A few more pictures...

Minutes before she stripped down into her birthday suit. I'll spare you those pictures!

This handsome guy got his braces off. Wahoooo!!

Meet "Orange Blossom", S.A.'s sidekick. When Sylvie says her name it sounds like "Large Bosom". That makes everyone giggle a little!

New jammies--size 3T.

Spirit Day. You are getting a one-time look at Super Spartan Man.
Going for a walk in the gully behind our house.
Simon hiked around with us. He would "hide" and we would seek. We could hear giggling long before we would find him.
Yep, still sporting the wings. A LOT!!! Could it be an identiy crisis? Was she a butterfly in another life? Does she lean toward theatre? ...only time will tell.
Ta-daaa! Look at this awesome quilt made by Clark's family--it has a storybook theme. Clark's mom, Teresa, started the tradition of making a quilt for the firstborn of each family. What a treasure for Sylvie to have.

I Love Her

Disgusting.

There has been some coughing in our house. And achy muscles and joints. And headaches. And sore throats. And stuffy noses. And fevers.

And some throwing up.

Today Simon emerges from the bathroom looking devestated. "I just threw up. I threw up in the sink because I felt so bad I couldn't make it to the toilet. Can I have a carrot? I'm hungry."

"No, Simon. No, you may not have a carrot."

Disgusting.

Oink! Oink!

Two down...

...with the swine flu.

Liam and Simon. Keeping a keen eye on Sylvie-Aganoti!

Why were the high school kids screaming?

A few weeks ago we had a day filled with running errands.

Blah!

A trip to the Dr.'s office for Sylvie-Aganoti's fungus. A chunk of time dedicated to the pharmacy. An oil change. Additional school supplies for the boys. Some much-needed household items. Groceries. You know the drill...

As we zip around town, S-A falls asleep in the car. While sleeping, she has an accident. No big deal; she is wearing a dress over her jeans. I whip the jeans and panties off and we are good to go. I am a little worried about pee-pants sitting in the warm car but, with four kids, our car has seen worse.

At the end of our list is a swing by Jake's high school to take his class photo and get his student ID. While there,
S-A is being her silly, crowd-crazy self. LOVING the attention from hundreds of Jake's peers. LOVING the admiration from the photography team.

Jake, by the way, does not appreciate the ruckus she is causing...

The head photographer comes over to say how beautiful she is. He offers to take her picture, promising a pint-sized activity card. I explain that she hates to get her picture taken. How it takes tricks and dozens of tries to get a good one. He laughs me off and boasts about all the pictures he's taken of hesitant children.

Good luck buddy.

Mr. Photography scoots us to the front of the line. You can imagine high school students' response to being cut by a TWO-YEAR-OLD and her embarrassed brother.

He takes his time, arranging a kiddie stand so Sylvie-Aganoti is the appropriate height to his camera. Again, picture those not-so-patient teens waiting their turn. Scathing stares. Eye rolls. Sighs. Huffs. Arms crossed. Whispers.

And Jake, thinking this can not possibly be over soon enough.

Mr. Photography asks me to position S-A on the stand, directly on his red X.

Right! This kid hates getting her picture taken. She is not going to stand on his red X with a camera the size of a small car pointed at her!!!

Amazingly, she stands on the X.

And SMILES!!! Maybe Mr. Photography knows what he's talking about?

Then...

...she grabs the hem of her dress and lifts it up, way up, over her head. Baring her oh-so-naked behind to all of those angry high school students.

A chorus of boys shout, "Oh my God!" A symphony of girls shrilly squeal and laugh. The room reverberates with sounds of shock. Mr. Photography's jaw hits the floor.

And then there is Jake. Poor, poor Jake. Who utters, "Sometimes having a sister is absolutely the pits."

That, my friends, is why the high school kids were screaming...

It is confirmed. We are unusual.

I got a survey phone call yesterday. She was asking about our television-viewing preferences. I explained that we do not watch television.

Long pause...

She, "At all?"

Me, "Nope."

She, "What do you do for entertainment?"

Me, "We read books, spend time outside, work puzzles, play boardgames..."

Longer pause...

