Use Common Sense

2010-07-24T10:05:00.003-05:00

After a long few days wondering about whether or not we would be able to travel we got on the plane and trusted that God would work it out. He did and we met our kids for the first time. We spent the week getting to know each other and finishing up the visa paperwork. The 4 of us got on a plane ready for a long flight. We had a good time in Ethiopia, everything worked out as planned. There were a few small snaggs in the paperwork that were able to be fixed before they caused any real issues. Big thanks to everyone who had a direct hand in getting everything ready, and to everyone who sent prayer up for us. A few pictures.

Traditional Clothes
Dinner with friends

View from our room

The 4 of us at Toto Mtn.

on towards a family of 5

2010-07-03T20:52:00.004-05:00

On Friday Adam and I begin the long journey to arrive in Addis to meet A & L. We are leaving D with gramma and nana. I am in the panic/worried/nervous/excited/anxious/every other emotion you can feel before going to meet your children mode. Too many things to do and it seems like the days/hours are going by fast at sometimes and slow at others. I've already cried twice(short cries) about leaving my baby bear for so long. I can't go a day without him, let alone 10 days. I sure that he will grow leaps and bounds while we are gone. Please pray that he will cope and adjust to the HUGE change that is about to happen in his life.

We covet your prayers while we are gone, especially for our health. I do not want a repeat of what happened last time.

Well, I'll leave you with a sneak peak of our precious ones.

The dancing ninja. (L)

Beautiful one (A)

Baby Bear (D)

Thoroughly blessed,

- Katy

in the life of a Shatto

2010-06-19T21:38:00.003-05:00

Well, we are still here, just too busy to post as you can see. I am finally updating due to some prompting by others.

Quick & concise, so here you go...

- D is healthy, happy and a thriving two year old who is adventurous, outgoing and into everything. The new swingset at Gramma & Grampa's is the new big hit. Just got his hair braided because the fro' was retaining so much heat and I just can't get myself to cut it. So this was a compromise.

-A & L are waiting to come home. We passed court May 10th, but we are still waiting for our I171H immigration paperwork from the U.S.

- Adam & myself are off for the summer, but keeping busy with side jobs.

- Hoping to travel to Ethiopia in July, if everything keeps moving along.

- The dogs are still around, but more neglected everyday( we are so in trouble with them).

-We are still raising support to bring the kiddos home, so if you feel led to give, you can contact us.

- Things needed to take with us to Ethiopia: medical supplies, flattened balls, hand pump, medicines, snacks, goodies for orphange kiddos.

-Having fun hanging out with the kiddo, now that there is more time to since school is out. We visited the Nature Center the other day and he had a blast. He idolizes his Daddy. They are best buddies.

So there you go!

life & support

2010-03-12T21:56:00.003-06:00

Things here are trudging along like always. We are currently in the process of two more and just found out that Ethiopia made some big changes to their program, so that throws a wrench in our plans, but not in God's plans. Just taking that news one day at a time. Remembering to breathe too.

Diesel is becoming a wonderfully, independant two year old (next month). He definatly shows that he can do it and no help from mama or daddy is needed. He cracks us up constantly and is talking up a storm.

I'll leave you with some shots from everyday life with Mr. Diesel Alazar.

trying to be like daddy growing up too fast mr.chill

(he wanted the flower pink glasses, but we went with blue instead) this is how he walks around some days, why? i have no clue ready for school. he asks to go now.

*Thanks for all the support from everyone. If you want to donate you can do so easily through the paypal button. Thanks

Just the facts

2010-02-20T23:00:00.004-06:00

We are healthy.

We are busy.

We are moving forward on our next adoption.

We are thankful.

We are blessed.

We laugh everyday due to the pictured kiddo above.

We don't get time to blog, so this post is short and to the point.

We covet your prayers.

Thanks!

Coffee

2009-12-30T11:30:00.002-06:00

We are starting our fundraising again(honestly, my least favorite part of this whole journey). We are trying to expand our efforts by doing multiple different fundraisers(more to come later, stay tuned). If you like coffee, check out our store here www.justlovecoffee.com/shattofamily (I know the page comes up with memeberships, but if you go the side bar and check out other merchandise, there is options for just single bags.)

Most importantly THANK YOU for your prayers!

- Shattos

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T16:03:00.004-06:00

We hope that everyone has a WONDERFUL holiday season!

Quick Santa story: We were in Wal-mrt and there was a santa taking pictures with kids. I specifically avoided him becuase I knew D would be scared. So we were going down the isles and then who should come up from behind and scare the begezzes out of D, no other than the santa that we were trying to avoid. D jumped from the cart basket to up around me neck and then just clung there. the santa just kept talking to him, not clueing in on the fact that D is terrified of him. Anyways, we will just say that his first "santa" expereience may have scared him.

