Friends

Last weekend was HEAVENLY! I had 24 hours with my three best college friends EVER - Makila, Tiffany, and Leslie!!! We ate and talked and walked and shopped and laughed and cried and told stories about our kids and remembered "the olden days" before our now 13 children (between the 4 of us) entered onto the scene...

With these ladies, I feel like I don't have to TRY, you know? They know me, they like me anyway. No pressure, no pretending, no "putting on a happy face," no competing with each other in ways that "friends" sometimes do...just being together, enjoying each other's company, learning from each other, encouraging one another, offering mama-ing advice to one another...pure BLISS.

My parents graciously hosted the four of us (well, the five of us actually...Abraham came along for the ride because I wasn't quite ready to leave him yet!), and my mom outdid herself - a big brunch, egg casserole, monkey bread, fresh pineapple, yummy flavored coffee, and for late-night dessert, a variety of cheesecakes. {Sigh, happy sigh}.

The four of us girls are (somewhat seriously) contemplating a trip to a more exotic destination than Omaha. We joked (we were joking, right?) about waiting 'til our kiddos are grown, and planning a 2035 trip to Mexico or the Caribbean. But decided we needed something a little closer to home, a little sooner than 2035...so we might shoot for an excursion down to my folks' condo in Florida in the next 3-5 years (ish). Who knows?!? :)

Alright, I'll close then with a photo of the four of us girls...



My dear, dear friends - Makila (aka Milk), Me, Tiffany (aka Wifnut or Wifnutballhead), and Leslie (aka Les or Party Girl) :)

A Few Photos (and Not Much Else!)

We carved pumpkins not too long ago, and here are our results!




Evelyn at the Children's Museum, making mama a pizza :)




We took these purple dress photos to send to each of the girls' sponsored kiddos in Ethiopia (through Compassion International). I love this one of Evie because it speaks to her (sometimes) shy and reserved nature.



Here's Sylvia at the Children's Museum. Hard to tell, but she's driving a tractor in this shot. :)



Syl's purple dress photo. I love this one because Sylvie is always being silly, and this is a genuine, unforced silly Sylvie smile! :)




Abraham's first trip to the Children's Museum. He LOVED all of the water, not surprising considering the amount of water he splashes out of the tub during each and every bath. :)



He sure is a handsome little boy - those curls, those eyes, those eyelashes, that beautiful skin, that adorable nose, those perfect little lips and that AMAZING smile!!!

How We're Adjusting: Nearly 1 Month Home

It's hard to believe that it's only been one month that we've been home with Abraham...it seems like he's been a part of our family for so much longer. He just fits, if that makes any sense. It's a really beautiful feeling, this sense of PEACE that he - his specific, individual little self with all of his personality and unique characteristics - is the one whom God knew we needed next in this family He is building for us. :)

That said, I'm going to try dividing the rest of this post into "topics" to try and address some of the most frequently asked questions we've received thus far:

a) How does Abraham seem to be adjusting?

Abraham seems to be adjusting incredibly well! He laughs and smiles often, and is very alert and interested in his new environment. He has gone from eating smaller feedings often (i.e. 3 or 4 oz/per feeding around the clock) to fewer (usually 8 oz) feedings and all in the daytime! He is sleeping between 10 and 12 hours at night (with a little help from a magical little tool I like to call a pacifier, our lifesaver :)), and taking 2 or 3 good naps during the day. We have also started his introduction to solid foods. So far, we've tried rice cereal, squash, peas, and carrots. Carrots are his favorite, hands down! Next on the docket, another veggie or two, and then everybody's favorite - fruits!

Generally, Abraham is a very content little guy, though he has started noticing when I leave the room, and fusses a bit until I come back and get him, a good thing, I think, as he is understanding that he is dependent upon me to meet many of his needs still. When I give him his bottle, he always touches my face with one or both of his hands - precious! He LOVES playing peek-a-boo, and getting tickled! And seems to enjoy his baths in the evenings.

b) Have you taken him out of "the cocoon" yet?

Yes, we have. For the first two weeks we were home, we stuck very close to the house here, so that Abraham could learn about his environment slowly, in a way that would not be overwhelming to him. However, as we got to know him better and could better assess how he was processing things, we allowed him more and more contact with new people and experiences. We started with having friends and family come here, that slowly progressed to a trip to the park or supermarket. This past week, Abraham had his first visits to Nathan's school, and to our church. He did very well.

