high fudge frosting to a closet full of clothes, from barbecued ribs to a new front door---the list is endless.

Thank you to my many friends who have passed on their children's gently-used toys, books, potty chairs, tricycles, rocking horse, mattress pads....(you get the idea). A special thanks to my girlfriends Adrienne and Keecha, for passing on their wisdom and experience as Black mothers of strong Black girls--I have learned much from you. Thank you also for setting up a beauty parlor any little girl would be proud of---hair clips, hair potions, ponytail holders, headbands; for passing on your favorites books and music.

Thanks in advance to my brother Jeff, who I'm sure will cheerfully donate countless hours of free babysitting. To my nephews who will no doubt likely school Gia in cars and tools, and to my sister-in-law Renee, who can cure any baby's sniffle.

Thank you also to my employer, General Mills, for allowing me 5 months of maternity leave, and to all my friends at work who are covering for me while I'm gone. I am so grateful (thank you, thank you, thank you).

Rob and I feel blessed to be starting a family with such a wealth of friends and family.

The Bedroom

2008-08-01T17:00:00.005-05:00

Just thought we'd post a few photos of her bedroom. It looks much cuter in person than it does in the photos. It's a really hard room to take photographs of because of the many angles in it---the room is long and narrow with 2 dormer windows. Not sure she'll get a lot of use out of it at first. We plan on co-sleeping to ease Gia's transition to our home/family. But eventually it will be a rockin' room. We are still in the process of installing some overhead pendant lighting in the dormer windows. Her room gets little outdoor light---so as you can see---we've got lots of fun lighting installed (or about to be installed).

I've got a big wall with nothing on it....it's lonely, and waiting for my friend Katherine to paint a picture. (Hint, hint)

Shot-Mania

2008-07-13T21:55:00.004-05:00

Last Friday Rob and I visited the International Travel Clinic to get prepared for our trip to Ethiopia. Not having planned the clinic visit, I was totally oblivious to as to what was in store for me, but somehow, Rob knew. Per usual, Rob showed up at the visit with his shot history back to 1988 (WHAT?), whereas, I showed up with just myself. Apparently that wasn't enough. Rob had four shots, I had seven--vacinations for Hep A, Hep B, meningitis, polio (wasn't that eradicated last century?), tetanus, yellow fever, and typhoid. No malaria pills---apparently we're staying out of the high malaria areas. We also got a prescription for the good "stuff" should we come down with the runs. I know I will, so I was willing to put up with the shots to get the goods.

How did we fare? It's Sunday and we're doing fine, but Friday and Saturday were pretty rough--nauseau and general malaise. Lucky me, I'll be going back for booster shots on Hep A and B next week, a month after we return, and at the end of the year. Hopefully I'll remember to do it!

Travel Date!

2008-06-18T22:18:00.003-05:00

Big news! Rob and I just bought our airline tickets for travel to Ethiopia---we will be picking up Meretech! The trip is scheduled for Aug 6-15. We're excited....stressed out...nervous...and almost finally there! More to come...so check back soon.

Mother's Out Playing

2008-06-07T10:39:00.005-05:00

While we wait for Meretech, Rob is studying for the Bar exam (scheduled at the end of July). I'm getting "stuff" ready for her arrival. Never fear---some fun is taking place. Last weekend my sister-in-law Renee, best friend from 4th grade Amy, and work colleague Adrienne attended the Sex in the City premier. Check out the shoes!

Birth Certificate and Measurements

2008-06-07T10:37:00.004-05:00

Hi!
Just a quick note to let you know that Meretech's birthcertificate now bears the "Schryver" last name. We received that at the end of May and it was pretty exciting.

We also got an update on her height and weight. Right now she is 24 pounds and about 31" tall. Her head circumference is also normal. Overall, she's in the 50th percentile for height, weight, head circumference and considered healthy!

Rights of an Adopted Child

2008-05-19T22:32:00.002-05:00

My previous post sparked an idea. Perhaps it would be good to share the "Rights of an Adopted Child." These are the tenets that have guided our adoption process, and are worthwhile to keep in mind for all adopted children:

1. Children have the right to know who they are and how they joined their families.
2. Children have the right to freely ask questions.
3. Children have the right to positive attitudes about their birthparents.
4. Children have the right to be accepted as individuals with a unique genetic heritage.
5. Children have a right to be recognized by society as full and equal members of their adoptive families.
6. Information about our children's origins is private information that belongs to them.
7. Transracially adopted children have a right to a positive sense of racial or ethnic-identity.

Officially Parents!

