Mother's Weekend

Celebrating my first Mother's Day was fabulous! The weather was beautiful and I was able to spend the day outside with my family. Joseph even surprised me with flowers that he picked out himself! It is so awesome being a momma.

Something about this weekend, though, that many people don't know is that the day before the traditional "Mother's Day" is a day called "Birthmother's Day." This year we celebrated Birthmother's Day in a special way. We framed a picture of Joseph's birthmother and I from Ethiopia and put it in Joseph's room. We had been debating for a while about when we would show him this picture. Originally, we thought about waiting until he was older to show him, but recently we thought, "Why not now?" I think putting the picture in his room when he first arrived home would have been confusing, but he certainly has formed a strong bond with the two of us now. Plus, I wanted him to see the picture now while he still could remember her.

So we did it! When we showed him the picture, he immediately pointed to me in the picture, and said "Momma!" I then pointed to his birthmother and said, "This is your birthmother," and then back to me, "and this is momma." I do think he remembered her, but just wasn't quite sure what to think since it has been 9 months since he has seen her. We now have the picture sitting on his dresser in his room.

It was awesome to be able to honor Joseph's birthmother by doing this. She is such a strong and amazing woman and it is so important for Joseph to grow up knowing that. This Mother's Weekend I thank God for Joseph's birthmother and for the amazing gift that she and our Heavenly Father have given us.

Happy Birthday Joseph!

Today our sweet baby turns 2!! We celebrated this weekend with a cake and will be going out for Ethiopian food later in the week. Next month we plan on having a big celebration when Grandma and Grandpa Galbraith are in town. If you can't tell by the video, Joseph thought the cake was pretty cool!

He is Risen!!

This weekend, in addition to celebrating the resurrection of our Saviour, we were also able to share some of our family traditions with Joseph. We dyed eggs, participated in multiple Easter egg hunts, and Joseph even found a little Easter surprise waiting for him Easter morning. We feel so blessed to have Joseph as part of our family and to be able to share the joy of celebrating our Risen Lord!







1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...

Daddy's Boy

One thing that we weren't expecting after bringing Joseph home is how quickly he would attach to the men in his life. He absolutely adores his Dad, Grandpas, and Uncles. In fact, when we are all together he immediately gravitates to the men. The reason we were surprised is that there were few, if any, male caregivers at the orphanage. We weren't sure how he would respond to the men in his life. I must say I think it is very cute how much he LOVES his daddy. At times, I admit, I am a bit jealous but it is so amazing to see my husband in that role and the incredible bond that they have already formed.

And you will never believe this, Joseph likes to dress like his Daddy too! :)

Take me out to the ballgame

It was opening weekend in St. Louis and we were excited for Joseph to get to experience Cardinal nation at Busch stadium! We were so proud of our little man who lasted all the way to the 8th innning - pretty impressive for an almost 2 year old. Let's just say his daddy was proud.

Lots of Firsts

Things are still going great with our new family of three. We seem to grow more and more in love with Joseph by the day. He is such a sweet and fun little guy. One of the best parts of the last few weeks has been to experience so many "firsts" with him. Here is a sampling of a few of them. . . .

First train ride


First dental appointment


First time to the top of the arch


First swim


First snow (yes in March)


First birthday party

One Month Ago

One month ago yesterday, we attended the Farewell Ceremony at the orphanage where Joseph was living and then he spent his first night with his momma! The farewell ceremony was emotional and memorable. One of the nannies brought Joseph down wearing a traditional Ethiopian outfit and then we were serenaded by some of the children in the orphanage. The children who were also leaving with their families that day then cut a farewell cake for everyone. Joseph ate every last piece of his cake and then we made our way out the gates for the last time and on to the bus.





So much has happened since we left those gates of the orphanage. While Joseph seems to be adjusting incredibly well and is certainly bonding with mom and dad, there are times when we know he is grieving over what he had to say goodbye to on that day. And we grieve with him knowing the heartache that even a child at his age can bear. Fortunately, we have the foresight to know that he will certainly be loved by our family. As a child, though, he is not able to see what his future with us holds. As I have reflected on this over the past month I have thought - isn't this a reflection of our relationship with our heavenly Father? We don't understand the trials, tribulations, and hard times here on earth but one day we will see our creator face-to-face and know fully how perfect His plan was.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1 Cor 13:11-12

The Ups and Downs of Week 2

It is hard to believe that we have been home over 2 weeks! Here is a recap of the last week with our little man.