Onto the story behind the picture: Our friend's mom and dad are Santa and Mrs. Claus for the holidays. Larry looks like santa 365 days out of the year. D is so used to seeing him that when they went to change into their outfits, he didn't think twice about sitting with Larry & Carol. Our own personal sitting session with Santa & Mrs. Claus. (thanks larry & carol)

Diesel has been growing faster than a weed. He is talking up a storm and has been adding about 2-4 words per day to his vocabulary. He also has started to exert his independence. He is strong willed, determined and absolutely is a daddy's boy who is showing signs of seperation anxiety again. Glad to know he is typically developing :)

We hope that everyone has a great time with family and friends. Happy New Years too!

No Goldilocks here..but there were three little bears

2009-11-05T10:07:00.004-06:00

We went as the three little bears and our costumes, as you can very well tell, were homemade. Diesel caught on quick that if he stuck his pumpkin basket out, they would put candy in it. I am sure he will be prepared for next year. Gretting is bubby, Isaac. We went to a Ethiopian gathering at the gym and Diesel had a terrific time. Bouncing, jumping, crawling, running, it wore him out. I think we need to invest in a trampoline at home, he loved bouncing on the big one. He also loved walking off the edge into the foam pit.
On another note, he gave a little girl her first kiss. She was definately surprised and we told Diesel he has to slow down and at least take her on a date first :) Sorry Zoe's parents :)

Playing with daddy at the farm park. We saw horses, ducks, turkeys, cows and pumpkins. Even though the weather was drizzling, we still had fun.

happenings around these parts...

2009-10-18T15:29:00.003-05:00

This is one of his very favorite activity, he LOVES books. Enjoying dried apples. It takes him about 3 minutes to chew each one due to their rubbery texture. It's like watching a dog with peanut butter in its mouth.

D*iesel in his super jammies that Nana & Papa sent him. This is his "cheese" face for picture taking. After putting this apron on he just sat there as if to say "okay mama hurry up and take my picture so I can go and play".

We all have been busy, but we are making it. School, work, Master's classes, side jobs, house projects, adoption going ons, paperwork, laundry that doesn't always get folded, dishes that seem to multiple like rabbits, dogs that don't like the colder weather in the morning and have to be shoved outside, and chasing a 18month old are just some of the happenings around here.

When 2 became 3

2009-09-15T20:46:00.004-05:00

Today is the one year anniversary of the day we met Diesel for the first time.

Our first family photo.

A family photo from a camping trip in August.

# 2 and # 3

2009-08-13T19:59:00.002-05:00

Today we signed again on the dotted line to bring home more of the Shatto family. We had our 1 year post placement visit with our agency and we told her that we were ready to start for # 2 and # 3. We are ready and excited to extend our family.

Thanks for your prayers and support as we travel along this journey once again!

Summer recap

2009-07-26T16:28:00.005-05:00

Well, this summer seems to be flying by. I can't believe it's the end of July already. The back to school sales are making me sad that summer is coming to an end and work is just around the corner.

Diesel has had a busy summer with many trips to the fountains, cousins visiting, minor surgery and time with Gramma and Grampa. Time with Nana and Poppy will be coming soon and a 3rd ET get togther too.

We all have enjoyed the slower pace of summer. I have been working at FireHouse pottery and Adam has been doing odd jobs for people, such as painting, car repair, lawn care and just about anything else. I am glad I married such a handy guy, he comes in handy around the house too.

The following pictures are just a small glimpse into the lovely summer we have been having.

At the Discovery center: finding a good looking baby

Locating his homeland on a map. What a smart boy!

Completely and utterly mystified with the magically floating ball.

Come on ladies, let's ride!

3rd of July fountain fun. He fell aslep before the fireworks and then woke up to the loud booms, he was not a happy camper.

Swimming with cousins, Tiera and Trinity

Found Aunt Milissa's pick. Ready to fro out the hair.

Laughing it up with Gramma and Grampa.

More cousins, Zeena, Zora and Annabele. The older cousins, Shelby and Jordan were somehow never around when the camera was out. Imagine that!

*more pictures on Flickr.

+ 365 days

2009-06-29T21:52:00.004-05:00

One year ago today we received "the call". One year ago we became parents. One year ago our lives were forever changed. One year ago we had new names; mama & dada. One year ago God placed a little life in our care forever. One year ago we fell in love with this little one.

Diesel Alazar Shatto

Abdisa( lives in MI), Isaac Takiso ( BFF & lives 5 miles away), Diesel Alazar
All three little ones are home!

