This is the one post we have really been looking forward to writing (besides coming home with the boys). OUR ADOPTION PROCESS HAS COME TO AN END. This is our happy ending. Now we are in uncharted water. For the last three+ years we have been in adoption mode. It feels great to have everything done. Now we can focus on our family. Fittingly, we were able to do something "normal" the day of our hearing (on Halloween); trick or treating on our block. You can see the pic on this blog. We'll post again this week to update everyone on the boys' development (especially Ethan!). Thanks again to all for the love and support.
Steve, Jodi, Eli and Ethan
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Our final court hearing is this Friday!
We just talked to the courts and we are scheduled for the final court hearing this Friday. We are so excited to be finishing the legal process. All that is left will be applying for the boys' Social Security numbers. It's amazing that the final part of this whole long process started a year ago. It was about a year ago that we went to a meeting at our adoption agency about Ethiopia. Since that meeting, everything has moved forward at a rapid pace. We have never had a year like we had this last year.
More recently, the boys continue to develop at a rapid pace, especially Ethan. He is now eight months old and is doing his best to keep up with his older brother Eli. He is getting stronger on his legs and can almost walk with us holding his hands. He said his first word (besides "mama" and "dada") ---- "diaper." He is very observant and watches everything we do (especially Eli).
He has been teething for awhile and his top two teeth are almost coming out. Needless to say, Mom has not been sleeping as much, as our not-so-little Mama's boy has been sleeping less at night time. Otherwise, things have been going great. Eli is saying new words every week (the latest are "girl" "dog" "peekaboo")
We will post again after Friday's hearing, along with some pics. There are a few new pics today.
Steve and Jodi
More recently, the boys continue to develop at a rapid pace, especially Ethan. He is now eight months old and is doing his best to keep up with his older brother Eli. He is getting stronger on his legs and can almost walk with us holding his hands. He said his first word (besides "mama" and "dada") ---- "diaper." He is very observant and watches everything we do (especially Eli).
He has been teething for awhile and his top two teeth are almost coming out. Needless to say, Mom has not been sleeping as much, as our not-so-little Mama's boy has been sleeping less at night time. Otherwise, things have been going great. Eli is saying new words every week (the latest are "girl" "dog" "peekaboo")
We will post again after Friday's hearing, along with some pics. There are a few new pics today.
Steve and Jodi
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Eli and Ethan's Baptism and more...
We're going on five months now and this last month and a half has been really quite busy. We celebrated our seventeenth wedding anniversary with our boys going out to dinner. Eli took his first steps (now he looks like a pro!) and Ethan decided he should start standing up in his crib (at six months old!). Not only that, but Ethan decided he would start crawling. He has suddenly discovered the world and wants to see all of it. His development has been nothing short of amazing. He saw his older brother start walking (and master it) and decided he could start doing things. He is much bigger now and is very strong for a baby.
On a sad note, we lost our best friend, our dog Calvin. He was fifteen years old and was very precious to us. We are glad that the boys got to meet him and that he got to meet them.
We are excited about both the boys' growth. Eli is taller. He loves to read books with us. He got his first hair cut for the baptism. He yaks a lot (mostly "mama" "dada" "boom" "go" and "roar" - when he's making his lion sound). Ethan won't be ignored either; his voice has gotten quite loud at times (mostly "dada"). He likes to follow Eli around and giggles when Eli gets in trouble. Both boys are brushing their teeth (kind of). Eli loves it, Ethan's not so sure about it yet.
The bonding/attachment process has gone very well. The boys know and trust us now. When someone new is around they look to us for reassurance. We've even started using a few babysitters lately.
Both of the boys were baptized on September 21st at an Ethiopian Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. Jodi's sister, Lori, is the godmother and our friend, Daniel, is the godfather. Their were eight baptisms total (including our friend, Holden). It was a great experience for all; being a part of the local Ethiopian community and seeing other kids and families. We got a little glimpse into what the boys' future might look like. We were glad to have this spiritual "rite of passage" happen. God has blessed us more than we could have imagined. We are very thankful for everything.