She, "Well, if you were to turn the television on, what would you watch?"

Me, "Our television does not receive channels. We do not watch it."

Longest pause yet...

She, "Can I send you a form to fill out? It is very unusual to find a family that does not watch television and we would like your feedback."

Turns out we are a rare find!

As Red as a Lobster

This weekend Liam had a soccer tournament in Sandpoint Idaho. Sandpoint is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!

On the way home from our crazy, soccer-filled weekend, we decide to treat ourselves to Red Lobster. We've never been and have great expectations. Well...

...you know how that goes.

We are not off to a good start, as the couple being seated in front of us, when asked their seating preference, say with snotty looks cast in our direction, "We would not like to be seated by children." I am offended. Our kids are being good. Really good. No screaming. No whining. Quietly, politely waiting our turn.

What is the deal with people like that?!?

So, I am feeling protective of our kids and cranky at this woman. Clark appears nervous. The kids are totally missing the boat.

When asked our seating preference, I quip, as I hold Sylvie-Aganoti and am surrounded by a variety of young boys, "We would not like to be seated by children."

Funny, right?

Nope.

Turns out, we have a different hostess than the one who seated the snotty couple. Turns out, our hostess might think I am saying Clark and I would like to not sit by our own children. Turns out, she also might think I am asking her to watch our children while we enjoy lobster.

Plus, the kids are wondering why I suddenly do not want to sit with them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Embarrassing.

Totally, totally embarrassing.

Have I mentioned that I've been asked to consider teaching some parenting classes in Missoula?

I am sure you are racing each other to sign up right now!

Whew!

Life is busy!

Back to work. Back to highschool, middleschool, elementary school & daycare. Back to soccer. Back to blogging.

As promised, here are pictures from this summer...

S-A's 4th of July dress!

After looking for the right home for our Ent for years, he is finally settled in our backyard.

A great picture of my dad.

Liam waiting for his soccer ball to drop from the air.
Sylvie-Aganoti and Olivia Rose.

Petunia.

Liam, Jake & Simon at the Pacific Science Center.

Clark got a great picture of this b-fly and its shadow.

Mmmmm, I love this baby.

Jake in a HUGE guitar.

Clark riding a bike two stories up. Yikes!

Surprise!

A day's never complete unless you touch a brain.

Clark and boys "rock climbing".

This is one of my favorites!

Clark and Casey doing a little golfing...

The bordello!

Beautiful Grandma Benny.

Eating her Grandpa's yummy sourdough pancakes.

Daddy and "The Sylv", as Simon likes to call her.

My mom and MaryAnne.

Sauna time, followed by a quick plunge in the lake!

Sylvie and her co-pilot, Margaux.

Remi, the super-sized puppy!

She was insistent on driving the boat!

Jason, my childhood friend, meets S-A.

Fabulous Simon!

Jake and the girls.

Fantastic Liam!

Very corny! We are at the Twilight shop in Port Angeles...

Even cornier!

Some lunch-time closeups!

This girl melts our hearts...

Braids, Baseball & Bladder-trouble

We made our first attempt at braiding this week. She was awesome, sitting so still.

I found the trick was to give her rubber bands and let her "braid" mine too.

Looking in the mirror telling herself how pretty her hair is.

I put them in pig-tails, as they were sticking out crazy-like.

Our braids made their debut at an Osprey baseball game. (she loved popcorn and the mascot, Ollie, not so much the game though...)

We left the game with wet pants... ...poor Daddy's neck! Can you see she is plugging his ears? I imagine her thinking, "Maybe if he can't hear he won't know he's been peed on."

All good things must come to an end. Conditioner was a huge help in taking those little suckers out!

Leaping...

I am mailing one of the children's picture books I've written to Boyds Mills Press today.

Scary.

Thrilling.

Hand-wringing.

Laughable.

Believable.

BMP says it takes three months to get back to potential writers. That looks like mid-to-end of November.

Inside the Self-Addressed-Stamp-Enclosed envelope they send your manuscript back in if your story bombs, I put a sticky-note with my favorite quote and life-guide, "It is never too late to be what you might have been." (George Elliot) G.E. inspired me to go back to college, to get re-married, to adopt. His words fit many commencing moments in my life.