Summer so far

2009-06-24T22:16:00.003-05:00

Diesel is on the go ALL THE TIME!!! He can't get enough of being outside. He has blisters on his hands and feet from being on the go. This child is busy!

Diesel is starting to be more outwardly expressive about his feelings and what he really wants. This was a meltdown while we were at a fireworks party and he wasn't done with a wagon ride. He let us know that he was not happy with us.

Daddy and Diesel reading his favorite book. He chooses this book everytime. Even when we don't have the book, if we just start to recite the book he stops and listens. He also bounces up and down sometimes with the rhythm of the book.

Diesel enjoys filling up the pool more than he does being in the pool. Go figure!

#1 Daddy! Diesel just absolutly loves his dada. Adam is amazingly patient with him and is completly in love with his son. These two will be great friends!

FYI:

So I finally got tired of having to blog with every photo( I know I am lame), but I started to load pictures onto flickr so that people can keep up, and I don't have to feel guilty for not blogging. It's a win-win situtation.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12312959@N05/ check out our newest pictures

H2O+daddy+good weather=a great night at the fountains!

2009-06-14T21:22:00.006-05:00

We had a spontaneous pizza picnic with our friends the Denbows at our local FREE water park. The weather was overcast, but warm and there was hardly anyone there. Adam and Diesel had a good time splashing in the water.

Oh yeah, we just got a new camera tonight so better quality pictures will be accompanying our future posts :)

busy, busy, busy

2009-05-23T21:29:00.007-05:00

Diesel is inspecting the wash job dad did

Now that Diesel is a biped, he is constantly on the move. He has kept us VERY busy these last few weeks.

He is now exploring crawling and climbing into and onto things. Here he is under the side table in the living room.
Yes, we are guilty of letting him watch Thomas the Train on Sunday mornings. He stops and dances to the song. Unfortunately I know all the words, sorta scary.

Even after the multiple times of saying "no" to him about the dog's food and water, he still mananges to get into trouble. Sometimes he looks at us while he is about to play in the water or try and eat the food. Persistant child!

Nothing says fun like a bowl of water, bubbles and a plastic spork. He played with this for a good 30 minutes.

Likes to "help", more like cause more work for us.

First time washing the cars with dad. He laughed and ran when Adam sprayed the water over the Jeep.

We can't wait for the summer time when we can spend more quality time with this little guy. He is growing up so fast, we want to freeze time.

growing up fast!

2009-05-08T20:03:00.004-05:00

For Diesel's b-day, we went to Branson and here are some of the snapshots we took. He is growing up too fast!

As for walking, the last video is way out of date by now. He is a super walker, arms are not high up in the air and his balance is great; hardly falls.

Well, the journey continues and we are off to KC to celebrate a friend's graduation.

Daddy and his boy!

First ice cream come. He dug in!

This is one cute 1 year old!

At the end of the day, we wandered onto Ben and Jerry's free cone day. To our glorious surprise, Adam's favorite weather man was serving ice cream. Tom Trtan was a good sport and took a posed picture for us. Fun times!

can't stop me now

2009-04-30T19:39:00.003-05:00

no explaination needed....

cupcakes+ friends= a darn good 1st birthday!

2009-04-24T21:24:00.001-05:00

Diesel is 1! Can you believe it??!! We had a BBQ birthday for him on Sunday and it was a great turn out. There was 33 people in our house at some point, it made for a cozy setting. I am glad our friends like sitting on the floor :) I am so glad that everyone got to come spend time with us and celebrate our awesome little man. Thanks everyone!

First cupcake ever! He was hesitant, but then ate with pure delight.

A new toy from Uncle Andrew.

another post soon to come, re: birthday trip to Branson

time well spent

2009-04-15T12:19:00.006-05:00

We spent a beautiful day at the park with some friends. It was a last minute plan, but turned out to be a wonderful time to gather and refresh a friendship. Diesel had his first egg hunt and he turned out to be a pro. Sebastian graciously shared the egg hunting field with Diesel and they both had a good time.

Diesel has been fighting another ear infection and he has been a tropper. He also is walking more steps by himself when we help him. He still resorts to crawling when wanting to move quickly.

Around the house he is a mess maker. He enjoys finding the one cabinet that has the bags in it and taking every single one out each day. You'd think we'd move them,but it is pure enjoyment for him and it occupies him for a few minutes. He also makes a bee line for the dog food and then stop just short of it and looks back at us. He's a sneeky one!

Well, it will be his 1 year birthday next week and we are celebrating this Sunday with a BBQ. I can't believe that he's been home 7.5 months. He has enriched our lives more that we could have ever expected. Pure JOY!

