Two Worlds, One Family

Two Years Ago Today...........

2011-08-07T00:01:00.013-05:00

Happy famiversary to our fellow travelers. Today, I decided to repost what I originally wrote about the day we met Sid 2 years ago.

We roamed the guest house driveway and terrace momentarily, wondering which door of which building would lead to the dining room (building B, the long stairway, FYI). I was really excited to see that they were serving pancakes for breakfast, because I thought that Micheal would like that. Sadly, he was still in that "settling in" mode, and didn't eat much.

After breakfast, we boarded the bus to head to the CHS Office. There, we climbed the stairs to the 4th floor (numbering: Ground, 1, 2, ...) for the beginning of our orientation. It was short, but seemed long as we were waiting to meet our children.

We then headed over to meet the kids. All families waited nervously for their child's name to be called. When they called Sidamo's name, we followed the Social Worker & the camera man up the stairs to his room. I am sure I started crying on the first step, and I was nervously trying to keep the provided slip on shoes from falling off my feet.

We walked into Sid's room, and one of the nannies handed him to Pete (I think I was trying to set Michael down). Pete handed Sid to me. It was a wonderful moment. Sid is such a content baby, and while obviously concerned, he did not cry or push us away. We posed for the agency photgraphers to snap some photos (we are not allowed to bring cameras to the care center), then we were able to take Sid downstairs to the common room to play. The common room was scattered with parents anxiously waiting to meet their little ones, and other families just united for the first time.

After playing, we took Sid back to his room for lunch. We got to help feed him the very first day! After feeding Sid, it was time for us to go back to the guest house for lunch. The rest of the day was filled with more orientation, then more precious time with our beautiful Sid.

Dear Fleet Farm

2011-04-20T22:54:00.000-05:00

Dear Fleet Farm,

My sister in law recently took her Toyota Sienna into your Brooklyn Park service department to get her tires replaced. When she brought the vehicle in, the tire pressure monitoring sensors were in working condition. When she picked up the vehicle, one wasn't (when she picked up her vehicle, the work order indicated that it was previously damaged--she didn't notice as she was rushed out due to the fact that there was an unhappy customer getting loud in the lobby at the time).

Hmmmm.

My husband is an experienced auto tech. He is always hesitant to place responsibility of newly found problems on the last tech who worked on the car. This, however, is the exception. It seems that in this case, there is pretty much no other likely reason that this part would now be damaged other than that the tech in your shop broke it. Accidents happen, we get that.

What we don't get, is that your Brooklyn Park service department continues to insist that they are not responsible. So, the district manager has been contacted, and still Fleet Farm refuses to right the situation. Oh, man mall, thou hath foresaken us. First, we learn children's overalls have been back ordered for 6 months, now this.

If you are out there, please, how will you make this right for my sister in law?

Inquiring minds want to know.................In the mean time, I doubt those reading this will be likely to bring cars to you for service.

7 Years Ago....

2011-03-23T23:34:00.001-05:00

An amazing young lady made a very difficult decision and blessed us with a beautiful son.

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The Sounds of Childhood Sleep Apnea

2011-01-30T14:57:00.000-06:00

These videos aren't all inclusive, there were some times that his breathing just sounded rapid or almost asthmatic. This is the most obvious sleep apnea. The episodes aren't as loud as adult sleep apnea.

In this video, the sleep apnea episode is at the beginning, and ends when he wakes up fully from the sleep apnea.

This video is a good example of how a child might posture themselves in their sleep to help alleviate the sleep apnea.

Childhood Sleep Apnea

2010-12-22T13:26:00.000-06:00

Well, it has been some time since I got a chance to post. This time, I would like to share a little on a topic that has touched us recently, and hopefully leave a resource for other parents whose children may be affected by sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a condition in which the person affected stops breathing during sleep. It is estimated that 1 to 4 percent of children have sleep apnea. There is much speculation that number may be higher, as the belief is that many children with sleep apnea are misdiagnosed with ADHD or depression. The symptoms of sleep apnea in children do not necessarily mimic adult symptoms. While excessive sleepiness may occur, the following is a list of ways in which sleep apnea may (children will probably not experience every item on the list) impact a child:

snoring - loud, squeaky, raspy
nocturnal snorting, gasping, choking (may wake self up)
restless sleep
heavy irregular breathing
excessive perspiring during sleep
severe bedwetting
bad dreams (nightmares)
night terrors
sleeps with mouth open, causing a dry mouth upon awakening
chest retraction during sleep in young children (chest pulls in)
sleeps in strange positions
confusion upon awakening
morning headaches
unrefreshing sleep
excessive daytime sleepiness
may develop high blood pressure
may be overweight or underweight
learning problems
excessive irritability
change in personality
depression
difficulty concentrating
Developmental problems
failure to thrive or grow
frequent upper respiratory infections
hyperactive behavior
The type of sleep apnea which is most

The easiest way to recognize sleep apnea in adults is loud snoring. Sleep apnea in children may easily go unrecognized by parents, as children sleep alone, and snoring is not necessarily an issue. Because of the medical issues that can be caused by sleep apnea, and for the well being of the person affected, it is very important to properly diagnose and treat this condition in children and adults.

Here is the website from which I took much of this information:

http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/childapnea.html

In my next post, I will include video of Sweet Pea sleeping both before having his tonsils and adenoids out and after. I hope these will be most helpful to parents who suspect their child may have sleep apnea. It has been only one week since his surgery, and there are huge diferences in how he sleeps, and how he sounds when he sleeps.......................

In Loving Memory....

2010-09-04T22:55:00.001-05:00

RIP Dad. We love you.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

One year ago today....

2010-08-07T00:02:00.002-05:00

One year ago today, we awoke to the sunrise in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

One year ago today, we heard the song of the church bells of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church calling the masses to morning prayers.

One year ago today, we bonded with eight wonderful families we had not previously met.

One year ago today, we learned to say thank you in Amharic, the national language of Ethiopia.

One year ago today, we left our cameras at a tiny guard shack when we wanted them desperately to take pictures with.

One year ago today, we donned communal crocks which were one or several sizes too big (or too small).

One year ago today, we were overcome by the fragrance of the Ethiopian spice mixture, bebere, as we walked into the Care Center that was Sidamo's home at the time.

One year ago today, we waited anxiously with the other eight families for our name to be called.

One year ago today, we climbed three flights of stares with a level of anticipation so high we trembled.

One year ago today, we saw the most loving nanny holding Sidamo in her arms.