Today, I am leaping!

Estoy muy decepcionante!

Or, as you would say in English, I am very disappointed... ...in my recent putchase at Amazon Books.

Free time is a luxury for the adults in this house. My only selfish pursuit is book club. I love it. I crave it like I crave chocolate, coffee with creamer, hugs from loved ones.

This month's read is "Ana Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy. A mere 500'ish pages.

Book club is in NINE days.

I despise going to book club having not read the book.

I ordered "Ana" from Amazon many weeks ago and have yet to find a moment to crack it open.

Until today.

Clark took Sylvie-Aganoti to run errands. I had about two whole hours of me-time. I was not going to work on the house. I was not going to spend it in the kitchen cooking or cleaning.

I snuggled up in the office chaise lounge. Put on my glasses. Pulled up a blanket. Flipped the reading light on. Peeked past the cover for the very first time...

...and

...IT IS IN SPANISH.

AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGG to Amazon Books!!!! Leo best captures my feelings writing, "Oh, why didn't I die? It would have been better!"- Book 4, Ch. 23

Does anyone have a spare copy of "Ana Karenina"?

Life Jacket!

Sylvie-Aganoti quickly accustomed to the lake rule that young ones must don a life jacket prior to leaving the lake house. She loved boat rides. She loved throwing rocks into the water. Hence, she loved her life jacket.

Yesterday, Angela and I are at the Good Food Store with my sweetie pie for lunch. S-A yells, "Life jacket Momma! Life jacket, life jacket! Liiiiiiifeeee Jaaaaaaaaaaaacketttt!" I follow her pointing finger to a man who looks as if he just exited the emergency room. He is wearing a neck collar and back brace.

Life jacket.

Cute.

Why is it

that the threat of no more computer motivated me to paint the bathroom and finish the heat register in the office? Hmmm... ...this could be very, very useful.

Cut off!

There are vacation pictures to post, but they are stuck in Clark's camera for the time-being.

I notice that I am spending time on the computer in order to avoid painting the bathroom. The sad part of this is I already have one coat on it. Ok, it has been on for two months.

I am officially cutting myself off of the computer until that room is done, done, done...

Ahhhhhh...

...we are home. We had such a nice time and it is so good to be home. Little Sylvie-Aganoti is not the best traveler. More tomorrow!

We made it!

We are here (as of midnight last night). We enjoyed the Pacific Science Center all day, complete with a picnic in the Seattle Center park. Sylvie-Aganoti loved watching the fountains, and all of the people. Olivia is having her 2nd birthday tonight--afterward we will have some Ethiopian food for dinner. Soooo excited for that!

You are staying in a bordello, like it or not!

We leave in just a few days for the Pacific Northwest. Spending a few days in Seattle with Michelle, Casey and kids... Touring the Pacific Science Center... Enjoying Ethiopian food... Ordering a cake from the famous Borraccini's Italian Bakery... Staying in a historic sea-side bordello... Taking in a Bluegrass concert... Gaping at the views from amazing Hurricane Ridge... Relaxing beside the lake in the Olympic Peninsula... Hiking various waterfalls... Frolicking in the ocean-spray...

"What?!? A bordello? You have got to be kidding me!?! In all of the reading I've done about bordellos, they are filled with ghosts. It is not safe! I WILL NOT stay there!! I can't believe you'd have us stay at a bordello!!! This is ridiculous!" These were the words of our oldest, Jake.

Some thoughts Jake's mom has about his outburst: When did the ghost phobia start? What horror movies have you been watching on the sly? When have you found the time to peruse readings about bordellos? Did you skim over the historical significance? Did you miss the part where bordellos were often a rare moment in our country's past where women had some measure of independence and control over their own finances? Wouldn't it be just a little bit fun to tell your 16-year-old peers that you stayed in a bordello this summer? And again, afraid of ghosts???

Sorry kiddo. We've already paid. You are staying in a bordello, like it or not.

Did I really have to say that out loud? Is this a bad episode of Twilight Zone?

Can you picture Clark, a trembling-Jake, and I snuggling up together during our bordello-stay? That is what it will look like friends...