We are being very mindful about Nathan and I being the only ones to feed him, bathe him, put him down for a nap or bedtime, etc. We are the only ones meeting any and all of his physical needs for the time being.

c) Is he healthy?

Yes, we had our pediatrician appointment the same week we got home, and all seems to be well physically and developmentally. His stool sample, and all other tests came back a-ok. :)

d) How do Evelyn and Sylvia seem to be adjusting to their new brother?

Very well overall. The first week or two we were home, Ev seemed to be needing extra attention from us - wanting to sit on our laps more than usual, and acting out in some new ways. But, both girls SHOWER their new brother with hugs and kisses; they bring him his blanket and elephant, put his pacifier in when it falls out, and generally smother him until I am forced to try and find a positive way to say (for the 100th time today) - "Please give your brother some space!" Ev keeps saying, "Next, I want a girl Abraham." Ha! :)

e) What have you learned about Abraham thus far - his personality, likes and dislikes, etc?

Abraham seems to be a fairly easy-going kiddo. He is content to play for short times by himself, but also enjoys riding in the Moby wrap, and interacting with people. His likes at this time: tickling, peek-a-boo, carrots, listening to music, "walking" while holding Mommy or Daddy's fingers, being outside, scooting backwards on his tummy across the wood floor, and pretty much anything "Daddy" - he lights up whenever Daddy comes home from work. His dislikes at this time: putting his arms in anything (clothing or carseat), getting smothered by his sisters, when Mommy rubs baby oil all over his head, not being able to crawl or move as quickly as everyone else around here, rice cereal, losing his pacifier.

f) How was going from a family of four to a family of five?

Surprisingly easy. I think that, for us, going from a family of two to a family of four was such a shock that, this time around, it's not quite as big of a deal to figure out our new roles, and how Abraham fits into our lives. Fairly seamless...so far anyway.

g) Are you exhausted?

Not really any more exhausted then I was before Abraham came. :) I think being a parent is always exhausting (definitely not for the faint of heart), but really, with him sleeping so well at night, things are moving pretty smoothly around here. Nothing a good cup of coffee can't cure anyway. :)

h) This all sounds too good to be true; hasn't there been anything difficult about your adoption journey/incorporating an adopted child into your family?

We have had some difficult times, mostly at our hotel while still in Ethiopia. It was difficult because, at first, Abraham seemed somewhat apprehensive of us. He cried frequently those first 48 hours he was in our care, and was not sleeping well initially. And we anticipate there will be more difficult questions/situations that may arise as Abraham gets older, and more aware of the losses in his life.

But, for the time being, all is well here in the LeFeber household. We feel INCREDIBLY blessed to have the honor of calling Abraham John Abera LeFeber our son.

Below is a photo of Evelyn, Sylvia, and Abraham that appeared in our local newspaper recently. LOVE his face in this one... :)

6 Months Old and 2 Weeks Home

So, it really is hard to believe that a mere 2 weeks ago, we were saying our goodbyes to all at Hannah's Hope, and to the seven other amazing families that we got to know during our two trips to Ethiopia...



It really is hard to believe that we survived the trip home (nearly 36 hours of traveling) with an infant...



And it REALLY is hard to believe that our little guy is 6 months old TODAY!!!



One of these days I hope to post more about our day-to-day life, how Abraham seems to be adjusting, what it's been like going from a family of four to a family of five, etc. Yet again, I just don't seem to have that post in me tonight. Sorry! Instead I'm going to make myself a hot cup of tea, sit on the couch all by myself (football game tonight for Nathan), and read a book or two. {Good sigh}. :) Do know though that we are SO INCREDIBLY happy to have Abraham with us. He is an AMAZING blessing to us - a precious, precious baby. Ok. Just wanted you all to know... :)

More Photos, But Not Much Else...

Wish I had more time/desire to post more now, but I don't! However, I do have a few more photos for you today. :)




Abraham and my sister, Abby




Abraham and our dear, dear friend Sherri




Abraham!!! :)

I Couldn't Resist...

...another Abraham picture! :)

Introducing...

Abraham John Abera LeFeber



We arrived home safely Friday evening after 36 hours of traveling...

What a BLESSING! WONDERFUL to be home with our little man. :) :) :)

Here We Go...Again!!!

It's true! It's already that time again...time to pack everything up, say goodbye to the girls, hop on an airplane and travel halfway across the world...