One year ago today, we held Sidamo in our arms for the first time.

One year ago today, we welcomed Sidamo into our family forever.

One year ago today.........

Three Word Thursday

2010-05-27T21:53:00.001-05:00

No training wheels.....

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My Boys......

2010-05-20T23:14:00.001-05:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sunday Snapshots

2010-05-09T07:39:00.000-05:00

Sunday Snapshot

2010-05-02T08:36:00.001-05:00

Racism - Do we "get" it?

2010-04-01T06:57:00.000-05:00

I have been feeling kind of fired up about race relations recently, after reading about a white racist gang at a High School in the Madison area. I hope by sharing my journey, I can be part of the solution, not the problem.

As many of my readers know, we began our adoption journey to Michael in 2003. For those of you not familiar with adoption, there is a lot of parent training and preparation involved prior to placement. If you are open to adopting a child of another race or ethnicity, that training includes cross-cultural training. This training is intended to prepare you for what you might encounter as a cross-cultural family, and to give you an idea of what it may be like for your child to be in your family.

I was resistant, and I didn't get it. Michael was home a year before I realized this. As a person who grew up in largely minority portions of a large metro area, I thought I knew what was going on in the world of race relations. I thought that because my friends and family of color didn't talk to me about racism, that it wasn't happening to them. I truly beleived that the US had done a lot of healing in the 15 to 20 years that preceeded my high school experience. I thought that white priveledge was a thing of the past.

I was wrong. I can pin point just the time that I realized that. As cross-cultural parents, Pete and I have continued to focus on learning what it would be like for our children as they grow up in a race concious society. To that end, we have attended far more training than what is required by the adoption agency. It was at one of these sessions that I finally got it (or at least understood better than before). I let myself hear the adoptive mom's stories of racism that she and her children had faced. Not before my time, but now, recently. I let myself hear her story of being attacked by a druggie in a church, in a minority neighborhood, and that the police had to be called multiple times only to respond when they were informed a white woman was being attacked. I let myself look through the eyes of the minority room mate on an episode of "The Real World" that she shared, and understand that a white man would have been handled differently by the police, and see that the room mate's white friend clearly didn't get it.

If there is a part of white priveledge that we can give up, it would be ignorance of racism. This is when I gave that up. It is a white priveledge because people of color don't have that choice. People of color can not choose whether to be a victim of racism, just as victims of other aggregious acts don't choose to be victimized.

I am going to ask a very special favor of all the readers of this blog. Readers of color, please share your experiences of racism by commenting on this post. I moderate the blog comments, so your stories won't post immediately. I intend to keep this a safe place for you to share, and will reject disrespectful/hurtful comments. White readers, please allow yourselves to open up and hear, without pre-judging, stories of racism posted. Remember, each of us experiences life differently. You may have to try to view stories through the tellers eyes to understand where they are coming from.

Thank you, in advance, to everyone who chooses to participate.

Charter, actions speak louder than words.

2010-03-31T22:16:00.003-05:00

Charter Communications commented on my last blog post. I was encouraged to contact them, for assistance with my issue. The thing is, I really have no faith that Iwon't just be irritated more. I looked back at the last bill I received from them, which they insisted on the phone that they didn't bill me for the equipment that I had returned as part of the balance due. They quite obviously did. So now I know that I can expect them to lie to me, too.

Charter, I am free of you. I am choosing not to allow you to aggravate me further.

I knew cancelling Charter seemed too easy........

2010-03-21T21:00:00.002-05:00

After putting up with Charter Communications for several years, and several poor customer service experiences, I should have known it was too good to be true when cancelling seemed almost pleasant.

When I cancelled, I was told that we had 2 weeks to return the receivers. We received a bill 2 weeks later that included a charge for the receivers which we had returned 1 week after cancelling. Well within the window. I called Charter, and they had to "track down" the equipment which they did, and advised they would remove from the bill. I requested that a new bill be sent because I wanted to ensure that the receivers were indeed removed from my account.

Fast forward to one or two weeks ago, I haven't received anything from Charter. So I accessed my account online to try to pay, but the system appeared to be unavailable. On to today. I open yesterdays mail and open something I initially think is junk mail. I look closer and see that Charter has sent our account to collections. WTF!! I was/am so angry. Is it too much to ask for a CORRECT final bill? Apparently for Charter it is. I called customer service, which was a pointless waste of time.

Maybe I should send Charter to collections for the time our service was out for 4 days and our account was never credited........

A Good Reason to Moderate Comments.........

2009-11-12T21:49:00.002-06:00

Someone (or automated program) tried to post a "no prescription pharmacy" link on my blog. REJECTED!!

Michael.......

2009-10-08T21:21:00.009-05:00

As I got ready for work this morning, I found myself gazing at Michael (as I often do when he sleeps, I love that peaceful look). Today, I couldn't help but focus on how much he has grown & changed. He is no longer the baby boy I have spent hours snuggling with. Not the toddler learning to walk. Not even the pre-schooler learning to swim. He is a full fledged "big kid". Little brother, and all.

This morning, I was filled with the emotion that comes with the realization the the precious baby years have passed. And pride in the person he is becoming. He has experienced many changes through the summer, including two biggies: a new baby in the house, and kindergarten. While I will greatly miss "baby" Michael, I look forward to what is in store for him. I occurs to me today that raising kids is like getting a present on a regular basis. Each day, week, & year holds a surprise gift in the form of growth, accomplishment, learning, and caring. All of this, along with some outside influence, will determine who and what our kids will grow up to be. The ultimate surprise........

Thoughts on Ethiopia

2009-09-10T13:14:00.002-05:00

It is hard to put to words the thoughts and feelings experienced while we were in Ethiopia. The capital city, Addis Ababa, is a very large metropolitan area. You wouldn't see anything like it in the US. Despite the many modern conveniences available, there is a lot of poverty. There were very few areas that we didn't see people obviously living on the street. You want to help everyone you see, but it is just not possible. You see a lot of people doing physical labor. Things that we would expect to be done with backhoes, jackhammers, etc. The people are very friendly, and we felt pretty safe in all the areas we visited. Because the reservoirs were low (Ethiopia's power is hydro electric), we had power every other day. In the city, life pretty much goes on as normal without power.

The country side was beautiful. Ethiopia has what it called "green drought". Enough rain for things to be green and beautiful, not necessarily enough to grow crops that are necessary. Driving out of Addis Ababa, was a gentle descent through rolling hills. As the scenery goes by, you easily observe the signs & effects of deforestation. The trees have not been harvested by companies & expansion, but by people heating & building their modest homes.