A week later, we celebrated Holden's first birthday (with our friends Eric and Tamra - "mom and dad"). It was great to be at a kids birthday party, especially having our own kids at the party (finally!!) Like Eli's first birthday, the birthday boy had a lot of frosting on his face (and his hands and his dad....). We love having connections to other people who have adopted, especially from Ethiopia (we all appreciate so much more.).
We've been doing video calls (with our computer) with Steve's family in Florida and Oregon. It's nice for those a long ways away to be able to see and interact with the boys. It sure is a new world we now live in. It will be good for the boys to know their cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents ("nana and papa").
We had our final post-placement visit from our social worker. We are in the process of scheduling our final court hearing (here in Minnesota), which will finalize the adoption process (at least legally). This will probably take place by Thanksgiving. We are very excited about the holidays this year. Everything will be done and we might even have two boys walking by Christmas. To be continued....
On a sad note, we lost our best friend, our dog Calvin. He was fifteen years old and was very precious to us. We are glad that the boys got to meet him and that he got to meet them.
We are excited about both the boys' growth. Eli is taller. He loves to read books with us. He got his first hair cut for the baptism. He yaks a lot (mostly "mama" "dada" "boom" "go" and "roar" - when he's making his lion sound). Ethan won't be ignored either; his voice has gotten quite loud at times (mostly "dada"). He likes to follow Eli around and giggles when Eli gets in trouble. Both boys are brushing their teeth (kind of). Eli loves it, Ethan's not so sure about it yet.
The bonding/attachment process has gone very well. The boys know and trust us now. When someone new is around they look to us for reassurance. We've even started using a few babysitters lately.
Both of the boys were baptized on September 21st at an Ethiopian Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. Jodi's sister, Lori, is the godmother and our friend, Daniel, is the godfather. Their were eight baptisms total (including our friend, Holden). It was a great experience for all; being a part of the local Ethiopian community and seeing other kids and families. We got a little glimpse into what the boys' future might look like. We were glad to have this spiritual "rite of passage" happen. God has blessed us more than we could have imagined. We are very thankful for everything.
A week later, we celebrated Holden's first birthday (with our friends Eric and Tamra - "mom and dad"). It was great to be at a kids birthday party, especially having our own kids at the party (finally!!) Like Eli's first birthday, the birthday boy had a lot of frosting on his face (and his hands and his dad....). We love having connections to other people who have adopted, especially from Ethiopia (we all appreciate so much more.).
We've been doing video calls (with our computer) with Steve's family in Florida and Oregon. It's nice for those a long ways away to be able to see and interact with the boys. It sure is a new world we now live in. It will be good for the boys to know their cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents ("nana and papa").
We had our final post-placement visit from our social worker. We are in the process of scheduling our final court hearing (here in Minnesota), which will finalize the adoption process (at least legally). This will probably take place by Thanksgiving. We are very excited about the holidays this year. Everything will be done and we might even have two boys walking by Christmas. To be continued....
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Three and a half month update
Hello everyone. Sorry we haven't posted like we said we would, but two little boys have been occupying our time. Sometime very soon (sooner than three months) we will do an extended post. All we can say for now is that life is very good. We are blessed with two absolutely beautiful boys with distinct personalities. They are the best thing that has ever happened to us. Eli is fourteen months old and Ethan is almost six months old. Eli just took his first couple of steps walking and Ethan is a rolling machine and just got his second tooth! Every day is an adventure. Ethan loves watching his older brother and just giggles when Eli gets in trouble. They are both eating and sleeping in regular fashion (Eli loves meatloaf) and things have stabilized at home. Our first month was very hectic. Now it seems like we've had our kids forever (it's only been three and a half months!). There are a few new pics on the site now and we will work on more. Steve is working on some video (Eli is a very entertaining dancer) to upload to this site. In the mean time, take care and check on this site every-once-a-while, as we will try to update more frequently (we're a little more organized).