** Pictures from Rachel( thanks for letting me swipe them from your flickr :) )

Our life is always moving

2009-04-07T18:33:00.006-05:00

Diesel is on the move, life as we know it is now constantly on the go. He has put 4-5 steps together and he will do more if we trick him by holding a toy in his hand. We crawls mostly everywhere he goes, but when we stand him up, off he goes.

Oh yeah and did I say that my son is a hunk! These converse shoes that our friend Samson bought him literally makes people stop and swoon over how cute they are. Yea, my kid is stylish, just like his dad ;)

almost 1

2009-04-05T09:34:00.005-05:00

I know it has been a long time since the last post, but a lot has been going on here at the Shatto house.

This Spring break, Diesel and me(Katy) went to California to visit Nana and Poppy. It was a good visit, they really loved on him. While we where there they had a pre 1 year old birthday party. It was wonderful to meet some of my mom's friends and they had a good time with Diesel. There were a couple that are waiting for their daughter from Ethiopia, so it was fun to share tips and stories.

Diesel celebrated with a cornbread cake. My mom also couldn't help herself from taking naked pictures of the boy after his bath. I know that these will be helpful should I ever need to really embaress him later on in life :)

On another note: Diesel is sleeping through the night...can we get a YEA!!! He does wake up, but only for a split second and most of the time he can find his own pacifier and put himself back to sleep. Sometimes Adam has to aid in the retrieval of the pacifier, but no more sleeping on the ground in his room. Also Diesel now has 8 teeth and trust me he uses them. He tends to only bite my shoulder, but ouch it hurts. We are trying our best to teach him that it hurts and not to do it. When I tell him "no-no, no bite" he looks at me and says "no-no". I think he's growing up too fast.

Well, we are off and running, literally he's on the move so I have to go. Ta-ta for now..

"These feet are made for walking and that's just what I'll do"

2009-03-07T13:49:00.008-06:00

Diesel is a mad man when it comes to walking now and a fantastic dancer as you can see. He goes ALL over the house and nothing can stop him now!

Bathtime is one of his favorite times too! This kid is a water baby, we can't wait for the summer swimming season.

can't get enough, well here's more

2009-02-27T22:15:00.007-06:00

Can't get enough of this little one. He growing so fast and quickly learning new talents. For all those in far away places, this post will catch you up on what is happening with Diesel. For all others that reguarly see him, this may be redundant, bear with me.

We are dog people, but Uncle Andrew got him this black panther for Christmas and he LOVES it. We call it Kitty, Kitty and it sits on the rail of his crib. He looks for it every morning and waves to it. He also snuggles with it while him and daddy read at night before bed.

Once again it looks like we don't feed him and he has turned to alternate food sources, but really he just likes to blow raspberries on the side of the tub.

Walking with assistance is he FAVORITE thing to do now. He cries when we stop walking and he is not finished yet. This was a day that he cried while the diaper was being changed and right when he got up, he was in a better mood. Needless to say, Adam and I's backs are paying for it.

Bottom's up! He has mastered the sippy cup and when he is finished, he likes to bang it on the tray. Very demanding at times.

Diesel is training for the circus, if you didn't know. Adam and him have a balancing routine and they don't use a net. This is a pre balance shot, but you get the idea. Diesel cracks up laughing while he is balancing in Adam's hand. It really quite amuzing.

Well, you now have been caught up to date.

50/50

2009-02-22T08:44:00.005-06:00

Yesterday marked a big milestone in Diesel's short little life. Yesterday was his 10 month of life and it meant that he had been, to the day, exactly 5 month in the orphange and 5 month at home. Today marks the day that he has been home for more time than he was away from us. We celebrate each day that his smiling face(and sometimes non smiling face) greets us in the morning. He is truly HOME!

Look at the difference being home and knowing you are secure makes. He has gained 15lbs, 7inches and 6 teeth since he has been home.

In this picture, he weighs 6.2lbs and he is 5months old. He was wearing newborn diapers and you can see that they are big on him.

Yes, folks those are jowls on the little one, he doesn't miss a meal.

Yeah for Diesel! We can't imagine life without this precious, precious little bear.

Bubbles & Puppies ( not at the same time)

2009-02-09T20:17:00.003-06:00

Diesel LOVES the bath. He enjoys playing with a small measuring cup, a large plastic spoon and a rubber duck. Who needs all the expensive bath toys when you can have a spoon in the bath with you. He also loves the bubbles. It's funny to watch him giggle with delight when the soap is added and the bubbles appear. He also freaks out when his spoon goes under the bubbles and he can't find it. He squeals with joy when mama recovers the spoon.

Ride em' cowboy!

