Well I would LOVE to say the Kadin and Lennox are the best of brother, but that would not be true!  I can say that Kadin and Lennox are starting to tolerate each other more and more everyday.  I do see that Lennox is picking up on Kadin bad attitude.  Lennox like to throw tantrum already.  He will look to the side and grunt when he is mad.  When I try to comfort him, he will throw himself on the ground and scream. 

As for Lennox, he is doing pretty good.  He is eating everything in site and is a growing growing boy.  He has figured out that he can run and jump.  He love to take things apart and try and put them back together.  He sat and took apart a water spray bottle and placed small toys in it and put the cap on.  He did this over and over again.  He is also starting to talk more.  He isn't saying any useful words, but he is starting to talk.  He says Momma, Hi, Bye, Bella (my sister's dog), Lobo (my mother's dog), No, and a word that sounds like thank you.  I wish he would say more, please, drink, eat, and/or bites. 

Will update more later
Jessica

Update for April

Well no real big news here.  Kadin and Lennox still don't really like each other.  Lennox is picking up on Kadin's little attitude.  Lennox isn't talking yet but he has an attitude problem.  If you do something that he doesn't like, he will look right at you and grunt really loud.  He is also starting to hit when he is upset.

So I finally got a stool sample in for Lennox (bc of a mix up at the lab) and it turns out he has Giardia.  Well Kadin started to poop just like Lennox so he has Giardia too.  The antibiotic that the doctor put them on is rare and I still do not have it.  It has been 5 days since the diagnosis, so I am hoping I get the drug soon to treat these poopy boys. 

The pictures above show Kadin in the car when he was 15 months and Lennox in the car right now being 15 months.  Lennox looks so much older than Kadin did at 15 months.   One of the pictures is of the two of them under the high chair.  They some how wedged themselves in tight that I had to lift up the high chair to get them out.  Silly boys.

Like I said nothing real big to update.
more later

Jessica

Lennox Update

Well I went back to work after 6 weeks of being off and it was horrible.  Lennox was not fond of daycare the first week so it made it hard to leave him.  I have been trying to teach him that I am his provider, his one and only caregiver.  He has had so many over the first year of his life, I didn't want him to think I was ever leaving him.  We established a great bond during those 6 weeks and then I had to leave him in the arms of strangers.  The ladies at daycare are amazing and they love him so much.  He has been going to daycare for 2 weeks now and he is doing great.  He cries when I leave him in the morning with a teacher that is not his, but as soon as his teacher gets there he is fine. 

Kadin is still being a stinker, but I have high hopes that he will get over his jealousy at some point.  A lady at work said it took her son 5 years to start liking his baby sister.  I am not sure I can handle 5 years of "He is looking out my window" "He is looking at me"  "There are to many people in the house" "He needs to go to bed now". 

The bad moment are worth it when I have little happy moments.  Kadin had to stop playing soccer last week because he needed to go off the field and give Lennox a hug and a kiss.  He is trying so hard to be a good big brother, but it is hard for him to share the world he has been the center of for 3 years. 

I took Lennox to get his picture taken last week and he didn't do very good, but out of the 60 pictures that they took I got about 8 good ones.  I will post a couple for everyone to see.  I am excited for Kadin to hopefully be a willing participant in the next photo session.

more later
Jessica

It has been how long????

Well I have a hard time believing that it has only been a little over 3 weeks since coming home.  It feels as though it has been forever.  He has transitioned beautifully.  He started crawling around about a week after being home.  A couple days ago he started walking.  He is only taking a few steps, but he is so excited and proud of himself for those steps. 

I am currently in the process of readopting Lennox.  This process is done so that he can get a US birth certificate (much easier to get than one in Ethiopia).  This process will also change his name and allow the United States to recognize the adoption as final.  This entire process should be done in a few months. 

Lennox is still drinking from a bottle, but I am trying really hard to get him to a sippy cup.  He is having a difficult time with table food, doesn't like to eat anything that he actually has to chew.  He is sleeping through the night with only one nap through the daytime.  Now if only I can get Kadin to leave him alone at night.  Kadin doesn't like to share toys during the day, but love to give him food, toys, candy, and everything else inappropriate at night.

Overall he is a very easy and happy baby.

more later
jessica

Is it really over...

Well folks it has been a long journey, but it is officially over.  I think my last post was right before I went to embassy.  Well that was a day.  The lady that I went to embassy with was adopting a little girl that is 16 months.  Embassy day is the first real day that you have with  your child.  No nanny looking over your shoulder telling you what to do, no other families entertaining your child so you can go to the bathroom, it is only you and the child that you so desperately want and don't even know.  Lennox did great, he was just sitting on my lap looking around.  About 5 minutes into being there he had explosive diarrhea, which was no biggie.  I took him to the bathroom and changed his clothes.  I got back to my seat and the women I was there with, Julie, asked if I could watch her daughter Hiwot.  I said sure and off Julie went to the restroom.  20 minutes later and 2 screaming kids later I asked an American lady sitting next to me if she could go check on Julie.  Well Julie was sick and could not get out of the bathroom.  My already semi-stressful day just went through the roof.  I know had to watch 2 children that I did not really know.  Julie's name got called my the embassy and I grabbed both kids, Lennox know in a carrier on my hip, up to the window to notify them that I would go get Julie from the bathroom.  My name was called about 20 minutes later to which I had to answer a few simple questions.  "Did you meet the child before court?" "Did you know the mother was raped?" "Do you know this is final?" and "Do not open the immigration packet, give it to immigration in Washington".  That was it, the adoption was finally done, we just needed US soil for him to be declared a US citizen!!