It was a life changing & perspective changing journey. Many of us think we need a bigger home if children have to share a room, or we don't have enough bathrooms. Rural families in Ethiopia may reside in a 100 or 200 square foot hut, where the animals live with the family. This experience has cemented what is really important in life: friends, family, and taking care of the ones you love.

The Long Way Home, Thursday, August 13- 14

2009-08-31T23:00:00.007-05:00

Today we spent more time being a family of 4. WOW. I also spent a lot of time packing. Emotions were mixed between being anxious to get home & settled, and the sadness of leaving the place where we became a family with our new son. We will never forget our time in Ethiopia.

Our journey home was an experience of many frustrations. When you arrive at the Bole Airport in Addis Ababa, you go through security to enter the airport. Because of the power outages, we had purchase a "portable" battery pack for Pete's CPAP. It took us at least 30 minutes before they decided that they would allow Pete to bring it, but only if it was in his checked luggage.

When we got to our departure gate, we passed through security fairly quickly. Then found out our flight was delayed. We found a seating area where Michael was able to stretch out, and both boys fell asleep. We were awake. The flight ended up being delayed about 3 hours. The boys slept. We were awake.

We finally got going, and made the fuel stop in Khartoum, Sudan. This stop was supposed to be less than an hour. It ended up being about 2.5 hours. 77 + degrees outside the airplane, no AC inside the airplane. They had oversold & taken on too many passengers in Khartoum, then had to find and remove the luggage of those who they needed to de-plane. Melting, we were finally on our way. We were assured that all of our flight arrangements would be taken care of by the time we arrived in Amsterdam.

Our flight arrangements were not taken care of. We went to what they call the "transfer desk" (for people with connections). I was first in line, aside from the people already working with agents. The agent advised me that they were "too busy" at that station, and I would have to go to the next one. Got to the next station, and there was a long line. When I finally got up to an agent, she said that the changes were already made, and that she would just need to print boarding passes. During conversation, I discovered that she had 40 years working with KLM. Yet, somehow, it managed to take her 45 minutes to print our boarding passes; with the wrong seat assignments. She also gave us a bunch of coupons that would be worthless to us, because we no longer had time to use them. We had to rush to our gate, through security, and have the gate agents fix the boarding passes. Apparently, European airports are not air conditioned (according to another traveller). Amsterdam was no exception.

We were originally to go through Minneapolis. Due to our delays, we went through Detroit instead. We were sitting at the bulk head behind the first class cabin. Michael had to go potty, and both aisles behind us were blocked by service carts. I did what I expect any mom would do, and tried to take him to the forward lav. The flight attendant actually turned us away! I couldn't believe it (I know that this lav is generally reserved for first class, but I expect exceptions for handicapped, elderly, and children). For any of you that have had a child that is bashful about using the potty, you probably understand that this meant Michael wouldn't be going potty at this time. I was just lucky he didn't wet his pants. Then, when we landed, they actually made the coach class wait to get off the plane until first class (maybe they always do this, but I don't recall seeing it before). UGH! I thought stearage sank with the Titanic.

By the time we got through immigration, we had just enough time to get to our flight. This was challenging, because by now, the zipper was broken on one of our back packs. As we neared the gate, we saw that the flight was to be delayed. Michael was quite hungry, so he & Pete went to get a burger. I settled in at the gate, and approached the agent to ask about correcting our seat assignments. She told me I would have to wait for the other agent to arrive. When the gate agent arrive, she walked up and said "Get in line people, we're boarding". I walked up and asked her about our seating, to which her response was "You'll have to take care of that yourself onboard". So, I asked if she could at least make a general boarding call, since my husband and son left the boarding area (I thought this was a VERY reasonable request). She said "That's not my problem".

The highlight of this flight was definately the other passengers going to our city. One went to see if Pete & Michael were coming, many others helped carry our stuff (and the food Pete & Michael had gotten), and by the time we were on the airplane there were 3 seats (one in front of the other two) waiting for us.

Just to top it off, Sid let loose with a blowout while we were on final. So, before we could get off the last airplane, we changed a diaper. It was so nice to be home! We were greeted by Pete's sister Barb & her family, as well as our neighbor Molly & her girls. It was very nice to have them there. We went home, and Barb made us a nice supper. Thankfully, that first night home, Sid slept very well.........

A Day as A Family, Wednesday, August 12

2009-08-31T22:52:00.002-05:00

This was our first full day together as a family. We spent the day getting to know Sid and his schedule. We also hung out at the guest house and visited with other families. Michael and his new friends did some plays & a talent show to entertain the families. I went out shopping for a brief time with a few of the others. We went to ALERT, which is a Leper Hospital. To support the hospital, they have a store there with goods that are made on site. We got to see them spinning thread and weaving fabric. The people there were so thankful that we visited their store, it was very touching.

Family Day, Tuesday, August 11

2009-08-20T14:53:00.003-05:00

This was a big day with the Goodbye Ceremony in the morning, and US Embassy appointments in the afternoon, and at the end of the Embassy appointments, Sid is in our arms forever. No more visiting & saying goodbye.

At the Goodbye Ceremony, the nannies brought the children in wearing traditional clothes. The nannies also wore traditional clothing. The families circled the nannies, while they prayed in Amharic. It was a sad feeling to then be taking the children from the nannies who had obviously shown them so much love & affection. Handprints were made of each child for rememberance. Next was the cake cutting. By tradition, the 2 oldest children cut the cake. There were a lot of tears.

We returned with the kids to the guest house for lunch. After lunch, we loaded ino the "Magic Bus" for the trip to the Embassy for the children's US Immigrant Visas. While time consuming, the process was fairly smooth. The rest of the day, we spent time relaxing with OUR kids.

I will have to see if there are any pictures from the Goodbye Ceremony I can copy and paste here. We were not able to take any, as cameras are not allowed in the Care Center. Cameras/Electronics are also not allowed at the Embassy.

Tired mom giving Sid his bedtime bottle:

Touring Day, Monday, August 10

2009-08-20T14:10:00.008-05:00

We were supposed to get to spend time with the kiddos this morning. Instead, they had to go to their final Embassy check-up. Many of us used the spare time to get our formula & baby cereal. They use different products in Ethiopia than we do in the US, and many children need time to adjust to the change in flavor/texture of what they are eating. In the late morning, we saw the kids for about an hour, had lunch with them, and had to drop them off at the Care Center.

