Happy Birthday Boys!!

Five years ago on March 11 our boys appeared in an orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Charlie has told us several times about the trip to the orphanage and what transpired in the days before.  He was about 4 or 5.  Sam probably just about a year old.

For the next 18 months, the “big house” was where my sons called home.  It’s where they slept and where they ate their meals.  It’s where they made friends and where Charlie went to school.  It’s where they both had the chicken pox.  And it’s where Sam stole his way into almost every visitor’s heart.  At least that’s what I’m assuming based on every picture I saw during their time there.  It’s most likely where Sam said his first words and it’s where Charlie learned yet another dialect of Amharic.

And it’s where they waited.

March 11, 2008.

We were still 2 months shy of starting the adoption process, but the Lord had a plan.

That day was given to the boys as their birthday.  Even though neither boy had ever celebrated a birthday.

But now March 11 means something. 

It means that we became parents.  It means that we are blessed and overwhelmed by a woman in Ethiopia who chose life for her handsome little men.  It means that on March 11^th, the Lord’s plan for our family was fulfilled as we celebrate the births of one cool and composed 10-year-old and one rambunctious and crazy 6-year-old.

I tell Charlie all the time that God knew he would be a Cook even before he was born.  March 11^th wasn’t a random day.  God knew the plan….

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHUCK & HAM BONE!!

All things Ethiopia.....

When the boys first came home, Charlie was very reluctant to talk about Ethiopia. Even the mention of the word, sent him running to another room. He didn't want to look at pictures or talk about anything that had to do with Ethiopia. It was like he had totally shut that part of his life out of his memory. It made me a little sad, but we never, ever pushed the issue and knew when and if he wanted to talk about it, we would.

Six months go by...

Now, anything that reminds him of something that happen while he lived in Ethiopia, he tells us about it. And today at lunch he basically spilled his guts. Well, as much guts as you can spill when your English language is only at say, 65%. He told me all about him and Sam having chicken pox (I knew he was talking about chicken pox because they had the scars to prove it when we picked them up) and staying home from school and taking pink medicine.

He told me about sleeping and bunk beds and how Sam fell off and then he had to sleep on the bottom. (Thank the Lord for no head injuries!)



He told me about eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, but having "yummy milk and tea" for a snack. Hopefully, it wasn't this stuff...



He told me each and every toy and item that Kenny and I ever sent over to him in their little care packages and that he knew they were from his Mommy and Daddy. Then he told me that someone took them all away and he didn't get to play with his new toys anymore...that someone just better be glad they live in Ethiopia, 'cause I'm 'liable to put a butt whoopin' on 'em for takin' my kids toys away! Sorry. I think Redneck Jana came out... (And yeah, that's Lesley and baby Eli, giving the boys their first gifts from us...)


He told me about going to school in the morning at the "other house" and taking a nap when he came home. Up until this point, he has told me he never went to school, but I guess he changed his mind.


He also said Sam cried a lot. This I can believe, which was probably a result of not getting his way. Did I ever tell you that when we picked the boys up at the orphanage the staff laughed at us when we told them we were Edaso's parents? They would say, "Oh, no!" and just laugh and say things in Amharic to each other that we didn't understand. We just decided he must be a handful and they were probably glad to have them off their hands. I can see where they might have thought that...but I just like to think of him as strong willed and now that we have control and consistency, it's usually not a problem!


He also talked about his friends, but can't remember any of their names, even after looking at pictures of them together.


Sam's friendships consisted of guarding the potty so you could have dibs next go round...


I'm not sure if his hesitancy was because he really didn't want to talk about it or because he didn't have the words to express what he wanted to say. I'm sure it was probably a little bit of both. Either way, I'm glad he's talking!

And just a little bonus material I've never made you privy to...you know, like the deleted scenes from a DVD...here is the link to ALL of the pictures I collected from the boys time at the orphanage. Enjoy. There's a lot!

Saturday (8/29)--Homecoming!!

Sometime during the longest flight of my life, it turned into Saturday. And that day was nothing short of how I had imagined it would be for over a year and a half...


Taken by a sweet soul who emailed these to me just today...we had just gotten off the plane and were on a shuttle to the actual airport. Just looking at that picture makes me tired...