But ALL will not be the same this trip as last because, this time...

WE ARE BRINGING OUR BABY BOY HOME WITH US!!!

We can't wait to introduce you all to our little Abraham. :) Stay tuned for photos (after August 27)!

Days 5 & 6, Trip 1

Sorry, folks. This is going to have to be the abbreviated version of the end of our Trip #1 because it is starting to sink in that, for us, Trip #2 begins in less than 48 hours, and I can't handle super-thorough blogging right now...

Day 5 we went to another orphanage here in Addis called Bethzatha. AGCI has been working with Bethzatha to improve their facilities, policies, etc. Most of the kids at Hannah's Hope come from one of Bethzatha's nine orphanages scattered throughout the country, and all of the children spend at least a little time in Bethzatha's Addis facility for processing and health checks before heading over to Hannah's Hope (that's how I understand it, at least...) There are some beautiful children at Bethzatha, and it hurt me to see them there. During our time at Hannah's Hope, every child there had already been matched with a family, but all of the children at Bethzatha are still waiting...Made me wish we were bringing a few more kiddos home with us.

We headed back to the hotel for a quick lunch, and then we got to go see Mamush again. I just have to say (again) that he is absolutely ADORABLE! We were there during his bath time today. His special mothers said he doesn't like baths, but I think he did pretty well with it all. No tears anyway!

Tonight, Was and Johannes took us out to an Ethiopian restaurant for a cultural dinner. There was amazing music and dancing, and even some comedic skits (a bit hard to follow since they were all in Amharic :)). Nathan even got up on stage and showed off some of his "moves" - hilarious! And the food was delicious.

Day 6. After breakfast, we went over to Hannah's Hope one last time. It was incredibly difficult to say goodbye, and yet, after burying a stillborn baby boy who I knew I wouldn't get to hold again this side of heaven, I felt peace about letting go, trusting that God would bring Mamush and I back together again in His time. Maybe that sounds cheesy to say, but it's true.

In the afternoon, Solomon took several of us couples to the museum inside of the University of Addis Ababa. Our tour guide there said he's going to send us some information on the region where Mamush was born; I hope he follows through because I'd really like to learn more about Mamush's birth place and the people and traditions there.

We left Ethiopia that night. I cried when our airplane left Ethiopian soil. It hurt something inside of me to leave. I don't know if it's just because we had to leave Mamush behind or because I'm mourning the loss of my new-found love for the culture and people of Ethiopia. But, I hurt.





Us at the cultural dinner



Yummy Ethiopian food!



The museum on the University campus



Trademark Hannah's Hope - colorful, clean laundry drying all over the place; it was a beautiful sight!

Day 4, Trip 1

This morning Was drove us to our court appointments. We waited together with a crowd of adoptive parents from several other agencies - all Americans as far as I could tell. I had imagined a U.S.-style courtroom with a judge in a black robe, holding a gavel, sitting on a high bench, but when they called, "Mamush's family?" we walked into a plain room that looked like a small office; a beautiful Ethiopian woman sat behind a regular looking desk.

She asked us to sit down, and then asked us a series of questions - "Have you spent time with your baby? Do you understand that once made, this decision cannot be reversed? Why do you want to adopt from Ethiopia? Have you had adoptive parent training? Do you have other children, and how do they feel about this adoption? Are you prepared to deal with potential identity issues with this child? Are there other families near you who've adopted from Ethiopia?" Then she thanked us, and said, "He's all yours!" WHAT BEAUTIFUL WORDS TO HEAR!!!

After court, Was drove us to a little marketplace where we spent some time shopping. We bought some traditional children's clothing for Mamush, Evie, and Sylvie as well as some gifts we will give to Mamush each year until he is 18, to remind him of his amazing birth country. After shopping, we ate lunch at a nice Italian restaurant/art gallery. The paintings, all done by local Ethiopian artists, were wonderful! We ate pizza - yum.

After lunch, we went to Hannah's Hope to spend some time with Mamush. We visited a lot with his special mothers, and practiced our Amharic. The special mothers laughed at our poor pronunciation, and we laughed too. Mamush's special mother that speaks English the best is named Mekdes (Meck-e-desh). She is a devoted follower of Christ; she told us that the Bible is her life, and she is a joy to be around! She is also amazing with all of the children. Tomorrow Mekdes said she would sing us the Amharic ABC song; we plan to record it.