The afternoon and evening proved to be busy. First, we toured some of the CHS projects in Addis Ababa. We went to Sipara Special Mother & Child Health Center. Considering the small size of the facility, what they do is amazing. The doctor estimated that they deliver 200 babies a month. On top of that, they provide pediatric care and vaccinations for children well into their youth. Payments are based on family income & ability to pay, patients are not turned away do to lack of income. In order to maintain a strict line between humanitarian & adoption services, parents may not relinquish their children at Sipara.

We then visited the school, convention, & conference center. This is clearly placed in a higher income area of Addis Ababa. This is important, because the goal of this project is to become income producing, in order to support projects such as the school in Hosanna. Children's families pay tuition for them to attend the school in Addis. They are adding a grade a year to the school, and currently serve K-6.

Next up was the Ethiopian National Museum. We didn't spend a lot of time here, and Michael was ready for a break by this time. He was having a hard time listening, and we spoke stearnly to him. He still wasn't listening, and at this point, I noticed we were being watched & followed. I got to Michael's level, and stressed how important it was that he listen to us and stay close, as there was obvious risk of someone believing that he did not belong with us. We visited the bones of "Lucy" there, although we aren't sure if they were the real thing or a recreation. There was a window in the room, so they could be exposed to sunlight. Seemed odd.

On the way back to the Guest House, a portion of our group stopped at Kaldi Coffee. The Starbucks of Ethiopia. As I understand it, the service was better. I think it was cheaper, too.

In the evening, we went to Yod Abyssinia for traditional Ethiopian Food & dancing. Michael actually liked the Zil Xil Tibs. Everyone enjoyed the music & dancers, too.

Hosanna Town, Sunday, August 9

2009-08-16T17:09:00.009-05:00

Today was a LONG day! We made the trip south to Hosanna Town. Above is scenery on the drive. It is very green. In southern Ethiopia, drought is referred to as green drought, as there is enough moisture for grass and trees, but not crops. This is the area where many of the children are from, and it is our opportunity to meet birth parents or care givers (prior to becoming an orphan). We were on the bus and ready to go at 6 am for the 4 hour drive. We stopped about half way there at a hotel in a town called Butajira to use the rest rooms. The rest room here is a combined men's/women's room (used by both sexes at the same time). There was a urinal at the end of the row of stalls, so that a man using it would be facing away from those entering the rest room. You bring toilet paper with you, because it is not generally provided in places like this. Hotel in Butajira:

When we arrived at the CHS-ET south office, we all went into a room and waited our turn to meet with those who may have come. Another nervous time. Our meeting was very touching, we feel confident that we know Sid's story as accurately as possible.

After the meetings were complete, an entrustment ceremony was held that included prayers for the birth/first families of the children, and the adoptive parents. Following the prayer was the exchange of a candle symbolizing the passing of the child from one family to the other. It was beautiful and moving. I was crying quite a lot, and could barely speak the prayer. Here we are holding the candle from the entrustment ceremony:

When the entrustment ceremony was complete, a traditional Ethiopian Coffee ceremony was held. Yes, I did drink the coffee. Pete spilled his! We then walked down to the old orphanage building to use the rest room. We were followed along the road by many curious children! Pictured below is the setting for the coffee ceremony:

We loaded back in the bus to visit some of the CHS-ET projects aimed to help improve the lives of families in the area. First was a drive by a bakery provided where Injera can be made to sell at market for families to earn income. Next was a school that will be opening this fall. It will be tuition free for those attending. One of the CHS school buildings in Hosanna Town:

Our last stop, and maybe most exciting, was a visit to a traditional Ethiopian hut. A passerby saw us there and taking pictures of the children (who ask to be photographed), and was quite insistant about wanting to arrest us all. After quite a long discussion between the man, the Ethiopian social workers, & our bus driver, we were on our way. The social worker boarded the bus and exclaimed "Good thing you are americans!". I think they must have successfully convinced the man that arresting a large group of Americans would be too much trouble! Traditional hut we visited:

Care Team Meetings, Saturday, August 8

2009-08-16T05:28:00.003-05:00

Today all the families had meetings with their children's care teams. Care teams include the doctor, one of the primary nannies, and the social worker. We had an opportunity to ask questions, and watch a video containing information about our children's lives prior to coming into care. Watching the video was the most emotional part of this day. Life for many in Ethiopia is hard at best. Makes you really grateful for the many blessings we have in our daily lives. While we waited for other families to complete their meetings, we were able to spend more time with Sid.

While this trip is to pick up our children, it is also about learning about their history, Ethiopian culture & lifestyle. The afternoon was spent on a shopping outing. We went to an open air market. It was quite crowded, the people in the shops were trying to get passers by to shop in their store, and people would approach you trying to sell various items. Adults with things like maps & sunglasses, children selling packs of gum & tissues. While it is expected to barter a bit at these shops, I always find that a difficult task when I feel so blessed. It was a very interesting experience. A little intimidating, too. Below are pictures from the Merkado, the largest market in Africa. This is NOT where we shopped, but they took us through so we could see it.

Meeting Sid, Friday, August 7

2009-08-15T17:57:00.002-05:00

Got up early this morning to take showers. The power went out during Pete's shower. Power in Ethiopia is hydro-electric. The reservoirs do not have enough water for power 24/7 at this time, so the power is out every other day. We dressed Michael as he slept, and woke him up to go down for breakfast.

We roamed the guest house driveway and terrace momentarily, wondering which door of which building would lead to the dining room (building B, the long stairway, FYI). I was really excited to see that they were serving pancakes for breakfast, because I thought that Micheal would like that. Sadly, he was still in that "settling in" mode, and didn't eat much.

After breakfast, we boarded the bus to head to the CHS Office. There, we climbed the stairs to the 4th floor (numbering: Ground, 1, 2, ...) for the beginning of our orientation. It was short, but seemed long as we were waiting to meet our children.

We then headed over to meet the kids. All families waited nervously for their child's name to be called. When they called Sidamo's name, we followed the Social Worker & the camera man up the stairs to his room. I am sure I started crying on the first step, and I was nervously trying to keep the provided slip on shoes from falling off my feet.

