Obligitory Christmas Pictures

So Christmas came and is went...and we participated. Here's proof.  For the record we stayed in our PJ's the day.  Marjorie and I called it a "Den of Slack", which is a reference to Reality Bites...a bad movie from the 90's.

Elias wasn't so stoked about taking pictures at first.

Tobiah got his own Nintendo DS for Christmas.....to stop the fighting.....we limit play time....except for on Christmas....so we didn't see the boys most of the day!

 Corban was probably the only boy in America who asked for sensitive toothpaste for Christmas.  His front adult teeth are very sensitive.....so that was an easy one.

The boys got Marjorie the new girls Nerf gun.  We figured if she has to live in a house full of boys, she should be able to defend herself properly.  Later in the day Tobiah decided to shoot Daddy in the temple from 2 inches away with this very device.

Marjorie has been asking for a La La Loopsie doll for a year now.  Again, since she has to live in testosterone world, I thought it was middle ground.  She's now looking for play dates with little girls.

He was pretty content sitting inside the boxes playing with other things.  His little bum fit nicely.

 Checking out what big brother is doing.

Wherever you are....Blessings to you and your family in the coming year from the Reinard family.

Catching Up to Christmas

Funny things happen when you finally come home with your child that you've been waiting for.
1.  It doesn't seem as important to tell everyone what it's like to be waiting......since we're not waiting any longer.
2.  You instantly become busy with things you either didn't know you had to deal with or totally forgot that came along with little kids.

So forgive us....but I'm sure you understand.

So here is an update and a bunch of random information for you.


E is doing great.  I think his adjustment is going exceptionally well.  There are still some little glitches from time to time...a couple minor meltdowns....but I couldn't have imagined that the transition would be going this good this quickly.

Coming home on the 10th of December didn't leave us a ton of time to think about Christmas.  I'm typing this on the 21st and we just put our tree up.  So we're a little behind.....we were kind of hoping everyone else would agree to just push Christmas back a week this year for us?

I (Aaron) have been across the country quite a number of times.  I've been around the world a few times too.  I've never dealt with jet lag.  When people talked about jet lag, I've always thought "you're a wuss".  For whatever reason, the return trip home kicked my BUTT!  We're finally getting back to normal sleeping and eating habits, but we were seriously messed up for awhile there.

That being said, E sleeps like a champ.  We put him down at night and don't hear him until the next morning.

His big brothers are amazing.  As I type this they are all in the living room playing.  He's hugging Corban.  Corban particularly is extra protective and caring.

E drinks out of a regular cup like a champ.

Tickling 3 boys is harder than just 2.

Marjorie having maternity leave until February is AWESOME!!!!

We COMPLETELY appreciate everyone respecting our nesting.  He is doing great and we're going to start venturing out more in the next week or two.  You're gonna love this little dude.  Just don't get between him and food and you're safe......because he gets cranky when it's time to eat and he doesn't have food in his mouth.

HOME!!!!!

Yes.  We're home.

It was a great trip.  We have our son.  FINALLY!

We have lots to tell you about.  LOTS.  We plan on having a bunch of posts here over the next little bit to fill in some of the story that is important.

We're all pretty tired.  E is a bit sick.  There is LOTS of adjustment that is going on....for all of us. 

I would encourage you to re-read a post we put up at the beginning of November called Nesting and Cocooning.  The Cocooning part is particularly important right now for us.  We know you're all excited to see us and E....we are going to need some time and space to work on our attachment. 

We promise to take pictures and keep you as updated as we move throughout this coming weeks. 

WE'RE GOING TO GET HIM!!!!!!!

We received official word.  The wait is over.  We're going!!!!!!

We can hardly believe it.  However this is real.  We have an appointment at the US Embassy next Thursday. 

So many plans to be made.  Lots to do.  SO EXCITED!  He's finally gonna come home!

Thank you for your prayers to get us this far.  Please continue to pray us through.

Stay tuned here for more updates in the coming days and weeks.  This journey is just getting started!!!!

Update 11/22: Operation Ivy

Back in my younger days, I was pretty big into metal and then punk.  There was a band way back when called Operation Ivy.  They had a song called Knowledge.  It's not an amazingly well written song, and I'm not linking anything here because they drop the F bomb....and more importantly because the song itself has nothing to do with anything relevant to this blog.....EXCEPT.....I started singing the chorus to it this morning.

All I know is that I don't know
All I know is that I don't know nothing
All I know is that I don't know
All I know is that I don't know nothing

Beyond the grammatical error (it's punk, come on)....this is pretty much what we have to share with you this week.

It seems that we have been asked by everyone this week what we know, and when are you going, and why's it taking so long.

Friends, we don't know when we're going.  We thought we'd know by now.  Heck we thought we'd be there and home already.  We're not.  We don't.

