Summer update!

Could God have given us two more precious boys? I think not! I look at them everyday and am so amazed by how gracious God was to give us Kamden Hailekiros and Kaiden Abadi. I am not quite sure why He graced us with them but we could not be more thankful and more humbled.
We fall more in love with them everyday. At times it is still very surreal to Kevin and me, that they are our sons. We think of their birth father often and the sacrifice he had to make to let them go from his family and into ours. My heart breaks to think of the loss of his dear wife and precious sons at the same time. I remember him pressing his cheek into mine as we left from meeting him. We hope that our sweet boys will come to love him for the huge love he had for them and the amount of love it took for him to give them up so they could be adopted.
They are the sweetest little boys in the entire world! I just don't even know where to start to describe them. A few weeks ago they started to say "da da" and we can't describe that joy that it brings to our hearts! To hear those words after dreaming of our sons is beyond imaginable. Kamden has just recently started to say "ma ma" and it is the most precious sound I have ever heard. They are 9 months now and we try to soak up every moment with them. Let me share some of our favorite things about our little men..
Kaiden loves skin on skin contact and will crawl over to you and lay his head and suck his thumb on your leg. Kamden gets so excited at times that we think he is going to explode- he holds his breathe and sticks his arms and legs out straight and twirls his feet and wrists in a circle. Kaiden and Kamden love to play with each other already and put their foreheads together and start laughing. Kamden loves to sit with his dad and watch golf and Kaiden loves to chase the dog in his walker. There are so many amazing things about them that it is hard to capture them all with words.
The pictures above are a gift from our amazing leaders! We hope they show what a miracle adoption truly is!!!!!

How are we adjusting?

Kevin and I are adjusting pretty well to our sweet little boys. We are definately tired even though the boys sleep 10-12 hours a night. I had no idea being a parent would be so wonderful and yet so tiring at the same time. I think one of the blessings of waiting so long to have our boys is that we don't mind the exhaustion. We know it is well worth it all! We have figured out all of their little signals for being tired or hungry or teething and it feels good to finally be the experts on our little boys and know them better than anybody else. We definately appreciate all of the prayers and support everyone has given us. We can still use them for sure! We promise to be more diligent about updating the blog in the future.
We would not be surviving without Nana and Mamaw and Papaw who help watch the boys all the time! Twins are double the fun and double the parenting! I am sore in places I did not know I had muscles from all the lifting of our little guys. The boys love the Johnny Jumper and it is their favorite place to be! Mommy's wrists are sore from putting them in and out of it all the time too. Daddy is an expert on changing diapers, making bottles and loving me well. I could not ask for a better husband and dad for our babes! We promise to update again soon!

Update at Last!

First, we want to apologize that it has taken us so long to update our blog. I think it has almost been 2 months! Time has gone by so fast! The boys will be 7 months on Monday and we can hardly believe it!
So...where to start. It has been a wonderful past two months and a very busy two months as well.
The boys have adjusted amazingly and are bonding better than we could have ever dreamed! They definately know we are mom and dad now- which just melts our hearts! We are not sure why we were ever chosen to be so blessed. I am just staring at them as I write this and I just can't express with words what treasures they are.
They each have their own personality already and are very different from each other. Kaiden is still our squirely bear and can roll from one side of the room to the other in the blink of an eye. He is the life of the party and loves to squeal all the time! When he smiles, his whole face lights up. He has learned the funniest face ever from his Mamaw which is on one of the videos we have posted. He gets over stimulated easily so we have had to help him learn how to calm down. One of our favorite things about him is that he plays peek-a-boo by himself. He will put his own bib over his face and squeal in delight when we removes it and the world is sill there. He has earned the name Hocus Pocus from his trick! We think he is very intelligent as he is very pensive alot of times and seems to be examining everything around him.
Kamden is our sweet heart. He is a gentle giant already. He continues to weigh 2 more pounds than his brother at every check up. Kevin's favorite thing about Kam is that every morning when we wakes up he smiles from cheek to cheek at us. When you pick him up, he hugs your neck and kicks his legs in delight. He already looks after his brother and loves our dog, Akia. He loves to blow bubbles and has the most precious smile when you rock him to bed at night. He is not quite as mobile as Kaiden but you would not be either if you were his size. His nick name is Chunky Monkey, but mom is trying to stop calling him that as I don't want to damage his ego. He smiles with his eyes and can light up a room!
We feel like we have been given the most amazing babies in the world and would not change the path God put us on for anything! I think often of their birth mom and dad. The sacrifice they both made in giving these sweet boys life. We will forever be grateful to them and honor them in the boys' lives. What sacrificial love their birth dad had for them. What an amazing man.

