Yogurt Facial

Sweet Homecoming

I just got these pictures! Thanks so much for being there and for snapping these, Paul! Six months ago. . .

Birthday Girl

We had my family and the two couples that work with Bobby come over for Desta's celebration. She was a tiny bit overwhelmed with all of the attention at times (the second to last picture!) but she loved the cake pops, presents, and her little girl friends. We are so grateful to have this lovely little girl in our family. She is such a gift.

Two Months Together

Desta is doing wonderfully! She has two new top teeth and she is STANDING!! She walked across the kitchen last night just holding one of my hands for support. We are amazed at the progress she is making. It is so fun to watch!

At her one year well check with the doctor she jumped lines on the growth chart. Yay! These are the percentile changes from her first appointment in April.
Weight: from 8th% to 16th%
Height: from 80th% to 99th% (We are betting that she is going to be tall.)
Head Cir: from 50th% to 77th%

First Impressions

(From our first day back together, April 18th!)
*She's as beautiful as we remember!
*We've never seen her feet! They are long and skinny with a cute little birthmark on the bottom of her left foot.
*She is incredibly flexible and plays with her feet like they are toys.
*Her muscles are very weak. She is very wobbly and unable to sit up. Sadly, this is due to the fact that she was mostly laying in a crib for the first seven months of her life.
*She can roll well but she prefers to stay on her back.
*When we hold her up, she doesn't know to put her legs down. She doesn't seem to have ever put weight on her legs.
*She has two tiny, crooked bottom teeth.
*Her language seems to be developing well. She babbles and "talks" all the time. Her favorite sound is "Da" and Bobby is working very hard to help her know that is his name.
*She has very expressive eyebrows, like her Daddy and a long torso just like our other three.
*To sooth herself to sleep, she likes to rub fabric on her lips. If a blanket is not available, her sleeve or the front of her shirt will do. She prefers to have her face partially covered by her arm or a blanket while she sleeps.
*Her hair is about an inch long, in tiny curls against her head.
We are in LOVE!

Embassy Trip

There are so many things that I want to write about our second trip to Ethiopia and our first few weeks as a family of six, but I don't know if I will ever get it typed out. : )

When we said goodbye to Desta in November, we never imagined it would take us five months to travel back to pick her up. Of course, we all prayed for her and continually kissed her picture telling her that we would be back for her. I wish that she would not have had to spend ten months in a "less than optimal" environment. (That's what they say in adoption circles.) It certainly was less than optimal, and I can't understand why God allowed all of that to happen. But we trust that He was the one who directed our steps and He will heal her heart from that time.

Our transition has been incredibly smooth. Our family finally feels "whole" and we are enjoying every minute of being together. After being home for a week or two, I realized how light I felt. Even after adding another child's needs to our daily life, the emotional weight of trying to get Desta home is finally over. I didn't realize how much energy it was taking and how much stress it was adding. Our daily struggle of trying to stay focused on our life here, while wondering if there was anything more we should be doing to speed her homecoming, was exhausting. I don't think we fully realized that until now. It feels WONDERFUL to have her HOME.

My Sleeping Beauty

Desta's room

While we were in Ethiopia, my sweet sister-in-law was at it again. She designed and decorated Desta's cute room. She made all of the pillows, sheet protectors, and linens for the bed. She framed a water color that Kason (my 5 year old nephew) painted for Desta. The wooden HAPPY was not in Teri's original plan, but when she found it she decided that it had to go in the room since Desta means Happy. I love it. My favorite part of the room is the Adoption verse! So great!

Teri's favorite part of the room is the rocking chair. It was her greatest challenge and threatened to blow the budget. She decided to try to recover my old denim cushions herself, without any kind of pattern or help. It looks FABULOUS! I'm so impressed!