There have been some delays.  The Embassy has asked that some things be re-done.  It's completely out of our hands.  There's nothing for us to do physically.  Some pieces need to fall into place to make this happen.  We have an inkling that it's moving forward, but we can't put a time table on anything.

We promise that when we know something we will be shouting it from the mountains.  You will know.  We will post here, blast e-mails, post on Facebook and Twitter.  You will know.

As for now....

All I know is that I don't know
All I know is that I don't know nothing.



Prayers appreciated.  As frustrated as you might be with these setbacks, know that we are more so.

News Update and Thoughts 11/16

So this week there was an interview at the US Embassy in Addis Ababa on our behalf.  When others have had this type of interview the Embassy has cleared them to bring their child home within 24 hours.  Some, within 2 or 4 hours.   So we totally expected to wake up Tuesday morning to an e-mail from the Embassy telling us that we had cleared and come pick up E.

We didn't get that e-mail on Tuesday.
or Wednesday.

We heard that there was a mis-translated date on one of our papers and that that was re-submitted on Wedneday and we should hear Thursday morning.

Sure enough we got an e-mail Thursday morning.....but it was NOT the e-mail we were expecting.  This email said that some other pieces of paperwork needed fixed.  This will take a few more days to get all those together.

So we wait again.


Marjorie was reminded this week while reading Tobiah his nightly Bible story, that Jesus waited days before he went to his friend Lazarus so that God's glory would be shown.

God show your glory in our story too.  This was your plan from day one, not ours.  If we need to wait a little more, then His plan is going to pretty awesome on the back end. 

Nesting and Cocooning

Most pregnant women go through "nesting"  to prepare for their child.  The idea of "nesting" has actually been studied and there's some evidence that lead some to believe it's an actual instinctual behavior much like birds.  The need to get things ready, to fix and clean things.

I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt in my mind, that nesting is not limited to pregnancy.  With each of our adoptions Marjorie has nested.  I mean MONTHS ahead of any possible time a child could come home, she's getting things out, putting up decorations, getting out blankets, and toys and clothes.  We have to get ready.  She couldn't wait for me to help set up the crib, no it had to be done months ago, and all the blankets she and others made for Elias went immediately into the crib. Little toddler toys were out weeks ago. 

But there's something else that is written about in the adoption community-it's a little different.   Cocooning.  Cocooning is a period of time where intense care and bonding happen.  The idea is to kind of close up social shop and just spend very very intentional time with your new child.

If we're honest, we weren't the best Cocooners with Corban.  We were new to parenting and adoption.  We didn't realize how much one on one time he needed with us.  We didn't do horribly....but we could've done better.  We didn't want to say no to people when they asked if they could stop over to see him....or just showed up at our door.  They had waited with us too.  He needed way more alone time to adjust to being a family and new stimulation.  Once when our parents were visiting, Corban had enough of visitors, so he took Marjorie's hand and led her to his room.  What he wanted was to sit in the rocker with her for awhile and have alone time.  So she did that with him till he was ready to visit again.  With Tobiah we had a week alone with him in the isolation room at the hospital, so it happened naturally.  

We are preparing you now for cocooning.  When Elias comes home, be prepared to see us less.  We are going to be bonding with our child, meeting his every need as best we can, making up for the past 2 years, growing trust and making sure he knows we are here for him.  Just because he is home, doesn't mean he is prepared for all the new things in his life.  He needs time to adjust to a lot of new things.

We will be limiting visitors.  Elias might not go on all the outings right away, like to the store or library or church with us right away.  We might need to miss some events and large gatherings.   Please understand and respect that as we move forward. We'll be coming out of our cocoon slowly and tentatively, trying out the new surroundings and sometimes retreating.  This time for him could last anywhere from 2-6 months.

We can't wait for you to see him!  We know you've waited and prayed for him to come home for a long time.  We'll make sure to post pictures, so you too can rejoice in him being home.
And while we need to be the primary caregivers for Elias, we'll need breaks too, to refresh from intensive parenting.  Thanks for supporting us in this stage of our adoption journey as well!

News Update 11/2: Bipolar

The adoption process can be incredibly bi-polar.

A few days ago, I was in a very dark mood.  Frustrated.  Angry.  Bitter.  Ready to get on a plane and go do something about it.  Within the last 20 minutes, things got resolved, and several blessings fell into our laps.

It is so hard to be even keeled.  It's hard to keep your emotions in check.  It feels like you are on a roller coaster.

So what has happened is this:  Last week we saw signs of movement.  Lots of friends who cleared court with us back in August, got cleared by the Embassy and are traveling.  We heard from the Embassy that they wanted to interview a lady involved with our case who lives in the town E is from (Awassa).  So our agency needed to find her and set up the interview.  As of yesterday they still hadn't found her and I was getting upset.  Because, while Ethiopia isn't the United States....there are resources in place that would facilitate this faster...at least I believed so.  So I was incredibly frustrated and ready to fly over and find her myself (with the help of some friends).