That evening I caught the bug that Julie had and it continued into Wednesday and Thursday.  We boarded the plane Thursday The plane ride was very eventful.  Lennox explosive diarrhea continued onto the 17 hour plane ride.  He screamed out of frustration and being overly tired the entire time.  I was the crazy lady on the plane that could not get control over her child.  By the time the flight was over, I had been up over 30 hours and still had a 4 hour layover and another flight.  The layover was quick because of immigration and finally feeling good enough to get something to eat.  I also accidentally checked the bottles for Lennox and had to hunt the airport to find a bottle.  He was so hungry and frustrated with me that he slept on the 2 hour plane ride home. 

We were met by my mother, sister Angie, and Kadin at the hospital.  Kadin had the biggest grin on his face and he finally said Lennox's name.  He has been insisting his name is Clinton and it was nice to hear that he said "My Lennox home". 

It has been three days and Lennox and I are very sleep still.  We have been going to bed at 8pm and waking up at 3am.  Lennox is up from 3-5am and then goes down for  nap from 5-8am.  He then takes another nap at noon.  His poor little body is still on Ethiopian time so he thinks that noon his 9pm and is ready for bed.  I wake him up anywhere from 3-4 which does not make for a happy baby. 

Well that is it for now, but I will leave you with some pictures.....

 first cookie

 embassy day (Julie, Hiwot, Me, Lennox)

 first car ride!

 all the families at the guest house

 first night together

 religious holiday parade in the street the day we leave for airport

 waiting at airport for dinner

Back in St. Louis!!!!

more later
jessica

Oh Ethiopia

I so wish that I could say that I love being here, but I can't.  Don't get me wrong I love being here with Lennox and am excited to get him home where I can keep him warm and get good food in  his belly.  The people and the staff here at the transition home are amazing.  The staff here are not the same as last time, but they all seem to love their jobs and the children. 

Yesterday I was playing with Lennox and he was starting to get a little fussy.  This is not like Lennox at all, he is the most laid back 1 year old I have ever met.  I stood him up so that I could hug on him and he had explosive diarrhea.  It went down his legs and up his back.  I took him up to the room to change him and he through a fit.  He was screaming his head off and had the biggest tears rolling down his face.  I cleaned him up and picked him up to comfort him and he gave me the biggest hug to date.  His little arms squeezed my neck and he stopped crying immediately.  It was a very sweet mommy moment. 

Everyday morning when I go back to his room to pick him up he stares at me like he is mad at me.  The nannies hand him to me and we go back into the guest house to play.  Throughout the day random people that work here will walk by him and try to take him from me and he turns his head from them.  By the end of the night when he goes back to his room, he cries when the nannies take him from my arms.  He doesn't cry long, but it is a good sign that he is bonding to me while here. 

I have to take him out to the Embassy today, so that should be an adventure.  I just hope that we don't have an explosive diarrhea episode while out and about today.  I won't post again until home in the states.  Sorry for no pictures, but my camera and computer are not working.


more later
jessica

I'm here

Well everyone I left on Thursday to head to the airport at noon bc my flight left at 2pm.  Well I got on the plane at 2:15pm, we pulled away from the gate and began the de-icing, and anti-ice process.  The pilot did his final check and realized that while we were waiting to be de/anti-iced the cable on the plane froze.  We sat out on the tarmac for 2 hours when the pilot decided that we needed to head back to the gate.  Nice idea except their were no gate available for another 45 minutes.  The pilot got us back to the gate at 4:45 and on a new plane at 5:15.  It has been smooth sailing from there. 

I arrived in Ethiopia Saturday Morning at 8:00am and found the director.  He said that we would be waiting for other couple that were here for their first trip.  There is a couple here meeting their daughter for the first time (15 months), this will be their 5th daughter.  Another couple is here meeting their son (4 months) and daughter (11 months) for the first time, this make their 4/5 child.  There is another couple here with their already 4 children meeting their son (5 years) for the first time.  There are also 2 couple leaving with their children.  One couple taking home a 13 month old little boy and another couple take home 11 month old twin boy and girl.  It is a great day in the transition home.

After I meet everyone, I went to get Lennox from the nannies.  He whimpered at first, but as soon as I walked away from the nanny he was fine.  He is so attached to the nannies, it is sad to think that he is going to lose the only "family" that he knows.  I played with Lennox and the other babies all afternoon until it was time for dinner.  I let the nanny take Lennox for dinner and for the night.  I figure why break the nannies heart again by taking Lennox away from them when they already lost 3 babies today.  The nannies were so upset when the babies left today and I can see it in their faces every time I see them with Lennox.  They know that they will only have this precious little boy in their arms for a couple for day. 

Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow or Monday, but I do know that I will be spending plenty of time with my little man. 

more later
jessica

Soon!!!

Soon I will be boarding a plane to go pick up Lennox!!!  The birth mother went to her appointment January 4th and confirmed all the data that the US Embassy needed.  I got word that same day that my case had passed the US Embassy and that I needed to give word when I could come out for my US Embassy appointment.  I told them that I could board a plane immediately.  The US Embassy stated that their first available appointment was January 17th.  I booked my flight and hotel today and I have Lennox's bag all packed and ready to go.

I talked in my last post about a women named Nicole that I meet in Ethiopia on my first trip.  She had her Embassy date this past Tuesday and she said it was super easy.  She only had to answer a couple of basic questions and was told by the Embassy that her daughter's paperwork would be ready the next day.  She has been sending me pics and video of Lennox.  She has given me the best gift ever by getting Lennox everyday while she is there.  Her and her mother Dee have been playing with Lennox daily, talking photos, and loving on him.  She had been giving me the heads up on what to expect next week. 

more later
jessica