We walked into Sid's room, and one of the nannies handed him to Pete (I think I was trying to set Michael down). Pete handed Sid to me. It was a wonderful moment. Sid is such a content baby, and while obviously concerned, he did not cry or push us away. We posed for the agency photgraphers to snap some photos (we are not allowed to bring cameras to the care center), then we were able to take Sid downstairs to the common room to play. The common room was scattered with parents anxiously waiting to meet their little ones, and other families just united for the first time.

After playing, we took Sid back to his room for lunch. We got to help feed him the very first day! After feeding Sid, it was time for us to go back to the guest house for lunch. The rest of the day was filled with more orientation, then more precious time with our beautiful Sid.

Arriving Ethiopia, Thursday, August 6

2009-08-15T17:25:00.003-05:00

We arrived in Addis Ababa on time. After our flight landed, we went through the line to get our Visas, and the lines for immigration & customs. The wait for the Visas and immigration were quite long -- about an hour & a half. Ato (Mister) Girma met us outside of customs & we waited briefly for the other family that was on our flight. Whe they joined us, Ato Girma led us all to the CHS "magic" bus. After load our luggage in the CHS van, we boarded the bus and were on our way to the guest house.

We arrived at the Guest House around 11 pm. Ato Girma pointed us in the general direction of our assigned rooms, and the families all headed off to get settled in. We went to our assigned room, A6. The room is tan, and dimly lit. Outside is cool and damp, and so is our room. There are thick, warm blankets on the bed, as well as a traditional looking Ethiopian bedspread. The following description of the room is primarily for the benefit of future travellers. This room has a private entry. There are slide on shoes provided in the room. It is a large room with a double bed (what we would call a queen bed in the US), a single bed, and a crib in the corner. There are 3 locking cabinets. There is plenty of space to lay out all of your suitcases. There is a private bathroom. The floor is pretty much always damp feeling in the rainy season. The shower has an on demand water heater, there is no hot water for the sink. Also, there is no shower curtain--there is a hand held sprayer, so you can hold it and spray yourself (helps to keep the water from getting all over the bathroom). Sleeping was difficult the first night, and we had to get up at 6 am on Friday morning.

The busiest baby we have ever seen...

2009-08-12T12:39:00.001-05:00

Sidamo is a very busy boy. So far, changing diapers is a 2 person job. He doesn't sit still for very long. He is easily contented and happy. He will cry only if he is hungry. He eats well, and figured out how to take a bottle pretty much right away.

Next up: 24 hours of travel with the busiest baby we have ever seen (or, How do you do a 2 person diaper change in an airplane lavatory?).....

Sidamo...

2009-08-11T08:06:00.001-05:00

...in our arms forever August 11, 2009.

Here In Ethiopia

2009-08-09T10:40:00.001-05:00

Hi All!

We made it to Ethiopia safe and sound. We got to spend quite a bit of time with Sidamo Friday. He is doing great! He is crawling, and starting to "cruise". It is obvious the nannies all love him very much!

Michael is doing great, too. He was sad that we couldn't bring Sid back with us on the very first day. He keeps saying, I love my baby brother. What a sweetheart.

Today we went to Hosanna. It was a long and emotional trip. Much more to share, but right now, I have to share this computer!

Love to all,

Paula, Pete, & Michael

Test Post

2009-08-01T10:27:00.001-05:00

This is a post via e-mail to make sure the function works, in case we have the time/ability to post while in Ethiopia......

More about travel, etc.....

2009-07-17T22:45:00.004-05:00

Okay, I am finally going to take a few moments to share more information. We now have 2 1/2 weeks to get ready to travel & for the arrival of Sid. Some of the things that we will be doing during this time to prepare include packing, completing another round of paperwork, trying to finish reorganization of the house. The list goes on, and in there, we WILL find time to see the new Harry Potter movie.

The travel agent called today and informed me that our flight arrangements have been made. We will be flying out of Rochester to Minneapolis, then Amsterdam, then Addis Ababa. Sorry, Tim & Cindy, that we couldn't go through Dulles. Our travel agent doesn't recommend Ethiopian Airlines for the month of August, because they apparently have a tendency to overbook. He would make an exception to that recommendation if we were bringing home an older child, where the ability of the flight attendants to translate would be useful.

When we arrive in Ethiopia, we will be staying at our agency guest house. Other travellers have reported that they are very hospitable. I think it will be much more like visiting in someone's home than staying in a hotel. Right now, they are rationing electricity in Ethiopia. We are hoping that the power will be on for a significant part of the overnight, so that Pete may use his CPAP. While we would love to be able to travel long enough to see some of the country, that is just not something we are able to do this time.

We will be kept pretty busy from the time we arrive in Addis Ababa. Here is an overview of what our schedule will be like:

Day 1: Orientation briefing, meet with case worker, meet & spend time with Sid.

Day 2: Visit Sid, observe/learn his routine, shopping, traditional Ethiopian dinner.

Day 3: Travel to Hosanna for entrustment ceremony between first family/adoptive family.

Day 4: Visit Sid, sightseeing, visit to agency sponsored relief projects.

Day 5: Going away celebration for children, US Embassy, settle in to have 2 beautiful boys.

Day 6: All day bonding with Sid.

Day 7: Ethiopian cooking class, pack, leave for home!

We will arrive back in Rochester at about 5:40 on August 14.

Leaving on a jet plane............

2009-07-15T18:05:00.002-05:00

TRAVEL DATE!!! Woo hoo!! We will be leaving 8/5 from Rochester Airport on NWA via Minneapolis/Amsterdam to pick up Sid, and arriving back in Rochester on 8/14. We are so happy to finally know when Sid will come home. I will share more details when the butterflies in my tummy calm down.......

Birth Certificate Joy

2009-07-08T19:31:00.002-05:00

I couldn't have been more surprised when I openned my e-mail a few moments ago and saw that we received Sid's birth certificate.

HAPPY DAY!

Now, his Ethiopian Passport will be obtained, as well as his U.S. Embassy medical clearance. Two more steps 'til we can bring him home!!!

Introducing...

2009-06-29T12:31:00.007-05:00

After what seems like the longest 3 days EVER, I am thrilled beyond words to announce that we PASSED court!!! We are deeply grateful to now be the parents of 2 beautiful boys. Without further ado, introducing: Sidamo....

So, what's next? First, Sid's new birth certificate will be issued. After this is received and verified as accurate, his Ethiopian passport will be applied for, as well as his US Embassy medical clearance. When these two items are received, we will be able to travel to Ethiopia to bring Sid home. Currently, we expect this to be sometime in August. THE SOONER, THE BETTER THOUGH!

