Thank you Lord

Nettie's prayer tonight at dinner surprised me. She rattled off something in Amharic then with her head bowed and her eyes closed she said "America amen" I didn't even know she knew that word. I don't usually say America, personally I say United States so I was shocked. Then at bed time she prayed again but this time she spoke her language then said "thank you thank you America" It was so darn sweet. Before she fell asleep she said that I was good, and Daddy was good and then she listed off everyone in the family and kissed us all.

I am truly mourning her birth family right now. They raised her for 4 years, I have only known her for four weeks. It hits home and there is a deep sadness. I am currently looking for them so I can tell them she is fine. I would love to for her sake, have some sort of open adoption. I know she was told about us, she was told about America and that she would have a new family and that we would be good.

Another Abbyism

We were in Walmart today and she found a two piece bathing suite she liked a lot. It was a bit skimpy for my liking so I told her she couldn't have it because it showed to much skin. She was a bit indignant, put her little hands on her hips and said, "Well that's okay my grandmother has a zucchini for me at her house" I am pretty sure she meant bikini.

Just a little funny

The other day Abigail (4 1/2) came up to me with a look of grave concern and something in her palm. She opened her hand up to me and in it were three tiny styrofoam beads. "Mom I think I found your blood sugars"

I had to wait until she was gone to laugh. She was so serious and so concerned. She always hears Gary and I talking about my blood sugar dropping, well she found it on the ground.

Nettie

Well we are home and things are going so well, despite the fact that I am sick. I feel a terrible cold coming on and I just don't have time for this right now!!!

this will be brief.

Nettie is still just doing great she is a happy child and really a poster child for all things adoption. People are just falling in love with her.

She put on a Tinkerbell outfit tonight with yellow shoes and a train hat and pink purse and a scarf she thought she looked grand, and oh ya the sunglasses. she was so cute.

Abby is doing great as a big sister she advocates for Nettie's needs and swears she can understand her when she speaks Amharic so she is translating as well. The took a shower together tonight and Abby washed her with the soap and they both lost their balanced and ended up in a black and white heap on the shower floor giggling like crazy! It was too cute. Then at bed time Abby insisted that Nettie sleep with her so I had two of my girls in my arms and it was so wonderful. Nettie sang some songs to us and then began to pray seriously insisiting we say Amen to everything she said. I really wish I knew what that was.

3 weeks

I have been netties mom for three weeks. It is hard to imagine as time has gone by very fast for me. I am currently at the cosiest place on earth to me. My trailer in San Diego. It is a 23 foot trailer and has all the amenities of home just miniaturized. I am sitting here in the dark connected to wirless internet, all four of my kids and my husband are sleeping just inches away. I am blessed. Today we went to on the ferry ride from Coranado Island to San Diego and then back. It was fun enough. I think we are going to the beach tomorrow. It is enought though to just hang out here under the giant shade trees enjoying the amazing cool weather. Judah actually complains often that it is too cold. We roasted marshmallows tonight and made smores. Nettie got so sticky and giggly. I am just loving her. She is chunky and uncoordinated, slightly clumsy and very jolly. She knows how to tattle and how to get out of trouble fast. She complains and tells her story just like the others, and some how we understand her. I think she is brilliant and will be incredibly talented as a performer or comedian. I have moments of grief for her parents having lost their child. I cry almost everyday as I am watching her and all her cuteness. I have a case of pink eye that worsens at night and I just hope the kids don't get it. I got some seriously cute pictures but I can't post them until I get home. We have one more night here and the real world awaits me. Hot temperatures, homeschool, piano, gymnastics, preschool, life. You know. Nettie models, when the camera is out she is hamming it up. She has a great sense of humor and is a little tease. She bosses Judah around and mothers him, he seems to like it. She has Mason wrapped around her finger and even had Abby playing pretty ponies with her. It is great she is great. It is like God just answered my prayers straight from my heart.

First day swimming

She was hesitant at first. When we finally got her in the water she was thrilled beyond belief. Neither I nor Gary had ever seen anything like her reaction. I can't describe it and I wish I had video taped it. It was hilarious. She would put her face in the water and come up out of breath shaking like crazy, flailing about then finally a giggle so loud it could be a laugh. She was so thrilled she couldn't breath, the whole experience took her breath away. I had never seen a child so tickled in all my life. You can tell the feeling of being in water was so totally new to her. It was amazing. Within a few minutes she was swimming back and forth to Gary and I. This child is adventurous. She likes to make us laugh and she loves to please us. I am always in awe at the things she does and I just love to watch her. She is a master at sign language and really is good at telling us what she needs. Yesterday she begged me for injera. Poor baby. We are leaving for San Diego today and we are going to get Ethiopian food there. The kids are very excited to get to San Diego, they have done very well with all the attention poured on our newest. Abby said that when I found her in Ethiopia she was so hungry and was working in a garden, then I brought her home. She makes me laugh with her imagination although it drives Mason crazy. Judah and Mason need to run free for a bit, you can tell these boys have been pent up much to long, prisoner to this heat. We are getting Netty a razor scooter today and heading out of town. Judah got a serious hair cut. He has sensory issues so brushing his hair is constantly a battle. Gary tried to just cut it but he didn't like the pulling feeling of the clippers so we just shaved it off completely. He looks older now and his smile is huge now that he doesn't have hair. So showering all four kids was easier as I only had to do three kids hair! Netty has very soft curls and so her hair won't be as high maintenance as Judah's. I plan to just let it grow and be free. She doesn't mind having her hair brushed and she loves to do my hair. She sings her native songs and puts rubber bands in my hair. She is a pro at the side pony tail.