Then I got an e-mail from our agency.  They found her.  She has her interview at the Embassy November 12.  What has been happening lately, is that the Embassy then clears the child (E) to come home within 24 hours of that and gives us potential dates to travel.

Let me be clear:  That's what has been happening lately, but that is NOT a guarantee for us.


Then my mom called me.  My parents have asked if we need a new car seat for E.  We said yes but we'd like one of the detachable ones with the booster so we don't have to keep buying stuff.  So my mom went looking and couldn't find what she wanted, got frustrated and went home.  Only to have a neighbor, come to her door with a near brand new one that she had for her grandson.  She GAVE it to my mom because she's moving and can't take it!


Also.....If you notice we hit our 2000 dollar goal that we set for this next trip!!!!!!  Some friends helped us over the last little hump and we're there!!!!  Thank you God for working in the lives of friends and family to help us get to where we are! We have been super blessed by you all.  A simple Thank You can not do justice to our gratitude and humbleness through this whole process.

So we're done then right?  Well.......sort of......

If you've been following regularly you'll remember that back in June we had a post called Gray Area.  We talked about how we had a rough idea what things were going to cost, but until we actually go and do, it's hard to hammer that down to the exact dollar.  So on one hand we're pretty sure we won't need more money from our trip....we can't say that with 100% certainty.  We still might need to purchase tickets last minute and pay more than we want.  We just don't know......but we've met our initial goal.

HOWEVER....any money that is raised that we don't need will be donated to BRING LOVE IN.  We've talked about them in the past.  We love them and what they're doing.  We're excited to partner with them in what they're doing.  If you're unfamiliar with them, you need to check out what they're doing.

So within 20 minutes we got an Embassy interview date.  We got a free car seat and we reached our goal.  How do I change my emotions that quickly?

Thank you God for blessing us yet again!

FOR YOU:

1.  We are still coveting your prayers.  We need the Embassy to clear us on or about the 12th of November.  We really want E to be home now.  While we see that we're taking baby steps forward.....we're not done yet.

2.  Pray for us as we attempt to handle this bipolar ride of adoption.

Psalm 62....Wait in Silence.

I taught the teens last night out of Psalm 46. I reminded them that the Psalms were song lyrics. That it's like opening up a CD case and pulling out the liner.

If you hurry you can download Robbie Seay's EP Psalms vol.1 free from Noisetrade. Do it now. I'll wait. What are you still reading for...you're suppose to be downloading.  Good.  Now that we have that done, we can proceed.

This EP has been rocking my world.  I have had it on loop.  Particularly track 2....which is Psalm 62.   I'm going to put the actual Psalm here for you and the the Youtube video (for those who are rebels who can't follow directions and just download the album to their computer).  If you wanna read first and listen later, or listen first and then read or if you're able to do both.  Then scroll down for some final thoughts.

62 My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
² He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.

³ How long will you assail a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
⁴ They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;
They delight in falsehood;
They bless with ^[b]their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. ^[c]Selah.

⁵ My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
⁶ He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
⁷ On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
⁸ Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.

⁹ Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie;
In the balances they go up;
They are together lighter than breath.
¹⁰ Do not trust in oppression
And do not ^[d]vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.

^11 [e]Once God has spoken;
^[f]Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God;
¹² And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord,
For You recompense a man according to his work.

Wait in silence.  Yeah we're all really good at that.  Right?

I don't want to be silent.  I want my son to come home.  I want to yell.  I want to cry out.  I want to shake my fist in anger and frustration.  Nothing anyone can say will justify my boy being anywhere but in my house.  I don't want to be silent.  I want to quit my job and move to Ethiopia so my son can live with me.

I am reminded that God is my refuge.  Where would I be without knowing that there's a bigger plan that I don't see....and might never.

Trust in Him at all times......and wait.

Wait.  Wait in silence.  I need to work on that.

Frustration and News 10/11

I had planned to write a post for this week no matter what.  Earlier this week, I thought that it would have a much different tone, than I'm able to write with right now.  I'm not good at it, but I'll try hard to not tell a story and instead cut to the chase.  Long story short.  That sort of thing.  Trust me, this is the SHORT version.

The past week has been rough.  Really rough.

There's a document we needed to fill out.  To do so we needed some numbers from the government....to fill out THEIR document.  So after two e-mails that were never answered, I found a number to call.  I sat on hold for 1/2 hour to be told that my birthday wasn't right in their computer....not my fault, but I scanned my passport and sent it back to them....via e-mail which they never replied to.  The next day I sat on hold for another 1/2 hour and they gave me the info I needed.  So I filled out the document.

I was then told by our agency that they (government) should've sent me a confirmation letter.  Monday I called for a third time and another 1/2 hour on hold to be told that now E's birthday was wrong in their computer and they didn't want to talk to me.  To which I got a little riled up. 