What's your brothers name?

2009-05-02T11:44:00.003-05:00

Me: What's your brother's name?
Michael: Umm. Suzy!
Me: His name is Sidamo, we'll call him Sid.
Michael: Well, I want to call him Suzy.
Me: Suzy is a girl's name, honey.
Michael: So.
Me: Why do you want to call him Suzy?
Michael: Because I like Susan in Monster vs Aliens..........

Hmm. How do we argue the logic of a 5 YO......

Sidamo

2009-05-01T21:38:00.000-05:00

"I have found something"

Michael's a big brother!!!!

2009-04-28T23:58:00.004-05:00

I received the call at work yesterday at about 3:15 yesterday afternoon. I could not have been caught more off guard. I had made the assumption that when the call came it would be on my cell phone. So, I picked up my office phone when it rang "This is Paula". The voice on the other end said "Hi, this is xxx from CHSFS, is this a good time?". xxx is not our SW, so, at this point, it didn't actually sink in that it was "the call". I received the information from her, and have been stunned & excited since.......

I am so happy to finally be able to announce that after 12 1/2 months of (not so patiently) waiting, we have been matched with the adorable little boy who will soon be our son. His name will be Sidamo Peter. He is 7 months old, and looks like quite a content little guy. I can not post a photo for you until he is legally ours, so you will just have to take my word that he is, indeed, adorable.

So, what happens now? Again, we wait. We wait for a court date to be set in Ethiopia. The court date is usually about 8 weeks from now. At court, if all goes well, we will officially become parents again. Then, we wait. We wait for the Ethiopian birth certificate & passport, and for the final USCIS medical clearance. This is usually about 4 weeks after court (as many as 8 weeks). Then, we will be assigned a travel date (another 2 - 4 weeks). Then, we bring our peanut HOME!

Hopefully, I will have many good news posts until that time.........

9 Months and Counting

2009-01-21T10:01:00.002-06:00

On January 11, we passed the 9 month mark of waiting for our new little one. Many of you already know that I expected to have our child home by now. That said, this serves as a reminder that adoption is just not predictable. The current estimate from the adoption agency is that families may expect to matched (referred) their child in the 11th - 12th month of waiting.

With all that said, our child most likely has been born, and is near entering, or has already entered, agency care. Our child's first family (birth family) may or may not have yet made the decision to make their child available for adoption. If they have made the decision, they are likely mourning the loss of raising, and loving, their child.

As I wait, it becomes more difficult to concentrate on daily tasks. In perspective, I know that waiting is easy compared to the decisions of the first family. I pray for them, as I do for Michael's first family. I pray that they be granted peace in their decision, and be comforted in the knowledge that their child, our child, will be cared for and loved.

Michael's 1st Vikings Game

2009-01-12T22:58:00.007-06:00

Well, we broke down and bought tickets to the playoff game, to help ensure the rest of you could watch it on TV. Our day started with a slow drive up to the cities, as freezing rain fell the previous night. We parked our car, and took the Light Rail to the Dome. Micheal loves to go on the train. Actually, at his age, he is fascinated by most forms of mass transit. After working at so many events at the Dome (as an usher, during HS), it still feels a little odd to be on the other side. Attending the event. As we go in, and find our seats, I can't help but think back to that time. Running the stairs for smoke checks, rowdy Packer fans, drunk patrons having a "tickle fight" in the stairwell. All distant memories now.

We had about 45 minutes to game time when we found our seats. I was worried that would be too long for Micheal to wait. There was just enough going on to keep him entertained. Michael did great for the entire game, though. Here is a picture of him & Pete waiting for the game to start.

When we asked Michael what his favorite part of the game was, he said "the cheerleaders". Yup. All boy.

This was toward the end of the game, so we weren't scoring.........

True to Minnesota form, most Vikings fans left at or prior to the 2:00 minute warning. Micheal didn't even want to leave when the game was over.

Despite losing the game, we all had a great time. Maybe we'll do it again next time the Vikings have a home playoff game. Then again, maybe we won't wait 8 years.

Overdue Blog Update

2008-12-14T08:05:00.005-06:00

Wow. It has been a long time since I updated this blog. It has been a crazy fall that has included taking Michael to swimming and gymnastics, and many weekend (and weekday) trips to the cities. Most of what I'm writing here is also likely to be in the Christmas letter. So, those that receive it may feel a bit of deja vu.

I'll start off with the question I know most of you probably have: Any news with the adoption? No news, really. We continue to wait for our referral. The adoption agency recently increased the estimated wait time for referrals to 12 months. For us, that would be April. Basically, there has just been a huge increase in the number of agencies operating in Ethiopia. Originally, I had thought/hoped that we would be travelling to meet our 2nd little one by now. We will continue to wait patiently (or as patiently as we can).

For those of you who haven't heard, my mom broke her arm in early October. Since she has been in medical care, the Alzheimer's has caused us concern about going back to live alone. Her condition has been evaluated, and based on the recommendations from that, she will be moving to memory care assisted living about 10 minutes from us. I should have her new address in time for the Christmas letter for those who need it. Sorry, I just haven't had the time to call each one of you individually that I should have called. Can't seem to make the days last longer than 24 hours. Any family or friends that want more info, please feel free to call and I will give you an update.

Michael is just growing and growing. He recently graduated from the "eel" level of swimming. Hopefully we will get him going in Ray in January. Educationally, Michael is working on recognizing more letters, and writing the letters of his name in order. He enjoys his music class, too. We are currently figuring out the whole kindergarten thing. I never new there were so many decisions to make. And most kindergarten is only 2.5 hours a day, how much more complicated could they make it for childcare?

With President-elect Obama getting ready to take office, I am hopeful for the future. I am not referring to the economy or usual stuff. As we move forward as a nation with our first African-American President I have found myself pondering the progress we could make in valuing diversity in our country. I hope that when young children today grow up to be the first (on Mars or to cure cancer or whatever), that they will be simply the "first person".

Playing in the leaves..........

Q. What is 5 years?

2008-09-21T21:40:00.007-05:00

A. The amount of time it takes to build your own deck when raising a child (we started before Michael). Seriously, the deck isn finally F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D! Here is Michael helping to "paint" the deck.

Michael is really interested in helping lately (if only with the things he chooses). He and I made banana bread yesterday. Actually, I think he really did most of it. I measured everything and put it in the pan. It was very yummy, and Michael was very proud!