Netsa goes swimming

Just an update

While I am journaling my whole trip on the living love account I will also update this one as well but with current kid stuff.

I can't believe it has been 2 weeks since I left. Netty is home and is doing great, the adjustment is seamless. Thank God. She fits right in and it is if God made a spot for from the beginning of time.

There is no problems yet. She doesn't like it when I take a bite of her food, but she likes to feed me. She likes to do hair and she sings little songs when she does it. She loves clothes and dolls and all things girly. She is picking up on English fast, We have to learn some manners but she is smart and learns fast not requiring very much correction at all. She loves food and tries anything once, she even ate cabbage the other night. Gary thinks she is 5 , I don't know I think she is a smart 4 1/2 year old. She is tiny, smaller than Judah but fat. She didn't have much opportunity to exercise. She imitates wonderfully, and even lines the toilets seat with toilet paper cause she saw me do it in Ethiopia. She can count to 5 and say abc's, she understands what we are saying and doesn't fight with the kids, she loves to tease and joke. She sleeps good and is very adventurous and not fearful at all of new experiences. She communicates amazingly, using English Amharic and sign language. She can definitely get her point across without a problem which reduces the fits. She copies the kids so if they clean up so does she. She loves to dress up and talk on the phone, anything electronic or pink or purple. She was afraid of the small dog but okay with the bigger one. She got over that fear in 2 days. She didn't like her car seat but with in one day accepted it without too much drama. She is a dream child. What can I say. But don't feel like I live the charmed life, I think my other adoptive child has oppositional defiance disorder. Gary and I are at a loss with him currently. We are taking him to be evaluated in a month. So while netty is has had no problems and she has been with us for 2 weeks, our other son has been with us over 2 years and we still don't know what to do. It is hard now that I can see the other end of things. I know we have a problem. I think sometimes I was in denial but now that there is a definite comparison, now that we have adopted 2 times and had two different experiences I can see we need help.

Leaving on a jet plane

I am leaving. I am really going to do it.

Yikes.

For over 2 years I have waited for this moment. Now I think I have built it up so much in my mind it is unreal to the point of I can't imagine.

Gary will be blogging for me his side of the story, home with 3 kids for 10 days. That should be interesting and make for good reading. Gary usually finds a way to tease me and most the time it is relentless, he does this with the kids as well so that should be fun.

There are a million things to worry about but I can't even go there. The top ones on my list are:

The piece of metal from the cheap IKEA beds that is hanging under Abby's bed. Yes what if she crawls under it and pokes her eye out!

My bathroom door and the boys bedroom door. Gary must just remove the whole entire door locks because Judah has hung on them so many times they broke and now if you shut the door you will get locked in. I know because Judah locked me in my bathroom today and me and the kids all got locked in the boys bedroom the other day and I had to yell out the window for Gary to rescue me.

Snorkeling: Gary will take the kids to my mother in laws pool and let them snorkel. This just freaks me out but what can I do? There is all kinds of things to worry about with snorkeling I can't even go there.

The zoo: sounds innocent but there are a million things to worry about, the play area is not safe and it is hot and there is water in the form of fake lakes and three kids and well you know.

Those make my top list. If I had it my way they would lock themselves in the house and not leave for 10 days. But I have faith believe it or not. Well kind of .

Very Dissapointing

You know we had a dissapointing night tonight. We went to dinner as a family to Chiles in Goodyear and that is something that we really don't do often. We spent 70 dollars and totally splurged, it was fun and a nice thing before I leave.

Dinner was ruined. There were people behind us, young and in their 20's with just the foulest mouths you have ever heard, talking about things that were so X rated I can't even begin to reapeat them. I didn't notice, Gary did and then of course I had to be subjected to their ill mannered and nasty behavoir, not only me but my kids. When our food arrived I prayed very loud so they could hear me but it didn't stop them.

I would have loved to say something or move or anything but we didn't. I just prayed. My kids didn't hear anything it was just more disturbing for Gary and I to have to listen to this and it more so because they were black.

There I said it. You know whatever but they were using the F word and N word like it was everyday to them. I never even hear that word let alone use it!! It was sad to me because our waiter was also black. He was kind and gentle and knows our friends from church, but because of these ignorant fools wearing their gang bangin clothes and looking and talking the part of ignorance they perpetuate a stereo type that I have to protect my son from. That makes me mad, because people around are not going to remember the Waiter and his kind heart and sincere words, or my darling son from Ethiopia. They will remember and classify black people with these sad and troubled souls. This is what I have to protect my son from, not just people like them but people who stereotype because of people like them. It makes me so mad.

I prayed, I asked God to forgive them for their crude, violent filthy talk. I felt sad for them. I told Gary we just don't know how they grew up and what they saw. He couldn't understand why in a family restaurant would someone use such ill mannered speech. I just told him not everyone knows manners or cares, maybe they were not brought up to care. Or maybe they are just so selfish and young they don't care. I told Gary it was wrong yes, but we don't know what their lives will be like in 10 years. I really don't want to judge them as humans today, all we could do was pray.