All three of the boys are sleeping right now so I thought I would try to write a quick update Sean has taken the past two days off so it has been SO nice to have two of us with the boys vs. only me. He is hoping to work between 3-4 days/week here and is really enjoying getting to know the people here at World Vision. Last week he also helped out his former employer, Water Missions, and helped a team here with some well work which he also enjoyed. On Friday they treated us to a WONDERFUL seafood dinner at the Hilton. We both filled up on very good food that night!
We have been here three weeks now. I can’t believe it. The boys are doing well, still crying when they are tired and refuse to sleep but generally they are healthy and I have much to be thankful for. C rolled over this past week and both are sitting up well with a little help (they fall over after about 10 seconds if you don’t support them in some way). They could not even hold their heads up when we met them so this is great progress I think! Today we fed them a little rice cereal at lunch and they gobbled it down with no problems at all (eating is one of their specialties!) We aren’t trying other solids until the official 6 month date (2 weeks away) but I think we just can’t keep them full on formula alone. I am hoping it will help them sleep better too. E has now caught up with C in weight, both 17.2 lbs. I think C’s cold may have slowed him down a bit I got out a bit today as well on my own. I have been a bit hesitant to do this, I feel so much safer when Sean is with me but this is hard to do on this trip! I decided to take a walk down a road I hadn’t been down (Sean stayed with the boys). I found a mall with many nice shops, some coffee houses with wireless internet connections (nice to know!) and a theatre. I don’t think we will have much time to go but it was nice to be a place I felt safe to roam about and to start thinking about what I might want to bring back with me, it was also nice to get a little exercise. Next Saturday I am hoping to go shopping with Almaz (Tsyguy’s wife) and a bunch of Americans who will be here picking up their kids at the HOH so I am looking forward to that too. I also found some cute baby stores on my outing which was fun as well. The only thing I bought today though was water. We really go through the bottled water here between the 4 of us! A
2 liter bottle is about 60 cents and we go through about 4 liters a day so I bought 6, 2 liter bottles. It seems we go shopping here about every day for something as we can only carry so much walking. There are many small shops around our guesthouse-small grocery stores and fruit/veggie stands and since we cook most of our meals at the guesthouse it seems we are always in need of something.
After shopping this morning, I came back to Sean looking exhausted as both boys had only slept for 40 minutes for their morning nap and they were very grumpy. (He has come home to me in this state a few times now too). He had to call on one of the ladies to help him while I was gone as they both were screaming…poor guy. This parenting thing IS exhausting, I love it but both Sean and I feel fairly delirious as we are going on so little sleep every day. We did not bring pacifiers but I found some the other day and they work wonders to get the kids back to sleep during a nap so we are using them for this purpose. I think it comforts them and they are SO much happier in the afternoons if they can sleep for a few hours vs. a few minutes. I can’t wait until we can take the boys out with us in America, I am sure this will be a whole new experience. So far we basically stay in one room with them all day. But, I wouldn’t change one minute of this time for the world. I LOVE being with our babies, they are so sweet and smiley and wonderful.
Sean’s parents arrive next week and we are very excited to see them, both for the support and because they will get to meet the boys!
Thank you all so much for your emails and prayers and support. It has been hard to find time to sit down and journal or pray or anything but I do feel God’s loving arms supporting us every day and I am sure this is due to all of the prayers you are sending out for us.
Bless you!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Week 2
I once thought, once we have kids, What will I worry about?
Fears of motherhood
"Is his poo the right color?"
"Does he have a temperature?"
"Does he have some strange, rare disease?"
"Is he connecting with me?"
"Am I connecting to him?"
"Will I ever get to do anything again other than change diapers and try to calm crying babies?"
"Is he progressing at the right rate?"
"Is he getting sick?"
"What will I do if he gets sick?"
"They are so fragile, what if I do something to hurt them?"
"Is that clean?"
"Someone might try to steal them!"
"Am I getting enough time to stay healthy myself, how do I exercise or have time to process all these thoughts I have?"
"Am I interacting with them enough? Am I interacting with them too much? Am I dividing my time equally between them?"
Crazy! Thankfully I have a great husband who is able to help me laugh at some of my ridiculous fears. Yesterday was a hard day, neither slept well and they were very grumpy the whole day. Also they are"talking", Cuing and googleing more each day, so when they are awake it seems like they are either crying or ga-ga-ing, which I think is good but very different than the babies we met a week ago who just sat there and observed and pretty much never cried. Today they are much happier and sleeping/napping very well. This makes such a difference. It allows me to put them down by themselves (which I just have to do with two babies) without bursting into tears
I am having my sister post these for me as I do not have access to my blog so I will not be able to read any responses you might have for me.