What you don't know is that Tuesday is the day that paperwork gets submitted to the US Embassy in Ethiopia.  So if we didn't want to wait another week, it needed done now.  Basically we resigned ourselves to not getting into Embassy.  We were told that they would take our papers with them and plead our case.

So I woke up Tuesday morning to find an e-mail from the US Embassy saying that our paperwork was accepted!!!!  Thank you Lord!  I just don't think I could've taken much more.  I was so frustrated.

Beyond just us though....2 other families who we're friends with and also had paper problems also got in on Tuesday too.  I was probably as happy for them as for us. 

So what's next?  We wait.  More.  Longer.  The Embassy now researches E's story. And at some point in the future they tell us to come get him.

So out of all of this, I have been profoundly impressed by this:  I know you're reading our blog right now....probably because you know us.  But there are a bunch of other families who are as stuck and hurting as we are.  Some we know and keep in touch with.  Some we don't know.  They're crying at night because they're seeing their child grow up via pictures without them.  They're gritting their teeth when they sleep.  They're clenching their fists.  They're putting on a good face when people ask them "if they've heard anything or when's he coming home".  They're hurting.  All the while...they're jumping through ridiculous hoops only to be put on the back burner. 

I say this because from day one this blog has been about sharing with you not just our story....but the story of adoption.  It's not always pretty or happy.  While we rejoice with friends that we all got in this week....none of us probably should have....and others probably didn't. 

So this week as you pray for us (please continue to do so, because we're still desperately in need of your prayers) please pray for some other families in the midst of waiting. 


Finally...in the midst of a frustrating week, we got new pictures of E. 
On one hand it's good to see him.  It's good to see his half smile.  It also hurts me to my core.  He's not in my house.  He's not half smiling with toys from our play room.  He's not here.  He needs to come home now.

Reason to Sing part 2

I just found this post that I wrote last month while we were in Ethiopia.

I'm writing this from Addis Ababa.  Marjorie and I are sitting in the living room of our guesthouse reading books.  It's quiet.  She asked me to put some music on while we read.  So I did.

First we listened to a Waterdeep album and then I switched it to All Sons and Daughters.  I could sing every lyric on this album....and usually do....but tonight it was just light background sound to read by....and my book is good enough that I was able to block it out.

Then I finished a chapter and wanted to see if the Internet was actually going to work tonight or not.  Do you know what song was playing?  "Reason to Sing".  And do you know what part of that song it was on?  The bridge.  About a year ago I blogged about his song.  Particularly the bridge.  We were frustrated with paperwork and fundraising.

The bridge goes like this:

"If there be a victory, will you sing it over me now?

Your peace is the melody.  Will you sing it over me now?"

So in our frustration we were singing that out.  "God remind us you're in control here and know what's happening down here.

Back to today....almost a year later....I got to meet my son for the first time today.  He is gorgeous to me.  I am overcome with emotion.

The journey is not over.  We leave soon and E stays here.  We have to leave our son behind....but knowing that hopefully in a few months we come back here to bring him home forever.  God doesn't EVER need to prove himself to me....but days like today make me know without a shadow of a doubt that God is real, and that his plan for my life is amazingly complex and wonderful.

At the very end of the song the lyrics go like this:

" I need a reason to sing

I need a reason to sing

I need to know that you're still holding the whole world in Your hand.

That is a reason to sing"

The whole world in your hands.....from little old Warren PA to Addis Ababa Ethiopia.  This is a reason to sing.

Coin Jewelry Fundraiser

As we've shared with you previously, we're still in need of funding our second trip to Ethiopia to bring E home.  We are still selling our T-shirts (hurry sizes are now limited and when they're gone, they're gone). As you can see from our new thermometer graph (right toolbar) we're just shy of 500 dollars toward our goal.  We need to get moving on this though.

So we introduce to you our new fundraiser.  We are now selling some Ethiopian coin jewelry.  We currently have 4 different items for purchase.  Note that each item has a minimum suggested donation.  Also, if you have donated to our adoption since we've returned from Ethiopia (you know who you are) contact us right away with the item you want and we'll get it out to you.

Before we get to the good stuff we wanted to point out that on each of the coins is the Lion of Judah.  Ethiopia has a long rich history.  Part of that history is Biblical.  The Queen of Sheba goes to King Solomon's court because she heard how wise he is.  He then gives her "all her desire, whatever she asked".  Ethiopian tradition is that the Queen took the Ark of the Covenant back to Ethiopia where it remains to this day.  Also that the Queen fell in love with Solomon and that she had a child by him and thus the royal blood line, the Lion of Judah, was passed down through Ethiopia.

We like the Lion side best, but we've pictured each jewelery piece with the alternate side, should you like that as well.

You should also know that the Ethiopian currency is the Birr.  Currently the Birr is 18.9 to the US dollar.

2 single necklace sets and 2 necklace and earring combos.