Diesel also enjoys the puppies. Joon is thrilled that Diesel is here and she trys to get him to play with her, but he just hits her on her head, she doesn't mind at all. Joon also tries to cuddle on Diesel, but rather she just smoothers him. In the morning, Joon comes in while I am waking D up and when he sees her, he screams and laughs. Vinny just tolerates him, but does sit and lounge near him while he plays. We are very thankful that the puppies like D as much as he likes them.

Diesel also has five teeth now. Two bottom teeth that are really good chompers. Then he has his eye tooth on the top left. His second incisor on the right side of his front tooth and his left front tooth. The top three have broke through and are uickly making their way into his smile.

Here is is putting those teeth to good work nawing on an apple.

Clean Water

2009-01-28T08:59:00.004-06:00

I challenge all of you to take it upon yourself and think of others this year. I know that many of us are in a money crunch, but after seeing this video about clean water, I couldn't find the donation button fast enough.Please, please, please consider it and think long and hard about donating some change.

Think about not getting that Starbuck's coffee for one month and donate that money to http://www.charitywater.org/whywater/ These people are changing lives!!
Think about how much you spend on:
- bottled water
-make up
-new shoes
-soda
-daily snacks
-going out to the movies

People around the world are just wanting a clean glass of water, consider being one who helps give them that! If you want to donate go here
http://www.300voices.blogspot.com/

I am usually not a spokesperson for charities, but I have found this one to be critical. Clean water could save millions from dying this year.

If you donate, email me with your address and I will send you a treat!
If you don't feel comfortable donating online, you can send you check to me and I will get it there.
- Love and clean water,

Katy

eating and yoga

2009-01-25T18:16:00.003-06:00

After eating Diesel does his yoga in his chair or maybe he's trying to tell us he is still hungry.

He loves to eat as evident by his steady weight gain. See the fat rolls on the legs. He's a chunker now!

standing tall

2009-01-20T15:01:00.000-06:00

His new trick is standing. He loves the new toy that his friends Kincaid and Jonas brought him. It makes music and that's right up Diesel's alley. He also will cruise around the coffee table if we stand him up at it. Just yesterday, he learned that he can roll over in his crib and grab the crib rail and pull up. He was very proud of himself. He's a quick study!He refuses to crawl, so we predict that he'll be walking sooner than crawling.

Everyone needs a hand sometimes, thanks dad!

Look ma, only one hand!

Whatcha' doing?
Here I go...
Ta Da!!!!

Warning!

The following picture is quite distrubing, but I had to post it. Does anyone else think The Shining and Jack Nicholson?

Here's Diesel!

60 degrees & sunny

2009-01-04T18:52:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was 60+ degrees outside and today is 39 degrees and very brisk. So we took full advantage of the sun and played outside for almost 3 hours. It was wonderful to sit and just enjoy the sun and my son. He was entertained by the dried grass, which he both ate and felt between his toes. He loved the dry leaves that crunch when he grabs them. Also the very frequent train horm that blows near our house first scared him and then each time after that he would flap his arms and get really excited. Maybe becuase he knows his Papi drives a train.

He also enjoyed the cars and most of all the trucks that would drive by. It was a great time spent outdoors.

Well here is our photo montage of the day. [ I can post multiple pictures of him and not feel guilty becuase readers far away need to keep updated :) Thanks for indulging me.]

Getting ready to head out for time in the sun

I love these little precious wrinkly feet short sleeves and no socks in January in Missouri...who would have thought

That pouty lip is starting to make appearences when he doesn't like the way things are going.

3.2 seconds later everything is better

Found another cute baby in the mirror

Decided apples are good!

Diesel wishes you warm happy thoughts even if you are knee deep in snow!

Happy Days!

2008-12-31T09:37:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We hope that your family had a wonderful holiday. Diesel celebrated this holiday with eating the paper and being dazzeled by the bows. It was so much fun watching him as he didn't care about the present, but rather waited for the paper to be thrown off. He loves crinkly paper. This Christmas he was able to open a drum, a tamborine, a doll, a shopping cart cover, diapers and formula. It was a good haul for him.

This week we have off and Diesel has been enjoying time between daycare and home. We really enjoy the extra time that we get to spend with him during our time off.
He went to the doctor's on Monday and he is now on the growth chart for head circmference, but tettering on the edge of the 5th percentile for length and weight. He has made leaps and bounds improvement since he has been home. He now weighs 16.5 lbs and is 25 inches tall. He got 4 shots and spent Tuesday cuddled close to mama and the tylenol bottle. Poor boy :(

We hope that everyone has a great day and Diesel's off to play with his friends.

- Isaac if you read this, Diesel can't wait for you to come and play :)

Diesel wishes you a rockin' 2009!

