Marley meets Marley

Okay, so it's pretend Marley meets Marley. For those of you that don't remember, my In-Laws gave us a doll that we, okay Miles, named pretend Marley before Marley came home. Our Marley came home about the same size as that doll. Now, Marley is bigger and LOVES to play with her. It's the cutest thing when she gives kisses to the doll. I love it!

And just because she is too cute, and we are in bow training...

Bad Blogger

So I have entered the world of post adoption blogging. I have neglected to keep my blog updated with our exciting new lives and post pictures daily. I swore I would not be one of those bloggers that fell off the planet, after returning home, and I promise I won't. We have just been trying to figure out some kind of routine around our house. Adoptive parenting is very different than biological parenting, for us. We chose not to let Marley "cry it out," etc.. So, needless to say, I'm at her beckon call, and I absolutely LOVE it! After about six weeks of just being her Mommy and meeting every need that she had, I realized that I do need some kind of schedule or organized parenting. So we are reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. I do have to say that my previous approach to sleeping, with Marley and Miles, has to be revisited.
It's amazing the things we have learned, and we aren't Baby Wising our baby...lol. Baby Wise may work for some families, but not ours...lol! So, basically, we put her to sleep around 6:30. We wake her up, YES I SAID WAKE HER UP (haha), around 10:00 p.m. for a bottle, and then back to sleep she goes until about 6:30 a.m.. She then naps around 10, 1 and 4. We totally modify it when needed, but we knew she took about three naps a day, and we knew she was tired about 6:30. We were trying to keep her awake longer, thinking that the longer she was awake the longer she'd sleep. Funny, the way we think. So, I've learned that she needs sleep, and so do I. I was also out trying to serve at church late on Wednesdays and had to stop doing that. The entire time I was there, she was tired and I was trying to keep her happy for two hours, when all she wanted to do was sleep. I am very happy to learn new things and am glad that a friend brought me to this new thinking!
We had our first Post Adoption visit from our Social Worker, whom we LOVE! She is so thorough and kind. We have had a few, not so sincere Social Workers, and she makes up for them and more. We will have two more visits with her over the next six months and then we are on our own. The purpose for these visits are to make sure the transition is going well and to report to our agency, who reports back to Ethiopia, as to Marley's transition and American life. In the Ethiopian adoption world, updates are required after 3 months, 6 months and 1 year home. And then every year until Marley is 18. The Ethiopian's would just like to follow the progress of their children to assure that international adoption is going well. After two post adoption visits by our Social Worker, we get to file for readoption. This is required for to apply for citizenship. Good times...lol!

Marley at 8 Months Old

Our sweet girl is eight months old today. It's so crazy to think that she is that old already! When she was put into our arms she seemed so small. She was six months old at the time, but seemed more like a 4 month old. She has made so many milestones and so much progress that she is more and more like an eight month old everyday. She amazes us! The bonding is going superb! Marley does not like it when we leave the room and loves to be in our arms all the time. She will go to others, although we still are refraining from passing her around, but looks to us for reassurance and will reach for us. She has started holding back her smiles and laughs for us, which is a really good thing.
At 8 Months Marley:

• CAN SIT UP!
• Says Mama and uses it to call me
• Shakes her head no and knows it's meaning (she shakes no when she doesn't like something...lol)
  
• Is starting to prefer baby food, my food of course
  
• Is now starting to wear 6-9 month old clothing (she was in 0-3 months just 6 weeks ago!)
• Is reaching for us
• Gives kisses

I am so proud of her growth. She was a little one. At 2 months old, she weighed just 6 pounds. According to the Ethiopian growth charts, she wasn't that little, but still small. She's catching up, very quickly. At 8 months, she now weighs almost 15.2 lbs. While she's not as large as most American 8 month olds, she's doing very very well. I have to reassure myself. While I know she's doing great, I am a little frustrated when strangers approach me and ask her age, only to then reply with a "wow, she's so small," as to sound concerned. I know, I'm probably overreacting. In fact, I know I am. I have to get it out. I've been thinking about it for a few days and have come to realize the reason it bothers me so much is because when a stranger approaches me to ask about my sweet girl, whom I think is perfect just the way she is, and comments on how small she is, it makes me feel that in their eyes she's not the right size for them. Seriously...how do you respond to something like that? Please, any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is totally not for our friends and family, it's one thing to say, "Oh, she's so cute and tiny," and another to say, "Oh my! She's so small" in a concerned way. Okay off of my soap box.
Miles got his cast on yesterday. They ended up doing a full arm cast. He was very excited to get a glow in the dark cast. He is running around and jumping off things as if his arm were never broken. It's making me crazy. I know the cast is there to protect him, but geez! What a boy!