We start out with a 1 Birr coin necklace.  Lion of Judah on one side, scales on the other.  (for our Canadian family and friends this is just a tiny bit smaller than a Tooney).  It's a bit larger than a US quarter.   Suggested minimum donation $8

 Next we have a 10 sentum (cent) coin.  Lion on one side, Mountain Nyala on the other side.  A little larger than the size of a US nickel.  Suggested minimum donation $8.

Next we have a package set.  You get a 50 sentum (cent) coin necklace (lion on one side, victory party over emperor in 1974...about the size of a US quarter) AND a pair of 25 sentum ear rings (lion on one side and two workers celebrating....about the size of a US nickel).  Suggested minimum donation $15

Finally we have another package for you.  The necklace is the same necklace we started with...the 1 Birr coin (lion on one side, scales on the other).  The ear rings are 5 sentum coins (about the size of a US penny).  The lion hangs outward with a soldier on the alternate side.  Suggested minimum donation $15.

As with any donations to our adoption, you can use the Paypal Donate button in the left column.  You can also make checks payable to Aaron Reinard  12 Central Ave. Warren PA  16365.


We have plenty of the 1 Birr necklaces.  Everything else is limited quantities and when they're gone, they're gone.  Christmas is coming.  These would look lovely in a stocking. 

Minor News Update 9/20

NOTE:  We have a new fundraiser that we're going to introduce VERY soon (maybe even tonight)....and it's cool.  So you're going to want to check back in on the blog soon.

Relax, we still don't know when we're going. 

HOWEVER....we got something awesome today....actually minutes ago...and we wanted to tell you.

E has a passport!!!!!  That's a really good thing.  We're one small step closer.

What happens next?  Monday morning has a physical for his visa application.  That'll take a couple days.  Then the following Tuesday all his stuff goes to Embassy.

One step closer to bringing E home!!!!!!

Finances: Bring E home

From day one of this adoption journey (and blog) we have said that this is crazy.  We didn't and don't have the money for this adoption....yet we felt clearly that God was saying "go for it, I'm gonna take care of it."  Up to this point that has been 100% true.

We have yet to come to a point in this journey where we didn't have money to pay the next bill.

Last summer we were very worried because funds just weren't coming in....and then it just happened.  Little by little.  Bit by bit (a few bits were pretty big) money came in.

We can only say PRAISE GOD!!!!  and also Thank you for being part as well.

In our attempt to remain transparent with the financing of this adoption we felt like we needed to let you know where we're at.

We had the money to pay for our plane tickets for our first trip to Ethiopia......just.  Because we had to travel in summer prices were up.  Because we had to travel last minute, prices were up.  Because there is conflict throughout the Middle East prices were up...unless we wanted to fly into Cairo right as it erupted.  So we were able to buy our tickets with only a few hundred dollars to spare......which then went to pay for room, board, and transportation to go see our son.

Early on in our adoption, someone close to us set aside some money for "a trip" to Ethiopia.  That money hasn't been touched.  We know that we have that money to pay for part of our flights.  However, we also know that that won't cover the entire trip.

So where does that leave us?
-We're guessing that we need to raise around $2,000 to cover the remaining expenses of bringing E home.

-There are still T-shirts available.  They're "on sale" now for 15 dollars local and 18 dollars shipped in the US and Canada (youth sizes S, M and L;  adult size S, M, and XL....sorry out of L)

-We have another very cool fundraiser that we hope to unveil to you in the next week.  It's going to be sweet.  Christmas is coming and you'll want to pick this up.

-Would you consider helping us bring E home?  As we said early on, a very little bit goes a long way.  If 200 people give only 5 dollars we're half way there.  Would consider a one time donation...however large or small that is?

To do so you can donate online via our paypal donation button in the right column.
You can also send checks to
 Aaron Reinard
12 Central Ave.
Warren PA  16365

 -Please please please continue to keep our whole family in your prayers.  Obviously Marjorie and I are anxious to bring E home, but so are Corban and Tobiah.  The waiting is weighing on our whole family. 

Ethiopia Trip #1: Perception of Ethiopia

So what do you know about Ethiopia? 

You probably know it's in Africa.  But where?  East?  West?  South?  North?  Could you put your finger immediately on it if you were given a map?  Is it on the coast? 

What about the weather?  It's Africa right?....so it must be pretty hot.  Right?  Every movie you've seen of Africa is either deserts or jungle....so it has to be either hot and dry or hot and wet.  Right? 

How about animals?  Africa means Elephants, giraffes, crocodiles, and monkeys. 


OK let's be done with the guessing game.  Let me tell you about the country of Ethiopia that we continue to fall deeper in love with.

Ethiopia is located in Eastern Africa in an area referred to as the Horn of Africa.....because it looks like a horn.  See that was easy.   Ethiopia is a land locked country.  This creates some problems for the country....which you can probably imagine.  Importing things isn't easy or cheap. 