2008-05-19T22:21:00.004-05:00

As of May 13th, Rob and I are officially parents! Our daughter's paperwork made it through the Ethiopian court system and we are now the proud parents of a 16-month old Ethiopian girl. Her name will be Gianna (Gia) Meretech Schryver.

Our next step is waiting for a travel date, which we expect sometime in July-ish. (Keep in mind "expect" can be very fluid in meaning.)

I know you would love to see a picture.......but.......we're not quite comfortable with sharing it yet. If you are desperate, give us a call or e-mail, and we can discuss "options".

Also, word to the wise, don't ask us how she or her biological mother found themselves in a situation where they had to consider adoption. In the adoption world, that's considered personal information and it belongs to the child. When Gianna is older, she can decide if she would like to share that info. In the meantime, we'll be treating it as confidential. Asking someone why they were placed in adoption or what happened to the "real mom" is akin to asking a couple the intimate details of how they conceived their child. In short, it's tacky.

Finally! A Court Date

2008-04-18T23:00:00.003-05:00

Today we were assigned a court date for Meretech---May 13th. Basically what that means is on May 13 the Ethiopian courts review whether or not Rob and I would make good parents for her. We do not need to be at the hearing---that's what the paperwork is for. While we expect that the court will rule in our favor, other roadblocks exist--missing paperwork, judge decides not to review the file, court gets delayed, etc. If this happens, then we have to wait for another court date. So while we are really excited to get a court date--we're crossing our fingers that the stars will align in our favor that day.

The next obvious question...how long do we wait until after the court date to pick her up? We've heard 5-8 weeks, but since this process has gone slow in general, we wouldn't be surprised if it's longer.

In any case, we're one step closer!

Little Girl's Bedroom

2008-04-05T22:24:00.005-05:00

We've been receiving a lot of questions regarding the color for our little girl's room. Think pink (totally unavoidable), and green. Here's a little snippet of the design (Pottery Barn for Kids). I'm hoping Pottery Barn won't mind that I stold the images from their Website---actually, this is a plug for their product so they should be okay with it (that's what I'll say when they drag me to court).

We are mixing some of the infant items with some of the big girl's items to come up with a toddler's bedroom. Her bed is a conversion crib...so it has some flexibility in terms of whether we need to set it up as an infant bed, toddler bed, or big girl's bed. The green (not pictured) is a watermelon green, and will be the color of some of her walls and accessories.

Rob is thrilled....that I finally made a decision!

Hilarious Birthday Videos of the Nephews

2008-03-31T21:42:00.007-05:00

Addison and Parker had their birthday party on the same day this year. Addison turned 3, and Parker turned 6. Conor, the 7 1/2 year old, video-taped a little of the action. My brother Jeff is Master of Ceremonies. Parker and Brian (another cousin), willingly played co-assistants in opening Addison's gifts. The video is sure to be a classic. Enjoy!

April 1 Update

2008-03-31T21:27:00.004-05:00

It's April 1st and we haven't updated our blog in quite some time. The news is...the referral we received in January didn't work out. So we found ourselves back on the list. However, we did just receive another referral....for a 15 month old little girl. She is adorable.

Not much more for details until we pass some paperwork hurdles and feel more comfortable sharing. We will keep you posted as things move forward. In the meantime, there's plenty of links on this website to keep you busy!

Any Questions?

2008-01-01T22:19:00.000-06:00

Per the subtitle of this webpage, if anyone should have a question about adoption or Ethiopian adoptions, please feel free to post and we will do our best to answer.

What Is The Secret?

2007-12-27T23:21:00.000-06:00

The secret is...we're adopting a child from Ethiopia. I'm guessing the holiday letter (for those of you unfortunate enough to have the 3-pager included in your card) was a dead giveaway. Or at least it should have been!

Christmas 2007 Times 3

2007-12-26T14:12:00.000-06:00

Rob and I had three Christmas celebrations this year--first with my side of the family, then with Crystal, Rob, and I (and the dog), then with his side of the family. Originally we had thought we might have our baby by now, but that wasn't the case. We're still, per usual, waiting.

My sister-in-law Renee gave us our first baby gift--ever! It was really special and I'll never forget it. Leave it to a fellow Mom to understand the significance of this wait. Thanks Renee!

Interesting Article on US Adoption Ethiopian Children

2007-12-22T15:24:00.000-06:00

Please, please, please read this article! You'll see the link on the right...It will give you a feel for the growing tide of US adoptions of Ethiopian Children.