Marley's Apples

Marley loves apples, she really does. I have quite a few friends that make their own baby food, and I have no idea why I had never tried this before. Really, it's so easy and after watching Food Inc., I'm glad to provide her with some real food. Her first homemade baby food was some beef stew my friend Shannon brought over. She went to town! I then tried apples, oh my! I've made sweet potatoes, a winter bean soup, and turkey.
On this particular day, she learned a new sound. Or rather, she started using it when she was mad. I couldn't stop laughing and grabbed the video camera. So yeah, I tortured her for about two minutes to get her to do it over and over again. But do know, she demolished those apples after all, and she is in no way really tortured...haha!
My Funny Girl!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Saturday January 9, 2010

What an eventful day. Good times and not so good times, but nonetheless memorable. After a day cooped up in the house, Miles, Marley and I headed out for an afternoon at Jump Mania with a friend. We were so excited to get out and Miles was too thrilled to get to play with his buddy. I was feeding Marley and heard his friend mention something about Miles and that he was hurt. My girlfriend scooped my crying, no bawling, son out of the bounce house and we swapped kids. His cry was so deep, it brought tears to my eyes. I wanted to comfort him, but I couldn't. I kind of froze for a minute, not knowing what was hurting or what or how to fix it. Jump Mania was crazy, no CRAZY! It was packed full of children getting out of the house, like us, and children from birthday parties. My friend kept Marley as I got the car seat out of the car and into the place. I handed her my MacGyver Mom Diaper Bag, along with Marley and left with Miles to the ER.
Of course I had no clue where I was geographically, and where the closest ER was. Yeah, I know, I have lived here over a year, but who needs to learn your own town when you own a GPS! We arrived at St. Johns Emergency Room in just a few minutes. Miles cried the whole way. I could hear the pain in his cries and hid my own tears to avoid scaring him. I carried him up the icy parking lot and into the hospital. They registered us, took us back to a room and had him in x-ray within 5 to 10 minutes. Poor Baby. He kept telling me he loved me and that he never, ever wanted to go to Jump Mania again. Sweet Boy. He held me tight, with his good arm and told me not to leave him there alone, with his bottom lip puckered. Well, he broke his wrist. The splinted it, and we will have it put in a cast on Monday, after the swelling goes down. So today, Saturday January 9, 2010, my baby boy broke his first bone.
Now for some better news! When I got home and settled, Brandon told me that after he got home from picking Marley home from our friend, that he was getting her out of her car seat, and she reached for him with both arms! This is HUGE! She knows who we are, or at least we think she does. She has done a body lean towards us, with a slight one armed reach, but never a full two arm, "pick me up Daddy" reach. Oh, how I wish I could have seen that! I am hoping for mine tomorrow!
I also opened the mail to find Marley's Permanent Resident Card! I cried...AGAIN! Sad tears and happy tears in one day! Oh, what a day!
And because she is just too darn cute with her new curlhawk, here is Miss Marley sportin' her new style! Yeah, those curls are coming in, I can't wait!

Marley at 7 Months

Seven months my baby has been making all kinds of milestones. For one month, we have gotten to witness them. While I will never know what she accomplished in the first six months without us, I do know that the last four weeks with us, she is making great strides! When coming into our arms at just six months old she:

• held her head up
  
• reached for objects
• smiled, cooed and laughed
• occasionally rolled over
• could pull up chest off of floor
• said dada
• woke 2-3 times a night
  
• weighed 13.2 lbs.
• has a mouth full of gum
  
• could not bear any weight on her legs

At seven months old, she can:

• pulls up her chest off the floor and holds it
• screams and has the most hilarious laugh!
• rolls over and over
  
• scoots backwards
• imitates (scrunches her nose and smacks her lips)
• blows raspberries
• sleeps all night
• using those leg muscles!
• loves the johnny jumper!
• started eating food, she prefers ours...lol (pureed of course!)
  
• weights 14ish lbs.
• still no teeth

And because you are here for the pictures and not me...lol.

We've Been Home Two Weeks

Marley is just pure joy! What an amazing gift our Father has given us! The words cannot describe the amount of love, happiness and joy we feel. She is the perfect child that was meant for our family, and I am so glad that she has joined it. She is full of smiles, although at times hard to catch on camera. She spends most of her days in my arms, tummy time and now in a jumper that she just LOVES! She's eating more and experimenting with baby food. She's made several outings and made several people smile. We are still trying to not overdo it, it's really hard being a Hyman...lol! Okay, stop laughing. She loves her bows and hats, really she does. Marley also got a great report from her doctor! She sleeps through the night!
We have been blessed with meals from great friends, and we are sooooo greatful! The transition from one child to two has been a very easy one. Miles absolutely loves his little sister. He is eager to get to her first thing in the morning and often reminds me that Marley is going with us when we leave the house. No, I don't forget her, but Miles seems to think that I would, too funny! He kisses her and lets her kiss all over him, that's a lot for a five year old boy!
Thank you all for your prayers over the last few years. Marley is truly so awesome and the transition has been beyond what we could have ever dreamed of!

Bringing Marley Home!

