Our First Year with Ava Sidisse...

Sick... sick... sick...

Well, sorry for the hiatus.... For the past two weeks, we have been sick. Not all of us at once, of course, but its been days full of antibacterial handwash, and Lysol spray. I think we are finally past it... I hope so, anyway...
Here are a few pics from Easter... the only ones I got, and they were taken from the couch!






For those of you who always say how cute her curls are... this is why it takes me half an hour to comb it out in the morning! Don King doesn't have anything on her!
(Click on it, to get the full effect!)



And a couple of random shots, which includes a few of Ava's hair, since I've been off work and at home for the past couple of days....

Her new favorite chair...


I wish my Grandma were still around to see this one.... She was a huge Shirley Temple fan.... would have loved them!








I've been working on a slideshow of our first year with Ava... Today marks one year since she was placed in my arms in Addis... I've tried to post it several times, and it isn't cooperating... I'm working on it!

Practicing to be a Pirate...

Ava had an appointment with the Opthalmalogist last week... I hate these appointments.... This was her 3rd visit to the University Pediatric Eye clinic... After the first visit, I knew I would dread every visit to come.
Our first appointment was scheduled for 10am... I got there at 9:30, since I left the house early, and wasn't completely sure that I knew where the place was... We didn't even get screened until after 1pm.... The whole time, we were sitting in the hallway that they call the waiting area... with about 30 other families. It was a nightmare. By the time we got out of there at 2:45.... Ava was tired, hungry, and in an all out bad mood. Total time spent in with a doctor or caregiver of any kind.... about 15 minutes. In almost 5 hours... only 15 minutes of actual contact with a medical professional. UNREAL.

So, anyway... last week, we had to go back for a checkup. Thankfully the appointment time had dropped some, from 5 hours to 3 hours. And the whole experience was interesting, to say the least. Our appointment was at 10. We sat there until about 11:50, before being called in to see the screener. She sat there in front of Ava and held up these pieces of cardboard with little squares of stripes on one side. By this time, Ava was not interested in anything the lady had to say... she was hungry, and already missing her nap. She paid no attention to her, and really fought the whole time, not to look at her.
About 10 minutes later, another worker came out to the waiting area, and handed me a brochure... She said something along the lines of...'My colleague says that your daughter cannot see anything at all... and we think that she could use the services of this School for the Blind...'

I think that I laughed a little bit.

The lady just looked at me (keep in mind there is a language difference.. This is a German Hospital that we were at!) She asked if I wanted them to contact the school, and I said No. She told me that I might want to talk to our insurance, and see if they will cover it... Hmmmmm....

This was all more than a little funny... Anyone who knows Ava, has seen her navigate a room, pick up the tiniest things from the floor... She can spot Leyton from across the room.. She can DEFINITELY SEE!

I sat there for a while longer, waiting to see the actual doctor. When we were finally called in, He looked at her eyes through his little 'eye checker thingy', and sat back, and said... 'my colleague says that she doesn't think that Ava can see..' I said yes, thats what she thinks. He said, 'well, I don't think its that bad, maybe she just wasn't interested in her test... I can't tell though, if she is still squinting when I shine the light in her eyes, if she is, it is a very small amount... however, even the smallest amount could affect the development of the eyes... If she were my daughter, I would have her wear an eye patch for 2 hours per day... one eye one day, the next eye the next day, until you come back in to see me in 3 months.'

So... here she is... as Leyton says, "Practicing to be a Pirate!"

It was a year ago, today...

When our case went to court in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, our adoption was finalized, and Ava Sidisse was legally declared our daughter...

Three words come to mind....

Oh Happy Day!

Almost a Year...

Its been almost a year since I flew with Bill to Addis, to pick up my sweet Ava Sidisse.... And its almost time for the 1 year post placement report. I took the kids to get some pictures taken yesterday, and they turned out great... I thought you might enjoy a peek...

Some Random Shots from the past two weeks...

2 Weeks ago, Ava had Botox injections in her right hand, to help loosen her thumb muscles and allow her to use it more. The results have been amazing... but here she is the very next day, while I was fixing her hair... playing with TWO HANDS! She also picked up her binky and put it in her mouth with that hand the next day... Unbelievable... She has been using it more and more, and I am really Thankful for a great Pediatric Neurologist!





The weather here was so nice this weekend... it hit 60 degrees! That we decided to take a walk around town... Some pics of our little journey...

Our Home.... and Leyton in charge of the stroller... he loves being a big brother!







Charlie...



My sweet peas, snuggling before bed.... Love these moments...

