AddisAbaby

Grade K

2010-09-23T23:28:00.004-05:00

Ella started Kindergarten this past August. She is doing well and enjoying school. Just wanted to put up some pictures so you all can see how big she has grown. The pictures are all jumbled time wise, but I just wanted to get something up. I will sort it all out sometime in 2011. Kent.
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We only update in months that start with 'J'

2009-06-26T18:54:00.003-05:00

A blog post I started almost a year ago. Now I'll post it. Never got the pictures. Crimany, we neglect our sad, old blog.

Oh, this lonely blog. I say we only update in months that start with 'J' because I/we lack any other good excuse.

Ella is doing well. She is now four and talking, singing and dancing up a storm. She is taking ballet and now is in a gymnastics class. She has a bunch of fun in all of them. She is going to the Child Development Lab at Southern Illinois University and enjoys going to school. This summer she is only attending half a day, and she complains about it; she wishes she was going full days. I guess afternoons with Dad aren't that exciting.

Julia is doing well at SIU. She started here a year ago. The program has both Master's and Doctoral students, which she enjoys. It is a bit of a step up from UW-Stout. One of Julia's collegues (who hales from Kenya) has a little girl who is also four. We enjoy hosting the occasional playdate. The play clothes come out and the Tinkerbell movie goes on. I enjoy the 'girliness' of it all.

Ella and I (Kent) are starting a big adventure on Sunday. We will be driving to Montana to see my parents and some of my siblings and their families. I haven't done account, but there will be plenty of kids to play with. We will also head to Bozeman at the end of the trip to see Julia's brother and his wife along with their daughter. Ella is looking forward to cousin time all around.

Ella tells her first joke

2009-01-16T08:29:00.005-06:00

Ella told her first joke today at the table. She's been giving the set ups but not the punchline until this morning at breakfast. Here goes: Why do girafes have trophies? Punchline: Girafes don't have hands.

Our child is French.
That's peanut butter from a Nutty Bar on her nose.

Two Years

2008-12-12T17:53:00.005-06:00

It is hard to believe that it is two years since we made our journey half way round the world to meet Ella. In some ways it is hard to remember our lives before she was home. Although at times (mid-tantrum - they are rare), it is a bit easier to remember those carefree days.

Ella is doing well. She is an emphatic dancer. She goes to a dance class on Saturday mornings and loves her Angelina Ballerina stories. Hanging out in her dance outfit is another manifestation of the penchant for dance. She is also big on mermaids (her Halloween choice) and princesses. The combination of the three is also popular.

This year has been a bit difficult on our family. Julia took a different position. She is now at So. Illinois University in Carbondale. It was a great move for her professionally, but since I (Kent) am in my last year at the University of Minnesota, I am still spending most of my time in Wisconsin. It has been hard on Ella as well. She has two houses - brown house, Carbondale and green house, Menomonie. I have been able to make it down there every two to three weeks. It is wonderful to go and incredibly difficult to come back. Although I look forward to the accomplishment of my graduation in May, I am really looking forward to our being able to get our lives back as a fulltime family.

We have been using the internet and video conferencing as a method of staying in touch. Thank heavens for the technology. I sometimes think what it would be like if it were still the days of letters - people were tougher then, I think.

We all hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Since Ella can't yet read, she is getting a basketball hoop, basketball (little, pink and purple) and a Wonder Pets flyboat. I'm sure there are more gifts coming, but she is doing pretty well at the moment. I will be headed to So. Ill. next Thursday. I can't wait and we will be putting up the Christmas tree and doing some decorating. How fun. Having a three year old in the house puts a little spark back in to the season.

Merry Christmas. Kent.

Ella on a great Spring day!

2008-05-10T11:00:00.002-05:00

The weather has finally warmed up, and Ella and Julia enjoyed a wonderful day out in the yard.

In this first one, Ella is eating a chocolate covered strawberry on the front porch.

Ella is drawing with her sidewalk chalks that are in the shapes of vegetable characters.

Ella dances and sings on the driveway.

Ella rides her rocking lion and sings "I had a little turtle."

Ella bonka head!

2008-04-16T12:09:00.002-05:00

Ella and I (Kent) took a trip to the Como Zoo a week ago. Saw great animals had a bunch of fun, but I'll post the video of her hitting head.

More stuff later.

All da peoples love Ella!

2008-04-09T12:14:00.007-05:00

Oh, she's talking up a storm! Ella has always been highly verbal, and small wonder, given her parents are pretty talkative folks too.

I (Julia) must confess I am finding parenting easier and more fun now that Ella can tell us what she wants. Of course, this also means she knows just how to NOT tell me what she needs, in the way best designed to get under her mother's skin: by whining.

The Whines come in several forms, all kid-perfected, mother-detested: there's the Classic (w/w/o foot stomp); the Heap O' Bones (w/w/o dramatic flopping to the floor) and the ever-grating Slow Simmer (w/w/o full tantrum at end). I'll have to see if I can get some photographic evidence here to support my typlogies.

Other news: This spring, we've been spending lots of quality time with Auntie Heather in St. Paul. Here's a pic of Ella and "Andie Heder" riding in the little race cars at the new amusement park at the Mall of American. Sorry for the grainy texture-- I was pretty far away when I took the pic, but I just loved the looks of their faces after the ride had just whipped them around the corner.

Ella's language abilities are tremendous. Last week, I had my first parent-teacher meeting with Ella's awesome pre-school teacher at the Child Development Center. The little written report on E. describes her vocabulary as 'vast,' and notes that she 'readily contributes to group discussions.'

That made us laugh- we've been working on learning not to interrupt at home, because she does, indeed, contribute readily to conversations.

A few fun little verbal quirks she has developed (along the lines of, but nothing quite as cute as "Hepaloo," described in an earlier post):

Her toddler egocentrism and uncritical self-esteem are in full flower, and show up in proclamations like the one in the title to this post. She announced that at a party. She also sometimes announces, upon re-entering a room, "Here I am! Here is Ella!"

She sometimes transposes the first letter or sound of two words in a phrase. So she'll enthusiastically praise her Auntie with "Jood gob, Andie Header!"

With the colder and nastier than usual winter we've had, the kids at her daycare have spent a lot of time indoors, using a well-padded and supervised room at the Child Development Center called the "large muscle room," AKA the "marge luscle room." Kent says, if we had the money, he'd like to endow the U of M's snooty Carlson School with the Marge Luscle Room, and let future generations of MBAs wonder who the old lady was who donated the meeting room....

As promised: A March update

2008-03-25T17:06:00.007-05:00

In my posting at Christmas, I thought I was being funny saying we'd post in March. Guess that turned into a prediction. We have been doing well. Ella continues to grow like a weed and be a joy everyday, although her fantastic lion’s roar can be a bit trying at times. Ella really enjoyed Easter. She has cleaned out Julia and my baskets and is looking at the last feeble bits of her own. Yesterday that she asked for Julia’s basket first, found it empty. Then she asked for mine and turned her nose up at the last few black jelly beans and then she reluctantly asked for her own. She knows how things work, doesn’t she?

The big news here is that Julia has taken a job at Southern Illinois University – Carbondale (home of the Salukis). So we’ll be moving . . . kinda. I still have a year left at the University of Minnesota. Therefore I will be trying my hand at being a long distance dad. It will be tough, but it is just too much an opportunity for her to turn down.

Our task at the moment is trying to get the house ready to put on the market . . . doing all the jobs I should have done months, years ago. Julia will be teaching summer school down there in July and I will be going to school here for that month. At least we’ll have August together . . . I’m looking forward to my first month in So. Ill. being August . . . at least I’ll have a better definition of what humid is;). And, maybe we’ll update before then . . . put your bets in now. I think you know which way to lean on this one.

The pics were taken at Ella’s UW-Stout daycare. The first one she is "going to work." Next pic, just playin' with a truck and finally a bit of snoozle.

Kent.

A year and a scosh

2007-12-23T15:04:00.000-06:00

As we are just on top of our blog and keeping all those who eagerly await our updates with anticipation, we've just had our first 'famiversary' as of a couple of weeks ago. It is hard to believe that Ella has been home for over a year. She is growing fast and she is doing well in all other regards. She can sing 'Twinkle Twinkle' all by herself and does a heck of job on 'Old McDonald's Farm.'

We are in Seattle for the holidays with Julia's family and, then on the way back to Wisconsin, we are taking the train in order to stop an see my parents for a few days. All in all, it is nice to have the university schedule with the long holiday break. The only downer to the trip is Roxie being in the 'doggy gulag' for 20 days. That is a long time in lock up and I worry about her. Not much of a Christmas present for dog.

Ella has been enjoying her new daycare at UW-Stout. She has been going there since she officially turned two in November. (Nice birthday update we provided, huh?) It is quite the daycare; very posh. She is still going to one of her others that she was attending before. We couldn't stand breaking up some of her friendships at the other place. She'll keep that up trough the Spring Semester and then next Fall we'll see if she is unifies or stays split.

Our life isn't as exciting as a year ago, and I wish I could say I feel better rested. Actually we are accomplishing that bit. It is hard to reminisce about a year ago as it is all one giant sleep deprived fog. Having Ella home has been a bunch of fun.

Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season. The way we are for updating, see you in March.

Kent.

Hepaloo?

2007-10-06T20:35:00.000-05:00

How do you correct those pesky little pronoun errors, anyway?

When Ella wants us to help her with something--- a tricky strap on a sandal, trying to get her dollar-store mermaid doll to stay on its cheap-o seashell stand, taking the wrapper off of a Hershey's kiss--- she asks "Hepaloo?" If we don't respond in .025 seconds, she repeats the request, in increasing pitch, urgency and frequency: "Hepaloo!? Hepaloo!!? Hepaloo!?!!" (This is accompanied by a sort of spastic hippity-hopping/running in place foot dance-- and if we have failed to respond by .05 seconds, she will collapse in a heap on the floor, sobbing.) We try not to let it get that far.
Our response is to say "Do you want me to help you with that?" And she says, in the affirmative, "Hepaloo!"
What she's saying is "Help you?"
Meaning, of course, "(Will you) help ME?"
But we can't ever figure out how to model the 'me' part, since the only way to say it TO her is by using 'you'......
English.....!
We know she'll self-correct soon enough-- (she's already begun to put the "oxy" in the dog's name, so she's now more often "Woxy" than "Woky")--
So for now, we're just enjoying the cuteness of "Hepaloo!"

An update on "What Ella is listening to these days..."
Now she has a thing for Amy Winehouse.
Seriously. She will even sing along to the chorus in 'Rehab': "No, no, no!"

Just when you least expect it....

2007-09-13T21:43:00.000-05:00

Speaking of the Minnesota State Fair (see 9/11/07 post below).... As I mentioned, Ella loved the little kids' carnival rides, especially the purple race car. We also put her on this garishly cute little choo-choo train, since she rode one earlier in the summer at Como Park and LOVED it. This one had an African safari animal type theme, and she was very excited to ride in the car that had the giraffe on it. (One of her favorite animals-- also stemming back to the highly influential Como Park Zoo trip, when she got to be practically nose-to-nose with one of the beauties there). But I digress...take a look at how excited she is to be riding in the giraffe car here....

And here.....

So just imagine the shock and sickening feeling we had when we saw that THIS was the image painted on the side of the car that our gorgeous, brilliant, resilient, smart-as-a-whip Ethiopian toddler was sitting in...

Yep, yep, your eyes are not deceiving you, it is exactly what it looks like, all right: the incredibly racist cartoon of the savage African tribesman, lazily napping while his 'dinner'- the bumbling white explorer escapes from his big cauldron. Complete with bone-in-the-top-knot, no less.

Speechless, sad, and nauseous too.

Summer Recap

2007-09-11T20:32:00.000-05:00

The wind picked up this afternoon, and blew in the crisp air of autumn. Summer is over. We had a great summer with Ella-it's been so much fun to see her dicover new things.

Like swimming. I actually feel a bit guilty- I'm a terrible mom- because we didn't get this child into a swimming pool until practically the end of summer. She is crazy about everything related to swimming and the water (including her beloved bathing suits).
Ella's first pool experience was the last weekend in July or so, when we attended the Ethiopian adoptive families celebration in the St. Paul. We stayed at a hotel where I got to meet several 'forum buddies' - women who are also ET adoptive moms and their amazing kids, and got to catch up with a few of the folks we traveled to ET with back in December. SO great to meet these extraordinary families, and to see how everyone's kids are doing! (Did I take pictures? No. I was too busy keeping track of my wild child to pull the camera out, except once, when I got a shot of E. up on the outdoor stage during the Ethiopian dancing. She's not even dancing. She's pouting, as I recall...)

Back to the swimming-- she got to do a lot of it during our two week trip back to Montana. We spent a week in Chinook with Kent's folks and various siblings and their families. Here she is with also-2-year old cuz, Nevana. Such cuties!

Here, cousin Nathaniel doesn't seem to believe Ella's fish story....

Those Dolezal love to do the BIG FAMILY thing: we had 7 kids in the house, 4 of whom were 3 and under! Getting out the door was pretty much like this:

We then spent a week in Bozeman with my brother Chuck, his wife Ann and the World's Greatest 1st Grader, Annika. The girls met back in March, and got along very well, considering they're both only kids, and we were still in the first few months of attaching with E. (A bit of a problem with jealousy there...). But this time, just a few months later, and the girls were just great together. Ella ADORES Annika, and followed her around everywhere, imitating everything she did. Annika was super-patient and a great big cousin! Here are some super-cute pics of the Goggle Girls. And look how cute they are in their pumpkin helmets...

And finally, a few pics from our day at the Minnesota State Fair a week or so ago. The amusement park rides for teeny kids was a big it overall, and she found a ride she loved even more than Pronto Pups-- the race car ride! I love her two-handed steering here and the rapt expression, her silly grin and then, the ride ending, she signaled "more" as the car came to a stop right in front of us.

In other big news.... Kent began his master's program at the Hubert H. Hmphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the U of M, so he's driving in to the Twin Cities at least 3 times a week. It's not a bad drive- a straight shot west on 94 to MSP, but it takes up to an hour and a half, depending on city traffic. Just two weeks in, and he's so excited by his courses, the dynamic and fascinating instructors, and his fellow grad students. He IM'd me the other day from the grad student lounge at 'the Humph'- he was so excited to tell me how plush it was, and how you need key card to get in!

VID KID: What Ella is listening to these days

2007-07-29T13:44:00.000-05:00

To keep a little Ethiopian culture in our daily lives, Kent and Ella have taken to watching videos of Ethiopian singers he finds on YouTube. The music we like is a sort of Ethiopian pop-dance music, highlighting aspects of ET culture. Some wonderful dancing, and great shots of rural life in ET.

For those of you who grew up as part of the first MTV generation, you may find these reminiscent of some of those early videos from the 80's-- simple camera tricks and angles and, oddly, the distinctive sounds of a Casio keyboard.(A word of warning: the comments frequently left on a video's site regrettably have little to do with the video itself or the musician- instead, they are often disturbingly vitriolic rants showcasing the Ethiopian-Eritrean animosity, and general racist @#$%.)

Here are a few of Ella's favorite 'bibi-ohs.' The first one is by an unknown singer- the opening shots of a traditional Ethiopian house or tukul and the woman in white had Ella transfixed from the first viewing. We wonder if these images stir memories for her of her first year of life.....

This next one is of the beautiful Monica Sisay singing "Shekshik." It appears to be her celebration of the multiple ethnic groups, represented by the differnt dancers wearing colorful traditional outfits. This one has Julia practicing her neck bobs and uulations. Great fun!

Next up: The stunning Tigist Weyso, singing an untitled and very catchy song. This video is much like any pop music video you've ever seen, with what is perhaps an Addis-specific theme (where roads seem to be perpetually under construction): the attractive single woman (with great boots!), the broken down car, the attractive road crew forman.... Ah-haaaa-aaa-aa! Ah-heeee-ee-ey!

And finally, the incomparable Teddy Afro-- perhaps Ethiopia's most famous musician, singing the very catchy "Lambadina." You'll find many Teddy Afro videos on the web; he combines reggae and traditional Ethiopian rhythyms to sing about everything from love to freedom and equality for all Ethiopians. "Lamba! dina!"

Ok, one more. Another of Ella's favorites, "The Ladybug's Picnic," from a classic Sesame Street cartoon. She is only two, after all....
Enjoy!

Lazy days of summer

2007-07-21T10:42:00.000-05:00

Ella kicked up her heals on one of her many trips to the park this summer.

The summer continues to roll along. The "Baba and Boo Show" is going well. I have been caring for Ella four days a week as Julia has summer school. We've come up with a nice schedule centered on Sesame Street and riding the bicycle. We were fortunate enough to have several days of cool weather; we got a lot of outside time in. We also watched every stage of the Tour de France. Ella really enjoyed it, I think. She asked for 'bicycle' when we would do our rocking downstairs, in the man lounge, in front of a TV. Today, it was hard to break it to her that there was no bicycle.

Tonight in the tub, Ella counted to 10 all by herself. I was a bit flabbergasted. We count how many rinses her head gets and tonight she counted them all by her lonesome. Julia and Ella sing the alphabet song a lot and she can get almost all of it. She skips 'TUV' and 'W' is pronounced "double-lulu." Unbelievably cute.

We will be taking off this weekend for Montana. We will be spending a week with my family in Chinook and then head to Bozeman for another week. It will be nice to feel a dry heat again. I am sick of humidity.

After we get back it will be time for work and school again. It will be hard to not be with Ella everyday. I've gotten used to our little routine and have a hard time comprehending that it is drawing to a close. She'll be in daycare four days a week . . . ouch. But while the weather holds, I hope we can still get out on our bike rides. It has been a load of fun.

Heading out on another bicycle adventure.

Some times our "adventures" produce a casualty.

The ladies having a little lounge in the pool.

Ella regards a bird (robin I believe) that had just fledged and was taking a break on our porch.