We landed in Washington DC around 8:30 am, zoomed through customs and immigration (Praise the Lord!) and went on a mission to find our gate for our flight to Chicago. We were all starving, but a little confused as to whether we should have eaten breakfast or lunch. We opted for lunch since the first thing we came across was a Wendy's...Welcome to America boys!! Sam downed a cheeseburger and a half and totally avoided the fries. (He'll learn soon enough!)
My favorite part of that morning was Kenny leaning back to tell me that Charlie had just exclaimed, "Yes, America!" as we landed in DC. I still get chills just typing it! He was SO excited and despite what we thought, had a pretty good grasp on what was going on. And for some reason, this landing was quite emotional for both Kenny and I...I don't know if it was extreme exhaustion from a 17 hour flight or just the emotions of the whole week coming crashing down, but we both shed our share of tears as the wheels touched down in the great US of A! I really had a hard time holding it together! And to top it off, after being awake for almost 10 hours straight, Sam had decided to drift off to sleep 20 minutes before landing...little stinker!

We had the stewardess on Ethiopian Air tell Charlie before we got off the plane that he had 2 more flights before he got home. Our flight to Chicago was quick and uneventful and the 3 hour lay over seemed to last forever. Sam and I rode the same moving sidewalk back and forth probably about 47 times. And Charlie and Kenny took their share of walks as well to help the time pass.



When we got on the plane to Louisville, we could barely contain Charlie! He was SO excited and kept letting out little yelps of joy! Not to mention he was a wiggle worm...Kenny probably apologized to the lady in front of Charlie 10 times during the 45 minute flight because he was bouncing around so much. And of course, I cried again when we landed in Louisville!

I don't know why, but I was jumbled mess of nervous and anxious as we made our way through the airport with the boys. I was SO excited to have the boys meet all their family and friends and was in desperate need of hugs from several select people! (Mommy, Nicole, etc...) It seemed like we were the only ones in the airport and we could see (and hear!) the crowd as we came down the long hallway! I wanted to run, but since Sam had fallen asleep again, that was out of the question!


It was SOOOOO good to see ALL of your smiling faces as we rounded the corner...I didn't know who to go to first, but y'all solved that problem for me as we were covered in hugs! The boys...well, Charlie...did amazingly well with this big reception! He was passing out hugs left and right to all who wanted them, surprising me and Kenny! Sam, on the other hand, was a little disturbed that we had woken him up (again!) and wasn't quite as happy about the overzealous greetings he was receiving. I personally couldn't have been happier that so many people cared enough to come to the airport on a Saturday night to welcome us home!! We felt so loved and blessed to know that you all cared so much for us and the boys!

There is no way to put all the pics from the airport on here, so if you care, they are ALL HERE... but here's a few of our favorites...


Here we are...We have doubled in size!


Love this! Daddy & Charlie...


Someone gave Sam a sucker...made things better since we had just woke him up...it was, after all, 12 AM in Ethiopia...


Emma kept coming up to me and saying, "Put him down so I can see him!" Poor kid had just waited so long to meet Sam, she couldn't stand that she couldn't see his face!


Eli came to welcome his friends home...Love this since 9 months ago he came home from the same orphanage!

Friday (8/28)

FRIDAY! Despite the fact that we had come to Ethiopia on a long awaited trip to pick up the boys, the new had worn off and we were both MORE than ready to get back home with the them. Fast.

We really didn't do anything on Friday but pack. The boys played outside, watched a movie, played in the room, watched "mekinas" (cars) from the windows...they had really done fabulous all week as we had been confined to a small space.


We forced naps on them in the afternoon (I say forced, because it definitely wasn't done willingly). Our flight didn't leave that evening until 10:15 pm. We had to be at the airport around 6:00. And they were used to going to bed at 8:00 pm...figured it would be a long night...

They both actually did really well...I'm not sure if it was the excitement of all things new or what, but they did fantastic at the airport that night. I took them to the bathroom while Kenny was filling out some paperwork for us and just about couldn't get them out. Imagine taking 2 little boys that have lived in an orphanage for the past 18 months into a bathroom with automatic soap, automatic water, automatic hand dryers...they were in heaven! And we made quite the mess while we were in there...who can resist turning the water on just one more time??!!

We took turns just walking the airport once we got settled. Charlie found the "Duty Free" shop and somehow we ended up with a massive bag of fun size Snickers. The bad part is, neither one of us remember what we did with it after boarding the plane. The good part is, someone took a picture of Sam enjoying his first Snickers...if you can't tell, he is loving it, but picking out the nuts, one by one, and placing them in my hand. We were both quite sticky after this ordeal.


We passed through security about 47 times before we acutally ended up in the area waiting to board the plane. I wish you could have seen the boy's faces the first time they saw the plane. Facinated! They literally sat right in front of Kenny the entire time, just watching. And it was dark, so they could barely see anything. If you can't tell, they are both holding toy airplanes. Those were very instrumental in our trip home and they stayed close by the whole way. (Thanks First Steps!)


Sam passed out as soon as we got on the plane and slept about 7 hours. Charlie finally calmed down around 1:00 am and slept for a while. Kenny & I slept on and off and tried to constantly figure out what meal we were being served. It seemed like every hour they were bringing more food. I can honestly say that was the longest 17 hours of my life......

