ETHIOPIA DAY 4...

2/17/10 UP VERY EARLY!

Elijah finally did his business last night! :) He had 2 very full diapers right in a row and after the 2nd one he laid back on a pillow and rubbed his little belly...too cute...and of course we did not have the video camera on! We could see clearly that he felt so much better. He had 4 more dirty diapers before falling asleep.

The Museum was interesting. One family got to try out the outside potty room. An experience I pray I never have!!! (and I did not!)

(2/17 cont.)

We got to the Hilton today and confirmed our flights home and was able to send emails home. We were unable to send pics but knew just hearing from us would make them happy. We came back to lunch and enjoyed visiting again. We have made some great connections and lifetime friends here.

We were first to go with our paperwork today. You know how God tends to get those over confident people? Well...I did not look over the paperwork just let Don handle it this time. :) He filled out the I-600A...OOPS! Wrong one...then we are missing the last 4 pages of the I-864. We both begin to panic. Ficker keeps telling us "no worries" it happens all the time. We of course are freaking out! Then...Barrett to the rescue! :) He had brought extra blank copies and all was good! Ficker (not sure if I am spelling his name right)was so sweet...he just kept saying "NO WORRIES!" I kept thinking...you have no idea who you are dealing with...I am the queen of worriers! :) BUT...all is good now and we are prepared for our embassy appt tomorrow afternoon. PRAISE GOD!!! And thanks to the Coffman family being so much better prepared!

ETHIOPIA DAY 3...

2/16/10

We got up and had breakfast...still no bm from Elijah but trying not to worry. (Loving that we can text home for advice!!) We all loaded up for the HOH1 to take pics for other families. We all arrived in 2 van loads. There were not too many of taking pics but they still shuffled us through way too quickly for us. We got to see from the tiniest to the older kiddos.

I was so overwhelmed with making sure I got all the pics that I almost forgot to soak it all in. This is where our boy spent the last 5 months of his life. As we began to walk around one of the nannies told us Bereket (Elijah) was a favorite. Everyone there seems to love him! We were able to meet one of his nannies and we kept thanking her for taking care of him and loving him until we could get there. We told her she did a great job!

As we took pictures I fell in love with all of the kiddos. Is that possible?

Another family arrived today and they are getting a 7 and 4 yr old. We love sharing stories, prayer and mealtime with everyone. As we finish our meal today, Almaz and Tsegay bring in their girls. We all teared up. Watching families unite is amazing but watching these older kiddos running into their waiting parents arms...simply amazing!

Almaz checked with us about Elijah and when we told her nothing yet she showed some concern. She ended up having the other ladies make him some tea to see if that would work. She has been such a great comfort and blessing to us. I can not imagine having this experience with getting to know her. She has been so willing to help us each and every minute she is here plus she is the one to put our precious boy into my arms!

DAY 2 OF OUR TRIP...

2/15/10 **Elijah is 9 months old!**
Elijah slept from 830-430 then woke for a bottle. Today has been a long day. He is still smiley! :) Although, poor guy has not had a bm since we got him and I think he is a little uncomfortable. Almaz brought us meds to try and help.
We went on a tour of the city. It was neat and sad at the same time. I enjoyed hearing the history behind places but to see how some live breaks my heart. We saw people just sleeping anywhere on the ground. We have met 2 new families who arrived today, Coffman's and Whyte's. We got to see them united with their precious boys~ SO COOL! Our 3 boys have been together since their initial orphanage so we feel quite connected already. We also met up with several others. It is nice to be with so many who understand this whole journey and and that you can share with. Tomorrow we will go to the HOH to take pics for other families.
Elijah continues to be a dream come true. His smile will melt anyone's heart!
Loving this smile!

Checking out the view with Daddy.

Checking out the city.

Rocking Elijah to sleep! LOVE IT!!!

Blessings~

Tina

DAY 1...