The magic of toddlerdom

2007-05-29T19:45:00.000-05:00

I know I have a penchant for the obvious, but, like any parent, Ella never ceases to amaze me.

She had a day of daycare today and then after ice cream following dinner, she had her own melt-down. She cried through most of her bath, drying, etc. I finally took her outside. She calmed down quite quickly and then she pointed out a bird to me, "birdie on house." Sure enough there was a robin perched on the end of peak of the house, singing his little heart out. She wasn't that enamored and promptly said "Birdie go!" giving a flick of her wrist.

After I attempted to explain that a singing bird on the house was permissible perhaps even preferred, we went to the garden and looked for sprouts. The seeds have been in just over a week and I think we saw a couple of beans beginning to rise. Ella wasn't too interested. I think that she wasn't quite fathoming the whole circle of life moment we were having or it is just her general dislike of anything vegetable.

Much like me as kid, I don't imagine gardening to be the most exciting element of Ella's childhood. It is only with a few years on does avoiding pulling weeds gain any glamor, laying between rows of corn and taking an unplanned nap. Trying to explain the peppery marks on your face from the dirt, not so glamorous.

She has a little book entitled Baby's First Animals or something to that effect. Julia told me that Ella could name all the animals in the book. The one that got me, besides "goat" (with perfect pronunciation, by the way), was "macaw," said with authority. It literally brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful, amazing experience to witness her learning. Just to be witness to it is one thing, to know I'm playing a part is entirely another sensation.

We had a great Memorial Day weekend. We started Monday by watching Julia make her Divine lemon cupcakes. Ella had her first taste of the beater. She took to it like a veteran. We went to a barbecue with friends that afternoon and Ella got to meet a lovely four-year old, Nina. Nina was great playing with her, the running laps in the house through the living room, dining room and kitchen and seeing two girls out of breath from running and giggling collapse into their mothers' laps was one of those magic toddler moments. Ella also had her first taste of Brat. The way she tucked in, she's right at home in Wisconsin.

Julia will be starting summer school in a couple of weeks. I will be staying home with Ella. I am really looking forward to it. Her continued moments of discovery will take the edge off of changing diapers. I'm also looking forward to the naps.

2007-05-07T20:40:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the long time in updating. Ella does a great job at running us ragged....

News from this Spring....

We had our courtdate to formalize the adoption in Wisconsin on April 26. With a 10-minute hearing and Julia answering a few simple questions, all the process was over. I got off easy since I didn't do any of the paper work, but it is nice to see Julia's long journey end.

We have a happy baby. She sings and talks, sings and talks. She likes to point out things that are yellow and red, with the occasional blue thrown in. Her vocabulary is around 100 words at the moment. We are nerds - we've been keeping a list on the refrigerator. All of this from an 18-month old. We like to think that she is very smart. We encourage her learning, but since we can't leave the house without forgetting the diaper bag (and we've had six months to learn), we don't like to give ourselves too much credit.

Today Ella got to accompany me to the high school theatre where I am doing the set. She enjoyed watching the show. She sat for about an hour, helped by the ham and crackers I was giving her, and enjoyed her first taste of the musical theatre. She likes to watch singing and dancing on T.V. She watched quite intently. She was also a hit with the kids backstage. She got several "she's so cute"s.

The love of duckies continues. Auntie Heather showed up with the gigantic duck last month...

Ella is really enjoying the nice weather. We like to take a walk to the neighbor's house where she enjoys running up and down their driveway. We go to a cute little park about four blocks from our house. She loves the slide - she fearlessly launches herself down, and giggles madly even when she lands with a thump. Loves the swings too, although she does not like having to take turns when other children want to use them. Well, who does?!

She also likes take Roxie's leash when we walk. Of course, I put another leash on the dog. We'll see how long that lasts. She is also feeding Roxie. She dilligently gets a scoop of food and takes it to Roxie's bowl. If she drops a piece, she will go back and pick it up. 18 months and already she is doing a chore. Again, we'll see how long that lasts. Roxie is so patient and wonderful with the baby-- even when Ella is tugging on her whiskers or messing around in her water bowl. They are great pals! Ella gives many commands to Rox: "Come!" "Off!" "No! No!" She gives these same commands to us too...

Underwear model

2007-02-10T22:34:00.000-06:00

It's been bitter, bitter cold here for about the past ten days-- well below zero, dangerous to all exposed flesh, but bright and sunny. We haven't been outside much, in this weather, so perhaps that helps explain these next pictures. We're all a bit cabin crazy, and ready for some warmer weather soon.

Ella's on her third round of meds to combat giardia. It's been frustrating to not have it clear up so far. It's meant we've not been able to have her in daycare 2x/wk, but maybe that's all for the best-- we just keep nesting and bonding around here. In that sense, the horrible cold hasn't been a problem at all for us! - jc

A few weeks ago, we posted a pic of Ella wearing a pair of Julia's underwear, taken from the clean laundry basket and twisted in a most artful fashion around her shoulders.

Well, it seems the child has a penchant for creative dressing .

Here are a few snaps, taken over the last couple of weeks, of Ella sporting Julia's underwear in a number of stylish ways.
Above: She actually "oohed" when she saw these come out of the dryer.

Below: Kent reports Ella wore this pink pair like this for several hours.
It has been very cold in the Midwest lately......

Our kitchen helper wearing undies in the 'classic' syle-- around the shoulders.

And here she's wearing a bib on her head. Rather jaunty!

Scoring perhaps fewer points on the creative scale, but higher on the adorable, Ella in her ballerina gear.

And a photo worthy of a fashion spread. Note the despondent look on the model's face as she contemplates the nothingness of being, while looking fabulous ....

And then, the model gets the giggles....

Ella gets her yogurt on!

2007-01-26T23:50:00.000-06:00

Literally.

As you can see.

Honestly, I watch the child. I was doing some dishes, turn around and this is what I found.

It is cute.

Here it is in video. You can see larger sized versions on Youtube. Our name there is AddisAbaby as well. Enjoy! ~Kent

A little bit later. At least she is still hungry.

Here is another picture and video, lunch the day before. If memory serves, she is eating yogurt at this time also.

In the video you can see her sing the praises of "Gucky!"

Hanging with the Boo

2007-01-19T22:29:00.000-06:00

Ella seems, well does, take up most of our time, and oddly, neither Julia or I are complaining much or at all. She is such a wonderful little girl. The screaming (here's a jinx) is to a minimum. I think there are days were it doesn't even make an appearance. She slept through all of last night, not even a wake for a diaper change. I actually got out of bed this morning without waking either lady or the two dogs. It seems like the little one has settled in just nicely.

Ella had another shower today. This fete was hosted by some of Julia's students. She got several nice outfits, including a complete fairy costume with tutu. She got some books, but one person got her the perfect gifts, a 7 oz. Gerber sippy cup and a rubber ducky. Now, I believe, that we have not made mention of either of these favorites in the blog, but somehow her preferences were known. (I have done a complete search of the house for bugging equipment and wiretaps.) A Gerber cup is her favorite and a seven ouncer is hard to find. You can find 10s everywhere but not 7s. The ducky . . . She has ducks on the bottom of her favorite pair of shoes. She can even say "ducky" but it comes out "gucky." She will get a desperate look on her face sometimes and say "gucky" when she is without the shoes, or she will got get them and do the "gucky" thing. It is so cute, and now you know what she's into. She has three little yellow ducks now and one pink, who all reside in the tub with the occasional venture into the rest of the house. She isn't too keen on the pink duck. An added bonus of the new duck is it is also a safety device. It will tell you if the bath water is too hot; there is the heat sensitive rubber disk on the bottom that spells the word "Hot." We tested; it works. The shower from Julia's students was awfully sweet. We'll get some pics of it on here soon.

Last Friday, we went to the International Adoption Clinic at the University of Minnesota. Not to say our physicians here in Menomonie haven't been great, but it was wonderful to talk to doctors and nurses who were familiar with the issues inherent in international adoption. Ella was so good, which she always has been at the doctor's office. The visit went really well. Ella is health, with the exception of the Giardia. She was retested here in Menomonie, and has started another round of treatment. The folks at UofMn explained to use that it isn't that much to worry about, or worry at all. Giardia has and is getting tougher and tougher. They lined us out on a treatment regimen and what to do if it doesn't work. They also allayed Julia and my fears of contracting the little bugger ourselves. We do a good job of washing everything; we should be OK. They also ran another battery of blood tests on the girl. That part she wasn't too happy about. The results all came back favorable. She was just a little low in the iron department, but the doctor said that wasn't unusual. IA kids usually go though a growth spurt when they get here (make up) and they pull from their iron reserves to do so. The good thing about her present diet is that she should be eating lots of meat to replace her iron reserves. Yea meat!

Thinking of eating, she ate some peas today on her own. She didn't really like them, but she didn't spit them out either. It's a start

Julia went back to work this week. I took care of the Boo all by myself Tuesday and Wednesday. We had a lot of fun and the house wasn't completely destroyed when Julia got back. It was nice to have an excuse to take a nap. It sure is nice to lay with Ella on top of you. Not only is she a tremendous heat source, but she's a great excuse not move. We watched (OK slept through) a soccer game on Tuesday and then Wednesday saw us nod off to History International.