Steve and Jodi
Steve and Jodi
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Video of our arrival in Minneapolis airport
My uncle Bob was kind enough to take video of us (in HD!) arriving at baggage claim in Minneapolis, with Eli and Ethan. We are proud to be able to share some of that with you. Click on the following link for a short video. A high-speed connection helps.
http://www.vimeo.com/976023
the password (if you need it) is dagim
Enjoy!
In the meanwhile, we are almost adjusted to Central Standard time and we think the boys are too. That's not to say we're not up every night at all hours.....to be continued...............
http://www.vimeo.com/976023
the password (if you need it) is dagim
Enjoy!
In the meanwhile, we are almost adjusted to Central Standard time and we think the boys are too. That's not to say we're not up every night at all hours.....to be continued...............
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Our Jouney Is Complete; We Are Parents!!
We have just completed our adoption journey and are now proud parents of two amazing boys, Eli Dagim and Ethan Muse. Those of you who know us know what a long process this has been. We have had many challenges and struggles to become parents, but we have no doubts whatsoever that it was all worth it. We just got back to America two days ago. We are a bit tired and haven't slept much, but the adrenaline is keeping us going. That and two beautiful faces looking up to us.
Eli Dagim (Dagim was his name given at birth) is 10 months old and is a very active boy, who loves to smile and have fun. Everyone at the orphanage said they would miss him the most. He definitely has a personality and it will be fun to watch him take center stage.
Ethan Muse (Muse was his name given at birth) is two months old and is very beautiful. He is gentle and we are looking forward to seeing how he develops.
Both of boys are healthy and eating well. Eli weighs 24 lbs. and Ethan is 11 lbs. We are currently trying to switch everyone's clocks from African time to our time. We haven't slept much, but wouldn't trade this for the world. We are blessed to have both grandparents here now, helping us in the house and getting a routine going. Steve's parents (Dick and Linda) drove up from Florida and will be here for a few weeks. Jodi's parents (Don and Jan) live twenty minutes away, so all is good.
We have our first of five showers in a couple of days. We have already been shown extreme generosity from many people, so if you're one of those people reading this......THANK YOU. We know this is a cliche, but words can't express what we feel. We have been overwhelmed by love from other people and have both grown closer to God and each other as a result of the recent weeks.
Ethan is a typical 2-month-old. He eats, sleeps, fills his diapers, cries and makes precious facial expressions. Eli does this too, but he is a very active boy and may be walking soon (before crawling). He has been experiencing America and is very curious. He has a laugh that is contagious. He loves to bounce up and down and even loved the turbulance on the plane. Jan ("grandma") took both of the boys for their first stroller ride today, which they enjoyed.
We finally get to post pictures of the boys, as they are legally our children. We will have one final court hearing here in Minnesota, which will complete their citizenship in the U.S.
We will be posting about our experiences in Ethiopia in the coming days. All we can say for know is that it was extremely meaningful on many levels. We had the beginning of our parenthood, as well as significant cross-cultural experiences happening at the same time. We made many friends and felt unconditional love from some very special people through our adoption agency.
We have both grown a lot and are now ready for the next journey: parenthood.
Until our next post, God Bless and Ameseginallo ("thank you for everything")
Love,
Steve and Jodi
Eli Dagim (Dagim was his name given at birth) is 10 months old and is a very active boy, who loves to smile and have fun. Everyone at the orphanage said they would miss him the most. He definitely has a personality and it will be fun to watch him take center stage.
Ethan Muse (Muse was his name given at birth) is two months old and is very beautiful. He is gentle and we are looking forward to seeing how he develops.
Both of boys are healthy and eating well. Eli weighs 24 lbs. and Ethan is 11 lbs. We are currently trying to switch everyone's clocks from African time to our time. We haven't slept much, but wouldn't trade this for the world. We are blessed to have both grandparents here now, helping us in the house and getting a routine going. Steve's parents (Dick and Linda) drove up from Florida and will be here for a few weeks. Jodi's parents (Don and Jan) live twenty minutes away, so all is good.
We have our first of five showers in a couple of days. We have already been shown extreme generosity from many people, so if you're one of those people reading this......THANK YOU. We know this is a cliche, but words can't express what we feel. We have been overwhelmed by love from other people and have both grown closer to God and each other as a result of the recent weeks.
