Andy turned 4 months old on Sunday! Its crazy to think its been that long since he was born! He is 17 lbs 8 oz and 26 1/4 inches long so still up over 95th percentile in both! Last month he was off the charts in height, so we were thinking he was going to be a basketball player. Now it seems we’re going to have to settle on him being a professional football player instead. He’s been eating so much we started him on cereal to supplement his meals. So far I think only 5% of it is staying in his mouth, so its looking like its a long-term project for him.

Andy seems to be picking and choosing which milestones he hits. He’s completely surpassed rolling over and is almost sitting up by himself. He’s only thinking about reaching for things that are in front of him, but he’s been happily sleeping through the night for almost 2 months! He isn’t saying much apart from squeaking and squealing, but I think thats because his sister won’t let him!

Wow! Where has the time gone. Obviously I am late writing this, but better late than never. Ben and I were talking the other day and realized that now Eden has spent half of her life with us! HOORAY!!

It is unbelievable how much she is changing. Though she hasn’t changed much in size (she is an inch taller and one pound heavier than she was 3 months ago!) she is getting so much more independent, verbal and expressive. She still loves to dance and has recently started singing. She gets the tune and sings a mixture of jibber-jabber and words. Her favorite is “asjah, asjah, ugha du DOWN!” (ashes, ashes, we all fall down!) She even started singing in Swahili. They sang a very simple song at the Sally Test Center that goes, “Lala, toto, lala” which means “sleep, baby, sleep”. She now sings along with me when I sing it to Andy in the car.

In addition to singing, she is also stringing words together. We turned Eden’s car seat around before the DC trip and she can see everything much better now, especially Andy. We often hear her yelling from the back, “Oh no! Baby, paci!” which means that Andy’s pacifier has fallen out.

Another new thing, which is not as pleasant as the others, is that Eden is now very afraid of thunder. The recent storms have put her on edge and she flies into my lap practically shaking every time she hears a loud noise. We hope that the summer is going well for you and that the recent storms have been less traumatic at your home than at ours. 🙂

It has been just over a year since Ben and I found out that I was pregnant and recently I have spent a lot of time thinking back on the changes in our family. When we first started discussing an adoption I began writing a journal about what we were doing and my thoughts and feelings about everything. I hadn’t looked at it since I last wrote which was in May 2009. I thought that since it was on my mind I would look back and see how far we have come. I cried when I read my first entry. A portion of what I wrote is below:

1/31/09
The truth is, you may not have even been born yet. But I can already see your baby fingers and toes and beautiful, curly hair. My arms ache to hold you and I can’t help but cry when I start to think about you being in Kenya without us. I’m worried that you won’t get enough to eat and that you won’t be held enough. Who will love you and sing to you and rub your back until we get there? I can’t wait to come and get you and if I knew where you were, I would leave tonight.

My last entry read:

5/21/09
…We have to get a move on it so that we can come get you in September. I can’t wait! After our meeting with Alice I was jumping up and down with excitement because we are now one step closer to coming for you. September will be here before we know it and then you will be ours!

I am blown away by how God worked through all of this. Even when our plans were changing and we thought we would adopt from Lesotho and when our travel plans were in flux and when I got pregnant, God still knew where Eden was and was preparing her (and us) for our future together. And how perfect that Eden was at the Sally Test Center waiting for me when I went for the very first time on September 21, 2009.

It’s so different being able to experience the beginning with Andy. It’s amazing to watch him learn and grow. And it is SO fun to know that he recognizes us. When I go get him out of bed in the morning he always has a big smile for me and now when we put him in bed at night he cries when we walk away from his crib.

Tonight I have a very happy and thankful heart because of my wonderful God and the beautiful family he has given me.

This past weekend we traveled to our nation’s capital in order to meet the stipulations of our travel order: we had to present Eden to the Kenyan embassy and get proof from an embassy employee.

We left early Saturday morning so that Ben could watch the US World Cup game. We spent Saturday night in Pittsburgh and were able to be there to celebrate Ryan and Anna’s birthdays. Sunday afternoon we drove to Rockville, MD where we stayed the night. Monday morning we got up early and headed out in search of the Kenyan embassy.

It only took 2 1/2 hours to go 17 miles thanks to several wrong turns, wrong exits, wrong addresses and near crashes. When we finally arrived, we walked right in and were escorted to the board room where we met with the Third Secretary. He talked with us for a few minutes and then wrote a letter for us to take to the magistrate in Kenya.

After we left the embassy we decided it would be appropriately patriotic and educational to visit some of the highlights of DC. We walked the sleeping babies to the White House and then to lunch. We drove to the Washington Monument and walked down to the WWII Memorial and the reflecting pond. Given that it was about 99 degrees with 99% humidity we felt that we had seen enough and dragged our stinky, sweaty bodies back to the car for the drive home. We got back to Pittsburgh in time for dinner and then got up Tuesday morning and headed back to Indiana.

We spent about 20 hours in the car in order to spend 20 minutes at the embassy but it was a fun trip filled with laughter and we created some good memories. The kids were wonderful in the car and we were blessed with mostly good weather. We hope you enjoy the new pictures!

It seems like it has been a long time since we last wrote and certainly a lot has happened since the last post. A few of the highlights…

• Andy started using a Bumbo.  It has already made a difference in his ability to control his body and head.  He now sits in his swing in the upright position.  He can’t stay that way for too long because his head tends to flop when he gets tired, but it’s a good start!  It’s amazing how quickly he is growing and changing.

• Eden is getting more and more independent and verbal.  She talks constantly (to her baby doll when no one else is listening!) and wants to be involved in everything we do.  We know that she understands more than she can communicate and has started expressing her frustration by hitting.  This has led to several visits to the ‘time out chair’.

• We continue to get updates and good news from our US lawyer and our Kenyan lawyer.

• We have done some travel in Indiana and out.  We’ve been to the lake and took the kids out on a boat.  We’ve been to West Lafayette and played at Tropicanoe Cove and this past weekend Ben, Andy and I traveled to St. Louis for a wedding.

If you’re interested in the details, keep reading!

THE ADOPTION

In order for Eden to be recognized by the US as our adopted child, we must have a local adoption completed in Kenya, and we must have joint residency and custody for 24 months.  Originally, we thought that the 24 months would all have to be spent abroad and that we would have to appear in court on September 2, 2010.  Recently we have been told that our time here in the US will count towards the 24 months!  This is great news because it means that even with the maximum time in Kenya, we would only be there for 1 year instead of 2.  Also, we are looking into acquiring an extension on Eden’s travel visa.  Our Kenyan lawyer, Were, is going to request that the magistrate grant us an extension until April or so.  This would allow Eden to complete her treatment for latent TB and would give Andy a chance to get all of his immunizations for the first year.

TRAVEL

We’ve been very fortunate to have several opportunities for me and the kids to cool down in a pool this summer.  We’ve been to Tropicanoe Cove (with the help of Colin and Heidi) and have spent some time at neighborhood pools with friends.  Most recently Ben, Andy and I traveled to St. Louis for a wedding.  The family took a vote and decided that Eden would have more fun (and so would everyone at the wedding) if Eden stayed behind with Dida, Papa and Uncle Colin.  Andy was a trooper and slept almost the entire time in the car.  He swam in the pool and then posed for pictures at the Arch.

We are having a fun and busy summer and are so thankful to have time together.  We hope that you are able to find some time to relax and reflect on the blessings in your life!