2/13/10
We arrived in Ethiopia at 10 pm and stayed the night in a Hotel.
2/14/10 "Sweetest Valentine's Day EVER!"
We woke this morning at 7 am and began calling Tsegay to find out when they would be coming to get us. Finally, around 830 am we made contact to find out they had been at the airport waiting for us the night before and had no idea we were at this Hotel. **A minor lack of communication!** When Donald talked to Tsegay he told him the we would get Elijah right away! We were overjoyed!! Our driver arrived around 9 and we were taken to the HOH2 and told Almaz would bring Elijah to us at around 10.
Our room at HOH2 is small but cozy. The bathroom is right outside the door so no big deal there. We decided to unpack and get organized before his arrival. With all of that done we laid down and waited. Then we heard a honk and knew is was him arriving. We were standing upstairs looking out the windows as Almaz took him out of the car. Three years we waited for this moment...We couldn't wait so we met her on the landing of the stairs! I took my precious boy into my arms and I was overwhelmed with such a love and peace that we had finally made it to this point!
He just looked at us not sure what was going on but he did not cry at all. He is not as big as we thought but still looks very healthy. Almaz gave us directions on his care and we thanked her several times and hugged her tightly and thanked her some more for our special gift. Then we headed upstairs to enjoy him.
Once upstairs we decided to take more photos and hold and cuddle him. Then I changed his clothes. He is a small guy so I am glad I brought 6-9 months. His feet are tiny!
We played with him some more and then he stuck his thumb in his mouth. So we decided to try a pacifier. He took it and is now sleeping soundly with Daddy.
It is hard to put into words how I am feeling right now. He is finally in our arms and I am so happy. He has the most beautiful eyelashes I have ever seen. They are so long that they curl up and those heart lips~ He is beautiful! Our precious gift from God!
We went down for lunch. It was not bad, although I did not eat the meat. Don did and enjoyed it. Neither of us cared for the injera. Elijah ate all of his cereal and was eyeing everyone else's food. Almaz joined us for lunch and we enjoyed getting to know her better. I think she will always hold a special place in my heart because she handed me my boy!
After lunch we came back to our room. I put Elijah down on the bed and he got up on his knees and crawled away. We were both speechless! We have since discovered our boy has 2 teeth, can crawl, and pull up to standing. We played for about 30 minutes before he crashed again but this time I got to rock him to sleep. It was wonderful! We all slept for about 1.5 hrs then got up and fed him a bottle. He is already showing his happy personality that we had seen in his pics. His smile just melts my heart!
Mommy and Elijah meet.

Daddy and Elijah

Looking a little unsure...

Praising God every minute for this gift!

Blessings,

Tina

WE ARE HOME!

We landed in Kansas City at around 530 pm on Sunday night. We were all in a little shock as it was extremely cold and nasty out. It was snowing and was pretty bad conditions so our last landing was a bit scary!
Elijah did great traveling. The first long flight he slept a lot and then the second long flight he did great until the last 2 hrs and then was a bit fussy. My husband was a great Daddy the whole time. I get really bad motion sickness and if I got up I would feel really sick so he did ALL of the diaper changes on the plane and did the walking him around. I would feed and hold him while he slept. He was super dad!! Thankfully, we did not experience a poo diaper until we landed in Detroit so that was a blessing.
I have a lot to share but for now am just enjoying my boy. He is a great baby. He is enjoying all of the fun things he can get into right now. He is crawling and pulling up.
I will try to start tomorrow talking about our trip. It was great and we enjoyed it so much. It was hard for me to leave.
We are headed for our first Dr appt today.

Have a wonderful day,
Tina

1 MORE DAY...

Actually, 19 more hours until we take off! 16 hours until we leave for the airport!! I am getting so nervous excited!! Is that possible?

We went to Adrian today and had lunch with my in-laws and then went and got my Dad to bring back with us. He is here and settling in. I just finished dinner...Chicken fajitas...YUMMY! I have made a turkey for them to munch on for sandwiches and am making turkey chili for their dinner tomorrow.

Well...as I am typing this I am thinking of a dozen things to do. We are headed to drop off all of Em's stuff at her "home" for the next 9 days.

If I don't post tomorrow it is because...well... I am very busy!!! :)

I look forward to updating when we get back!

Have a blessed night,
Tina

2 DAYS LEFT...

Only 2 more days...

Today I was able to get quite a few things done. The house is clean...please let it stay that way! Laundry is caught up...run to the bank-DONE...Explorer-oil change...DONE! Also, got to Walmart for the kids' Valentine' gifts.

Tonight we had a little dinner with the family. Nothing fancy just brocc/cheese soup, sandwiches, and salad. The kids are all here for a change.