Ethan is a typical 2-month-old. He eats, sleeps, fills his diapers, cries and makes precious facial expressions. Eli does this too, but he is a very active boy and may be walking soon (before crawling). He has been experiencing America and is very curious. He has a laugh that is contagious. He loves to bounce up and down and even loved the turbulance on the plane. Jan ("grandma") took both of the boys for their first stroller ride today, which they enjoyed.
We finally get to post pictures of the boys, as they are legally our children. We will have one final court hearing here in Minnesota, which will complete their citizenship in the U.S.
We will be posting about our experiences in Ethiopia in the coming days. All we can say for know is that it was extremely meaningful on many levels. We had the beginning of our parenthood, as well as significant cross-cultural experiences happening at the same time. We made many friends and felt unconditional love from some very special people through our adoption agency.
We have both grown a lot and are now ready for the next journey: parenthood.
Until our next post, God Bless and Ameseginallo ("thank you for everything")
Love,
Steve and Jodi
Friday, April 18, 2008
Next stop: Ethiopia!
Tomorrow the last phase of our journey begins. We leave for Ethiopia! We will be flying to D.C. then to Rome and finally Addis Ababa. In 36 hours we will be holding our sons! We are packed and ready to go. The last few weeks have been crazy for us, but now we are seeing the fruits of our labor. We have not been alone. We have had family and friends help us get our house in order. The babies room is ready!
We will be spending a week there. During that time we will be going to the U.S. Embassy to get our visas for our boys and also going to our court hearing to finalize the adoption. We also have a day trip planned for Lake Tana and the Blue Nile Falls.
We are fortunate to be going during the most significant week in Ethiopia's calendar; Fasika (Easter). We feel honored to be a part of it. We ask that everyone pray for the rest of our process to go smoothly. Soon we will have much more to write about! Until then, God Bless!
Steve and Jodi
We will be spending a week there. During that time we will be going to the U.S. Embassy to get our visas for our boys and also going to our court hearing to finalize the adoption. We also have a day trip planned for Lake Tana and the Blue Nile Falls.
We are fortunate to be going during the most significant week in Ethiopia's calendar; Fasika (Easter). We feel honored to be a part of it. We ask that everyone pray for the rest of our process to go smoothly. Soon we will have much more to write about! Until then, God Bless!
Steve and Jodi
Friday, March 14, 2008
We have our court date!
Hi everyone! We have big news. We have our court date in Ethiopia! We anticipate travelling over there around the last week of April. We will be there about a week. We can't give any specifics out of respect to the Ethiopian government. That is also why we haven't posted on this blog for awhile. There will be more posts in the coming days. We are basically looking at being over there in a little over a month! We will be making travel arrangements shortly.
We will be getting two boys. One is ten months old and the other is three weeks old. We can't publish their names or pictures or any other details (out of respect to the Ethiopian government), but we can tell you they are healthy and beautiful! Just seeing their pictures has brought us more joy than we've ever known. We look forward to the day when you can meet them.
We want to express our gratitude for those of you who have kept us in your thoughts and said a prayer for us. We have seen God at work during this whole process. (We've had a lot of ups and downs, but we know everything happens for a reason, even if we don't understand the whys). We are the most optimistic we've ever been in our lives. To think that we will will be holding our children next month is amazing.
We have registered at Target and will be registering at Babies R Us this weekend. The next few weeks are going to be very busy for us, so we may not see some of you until after we get our boys. Until then thanks to all and God Bless.
Steve and Jodi
We will be getting two boys. One is ten months old and the other is three weeks old. We can't publish their names or pictures or any other details (out of respect to the Ethiopian government), but we can tell you they are healthy and beautiful! Just seeing their pictures has brought us more joy than we've ever known. We look forward to the day when you can meet them.
We want to express our gratitude for those of you who have kept us in your thoughts and said a prayer for us. We have seen God at work during this whole process. (We've had a lot of ups and downs, but we know everything happens for a reason, even if we don't understand the whys). We are the most optimistic we've ever been in our lives. To think that we will will be holding our children next month is amazing.