The UPS of week 2
- NEW WORDS! baby, water, hot, "brush your teeth", bannana, hello, and most importantly TIGER (still working on "M-I-Z")
- success on the potty (#1 and #2) - is that TMI?
- class at The Little Gym
- blood work that came back negative!!
- visiting with Grandpa and Grandpa Galbraith



The DOWNS of week 2
- ER visit and pneumonia :(
- bilateral ear infections
- trying to get Joseph to take his medications
- lots of bloodwork, stool samples, xrays, immunizations at his first doctor appt



Although, we had a few bumps over the last week with Joseph's health he is doing MUCH better now. Overall things are going great. We feel like he is bonding really well with us. Our favorite part of the day is at night when he gives each of us big hugs and kisses before going to bed. He goes back and forth multiple times between the two of us and it just melts our hearts! We know that our successful transition is due to the fact that we have been covered in prayer by so many friends and family during this time. Thank you all again!

Speaking of bonding. . . since things are going well we would love to start having visitors!! We think he is certainly ready to meet all of his new family and friends so please call and find a time to come visit!!

And of course, some video for your viewing pleasure. As you can see he loves to sing and dance and really loves his Daddy!!

One week home

Joseph has been home now for a week and things are going very well. It is amazing how resilient the little guy is after all that he has been through. He seems to be bonding with "momma" and "ababa" and getting used to the new routine. We have been amazed at the English he is already picking up. So far he can say doggy, momma, cat, bye, and monkey. We've also picked up a handful of words in Amharic that he uses often which has been helpful in communicating with him. We've had a blast this week with the warm weather visiting parks and playing outside.

We've discovered this list of likes/dislikes over the last week:

LIKES: "Makenas" (Amharic for cars), eating, baths, reading books, anything that lights up or makes noises (basically anything with batteries), eating, dogs, looking at himself in the mirror, swinging, slides, and did I mention eating?

DISLIKES: vegetables, waiting for mommy to make his meals (he wants it the moment he sees it), any food that is cold, dirty hands

We feel so blessed to have this amazing child as part of our lives!!

For those of you who would like to see more photos of our welcome home celebration at the airport, visit this link.(username: Joseph G password: 11046). My friends Ashley and Lana photo-documented the big event for us. This is something I will forever treasure!! Lana owns Art & Soul Photography which I would highly recommend checking out if you are looking for a photographer for any occasion.

Our friends Stephanie and James, who are also in the process of adopting from Ethiopia were also at the celebration and took video of the event. The video can be viewed here.

Finally!!

Well, after over 19 hours on a plane . . .



And 3 airports later. . .



We touched down in St. Louis . . .



And Joseph is finally home!



Daddy was so happy to see him. . .



And so was grandma and grandpa. . .





Now we are at home adjusting to life as a family of three - and it has been great! Praise God from whom all blessings flow.



I promise more pictures in the near future. :)

Almost time to come home...

Things are still going really well here in Ethiopia. On Monday, we attended the farewell ceremony at Joseph’s orphanage which was very cute. All of the children that were going home with their parents were wearing traditional Ethiopian outfits and they all sang a song and then cut a cake together. They gave Joseph this knife that was about a foot long to cut the cake with, which was interesting. He knew exactly what to do, though. It was really cute. Yesterday we had our interviews at the Embassy and things went well there also. They will have our visa ready to pick up tomorrow and then we will be flying out tomorrow evening.

So far, being a mommy has been going well too. I made it through the first meal, bath, nap, bedtime, and very large BM without any problems. Joseph is such a sweet, sweet boy. For the most part he is very laid back, especially around strangers. He has certainly warmed up to grandma and I, though, and we have seen lots of laughs and giggles. We have also been chatting via google video chat with Jack too and Joseph loves seeing him. He points to his face on the screen and waves and says, “Abba” which means daddy. I can’t wait to get him home so daddy can hold him!