Oh brother... Washington, here we come!!!

Sparkling Moment

Simon and Sylvie-Aganoti have had the toughest time adjusting to "Who is the baby in this house?". Simon has been pretty good with her; though, definitely needing some extra cuddling and reassurance from us. S-A targets Simon sometimes. I don't know if it is that he is closest to her age (a seven year spread), that he is least likely to play with her, or that they both vie for the role of the youngest. Sometimes she will walk by him and with complete unsolicitation say, in a very snotty voice, "NO Simon!". Sometimes she will go into his room and mess with his things--not playing with them, but knocking them over and mixing them around. If he's on my lap, she wants up...

...on and on and on...

So, yesterday imagine my joy and surprise when I spied them on the deck giggling and playing together. Simon was writing words in Sylvie's blocks, reading them to her, then laughing when she stirred them up. I took my camera out to capture the moment when I found this....

"I love you Mom", ahhhh, my heart melted.

The boys are coming along. We have been working on eating and sleeping issues. Smaller meals, more frequently and a solid bedtime routine (with music and a good book). It seems to be helping, as is the passage of time. The boys are doing much, much better.

Last week kept us busy. I co-directed Camp Invention and all boys participated (Jake as a teacher's assistant, Liam a volunteer, and Simon a participant). Much fun was had!

A few snaps of last week...

On the potty. Again!

The skirt we love so, so much.
Planting our Ginkgo trees. Patting down the soil. S-A LOVES to help!!! Heading in for a much-deserved break.

Tandum diaper change (Go Daddy's Go!!!).

Sweet Singing

Sylvie-Aganoti sings us a beautiful "I Love You" song, inserting different family member names... There is nothing nicer than hearing our sweet, singing girl!

Sorry for the neck cramp; I am having trouble turning this clip the right direction.

Two of our boys were witness to the accidental death of an 8-year-old girl on the 4th of July. She was electrocuted. Our kids were right there while it happened and while paramedics were unable to resuscitate her.

They are sad, confused and grieving for this little girl and her family.

One of my boys asked me if I would help him write a will because he's afraid he could die at any time. He is right, any of us could die at anytime. Though, usually kids do not spend time mulling that possibility over.

I've been having trouble staying asleep. I wake up to a pounding heart, grinding my teeth. It could have been my boys and the thought terrifies me.

We go to a trauma counselor tomorrow.

Anniversary

Today is the day I married my best friend. I love to think back on that evening. My favorite pictures of the day we became a family...

The Ceremony

The Music

The Friends

The Family

The Cake

The Begining

Can One Like Purple Too Much?

I can not express the extent to which Sylvie-Aganoti enjoys the color purple. If given a choice, she hand's-down picks purple. She loves it!

This morning after waking up in her purple bedroom...

she opts for this yogurt...

and chooses to wear this shirt.

After running a couple of errands, I head to the director's house of the summer camp I am involved in to pick up my syllabus, where she plucks....

...this purple beauty right out of the flower box!

Oops.

Yes, one can like purple too much...

Playdate

Here are some pictures of Danny and Sylvie-Aganoti enjoying themselves (and each other!).

"En da poo goin wimmin," as S-A likes to put it!

We have a toy scorpion that Sylvie plays with in the pool. When it floated near Danny, he screamed, "Ouch, ouch!", and jumped out of the pool. He was very cautious when he got back in and kept checking the grass far, far away where the scorpion was newly located.

This is an honest-to-goodness pout face! Can you believe that lip???

Lunchtime! They had left-over pizza and strawberries. Danny ate both of their pizza slices and Sylvie-Aganoti ate both of their fruit. Perfect! S-A insisted on sitting in Danny's chair with him; he kindly obliged.

You are about to see some lunchtime etiquette from toddlers. Beware: these pictures are not for those with a weak stomach...

Lastly, a wagon ride. Thanks for your efforts Danny, playing with this girl is hard work!

What a fun day. Thanks for coming over Danny!