Positive Adoption Language

2007-12-18T21:42:00.000-06:00

Check out the document about positive adoption language. Instead of e-mailing it to all my friends and family, it occurred to me that posting it was a good idea (duh, that's what a blog is for).

Too Serious

2007-12-11T20:36:00.000-06:00

Okay, last post was too serious. If you're reading these, please don't take it too seriously.

By the way, at the start of each yoga class, our instructor reminds us to dedicate our practice to someone. Naturally 9/10 dedications are for our child-to-be (and yes, I do go to yoga often enough to determine this ratio!). The other dedications are for people I feel bad about--usually people I've accidentally offended at work...that happens on a pretty regular basis for me (sigh).

Watching YouTube

2007-12-09T00:20:00.001-06:00

So tonight I spent at least a good hour watching YouTube videos on the topic of Ethiopia. Hmm, quite interesting, but not totally the cultural experience I had been looking for. What I learned was there are Ethiopian women looking for husbands in other countries (I quite doubt these women are looking for the husband....maybe someone in their family is looking for them to find a husband, but I'm pretty sure they'd rather just stay at home and be independent). I learned there were about a kajillion videos made on September 11, 2007--the Ethiopian Millenium. I learned there's a bunch of people who have adopted children from Ethiopia. I learned there's an Ethiopian supermodel--whose name I already forget, and I learned there's a song artist from Texas named 'Lil Nate, who has Ethiopian roots and went to Ethiopia went his friends to order McDonalds (wouldn't you want to know, too? I mean seriously, does a Big Mac taste the same in Ethiopia as in Dallas, TX?).

What I really learned, though, wasn't new information, but rather, it was what I felt. That old familiar feeling of "what the hell are we doing?" came surging through my brain and the fear that we are totally ignorant on the ways of true Ethiopian culture was reinforced once again. Some would say it's not too late to back out, but I would say it is. We made the commitment and we're keeping it, but it's scary still the same. My best hope is that at the very least we can be super cool parents to a super forgiving child, and that Ethiopia will be more than just where he/she/they came from but a culture we know well--as well as we know that tamales can be served at Christmas and kuchen is served for breakfast.

I also felt, again, that we will never be able to reproduce a true Ethiopian experience in this really American, albeit well-travelled, home. And while I feel bad for that, I also understand that we, along with a handful of other parents here in Minneapolis, are making up the rules as we go along. The fact of the matter is that there are children, who happen to live in Ethiopia, who don't have parents. And there are parents, who happen to live in America, who don't have children. And it's perfectly logical, although far from ideal, for these two parties to unite. And in the end, the culture we create will be neither truly Ethiopian or truly typical American, but instead, hopefully, a blend. That's our job--to create a new culture that is respectful of all parties and honors all backgrounds, and for that, there is no cookie-cutter template. And that's just what makes this whole thing so damn hard.

Pass the tissue....

The Teaser

2007-12-09T00:07:00.000-06:00

Today we finished (okay...I finished, but Rob was at least aware of the task) creating our holiday card. Each year the holiday card gets more elaborate, and I'm thinking this year is the coup de grace, with eight photos re-sized, re-framed, and converted to black and white in a collage for the front cover. Never mind the effort which will be required to actually write the darn letter--that's for next weekend. In any case, Rob's contribution to the card this year was actually brilliant--that is, let people know we have a blog and better yet, provide them with the address. Then, and this is where it gets really good, tell people we have a secret, and clues to the secret can be located on the blog. Pretty good huh? Yeah, real good. Except how do we do this? How do we plant clues to the secret when we don't actually know when the secret will happen? Perplexing. Must think about it....

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

2007-12-07T13:32:00.000-06:00

Waiting, waiting, waiting. Every day we wait. What are we waiting for? The call. What call? The call, you know, the life-altering, show-stopping, pack-your-bags, check-your-bank-account call. The call that lets us know who the new person in our life will be. Boy? Girl? A tiny baby? A toddler? Will it be one child, or two? Will he/she/they be healthy or not-so-healthy? Will they be cute? Doesn't matter. Will they be sweet? Doesn't matter. Will they like us? Hmm, now that's a sensitive topic.

Don't get me wrong. Our life is complete and we don't really need this to happen. I'm not really obsessing about it. But I do wonder. Every day I have tiny thoughts of what the call will bring, and I wonder. Maybe our life isn't complete and I don't know it. Maybe this will be harder than I think, maybe it will be better than I think. Sometimes I just don't know what to think, and so I don't. I push it aside and I don't allow myself the indulgence of thinking about it too much, because I don't want to be disappointed that the phone hasn't rung yet.