Request for Prayers

We learned this morning that my uncle Mike has gone missing on Lake Mille Lacs. He went up there to go fishing. Mike is an avid fisherman, and loves being on the water. His boat was found washed up on shore by someone, but Mike was no where to be seen. Some of my family is up there today to search for him, but things aren't looking good. Please send prayers of strength for my aunt Carol and her and Mike's children during this very scary time. If Mike is out there, please pray for his safe return to our family.

God Bless,
Brooke

Curious George??

Well....once we found out we were having a boy, we knew it was time to decide on a name. Reese was more than willing to loan us her input. When we asked her what she thought we should name her knew brother, she immediately said "Curious George". Why on earth she would pick that......could not tell you. Trust me....the baby will not be names Curious George, but Reese is enjoying calling him that for the time being.

Leah continues to amaze us with how well she is doing. Every day she seems to adjust a little more and handle everything that comes her way a little better. We are finally getting the bedtime thing. She does a lot better when it comes to naps and bedtime. She is also getting pretty good at soothing herself back to sleep at night, which is great for Ryan and I as well. She is still eating great. Reese is also getting better with her. They actually play pretty well together, and Reese really loves giving her hugs and kisses.

Other than that, nothing too exciting. We continue to adjust to a life with two toddlers, but it hasn't been nearly as difficult as we prepared ourselves for. I'm sure baby #3 will make it a whole new ball game, so we are just going to enjoy this time while it lasts. Only 18 weeks left until our next life changing event.

God Bless.

IT'S A BOY!!!

As most of you know....we are expecting baby #3 March 2009. We had our 21 week ultrasound today and found out that baby #3 is going to be a boy. He looks great and is growing quite well. Not too big, not too small....he is right in the middle. It will definitely be an adjustment for us having a little boy in the house, but thankfully our nephews have given us a little practice. Reese and Leah were pretty amazed by the ultrasound. Reese really liked hearing the heart beat. The doctor said to just keep doing what I have been doing. The girls had a great day today. They played a lot at the doctors office together, which is pretty huge. It seems every day they get more and more comfortable as sisters. They are also finding that they like to make each other laugh and be silly together, which is pretty fun to watch. I have added a few pictures of them playing around the yard. They love to play in the leaves and be outside.

The Girls

Most questions have been asked concerning how the girls have been doing. Overall....they are adjusting quite well. Reese is getting more adjusted to having to share things with Leah. It is hard to explain to her that Leah doesn't know what "sharing" means, so we need to show her. They don't seem too interested in the same toys, which has kept most battles at bay. They both love to dance, so we spend quite a bit of time listening to music and dancing around the house. Leah has adjusted quite well to her new schedule. We have gotten her completely on whole milk, which has helped with her diarrhea. She is also on the same sleep schedule as Reese, which is good for mom and dad. Finally....the dog issue. Leah was deathly affraid of Maggie when she first came home. I am happy to say that she now climbs on Maggie and tries to ride her like a horse. Thank God Maggie is the most gentle and laid back dog I know. Our biggest battle right now is getting Leah comfortable with being in her crib at bedtime. She cries less now and for shorter periods of time, but she still fights going to sleep. I am pretty sure that is a typical toddler thing, so hopefully it will pass with time.

We have gotten to spend a lot of time together as a family. Leah LOVES swinging!!! It is her favorite thing to do at the park. Both her and Reese have really enjoyed playing in the fall leaves. We raked a big pile together the other day and they took turns getting thrown into it by Ryan. It is amazing to me that it has only been 11 days since we have come home. Sometimes it feels as if Leah has been with us for a long time. She is picking up english very quickly, and seems to learn a new word or two every day.

It has been an educational and challenging 11 days for us as a family, but things are going better than anticipated. We cannot wait for everyone to meet Leah. She is a very strong, sprited and loving little girl. Her smile and laugh are infectious, and we feel very blessed to call her ours.

The First Week Home

What have we learned this first week of parenting two toddlers......Here are a few brief statements. I am pretty tired right now, but I promise to discuss them further at some point.