Diesel's busy week

2008-12-05T17:46:00.000-06:00

Our little one experienced snow for the first time a few days ago. We bundled him up and took him out for about 3.2 seconds. I wonder later what he will think of the white sutff that falls from the sky. (I am still wondering about it too, being a central California girl I am still not accustomed to the cold Missouri weather.)

Adam can't wait for it to snow, he loves the slippery, slushy white mess and can't wait to drive around in it. I don't understand that maddness :)

Diesel was very helpful hanging ornaments on our charlie brown looking tree. Each year my grandparents have given me a ornament, so we have a nice little collection to hang each year. Diesel has one ornament from a teacher friend of ours, but I am sure that won't be the last one he gets this year.

Tonight Diesel was ready to go for drive. He got a new truck sweatshirt(driving attire) and with keys in hand could drive away at any minute. I know that Adam can't wait to share his love of trucks and everything off-road with Diesel.

In the life of a 7 month old, this was a busy week.

oh yea.. I just had to add this picture becuase it already shows him being fed up with all the kisses and snuggles that mama loves to lavish on him. It begins all too soon. His face tells it all.

Those fat, chunky cheeks are just too irresitable.

Thankful for...

2008-11-27T19:22:00.000-06:00

We are so very thankful for this...

Diesel was caught eating turkey at Carol & Larry's house.Diesel's big boy Thanksgiving day outfit, shoes and all!
We hope that everyone was able to enjoy this holiday with friends and family.

ol' buddies ol' pals

2008-11-22T14:05:00.000-06:00

So last night we went a Welcome Home get together for Diesel and Isaac. They were the two newest members to the Adoption for Families family. There were other families there with their children that they have brought home previously. There were also families there that were in the process, just waiting for their little ones to come home. Adam and I both remember that time and it was only 1 year ago this month that we too were just starting the process. Man, how our lives have changed in the last year.

Diesel was reunited with his crib mate, Isaac and the following conversation took place. Well at least this is how I pictured it.

Diesel: "Hey, I think I know you".
Isaac: " Yeah, you do look familiar".

Diesel: "Come closer."

Isaac: " Let me turn sideways, remember we were never face on. Do you remember my profile now?"

Diesel:" Oh yeah, that's better. I do remember the side of your head."

Diesel: " So, it looks like you've gained weight. Let me feel..oh yeah look at those muscles."

Isaac: " hey, what's that in your mouth?"
Diesel: " oh it's a plug for when I cry. Do you have one?"
Isaac: "uh, no."

Isaac:" Hey, smile, so your mom will stop taking pictures of us."
Diesel & Isaac: " Cheese!"

Good Laughs

2008-11-02T07:56:00.000-06:00

Haven't updated in awhile. We are making it work. Things are still smoothing out and getting easier. We found a childcare provider that is going to work for us. Just in time because Katy goes back to work on Monday. She is stressed and still not at the peek of healthiness. Any prayers would be great. Other than that we are just trying to keep everything afloat. Normal stuff.

So this is the first try at a video on the blog for us. I am not sure why he thinks this is so funny, but his Grandma was shooing the dog and found that he thinks it's hilarious. Sorry it turned out so dark, but the audio is priceless.

living large

2008-10-23T19:35:00.000-05:00

post by katy-

Well, it has been a whirlwind of an adventure these last few months, but we are making it. We are a lovely family of three and we are living large. I am feeling better, but it is day by day. Thank you for all the prayers that you have been offering up for our family.

Well, the little guy went to the doctor today to check out his weight and he gained 2lbs in 4weeks. He actually has a one leg roll on each thigh. When we first got him this thigh and calf were all the same size, but now he has a little chunk to him. He also proudly sports a double chin. His fat little belly is hard to resist giving kisses too and his feet are so small and cute.

He has been working hard on getting better at his neck and head control. He practices tummy time, but doesn't really like it. He will pull up on your fingers and then stand straight legged with very stiff knees. Still really wobbly, but getting better. He will sit up for awhile, but soon end ups folding in half towards his feet. Another big accomplishment is that he will roll over from his tummy to his back. It takes him a few pumps of his legs and then slowly rolls over. He isn't a pro at it,but we make a relly big deal about it when he does do it and he just smiles.

Pep talks always help!

We are very proud of this little guy and couldn't be happier with him. His toothless smile melts your heart and all the frustrating times of no sleeping disappear when you see that smile.

Very proud to call him our son

Standing tall

Snuggle bug while mama tries to accomplish chores at home

2008-10-15T06:35:00.000-05:00

Things are starting to settle down a bit at home. Katy is getting better and is almost back to normal now. Her mom has been here since Friday. We are starting to get used to the routine of having a baby at the house. Katy is going to be going back to work in a few weeks and we still need to find daycare. There are a few good leads but nothing for sure yet.