We spoke with Almaz about Mamush's name today - keeping Mamush versus Abera. She said Mamush means "baby," and that, because Ethiopians always address each other only by their first names (i.e. Mr. Nathan or Ms. Julie), it would be kind of strange to be called essentially Mr. Baby. She also told us that Abera means "he brings light." And, as that was also his birth father's name, we have now finally and officially decided to keep Abera rather than Mamush.

And as of today he is legally OURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



A view from the building where we had our court appointment (we were not allowed to take photos of the interior of the building)



Us in front of the Italian restaurant where we ate following court



The first American made car we saw in Addis - a Chevy :)



Us with Almaz. This woman is a TREASURE, and a blessing to MANY for HIS GLORY ALONE! LOVE HER. :)

Day 3, Trip 1

Again, woke at 4:00 a.m. and had a hard time going back to sleep. Woke up for the second time about 8:00 a.m. Yesterday was dry, but today is very rainy. We heard some loud thunder this morning, and the fields across from our hotel are absolutely full of standing water. Currently, I am ready to go down for breakfast, and Nathan is having a difficult time getting out of bed - some things don't change from one continent to the next! :)

We had another nice breakfast in the hotel dining room - hard-boiled eggs, samosas, french toast, and these little fried-bread-with-spices things. Then we headed over to Hannah's Hope for some more time with our kiddos!

Mamush did BEAUTIFULLY again today - no tears, smiling, super inquisitive and alert. He took a bottle well and then needed some help getting to sleep - his special mother has the right touch. She kept saying an Amharic word that sounded like "Em-BECK-ah" over and over again. I asked her what that meant, and she said kind of like "enough, enough." :) Almaz told us today that Mamush fights sleep, and that when he does cry, he sounds like 10 babies! (Sounds just like Evelyn and Sylvia :)). We heard just a bit of his crying today. Even when crying, he is absolutely precious. His little lower lip sticks out for a couple of seconds before any sound comes out, so you have a bit of time to prepare yourself for the inevitable! What a DOLL!!!

This afternoon,four of us couples went on a sight-seeing taxi ride. We were packed into a tiny, yellow "cab" with Galen and Kristin - Solomon was our driver. Here is where we went and what we saw:

1) Haille Salassie's palace - it's now the home of the President of Ethiopia; we were not allowed to take photos there.

2) Menelek's palace - Haille Salassie's father; now the home of the Prime Minister who, according to Solomon, is the one who really holds the power in Ethiopia.

3) The African Union - we got out of the cab, and had to get permission from armed guards before taking photos. There were all of the flags from every country in Africa there at the guarded entrance.

4) Holy Trinity Cathedral - it was raining fairly heavily at this point. We saw beautiful architecture and stained-glass windows depicting important stories/people from the Old and New Testaments. We saw the tomb of Haille Salassie who is said to be the last of the kings in the Solomonic empire (results of the union between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba). The tour was given by a Christian Orthodox priest.

5) National Museum - we had a wonderful tour guide who was a college student and volunteered his time as a guide. We learned so much there. We saw the crowns of the past rulers of Ethiopia, the throne of Haille Salassie, a replicate of Lucy's remains and two other "pre-human" skeletons, paintings by Tekele - the most famous Ethiopian artist. We saw portraits of many of Ethiopia's past leaders, and a fertility goddess made of stone that people worshipped before Christianity came - after Christianity came, the people knocked her head off! Our tour guide also told me a bit about the region of the country where Mamush is from - WONDERFUL information!

6) Shopping - After the museum, we went to a little shop and bought some Ethiopian-made things for Mamush to be given to him each year he has been home with us.

7) Solomon's house - Solomon took us to his house in "the village." There were lots of people around and we definitely stood out. We walked across a muddy courtyard to the small, two-room house that he rented for himself, his wife, and his two young boys. His wife and family were there to greet us. His wife performed a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony for us; the coffee was amazing. They also served us popcorn. We had a wonderful time listening to Solomon share his heart, about his faith and hope in God. He's a very passionate dreamer of a man who can't seem to get ahead. His rent is $60 (U.S.) per month. He works very, very hard to give his wife and children the best education and opportunities possible. How desperately I want to be able to help him buy a car (right now he rents his "cab" from someone else, and hardly gets to keep any of the profits he makes from driving the taxi)...




