8 Months Old

Kad is 8-months old today!

I woke up this morning a little sad that this is yet another little milestone that we're not able to share with our Little Guy, but then I realized....this is THE LAST little milestone that we will miss -- because, we leave for Ethiopia one week from today!!

I never want to forget exactly how I feel in these days leading up to our trip. I am excited, anxious, exhausted, and a little stressed about the details to be honest. I find myself second guessing each little decision I've made....what formula to take, what brand of diapers to buy, what type of bottles to use.

Its also started to sink in that, from this day forward, my trips to Target will look like this:



Oh, how our lives are about to change!

The only thing that makes the anxious feelings go away is when I close my eyes and think about THAT MOMENT...the one when Mike and I are standing in an orphanage room and a nanny comes down the hall and hands me this sweet, tiny, beautiful 8-month old baby boy...my baby boy!

Dreaming about THAT MOMENT makes all of the anxiety melt away and turn to pure joy.

...and THAT MOMENT is only a week away!

What have we been doing??

We've been doing this:






Because...

WE LEAVE FOR ETHIOPIA IN 10 DAYS!!!!

Oh...and it gets better...I have absolutely no idea how long I'll be there!

Since Kad's been so sick, our international pediatrician has stressed that he needs to be removed from the orphanage environment as soon as possible. His little immune system just can't handle some of the viruses & infections that inevitably get passed around. The only way to help him get healthy is to stay in Ethiopia between our court appointment and our embassy appointment so he can stay with us in our guest house. So, that's exactly what we're going to do!

Since it could take up to three months to pass court and get cleared by the U.S. Embassy, I'm going to stay in Ethiopia with Kad while Mike comes back home and finishes preparing for Kad's arrival (besides, one of us has to make a living!). He'll fly back to Ethiopia once we get our embassy appointment scheduled (which we're PRAYING is much faster than expected). Then, we'll fly home together as a family of three!

I never thought I would potentially be spending the entire summer in Ethiopia, but there is no place on Earth that I would rather be!

Status Update

Oh my...I have sat in front of this computer screen so many times to write this week but as soon as I get a post drafted, things change and start going in an entirely different direction. So, I'm going to attempt to fill you in on the current status with us and with Kad.

First, Kad is sick. Really sick. He was admitted to the hospital on Easter Sunday and he's still there. His little immune system is just so weak that he can't fully recover from one illness, infection or virus before he gets ANOTHER illness, infection or virus. Our little guy has been through a lot, but EVERY DAY he proves that he's a fighter, and he has given us such perspective on what it means to be strong and courageous.

Of course, when he gets hospitalized it sparks a flurry of activity. This is pretty much the routine (which we sadly know all too well!):

Step 1: Our wonderful agency coordinator, Kim, calls to tell us he's sick and gives us a brief overview from the nurse on his status

Step 2: Kim forwards us an email from Kad's doctor in Ethiopia detailing his symptoms and initial diagnosis

Step 3: We forward the email to our international pediatrician in Cincinnati

Step 4: Our pediatrician calls / emails with comments, questions & requests for various tests

Step 5: We call our coordinator to pass along our pediatrician's feedback

Step 6: She contacts his doctor in Ethiopia to share the information. He then gives her Kad's current status (which has usually changed drastically from the initial information)

Step 7: Our coordinator calls us to give us the new information

....and the cycle repeats and repeats and repeats.

As you can imagine, its like the telephone game only with medical terms in two languages. Couple that with the emotional impact of learning how sick your child is on the other side of the globe, and it adds up to EXHAUSTED PARENTS!

We are so grateful to have so many friends, family and perfect strangers PRAYING for our little boy and for our family. We can tell you with absolute certainty that your prayers are being answered!

The good news is that we are closer than ever to meeting our little boy. We can't share details yet, but as soon as plans get a little more clear I'll fill you all in! In the meantime, please continue to pray for little Kad and for his doctors here and in Ethiopia who are making decisions on his treatment and for the people here and in Ethiopia who are making decisions on our case.

Stay tuned..things are about to get REALLY exciting!