Safely Home

We are now safely home! We have actually been home a couple of days but have been just exhausted and to tired to write. Our little men have adjusted way better than we have! The 36 hour travel time was rough but the twins were troopers. They slept in little bassinets on the plane and made the entire 16 hour flight from Ethiopia to DC with only a few little cries. We realized while in Ethiopia what a treasure those around us back home truly are. We have never missed our family and friends so much! I cried when I saw my mom for the first time and realized what a sacrifice our own parents have made for us as we grew up. We love you Joan, Gina and Tom!!!
We had to take our sweet Haile to Children's Hospital the first night home because he was weezing really bad. As always, he was amazing. They suctioned his nose and cleared out a lot of his congestion. He cried during it but then as soon as I picked him up he stuck his thumb in his mouth and smiled at me. He really could not be more of an angel. They did a little chest x-ray but he was all clear.
It is so nice to be home and have activities for them to do. They absolutely love books! They love their little play yard and have fun playing in it together. They are starting to babble at each other and smile back and forth. I think they will be best friends! Kaiden Abadi loves to roll over and hug Kamden Haile. Kamden will just stare at his brother and smile.
They had their first doctor's appointment this week and passed with flying colors. Our doctor is a family friend and she was amazing with them! They may need a little physical therapy and Aunt Shannon can help them with that. We are taking them to Children's Hospital's International Adoption department next week to get a head to toe work up.
They are sleeping great at night. As I write, they are still sleeping at 8:00am. We put them down at 9:00pm! I know we are the luckiest parents ever! Naps are a little rougher but I think we are all figuring out our schedules.
I think for Kevin and myself our happiest moment is when they listen for our voices and follow us with their eyes. After months of praying for God to bless us with attachment to each other, it is happening before our eyes. I have always dreamed of the moment that my little ones would see me as their mom and Kevin as their daddy. God has been so good to us and I just pray that it will be an encouragement to others that seasons of hard times do not always last, that He will never give you more than you can bear through him, and that He will redeem all the pain you have ever had and bless you a 1000 times over! Praise be to Him!
Here are some pictures of our little ones safely at home. Thank you to everyone for praying them home! Thank you, Heather, for giving me the vision that they would one day be Safely Home. We can't thank you all enough for all of your love and support. Here are the twins!

Email from Kevin and Katie

Hey everyone. We just received an email from Kevin and Katie updating us on their journey so far. This will be the last time they can email us. Enjoy this update from them. What a blessing to hear what is happening in their words! And an extra bonus: pictures!! Aunt Kristy

From the words of Kevin and Katie:

Wednesday 3-10-2-10 to Thursday 3-11-2010

Where to begin? We left Cincinnati at 2:15pm on Wednesday in what can only be described as a closet with wings. We arrived in Dulles airport Washington D.C. 55 min later and began our 4 hour layover. It was such a blessing to meet Lee and Lindsay Andrews for the first time. They are also adopting through Gladney (our adoption agency) and are staying in the same guest house that we are. They will be bringing home two of the most beautiful kids. Ruta (6yrs) and Alazar (2) are staying in the foster center next to Abadi and Hailekiros. Though we are not near each other on the plane we look forward to sharing the beginning of our new families together. The scene when they announced the boarding of our flight was straight out of a movie…you would have thought U2 was having a concert at our gate. People were pushing, arguing with gate workers and not paying attention to zone’s for boarding, it was chaos. However, it was an amazing experience in international flying. Now on the plane, a decade later, it is smooth sailing…all we can think about is that in less than 24 hours we will be holding our boys in our arms!