We talked to several people about cars particularly.  Most vehicles are old Toyota's.  Taxi cabs are early 90's Lavda's from Russia.  HOWEVER....a nice shape 92 Toyota Corolla would still cost 15k US!!!  There are a couple Chinese car manufacturers in country, but everyone says they're garbage and parts are hard to come by.  If you can figure out how to cheaply import Toyota's to Ethiopia you're golden!

Ethiopia is not a desert.  Though there are tiny parts of the country that are the edge of deserts.  It is not a jungle either.  I think of Ethiopia as lush.  It's green.  When I was a kid in the 80's we saw the massive drought in Ethiopia where thousands died of malnutrition......that's not Ethiopia today. Check out this picture we took just outside the city.   Be honest, if I hadn't told you where I that was...would you have guessed?  Doubtful.

 

Here are pictures from outside our house and from the top of a mountain looking down on Addis. 

Average temperature most of the year is in the mid-70's.  In rainy season (when we were there....Aug, Sept some of Oct) it's in the low to mid 60's and damp.  Since it doesn't get super cold few people have heaters.....so damp is everywhere.  Not exactly what you think of when you think Africa huh?

While we're at it, let's talk elevation.  Addis Ababa is HIGH.  You know when it's football season and everyone talks about playing in Denver and how the teams need oxygen and so forth.  Addis looks down on Denver.  Elevation in Denver is 5,690 ft.  Addis elevation is 7,726 feet.  I would get winded jogging up stairs.

 OK animals.  Yes there are giraffe's and elephants and hippos and so forth....but not in the quantities that you think.  When most people think of African animals, you're really thinking of Kenya.  Kenya is known for it's Safari tours.  So yes they're here, but much like the jungle that's not really here....neither are the animals like you think of in Tarzan movies.

But speaking of animals.....there are goats, and sheep, and cows all over the place....including walking across the city.  Actually the night we left there was a traffic jam because a cow was killed crossing a road by being hit with a car.  Boys about Corban's age take care of these flocks that roam around.  We actually called this trip.....the whip trip.  It seemed like all these boys discovered whips.  They cracked them for fun from dawn till dusk. 

Ethiopia Trip #1: Our little man!

I call it "the moment".  It's that instance when we get to meet our child for the first time.  The moment that someone puts our child in Marjorie's arms.  Each has been different.

We woke at 7.  Showered and got ready.  Our awesome cook at our guesthouse made us breakfast.  It's one of those days that is going to change the rest of your life.  I was way more nervous than Marjorie was.

We got our ride to the St. Thomas Center where he's staying.  We met the sister who took us up to his room.  The toddler room has 10 or so cribs lining the walls.  As soon as we walked in we saw him across the room.  There's our son.  The sister asked if we remember which one he is.  We point to him and she smiles...we know our boy.  She walks over and picks him up and carry's him over to Marjorie.

He just sits.  No tears.  No noise.  Just sitting, looking, watching.  We gave him some cars which he held on to.

 And then slowly he was OK with us.

That first day was just OK.  He kind of flirted around the room playing with toys.  He'd stop in with some of the workers to get hugs and kisses and tickles.  He'd hide in corners waiting for us to "find" him.  He was hesitant with us....which was OK.  We didn't want to push things that first day.

What we loved from that first day was feeding him lunch.  This boy can EAT!  We were given a big bowl full of squished up pasta and tomatoes.  We're talking a portion size that I would eat.  This dude ate the whole thing!!!  I don't know how he can open his mouth this much!  (sorry for the dark picture)

Day 2 was way better.  He was much more engaged with us on day 2.  As soon as we walked in the door he recognized us and smiled.  He came to us willingly.  We gave him a picture book of our family and the boys and he played with those pictures all morning.  It was awesome.  Daddy and E played with a ball for awhile.  He's a quiet little guy, but he giggled and smiled when we played.

 

 Toward the end of the morning we tried hard to get a picture of the three of us (the one we used in our announcement post)....he didn't really wanna look at the camera.  So we had a lot of bad ones.  HA

 

We want this guy to come home soon.  It was great to get to know him a bit.....but he needs to be in our house now. 

Ethiopia Trip #1: The Basics

My goal is to have a blog a day this week....or close to it.  We've been running crazy since the moment our plane landed in the states and we're honestly still struggling to just do real life....but we know we need to update you all on what went down.  So let's start with the basics.

-First off, I've been telling everyone.....the trip was FABULOUS!  Such an awesome time.

-We got to meet our son for the first time.  We spent a few hours on Monday and Tuesday of our trip with him (more on all of that in another post).  Suffice it to say that HE IS AWESOME!

-We cleared Ethiopian court (which we shared with you from Ethiopia).  This basically means the country of Ethiopia recognizes Elias as our son now.

-So why didn't he come home with you?  Well the United States government now has to have their say.  All our paperwork (and some more that we're adding to it this week) goes to the US Embassy in Ethiopia.  They go through it and make sure everything looks good.  They've already approved us to bring A child in the US.....now they have to say that THIS child is the one.