1. Sleep is a must.....but caffeine may be your only alternative

2. We have had parenting very easy with just one child. This is a true test.

3. Little girls.....not all sugar and spice and everything nice.

4. There is plenty of love to go around.....although not always plenty of snacks.

5. No one likes kidney beans.....stop cooking with them.

6. We cannot hurry anything

7. We are extremely blessed.....no matter how rough the day is.

More Ethiopia Pictures

Ethiopia

Well....we have been home for a week, and I am finally getting around to getting a new post up. We left for Ethiopia on October 1, 2008. It was definitely the best and one of the most emotional/difficult trips of my life. I thought I would quick share an outline of what our week looked like and a few highlights from each day

Wednesday......Left for Ethiopia.....flew a lot!!!

Thursday.....Arrived in Ethiopia around 9 pm, got luggage, met some of the other families who were also adopting, went to guest house....crashed into bed (we were very sleep deprived)his

Friday....This was going to be our first day of meeting Leah at the Care Center. We had some breakfast, got briefed by the staff at the CHSFS office in Ethiopia, and went to the care center. It was a little awkward meeting Leah for the first time. She didn't want to much to do with us, but by the end of the day, we were playing with her comfortably.

Saturday....We went back to the care center after breakfast. Again....Leah wasn't too impressed with us, but we played for the morning. She finally let me hold her by the end of the visit, although she was still pretty scared of Ryan. That afternoon we went shopping at some of the local markets and then out that night for a traditional Ethiopian meal. The food was very spicy (at least for someone who is 4 months pregnant) so I didn't eat too much of it. However, we also got to watch some traditional ethiopian dancing which was amazing.

Sunday....This was the day that everyone was going to meet their child's birth family. Ryan was able to meet Leah's birth mother. It was a wonderful meeting for both parties. We got a lot of questions answered, and it will be a great experience to share with Leah someday. I stayed back at the guesthouse. I was advised by my doctors to not go, so I used the day to rest. I definitely needed some extra sleep at that point. I was disappointed to miss that meeting, but no need in taking extra chances in an already stressful situation.

Monday....We got to bring our kids back to the guest house with us for 1/2 a day. Ryan and I were really nervous to bring Leah back since we hadn't had a great connection during our first visits. However, she came with us fairly easily. She seemed a little confused, but once we were at the guest house, we had a blast together. That afternoon was filled with some tours of the CHSFS facilities in Ethiopia. The agency has built a clinic and a school for the community, and are continuing to work to improve life in Ethiopia. I was quite impressed with all the work that they are doing.

Tuesday.....COURT DAY!!! This was the day that Leah was officially going to join our family. In the morning, the Care Center held a farwell ceremony for all the children being adopted. It was beautiful and very touching. The people at the care center and those involved with CHSFS Ethiopia love the children so much. They take such good care of these children, and the love between them is amazing. The ceremony was a great way to bring closure to everyone. After the ceremony, we took the kids back to the guest house for lunch and then we were off to the Embassy for our court hearings. These hearings were not very exciting. They ask a few questions, you give a few answers, and then they say "congratulations." It was very low stress and low pressure. After that, we spent the evening just being a family.

Wednesday.....NOTHING DAY!!! This was a day to just hang out at the guest house and get to know Leah more and more. Every day, she got more comfortable with us. She is such a loving, sweet, strong, and funny little girl. It is amazing how much attitude she has for only being 15 months old.

Thursday....this was our last day in Ethiopia. There were definite mixed emotions about coming home. We were anxious to see just how we would bring our family together. We were anxious to see how Reese and Leah would do together. We were anxious for the next 22 hours we were going to be travelling with a toddler. However, we were also very excited to get home.

We made the trip without too many bumps. Ryan got a little sick on the way home, but he recovered by the time we touched down in the USA. Leah did great on the plane. We were so happy to get home and to see Reese. She looked so different in just 10 days. It was finally time to become a family of 4......let the games begin.