Thursday (8/27)

Thursday was our last full day in Ethiopia. We had some blankets to deliver to one of the new orphanages that our agency is working with, so we took off that morning in search of the orphanage. Kenny turned around a few minutes after we left the guesthouse and said, "We are crazy!" We had just left with a driver who knew little English and had put him in contact with Endris, who worked at the orphanage, to tell him where to go. We had NO idea where the orphanage was and we were totally depending on the 2 of them to get us where we needed to be. Two different times, we just stopped and sat on the side of the road until our driver's phone rang and then he took off again. Eventually, we actually picked up Endris and headed to the orphanage, but our driver didn't know enough English to be able to tell us that was what we were waiting on the whole time!

The babies were beautiful at the orphanage...and SO tiny!! Some of them only weeks old!



After this first stop, we headed back to KVI to see Dawit! Praise the Lord he was finally there and I got my hands on him! The kids were all awake this time, so I got to take pictures of all the kids. The nurse was so kind to us and the boys while we were there.



After the stops at the orphanages, our driver took us to a traditional Ethiopian market so we could buy a few things (read as: tourist purchases). We stopped at one store front and he hooked us up with Ethiopian artifacts, postcards for Grace and as always, a flag...Kenny has a flag for every country he has visited, so Ethiopia was no exception. Don't ask me what we are going to do with all these flags!

I took a video while we were driving on Thursday, just so you could see the streets of Ethiopia. It's about 5 minutes long and really does no justice to how things look over there. Keep an eye out for the massive scaffolding made only out of tree limbs (that can't be safe!) and also for the huge herd of goats walking down the street. I was shocked by the amount of animals just walking down the streets and didn't understand how they kept up with what goat belong to who, until I noticed one day that they are all spray painted down their backs. I guess that's one what to do it...

Wednesday (8/26)

Wednesday we went to the United States Embassy. My biggest concern was if we would actually GET there! As I said earlier, we were not staying where we initially thought we would be and it seems that they forgot on a regular basis that they had 3 other families at this other guesthouse!! So, I was a little worried that we might not have a driver to get us to the Embassy!

We ended up making it to the Embassy and on time! (No pictures because apparently you can't take ANY pictures near ANY government buildings. Couldn't even have a camera in my bag that day.) They hearded us through several security check points and into a large room where we waited with all the other adoptive famlies from our agency. It was neat to see all the kids that were getting to go home and to see the kids interact...a lot of the older kids obviously knew each other and got to play together one last time before being scattered across the United States!

Our time at the window was short lived and everything went smoothly and according to plan. The paperwork was processed and would be delivered to us Friday morning along with the boys passports and visas. It's really funny to think back now that we all worry so much about that appointment with the Embassy. Obviously, things can go much differently if all the paperwork isn't in place, but if everything is done, it's a quick 5 minutes with an employee of the Embassy and then on your way!

We spent the rest of the day just hanging out at the guesthouse, playing and getting to know our boys better!!




When I took this picture, I said "1...2...3...Smile!" Sam looked at me and said, "...4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!" Ha! Didn't know the kid could count until then!!

Tuesday (8/25)

This was our first full day with the boys! The boys slept well the night before, but I can't say the same for Kenny and I. Sam was coughing ALL night long and while it didn't keep him up, it did me and Kenny. Mainly because I was just worrying about how to take care of him for an entire week before I could get him home!!

We played around the guesthouse in the morning and headed downstairs for lunch, which is where we met Danny, the man who I believe God sent just to us, at just the right time! Danny owned the cafe next to our guesthouse and had spent 15 years in Washington DC, so needless to say, his English was probably better than ours! When we initially met him, Kenny explained a little to him about how sick Sam was. He didn't miss a beat and offered to walk with Kenny down the street to the pharmacy while our food was cooking. Holy cow, we are down the street from a pharmacy??!! Ten minutes and $6 later, Kenny returned with an antibiotic and cough medicine, just like that! No doctor's appointment needed! (Why don't we do that in America??) The pharmacist of course spoke Amharic, but Danny explained to him exactly what was going on with little Sam and he knew exactly what he needed!

Danny also told Kenny a little bit about his heart while they were walking...he really wants to be able to help families while they are in Ethiopia that are adopting! He thinks that adoption is just an amazing thing and can't wait for more families to come over that he can help. He was truly our life saver all week long...for one, he kept us fed GREAT food all week! We didn't go anywhere else to eat all week! He spoiled the boys too, giving them cake after most lunches...which is why they were terribly disappointed to arrive in the United States where mom's kitchen doesn't come complete with fresh baked goodies after every meal! And he was able to help Kenny on more than one occasion with communicating with others that we needed to talk to!