The first leg of this flight has been long we’ve been in the air for about 5 hours with 4 to go. We’ve been able to pass the time by sleeping, dreaming about meeting the boys and marveling at the 15 month, 18 month and 5 ½ month old boys in our row. They only make us more excited to hold our boys! After the longest 6 hour flight from Rome we arrive in Ethiopia. When we landed I wasn’t sure if I should be excited or mortified that everyone was clapping that we arrived safely but then I realized they were just showing a gesture to the captain. Although long, getting our visa and entering the country was a breeze. We were disoriented and feeling a little alone and vulnerable when we had a chance encounter with Alexis! Alexis is on staff with Younglife in Tanzania. He saw our YL shirts and came up to welcome us and say hi. He probably, unless he reads this post, will never know what a needed blessing and comfort it was to meet him at that time. What a blessing running into a brother in Christ halfway across the world! It is now Thursday March 2, 7:30 pm in Ethiopia (Thursday March 11, 11:30 am in the United States) and we have arrived. Only 17 hours until we hold them!

The Ayat house was lovely and we were looking forward to putting our heads on a nice pillow…but Katie and I might have slept 2 hours! All night we kept reminding each other that this was the last night without the boys.


Friday 3-12-2010

We woke up this morning at 8am. Probably should have slept a little longer but our excitement and joy could not be contained. It was a beautiful Ethiopian morning and we hurriedly showered and dressed in our best clothes. Travis, our in-country worker, is scheduled to meet us and the Andrews at 11am.

We have met with Travis who shared the itinerary to us and Lee and Lindsay. They will be heading to meet the sweet boy named Kaleb that they have been sponsoring for the past year. Katie and I are now awaiting the arrival of Travis who will be bringing the boys to meet us.

Meeting the Boys!!
After 1 year, mountains of paperwork, government hurdles, over 21 hours and 4,700 miles covering 3 continents, the fulfillment of God’s purpose, the desires of our hearts was now in our doorway. Travis stood before us with a huge smile and the two most beautiful boys we have ever seen. Katie said it all we she gushed, “They are so much cuter and sweeter than I could have ever imagined. Hailekiros (whom Katie held) was just one BIG smile while Abadi (whom I was holding) was a little more skittish or maybe intuitive. They are so much more than we could have ever dreamed for! We are holding them in the entry way to our guest house while Travis films our first meeting. Words cannot express the feelings we are feeling right now. All I can think of is that we serve an amazing and wonderfully faithful God. I think we have been holding them now for hours not wanting to let them go for anything. They are so much smaller than we had pictured in our minds, even though Hailekiros is still quite heavy. This post is not long enough to explain all that we are feeling right now.

We played all day…there was tummy time, daddy time, story time with mommy and later that night bath time. By the end of the day Mr. skittish (Abadi) was smiling and Hailekiros was laughing heartily. At the end of the day all of the playing, diaper changing, bottle feeding and rocking, left us all exhausted yet thankful that God had given us these wonderful gifts. We definitely missed Nana (Katie’s mom) and Mamaw (Kevin’s mom).

Saturday 3-13-2010
The boys had to share a crib Friday night but seemed used to the situation. Abadi kept kicking Hailekiros through the night and Hailekiros kept rolling into Abadi but slept great. We didn’t sleep a wink (huge mistake) while we lie awake most of the night listening to them breath. The sound of them breathing was a wonderful melody even if Haile’s occasional snoring sounded like a freight train. Poor buddy has a cold.

Saturday was full of tummy time, story time, going to doctor and lots of falling asleep in mommy and daddy’s arms. By the end of the day the once skittish Abadi was belly laughing and having a blast. Haile, as what is now usual for us, was laid back, smiling and laughing. It was so fun to see their little personalities already formed. One of the highlights was watching them stare at each other cooing and holding hands. The night ended with bath time (mommy and daddy definitely need practice…Hailekiros’ cheeks were wobbling he was so cold [we need to work on the temp thing]…Abadi, though small, can hang on to the edge of tub with a vice like grip).

