Rainbows and Roses

Here's the funny thing about that saying....

We assume it means all is beautiful and lovely and wonderful.

But rainbows?   Don't exist without at least a little rain. and often times a LOT of rain.

And roses? Well the rule of thumb is that most roses have thorns. An old German Proverb says "Instead of complaining that the rosebush is full of thorns, be happy that the thornbush has roses." 


So to say that life has been full of rainbows and roses since bringing Marvel home is probably completely accurate.....


We just also aren't lacking in rain and thorns.


Our great moments have been documented well in photos. Swimming with his old friend (they lived together in the orphanage). Baking a cake. Snow cones on a hot day.

But our rainy moments? Have mainly only been documented by a lack of sleep (please no newborn comments...trust me, it's not the same as working through fear with a child from a hard place), referring often to the Adoption Bible, a plethera of hard boiled eggs, and leaving places-- that (by chance) became over-stimulators-- before a meltdown was imminent.

One thing that has become overwhelmingly evident to us. Fear is a powerful motivator. It can bully our children into poor behavior.  And it often throws our children into fight, flight, or freeze mode (most of the time our child lands in "freeze" mode"). 

But in the midst of the thorns are a few roses.  While it breaks my heart that fear of abandonment causes my child to panic at night, I am thankful that he feels safe with us.  While I hate "freeze mode" with an eternal passion, the rainbow is that he is getting better and better at self-regulating and getting through those moments.  He's learning to accept that small displeasures don't mean he ONLY deals with displeasure. He's learning to accept "No" better because it's surrounded by a thousand yeses. And we're learning that he's a brave, Brave boy. Making us confident that he'll be able to get through this with our help and that nighttime won't be scary and uncertain but a place of rest and peace. For everyone.


So, yes, Adoption is full of rainbows and roses...but don't let that fool you into thinking we don't deal with our share of storms and thorns.  And don't let the rain and thorns blind your eyes to beauty of redemption and love and adoption.


Because, while it's true, we grow weary of  storms and thorns?

We often also, end up thanking God that rainbows are so awe-inspiring and roses, so beautiful and fragrant.

Rest, Beloved One.

We're Home!

We're finally home as a family of three!

Everyone is doing really well, minus the sickness recovery (me) and system overload (Marvel)!

But overall it's been a beautiful week (in ET) together and we're excited to finally be home!

Here's what Marvel the Genius is up to now:


He is currently about 36 lbs and 41" tall

So far, consistently he says "Mommy", "Daddy", "Yes", and "No" but he'll repeat just about anything and has enjoyed mimicking his new "Leaptop" toy and Dora the Explorer.


Side-note: Yes, I know I have joined the masses of parents that use t.v. to babysit their children but please know all I have eaten in the last 3 days is rice. givemeabreakplease. =)

He's slept pretty well and even wanted to sleep in his own room last night (he slept either in our room or in our bed the whole time in ET) but ended up in our bed at about 4:30am. Not too shabby  I'd say!

He's not terribly fond of American food but here's what we know he likes now:
* Grapes
* Canteloupe
* Rice
* Bread
* Bananas
* Applesauce


Notice what's missing? Yeah. We haven't found a protein that he will eat yet (except beef jerky) but we're trying steak tonight, so hopefully that will change today! =)


He's been really energetic today so even though I had originally planned for a couple days of recoup, I think we'll end up on a walk or at the swingsets tomorrow to help shed some of that energy off!

Thank you all for your prayers! We are feeling so blessed right now and are just enjoying getting to know our sweet Marvel!


Coming soon, a post on how we entertained a 4 1/2 year old during one week in Ethiopia and 22 hours of travel and the words we love to use around the house now! =)


Love to you all!

The Great Room Reveal

So I am finally finished with Marvel's room and I am so excited about it! I've been *planning* this room for almost 6 months and it all started with a scrap of fabric I saw! I fell in love and so came the "Robot Room"!!!

The bed is the Kura Bed from Ikea, we painted it blue and I painted the side panels with chalkboard paint. I also "mod-podged" the bedding fabric onto the front panel! Because it was a loft bed, I had decided to turn the bottom into every little boy's dream...a fort! I used felt and clear vinyl and hung it with a tension rod!  When it was finished I was In Love! I could see the start of my vision coming to life!!

The reading corner was a Pinterest discovery! I took rain gutters and cut them into 24" measurements, painted them and hung them on the wall! They are sturdy and can hold a TON of books! Definitely my most creative aspect of the room =)

The Robot vinyl on the wall is from This Store on Etsy!  The dresser was a $5 garage sale find that we painted using Annie Sloan paints and bought These knobs from Olive Kids! Loved how it came to life when it was removed from its old wood + brass handles suffering! ;-))

Finally, the accents were all fun to do...the rug, the buckets of art supplies in the "art corner", the bunting on the wall!

I am so happy with it and can't wait to bring my sweet boy home and show him his amazing room!

And the husband got his one wish.

I didn't paint the walls turquoise. ;-)

P.S.

Did I mention we cleared Embassy?

No?

Because we did!! And in a matter of days (DAYS!!) we will be on a plane to bring home our sweet Marvel forever!

In fact? We have NOTHING left to do (less gathering a few documents for the trip) in the short-run except show up for Embassy and get our son!

Finished.

Finito.

Die Ende.

The End.


And so... the truest of all countdown begins.

9 days and counting!!

Sweetest face in the whole world.
I'll beat up anyone who suggests otherwise! ;-)

Ethiopia Part II

During our trip to Ethiopia, we were blessed to have the opportunity to travel to the region Marvel was originally from. It was a beautiful 5 hour drive that allowed us to see so much more of Ethiopia than just the Capital city of Addis Ababa. While the trip proved to be emotionally trying, we are so thankful we took the that opportunity!!! Here are a few pictures of our trip to Awassa.

On our way out of Addis..Lots of hardworking, beautiful women!

Donkeys are still a common form of goods-transportation

Thatch roof huts set back away from the road. Tried to get pictures
but they were never very close to the road

Huts behind their own "privacy fence" =)

These beautiful red/orange trees were in full bloom and completely breathtaking!

yep...This is exactly what it looks like. Camels crossing the road!

Our driver told us that Ethiopia (this region) breeds Camels
and sells them to Arab countries. Very Interesting indeed!

Beautiful view of Lake Awassa from the Haile Resort
(Resort is owned by a famous runner Haille Gebrselassie)

The resort we stayed at was incredibly nice. Surprisingly nice, in fact

A beautiful natural creek that we fell in love with! If you look
close, you can see women washing clothes in the distance!

And finally, our driver had to make a stop for some meat for his father.
This is how you buy meat in Ethiopia =)

During our time in Ethiopia. we made it a point to go visit Marvel at least every day...this trip actually took two days out of that equation. But the benefit of meeting some incredibly special people, seeing so much of the Ethiopian countryside and learning bits and pieces of our son's early life was valuable beyond words.

As much as it pained me to know that we wouldn't be able to visit him these days, I know that as he gets older, the information we were able to get will bring so much more than those two visits would have!!

We're coming to get you soon, Sweet Boy!