We gave Sam his first dose after lunch and I could tell a difference in him after just one dose!! Imagine what an antibiotic would have done for this kid if he had gotten it 18 months ago!! (Side note: EVERY picture we have of Sam from his time at the orphanage comes complete with a snotty nose! He had probably been sick for a very long time.)

Riding in the car!

That afternoon, we made a trip to Kingdom Vision International Orphanage, which is another orphanage that our agency works with and where many of the kids are that have been referred to our friends here in Louisville. We went to check on these kids, but had a special mission as well...Our friends, the Armstrongs, were expecting their little boy, Dawit, to be transferred from Nazareth and we really wanted to check on him!! He is tiny, tiny...I wish I could post a picture of how cute he is, but same rules apply as did to our boys! Long story short, he was on his way when we arrived, but wasn't going to be there anytime soon. Bummer! (Don't fret, we came back on Thursday JUST to see him!) We hung out for a while, made some new friends, had some coffee and bread and headed back to the guesthouse to get ready for a good night's rest.

Ready for bed...not sure why Sam looks as if he has just seen a ghost!

Embassy appointment was on Wednesday...

Monday (8/24)

The day we've all been waiting for...

We met another family that was working with our orphanage on Monday morning at breakfast, which made us feel better about being at such an unfamiliar place. A driver was to come around 10:00 am to pick us up and go to the orphanage office to fill out paperwork before going to the big kid house to see the boys.

Long story short, the driver didn't come at 10:00 and by the time we did actually make it to the office, the person we were to meet wasn't even there! I kept thinking...we have waited this long, I guess another hour or two won't hurt, but I was super anxious to meet the boys! We hung out a little while with the babies at the orphanage...I just wanted to put them all in my bag and bring them home!! So cute!

We finally got our paperwork completed around 1:30 and hopped in the car to head to the big kid house to meet the boys. I was a big ball of anxious the whole way there. I didn't really know what to expect when we got there, but as we pulled up, they opened the big gate and we hopped out and went in. It was nap time so all the kids were asleep with the exception of the kids being picked up that day. They were all playing on the stairs and in the front of the orphanage...I can only imagine if I was nervous, what Charlie was thinking. Charlie made eye contact with both of us when we walked in and made a bee line down the stairs to Kenny first, then me. We got a hug and a smile that wouldn't stop! I got busy looking around for Sam and found him playing with a ball on the stairs. He could have really cared less that a strange lady had just scooped him up and was giving him huge hugs and kisses and was totally more concerned that he had dropped his ball! Charlie started rattling off something in Amharic to Sam and I can only imagine that he was possibly filling him in on the whole situation! Charlie took our hands and dragged us up the stairs into the orphanage office where we plopped down and proceeded to play for the next couple of hours.


We had brought backpacks with a few goodies in them for the boys and they both put on the backpacks and would hardly take them off the whole time we were there! As soon as Sam got a little more comfortable with me and I got him to sit in my lap, I realized that we probably had a pretty sick little boy. He was SO hot and coughing continuously. You could tell that he just didn't feel good.


The orphanage staff was great and filled out sheets on both the boys with their schedule, favorites, dislikes, etc and even printed us out a phrase sheet with some things that might be helpful to ask the boys. They were able to answer lots of questions and tell us more about the boys and their habits. They also took me around and showed me the orphanage and where the boys ate, slept, etc. They had a coffee ceremony for us before we left, which was my first experience with a tradition that I discovered I'm not very fond of! For one, all the roasting of the coffee beans and the smoke, just made Sam cough more. And secondly, I'm not a big coffee drinker and I'm terribly sorry, but what they call coffee was just plain yucky! Fortunately Kenny was there and after a few forced sips, I could pass on my little saucer to him to finish it off so I didn't look ungrateful! (Thanks Pookie!)



As we got ready to leave, we discovered that a second driver had not arrived like we had expected and that the tiny yellow car that we had arrived in, now needed to get 8 people back to our guesthouse. All 8 of us piled into a car that should have probably only had 4 people in it...and no seat belts, mind you. Who needs a seat belt when you are crammed so tight in a car that you can't move anyway??

I let the tears flow as we put the boys in the car. We looked up and all of their friends we hanging out of the windows yelling, "Bye Nuredin! Bye Edaso!" They were SO stinking cute and just a reminder that all four of our lives were changing forever!


