Operation Get Eden Adopted is underway! We got all of our oversized checked bags onto the plane, maneuvered the car seats + carryons + kids through three airports now and we’re about to head off towards the final flight to Nairobi. God has been watching out for us: they almost checked a bag through without a tag, they lost Andy’s paper lap ticket, and the room reservation here in Amsterdam was booked for tonight instead of today. But all of the potential snafus worked out without causing any major problems.

The kids have been doing better than expected, we’ll see how they do on this next 8 hour one with only 5 hours of sleep and a few missed naps.

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 two months old on April 20. He is getting really big (14 lbs 4 oz, and 25 inches long at his two month check up). He has started to “talk” a lot and is very drooly. He is awake a lot during the day and sleeps for two 5-6 hour stretches at night. He smiled for the first time at me last week and he loves to watch Eden playing. He really likes it when Eden gets down next to him and talks to him.

We travelled to Pittsburgh and Akron this weekend and Andy was great (Eden was really good, too!). He slept pretty much the entire time in the car. He has also started to really use his pacifier. We upgraded to the nuk instead of the newborn pacifier that we were given at the hospital and it has been funny watching him figure out how to hold on to it.

We hope that you enjoy the pictures of our giant baby boy!