Sunday 3-14-2010
It’s 8:30pm and Katie and I are hunkered down whispering as we write this blog as the steady sound of twins breathing echoes in the background. What a day! Still no sleep for Kevin and Haile’s cold is showing mild improvement. (As I write this Abadi is having his usual sleep conversation with himself). Today was a full day…there was tummy time, story time, nap time (Kevin needed this) and we actually took them outside for a little sun and fun. Katie and I are definitely still missing Mamaw and Nana. Our Embassy date is tomorrow and we might come home early…but got to run before my typing wakes up the boys!!

Monday 3-15-2010
What a great night! The boys were in bed by 7pm and slept through night…only waking when we got them up at 2:30am for a quick diaper change and feeding. They awoke this morning at 6am and both were nothing but smiles. Our embassy date is scheduled for 12:45pm but we were just informed by Lindsay that both families have doctor’s appts before. This will be the second trip to the doctor at the orphanage. We took Haile because of his congestion and trouble breathing…he’s getting better. We are taking Abadi because he hasn’t had a bowel movement since we’ve had them.

Doctor’s was good. He said Abadi is fine and he will eventually give us a nice treat. While Katie and I were waiting to see the doctor we had one of those moments that make your heart break and melt at the same time. We were waiting in the tiny entry to the doctor’s office when suddenly one of the orphanage room’s doors opened and 15 toddlers were staring at us. They looked at us for a minute and then simultaneously erupted into Hi over and over again…it was so sweet and yet my heart aches as I write about it. Then just as quickly they all said Ciao (goodbye) and we were alone. What a moment! The boys just woke from there nap, and hour too early, and mom is saying I need to grab Haile…

Embassy
As of 2:30pm we officially have visas for the boys!! We waited in the smoldering heat at the Embassy but it was worth it. The drive to and from the embassy was eye-opening. We saw things we’ve never seen before and got to experience a little of the culture. One thing I will say is that I could not drive here…I can’t thank Yasu our driver enough for keeping us safe. The boys were champs and slept the whole time…on a side note we have come up with nicknames for them. Abadi we are calling squirrelly bear and Hailekiros drooly bug. You can probably guess why…but if you can’t its because Abadi is quite the character, always squirming, squealing (happily) and just plain funny. As I write this Abadi just threw up on my new jeans…way to go squirelly. Hailekiros on the other hand is happy, funny, laid-back but the kid drools non-stop. We should probably buy the Ayat house a new comforter because of all of his drool. We are having so much fun the boys but can’t wait to get home and have everyone meet them.

Also, please pray that we might get to come home early. We will probably find out tomorrow.

This might be the last time I’m able to update before we come home, so we will update on the rest of the trip when we get back to the states…Abadi and Hailekiros say hi and can’t wait to meet everyone…and Abadi just threw up on my jeans again!!

Sunday update

I talked with Katie and Kevin today - both are feeling really tired; I think they are trying to sleep with the boys [meaning they turn in at 6:30 and sleep until 2 am]. I am sure that some of their exhaustion is jet lagitis. They are trying to sleep from 10:30 am our time until 6 pm so their internal clock is totally off balance. The boys are doing fine -Abadi is having some trouble adjusting to the "new" milk that they brought. I have a feeling that similac is iron-enriched so that may be the problem. Hailekiros is doing much better now that they are putting medicine for his "stuffiness" in his milk. Their embassy appointment is tomorrow, so that will be a big milestone. The boys will get their "passports" and visas. They are hoping to post on Tuesday and even upload some pictures! So stay tuned. Nana

the boys

Just got off the phone [it is 5 pm in Ethiopia] - Katie sounded thrilled - said the boys are darling, really responsive [Hailekiros is a little stuffy and they are going to have the doctor check him out in the morning but is smiling all the time.] so they think the bonding is going well. They go to bed at 6:30 and sleep until 2 am [the boys, I mean] so there will be some adjustment to get through to get them on a NKY sleep schedule no doubt. Their embassy date has been moved up to this Monday! Ayat House is lovely, she said. So everything seems to be going even better than we expected. They were told that they probably would not be able to upload any video so Katie asked me to continue posting for them. I am calling again Sunday afternoon so will update then. Nana