Eden is 22 months old today. She is learning words so quickly and mimics everything that we say. She likes to tell us when Andy is sleeping or awake in his car seat and loves to sing. She now sings The ABC’s, Happy Birthday, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and The Wheels on the Bus. She gets super excited every time we see a bus (and recently firetrucks). She announces from the back seat “Watch bus!” and screams “BUS!” when she sees one out the window.

She also recently decided that she hates going to sleep. We haven’t had a problem since December but about 2 weeks ago she started screaming and crying when we leave her alone in her room. It’s rather unpleasant and we can’t wait for that stage to end!

Today Eden had her hair braided for the first time. A woman named Josephine came to our house and Eden watched movies, ate cheerios and cookies and sipped juice while having her hair braided. She did pretty well; she only squirmed a little bit. Her hair is very cute and she is quite proud of it. She has a little mirror that she is carrying around and she stops to check herself out every other step. 🙂

While I was away for 3 weeks in Africa Eden had the audacity to go and grow up on me. She is now using “sentences” regularly. Meghan overheard her looking at my picture last week saying “Dada, home, please”. She has started to talk in the third person and refers to herself as “Edie”. If she wants me to not carry her anymore she’ll say “Edie walk”.

Eden loves to mimic everything we do (without being prompted). If I slap my knee, so will she. If I clap twice, so will she. If I groan loudly, so will she. Its very cute.

Eden was upset with me when I first got home yesterday. She gave me the cold shoulder for half the ride from the airport…but then for the last 10 minutes she was very talkative, wanted to show me everything, giggled uncontrollably, and wanted to hold my hand. (Andy sat on the other side of me just staring and smiling at me the whole time). Then this morning when we got up she didn’t want anything to do with me. She wanted “Mama” to feed her the oatmeal, take her to the bathroom, give her juice, etc. But then 30 minutes later she was her bouncy self and was bringing me things, etc. I hope she doesn’t hold this temporary grudge for too long!

How is it possible to both hate and love the Kenyan court system at the same time?!!

I met our lawyer (Daniel Were — pronounced “Wear-ay”) at the lower courts at 9am this morning. We were seeing a new magistrate because our previous one was transferred to Nakuru back in the spring. The new magistrate’s office was all business and very quiet. There were 3 other lawyers in the room and about 12 clients like myself. There was a very small amount of Swahili spoken back and forth before Were started things off by announcing our case, etc. After some shuffling of papers Were stepped out and beckoned me to follow. (Uh oh, not good!) He tells me we somehow fell off the docket! The problem with that is our official file is off in another building and not in the magistrate’s chambers! 🙁 Some disorganization with the changeover of magistrates must have caused it…so frustrating! Argh!!! Kenyan courts drive me crazy!!

Because I leave on Monday and because I was not able to stay in the courts all day we had to be seen this morning if I was to attend. …and now Were thinks its very important that I be there because “Baby Eden” is not. So Were started to work his magic: He called an assistant to go and fetch the papers and bring them to us at the building ASAP. Only 15 minutes later we go back to the chambers and see everyone waiting outside because the magistrate received an important (and private) phone call. Were chatted with some of the other lawyers there in Swahili but otherwise everyone is perfectly quiet while we wait in the tiny crowded hallway. We’re let back in a few minutes later and I found out that Were was getting himself pushed back to the front of the queue! So he just reads off what the magistrate should say while she hand writes it out for our file. She doesn’t even bat an eye at any of it! Were suggested April, she said mid-April was fine, and we’re done! I love the Kenyan courts!

We slip out and now I’m back at the training I’m giving this week with an hour to spare! I had arranged for several other guys to give all the talks this morning so I had plenty of time to type up this prompt update for you all!

Our unofficial “backup lawyer”, Milkah, was one of the other lawyers in the room because she had other business with the same magistrate this morning. So if Were had not been able to convince the magistrate I am sure Milkah could have! 🙂

On Thursday, Sept. 2 Ben goes to court with our lawyer for the next step in the adoption process. This is the court date that we set in November 09 when we were granted our travel order for Eden. We were supposed to present Eden to the magistrate at this court appointment. Ben is taking documentation to show that we have complied with the stipulations of the travel order and that Eden is still in our care and thriving, but that she has latent TB and should not travel until the treatment is done. Hopefully, the magistrate will grant us an extension until March. Our lawyer seems to feel confident that this will happen, but we would appreciate prayer.

The magistrate has the power to do anything from put Ben in jail (obviously that would be VERY drastic and is unlikely) to sending Ben on to the high courts to apply for the adoption (the other extreme). Please pray that the magistrate accepts our documentation and at the very least grants our request for an extension. God has done awesome things in our adoption process on the Kenyan side and we know that with God, all things are possible. We appreciate your prayer and support!

On another note, both kids are sick.  We went to the doctor yesterday and Eden had to do a breathing treatment.  She now has an inhaler that she uses every 4 hours.  It hasn’t moved to Andy’s chest yet and we are hoping that it doesn’t!

Ben will post an update after he goes to court!