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!

Andy turned 3 months on May 20. It is hard to believe that he is so old already! He had his three month check up today and there was a newborn in the waiting room. I couldn’t believe how big Andy looked compared to him. Then we went in to the office and found out why Andy looked so big. He weighed 16 pounds, 10 ounces (97th percentile) and was 26 1/2 inches long (off the charts!).

He is drooling a lot and constantly tries to suck on his fingers even though we keep trying to push the pacifier. He has more control of his head and likes to sit up on our laps. He rolled from his back to his side on Thursday and is sleeping from about 7:30pm until 5:30am. He smiles a lot and loves getting hugs from his big sister.

Eden turned 17 months on May 12. She is very busy these days. She recently got a swing for the porch and loves to relax outside. She is now tall enough to reach objects on the counter (yikes!) and is getting very good at feeding herself. She wants to be included in everything and likes to stand on chairs to watch me cook, do my make-up or give Andy a bath. She recently experienced the deliciousness of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as well as goldfish crackers. Today she decided that she is in love with Elmo. We already made a trip to the library to get an Elmo video. We uploaded some recent pictures of Eden and we hope you enjoy them!

Thanks for all of your prayers! Andy was in surgery for about 45 minutes and then the doctor came to see us in the waiting room and said that everything went well. We had to wait another 45 minutes to go see him in the recovery room but when we got there he was awake and taking fluids. He finished the bottle in a hurry and then had brunch. 🙂
Andy has been very sleepy this afternoon but otherwise seems just fine. For the next few days he gets a tub soak each time he has a dirty diaper and then he gets 3 soaks a day for 10-14 days. The doctor said everything should heal up by then and we have a follow up visit at the end of May.