We had snow this last week. If the picture didn't tip you off. Ella didn't quite know what to think about the whole shoveling the driveway. She sat down for most of it and then got up to experiment with the white stuff a bit later. It wasn't her first time in snow, but the first time she was really in it for a good amount of time. I took her out again on Tuesday; it was sort of cold. We were out with the dogs for about 20 minutes. I figure we were out as long as it took to get ready. She didn't want to get down that time and I carried as I kicked the ball for Roxie. She like to watch her run after the ball, and she also finds the jostling of kicking enjoyable.

Another development in the food front. She's discovered chocolate and she likes it, as you can see. She also got to try a little Swiss Miss. They make it in Menomonie, I do believe. She was just doing her civic duty.

Those are the highlights of this past week. Of course the nice thing is I can always modify (or Julia can) when I/We remember the most important things.

Ella at home....

2007-01-11T14:47:00.000-06:00

Just a few recent pics of our girl......

Our little librarian.....

Wearing mom's gigantic Dansko clogs....

Our fashionista....She spent a good half an hour dressing herself from the clean laundry basket. Unfortunately, her chic top is a pair of Mom's underwear. Perhaps she can be on season 20 of "Project Runway"? (The balloons are from Saturday's shower, and an endless source of fun this week!)

Belle of the balls

2007-01-07T20:15:00.000-06:00

PARTY GIRL!

Ella Mesay has been the party girl of the weekend. Yesterday, she was the marquee guest at Juliet and Forrest's home for her very own baby shower. A true person of the people, Ella graced those at her baby shower with her presence, not like a typical standoffish baby. She was impressed with the Costco meatballs that were in attendance (pictured with me and Mary Jo, the meatballs should be the focus of you attention, however)and also took a shining to pound cake as the afternoon wore on.
We were very touched by the party, organized and hostess-ed by "Aunties" Michelle, Kat and Juliet. Held at Juliet's gorgeous home, Michelle and Kat put together a wonderful collection of friends and food (see meatballs above). These dear friends went all out, decorating with little pics of Ella stuck all over with her very own "logo," 2 dozen pink and white roses, celebratory balloons, confetti, sweet and silly shower games, and even chocolate bars announcing "Ella's Shower"! Oh, and some very lovely bottles of wine.

We were overwhelmed by the thoughtful gifts Ella received: several wonderful books ranging from the very sweet children’s classics to activity books (the girl loves a zipper). She especially loved a darling little silver purse (with rhinestones, please!). She also received some special Chinese treasures, a wonderful little Pooh themed rocker, two stylish outfits, bath and other toys, and the coup de grace, the piece de resistance, meat. She actually got a package of steak and three pounds of hamburger. Right on, meat!

She charmed her hosts and other guests and helped open most of her gifts. As she is most times, she was reserved to begin with but opened up beautifully. By the end of the afternoon, as she said goodbye to her subjects (er, guests), she gave out impromtu kisses and chirped "bye-bye!" Here she is pictured with the organizers of the fete, Aunties Michelle, Juliet and Kat.

Today we traveled to Minneapolis to an Ethiopian Christmas party (Orthodox Christmas is January 7). It was very nice to get together with families like ours. And, there were some even some families with Chinese kids in attendance. Combined with some neighbors, it was a great multicultural experience. Ella looked smashing in a hand-me-down from Juliet's daughter, Savannah. So few of us can wear acid apple green and hot pink!

The guests remarked on her cuteness, which was the way things should be. The hostess, Stacy (mom to Lucy Eskedar!) and her father made some great Ethiopian food, very tasty. Ella tucked right in. She was definitely in her element. Again the meat products ruled, but she did eat some of the lentil dish and the shiro (chickpea paste). I guess we’ll have to bust out the Ethio-cookbook and spice up some vegetables.

Ella has been doing well. Her sleeping continues to improve, but there is the occasional setback. She has awakened in a fantastic mood a couple of times; that is a refreshing change. This morning she was climbing all over us. We wanted to sleep more, but she was interested in finding the summit of her mother and father. All is well this Christmas day with our family, I hope it is with yours.

Videos of our girl!

2006-12-31T19:02:00.000-06:00

Uploaded a couple of videos shot on the digital camera. Roxie, my dog (Kent), has become the new obsession. Roxie is doing really well with keeping her temper. Although during the two hand tail pull, Roxie turned and gave the girl a good push with her nose.

Happy New Year!

Playing ball with Roxie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeOmW9nQ14o

Sitting on Roxie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0RPxZDVODk

The Toddler has appeared, and she likes meat!

2006-12-26T20:25:00.001-06:00

We are putting Ella specific posts here and general Ethiopian ones on Dolzilla.blogspot.com. Please check out both.

All of our loyal fans have most likely abandoned us since it has been so long between updates. I am using jet lag as an excuse for all it is worth. I finally felt normal last Friday, exactly a week after we left. Holy Cow! Between the jet lag and adjusting to a little one who is adjusting to a whole new life (with the requesite protests included), I’m surprised that Julia and I did so with the humor that we did. Having Tita (Julia’s mother) here has certainly been a blessing. I don’t know how we would have kept a house together without her.
The toddler appeared today. For the two and a half weeks we’ve been with Ella Mesay, she has pretty much been in one of our arms (Julia’s primarily) constantly. There were a few times at the guesthouse when she would be content to be on the bed or on the floor, but she was very needy when it came to physical contact. Besides the screaming that would ensue when she was set down, we think that the amount of physical contact was good for bonding. She was very clingy; still is a little. Today, she was running around the house a few times. It was great to watch her have such a good time. And, we all hope that the increase in activity will translate to harder sleeping. She is still very difficult to put to sleep and more so to keep her there. I have spent a few nights on the recliner downstairs. If one has to sit upright and holder her, they might as well do it in a comfy chair with a TV right there. It makes the next day a little hard, but at least Julia can get some quality sleep.

We’ve been home bodies for the most part. We have taken two stroller trips around the neighborhood. (Thanks Chuck and Ann for the nice ride.) The first one I think she was basically freaked out and silent. Our outing today was good for most of the way, then she grew discontent and had to be carried the last few blocks.
Today’s big outing was to El Patio, a local Mexican restaurant. She likes salsa . . . There is no use bandying about the fact. The chips she could do without, but she likes both red and green. Sucks it right down. Her eating habits are a bit to be seen. Ella is a carnivore. I don’t think I’ve seen a kid eat more meat. She isn’t that keen of veggies, but chicken, pork, turkey or beef, she attacks. She was even dipping her pork into the salsa verde tonight. She was a veteran with the condiment.

Our Christmas day was very subdued. Ella got a few toys and if it wasn’t for Tita and Heather, Julia and I would have been without presents. But the way we figure, EM is the big present. Ella got a Ms. Spider from Heather that she really enjoys. Ms. Spider is a cartoon that I had never heard of before Heather bought the toy a month or so ago, but Ms. Spider has adopted a bunch of buggy kids to make a family. Quite cute. The toy sings and stuff, but the songs are not annoying and she does have an off button. Ella is fascinated with Ms. Spider’s blinking eyes.
We also got her a set of blocks. She is a very good stacker. She is becoming more and more animated each day and her blossoming is something to behold. It is very reassuring to see her have her toddler moments, both good and bad.
Tita is headed to Montana tomorrow; it will be an adjustment for all of us. I hope her leaving doesn’t cause Ella too much distress. What am I saying, I hope it doesn’t cause all of us too much distress.
Oh, we had a doctor’s appointment last Tuesday. Everything checked out OK, including all the blood work. That was great. She started her shots. They just started her from the beginning even though she had some in Ethiopia. She had five in one setting. The girl is hard; she cried while they were doing the shot, but not afterwards. She comes from a strong and resilient people.
I’m sure there are more tales of amusement and whimsy that I am forgetting, but know we are all well.

We are soon to depart Addis

2006-12-15T08:50:00.000-06:00

It gives me that feeling I, Kent, call melenhappy. Little happy, little sad. It has been a wonderful time. Not only have we gotten to bring a wonderful little girl into our lives, but we have also gotten to know a beautiful, yet heartbreaking, country. I not only have pride in my new daughter, but also in the new country that I have been introduced to and will always be part of my life.

We will leave the guesthouse in half an hour and be in Minneapolis/St. Paul Saturday around 4 p.m. Wish us luck on the journey and we will update soon. We have tons of pictures and more stories to share.

Thank you again for your love and support.

Big fun in Addis

2006-12-14T20:56:00.000-06:00

Julia here-- it's just 6am and the babe has fallen asleep on her tummy, in bed next to a snoring Kent. From the scent of it, there's a full diaper to change, but I hope to get a few minutes to post my thanks to all for your encouraging messages re this blog.
When I was preparing for this trip, all of my attention has been on the baby and packing and documents etc-- it literally never occured to me what fun this would be! We've had a really great group of families here, and have so enjoyed their help as we get used to being new parents. I'm posting a few pics to give you a sense of the fun we've had! A shot of breakfast at the guest house and a typical shot of everyone piling into the van to go somewhere.
The other thing I never anticipated was how much I'd love Ethiopia and Addis. What a beautiful country and people- I am so proud to have a daughter from this amazing place.