I'll be honest...Monday night may have been one of the hardest nights of my life. We got back to the guesthouse, attempted to find dinner for all four of us (Kenny and I hadn't had a real meal since Wendy's in the DC airport on Saturday) and started the bedtime routine. The boys were actually doing really well with this huge transition, but their mommy had just had a really emotional day and had kept it ALL bottled in and it was just below the surface, ready to come out! Sam did end up having a pretty high fever once we got back and was coughing to the point that he would almost stop breathing because he would gag himself, which would scare him more, causing him to cry and start the coughing all over again. I felt totally and completely helpless because there was absolutely nothing that I could do to help him. No doctor. No meds. No one to tell me what to do. Just Kenny & I with a kid we had just met only getting like half the oxygen he probably needed! Couple this with the fact that I hadn't been able to get in touch with anyone back home and I was really just needed a short contact with America to know that all was going to be okay! (We did eventually get in touch with Nicole around midnight, which did wonders for my "lack-of-America syndrome"!)

The boys slept great the first night, with the exception of Sam's coughing all night, which kept me up, but didn't seem to phase him! (Can't say the same for Kenny since he slept on a tiny love seat, while the boys slept with me...we had requested an extra twin bed for the boys, but received a crib and a bassinet instead! Yeah, right...like they were gonna sleep in that!)

Next day, Tuesday...our first full day with the boys...

Saturday (8/22) & Sunday (8/23)

This was the least exciting part of the trip...at least until we actually got to Ethiopia!

Dwayne took us to the airport on Saturday morning...flight to Chicago and D.C. was uneventful. We did get exit row seats on the way over thanks to Kenny fast talking the flight attendant! Let me tell you though...I don't EVER desire to fly for 16-17 hours straight again! It is miserable to know that you have to sit in they same spot for that many hours! We boarded for our 8:30 pm flight...and didn't get off the plane again until 7:30 pm in Ethiopia...the NEXT day!

Once in Ethiopia, we stood in line for what seemed like an eternity (remember that we are starving at this point due to the stellar airplane food) to obtain our visa's to enter the country. Once through customs, we headed to get our bags and prayed that we would find someone that would be taking us to our guesthouse. We had anticipated finding other families with our agency on the plane ride, but all the adoptive families we talked with were with different agencies, so no luck there. Much to our surprise, we stepped into the sea of Ethiopian faces in the airport lobby to see a tiny sign that said "Cook Family". We decided to claim that as us (although we later questioned whether there could have been other Cook's...).

We had anticipated staying at the Yeka, but we were taken to the Amanaya Guesthouse instead...which is where the confusion set in, since we were not being taken to where we thought we should be. We kinda felt a little bit like we had been swept away in the night and rushed off to a strange and unfamiliar location. The staff at the guesthouse was expecting us, so that made us feel a little bit better.

We tucked in for a good night sleep (yeah, right!) before meeting our boys the next day...

____________________

We just got back from taking the boys to their first appointment with the pediatrician. It went better than I expected, as both the boys were fairly compliant (of course, no shots today, so why wouldn't they be compliant?). We have two pretty healthy little guys!! Dr. Church was impressed. We do have another round of antibiotics for Sam...to finish clearing up what is most likely a combination of allergies, sinus infection and maybe a little bit of pneumonia. He felt like 2.5 was a pretty accurate age for Sam, but like us, feels like Charlie is probably a little older than 5. We will go later in the week for blood work for both boys (should be fun) and a bone scan to see if we can get a more accurate age for him.

We're baaaaack!

Well, I don't really even know where to start...

I really anticipated this being a post full of info, but jet lag is REALLY kicking in and I'm having a really hard time keeping my eyes open, so this will be short!

We are back in Kentucky, Praise the Lord! Never thought I could be so happy to be in good 'ol Taylorsville, KY!

I think I'm going to debrief by going day by day through our trip and let you know how things went (complete with pictures...aren't you excited??) ...I'm doing that as much for me and our memories of the trip as I am for your own nosiness! :) But you will have to wait until tomorrow for me to begin...


First family photo...at the orphanage...(Note that the staff put them in the shirts that we sent over back in February!)

And a huge thanks to Nicole, blog-updater-extraordinaire and one of the best friends a girl could ask for! Although, I do take offense to her comment about my "extended" writing style...I just have lots of words to say!! Thanks again for keeping everyone in the loop! You are the best!



More later...night, night...

One last note from Nicole

They are home. I can't even find the words to describe what it was like seeing them for the first time. They are beautiful and perfect. When Charlie put his little arms around my neck, wow. It was so much better than all of the times I have imagined that moment over the past months.

I'll turn the blog back over to Jana now. She'll be so proud of me, I've updated hers more in the past week than I have mine in the past 2 months!!

Nicole

On their way home!

I just spoke with Jana. They are in line at customs in Washington, D.C. The plane was late coming in, so she's a little nervous about making the next flight to Chicago. Pray that everything moves quickly in Washington!