We went to Jacob's 5th birthday party a couple of weeks ago. Just as the party started (meant to be outside), it started pouring! Needless to say, the party went inside. Here is Jacob openning the wet/dry hand vac that Michael chose for him. He really loved it!

We also got to spend some quality time with our new niece, Sophia. She seems to be adjusting quite well to her new life half way around the world. There is a picture of Pete's sister Barb with her lovely little lady below.

Also that weekend, Michael's good friend Ian came over and spent the evening while his parents had a much deserved night out. The boys enjoyed dressing in Michael's super hero costumes and having and epic battle. We are still not sure why two good guys were battling......

Waiting

2008-09-08T20:17:00.008-05:00

Wow, it has been a long time since my last entry. We have kept very busy this summer (as usual). It does help distract from the fact that the adoption agency is now reporting that it could take families up to 12 months from completing the dossier to receiving a referral. I am still hopeful that it won't take that long.

In August, we attended my 20 year class reunion. The reunion committee did an excellent job of planning. The weekend started Friday with a meet & greet at the school (North Community High School in North Minneapolis for those who don't know. No, it shouldn't be blown up.) Saturday morning/afternoon we kept busy attending a BBQ held at Lake Harriett. It was fun to see every one's families.

Saturday evening was the banquet. It included the wonderful singing of Thomasina Petrus, who coaxed Efrem to join in, coronation of new class royalty, a DJ (and dancing), and a remembrance of those we have lost.

On Sunday, many Polars attended church services at Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis, where classmate Efrem Smith is the pastor. This is Efrem with his wife, Donecia (I think she is a Henry grad, but we won't hold that against her). I believe it is safe to assume that a fun time was had by all. It was definitely fun to see everyone again!

Over the holiday weekend, we took a long overdue trip to the Minnesota Zoo. Michael has always loved the zoo, and this day was no different. We started the day early, and met up with Michael's friend Ian (and Jeff and Jeannine, Ian's parents). The new exhibit was great. I think the highlight for the boys may have been the added water play area (*note to self--bring swimwear, towel next time).

And now, it is getting late. I have to go get Michael ready to (hopefully) sleep like a bear......

2008-07-26T17:09:00.007-05:00

Well, it has been nearly 2 months since my last post, so this is a bit overdue. I am happy to report that we received our initial USCIS clearance this week. It won't make our wait any shorter, but it is a requirement that is now out of the way.

At the beginning of July, most of the family headed to Richmond to visit Pete's younger brother Tim and his family. As with any time you get about 17 people together for multiple days there were ups and downs. One thing that nobody would disagree with is how nice it was to see Tim, Cindy, Connor, Ella, & Laney. Some of the fun things we did to keep busy were going to the park, mini-golf, go-karting, 4th of July festivities (minus firework and concert - ugh, the weather), and a mini-birthday party for all the cousins! Everyone appreciated Tim & Cindy's hospitality. Michael cried in the morning because he didn't want to come home, and again when we arrived in Minneapolis because he didn't want to say goodbye to Jacob. He loves all of his cousins so much!

As you can see, we had a stop in Washington, D.C. History fascinates me, and being submerged in it, as in Washington makes me feel very contemplative. We saw one of the Air & Space Museums, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and part of the Museum Natural History.

Tim, Cindy, Ella, Laney, & Connor.

Michael practicing his Jedi moves.

This, That, & the Other Thing

2008-06-05T22:34:00.005-05:00

Yay, Michael! Tuesday marked the first night of the All Comers Track Meets in Rochester. Michael (aka Dash) finished 1st in the first race of the night. In the second race, he finished 2nd. Pete and I thought that was great, Michael, not so much. He was so sad about not finishing 1st, he would not run in the 3rd race. All is well, though, because he is already looking forward to next week.

It has been an amazing time for the Ethiopia program. At the end of last month, they gave out referrals to 50 waiting families. While this is a blessing for all the families (and bodes well for the length of our wait), it is also terribly sad. It is an indication that because of ongoing draught, families are making very tought choices so that they can survive. Further impacting the ability to survive is the stretched state of the charitable organizations that help feed people worldwide due to the disasters in Myanmar and China. I hope to have some links posted soon for those of you who may like to sponsor a child or make a donation to an organization that serves many people.

there is no me without you Read it. I am not usually a fan of biographies, but I couldn't put it down for long. The author tells the story of an Ethiopian woman who goes from being in the middle class ends up caring for orphans in the capital of Addis Ababa. Throughout she intertwines Ethiopian history, and facts and statistics on the HIV/AIDS crisis that could serve as a distressing call for action.

On driving 90 miles to church......

2008-05-18T20:23:00.002-05:00

Because we have been frequently driving up to Minneapolis to go to church, I have been thinking lately that people must wonder: Why? What could make it worth the extra time and cost? Surely one would think that a family could get the same experience at another church...

Maybe. On the outside of things, there are the obvious reasons for making the trek. It is not lost on either of us that Michael absolutely loves the music (all the time), dancing and art (on hip hop Sundays). Then, of course, I am linked by the fact that I went to High School with the senior Pastor Efrem Smith.

Those things are nice, but would they keep us making the drive? Maybe that is more about Efrem's common sense approach which is a welcome breath of fresh air. His desire for improving North Minneapolis is sincere, as is his goal of racial reconciliation. He is not afraid to call it like it is. This mornings sermon was a good example. He addressed the article in the Star-Tribune today regarding ratio of suspension among black students. I won't cover details, but if you want you can listen to what he said at www.sanctuarycovenant.org .

Even with this, there is something more primal that calls me. It is returning to an area of diversity which was the world I knew growing up. It is the validation that a couple doesn't have to be at the same place in their faith to be in love, married, and happy. It is blending in, not being the "recognizable" family. It is the sense of sameness that we can't offer to Michael everyday. Yes, sometimes there is value in being "part of the crowd".

Waiting!

2008-04-22T23:55:00.009-05:00

We are so excited to share with all of you, that we are now officially "waiting". For those of you who are not familiar with adoption lingo, this means that we are in line for a referral. The wait for a referral should be between 6 - 9 months. By the way, referral is when the agency has a child to match us with and we review the referral and accept or decline it. Essentially, referral is when you meet (on paper) your child. After we receive and accept our referral, we would travel in 2 - 3 months to pick up our child.

Ethiopia, one of the oldest countries in the world, has no history of colonization. Upon independence, many African countries adopted the colors of the Ethiopian flag - green, yellow and red - and they became known as the Pan-African colors.