I thought that I needed to update because I keep having to explain that Katy is feeling better. I'm certainly not complaining just one more tribute to the people in our lives. I still just can't get my mind around how large our network is without us even knowing that its there at all.

One last thing for today. Over the past few weeks when school is crazy and home is crazy, I have really been blessed by my aide Mrs. E. She has been not only just an aide, but also a sounding post and someone to give reasonable advise. She has helped me remember how my faith in God used to work.

No pictures today sorry to those of you who are watching just to see Diesel get fatter. Just trust he is getting fatter.

2008-10-07T09:48:00.000-05:00

Well we have been home for a few weeks now, and as you might imagine things are extremely busy. I have gone back to work and Katy is still home. I could never have dreamed how hard it would be to be gone from school for 2 weeks then come back. It feels a bit like starting the whole year over just with less time to get everything covered.

Now I am home with Diesel because Katy is sick. It drives me crazy that the doctors don't seem to be able to figure out what is wrong. She is in a lot of pain. She stays in bed and sleeps or if she is up she is bent over with pain. This is a person who has past kidney stones and worked right up to the day before. I have never seen her this way. I have lots of theories about whats wrong but nothing that I can do anything about. Everyone is very concerned, they ask about her, inquire to why the doctors can't get things straight. The out pouring of love from our friends family and even co workers (which we call friends) has been second to none. In the past I have really over looked the people God has put in my life.

So today I have a call in to our doctor to try again to get Katy healthy. Hopefully soon something will change. I am trying to be very careful not to complain about how hard things are because of the other people that I have been in contact with in the past 4 weeks. My life at its worst seems pretty easy in comparison.

On a brighter note, I have had a wonderful time taking care of my new son. He requires a lot of attention and he is very needy. I never knew how good it could feel to be needed, really needed, by someone. I'm sure that parents all go through that feeling but no one ever said anything about it. Everyone said it's going to be hard work, and you won't sleep for months, but never its going to be the most rewarding thing you have ever or will ever do. Those things are all true but I had no idea much fun it would all be. I am very excited to be Diesel's dad.

Katy took a picture of me and Diesel, before she started feeling bad again, that I think is maybe the best one that we have.

I am sure that there is more but I can't think of it now.

Pictures

2008-09-26T13:35:00.000-05:00

I realized after the fact that I spent like an hour writing and didn't post any pics of Diesel. So here are a few.

One from at home

Squish
So small

Yassar Arafat impressions
Sleeping on the plane

Proud mom
Skinny legs Big belly

2008-09-26T12:30:00.000-05:00

So we have been home for a few days now, and they have been some of the busiest days ever. I have been staying up all night and trying to get things organized during the day. Thus the long time between blog entries.

So after we left the orphanage we did some shopping and went home to rest and bond. We slept the first night and Diesel did the normal baby stuff. The next morning we went back to the orphanage to finish up some paper work. It was pretty routine. After the paperwork we paid more money, then they had a coffee ceremony for us.

They have a ceremony anytime something is happening. We attended a few while we were in Africa. They start by burning incense and roasting the coffee beans in front of you on a charcoal grill with out the grill. They offer everyone popcorn while the beans cook. When they finish roasting they smash the beans and put them with water in a pot. The smashed beans and water boil together for a while then they set the pot aside to let the grounds settle. Then they pour the coffee off the top. This leads to very very strong coffee with little grits floating in it. They use small cups but they feel about like a double shot of espresso. They drink 3 cups at each ceremony.

When coffee was finished we decided to take Yoesph out for lunch. We went to one of his favorites and had pizza. Everything was fine. Once home from lunch Katy started to feel under the weather. I had her lie down and rest. While she was supposed to be napping she was getting sicker and sicker. Eventually she started to throw up, a lot. When I went to check on her i asked if she wanted dinner. She said "no, but I need to go to the bathroom." She gets up walks across the room and passes out.

Tigist the girl who helps out around the guest house saw her fall. I picked her up and Tigist called for a taxi to the hospital. Tekabe and I carried her down the steps and into the taxi. Zhieed took Diesel and told me to go he would be fine. Then the driver started driving toward the hospital. I don't remember a time that I was more scared. I was very worried about Katy and the driver was driving very fast. We almost had an accident more than once. Katy was passing out and coming to and asking where she was. Very scary. We arrived at the hospital. Hospitals in Ethiopia are not the same as hospitals here. It was a little dirty but not gross. Still scary. We had to push her in to the emergency room and we had to push her up to the room she stayed in. The doctors did a good with her. They gave her fluids and antibiotics. She had to stay the night. I got her settled in and then asked Tekabe if he wanted to go and come back in the morning. He said "no, I am here to take care of her. I would not leave." The taxi driver was still there also. He did need to leave. I tried to pay him for the ride and he wouldn't have it. He told me to "Be strong" hugged me and left. I had never meet him before and will probably never see him again. After the fact I found out that he had paid 40 birr for an ID card for Katy while I was busy. I found that in Addis that this taxi was not the exception but the rule in how people cared for each other.