They are sooo grateful to have the longest part of the trip behind them. Charlie did fine. Sam slept for the first seven hours or so, but was awake and very active the rest of the time. He just fell asleep again about 20 minutes before they landed. Right now he is sound asleep on Jana.

We lost a signal. She texted that she will call me back when they make it through customs. I did have time to ask her about their ages and sizes. Sam is wearing the 3T stuff she took, but could easily wear at 2T. She had exchanged their shoes for larger ones before she left because she kept getting reports that they were bigger than she'd been led to believe, and the shoes are too big! She feels like Sam is 2. Charlie's shoes are too big, too. We were talking about his clothes when I lost her. She does think he's older than 5, and he seems convinced he's 7. He's not big, but is very, very smart. He keeps surprising them with the amount of English he knows, and can read!

Here's my favorite part so far: As they were landing, Charlie looked out the plane window and said, in english, "yes, America!".

I'll post again when I talk to her.

Nicole

Good News From Jana Today

I spoke with Jana's mom earlier today, and she had just gotten a call from Jana. The embassy appointment went perfectly. Everything was exactly the way they wanted it, so they are cleared to leave as scheduled.

Sam is doing better. He still has a cough, but the medicine has helped. Both of the boys already had a doctor's appointment scheduled ASAP, so they'll be relieved to have Sam seen and checked out.

Jana is going to call me from Washington, DC on Saturday morning. If there are any delays, she'll let me know then. Otherwise, they will arrive at Lou International at 6 p.m. on Saturday night. As soon as I hear from her, I'll post an update.

Just to let you know what a big deal this is in our house . . .

Tonight as we put our girls to bed (Grace (8) and Emma (4), for those of you who don't know us), Grace started talking about mummies. I couldn't even begin to explain why in the world she was talking about mummies to her four year old sister at bed time, but she was. In a quick attempt to redirect Emma's little mind to happier things, her daddy told her to have good dreams about our trip to Disney World and all of the wonderful things we are going to do there. She smiled, then told her daddy she'd rather think about seeing Charlie and Sam.

Yeah, I'm crying a little. Come on, when meeting these two sweet boys becomes a bigger deal to a four year old girl than going to Disney World, that's pretty amazing. And, I couldn't agree more.

I'll update again Saturday!

Nicole

A Note From Jana

Praise the Lord...I have never been so happy to have internet!!

We are doing good. Kenny & I are exhausted...feeling the time difference and jet lag! The boys are great!! Meeting them yesterday was incredible...Nuredin saw us the minute we walked in and ran towards Kenny!! Edaso took a little while longer to warm up, but is already calling me "mama"! Makes all the tired okay! :) We have one very sick little boy...Edaso has been running a rever, lots of coughing, nose running, diarrhea, vomiting...the whole nine yards! The orphanage told us he has asthma...and I totally agree...this kid needs a breathing treatment ASAP! Praise the Lord for Danny...a friend at the cafe next door who speaks very good English and took Kenny to a pharmacy earlier today where were able to get an antibiotic and cough medicine! I can already tell a difference in him! Last night I just sat and held him while he coughed all night long and I cried because I couldn't do anything to help him! :) Nuredin is a very shy kiddo...but VERY smart! Knows LOTS of English, can write English words and I think that he can actually read a few too!! He picks up very fast on everything! Nicole, he is gonna have a blast on the power wheels and 4-wheeler! I've been pushing him around outside on an old toy tractor...and I'm ready for something with a motor!! The boys are outside playing now with Kenny on what you could consider a playground! : ) They are having fun at least!
Pray tomorrow...we go to our Embassy appointment at 1:30! My biggest fear is that we will actually get there...some confusion with the drivers! (We are not actually at the Yeka...so it seems they are forgetting that HOPE has 3 families here as well!!)

We are doing good, but I believe we are ready to come home! Love Ethiopia, but missing Kentucky lots right now! :) Just ready to get these two boys home to everyone who loves them there! I have two little smiles looking over my shoulder who are ready for dinner...need to run! See you all Saturday...don't know if I'll be able to have internet again!

Love all of you! Miss all of you!!

Kenny, Jana, Nuredin & Edaso

The Latest News . . . FINALLY!

I just got to talk with Jana. They have not been able to make calls or send emails, so they knew we would all be worried!

They have the boys! Jana said that the moment they entered the orphanage, Charlie was coming down the stairs. He saw recognized them immediately and ran straight to Kenny! What a moment!!! I'm still crying just thinking about it! It took Sam a little longer to make the connection, but both boys were very excited and ready to leave with Mom and Dad.