The yellow pentagram on the blue circle is also known as the National Coat of Arms. It is a symbol of the current government. It is intended to reflect the desire of the nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia, as well as of its religious communities, to live together in unity and equality. What a wonderful goal!

As always, Michael keeps us running (literally and figuratively). We seem to be in the midst of a run of his friends birthdays currently. All the parties have been a lot of fun! Michael is currently in gymnastics and swimming classes. He is anxious to try any sport he can.

We are all grateful that spring has finally arrived. We have started our summer routine of playing outside. Frequently, we race and play baseball. Micheal is amazine (we think) at hitting for his age (he has hit 3 balls into the rain gutter so far, and one almost over the peak of the garage). He is anxious to learn the skills of the "catcher" position, too. We even got to run through the sprinkler for a short time tonight. Talk about a happy time!

Michael got a "car" for his birthday, we just finally decided it was warm enough to get it out. He LOVES the Incredible's, and this costume is 2 sizes too big, but he doesn't care. Here's our little super hero, and his "girlfriend" Kaiden......

Homestudy Approved!!!

2008-03-13T22:09:00.002-05:00

Hi All,

We had our in home homestudy meeting yesterday, and our homestudy is approved! We also submitted our passport applications. Two more steps down. Next up are immigration forms, dossier, another workshop (on toddler adoption) and we need to start having shots. We would like to get the dossier sent in ASAP so that it can be approved before the courts in Ethiopia close in the summer.

If I haven't said, Michael is really excited to have a sibling. Well, a sister. We have tried to explain it could go either way, but he is quite certain. He will take good care of his "baby". He has allowed that the baby can be as "old" as his friend Jay's sister, Audrey (I think she is the reason he is set on a sister). When the social worker asked where the baby might sleep, he said: "umm, maybe next to me".

Fun Things.....

2008-02-13T18:01:00.005-06:00

Michael recently got a new pair of roller skates, which he loved (thanks, Theo!). Also, last night was the carnival at school, and his class sang a song. I have posted both for your viewing enjoyment!

Michael's Birthday

2008-01-30T23:33:00.000-06:00

Michael's birthday was about 2 weeks ago. We had a party at Jets Gymnastics for Michael and his friends. The kids did an obstacle course, parachute game, and had free play time. Michael's favorite activity was definitely jumping in the foam pit! It was great for me, too, because Jets did ALL the work. One of the best parts of the day was when one of our nieces came up and said "I love this place Auntie".

One more step....

2008-01-30T20:23:00.000-06:00

Well, we have finally finished and sent in our "homework". I expect that our homestudy will begin soon. It will be nice to feel like we are moving forward again. For this post's tidbit on Ethiopia, I have populus information. Ethiopia is just under twice the size of Texas, with a population of about 77 million! The average life expectancy is about 50 (slightly older for women, younger for men) :-(. Only about 2.7% of the population is over age 65. There are about 5 births per woman, and about a 9% infant mortality rate. Wow. If we lived to only 50, many of us (in the U.S.) would not see our kids graduate from high school.......

Why fivemilliondollars?

2008-01-06T11:28:00.000-06:00

This morning when I told Pete that our blog site was fivemilliondollars.blogspot.com, he said "Why?". Well, WAAAY back when I started to create this, that was a the big thing Michael was saying. If you asked how much something cost, how much money he had/wanted, etc. the answer was: "Five Million Dollars!"

Why was everything five million dollars? Let me know if you find out............

What else we've been doing...

2008-01-06T00:55:00.000-06:00

The past 4 months have been very busy for us. We wrapped up September, and entered October moving both of my parents. Dad moved to Rochester, and mom moved to a new apartment in Bloomington. The sisters-in-law were awesome helpers for my last minute needs.

October found us waiting for all of our application information to make it back to the adoption agency. We passed the time by visiting the Curious George exhibit at the Minnesota Children's Museum. Michael also had a great time going trick or treating this halloween.

November was also a busy month. We were invited to, and attended PAC. Many thanks to Aunts, Grandma, and Grandpa who went out of there way to stay with Michael so that we could attend. All had a great time. After, we spent the night at a hotel and enjoyed swimming and visiting with our friends the Browns and extended family. The week after PAC, we had my side of the family down for Thanksgiving. I made a yummy turkey, but the best part was Pete's awesome gravy.

December, of course, brought preparations for Christmas. It just felt like a big whirlwind. We remember being busy, but it is hard to put our finger on just what it was we did.

And, welcome 2008. As I said in the other post, we spent New Year's Day celebrating Kwanzaa. We hope to finish our homework soon. Michael's birthday is rapidly approaching, and we are already getting ready for that. Four years old. We can hardly believe it!

Til next time....Have a happy and prosperous 2008!

Adoption....and more

2008-01-06T00:03:00.000-06:00

After reading Barb's (Pete's sister) blog, I decided that I ought to give this another shot. I really liked her thought on sharing cultural information about Korea while they await their adoption and also what stage they are at.

As for the stage of our current adoption, we are still very early in the process. We have been to the PAC (Pre-adoption Class), and are working on our homework. Once we complete that, our homestudy will begin. When that is approved, we will need to complete a dossier. When the dossier is accepted, we will wait for a referral. Our child will come home 2-3 months after we accept a referral. In short, we have a long road ahead.

For us, I want to share tidbits on African-American culture and a bit about Ethiopia. I hope that this will be interesting information for our family and friends, and those friends who are on the adoptions journey with us.

On January 1st we celebrated Kwanzaa. For those of you who don't know, Kwanzaa is not a religious celebration, but a celebration of African heritage. Many people have commented to me on the fact that many of the African-American people they know don't celebrate Kwanzaa. We will continue to celebrate Kwanzaa to teach Michael (and our future child) about their rich heritage and build the positive self image they deserve. Anyhow, we had a wonderful time. We all tried our hand at making an African or African-American food to share so we ate very well. Some families wore traditional dress. A wonderful gentleman came and taught us about drumming, and how they were used to communicate. Then the children got to drum and play some traditional instruments. Everyone had such a great time, we can't wait until next year!

Now, onto Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a landlocked country on the horn of Africa. It is the second most populous nation in Africa. The capital is Adis Ababa. Ethiopia was the original source of the coffee bean, which remains its largest export. There are 84 indigenous languages (wow)! Approximately 61% of Ethiopians are Christian, followed by 32% Muslim, and the remainder recognize traditional faiths.