Worrying

I am spending a lot of time the last couple of days worrying about Linsey, Danny and Abdisa's mom, both adopted from the same orphanage as Sylvie-Aganoti. Linsey also has two daughters, Taylor and Kailey, and husband, Rick. I've known Linsey for several years and she is a wonderful person, so kind-hearted and such an integral piece of her family and community.

Linsey has been very sick for almost two months, with no answers to her symptoms. She, Rick and Abdisa flew to Mayo Clinic in Arizona on Monday to further look into her situation. I am concerned about her and my thoughts are preoccupied with her well-being.

I picked Danny up for a play-date yesterday. He and S-A had fun splashing around in our kiddie pool, eating lunch and going for wagon rides. He seems be holding up pretty well; though, definitely misses his Mommy.

My thoughts and prayers are channeled to Linsey and family. I am hoping they get good news soon! She updates her blogsite, if you are interested in following her progress, supporting her, knowing her... http://wiesemannadoption.blogspot.com/

These are pictures Linsey got of Sylvie-Aganoti when she went to Ethiopia to bring Abdisa home. Linsey brought S-A this bear all the way from us in Montana! These pictures, as well as Linsey's recounts of Sylvie's personality and health, are what got us through our wait during the rainy season.

Six-Month Homestudy

Yesterday was our 6-month homestudy. We look forward to these visits with our adoption social worker, Betsy, who is fabulous! Reflecting on the last six months, it is hard to believe a half-year has passed since Sylvie-Aganoti has come home from Ethiopia. We are so lucky to parent her!

In the last six months S-A has gained 13 pounds (doubling her weight exactly), grown 5 inches, learned a new language, adjusted to our family, overcome her fear of dogs, tried dozens of new foods, crawled, stood up, walked, run, danced, jumped and climbed, she has learned to sing, color and kick a soccer ball. She loves to ride in her wagon, water the flowers, point out airplanes, have pancakes at Grandma and Grandpa's, read books, play with her dollhouse, wear her Daddy's shoes, push dump trucks around on our deck, take pictures with the camera, wave at Poppa Doug in the morning, eat whipped cream, go for rides in the car, brush her teeth, nap in Daddy and Momma's bed and play with her brothers. Sylvie-Aganoti brings us all so much joy. We are endlessly thankful to her birth-parents, Hope Adoption Agency and the Ethiopian officials who entrusted her care to our family.

Here are some of the pictures enclosed in her Six-month Homestudy Review...

RUNNING LATE

Those of you who know me would agree I have a RUNNING LATE problem. Just reading this title you may snicker, groan, or even bristle a little (Mom, is that you bristling?).

I am working on it.

I know, you've heard that before...
...many times
...ever since you've known me
...my whole life.

The addition of a new little one has exacerbated this problem of mine. Still, I am working on it.

Getting on with the story:

Monday I am RUNNING LATE to get Simon to the orthodontist. We are going because Simon has lost his retainer (AGAIN!!!) and we need to re-evaluate his progress and possibly purchase another new $900.00 mouth-piece. So, I am crabby and RUNNING LATE. As my hand reaches for the front door handle, Simon announces, "I need to go to the bathroom and will be back in a teence." ("Teence", by the way, is a word he has invented that is supposed to sound like whatever is about to happen will happen quickly when, in fact, it takes a very, very long time. Whenever I am in a hurry and hear "teence" come out of his mouth I cringe.) He heads to the bathroom where he remains for a very, very long time. During his bathroom-break, I recall the road construction on the street where our orthodontist is located; our re-route is going to take about five minutes longer. My heartbeat accelerates and I take deep breaths while asking the man above for patience. Simon emerges from the bathroom with an enthusiastic grin on his face, apparently he thinks this "teence" was of the short variety. He is wrong.

Walking out the front door I inquire, "You brushed your teeth while you were in there, right? We are going to get your teeth looked at, remember?" He looks guilty, pivots and says, "I'll be right back in a "quick-teence". Folks, if you thought a "teence" takes a long time, a "quick teence" is the kiss of death. Before I can respond, he is gone.

If you were an observer to this situation, you might see trails of smoke seeping from my ears.