Much love to you all -\Julia
d

The essentials: Food and Sleep

2006-12-14T13:11:00.000-06:00

My heavens how the concerns about eating have dissipated like the bowls of spaghetti for lunch and dinner. She is also chugging down the formula. The Bebelac has a vanilla scent to it that is very pleasant. Julia continues to be the primary caregiver, me I’m the flogger – I fetch and I blog. All of that is good. I’m happy when the girl is happy – She’s got one scream on her. We’ve gotten calls of complaint from Cairo. Her sleeping is the final issue of complaint, not worry. It is nice to not have worries. She has a hard time being happy not being in Julia’s arms. Now I know she appreciates the compliment to her care and love, but she’d certainly like to lay down to sleep. Ella Mesay won’t even let her lay down and snuggle on Julia’s chest. She has to sit up unless EM is in a deep sleep. Last night was really hard on Julia as Ella would not get to that deep sleep. She had to sit up for most of the night.
Tonight shows a little promise as Ella Mesay hasn’t had a full blown nap all day. We are going to run to the pizza place for one final outing. Then comes the joy of packing, and maybe I’ll find the stuff I’ve been looking for all week. We are trying to arrange one final outing tomorrow to Shero Meda, a textile market. It is safer than the Merkato, which is mentioned below.

We’ll try to get up some more things, but we’ll be pretty busy with the final preparations and one last shopping trip. We’ll continue to put some Ethio stories even after we get back.

Thanks for everyone’s support. We love seeing the comments.

Just uploaded the picture. Jez, she's cute.

An Embassy, an airline and pancakes

2006-12-14T12:47:00.000-06:00

As you tell with our lack of recent posts (we are getting four up today, however), we’ve been a little busy. Both with trip things, but mostly with being rookie parents. The full bottle in the backpack was a good one. There went a full roll of soft-soft. Not being fully prepared for diaper . . . shall we say . . . overflow? . . . was a learning experience. We now have the appropriate cleaning supplies. Experience doesn’t hurt either.

The big news, or at least I, Kent, think, on the baby front is her eating. Today she ate well. She had most of a good sized pancake for breakfast topped off by some eggs, a nice lunch of doro wat (chicken in a pepper sauce) and injera, dinner another pancake and two bottles (sippy cups) of formula thrown in there for good measure. The dinner pancake was a great surprise. I had told Hirrot, the guesthouse cook, that we were worried about Ella’s eating and she was visibility concerned. Once she heard how Ella scarfed down a pancake this morning, she was more than happy. Before dinner, which is soup, she asked what Ella would be eating. I said we’d try the soup, but if it didn’t work we’d make some cereal or something. She said she’d make a pancake. Well, as you can see from the picture . . . she went more for the full stack. Hirrot’s pancakes are very good by the way and she is a very sweet, loving woman.

Let me back up to yesterday. We started a nice leisurely morning, for a change, with the exception of Ella’s non-breakfast. We did a little shopping in the neighborhood, picking up a few items, which will remain unknown at the moment. My personal score was a pair of the ubiquitous Ethiopian foam sandals. They are the same material as Crocs in the States. They have many different styles and a quite comfy. I won’t look at that display in Wal-Mart the same, now that I know you can pick them up for 10 Birr ($1.25). I paid 30 Birr; I couldn’t come to bargain with the shopkeeper. Our street is pretty run down, OK really a disaster compared to anything stateside, and knew she could use that extra 20. I also picked up three rolls of soft-soft or toilet paper. The Ethiopian version is pretty good, I must say, 2-ply and is softer than the stuff in public schools. We came back to lunch of fish and pineapple with rice (Ella –nada) and then dashed off to the US Embassy – our little slice of home – behind blast barriers and Concertina wire.

This is the day that George W and the gang would give all of us the “Mission Accomplished” and as far as the US is concerned, Ella was ours. Now you think this would be all smiles, but one couple here has been mired in a paperwork fiasco. I believe this is there third week in the guesthouse. Now the problem wasn’t from the US, but once you’ve been tangled in the burocracy, you tend to get gun shy. Just for that touch of home and a visit to a government office, we got to stand in line in a room with a temperature a bit over the melting point of sand. Now when I said it was all of us that includes all the adults and children, even the biological ones. Thank heavens we had a “handler” from CHSFS with us, who took care of the fee and corralling the paperwork. After a bit in the sauna, we were told to go to the lower waiting area. I felt sorry for the Ethiopian people who were stuck waiting for their number to come up that remained there. I actually thought that the wait wasn’t so long. However, kids fall down, some one cries, a diaper needs changed, some loses a makina (car), and one of the Moms became faint from both a lack of water and being slightly ill. As you can see it was no picnic, which was good because Ella wouldn’t have ate anyway. We were called up one-by-one, and had to answer some questions, pertaining to the our child’s health, situation, etc. Of course there was a coaching session earlier in the day, so it was pretty much 1-2-3. We will get the approved forms back Friday morning and be set to head home. And everyone made it though, so Mario and Emily can finally return home. It has been nice having another couple who has been here for a while, as they know all the nuances of the guest house.

From there we went to the Addis Hilton to confirm our tickets on Ethiopian (they don’t said Air, it is just Ethiopian). Here we are in the second best hotel in all of Addis, and we get stuck in the queue to end all queues. It’s not that it was long, it just did not move. Why do you have to confirm your flight? From what I can deduce, Ethiopian will overbook its flights a little because it has a notorious cancellation rate. You can see it from their perspective; they can’t afford to fly empty seats. Therefore, beginning 72 hours before the flight, you can confirm. This is a first-come, first-serve affair. I believe it took at least 10-20 minutes to serve each customer. Of course you have the occasional customer fit, babies needing what babies need and everyone exhausted and dehydrated from the embassy experience. The joy of Business Class came up again when I was done confirming in about five minutes and three of that was spent in chit-chat. So we are ready, at least logistically, to head out Friday night.

The best of the Hilton experience is Julia had heard it possessed the best pastry shop in all of Addis. She decided to reward us all for the long day by buying a lovely cake. It was quite tasty, I must say.

After we got back from that, we had just a few minutes to get ready before we drove all the way across Addis to go the Crown Hotel. A couple nights a week the Crown hosts Ethiopian folk dancing. Sounds like a nice way to wrap up a, if not stressful, tedious and hot day. Those of you with children, already know the answer to this question. It started out rough, especially for Julia. We had to rush out the door and as we were backing out of the compound, Ella had a blow out. Please, don’t ask me to explain. She decided to stay and I went along. After our driver waited about five minutes for her to return, we left for the Crown. The drive over was another night cruise through Addis, near head-ons, pedestrians scampering and realizing that the money spent on paint for the lanes should have been used one something else. The dancing at the Crown was very good. It is traditional featuring dances from the four main ethnic groups, Amhara, Orimo, Tangyra and Hidiya (Ella’s). I filmed all of the dancing because Julia couldn’t be there. The food was good and I had a pleasant Ethiopian white wine, Amharsh Cristal. One of the children got violently ill during the course of the evening. We got home around 10, having left at seven.

Now there is part of the story I left out, really it is the key to the story. When we got to the Crown I realized it, Julia when she got upstairs, I had the key to the room. So there she was without a key and a baby in desperate need of cleaning and new clothes and I’m in the van without a clue. I feel terrible about it. I’ll let here tell her part when she can, but I do thank her for letting me go. I hope she enjoys the video. We’ve talked about going Thursday night. We’ll see.

Ella did not have a good night. At five, she woke up with a major fit. Our first. Wow, I don’t know how loud it really was, but the girl has a set of lungs. She finally calmed down and we got a little more sleep. It was hard to see her in that great of distress. I think that is one of the difficulties of taking over the care of a little one at this age. If we’d been with her from the beginning we’d know what she needed a little bit easier. I’m sure the nannies have her figured out to some degree, but we’ll catch on.

I spend most of my time as “Baba” getting things. I’m not complaining, but I find if funny that I spend most of my time hunting and gathering. I don’t think we have progressed that much. On thing I am excited about when we get home is having the slight idea where something might actually be located. I don’t know how much time I spent looking today. This is in spite of the fact that we spent a good portion of yesterday reorganizing. It is just hard in a space that isn’t your own.

We have two more days left. In some ways it will be nice to be home, but in others, not so. It is a really interesting place and each day I feel that I know a little bit more, but also that there is more that I don’t know. That’s a little Rumfeildian, isn’t it.

Drat, still a day behind in the blog, but know we are doing well.