Game #1!

Things are done a little bit differently in Deutsche fussball, than on the American team that Leyton has played for the past two years....

He started practices in November, after his American season was finished... And yesterday, had his first game, or well... first 4 games... It seems that all the teams in the surrounding areas, about 14 in all, get together on Sunday mornings, and play soccer - 2 teams at a time, in 10 minute intervals all day long.... So, we had 4 - 10 minute games yesterday, the first three were lost miserably, 3-0. The last game, however... they pulled off a goal, and won the match. Leyton had a good time, and it is nice to have something to keep him busy. Here are a few pics from the day...

Leyton is #11...



Leyton, Kicking-off...



The final score...

Fasching and Horseback riding all in one week!

It is that time of year again... Leyton had Fasching at school on Monday, it is sort of like Mardi Gras, or Carnivale, depending on where in the world you are... I got some great shots of his party, only to find out when I got home, that there wasn't a card in my high-speed camera.... Uggghhhh.... go figure! But I made Leyton get dressed up in his Lion costume (the theme this year, was an Animal theme), so that I could share a pic with the masses.... I ordered this costume from Ebay, and though the tag says size 6... when it arrived, it clearly wasn't an American size 6, closer to a 4.... and was short.... really short. I had to make some minor adjustments - Thanks Grandma and Mom and Dad for the birthday cash! My new sewing machine worked like a charm! The costume started out as a one-piece jumpsuit with hood... I had to cut the hood off, and finish the neck seam... and then I had to add some length to the arms and legs... I don't think it turned out too bad...



On Wednesday, Leyton had his first horseback riding lesson. The post is offering 6 months of free classes to kids of deployed parents.... they offer a ton of classes, like tae kwon do, and dance... but all of them are for kids 6 and up. Horseback riding starts at age 5, and he likes horses, so I thought we would give it a try. He really likes it... and since Wednesday, I've heard at least 100 times, 'do I have horseback riding today?'

Well guys, I guess I can come clean now...

The reason I haven't posted much lately is because I didn't want to let it slip that we are contemplating another adoption. Actually, we met a girl and fell in love, on our volunteer trip last month, and have been plugging away at the paperwork. We have our dossier collected with the exception of the home study, which should be completed in a week or so. The reason I didn't want to share our news, is because I was afraid we would lose the girl to someone who is paper-ready.... so I didn't want to get your (or my) hopes up only to let you down. Well, it turns out, that we did lose the child that we wanted. It is a big disappointment, but things happen for a reason, and though we are sad now, there must be someone else in our future. We are continuing the process, though we didn't think we would. And who knows... maybe before the documents expire, we will fall in love with another child? We feel that there is an older child waiting to join our family, and we are looking forward to finding out who they are!

Milestones are being met...

Thursday morning, I was in the bathroom getting ready for work... Ava was sitting in front of the refridgerator, playing with the Leapfrog letter magnets... A few minutes passed, and I realized that it was eerily quiet.
I peeked into the kitchen, and didn't see her... Panic struck my face, when I looked up to see her perched on the top step, smiling down at me... Proud as punch.

Have you seen our stairs??? Not the best steps to learn on... but she climbed right to the top. Unbelievable.

A few pics from our trip...

Ava, asleep in a make-shift bassinet, while Mimi (another volunteer) and I wrap gifts for the Christmas Celebration...



At the Christmas Celebration, Ava and Hickma...




A retake with Santa...




Christmas Babies...



Coffee Ceremony put on by the older girls...



Leyton's favorite guards...



Eschetu


Asrat

The Kindergarten kids.... It doesn't get much cuter than that!



We had the pleasure of meeting Ava's Uncle Dereje while we were in Addis this time around. It was a great, and humbling experience. I'm so glad that we had this opportunity.





Leyton and his favorite baby... If I couldn't find him, I knew to check the baby room... he just loved her.



Leyton after a long day at Layla.... and our guard cat.




Babies and little kids are so well loved in Ethiopia... One of the older boys, doting on Ava...



Reading a book with Immanuel at Opportunity House.




Another favorite baby...



My favorite part of each of our trips, is being able to see the kids that we sponsor to stay in Ethiopia and go to school. The kids are doing so well in school, I am so very proud of them. This is Leyton and Yeninesh, After her and her brothers chased our car for 1/2 mile, she was left behind.... Leyton went to walk her to the house.



Inside their small home, Yeninesh and Million.



A group shot.... Tefera, Million, Yeninesh and Tilahun.




Leyton and his entourage on our last day, at Layla.




Its very hard to say goodbye...