Tomorrow we have a little running to do then we will go pick up my Dad from Adrian. He is staying with Randy while we are gone and he will be getting Em on and off the bus every day.

Don also made a trip to the Dr. He has a sinus infection...UUGH! He was really starting to stand bad and they warned him that take offs and landing will probably be painful. Please say extra prayers for us. Thankfully, sinus infections are not contagious so I should be ok.

SO...we are so very close to take off...YIKES!!

GREAT NEWS: Several families passed court today without even knowing they had court! What a very cool surprise for all them. Congratulations! Now lets see some referrals!!!!!!

Have a great night all,
Tina

3 DAYS...

We have 3 days left to get everything done! Really, things have gone by so quickly this week. I kind of thought it would drag on but I was very wrong!

Today we picked up our last antibiotic and our malaria pills for our trip. I also got some pics made to take with us. Then we went to the grocery store so my Dad and Randy would be set while we are gone. We dropped off a few things for Emilie while we are gone and went and picked up the global phone we will be using. That is just the errands we did. I also got Elijah's bed all ready for him...we will see if he chooses to sleep there or with us. We are good either way.

Don has not been feeling very well so he took the day off tomorrow to go to the Dr and see what is going on. We are thinking sinus infection again. I figure better to be safe! Then he will make the run to the bank and get the oil changed in the car and we are good to go there. My Dad will be driving my vehicle while we are gone.

SO...we are getting very close! I am so excited and a bit nervous as well. Please pray for us!!

Have a great night,
Tina

4 MORE DAYS...LUGGAGE IS PACKED-

I have all of the luggage packed minus the prescription meds that we still have to pick up. I even have Emilie all packed except a few last minute items I will need to throw in. She has way to many clothes really...but seems to have been really hard on her jeans lately!

I still need to go to the store, bank and get some pics done plus a few other things but I am feeling pretty good today.

Emilie told her Dr today not to talk about riding on the plane because it makes Mom very nervous. She is so funny. When you think she is not paying attention she hears it all! :)

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CRAIN AND HANSEL FAMILIES! THEY BOTH PASSED COURT TODAY...YEAH!!!! And we get to take pics of these precious kiddos next week...woo hoo!

Have a great Monday!
Tina

5 DAYS...

I love doing the countdown thing. I know it is annoying to some and maybe even most but for us...we are finally nearing the end of our roller coaster ride and headed into a journey of love for a lifetime. Our precious Elijah began as a dream...then he became oh so real to us (even before a picture) and then with a picture our hearts were his. We have been counting down days for over 3 years and now...we are almost there! And the funny thing is I don't think I could possibly love him any more than I do right now, but I know when they give him to me I will!
I had almost everything packed when I realized one of our borrowed bags had a tear in it. SO...I am borrowing another one and will finish that up tomorrow. I know this week will fly by so I am trying very hard to stay on top of everything and to not get too overwhelmed.
We are going to a Superbowl party at the skating rink tonight so that will keep my mind busy. This is the 2nd year we have done it there and it is a lot of fun for the kiddos and the adults as well.

Hope all is going well. Please continue to pray for those referrals to come in...still praying hard for that toddler boy before Fri! :) Also, there are some court dates that are on their 3rd or 4th tries this week so please please say extra prayers for them! We were blessed to pass the first time so I can only imagine the sadness and disappointment this brings.

Have a great Lord's Day!
Tina

6 MORE DAYS...& A MINOR PANIC ATTACK!!

I am watching the days fly by right now and am working hard to complete my lists as much as possible. I do not like to leave my house in a mess so that is mostly what my lists are right now along with finishing up some small projects and packing. We still need to install the car seat but that is on Don's list and will be done on Thur before we leave on Fri.
Today I am washing Elijah's clothes that he will have once we return home. I had waited until now because I wanted to make sure I was all caught up on the other laundry first. These are all 12 months size so we will see if he is big enough to wear them or not. It is still so hard to tell in pics. In some he looks little and in some he looks bigger. We will only know when we get there I guess.
Now on to the panic attack...Today as I was getting ready to work on some more packing, I went into the nursery to get my notebook that had my packing list in it. It was gone...I started looking everywhere...Then I thought of Em. She loves to draw and write stories. SO...I asked her and at first she said ," NO I don't know where it is." I explained again just how important it was to me and she offered to help me look for it. Not too surprisingly she found it quickly and...it was in her room! I did good...I was very calm and thanked her for finding it and asked her to NEVER again take it out of the room. She said she was sorry and was just using it to write a poem to her brother. I am still trying to breath normally. :)
I hope you are all having a nice quiet weekend.