Super Sunday in Ethiopia

Sunday was another great day in Ethiopia! We attended a church service in the city and then in the afternoon we visited Mount Entoto (10,000 feet high!) as well as a museum. I have been trying to take in as much of the Ethiopian culture as I can so I can share it with Joseph as he grows older.

I wanted to also post some more pictures of the trip to Hosana we took on Saturday. These are pictures of the landscape on the way there as well as one of the thatch huts. We actually just pulled over to the side of the road and asked this family if we could see the inside of their home. They were more than happy to show us around. The pictures show the inside of the hut with a fire burning, a kitchen area, and a bed all in the same room! The hut next door housed 6 cows and chickens. What an experience. I was excited to get these pictures as Joseph was born in the same kind of home!

Today is day number one of being a full-time mommy! This afternoon, Joseph’s orphanage will have a farewell ceremony and then he will stay at the orphanage with us the rest of the trip. I am so excited!

Meeting Joseph's Birth Mother

Today was a day that will be etched in my memory forever. This morning we woke up early to travel 3 hours south of the capital to a town called Hosana. Hosana is the location of the orphanage where Joseph was first brought to and where our agency arranged a meeting with Joseph’s birth mother. The drive there was absolutely breathtaking – the scenery was amazing.

We learned that Joseph’s birthmother was from an area south of Hosana, and in order to get to Hosana to meet us she had to walk 3 hours just to get to the road and then take another 1 hour bus ride. Wow! Needless to say, I was very nervous about this much anticipated meeting. I knew that I wanted to reassure her that we would love Joseph with all of our hearts, but I also wanted to get as much information as possible about her and her family to be able to share with him when he is older.

She walked into the room at the orphanage and I was immediately in awe of her beauty. It was amazing how much she and Joseph look alike! We immediately embraced with a long and emotional hug. I then showed her pictures of Jack and I as well as our parents and nieces. She really liked seeing the family. Next I gave her a book of pictures of Joseph that I had put together for her to keep. She opened up to the first page and immediately kissed his picture with tears rolling down her face. It was so obvious how much she loves him. I was able to ask her questions about where he was born, his family, the meaning behind his name, as well as what she wanted Joseph to remember about her. It will be so special to be able to share these memories with Joseph one day.

After asking her questions, she had a few things to ask me and then I read a touching letter that Jack had written her since he couldn’t be there. Last, she told me how important it was for Joseph to be raised in a Christian home. We both cried together as I promised her that Joseph would be raised in a family who loves the Lord. I told her that if we and Joseph weren’t able to see her again on this Earth, that we would certainly be reunited again in heaven. Before leaving I prayed for her and her family and then we embraced again before saying goodbye.

We Made It!

Today we arrived in Ethiopia around 800am after our 12 hour flight from DC. We flew on Ethiopian airlines new Boeing 777 which was very nice. Our flight was uneventful. . . . well except for the fact that they paged for "any medical professional that may be on board to report to the front of the plane" about 2 hours into the flight. Lucky me, I was the only one on board. This will make for interesting conversation in the future, but for now we have more important things to talk about!

After checking into our guest house and having lunch, we went to Joseph's orphanage to see him. It was SO wonderful to be re-united with him again. We spent about 3 hours one-on-one with him which was nice as I think this will help to ease him into things. He was very apprehensive at first, but eventually was warmed up and cracked several smiles. We also saw our first tears today which I think is due to the fact that he is a bit under the weather. The orphanage doctor started him on Augmentin several days okay, so hopefully it will kick in by the time we bring him home. He also got a haircut since we saw him last - it is certainly cute, but I think I am going to let it grow again. :) Tomorrow we will go back to spend more time with him before heading out to visit his birth family this weekend.

Please continue to pray over the next week for Joseph's health as well as for his transition to his forever family.

On our way!!