Merkato, aka -Mall of Africa

2006-12-14T12:28:00.000-06:00

It sure is hard to keep up with this thing once you have the child and we are doing so many interesting things. Going to the Merkato is definitely one of them. The Merkato is the largest outdoor market in Africa. I don’t know how many city blocks it is, but I hope the pictures give you some sort of idea. The volume of people and goods was awe inspiring. Block upon block, product upon product. It is not one giant market. It is part of the city with streets that are broken up by product type. There are areas for mattresses, tires, rugs, textiles, plastic goods and food vendors. The textile area went on forever and it bled into the tailoring area. Julia remarked you could pick out your fabric and go home with a suit in a few hours.
Plastic goods abound here. We saw so many people traveling for water with two five gallon plastic jugs. Buckets are also very popular. I can’t explain to you the enormity of the place. I wish I had brought the video, but hopefully the stills will give you a grasp. We drove for at least 30-45 minutes and Massi said we hadn’t seen a quarter of the place.
We also drove through the chat section of the Merkato. Chat, for those of you that don’t know, is a leaf that people ingest as a stimulant. I’ve heard before and Massi reiterated that it can make people act a little crazy. It is easy to find a chat shack in the Merkato, just look for a green building. We (our group) even stopped and bought a 2 Birr bundle, day’s supply, just to see what it looked like. People chew it in the afternoon. It is a little like coca leaves in Peru and Bolivia, I would assume. The way these people work, so hard for nothing, I can see why they may desire a bit of an afternoon bounce.

I am really bummed that it isn’t safe enough to walk around in. It used to be the sort of place where you could walk around, but now westerners are restricted to cars and vans. Not because you are going to get stabbed or anything,
just theft and con schemes abound. Most travel guides tell people to avoid walking through it.
Massi stated that everyone comes to the Merkato. We saw donkey carts besides nice cars. Of course the goats were everywhere. Julia mentioned, and we didn’t get to go past it, that there is a recycling section where people take old things as make new products out of them. For example, hats out of soda cans, and a myriad of other things. Nothing goes to waste in this country. You actually don’t see the amounts of trash that you could, as every little scrap of something is used and used again. I would have liked to see what happens to a kaput dryer, as I had two of them last year. I’m a little bummed
we couldn’t see it.

And if you need a part from a 1972 Toyota or Peugeot, you may want to check the Merkato.

Wofuchi

2006-12-13T08:09:00.000-06:00

We met Ella Mesay's birth mother today. It was an incredibly emotional experience for all of us. We are so lucky to have met her- we were able to meet for well over an hour, and our translator was very sensitive and supportive of both parties.
Most of the information we gathered will remain private, because we see our responsiblity to Ella in the future- her birth and adoption stories are hers to share as she chooses. But we did gather some information we can share- Alamz told us that, for a variety of reasons, "Mesay" was not the name she gave her child. She named Ella Mesay "Wofuchi," which means "God's Soul" in Hadigyana. We're not sure how yet, but we'd like to incorporate such a meaningful name into Ella's.
It will be so important to Ella Mesay to have information about her birth mother as she grows up. We'll be keeping Almaz abreast of Ella's life and development. We plan to return to Ethiopia when Ella is older, and visiting Almaz will be key part of that trip. What this essentially is, is open international adoption. While it is not something I would have considered when I started the adoption process, in part because it hadn't occured to me as a possibility- but now we are so grateful to have met and made a family connection with this brave and dignified woman.

“I’d lend you a blanket, but it probably has ringworm.”

2006-12-12T22:32:00.000-06:00

In the guesthouse common room, there’s a box of lice medication next to packets of Crystal Lite drink mix and lo-cal sweeteners. This is how we roll, in Addis. Meds for ailments that would probably freak out most American parents- may actually be a parent’s worst nightmare stateside- are commonplace. Mothers swap meds to counteract the effects of endless diarrhea; fathers don latex gloves before breakfast to apply cortisone cream to toddlers’ scalps etched with well-established ringworm infections. There is little queasiness, and if there is any, we laugh it off, about the daily clean-ups, disgusting symptoms, and most recent disasters. It seems like every day, at least one toddler has a gusher, a sudden bout of liquid poo that flows out of their diaper, soaking their clothing, their parents’, and the carpet. This is unlike any poo you’ve probably ever come across, with a stench so horrid and lingering, it inspires competitive descriptions by laughing parents drinking local beer late into the night.

By typical American standards, our kids are pretty sick. Aside from the diarrhea (but really, isn’t everything?), these children have conjunctivitis, flowing-green-snotty head colds and barking coughs, practically open-wound diaper rash, bacterial and fungal infections, and a variety of infestations. It is frequently gross, smelly, itchy, or painful around here.

But this is Africa, and every parent here knows that their child is lucky; that he or she could have something much worse than ringworm, lice, scabies, ghiardia, flat worms or parasites. Here, these children are healthy. They look like high school athletes compared to the children we see on the streets. Adoptive parents of African children are unflinching; we treat what we can here, and we save the rest for when we get home to the pediatrician. All of this is no big deal, really- our kids are alive and pretty healthy and going to get much healthier when they get home.

Is that a high E or G?

2006-12-12T22:21:00.000-06:00

These lovely people, seated here at breakfast our first day here, hate us now. I'm actually joking, I don't think they hate us, but when Ella Mesay found her voice at 5 this morning, I wouldn't be surprised or offended if they did. Wow. The cry is hearty, but the scream she can let out. Wowza.

I write more humorus musings, but another violent poo just hit.

Two life changing days

2006-12-11T12:13:00.000-06:00

Today we went to Hosaina, a city 230 km southwest of Addis Ababa. The drive is exceptional . . . All of the families – 5 Land Rovers full- who chose to go got started at 5 a.m. It only took 3.5 hours to get there . . . The roads out of town are really quite good; the driving is good also, just a little on the ‘we don’t really follow the rules.’ After cresting hills in the left lane, almost hitting several people, goats, dogs and donkeys, we came to the part of the road that is under construction. Cones aren’t used, rocks are. The detours are really dusty, crazy curvy and just a bit rough. OK, more like the roughest road I have ever seen. All those hours riding across the plains of Montana in a ¾ ton came in handy. We slowed down though this town because of goats, and these guys with sickles scared the living begezzus out of us. The consensus is that they were just screwing with people, because some of the drivers laughed, but still . . . not cool. But if I were them, I might do the same.

After we arrived in Hosaina, we grouped up at a hotel and took a bathroom break. A few ladies braved the elements of the facility. I felt the blessing of being male. . . talk about yeck. Then you find out it is the best they have in town . . . Then we rolled to the intake center . . . where Mesay began her time with children’s home. The center is small; if I recall correctly, five rooms where the children are staying. We first went into the main play/activity room . . . the looks on the faces varied from shock to excitement . . .

It is now Monday evening . . . we were so wiped out yesterday, that we couldn’t finish the update. I may be a little redundant here, but the computer I started the update on is being used by another person, so I’m punting as to where to start.
Been here two days, feels like two weeks, if not longer. That’s in a good way.

The intake center in Hosaina is a lot to take. You are seeing children whose world has just shattered, no matter how poor that life may have been. The poverty is endemic . . . you almost begin to get used to it; it wears you down. These kids just stare at you . . . perhaps the first white person many have seen, if they weren’t there during the last tour. The local kids surround the outside of the compound, begging, asking for money. When we came in, we were given a tour. We didn’t know, but the family members were already there. (Julia and I will be meeting Almaz, Mesay’s birth mother on Thursday in Addis.) The other five families all had a least one member there. Julia and I helped the other families with photographs and video tape . . . we were pretty busy.We couldn’t help overhear many of the stories and conversations, which I will not share out of respect for privacy of everyone concerned. It was remarkable to see each family start a relationship with these people who had to make tremendous sacrifices or who happened upon a child and took the responsibility to bring the child to the intake center. Each family had a different experience, of course, but all said it was worth the trip and the expense. It was emotionally exhausting.

The trip back to Addis was another experience of Ethiopian Driving. This time, however, people were out going about their daily work. I never envisioned the country so densely populated. Only the high mountain pass 30km south of Addis did not have people at least walking by the side of the road. I took lots of video of the drive both ways. I don’t know if you’ll be able to see anything, but you may see some near hits. Remarkably in the 230 km we had seen only one goat and dog who found the driving fatal. I don’t know how there are not hundreds are killed on that highway everyday.

We stopped for some photographs . . . the country, people, houses and animals are all so beautiful. You are at 7700 feet here in Addis and 9 degrees latitude. It really is a fantastic climate. My vision of what Ethiopia looked like was formed by impressions of the famine in the 1980s. It is so lush. The grain fields stretch up the hills, terraced. There were people out harvesting, with a sickle, threshing with sticks and cattle, and finally chaffing with a basket. I remember the films from seventh grade, but seeing it in person was unbelievable. I don’t know if I captured it all on the video, but the images will stay burned into my mind for as long as I can hold onto it. I just hope I can share. The most important thing is that Mesay is from this part of the world. It is my every intention and desire that she develops a great love and respect for the land and most importantly the people of her birth.