Please pray for those still waiting...

Blessings~
Tina

ONE MORE WEEK...

YIKES...

Only 7 more days and we will be getting ready to board a plane to Ethiopia. I still have one suitcase to pack and both carry on cases. I think that should go smoothly the beginning of next week. My lists are going down a little and I feel like I am still in control of things here. Now...ask me this next Wed! :)

Our meeting at the school went well. I am hoping we will see good things come from it. And if we don't, I guess they will be seeing more of me.

It is hard to believe in a little over a week I will finally have our little boy in my arms. I had begun to wonder if it would ever happen and now we are getting so close. We are very excited in the Hubbard household right now!!

I hope you all stay safe and warm and have a great weekend.
Tina

8 MORE DAYS...

Today I did not get my total list done. I had a rough night. Emilie was not tired and so I kept getting up to check on her. SO...I was very tired today.
I did get a few errands done and a favor for my hubby. Then I came home and tried to get motivated to get something done. It did not work...so I took a nap. Thankfully, I had dinner in the crock pot so that was already going and I got a 2 hour nap in. I did get a few things marked off the list and will have to add a few things to tomorrow's list.
Tomorrow will be a busy day beginning early with a meeting at Em's school. That should be fun! I am hoping things will go well and we will accomplish something with her teacher. If not I guess I will start a new calendar for the a countdown to the last day of school! :) This will be our 2nd meeting and we are involving the counselor and vice principal this time. Pray we are able to get through and that our tempers all stay in check. THANKS!!

Please keep praying for all of those waiting on something! I know we can all use prayers...and am so thankful for those willing to give up a few seconds to send a prayer up on my behalf...what a true blessing that is!

Have a great night all.
Tina

THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES...

9 MORE DAYS!!!
Today I was able to get a lot accomplished. I did laundry, cleaned the kids' bedrooms, our family room, the master bathroom, kitchen floor, and vacuumed both sets of stairs. I also typed up information sheets for the kids' schools and the people they are staying with. I was able to mark a lot off my lists today and that is always a great feeling.

Today I also received a cd in the mail of our little guy. He is the most beautiful baby boy. I am so in love with him and we are all getting so excited about getting him home.

Today we also were emailed who the other traveling families will be. It looks like we will have a few on the final flight with us and departing the first flight from Addis Ababa. It will be fun to share this experience with other families.

Please keep praying for those traveling right now or in the near future, I know we have a few court dates tomorrow and coming up and those still waiting!

Congratulations to the Williams family for passing court today...Beautiful baby girl!

Christy, still praying for that referral! Breann, praying for your court date tomorrow!!

Have a blessed night all,
Tina

10 MORE DAYS...

Hubby looked at me today and with a huge smile said..."10 more days!" I was excited and scared all at the same time. He keeps making fun of my lists, which have grown to like 10-ish. He even asked if he needed to write down quality time with him on the list! Such a funny guy (sarcasm!)
I am working my way through my lists and making more lists as I need to. I do have our 3rd suitcase (donations) packed but I believe a few more items are coming. It only weighs 34lbs right now so we have room for more. I have most everything else organized to pack and have even started getting Emilie's things together to pack.
I have been playing so many things over and over in my head. I am sure most of you understand the "what ifs" that we worry about right before we travel. I keep thinking about the plane ride and "what if" I freak out since I am not a fan of confined spaces. Then there is the "what if" we get delayed on one of our flights and things get all messed up. And the "what if" things don't go well with the orphanage and birth mother visit...I mean come on is thank you truly enough??? So you see where I am at? And this is not to mention the "what ifs" about leaving our kiddos here without us. I guess I just need to get over all of this.
I also think about the first time I hold him and what it will be like? I am so in love with him already but I know when I get him in my arms I will be lost! I pray he feels the same way.

SO...10 more days and we will be on our way...Yes...10...MORE...DAYS!!!

Have a blessed night,
Tina