-Any idea how long that will take?  They tell us 6-8 weeks.  Could be sooner.  Could be longer.  We've done this enough to not put time tables and hopes on things. 

-This will sound silly.....but bear with me......if you could take out the fact that we got to meet our son for the first time, and take out the fact that we cleared court......this would've still been an awesome trip.  We got to see things we've never seen in Ethiopia before.  We got to go places we haven't gone before.  We met new friends, we caught up with old friends.  We tried new places to eat and new foods.  We'll try to share some of this side of our trip in the coming days as well.

FOR YOU:
-Prayer.  We aren't done yet.  We need you to pray us the whole way through this thing.  There are still lots of details that need to be worked on...which we'll be sharing in the coming days.  Today literally we're finishing more paperwork....cause you know we haven't done enough yet.

-Also pray for little E.  We want him home now.  We want him to be safe and loved up on.

Stay Tuned......

I know many of you want updates since we're back.  It's coming!  I promise. 

We're just trying to catch up to "real life".  We're swamped and tired.  We have a couple posts that are in the works.....we just need a spare minute to breath and then we'll be getting at it.  Bear with us.

Introducing......( for real this time!!!!)

I'm wearing a tie.  You know something is going on if I'm wearing a tie.  Today was a good day.

About two hours ago we appeared before an Ethiopian judge.  The judge asked us questions that we've answered a million times before while doing paperwork..."will you do all the follow up paperwork?"  Etc.

Then she said some very magical words. She said,"this boy is now officially yours."

So we are now legally (Kathy our social worker just told me so) allowed to post pictures of our son.

So I would like I officially introduce you to Elias Dereje Reinard. 

Just to be clear....this DOES NOT mean that he gets to come home with us.  But as far as the government of Ethiopia is concerned he is our son.  The United States now gets to process our paperwork one more time.  Then we get to fly back over here to come to the US embassy and finish it off and come home. 

Sooooo please continue to pray this cute little man through.  We really want the US  to get things moving.

Who's in the details?

Not much longer and we're off to Ethiopia.  The last 5 days have been frantic, stressful, joyful, hopeful and wild (probably a bunch of other words that end in ful). 

They say that the devil is in the details.  I get the expression and all.  I'm not a detail person.  That's why I married Marjorie.  Details frustrate me to no end.  That said, I've seen nothing but God's hand working in the last 5 days.

We shared with you in our last post that we were struggling to find a flight.  It was easy to fly into Addis Ababa, but extremely hard to get out.  I literally spent most of two days looking for flights.  We needed to get there, but we also wanted to be good stewards of the money that has been donated.  This was extremely hard because of the season that we have to go, and the quickness that we had to go. 

We found a flight.  Round trip out of Washington DC.  Good connection.  Not too long of a layover in either direction.  AND it stays out of the Middle East, which if you read the news, you know is a "no go" zone for American's right now.

Not only did we find a flight.....but later that day we got a call from a travel agency that we've worked with to fly internationally before.  They asked what I found and I told them.  I also told them the price.  She was very impressed.  She said I got a very good rate and that they were struggling to find anything that good.  MAN does that make me feel good.

We have a place to stay.  We have drivers.  Just a few minutes ago, I found out we have a cell phone while we're in Addis.  We have connected with other families who will be going to court with us.  We're hoping to have a celebration dinner with them after court next Wednesday.  We have free wifi so we should be updating you from Addis.....but then again....it's Ethiopia....so who knows.

Where I was overwhelmed last Friday and Saturday, I've seen detail after detail fall into place.  We're not done yet.  We're not on the plane yet.  There are still lots of things that we have to do in the VERY near future.....but man it's been amazing.  God is good!



FOR YOU:
-Prayers are still needed and appreciated. 
That all the details work smoothly. 
That all our travels will go smoothly.
That our court appearance goes super smoothly and we can report back to you.

We're Going!!!!!!

I was at home cleaning the basement of all things. The phone rang. I charged upstairs to get it.

Hello?

Aaron this is K from Children's House. Are you ready to go to Ethiopia? Because you need to go now.

What?


THIS IS FOR REAL!!!!!

You've been praying and we've been praying and now we're going.  We have a court date in Ethiopia in a week and a half.  We have to fly there in a week.  Our brains are overloaded with information and details that need done, and freaking out.

We get to meet our son face to face in a very short time.

We'll obviously let you know what's going on.....when we know more.
God is GOOD!

FOR YOU:

-As we're looking into tickets, and it is crazy!!! They significantly more expensive because they're last minute and because of the time of year.  Also....there seems to be few flights coming home.  One airline gave us the option to come home in early September because that was the first flight they had openings on......and were kind of shocked we weren't OK spending 3+ weeks in Ethiopia.....which would be nice....but not very practical.  HA

-We are stressed.  We have lots to do in a very short amount of time.  We also don't want to lose our focus.