Feel free to email me at Rachel.kerrigan@gmail.com
Fears of motherhood
"Is his poo the right color?"
"Does he have a temperature?"
"Does he have some strange, rare disease?"
"Is he connecting with me?"
"Am I connecting to him?"
"Will I ever get to do anything again other than change diapers and try to calm crying babies?"
"Is he progressing at the right rate?"
"Is he getting sick?"
"What will I do if he gets sick?"
"They are so fragile, what if I do something to hurt them?"
"Is that clean?"
"Someone might try to steal them!"
"Am I getting enough time to stay healthy myself, how do I exercise or have time to process all these thoughts I have?"
"Am I interacting with them enough? Am I interacting with them too much? Am I dividing my time equally between them?"
Crazy! Thankfully I have a great husband who is able to help me laugh at some of my ridiculous fears. Yesterday was a hard day, neither slept well and they were very grumpy the whole day. Also they are"talking", Cuing and googleing more each day, so when they are awake it seems like they are either crying or ga-ga-ing, which I think is good but very different than the babies we met a week ago who just sat there and observed and pretty much never cried. Today they are much happier and sleeping/napping very well. This makes such a difference. It allows me to put them down by themselves (which I just have to do with two babies) without bursting into tears
I am having my sister post these for me as I do not have access to my blog so I will not be able to read any responses you might have for me.
Feel free to email me at Rachel.kerrigan@gmail.com
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
We have arrived!
January 13, 2009
Hello from Addis Ababa. We have now been here one week. On Monday we had the court date that we had hoped would finalize the adoption, unfortunately it was not successful and was rescheduled for February 26th, we would then travel home about 3 weeks later. We are now in the process of deciding whether or not to stay here and wait it out for many weeks or to go home and absorb the cost of another flight out here in March. We are hoping to stay here and Sean is talking to World Vision about the possibility of working for the office here in Ethiopia. Apparently there is much he could do from here. I then would spend the days with the children as I have been since we have gotten here.
It is WONDERFUL to be spending this time with them. They change so much every day and I think they are really benefiting from the one on one interaction. They are adorable, very healthy-16.5 and 17 lbs at 5 months. Caleb was born first and has maintained a ½ lb lead on his brother. They smile and coo and giggle. It is a delight to be getting to know them. So far we have been there from about 9:30 in the morning (before this they get a sun bath and water bath from their nannies) and then we stay until it is getting dark around 6. Sean is going into the office today so we should have some answers as to whether or not he can work from there, and I am going alone to the HOH for the first day. I am a bit nervous to care for two at once, so far we have been able to each have one of them. People at the transition home (HOH) are wonderful and have invited us to stay as long as we need to. We will get to meet many families if we are here for 10 weeks, come and leave with their children. So far we have met two families and it is a delight to see them during such a special time. So there are many wonderful things about being here.
It is hard to be away from family and friends, especially as I have many baby questions to ask, and to get use to figuring out everything here. Sometimes I get quite frustrated but if I can sit back and really reflect on all the blessings I have in my life, which are more apparent than ever, I am thankful. We are trying to save money where we can so we have begun cooking for ourselves. This is a challenge in itself as the food here is quite different. Also we have not figured out daily transportation so we have been taking cabs back and forth from our guesthouse to the HOH (we get one free week of transportation as every family does through our agency but the rest is on our own). Now if Sean starts working here, we would like to hire a driver to take me to and from so I am not trying to negotiate by myself with strangers. Also the guest house is about 15 minutes away from the HOH so we may also look at alternative housing closer to the HOH. The other challenge I need to figure out is washing clothes, we can pay for this, but if I can hand wash the clothes myself (which there are many with two babies) I can save money. I just need to find a place to dry the clothes as our room is quite small and we currently are sharing a bathroom with other guests. I know we are "roughing it" in American standards but I really don't mind, I just like to have all of this worked out and to be on a schedule, then I can relax into it a bit. Anyway, I am off for another day with the babies! Sean is off to World Vision and will send this from there. I have not been able to reach my blog on internet connections around here but World Vision has broad band so that will be very nice. They also are giving him a cell phone today for local calls which will also be quite helpful. God is taking care of us and I am very thankful for his provision. I hope you all are well back in the states! I hear there has been flooding in Washington near our home, I pray everyone is safe.
We were able to take a trip to see some of the countryside this weekend. This was SO great and I would highly recommend it to anyone who might be traveling here. I will try to have Sean post some of the pictures here, this country is SO beautiful.