The little, yellow taxis we rode in



A store we shopped in



Holy Trinity Cathedral



Solomon's wife preparing coffee for us all



Us with Solomon - we made it back to the hotel in one piece! What a WONDERFUL man of God.

Day 2, Trip 1

Disclaimer #1: You'll notice that by Day 2, I got a bit lazy; didn't even use many complete sentences!

Disclaimer #2: This post is SUPER long; consider yourselves WARNED!!!! (Ok, it's not THAT long, I guess...)

4:00 a.m. wake up today. :( Feel wide awake. Go to the bathroom and eat a few nuts and drink from the enormous bottle of water we bought last night from the hotel for 20 birr (approximately $1.50 U.S.) Look out the window; try to read a bit. Fall back asleep around 5:30 a.m. Wake up again around 8:00, shower and get ready for the day. It feels GREAT to be clean! I can't get over how good I smell (which tells you just how stanky I was before :)).

We gather up our passports and all and head down for breakfast at the hotel lobby restaurant. We meet Andy and Jenny for breakfast, and have the buffet which includes fruit of various kinds, french toast, pancakes, hard-boiled eggs, rice with some sort of meat mixed in, and a variety of juices. Very tasty. We're done eating, and it's only 10:00 a.m.; Almaz won't come for us until 1:30 p.m., so the four of us decide to take a walk.

We go right out the hotel doors and walk maybe 1/2 mile or so. Many, many Ethiopians are out walking too - we are the only white people. Several of the children we pass by look at us and laugh (at us, I presume), a few stare wide-eyed, like they're scared of us. One boy, maybe about 8 years old, wants to shake our hands. The lady who he's walking with, his Mom (?), sort of shakes her head and chuckles at the same time. I wonder if she is embarrassed by the boy's uninhibited forwardness.

On our walk, we see many half-finished buildings made out of concrete with the wooden scaffolding still in place. For every building that is complete, there are two that remain unfinished, it seems. We see two men with three goats; they are not on a leash or anything, but the goats follow the men right across the highway. I wonder if they will get run over. They don't. I am relieved when the hotel comes back into sight.

At noon, we eat lunch at the hotel restaurant. Nathan has a ham and cheese sandwich with french fries; I have a bowl of chicken soup. The ham is not like regular ham, more like spicy, tough, bologna, and my chicken soup tasted like it was flavored with cinnamon or nutmeg or something. The french fries were wonderful though!

At 1:30, Almaz came to the hotel to talk to us before we went to Hannah's Hope. She welcomed us and we introduced ourselves, and told the name of the child we were each adopting. She spoke specifically to the parents adopting older children, telling them what to expect with the personalities of their particular child. She talked a bit about the schedule for the week, and how our court appointment would go on Wednesday. Then we all hopped into the AGCI van and we were on our way!!!!!

My first impression of Hannah's Hope was that it is big and beautiful - it looks like a mansion in an area of the city that is not particularly well-to-do. It is surrounded by a tall, concrete wall and an enormous black iron gate with a smaller door to let people in and out. The older kids came out to see us right away. They wanted to show off their hula-hooping skills; they were very good and seemed very happy and at home there.

Almaz took the adoptive parents with older children first. Then Kiersten, one of the Ethiopia case managers with AGCI who just happened to be here visiting, took us up into the baby house. She said, "Mamush's parents???" And up the curved, marble staircase we went.

When we walked into the back boy baby room, it seemed like there were babies everywhere. I was frantically scanning the room, looking for him, and Kiersten asked the special mothers, "Mamush?" And they pointed to the violet-colored Bumbo seat on the floor...At first I hardly recognized him - he is HUGE, and has SO much hair -BEAUTIFUL, tiny curls! But, then I saw those big eyes and long eyelashes, and recognized them from our referral photos!

He didn't seem afraid of us at all, and after having him grab my fingers, and talking to him a bit, I asked if I could hold him. The special mothers said yes, so I picked him up! He was cuddly right away! And oh SO big!! Size 6 month clothes already! We held him and played with some toys awhile. He loves putting anything and everything in his mouth! Then I gave him a bottle - 4 oz. He finished it and was almost asleep, but then started crying. A special mother brought him another bottle, and he drank a bit more. He settled down, and slept in my arms - AMAZING!!!

Then it was time for us to go. We came back tot he hotel, and took quick naps before we headed down for supper. Nathan and I shared a traditional Ethiopian beef dish with veggies, a spicy curry sauce, and injera. It was really good. We also each had Coke, in a bottle. That took us back about 25 years!