We have registered at Target and will be registering at Babies R Us this weekend. The next few weeks are going to be very busy for us, so we may not see some of you until after we get our boys. Until then thanks to all and God Bless.
Steve and Jodi
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Waiting patiently
Sorry we haven't posted for awhile (almost three weeks, to be exact!). We have been working on our house and continuing to wait. The army has a phrase ("hurry up and wait"). Well, we have really taken that to a new level. Things are on course for us. We expect to be going over to Ethiopia in late March to early April. Right now it is the dry season over there. They have a pretty stable climate (more so than Minnesota!), so we shouldn't experience any extreme weather.
Last weekend, our agency had their first family get-together. We ate Ethiopian food (delicious!) and had some great coffee. We got to meet the rest of the families and their beautiful children. So far, everything we have heard has been positive. We are continuing to view the whole experience in a positive and life-affirming way. After talking with the other parents, we are both eager to travel to Ethiopia. We will be the fifth couple to adopt through our agency. We are fortunate in that we will be gaining a "second family." (Our Ethiopian family here). We plan on being active in the Ethiopian community in the Twin Cities. We are also planning on learning Amharic (the most common language in Ethiopia).
Hopefully we will be posting more details next week. Once we get closer, things will be happening a lot faster, so stay tuned....
Last weekend, our agency had their first family get-together. We ate Ethiopian food (delicious!) and had some great coffee. We got to meet the rest of the families and their beautiful children. So far, everything we have heard has been positive. We are continuing to view the whole experience in a positive and life-affirming way. After talking with the other parents, we are both eager to travel to Ethiopia. We will be the fifth couple to adopt through our agency. We are fortunate in that we will be gaining a "second family." (Our Ethiopian family here). We plan on being active in the Ethiopian community in the Twin Cities. We are also planning on learning Amharic (the most common language in Ethiopia).
Hopefully we will be posting more details next week. Once we get closer, things will be happening a lot faster, so stay tuned....
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Link to our adoption website
Besides this blog, we have a website, steveandjodiwanttoadopt.com . At the bottom of this blog, there is a link to that site. It gives you a little history of where we have come to reach this point in our journey. There is also an information page on Ethiopia. You can also link back to this blog, by clicking on What's New. If anyone wants to leave us an email, that also is possible. We welcome any and all comments and questions. Check it out!
Biometrics Done
This weekend we went to Customs and Immigrations and had our fingerprints taken. They call it biometrics and it's pretty high-tech stuff. We saw our prints on big computer screens. They have been uploaded to the F.B.I. and Homeland Security. It was about an hour wait; most of the crowd was there to become U.S. citizens, the rest were adopting. We ran into someone Jodi knows from Bethel who are adopting from Peru. We also saw another couple with a beautiful little Ethiopian girl. They said their process went pretty smooth.
While it seems like we have a little lull right now (from most of the paperwork), we are realizing how much still needs to get done. Every week is filled with to-do's. We are getting our house in order, doing projects that needed get done. Good thing Jodi's dad, Don, is retired!
I was talking with my friend Eric about how our lives will change and realized there are a few things we need to do before we get two infants. This includes the following: going out to a movie, sports event or music concert, reading a book, etc. Last week we rented a stack of movies. The list keeps getting bigger....Unfortunately, our adoption to-do list is bigger. No matter what happens, Jodi and I will have no regrets about where we are. To be continued...
While it seems like we have a little lull right now (from most of the paperwork), we are realizing how much still needs to get done. Every week is filled with to-do's. We are getting our house in order, doing projects that needed get done. Good thing Jodi's dad, Don, is retired!
I was talking with my friend Eric about how our lives will change and realized there are a few things we need to do before we get two infants. This includes the following: going out to a movie, sports event or music concert, reading a book, etc. Last week we rented a stack of movies. The list keeps getting bigger....Unfortunately, our adoption to-do list is bigger. No matter what happens, Jodi and I will have no regrets about where we are. To be continued...
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