ANSWERS TO PRAYER:
-We found out yesterday that we have to do an extra piece of paperwork because of some changes that are beyond our control.  That single piece of paperwork is going to cost a couple hundred dollars.  HOWEVER....yesterday morning someone donated some new appliances to us to sell.  Bill taken care of.

-C and T were already going to my parents house to go camping the week that we need to be in Ethiopia.  Childcare taken care of.

Court Update

We told you last week, in our news update, that our paperwork was going to court in Ethiopia this Wednesday. 

We'd first like to say thank you for your thoughts and prayers on Wednesday.  We've heard from so many of you asking what we know.

On Wednesday the boys and I woke up and went to eat breakfast.  I reminded them that the paperwork was going to court today.  I also realized that even as we were praying about the paperwork....whatever was going to happen already had happened.  With Ethiopia being 7 hours ahead of EST, when we were praying at 9, it was already 4pm there.

So we heard from our agency that it looks like we passed through court.  We are another step closer.  Unless something was really wrong with our paperwork we were pretty confident that we would pass.  We didn't get all excited when we found out.....and then we were reminded that this is a big deal.  This is a step closer to bringing our son home.  We needed this step to go well.  We're still moving in the direction we want.

So what's next?

We're waiting on a letter from WoMA (Ministry of Women's Affairs) telling us when our next court date is.  This next court date is when Marjorie and I fly over to physically take our paperwork to Ethiopian court.  We need this letter NOW.

The problem is that even when things are running smoothly, WoMA is slow.  We've heard that they're particularly slow and backed up right now.  So if we're going to get to Ethiopia before courts close, we need a bunch of paperwork (not just our own) to clear through them FAST.

We are being guardedly optimistic that this can happen.  We know God has a plan.  That may be that we go now.  We also know that the way things are working right now, there's a very real chance that we're going to have to wait until October for our first trip.

FOR YOU:

As always, we still need your prayers.  Obviously right now we need to hear that we are headed to Ethiopia to meet our son sooner rather than later. 

Beyond that obvious prayer, please pray for our hearts.  That they wouldn't be hardened to the process and not be cynical from past adoption struggles.  That we would continue to be open to what God is speaking into our lives.

Also pray for C and T's hearts and minds in this adjustment.  Corban particularly has been having dreams about traveling to Ethiopia right now to pick up his brother.  They are excited, but I'm sure they don't fully grasp what changes are going to come to every day life.  Pray that their hearts would be molded for their new brother.

Corban's Gotcha Day

 July 13th is Corban's Gotcha Day.  For those who don't know what that is....it's the day we "gotcha".  So 7 years ago this past Saturday, Marjorie and I met a scared, tired, hungry Corban in Dulles Airport in Washington DC.  The first few days were rough.  I seriously can't believe he's been part of our family for 7 years....it seems like yesterday.  I can't imagine our family without him.  He went away a few weeks ago for his first overnight camp for two days....and the house just wasn't the same....the energy level was decreased by A LOT.

So every year we celebrate our boys Gotcha Day.  Different adoptive families celebrate in different ways.  We don't give presents.  We "do something" together as a family.  Usually this has meant a fun relaxing day with some mini-golf and ice cream and a nice dinner.  This year we did something different.

(This is kind of in two parts so make sure you follow all the way down.)


So last year my parents were given a gift certificate to the Gateway Clipper fleet in Pittsburgh for a river cruise....for the entire family.  It's taken all of us more than a year to coordinate schedules and make it happen.  So my parents, my brother and his family, my aunt and uncle, and my roudy brood, set off on one of their boats for lunch and tour up and down the rivers around Pittsburgh.

IT WAS AWESOME.  The kids had so much fun on the boat.  Corban, our creative one, was a pirate, firing cannons at every water craft out on a gorgeous afternoon.  The kids touched every corner of that boat.  In fact Marjorie and Tobiah almost were in the control room....that they were suppose to be in.

One thing I learned was that the fountain at the point doesn't use water from any of the three rivers but from an underground glacial aquafer.  How cool is that?

Now....my parents are looking for a new home.  My dad retired back in January, and their entire married life (39 years) they've lived in a home provided by the church that they've served.  So they're looking for their first house.  Which means....that this is probably Corban's last Gotcha Day at Grandma and Pa Pa's.  This is significant because his very first Gotcha Day was at Grandma and Pa Pa's....so we have some special photos of that first day or so at their house.  So we decided to recreate those pictures this weekend (we also did two pictures of Tobiah from when he came....you'll remember that we immediately went to Children's Hospital with him....so we don't have many at my parents house.....we're gonna hold off on Tobiah's pictures till later.)

So below is the original picture, then the new picture.  We did our best.

This next picture is significant because it's the first time Corban felt safe enough to let anyone other than Marjorie or I hold his hand.

Love you C-digs.