Hello from Addis Ababa. We have now been here one week. On Monday we had the court date that we had hoped would finalize the adoption, unfortunately it was not successful and was rescheduled for February 26th, we would then travel home about 3 weeks later. We are now in the process of deciding whether or not to stay here and wait it out for many weeks or to go home and absorb the cost of another flight out here in March. We are hoping to stay here and Sean is talking to World Vision about the possibility of working for the office here in Ethiopia. Apparently there is much he could do from here. I then would spend the days with the children as I have been since we have gotten here.
It is WONDERFUL to be spending this time with them. They change so much every day and I think they are really benefiting from the one on one interaction. They are adorable, very healthy-16.5 and 17 lbs at 5 months. Caleb was born first and has maintained a ½ lb lead on his brother. They smile and coo and giggle. It is a delight to be getting to know them. So far we have been there from about 9:30 in the morning (before this they get a sun bath and water bath from their nannies) and then we stay until it is getting dark around 6. Sean is going into the office today so we should have some answers as to whether or not he can work from there, and I am going alone to the HOH for the first day. I am a bit nervous to care for two at once, so far we have been able to each have one of them. People at the transition home (HOH) are wonderful and have invited us to stay as long as we need to. We will get to meet many families if we are here for 10 weeks, come and leave with their children. So far we have met two families and it is a delight to see them during such a special time. So there are many wonderful things about being here.
It is hard to be away from family and friends, especially as I have many baby questions to ask, and to get use to figuring out everything here. Sometimes I get quite frustrated but if I can sit back and really reflect on all the blessings I have in my life, which are more apparent than ever, I am thankful. We are trying to save money where we can so we have begun cooking for ourselves. This is a challenge in itself as the food here is quite different. Also we have not figured out daily transportation so we have been taking cabs back and forth from our guesthouse to the HOH (we get one free week of transportation as every family does through our agency but the rest is on our own). Now if Sean starts working here, we would like to hire a driver to take me to and from so I am not trying to negotiate by myself with strangers. Also the guest house is about 15 minutes away from the HOH so we may also look at alternative housing closer to the HOH. The other challenge I need to figure out is washing clothes, we can pay for this, but if I can hand wash the clothes myself (which there are many with two babies) I can save money. I just need to find a place to dry the clothes as our room is quite small and we currently are sharing a bathroom with other guests. I know we are "roughing it" in American standards but I really don't mind, I just like to have all of this worked out and to be on a schedule, then I can relax into it a bit. Anyway, I am off for another day with the babies! Sean is off to World Vision and will send this from there. I have not been able to reach my blog on internet connections around here but World Vision has broad band so that will be very nice. They also are giving him a cell phone today for local calls which will also be quite helpful. God is taking care of us and I am very thankful for his provision. I hope you all are well back in the states! I hear there has been flooding in Washington near our home, I pray everyone is safe.
We were able to take a trip to see some of the countryside this weekend. This was SO great and I would highly recommend it to anyone who might be traveling here. I will try to have Sean post some of the pictures here, this country is SO beautiful.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Leaving tomorrow morning
We're all packed, my practice is shut down, I've prepared some for when we get home all in about a week. It is really and interesting wonderful scary feeling to be doing all of this...God is making/growing our family.
I was feeling a sense of fear earlier this week about taking such a huge risk, going to Ethiopia and meeting the kids before they are officially "ours", knowing we have to get through a court date that is often rescheduled and an embassy date that could also be delayed due to some paperwork expiring soon. I do still feel some of this nervousness but this is normal, a normal feeling to something that is huge both because it is somewhat risky but also because if it does all happen like we hope we will be a family of 4 instead of 2. Anyway I was reading about Jacob in Genesis this week and how he didn't want to send his sons back to Egypt, he especially didn't want to send his youngest Benjamin because he had already lost 2 sons and the thought of loosing another terrified him. Anyway he eventually allowed them to go, all of his sons, to Egypt saying "as for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved". He accepted that the risk was great but it was worth it to save his family from the famine in Canon. What he didn't know is that when they returned they brought home not only food and Simeon who was left as assurance, but news that his other son who he thought had died years ago, Joseph, was alive and was running Egypt. What if he hadn't allowed his sons to go?
Somehow this story encouraged me. He was scared but he accepted that the risk was worth it. I think it is for us too-it is worth it to meet them as soon as we can, it is worth it to be in the country for at least a month and absorb the culture, it is worth it to potentially have all that time, just the four of us before we get home and Sean goes back to work.
Anyway here we go! Off to Ethiopia, what an adventure, what a gift to be able to spend time in such a different place, the birthplace of our children.