Tekabe and I now stand there in silence waiting to see what happens. Eventually I grew tired of standing so I asked him to sit. He declined and said that he was the host and I was the guest. He would stand and I could sit. So to put that in perspective he was planning to stand and be awake to take care of a person all night that he met the day before. Talking about compassion. I learned many lessons about people and how I treat people from Tekabe. Eventually I talked him into sitting and we chatted for about 4 hours. The next morning we took Katy home. The total bill from the medicine, the room, and doctor was 1548 birr. That's 154 dollars. Not very much.

Tekabe

Katy was still feeling weak but we had our embassy appointment that day. We went to get Diesel's visa and his other paperwork. We had to swear that we had told the truth in all of our paperwork. This was the last step in the adoption process.

We spent the next 2 days building relationships with Diesel, and the other people at the house. It was time very well spent.

Some highlights from those days:

2 boys washing our car with no water while we waited for the embassy appointment.

A guy on the street seeing Aki while we walked and saying hello. Then asking if I was a Pakistani.

Going to the bank with Yoesph and Zhieed, seeing the people on the street. They really liked my beard and tattoos. I guess they don't have those things over there.

Visiting a few orphanages. They have wonderful kids there. They are in the worst situation that I can think of yet they are so happy.

Meeting friends from Colorado who were also adopting.

I have some many things to write that it feels very long winded. I will go back now and put in a few pictures from the trip. None of the pictures we took seem to capture the way things actually are over there, but we tried.

Me and Aki

Elementary School

OSHA approved scaffolding

Updates Finally

2008-09-23T08:57:00.000-05:00

I am so sorry that it has been this long since I have been able to update. We thought that the Internet in Africa might be less than reliable and we were right. It worked, but only when it wanted to and only for the websites it wanted to. Of course Blogger was not one of the websites that we could get to work.

Enough about that. Since the last update everything has happened. I don't even know how to begin. When we got on the plane in Washington DC we were very excited to say the least. The plane was very large and there were lots of people. It was very tight quarters, my knees touched the seat in front of me. The food on the plane was OK but certainly not corn dogs and Cheetos.

It took a long time. I got to see some things that I had never seen before; France, the Mediterranean Sea, Rome. I was awed by the size the the Sahara Desert. I took a picture of the sand dunes then went to sleep and woke up to find we were still over the desert more than an hour later.

When we landed we went through immigration where they gave us visas. Immediately you could see the differences between Ethiopia and USA. They hand wrote each visa. We waited on our bags and then met Aki from the guest house where we would be staying. He would help us get there.

Outside the airport it was dark and there were people swarming everywhere. Aki helped with the bags and had to tell more than one person that we didn't need help. They try to "help" then ask you to pay them. Without Aki I don't know what we would have done. He hailed a taxi and away we went.

This was our first chance to experience the driving in Addis. There are no rules. Everyone fends for them self and just does what they please. There are lanes but they seem to be just suggestions. Addis is very large and has lots of people and zero traffic lights. Very exciting.

We stayed the night and woke up the next morning. We left after breakfast to go meet Diesel. After more of the driving we got close to the orphanage. We called to get better directions and they told us to just wait. They sent a person out to "check us out." When she was satisfied that we were who we said she joined us in the car and gave directions to the house. When we went in they immediately came to greet us. I'm not sure when is the best time to say something about the hospitality. I have never been met with such open arms, ever. Anyway we went in the house and then the infant room. This is when we first got to meet Diesel. Emotions were high. After big hugs and a few tears. they put him in our arms and said "OK see you tomorrow for paper work." Insert first family photo here.

There is so much more but no time now.

We're Off

2008-09-13T16:45:00.001-05:00

Well, we are on our away. We left Kansas City this morning at about 11. Now we are in Washington DC waiting for our plane to Addis. It has been a long day so far and doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. On the other hand, the DC air port has these really cool people movers that look like giant 4x4 subway cars. The airport vehicles in general have been entertaining us. From the neat little trains of bags to the biggest planes I have ever seen. I also got a chance to finish the book Dear Mr. Henshaw. It was well worth the 2 hours. Well that's it for now hopefully this won't be the last post.

Some Pictures

2008-09-13T16:39:00.000-05:00

first picture

2008-03-12T14:18:00.001-05:00

New Stuff

2008-03-12T14:11:00.001-05:00

This is the first post. It is fun.