I buckle Sylvie-Aganoti into the car, walk a few laps, work on the deep breathing some more, throw in a couple of count-to-tens. Many, many minutes go by in slow, slow, slow motion. We are beyond RUNNING LATE and have moved into the apologize-profusely-and-promise-to-do-better-next-time zone.

FINALLY, Simon bounds, triumphantly from the house.

What is on his face? Is that hot pink surrounding his lips, on his cheeks? Oh my gosh, he didn't?!? He gets closer. I demand, "Simon stick out your tongue!" He DID!!!! What on earth? HE DID!!!

Backtrack to last week. Simon goes to the pediatric dentist for a routine checkup. As we leave, the hygenist and family friend, Brenda, hands Simon some reveal tablets. She instructs that every once in a while Simon should chew a quarter of a tablet and it will reveal areas he needs to hit harder with his toothbrush. "Fun," I thought. "Wow, what a great idea," I thought. "This will really motivate him to be a good brusher," I thought.

OMG!!!!!!!

We are now so, so RUNNING LATE and my son has a hot pink face and teeth with revealed plaque. As, in a rare moment of expedience, Simon eliminates the brushing step to save time. Simon, with chagrin, admits to chewing a whole tablet rather than a quarter. We are now going to the orthodontist, where he will peer into this kid's flaming-pink, plaque-covered mouth to give us an opinion on the retainer that has been lost for the second time.

Those tablets are definately not fun, not a great idea and, apparently, he has not been a good brusher!!!

Is this really happening?

Of course it is...

This is life with four kids. This is what it is like as I get back into the swing of summer off with the kids. This is why Clark is not one bit jealous of my free-time during the summer.

I laugh (a little maniacally) because, what else is there to do? I call Clark, we commiserate and he expresses appreciation for my being home to take the kids here-and-there, what else can he do? And, I vow to work harder on not RUNNING LATE, what else can I do?

Lastly, after our visit with the orthodontist, I take a picture of the kid with a red-hot mouth. I wish you could see him prior to the appointment!

p.s. We do not need to spring for a new retainer, as Simon found his yesterday!

Our little girl has turned.....

.....into a Vulcan.

Oh yeah, and she is TWO also!!!!

When we ask how old she is, Sylvie-Aganoti proudly dispays four fingers split into two groups of two. I wish I had a picture of her Vulcan fingers, instead, here are some snaps of our super-duper two-year-old!

Poor kid had to make her own birthday cake--chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkles.

Cheese, I'm TWO, TWO, TWO!!!

Can you believe we get to have a pink soccer ball in this house!?!

Who has the coolest Daddy on the block?

If you live in or near Missoula, you might spy us out and about in our Fairy Princess skirt that we like to wear happy and sad, rain and shine, day and night. You get the idea!

She is learning to love the water park.

This is one of my very favorite pictures. She has such awesome big brothers!

Reading a magazine together.

Out to dinner with Aunt Charmin, Uncle Mike and girls.

Just today!

Catching up...

Here are some pictures from way back and a few recent ones too. I am disappointed to confess that I took a month off from any kind of picture-taking. Moving has been so, so much work!


Look how our girl has grown!

My friend (and soon to be adoptive Mom) Angela, her mom Denise and S-A at a baby shower.

Going for a walk. Thanks for the ride Daddy!

Beautiful Montana winter berries...

Simon and mom walking the train tracks at Fort Missoula.

St. Patricks Day! Sylvie was overtired and a huge pill!

Science Circus put on by High School kids. Can you believe skewers through balloons?!?

Simon eating a cricket (he opted for no chocolate on his). Yuck! Oh, and a black eye to boot...

What a pretty girl! Grandma Steffie brought this dress home from Mexico.

Still at the Science Circus!

Sink bath, one of S-A's favorite activities.

Liam was in a play and did an AWESOME job. We had no idea he was a talented actor!!!

Jake reading a book in the new house.

S-A thought it was hilarious that he was UNDER the chair not in it.

Sylvie-Aganoti and her Daddy.

She asks for "pretty" in her hair. Look how long it is getting!

Breakfast outside on the porch of our new house.

She asks for a "ride" and likes to gallop through the house on willing shoulders.

Thanks Grandpa!