After we got back, all the families headed to the care center to see the children. Mesay was very upset and just limp. It was quit disconcerting. . . I don’t know if she was upset with us or having really serious problems. We were only able to spend an hour and a half with her and then we had to go to the airport to see if our luggage had arrived. Mossi, the center’s head driver and fix-it man, took us to Bole as there was another couple coming in. An experience I am trying to put in perspective what happened: You have to pay an admittance fee to Bole, as we were standing in the line to have the military look at our passports, a disturbance broke out. A man, who Mossi said was on chat, broke a way from a solider. The soldiers then pursued the man around the parking lot, for a second they were running right at us. The caught the man, pushed him to the ground and beat him with batons. Although the people who were in line strained to look, the line did not break. We remained calm, Mossi with a reassuring smile on his face, but the real story in his eyes. After calm settled Mossi whispered that the soldiers were looking for Somali names, as that situation has changed for the worse. WE got through the passport check and then lined up for the civilian security. Every bag and person passes through security at Bole at the main doors. (That’s going to be interesting and a pain when we go to leave on Saturday). We made it through the x-ray unscathed, dashed straight to the luggage area, went backwards through customs, and straight to the baggage claim. Long story short, our luggage got here Saturday. NWA sent it KLM … “we were going to call you” said the Ethiopian baggage claim clerk, “but didn’t get around to it.” That’s OK by me, we have our stuff! All of Ella Mesay’s clothes and baby stuff . . . just wonderful, all the donations. I gave Zach one of the soccer balls to take to the school this morning, he was very excited about it.

We had to wait about two hours for the other couple to land, get visaed and clear customs. We had a nice little drive to the Hilton, and got back here around 10 p.m. I tried to blog and you see above how far I got. So ends Sunday.

Monday, December 11, 2006
For keeps

After our late-afternoon visit with Mesay yesterday, we resolved that today was the day we would keep her with us for good! (There is some diplomacy required here, as the nannies have formed such important bonds with the children and of course have great info on each child’s temperament, desires, and needs.) All families had appointments with Dr. Freiwhot to go over our children’s medical info in the morning. Mesay continued to be pretty listless and ‘checked-out’ at first, just not responding to us much, and refusing all food at the big chaotic toddler lunch. While we were waiting for our turn to see the doctor, she fell asleep in my arms. She slept like that for at least an hour, and woke up while in the doctor’s office. (The doctors assured us that she was doing very well.) At the very end of the visit, she suddenly chuckled. I have never been so happy to hear someone laugh in my life! For the rest of the afternoon, as the entire bunch of us took a tour of the several CHSFS sites, schools, and residence halls (more on that later), she became increasingly smiley, sunny, happy, giggly, silly, and chatty. Everyone commented on it! She babbled in the crowded van, she giggled and blew kisses at me, she chewed on my sunglasses, chuckled and squealed as Kent tickled her. We also gave her a quick bath when we got back to the guest house – a classic CHSFS Guest House adoption trip experience, as I had several helpful hands from other (much more experienced) parents, fetching the bucket of warm water, teaching me how to use the tub/changing table, in a hallway full of other kids, adults and a couple of plumbers working on a leaky toilet down the hall. The nannies must bathe everyone standing up, because she refused to sit down, and wasn’t very pleased with the process until we got to the warm oil rub down.

Lunch at the Guest House is our biggest meal of the day. It is Hiroot’s shining moment as a cook. Today’s lunch was classic Ethiopian food- injera (the best I’ve had- much thinner and lighter), doro wat (spicy chicken stew), shira wat (spicy beef stew), and spicy red lentils. Mesay sat on my lap and ate everything. The girl likes her food spicy! She also liked the Ethiopian version of flan--- denser, with a nearly burnt sugar crust. Yum! We drink a lot of bottled water here, and Ethiopian Coke and Pepsi, and a local beer called St. George’s.
We’ve noticed that the toddlers are quite well-behaved, but the nannies also do a lot for them. Most every child is hand-fed. Kent and I have stepped in to help out at lunch, and it’s like trying to keep a nest of baby birds happy!
Something I meant to mention before:
Her name is pronounced more like “mah-Sai” or “m’Sai” than Meh-say. When the nannies put the affectionate “ay-ye” on the end, it sounds like “M’Sai-yai-ye” said in a sing-song-y tone.

A few pictures of Addis

2006-12-09T18:59:00.000-06:00

Here are some photos we took as we walked to and from the children's care center on Saturday. The weather was spectacular- high 60's low 70's, cloudless. It's less than a 15 minute walk from door to door, but the streets can be crowded with people and cars, and the walking itslef is often tough- over broken concrete and rocks. In some of these pics, you'll see other families who are adopting as well.
We stopped in a tiny grocery store and found the nanny-approved formula and diapers, stopped in another hole-in-the-wall store and bought pretty scarves to wrap around our faces during tomorrow's dusty trip to the south.
The only thing missing from these street shots are cars and trucks whizzing by, very close, blowing their horns. :-) Oh! And on our way home in the aternoon, we were trudging along, when Kent said "Isn't that Randy Travis?" And yes, it was- blaring the stereo system some guys had set up by the side of the road, in front of a little cafe- country western music filled the air.

The Big Day winds down...

2006-12-09T12:25:00.000-06:00

Hi all-
I've created another post in hopes of being able to upload 2 of the photos I meant to include in the original "Big Day" post. (We have internet here at the guest house, and it's not too slow, but there are little things that don't work as they should).

Here's the photo of Ella Mesay giving me the scowl, and Kent pouting back at her....

And here's one of her sound asleep in her toddler bed for mid-day naps!

A few other fun details of our stay here: We have an in-house cook, Hiwot, in comes in to make 3 meals a day, every day but Sundays. She makes traditinal Ethiopian food and some more western foods like scrambled eggs. But the eggs are spicy. :-) The big meal of the day is lunch, with soup for dinner. After our veggie soup tonight, several of us went out to dinner at an Italian pizza place. Because of the very brief Italian occupation of Ethiopia, Addis has a few great Italian places- and we certianly went to one, just up the street from here. Kent: "6000 miles for a wood-fired pizza!" But it was great. Quite traditional. Except that it is served with a side dish of minced green spicy pickled peppers- quite good on a classic cheese!
We travel to Hossana tomorrow to meet birth families andjus to see the countryside- it will be a long, dusty and road-less trip, 13-15 hours RT, but how can you pass up the chance? !! And then Kent and I get to go to the airport with Massi (the most excellent and personable guest house manager and driver) in hopes we can pick up our bags and take them through customs. Fingers crossed out there, people! Every couple of hours, I remember something else we don't have because it was in one of our 4 suitcases. The other families, though, are so generous - even if the bags don't come, we will be in good shape for everything except underwear.
So, no new pics of Ella Messay tomorrow- we won't be with her again until Monday.

The Big Day...

2006-12-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

officially started this morning, with a briefing at 9:30 by Tsewaye, Asnake's wife. She reminded us of the rules (no tipping anyone, no photographs of others' children) and gave us packets on each of our kids. We were eager to see new photos of Messay- (her cover shot on the info packet is cute- she has quite a little scowl--) and read new info on her. Nice to have, but I think all of us were just ready to meet our kids in the flesh!

We were then driven to the Care Center- about 1/2 a mile away. It was kind of strange when we got there- there were two or three men with large video cameras filming, and they asked us to wait for our turn to meet our children, so they could film one at a time. It was a choatic scene anyway, with dozens of toddlers running around, the tv blaring a kids' music video, nannies laughing and playing with kids and parents trying to greet but not freak out, their kid. Messay was put in our arms- and we headed to an unpopulated and relatively quiet corner to get a look at one another.

She is very tiny, but solid and plump. Her hair is coming in nicely, and she certainly has what the info packet described: 'plummy cheeks.' Our first meeting was very quiet-- soon after moving to the corner, I tried to hand her to Kent and she squeaked and clutched on to me. Of course, I started to cry!

All in all, she wasn't very sure about us, and was content to sit in my (Julia's) lap quietly and eat little snack puffs Kent handed to her one by one. She avoided direct eye contact, but would dart furtive glances at us occasionally. And we got to see the soon-to-be famous scowl -- I love this pic of Kent pouting back to her! :-)

The info packet stated that she doesn't eat very well, but clearly they weren't feeding her the right stuff: Gerber's Toddler Food Strawberry-banana Snacking Puffs. Those she loves. :-) (And thank goodness for Emily and Kevin and their 2.5 year old biodaughter, Haley, who were so thoughtful and generous in sharing their snacks while ours are somewhere between D.C. and Addis.)

We got to help feed her (and all the other kids) lunch- it is quite a production to watch the nannies manage approx. 30 toddlers-- who were all seated at little tables and eating (mostly) by themselves. I fed Ella (well-cooked spagetti in a light tomato/cheese/meat sauce) while Kent took over feeding a table of five little boys- hysterical and not as messy as you'd think! Ella Messay looked pretty tired, and when I picked her up, she held the pendant of my necklace in her hand and fell asleep immediately.

We headed back to the guest house for our own much-needed naps and then walked back to be there when the kids woke up and had their afternoon snack. When we walked in, Mesay was being cleaned up by a nanny and was laughing and smiling with her. We were so glad to see that! This was a shorter visit- I took her outside into the lovely paved courtyard, and we walked around looking at all of the blooming flowers. She was quite happy to be held, but was very quiet until we saw the care center cat walk along a sloping roof-- she raised her arm and let out a long string of excited babbling- she had a lot to say about that cat! :)

Once we got a pair of shoes on her, that child took off. She is truly a toddler- excited to head off on her own, frustrated to be detained, and mad when her shoe came off and slowed her down. We got a chuckle out of her in the afternoon- she liked being chased, caught and tickled in slo-motion

Tomorrow, we won't see the children, as we are getting up at 5am to head to the Southern Regions. I miss her already.