Finally, what you've all been waiting for...our photos from our trip. We've been home one week, and I have to say that Marley is truly a gift from God. A real life miracle and blessing way more than we ever imagined. She fits so perfectly in our family and it the happiest baby we have ever seen. There is no way that we could have orchestrated this any more perfectly. Thank God that our Father is in control, He really outdid himself on this one! Thank you God for answering our prayers and bringing this child into our lives!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Ethiopia Day 6

This is our last day in Ethiopia. We are so nervous and excited to visit the orphanage Sifen came from. She spent her first two months of her life there. We also have our huge lot of donations to take to Biruh Zemen Orphanage. We have to drop off Marley again at House of Hope. This time I'm not wanting to take her back to that crib she's been in for four months. I know they love the babies, but not like me. They won't hold her like me, feed her like me, nurture her like me. Two to Three hours, that's all I keep telling myself. The nerves are running all through me. I can't settle them. I'm trying to focus myself on documenting as much as I can for my little Marley. This is my one opportunity to learn about where she came from and the circumstances of her coming to us. What a responsibility, what an honor!
We pulled up to House of Hope and I walled up those stairs to put Sifen back in the arms of one of the nannies that cared for her for so long, yet I worry about her care. I wonder if she will miss me, will she wonder why she's back in the that room again? Will she be scared? I put her in the arms of a nanny and watched as she looked at me and then looked at the nanny. She seemed alright. As we pulled off in the van, I wondered how long the drive would be.
After about 40 minutes, and a drive through a more beautiful Ethiopia than Addis Ababa, we arrived at Biruh Zemen. Almaz, our translator, knocked on the gate and we walked into the compound like orphanage. We stood at the gate that she was brought to by her first mother, her Amaye. I wondered how her care was when she stayed here. So many things ran through my mind. Almaz and a staff member started getting into a heated discussion. Brandon and I were confused and taken back. Not knowing any Amharic, we waited for an explanation. We were told that the orphanage director was not there. She was told that we were coming, but somehow wasn't there. We didn't know what that meant and it seemed like we were just supposed to leave. I asked if we could look around and take video and pictures. They agreed. We saw the room Sifen stayed in. It brought me to tears. My sweet girl was once in this room, she spent her first months in this room. It was sad room. Although probably a better life than she would have had, yet a small room with the infamous handmade cribs holding about 4 babies each, just separated by painted plywood. The floors were swept clean, but stained with dirt. The walls were damaged with water stains and mildew. The sheets and blankets were old and stained. While their standards and priorities are not mine, she was cared for, just not by us. We toured the place and took pictures and video to share with our Marley one day. We then gave them the donations we had collected and they were overjoyed. The quickly took them all into a room and started going through everything. The children stood around us and we couldn't help but to give them fruit roll ups, which we quickly found was an favorite! Then it was time to go. What a sad ride back. I held back tears and stared out the van window, absorbing the town and roads where Marley's Amaye may have walked.
Back at House of Hope, I quickly made it up to the second floor and into the room Miss Marley was in. Thankfully, she was sleeping and I got to be the one to wake her and the first face she saw. Ahhhh, my sweet girl. Today we celebrated our children with a traditional Ethiopian meal with a coffee ceremony. What a great treat. Again, Brandon couldn't refuse coffee and I was loving it! They showed us the raw beans, and as we ate lunch, one of the cooks roasted ground and brewed the coffee. We drank it with popcorn, it's the tradition! What a wonderful time we had. We loved Tsegay and Almaz and the rest of the staff. Fikre and our driver, took us back to Melkam Guest House. As we rounded the corner from House of Hope, a man sitting on the corner shouted out to us, "Thank you for taking care of our children." What an emotional day.
Zeyede drove us to the airport, such a friendly man. We said our goodbyes to him and to Ethiopia and headed into Bole Airport to ready ourselves for the long ride home. Our flight home was long. It was not easy. But we are here, home on U.S. soil at last. Praise God!

Ethiopia Day 5

Happy Thanksgiving! We talked Almaz into taking us shopping instead of going to the museum. She was very eager to help us find bargains. We had to drop our children off at House of Hope for the shopping excursion. Sifen had been doing really well, so we didn't mind letting her visit with her nannies for a few hours. We arrived at a strip of shops. It really was all overwhelming. I wasn't sure what to buy and where from. We knew we wanted some traditional dresses for Miss Marley and I wanted one as well. Coffee was also a must! We walked around from shop to shop and Almaz worked her magic. It was quite amusing, actually, to watch her negotiate bargains. It was like an art for her, she really enjoyed it. She then took us to a coffee shop. Not like the coffee shops in America. This was the real deal. They had raw coffee beans and roasted them on location about 6 different ways. We selected the roast we wanted and had it bagged. Then we had Machiatto's while we waited. Ahh my favorite part of the trip!
In the afternoon, all the couples traveling treated a few of the staff to what we thought would be a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at the Hilton. It ended up being Ethiopian food, but it was nice to celebrate with them. We explained our holiday and that we eat until we can't eat anymore and then sleep. They were amazed...lol. Ficker, our driver, said he would always remember us because he spent his first Thanksgiving holiday with us.