Simon doing homework. We do not have all of our furniture at the new house, hence all the lawn-chairs and laying around on the floor...

Ta-daaaa!!!

Still Here!

We have moved... ...mostly. We are in the process of selling our old home and cannot yet move all of our things, but we are in and remodeling--yikes! With the school year coming to an end, the boys wrapping up sports and moving, moving, moving I've been too busy to post. That will change in a couple of weeks.
Thank you Clark for getting my computer up and running! I will post pictures of Sylvie-Aganoti soon. She has grown soooo much!!

Yikes!

No posting for so long! What's gotten into me?!?

Soccer, tennis, life....

AND MOVING TO A NEW HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!

More later.

Sports

Jake plays tennis five nights a week. Liam has soccer practice three nights a week, a game last weekend and a tournament this weekend. Simon starts soccer soon. All the boys in this house are antsy for golf season to begin.

Sports, sports, sports!

Sylvie-Aganoti... ...maybe she'll be into ballet. Or science. Or gardening. Or acting. Or reading books.

Or sports!

Let me guess...

...black beans.

After my second Dr. appointment for relentless ringworm, I take Sylvie-Aganoti to lunch at a Mexican restaurant. As I order, the burrito-guy says with a smirk on his face, "Let me guess... ...black beans."

Maybe because I am wearing a black shirt and vest.

Maybe because I look like someone who likes black beans.

Maybe because I am holding an Ethiopian baby.

Maybe this guy is a complete ass.

Maybe not.

Three months ago I would have thought the burrito-guy was quirky and nothing more. I find with Sylvie-Aganoti in my arms the world looks a bit different. People's comments sound different.

Surprised and trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, I say, "No thank you, pinto beans." Retrospectively, I could have asked, "Why would you guess black beans?". I wonder what he would have said?

If he was making a racially-charged comment, what was his purpose? Did he think it was funny? Did he intend to be nasty? This three-second incident has stuck with me for hours. I keep thinking about how this will feel for S.A. when she is old enough to realize the hang-ups some people have with ethnicity and non-traditional families.

I am hopeful that the burrito-guy did not mean anything by his comment. Though, sadly, my gut says otherwise. I wish I could turn back the clock and handle things differently.

Maybe I would stick a bean up his nose...

Keep on keeping on...

A picture of our sweetie pie eating lunch...

It has been too long since my last post. Sylvie-Aganoti is growing like a weed. She is close to double in weight from our first day together in Ethiopia. She is still a picky, picky eater. No thanks on the fruits and veggies! We've visited a pediatric dentist. Her teeth are in great shape and reaffirm her given age. SA's birthdate truly looks like June 10th 2007. She continues to have intestional issues and we may be looking at surgery. Her growth, combined with the severe malnutrition she experienced in her first year of life, has weakened her muscles. Details aside, an operation will ensure that everything is in place and working as it should. It is very scary to think of surgery without any knowledge of her past medical history. Another interesting component of adopting internationally.

This weekend we had the pleasure of meeting a family from Ethiopia. They are living in Missoula as the wife, Waganesh, completes her Master's Degree. They have a 13-month old son. It was such a treat to visit with them about Ethiopia and adoption. Waganesh used to be involved in international adoption; specifically, reuniting adoptive families with birth families. She has offered to help us find SA's birth-mother. What a blessing it is to get to know them.

So Many Firsts...

It has been two months that Sylvie-Aganoti has lived with our family. Below are some of her "firsts" that we've been lucky enough to share with her.

First Open Gym

First Children's Museum Trip

First Time to the Mall with Cousins (not wearing her game-face)

First Superbowl (this was the best part of the 3-D hype)

First Life-Sized Doll

(their relationship has progressed to hair-pulling and long drags down the hall)

First Wedding and Meeting Clark's Mother's Side of the Family

First Lady Griz Basketball Game, where she got to...

...sit by this kid, and...

listen to this kid play in the marching band (Liam is top row trumpet, second kid in).

Ready for Her First Hike up Blue Mountain

First Time Sitting Nice With Her Baby...

...almost.

First Wooden Toy Made for Her by Grandpa Doug (a REALLY great duck!).