At 10:00 p.m., we "chatted" with Mom, Evie, and Sylvie over the computer for a little while. The connection would be good from 5 minutes or so, and then we'd lose them and have to call back again. But, it was very good to see them and hear them.

It was a WONDERFUL day!



All of us getting onto the bus to head over to Hannah's Hope and meet our little ones for the first time!!!




Hannah's Hope




Nathan and I just before meeting our little man :)




Our oh-so-yummy dinner (a.k.a. Zil Zil Tibs, or to some, Zoo Zoo Tips)

Day 1, Trip 1

We arrived here at Bole International Airport in Addis last night around 7:30 p.m. after leaving from Omaha the previous day at 5:00 a.m. We flew Omaha to Chicago, Chicago to Washington D.C., Washington D.C. to Rome, and Rome to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. At the airport, we got our visas and went through customs. We also met Andy and Jenny who were on our flight from D.C. to Addis, but we didn't know they were with AGCI until we were standing in the visa line together. :)

At the airport, we saw a driver from the hotel holding signs with our names on them. After a bit of a wait (waiting for another AGCI couple that we later found out had come in earlier and were already at the hotel), we jumped in the hotel van and off we went! The traffic on the ride from the airport to the hotel was not bad at all, but it was so dark in the city, very few street lights or lights of any kind really. Even still, people kept crossing the 4(ish) lane highway right in front of us in the pitch blackness. Our driver honked his horn a lot; the people on the road looked startled, like they were surprised to see a van driving on the road!

We arrived at the hotel after about 25 minutes; we had seen very little of the city because it was so dark. The hotel looked like one of the nicer buildings; there were security guards outside, and 3 or 4 men came out to help us carry all of our luggage in. Meanwhile, Jenny and I checked into the hotel while Nathan and Andy tipped the luggage helper guys. We checked out our room, and settled in. It felt wonderful to have a place to call "ours" while we are in Addis.

Also of note, we stood out like sore thumbs at the airport. When we had gone through customs and were coming out into the main terminal, there was a sea of brown faces, probably 200 or so, and not one light-skinned person among them. We are the minority here, and what a life-changing experience! I spent a lot of time wondering why this person or that person was looking at me, wondering what they are thinking, what they've heard about Americans. I smiled and tried to be friendly, all the while wondering if I was doing something wrong culturally. Tough stuff. It gave me a new appreciation for people in the U.S. who are in the minority for any reason.

We tried out our computer/internet at the hotel to see if it would work. It did! I put away some thing and unpacked. We got ready for bed and crashed. It felt wonderful to sleep lying down! TOMORROW WE WILL MEET OUR SON!!! :)



Our airplane prior to leaving Washington D.C.




Us at the airport shortly after landing on Ethiopian soil for the first time ever!



Our hotel



The view from our hotel window

Missing Addis

Well...many of you already know that we made it home from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last Saturday evening after over 24 hours of traveling...phew. It was a REMARKABLE trip! I mean, in part, I knew it would be. Nathan and I had been anticipating meeting our little guy since our referral mid-May 2010, and had been anticipating meeting "someone" since we started our adoption paperwork back in July 2009.

(Note: Yes, he is ABSOLUTELY adorable, and yes, we have MANY photos, but we are not at liberty to post any of his photos on-line until after he comes home to the U.S.)

So, yes, I was looking forward to this trip for the purpose of meeting our baby boy. What I did NOT anticipate were all of the other AMAZING parts of our time in Ethiopia - the other people, and the multitude of experiences. And that is what I am missing today.

I am missing waking up and looking outside my window to see hundreds of people walking in brightly colored clothes and wondering where they are going.

I am missing watching the farmers plow with crude "farm equipment" and oxen.

I am missing smiling to myself every time I see the little water heater on our bathroom ceiling.

I am missing being greeted by a bunch of Ethiopians as I sit down for breakfast.

I am missing being served every meal by beautiful, dark-skinned people who treat me like a treasured being.

I am missing buying everything with birr, trying to convert everything 13:1 in my head.

I am missing watching the hotel security people patting down those who are coming into the hotel.

I am missing the smell of strong coffee, and injera and meat cooking.

I am missing the sight of half-constructed buildings, wooden scaffolding stories and stories up in the air, people hard at work up top.

