One week later...

One week ago today Brian and I were preparing our home and family for the arrival of the new baby. I was waddling around counting the hours until I would no longer be pregnant. Brian's parents were in town, ready to meet their new granddaughter and take care of the other 3 kiddos.

November 30th has come and gone, we have our sweet girl home with us and tomorrow we get back into the swing of things. The past week has been fun and hectic. Hope brings lots of joy to us all but allows for very little sleep. The poor little angel seems to have a touch of colic.

Our Girl!

Hope Elizabeth made her grand appearance on Monday at 9:57 a.m.

She was 8 lb. 6 oz. and 20 1/4 inches.

We are so excited to finally have her here. Her brothers and sister adore her.

We can't wait to see what God has in store for her life. She is every bit his plan and we are thrilled to get to be part of it!

Some Highlights from September

Brian had to make a quick trip to OKC last weekend so we made it into a day trip for the whole family. Nana went along and we introduced her and the boys to Ethiopian food at the Queen of Sheba Restaurant. Shurabe was so excited to have Injera (Ethiopian bread they use as a utensil).

Nana wasn't quite as skilled with the Injera as Shurabe. The boys were troopers and tried all of the food that wasn't too spicy. We are all looking forward to going back for Shurabe's birthday in October. Anyone who wants to join us is welcome to come!

We had a beautiful Summer rain shower a couple of days ago. The kids were all playing outside while Brian mowed the lawn. Suddenly, it started raining so Levi and Shurabe decided to shed their shirts and take advantage of the water. Shurabe ran around singing and being silly. Levi spent most of the time chasing Shurabe and sticking his wet bottom as the rest of us. He's such a BOY!

Yesterday Shurabe got dressed in her finest dress-up attire in anticipation of a play date with her friend Nicole. Unfortunately, Nicole's whole family was sick so I just let her wear her outfit when we ran errands (however, I did make her change out of her play high-heeled shoes). She got lots of compliments at Super Wal-Mart!

This past Sunday our church family threw a shower to help us welcome baby Hope and Shurabe to our family. It was absolutely lovely. Lots of our friends and church family were there to help us celebrate our growing family. We opened a mountain of gifts in a record amount of time thanks to Shurabe's "Tazmanian Devil Technique".(The adorable diaper cake was made my Brian's cousin Rachel Barnett)

Shurabe's New "Do"

Last night Brian and I had the priviledge of taking our good friend Raynisha to the John Legend concert. It was so much fun. While there I got an education on African American hair. This morning Raynisha came by the house and braided Shurabe's hair for her. It looks so cute and Shurabe loves it. It was so much fun to see her reaction when she saw herself in the mirror!

She looks a little apprehensive in this picture because she hasn't seen the finished result.

Back to School

Today was the boys' first day of school. Kindergarten for Levi and 2nd grade for Cole! It was dreadfully stormy this morning so we all got to trek into the school through a downpour of rain trudging through a river that used to be a sidewalk. The boys looked at it as an adventure (which I think helped distract Levi from his nerves about making friends)!

We have pictures of the morning but they are on my parents' camera because we couldn't find ours this morning (I can't seem to get them to download onto our computer). Here are the "after" pictures. Both boys had a great day. When I asked Cole how 2nd grade was different he said, "I think we have more bathroom breaks." Levi made 2 friends but can't remember their names - typical 5 yr. old. We stopped for a 1/2 price Smoothie at Sonic for an after-school-snack, then headed home for some vegging out on the couches and watching MIGHTY DUCKS.

Levi is behind the boy in the blue shirt.

Showers of blessings

W have some of the most amazing friends and church family! On Sunday, my Adult Bible Class passed around a sign-up sheet for people to provide meals for our family. We are covered for the next TWO WEEKS! I am in awe of their thoughtfulness. It has been so nice to spend the day focusing on the kids without worrying about grocery shopping or what to make for dinner. (Added bonus - a break from the same 6 recipes I make all of the time.) On top of that, the boys have had special outings everyday with friends so they can have a break from their sister as she adjusts to life in a family.

We are making progress everyday as far as communication and tantrums go. We are learning some of her words and she is learning some of ours. She uses hand gestures (not really sign language) to show us what she wants sometimes and we do a lot of pointing.

This morning Shurabe and I went to Super Wal-mart to do some school supply shopping. I wasn't sure how she would do in a big place like that but she did amazingly. She just sat wide-eyed in the cart and took it all in. One of the Wal-mart stockers approached me and said she looked Ethiopian. I told him that we just got back from going to get her from Addis Ababa. He said that was his country and asked her name and what Agency we used to adopt her. I was shocked that he could tell she was Ethiopian. It was a really cool thing!

Adjusting to the new life

We are home from Ethiopia with our new daughter. The trip was truly a journey- physically and emotionally. I've never been so "spent" in all my life. There were lots of laughs and lots of tears (some hers and lots of them mine). It's really nice to be home where there is fresh air, safe food to eat and ice in my drinks.

I wouldn't trade the chance to see Shurabe's birth country for anything. The people were very kind and gracious. Every where I turned there was someone trying to speak to and comfort Shurabe. The scenery is breath-takingly beautiful in contrast to the hungry and handicapped beggars roaming the streets.

We are blessed to have Brian home this week as Shurabe learns what home and family means. She is fond of her brothers and they are even more fond of her. She is becoming more and more interested in Daddy as she sees how fun he is. But Mommy is at the top of her list (both flattering and draining). I only wish I knew what was going through her head when she gets quiet and contemplative or begins to scream at the smallest disappointment. I try to be understanding and comforting and at the same time discern when she is being manipulative to gain control of all those around her. Three is a rough age even without the grief, language barrier, and homesickness. We would really appreciate your prayers as we help her through this uncertain time of adjusting.

This morning was especially hard. There was a horrendous thunderstorm that set off our security alarm at 3:30 a.m. Needless to say, we were all jolted awake with hearts racing. The thunder and lightning were relentless for about 30 minutes. I layed down with Shurabe in our bed and hugged her tight. She fidgeted nervously for about an hour until it was clear she was finished sleeping for the night. She and I got up and watched a Praise Baby video in the dark living room. It calmed her for awhile until she began crying for her special care-giver from the Transition Home. She was clearly grieving the loss of her special friend/mother-figure. It was heart breaking to say the least. When she was done, she led me to the kitchen and pointed at the cabinet where we keep her favorite food, peanut butter crackers. She seems to be a comfort eater, a boredom eater, and an all-around BIG EATER. We'll work on that when there aren't so many other issues at hand!

As I type this she is playing happily by herself. I'll leave you with some happy pictures of our first days at home together.She loves baths. I bet she dumped water on her head 30 times!