The most immediate prayer need is for Sam. He is running a fever and has a bad cough. In nearly every picture we've seen of him he has had a runny nose, so we figured he probably has allergy problems. Most likely he has a sinus infection, ear infection, or bronchitis, or something that wouldn't be that big a deal here. But right now all they can do is give him Tylenol to help with the fever, and get him home as soon as possible. How blessed we are to live in a country where we can take our kids to the doctor so easily, and have access to medicines to treat things like this. Please pray for healing for Sam. Jana was having her first "mommy" cry, just feeling helpless because she can't help him. Pray for Jana and Kenny as they care for him, and for Charlie, that he will stay well.

The boys fell right off to sleep tonight, and except for Sam's coughing, were sleeping well.

By the way, as of right now, the boys don't yet know their new names. They are still going by Nuredin (Charlie), and Edasso (Sam).

Other than the sickness, the transition seems to be going well. Everything is still on schedule for their return. Their flight arrives at 6:00 p.m. Saturday night at Louisville International. Yes, you are all welcome to be there. Come, take pictures, bring "welcome home" signs, and tissues! Just keep in mind that the boys may be a little overwhelmed, so don't be surprised if they are a bit shy.

That's all I have for now. Just keep praying for them, especially for Sam.

Love to all of you,

Nicole

Update from Nicole . . .

This will be an adjustment for those of you who are used to Jana's writing style! It takes her about a thousand words to say what I can say in ten. :) JUST JOKING, JANA!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

They arrived in Chicago about noon our time. Jana didn't really seem impressed. Her only response was that there were a lot of weird people around, and that she had to go through security in her bare feet! Yuck.

Then it was on to Washington, DC. There was a big layover there, so they had time to get something to eat. Apparently Kenny struck up a conversation with another set of adoptive parents traveling to get their kids, too. I think the rest of their time was filled with taking pictures of the world's largest carton of cigarettes, and post card shopping for Grace (she's a collector).

The highlight of this leg of the trip for Kenny is that they were the first to arrive at the gate to their flight in Washington, so they got "dibs" on the good seats. He chose the ones on the emergency exit aisle. At least for the next 16 hours they'll have more leg room than most everyone else on the plane! Go, Kenny!


They should arrive in Ethiopia shortly after noon our time. As soon as I know they have arrived, I'll update again. Keep praying!!!!!!

And we're off...

The list is complete. Well, except for two minor details that really had no actual bearing on our trip, but I really wanted to get done before we left. But, none the less, the windows will be here, waiting to be cleaned upon my arrival back home...

The bags are packed...all four of them. And all weighing in under 50 pounds each! I'm impressed! I am a notorious OVER-packer...and proud of it, too! But I think I controlled my over-packing tendencies and did a pretty good job this time around. I'm actually only taking 3 pairs of shoes! I probably over-packed more for the boys, but feel I should be given grace on this since I've never actually seen them and don't know exactly what size clothes will fit them best.

The basement playroom is finished...er, functional. The finishing details, such as baseboards, touch up paint, adding the columns still need to be completed, but that can be done later. A whole team of folks worked fast and furious all day on Tuesday, and by that evening, it was complete! A HUGE thanks to all who helped!!



We are leaving bright and early in the morning...headed to the Windy City, next stop DC, then on to Rome with a final stop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia sometime late on Sunday night. We will get to see the boys on Monday morning.........

I just have to let that sink in. It still doesn't quite seem real. This time since May 18, 2008 has been the longest 15 months ever, but on the other hand, has flown by. We saw their faces for the first time on December 1, 2008. And on August 24, 2009, I will give them the biggest hug they've ever had!!

How you can pray for us...

Safe travels! We have both been overseas before, but this is my first time to Africa. Safety as we change planes, travel from city to city and as we drive around Addis. If it's like any other international city I've been to, they don't really abide by any traffic laws. Makes for interesting rush hour!

Transition. The boys should be coming with us on Monday afternoon, but keep in mind that although they will be leaving with Mom & Dad, we are still virtually strangers to them. Pray that they bond well, know that we are safe, and transition well to being a part of the Cook family! As crazy as we all are...

Sleep and rest for all of us! Our bodies will be experiencing an eight hour time change...one that is sure to rock our worlds and turn our schedules upside down. I'm not found of losing sleep...something I'm sure will happen lots over the next...oh, 18 years or so.

Embassy appointment on Wednesday, August 26th. This is basically what our entire trip revolves around. And while I'm still not sure what to expect on Wednesday, I know that whatever we do, paperwork and all, has to happen in order for the boys to come home with us. Pray that all paperwork is correct, in place and that it's a smooth process.

Health! I've have had a massive sinus infection and am still getting over it. Although I feel tons better, I'm a little concerned that my head may explode due to the pressure of being on an airplane. That could get a little messy, so just pray for a pain free ride and that my antibiotic continues to do its job!