I am missing watching the donkeys, cows, and dogs on roadways, sidewalks, and overpasses.

I am missing the sound of the Amharic language, in particular their "Amasaganlo" - their "Thank you!"

I am missing the cool temperatures, in the 60s and 70s Fahrenheit during the day.

I am missing watching the multitude of blue taxis and mini buses, crammed with Ethiopian people, going politely to and from...somewhere.

I am missing drinking Coke, real Coke, from a bottle.

I am even missing the smell of smog. :)

I am missing the people...

I am missing Solomon, always waiting near his tiny, yellow cab in front of the hotel, ready to give us a ride anytime, anywhere. And his thankful, happy heart, ready to share in a coffee ceremony with us, despite what he lacks.

I am missing Was, always ready with a hilarious story and a huge laugh.

I am missing Johannes, quiet and solemn, but with an appreciative sparkle in his eyes.

I am missing Almaz, one of the most BEAUTIFUL and TENDER-HEARTED women I have ever met; how greatly I respect her and the work she does for those children.

I am missing Mekedesh, one of our little man's "special mothers" at Hannah's Hope, who was so patient in trying to teach me some Amharic, and whose love for our baby boy is 100% evident.

I am missing the seven other American couples who were in Addis with us, meeting their children for the first time with us, attending court in an unfamiliar setting with us, eating nearly every meal with us, one even flying with us to and from the U.S. - dear friends for life!

And, yes, I am missing most of all our precious baby boy who legally became ours on July 28, 2010 when the Ethiopian judge said, "He's all yours!" :) And, because that part is all official, we've decided to share his name with you all.

Abraham John Abera LeFeber

Abraham from the Bible, John as in Nathan's middle name and Nathan's father's first name, Abera from his birth father, meaning "He brings light" and LeFeber, of course as he is now forever a member of this family. :)

I did some journaling each day we were in Ethiopia, and hope to post some of my thoughts and some of our photos soon.

One Week From Today...

We will be on an airplane, on our way to Ethiopia to meet our baby boy...INCREDIBLE!

Please pray for God's will to be done, whatever that might mean for us and for him.

May His Spirit change each of us as a result of this trip.

And may our little man be prepared in his own 4-month-old way to accept us, to receive love from us, to become our child.

What We've Been Up To...

Well, it's starting to feel like "crunch time," but in a really good sort of way! Time seems to be speeding up more and more each day as we near our departure day! And we have SO much to do in the next 11 days.

We have been incredibly blessed by donations of formula, diapers, wipes, etc. that we will be taking with us to give to our agency's orphanage, Hannah's Hope in Ethiopia! We spent today getting much of that packed up and ready to go. :)

Today was also our 2nd round of immunizations at our local travel clinic - just polio and our 2nd hepatitis A and B shots, not bad at all compared to our first round in June!

I find myself CHERISHING each day with our girls, knowing that we'll be away from them for an entire week. It hurts my heart to think about that...but I know they will have a WONDERFUL time with Grandma and Aunt Abby. I've had people ask before, "How can you leave your kiddos for so long to make this trip to Africa?" And my answer: "If Ev was at home, but Sylvie was in Africa, wouldn't I drop everything at home to go and bring Syl home? Of course! And it's the same thing. I leave Ev and Syl because I have a baby boy who is MINE/OURS there, a baby boy who I CANNOT WAIT to meet and hold and get to know all of his ins and outs, his needs, his fears, his joys, what makes him tick...

And here are a few of my favorite recent pics that I'll leave you with...



Some friends gave us free tickets to a baseball game, and we had a really great time. Thanks, Carla!!! :)




Sylvia, watching the team's mascot shaking hands with some other kids. She was in total and utter awe!




Evelyn at the game - and, by the way, who needs a bun?!?




Both girls have been begging me constantly to wear my jewelry, so I finally stopped at our local thrift store and picked them up some of their own. Here, Ev is modeling her favorite pieces.




And Syl got in on the action too. She said, "Mom, do I look gorgeous?" Oh yeah!




Daddy took the girls "camping" (in our backyard) for the first time ever this summer. The girls helped set up the tent, we all roasted marshmallows over the fire, and then, armed with their flashlights, those 3 hunkered down for a night under the stars (and I came back inside to an incredibly quiet and peaceful evening). Good for everyone! :)

July 10-A Special Day :)

So tomorrow, July 10, is a special day for three reasons...