I was feeling a sense of fear earlier this week about taking such a huge risk, going to Ethiopia and meeting the kids before they are officially "ours", knowing we have to get through a court date that is often rescheduled and an embassy date that could also be delayed due to some paperwork expiring soon. I do still feel some of this nervousness but this is normal, a normal feeling to something that is huge both because it is somewhat risky but also because if it does all happen like we hope we will be a family of 4 instead of 2. Anyway I was reading about Jacob in Genesis this week and how he didn't want to send his sons back to Egypt, he especially didn't want to send his youngest Benjamin because he had already lost 2 sons and the thought of loosing another terrified him. Anyway he eventually allowed them to go, all of his sons, to Egypt saying "as for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved". He accepted that the risk was great but it was worth it to save his family from the famine in Canon. What he didn't know is that when they returned they brought home not only food and Simeon who was left as assurance, but news that his other son who he thought had died years ago, Joseph, was alive and was running Egypt. What if he hadn't allowed his sons to go?
Somehow this story encouraged me. He was scared but he accepted that the risk was worth it. I think it is for us too-it is worth it to meet them as soon as we can, it is worth it to be in the country for at least a month and absorb the culture, it is worth it to potentially have all that time, just the four of us before we get home and Sean goes back to work.
Anyway here we go! Off to Ethiopia, what an adventure, what a gift to be able to spend time in such a different place, the birthplace of our children.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Christmas Miracle
Today we found out that we have a court date, January 12th!!!! This is amazing because two weeks ago several families received court dates into the middle of February and we were not on the list! This was a huge disappointment because this meant, we thought, that we were likely looking at a MARCH court date, 4 months after our referral... the kids would be nearly 7 months old...I was SO disappointed AND wondered why we would not have been scheduled with the group in February, was something going wrong with the adoption? To make things worse the CHI offices in the US were closed for two weeks over Christmas and new years so we didn't expect to hear anything more until after January 5th. Fortunately our case worker checked her work email and emailed me the news so that we can prepare and purchase tickets:)
In any case God was working...The court date is on their 5 month old birthday. I can't believe we somehow have this court date, in 2 weeks! I wonder what the workings to make THIS happen were, I may never know.
We have so much to do to prepare as we will plan to leave around the 8th of January to be there for the court date. Purchasing tickets, packing, getting all the documents in order, making travel plans.... My last week of work is this week (I was beginning to question this decision, but now I am SO thankful) so after that I will be planning like crazy.
If all goes well with the court date on the 12th this we will travel back to the states about 3 weeks later. We are praying now for a successful court date as several seem to be getting rescheduled of late. I am so happy and thankful today. What a wonderful extended Christmas present!
It has been snowing A LOT this month. Here is a picture of Sean and I last week on a walk around our neighborhood.
and here is one of my sister and I at our house in front of the tree on Christmas:)
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, celebrating our Savior's birth. Merry Christmas!
In any case God was working...The court date is on their 5 month old birthday. I can't believe we somehow have this court date, in 2 weeks! I wonder what the workings to make THIS happen were, I may never know.
We have so much to do to prepare as we will plan to leave around the 8th of January to be there for the court date. Purchasing tickets, packing, getting all the documents in order, making travel plans.... My last week of work is this week (I was beginning to question this decision, but now I am SO thankful) so after that I will be planning like crazy.
If all goes well with the court date on the 12th this we will travel back to the states about 3 weeks later. We are praying now for a successful court date as several seem to be getting rescheduled of late. I am so happy and thankful today. What a wonderful extended Christmas present!
It has been snowing A LOT this month. Here is a picture of Sean and I last week on a walk around our neighborhood.
and here is one of my sister and I at our house in front of the tree on Christmas:)I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, celebrating our Savior's birth. Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
DNA tests
Yeah! We have two very healthy boys waiting for us:) We got the results back from our DNA test just to make SURE they were HIV negative, and they both are. Thank you Lord. This for some reason is a big relief for me. I am so anxious to hold those sweet babies! Now we just need to pray for a court date and a successful one at that. We are planning to travel in early January to be there before the court date.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
I came across this today
and remember what an encouragement it was to me three years ago when my friend Ashley sent it to me in the mail. At the time I had no clue how God was going to put my family together! I had been trying to get pregnant for over 2 years and was very frustrated. She got it from a class she was in, I'm not sure who said it but its so encouraging if you are waiting:
"If God bids us to wait, He has a purpose. He wants to reveal Himself to you. If He had come when affection dictated, they would have missed all the blessing. Therefore wait upon the Lord. His delays are not denials. Divine love permits pain. God knows what kind of pain to bring into our lives to change us. He is planning..."
It is so fun to read this now and see how God has worked!
"If God bids us to wait, He has a purpose. He wants to reveal Himself to you. If He had come when affection dictated, they would have missed all the blessing. Therefore wait upon the Lord. His delays are not denials. Divine love permits pain. God knows what kind of pain to bring into our lives to change us. He is planning..."
It is so fun to read this now and see how God has worked!
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