Alas, the luggage!

2006-12-08T21:53:00.000-06:00

It's nearly 7am in Addis. The house is starting to wake up- kids are up, adults are groggy, and Hirewot is clattering in the kitchen, starting our breakfast. \We arrived safely and soundly last night, but alas, our luggage did not. Our trip started off badly, with our first flight out of MSP being cancelled within minutes of our having checked. Long story, annoying Northwest, but we ended up on the 1pm to Dulles, and our luggage may or may not have done so. In any case, it's not here now. Maybe it will come on the Sunday flight from Dulles. Maybe we'll get it Monday. \In the meantime....our late night drive through Addis, the night noises of a busy city late at night, the cool air, the smells and sounds, the poverty right next to the wealth...all of this reminds me (Julia) of Mexico D.F., growing up.
The views are spectacular, the morning calls to prayer over distant loudspeakers, the sound of a lone runner, feet slapping on the asphalt, a truck driving very fast down the little street the Guest House sits on....
We need coffee, and there are other families already in line for the computer. Breakfast is soon, and then, we meet Messay. Even as I write those words, I'm getting teary.
More soon, on our first day in Addis........

The day before departure.

2006-12-06T08:33:00.000-06:00

It all happens tomorrow. The long journey . . . Actually the long journey takes two days. The time changes don't help. There are still a few jobs that need to be done around the house.

We're going to get our baby! Ella Mesay! The waiting and agonizing is finally almost over.

Here she is, as a matter of fact. The top picture is from her referral, our first glimpse of her and her life, and her entry into ours. The bottom one is the picture we got of her on Monday. It is nice to see her smiling. I hope she has the same reaction to us when we see her. I think about what her life has entailed so far . . . Such changes and now she gets another one . . . New parents . . . Long trip . . . New place . . . Snow . . . Cold . . . Crazy tasting food . . . And a couple of dogs.

It would be a lot to take in, even if you weren't just about a year or so old.

We have the baby's room ready to go, our bags almost packed, building projects finished and care for the dogs arranged. It seems to be going eerily well . . . I hope that keeps up. You should see the donations we are taking. It has to be 60% of the mass we are moving . . . If not more. The people at Julia's work, the local hospital, Tita and Beth, 'Aunties' Michelle and Kat . . . and those I am forgetting.... have been just fantastic. We also have got some great personal donations. Tita and Grandma Helen sure came through with some very cute clothing, Juliet and Forrest with a crib/toddler bed and two car seats, Chuck and Ann are sending some stuff too . . .
We leave from the twin cities tomorrow, around 9 a.m. Stop over in Dulles for a few hours (eight) and then on to Addis Ababa. The part of that trip that is going to be painful is the one hour stop over in Rome for refueling. (Kills me . . . I don't think we can even get off the plane, so I will not be able to "officially" be there, according to the rules that my brother Bob has instituted.) We arrive in Addis Friday evening. If you are keeping score, Ethiopia is 10 hours ahead from Central U.S. time. We'll come home on the 16th.

On Saturday or Sunday, we will be taking a day trip to Hosanna, a city about 100 miles south of Addis. We hear it is a 4.5+ hour trip via Land Rover. We may get to meet a representative of the birth family. The meeting will be short, 30 minutes or so, and we don't know if anyone will even show up, but we will at least get to see the region that Ella Mesay is from. On the advice of CHSFS staff, we are taking a couple of framed photos of Ella Mesay and one of us. These, plus a map of the world to show them where we live, are the only gifts we're allowed to give to the birth family. I have the video camera and Julia the digital. We will upload some pics when we get back to Addis.

Saturday or Sunday, the day we don't go to Hosanna, will be the day we meet Ella Mesay for the first time. I'm keeping myself emotionally open for that experience. I don't want to put any fantastic into it and I don't want to steel myself from any emotional reaction. I just want to take it in.
We're prepared for her not to like us. Well, we think we're prepared. She's been through so much, and we know we'll be disrupting her world once again. It might take a while for her to warm up to one or both of us. We think we're prepared....

The rest of the week . . . We go to the embassy for paperwork . . . Yahoo! . . . Long live the bureaucracy . . . I think we go to the national museum (To see Lucy!) and do some shopping. But getting to know Ella will be our focus.

It will be a eye-opening experience, no matter what angle you look at it.

We hope to update the blog semi regularly during our trip. Please feel free to comment, it would be nice to hear from our fans.

38 days....

2006-10-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

until we meet Ella Mesay!
The last month has been hectic-- lots of emotional highs and lows, and more waiting. As we noted in our previous post, we'd spent a frightening week worrying about this still nameless little girl, hoping she would be healthy, whoever she was, and whether or not she would be our daughter.
We'll back up a bit, to Monday, September 18....
This semester, Julia doesn't have to teach on Mondays, and Kent didn't have a sub job. We contacted CHSFS first thing, and then anxiously waited for the emailed referral information. It was an incredibly emotional morning, as we poured over every page and wondered about all of the information, present and missing. The most difficult part was seeing Mesay's photo. A tiny little girl, head shaved bald, wearing a pretty blue dress, sitting on a toddler bed, staring at the camera. We fell in love with her at the instant we saw her face, just as our hearts broke for her, this incredibly sad little girl, with the biggest brown eyes ever.
Julia said, "She's pretty, isn't she?" And Kent said, "Jule, she could have three heads, and we'd think she was cute!"
We thought perhaps her estimated age (11 mos. at time of referral) was a little off. The referral reports said she was walking and saying "mama," as well as eating some solid food. While these milestones might easily be reached in a developing country, we thought perhaps some early deprivation would mean she may have typical developmental delays.
It is frequently difficult to get an accurate age for a Ethiopian child available for adoption. In part, this is due to Ethiopian culture at large placing much less importance on birthdays. Knowing specific birth dates is also complicated by Ethiopia using an entirley different calendar system, and the majority of children available for adoption coming from remote, rural areas where calendars are of little importance.
We requested an updated developmental report right away, and received it within two days. The updated info was more complete, and reassuring, though still limited. The doctors at the care center also noted they would be conducting an age reassessment, and we expected the results in a few days.
We waited, and waited and waited. After another week, it was too late: we'd fallen in love with this little girl, and felt we needed to 'claim' her-- she deserved as much! And we were already hers!
And thus began the crazy whirlwind month of September. We had exactly one Saturday to celebrate becoming parents, before Kent's involvement in the local community theater production of Neil Simon's 'Brighton Beach Memoirs' sucked him off into a vortex of greaspaint and adulation! He was a great dad. :-) (See the Chronicles of Dolzilla for more on his tour de force as Jack!)
This week, we finally received the updated age reassessment we'd requested from the doctors at the care center in Addis. A week earlier, we received an updated set of measurements. She is growing, gaining weight and has a "pincer grasp." Yippee!
This week was also remarkable, because we got our travel dates! We're to be in Addis on Friday, December 8th, which means we'll leave Minneapolis on the 7th. Our embassy date is currently scheduled for the following Tuesday the 12th, but we're going a few days early because we will be traveling to the Southern Regions. CHSFS and the care center in Addis have recently begun arranging two-day trips for adoptive parents who are interested in seeing the region from which most of our children come. We'll travel, with other families, about 8 hours south (about 100 miles) to the city of Hossana, where CHSFS sponsors an orphange. This region is where many many of the children adopted via CHSFS are from, and the orphanage there serves as a drop-off center for children both relinquished by their families, or abandonded and brought in by someone else. We know Mesay spent the month of July in Hossana, and we're anxious to see the area. Also, there is a possiblity of meeting members of her birth family while there, and that's an opportunity we wouldn't miss for the world!

The night before...

2006-09-17T19:08:00.000-05:00

...the big news!
"Big news?" you ask. Ok, maybe you don't.

This blog is intended for family and friends, so they can follow our adoption from Ethiopia.

The Big News? Well, a week ago Friday, Sept. 8 at 3 p.m. Central Daylight Time, Julia got a call from CHSFS saying they may have a possible match for us. How exciting! And how frightening. Because additional tests had been done on this little girl, and we chose to wait for this medical information. All we've known is that it's a girl, age 10 months, who, according to the social worker, "looks pretty healthy."

It's been a long ten days- worrying, waiting, and hoping for the good health of a little girl on the other side of the world, who may or may not turn out to be our daughter.

And then on Saturday, an email from the agency, no message, but an attachment: a report from a laboratory in Addis, reporting that the girl is fine after all. And a name: Messay. Thrilling! But it was too late, at that point, to get more info- ALL the info CHSFS has on this little girl.

So here we've sat, all weekend, waiting. And wondering. Talking and planning. And feeling surpisingly peaceful, looking forward to tomorrow morning.

So that's why tonight is "the night before." The night before we just might become parents to a little girl on the other side of the world.