I can't believe this day has finally arrived. I have been looking forward to this trip for almost two years now and it almost feels surreal that it is happening. Today we will leave from DC to Ethiopia. We will reunite with Joseph and spend time with him at his orphanage on Friday, and then on Saturday and Sunday we will travel to the town where Joseph was born and will have a chance to meet with his birthmother. On Monday we will be briefed for the embassy appointment, Tuesday attend our Embassy appt, and then pick up our visa and head home on Thursday arriving back in the US on Friday afternoon. I plan to try to blog while there about all of these exciting adventures!

We are so excited for all of you to meet Joseph. He has no idea how many people back here already love him so much and are so eager to meet him. When we return home from Ethiopia, however, you may think that we have fallen off the face of the Earth, disappeared, disowned all of our family and friends, decided to move back to Ethiopia, or that we just plain don't like you anymore! Please don't be offended - we promise none of these are true! We will be on "lockdown" mode for several weeks. While we do look forward to introducing Joseph to all of our friends and family. . . we first need to introduce him to...well...us! It will be important for us to spend several weeks together as a family while Joseph gets acquainted with us and as we form the relationship of Daddy and Mommy with him. We really want to show off our Ethiopain prince, but we know this is a necessary step to help with Joseph's adjustment and attachment. We know that the new environment, new language, new food, new family, new everything will likely be overwhelming so we know we will have to take things slow so we don't overwhelm him.

We do, however, want to invite any of our family and friends who might be off for the afternoon of the 11th to join us at the airport for a meet and greet!! This will be your big chance before our several week lockdown to catch a glimpse of our little man. Jack plans to keep everyone updated on the time and place. So please contact him if you want to come!!

We beat the snow!

Wow - the past several days have been a whirlwind. Yesterday we decided to hop on a plane at the last minute to DC to "get out while we could." Considering a storm of historic proportions is expected we knew we had to leave quick. I was not letting a BLIZZARD WARNING keep me from Joseph. After de-icing the plane we were off, and made it safely to DC last night. We are camping out at a hotel today and will board a flight for Addis Ababa tomorrow morning at 1100am. We did receive confirmation of our February 8th Embassy appointment this morning which was also a relief!

Thanks for all of your prayers and please everyone back home be safe in the snow!!

Cleared for travel!

We got the call today that we have been waiting for! Our social worker called this morning to tell us that the US Embassy in Ethiopia has cleared us to travel. Our agency is asking the Embassy for a Feb 8th appointment date, but we won't know for sure if we will get that date until Monday morning. We were told that if we get the date we will need to be in Ethiopia on Feb 3rd. This means that we will find out if we get the embassy appointment on Monday and then have to leave on Tuesday! Wow - nothing like short notice. If we don't get the Feb 8th date, then we are optimistic it will be very soon thereafter.

It has been obvious to us over the past couple weeks how truly perfect His timing has been throughout this journey, and we know that today was an answer to prayer. Thank you God!

Waiting for a Visa

We learned today that all of the necessary documents have been submitted to the US Embassy in Ethiopia and we are finally just waiting our turn to be called to travel. As I mentioned earlier there is a backlog at the Embassy so we are not sure when we will get that call. Presently, the US Embassy in Ethiopia only issues 10 visas every 2 weeks to our adoption agency, and our agency has at least 30 children waiting for visas. The upcoming Embassy dates are Feb 1st, Feb 15th, March 1st, and March 15th. We are praying that we will get called for one of these dates. Some of the families have had as little as 24-48 hours notice to travel. Yikes! I'm going to get packed up this weekend so when we get the call we are ready to go!

Thank you all for your prayers - they continue to be answered. We're praying now that all goes smoothly with the Embassy and that our forever family is reunited again soon.

Answered prayers

Today we received our monthly update on Joseph. We were happy to hear that he has remained healthy throughout the month and has gained almost a pound putting him just over 20 pounds. Praise God for these answered prayers! This was something we had been specifically praying for over the last month - ALL glory to God! We were also excited that one of the pictures that was sent was of him holding the photo book that we had made for him. It has pictures of us, our family, and his room in it. The social worker said that he smiled when he saw the picture of himself on the front page. As for other development he seems to be doing well - his gross and fine motor skills are certainly on track. His language development seems to be a bit behind, but we are not really concerned right now about that because Amharic is actually his second language. The language that was spoken with his birth parents was a different language. This means that English will be his third language in 2 years - so we know it will take time.