The blog will hopefully but updated, pending my contact with Nicole in the USA. I hope to get in some emails, texts, etc to let you guys know how it's going, but for now...

I'm signing off...

Controlled Chaos: revisited

I reference my earlier post about Controlled Chaos when I show you these pictures...maybe it's not so controlled after all. Although, I know where EVERYTHING is!



A little bit of Target, Walmart & Toys R Us has thrown up at my house, as well as generous boxes of hand-me-down clothes, which we are ever so grateful for! I'm sorting, washing, packing and putting up all in anticipation of the boys fast approaching arrival.

Here's a little run down of whats going on...

Kenny is currently putting together several storage/toy boxes and has just began wrestling the sand and water table! (All courtesy of my friends at First Steps! Thanks guys!!) From the sounds of things, the sand and water table may be winning... Kenny also just told me that I'm completely delusional in my efforts to keep things organized once the boys come home. I'm taking that as a challenge...and I will not fail!

Plane tickets are booked, delivered and in hand!! And the passports have been found too! (Thank goodness!) Bags are in the process of being packed, although currently, it's just a bunch of piles.

The big Walmart trip...you know, the one you have to make before you take any kind of trip...was made today. $112 later and I hope I got it all! I did have a few precarious moments in the "Ethnic Hair Care" aisle, where I didn't quite know what to do with myself. Fortunately, no one saw me trying to pretend that I knew what I was doing and I only received minimal unsure glances during checkout. I did follow a Caucasian woman and two little brown boys up and down several aisles trying to work up the courage to ask her what she used, but she was having enough trouble with what I will only assume was the terrible two's to deal with me and my uncertainty over my ethnicity! But I can now say I have purchased hair mayonnaise (Thanks Tera!)...

The basement turned playroom is almost complete!! Thanks to many family & friends who have lended us helping hands in finishing this project...it will be functional by tomorrow evening after the last coat of paint is applied, lights are installed and the carpet is laid! I hope the boys will enjoy it...because I'm SO ready for it to be done!

I have a to-do list that's impossibly long, but is helping to control my adoption-induced ADD tendencies. I marked several big things off today and will continue tomorrow! I love lists!

The count down continues...I imagine that next week will look totally different for us...

Controlled Chaos...sorta...

I have decided that I have adult-onset ADD...or maybe it's adoption-onset. Either way, I'm driving myself nuts!

I start a task, only to be reminded of another task that needs to be done, start that task, only to think of yet something else I need to do...and the cycle goes on and on...and before I know it, I have 47 "projects" going on and not a single one of them complete! I did better yesterday, actually getting several things marked off my to-do list...most importantly, getting the boys almost packed! Yahoo!

I don't know what to blame it on...because now that I think about it, this is always how I've worked. I was just used to my ADD tendencies being confined to a desk. Now I'm ADD all over an entire house. I apparently need to be confined in order to get anything done.

Getting back to work...I'm painting, packing, doing laundry and cleaning...whatever I have to do to keep myself busy until I can wrap my arms around these two!!


...Brotherly Love!!

"Hello! My name is ___________."

Recently I've been reading up on naming children who have been adopted...giving new names, changing names, keeping given names...all the different options and opinions. (Really, I've just been following a heated debate on an relatively annoying Yahoo group about Ethiopia adoptions.) But none the less, its been something that has been on my mind lately...specifically wondering what the boys may think of the addition to their names.

We have chosen to keep the boy's given names as their middle names, preserving part of their history and culture. And are giving them first names that we have chosen that have significance and importance to us, passing on part of their new family heritage.

When we return home, their legal names will be [Given Ethiopian Name] Kenneth Cook, following the way that Ethiopians name their children...giving them a name and using the father's name as the child's middle name. One thing I have failed to do though, is to use their Ethiopian names as often, because most of you aren't even aware of their Ethiopian names.


As Charles Nuredin & Samuel Edasso become a forever part of the Cook Family, I hope they truly understand and appreciate both of their names. And whether they chose to go by Nuredin & Edasso or Charlie & Sam, I can have peace knowing that they haven't been stripped of their Ethiopian heritage and that we are also passing on a piece of their new family heritage as well.

The following is a quote from the group I mentioned earlier, but one I feels sums up the debate very well...

"While we all want to celebrate and continue our Ethiopian children's culture, and we are right to do that, at the same time we should not be ashamed to celebrate and honor our own at the same time. Not only are our families becoming multicultural but our child is as well. He/She is joining us in the American traditions ...tradition we also hold dear. Not only will our country be a melting pot but our living room will as well. In the case of adding an American name to an Ethiopian name--what better way to acknowledge this new brave rich life the child is embarking on?"

Well said.