1) Our baby boy will be 4-months-old :)

and

2) July 10 marks the one-year anniversary of our beginning this adoption journey; one year ago, July 10, 2009, we decided that we were going to respond to the Holy Spirit's prompting to bring a little one into our family through adoption!

and

3) Tomorrow marks the "2-weeks-until-we-get-on-the-plane-for-Addis-Ababa" too! By the time our little guy is 4 and a half months old, we will have held him in our arms, and taken TONS of photos of him, and gotten a taste of the culture of his birth country.

Ah...{good sigh}...July 10! :)

Court Went Well!!

That was the message from our case worker today. :)

One more step closer to our little man. :)

Travel Plans and Birth Family Court Date

Today we received our itinerary/plane tickets in the mail from our travel agent (whom I would highly recommend to anyone adopting internationally)! We are really pleased with our flight schedule. We will fly from Omaha to Chicago, Chicago to D.C., and D.C. to Addis Ababa (the capital of Ethiopia) with a short re-fueling stop in Rome (no one gets off the plane). And we arrive there the evening of July 25. We'll have two days to spend with soon-to-be-baby-LeFeber before our court appointment on July 28, another day or two to get to know our little guy, and then we fly home the night of July 30. We are incredibly excited!!! 25 days 'til we hold him in our arms for the first time! :)

Tomorrow, July 2, is our baby boy's birth family's court appointment in Addis Ababa, where they will formally relinquish him as I understand it. My heart is aching for them tonight. And I am praying His PEACE for our little guy's father and older siblings.

I told Nathan tonight just how ready I am to be a Mama to 3. I know without a doubt that our little one is OURS, and absolutely meant to be a part of our family. It definitely feels like someone is missing around here. :) But, hopefully and prayerfully, he will soon be home.

May God be glorified in the life of this little one!

We're Off To Ethiopia!!!!

SO much has been happening this past week, both at our house (as we have dear friends visiting from Wyoming for the week) and on the adoption front...

WE HAVE A COURT DATE!!!! JULY 28!!! We're anticipating leaving on July 24 and arriving home July 30, and we're SO looking forward to meeting our baby boy!!! :) He will be just over 3-months-old when we get to hold him in our arms for the first time. :) If all goes well, we will bring him home 4-6 weeks after court, probably by early September!!! It's hard to believe this day has FINALLY arrived, and yet, in some ways this past year has flown by!

So, today we hope to have the official OK from AGCI to book our plane tickets, and the list-making and donation-gathering begins!!!

I'll post more when things slow down a bit around here. Today we're off to the local water park with our Wyoming friends, tomorrow exploring the Children's Museum, Sunday church and band concert in the park...a LOVELY weekend coming up! And all the more blessed now that we really and truly have a COURT DATE!!! :) PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Birth Family Letter and Album

What a difficult and beautiful opportunity we've been given, to try and communicate with our little guy's birth family via letter and photo album! How to express all of the joy, anticipation, excitement, and love you're feeling while also acknowledging the many emotions that his birth family must be feeling - loss, sorrow, grief, worry, not knowing...and how to represent the entirety of who we are as a family in the best way possible through 20 images/photos in an album our baby boy's birth family will receive...

It's been quite a task this past week. And, while we're not prepared to share our letter with you all out there (we feel that this should be seen by our little guy's birth family first, and perhaps, only), we did want to show you some of the images/photos we selected to include in this album. It's more difficult than you might think, narrowing down your existence to 20 photos in an attempt to describe the who's, what's, when's, where's, why's, and how's of your life to a family you've never met in another country. And, not just any family, but the family who has entrusted YOU with the bringing up of their precious child. WOW.

Nathan and I found ourselves thinking a lot about what we would want to know about "the other family" if (God-forbid) we ever had to hand over our children to anyone other than ourselves to raise, to love. Our conclusion: Yes, some of the "externals" are important - will they have a roof over their heads, enough food to eat, a good education, a place to attend church, access to health care? But, much more than that, it's the "internals" - the things inside the person who would be raising our children - the character of that person, whether or not that person can love our children unconditionally, what kind of advice they would give our children in a variety of life circumstances, if their faith in God is real and based on their understanding of who Jesus is, how they respond to conflict, if they can give thanks in all things, etc. And how in the world can one communicate all of those "internals" in a 1-page letter and 20-picture album?

That said, here are a number of images/photos that we selected...















And there you have it! Our attempt... :)