First (hopefully last) Glimpse of Brother Jake Dressed as a Crazy-Guy!

First Dental Visit (her teeth are in wonderful shape).

Lastly, Her First Jello With Whipped Cream ( a Reff tradition).

Got it!!!

Enjoy the laugh. We do! We love, love, love this baby...

Where are you?

I've been back at work since Monday. We had huge concerns about Sylvie-Aganoti's attachment with us... Have we had enough time together? Does she know we are her parents yet? Will her care provider understand the needs of an adopted child? Will Sylvie feel abandoned? Will she attach to her provider more than us?

Worries aside, this situation is optimal. The woman providing her care only offers before and after-school and after-school care for a few kids. In-between these times, Sylvie is her one-and-only charge. Even better, her house is located across the street from the school where I work. It is literally less than a minute from my office to her front door. The location enables me to scoot over there for my lunch break, feed Sylvie and rock her to sleep. We feel so fortunate for this arrangement!

We have visited her care provider for the last few weeks to try and ready Sylvie for our work transition. She liked visiting when I stayed with her. However, when I left her for three hours alone and Clark picked her up, she refused to make eye-contact with him and hit at him a couple of times. Then she cried all night, absolutely all night long. Again, we were very, very concerned for this week.

So, Monday I dropped her off at 8:00 and was back by 11:30 for our lunch and nap routine. I walked in the house and Sylvie, seeing me, tosses her toy, and runs toward me laughing like mad. About three feet away she comes to a screeching halt, bellowing, "Where are you?". The look on her face was, "Where the heck have you been!??!" I scooped her up, hugged and kissed her and pointed at my school across the street. She seemed pacified. We had lunch, she napped and when I picked her up after work she was ok. Every day afterward has been just fine. Her provider is wonderful and has been open to reading articles on adoption and attachment, and is very sensitive to our need for alone-time during lunch.

We are incredibly relieved this is going ok. Not just ok, but better than we might have hoped for. Though, now she asks, "Daddy, where are you?" We have to arrange for Clark to pick her up soon.

A fungus among-us

So, I've had this irritating spot on my chin that got a little bigger, then turned into two spots, then spread to my lower leg. Burning, itching, driving me absolutely crazy... Our Dr. says S.A. shared a fungus with me.

A fun-guy has officially joined the family; he's all the way from Ethiopia. And, he's NOT so much fun!

One of the joys of international adoption.

Tent-building and dancing

We have been creating indoor-fun during this recent cold spell. The boys got a tent for X-mas and set it up in the dining area; though, it ended up being much too small for them. It was Sylvie-sized!

Liam and Simon, fearless tent-builders.

A little assistance was required.

Happy camper!

This girl loves to dance! So does her daddy...

Momma, at last!

I have been upgraded, from Poo-poo to Momma. Finally!!! While Poo-poo was cute, I felt the world come to a standstill when Sylvie-Aganoti looked at me with a smile and said "Momma" this weekend. So, if were wondering what that small blip in time was on Saturday morning, there you go!

Speaking of her language abilities, our Yahoo group's recent conversation has been how many words kiddos her age know and use. So, we started counting. We landed at a solid 35! Thirty-five words are absolutely incredible. S.A. has only been exposed to English for six weeks. She heard Oromo her first 10 months, Amharic her next 10 months, now English. She's on her third language in a year-and-a-half! What an amazing challenge.

Drum roll... They are, "Good girl (after using the potty), Hi, Bye-bye, More, Goodbye, All Done, All Gone, Apple, Milk, Juice, Yummy, Uh-oh, No, Remi (sometimes these last two are said together), Daddy, Momma, Cracker, Up, Eat, Baby, Down, Poo-poo, Sit, Peek-a-boo, Go Potty, Dog, Ball, Tea, Out, Woo-hoo, Yes, Hat, Pretty, Yea, Nice."

She has a soft, sweet little voice that is kind of husky. Unless she is mad, but that is a whole other post. We love hearing her talk!!!

Fresh out of the tub. Lois, I bet you recognize this shirt!

She loves to wear Jake's juggling rings on her head!

The snow in her hair was making her head sparkle!

Green is her best color.