We also received news this week that his birth certificate and Ethiopian passport have been secured. Now we are just waiting for our agency to submit our information to the US Embassy so they can assign us a date to pick up our visa to bring him home. For multiple complicated reasons there is a SEVERE backlog at the embassy right now and it looks like it may be several more months before we travel to pick him up. We are completely heartbroken right now about this. We know that God does answer prayers so we ask for your prayers for our situation in the weeks to come.

1 John 5:14-15
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Merry Christmas

Joseph - your stocking has been hung by the chimney with care in hopes that you would soon be there. We can't wait to get you home - your presents are waiting.

Just waiting . . .

Many people are wondering what is next. Well, unfortunately, it is just more of the same. . .waiting. You might think I am getting used to this waiting game by now, but it is honestly just getting harder by the day. I wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night with Joseph on my mind. Knowing he is half a world away breaks my heart.

So what are we waiting for? First the team in Ethiopia is working on securing a birth certificate with Joseph's new last name on it. After getting the birth certificate they will work on securing his passport. Finally, after both of these are obtained our agency will apply for an embassy date. We were told that this could take anywhere from 4-6 weeks.

In the meantime we are trying to use the wait to allow God to increase our faith and deepen our trust. No one uses timing better than the One who created time.

"He's Yours"

December 8, 2010

Today was a day full of bittersweet emotion. Sweet because we passed court and are officially a family of three, but bitter because we had to say goodbye to our son for at least 4-6 weeks. . .

We arrived early at the Ethiopian courts this morning to appear before the judge. There were 7 other families with us from our agency and we were all nervous. The agency had prepped us as to what the judge might ask, but we were still a bit anxious. We were one of the last couples to be called in. The judge asked us several questions including, “Do you have any children?”, “Have you spent time learning about the Ethiopian culture?”, and “Are you capable of raising a child of another race and culture?”. And the final question she asked was, “Do you realize this is permanent?” to which we of course responded yes. And then she said the words that will change our life forever. “He’s Yours!” All of the other couples from our agency also passed so we went for Ethiopian coffee to celebrate afterwards.

After lunch, we were able to make one last stop at the orphanage. It was a very short stop just to say goodbye. They had to wake Joseph up early from his afternoon nap so he was a little groggy when we were there. We played for just a short time in the playroom and then had to say goodbye. It was so very hard to leave him, but seeing how wonderful the nannies are and how he thrives in his classroom comforts us.

This has certainly been an amazing trip for both of us. All glory and praise to our Heavenly Father who has had this family of three in His plan since the beginning of time. Thank you God for this most precious gift you have given us.

The Daily Grind

Dear Joseph,

We got to visit you at the orphanage again today. It was so wonderful to get to see you and hold you again. Today was very special because we got a glimpse into what everyday life is for you right now. Dad picked you up first thing this morning and was in for a surprise. We think you may have had a lot to drink for breakfast because your diaper and your shorts were all wet! We followed one of your nannies who took you to your room and changed your diaper. What a great photo-opportunity that was, we will use those pictures to embarrass you in the future! While they were changing your diaper we met all three of your day-shift nannies: Genet, Abaynesh, and BeadYaie. They all love you so much and take really good care of you. I can tell they think you’re really special. We got to see where you sleep each night and apparently you are no longer sleeping in a crib. It looks like we have some work to do when we get home-converting your crib to a toddler bed!

Next, it was time to go outside and play. We can tell you love to play outside, it’s hard to get you away from that soccer ball! After we played for a bit it was time for lunch. We were able to watch you and your friends eat lunch. You were really good at using a spoon to eat your meal and only needed a little help. After lunch you and your friends sat in a row and the nannies sang songs with you. Our favorite song was one where you all took turns pointing at the boy or girl whose name was being called out by the nannies. You know all the names of your friends and point to each one at the right time. After song time it was time for potty training. The nannies took you and all your friends and put you each on training potties in the bathroom. You all sat there together and sang a song about poop and pee, it was really cute! You get to do this twice a day for twenty minutes each time. Maybe you will be close to being potty trained when you come home; we’re not counting on it though…

After your potty training session it was nap time. We were sad because that mean it was time for us to go for the day. It was harder today to leave than it was yesterday. I’m sure it will be even harder tomorrow because that will be the last time we will get to hold you this trip. We took so many pictures and movies of you so we would have something to look at and watch while we are waiting the 4-6 weeks until it’s time for you to come home. Tomorrow is a big day for your mom and dad as we have to appear in the Ethiopian court to finalize the adoption. Can’t wait to see you again tomorrow.

Love,

Mom and Dad

In Our Arms

Dear Joseph,

After holding you in our hearts for over 20 months, today, for the first time, we held you in our arms. This is a day we will never forget.

We woke up bright and early this morning in anticipation of meeting you and after what seemed like eternity we finally made it to the orphanage around 3:00pm. We were one of the last families to arrive at the orphanage. The other families that were there to meet your friends were already in one of your playrooms playing together with some new toys. When we walked up, we saw you standing at the front door of the room with that same precious and innocent face that was in all of the pictures. We bent down to talk to you, but I think you were a little overwhelmed by all of the visitors that were there.

Our first impression was that you were so small – smaller than we had imagined after seeing the pictures. We fell in love with that beautiful face of yours all over again. Using a few toys to lure you, soon you were on our laps and in our arms. You were definitely the most laid back of all the children in the room – but I think you were also one of the youngest. We loved watching you play with the soccer ball and kick it in the courtyard – and you were good at it! Several of the other parents even commented on that.

We were supposed to spend our time playing with all of the children at the orphanage, but it was so hard not to focus on just you. At the end of our time, you started to open up a bit as we were rolling the ball back and forth to each other – and I think we almost got a smile from you! We love you and can’t wait to bring you home.

Love,

Mom and Dad

We're here!!!

December 5th 8:45 am
After a long flight we made it to our guest house in Ethiopia last night around 10:00pm. We are now up and getting ready to have breakfast and then they are taking us to do a little shopping at the market until it's time for us to visit the orphanage. I told Jack this morning that I feel like a kid on Christmas morning - we can't wait to meet Joseph!! I will do my best to update later this evening.

On Our Way!

Well - we have successfully made it through the 1st leg of our trip and we now sit at Dulles International Airport in DC. We have a 5 and a half hour layover here and then we will be boarding Ethiopian Airlines for the 14 hour flight to Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia. The flight is direct except for the pit stop in Rome to refuel - unfortunately though we won't be able to leave the aircraft at that stop. We are surrounded by Ethiopians here in our terminal and it is making us so excited!! In about 24 hours we will be holding our son for the first time. . .

We are hoping to be able to blog while in country but we will have to see what the internet connection is and what our schedule is like. Thanks again for all of your prayers.

Our social butterfly

We are only days from getting to see our son in person, so we were so excited to get an update today from the orphanage!! It sounds like things are still going really well as our update indicated that his developmental progress has been excellent. Over the last month, he has begun using more words, has gained about 1 pound, and apparently has become a social butterfly. The social worker said that he knows all of his friends by name. When she asked him to point out his friends, he pointed to all of them without any mistake. They also said that he has begun climbing on his crib and jumping over it . . . it looks like we may be switching over to that toddler bed sooner than expected. :)

We're busy packing and tying up some loose ends before we leave, but we'll post one last time before we are in the air! Thanks to all of our friends and family who have been praying for us this week.

Future MU Football player??

This week we received our monthly update from Ethiopia. We were thrilled to get 15 more pictures as well as an update on our son's developmental progress. We are VERY proud parents this month - this must be what it feels like when your child brings home an impressive report card.

We learned that he is "attempting to run when he wants to catch his ball, climbing upstairs using his knees and hands, building towers of six blocks and walking backwards well." They commented again on how "friendly and charming" he was and that he loves to be "cuddled and hugged." Of course the part of the report that Jack loved was that he can, "throw and roll the ball two feet." MU Football - watch out - I think we may have a quaterback on our hands.

Praise God for answered prayers and for watching over and loving our son while we wait for him to come home.