Picture

I tried taking a picture of Makenna this morning wearing an adorable dress which Maya also wore at the same age. I don't think Makenna was in the mood. What do you think?

Some of My Favorite Recent Pictures

We took Maya across the street from our house to ice skate last weekend and she actually really enjoyed it. Maya is very timid about this stuff and it helped that her good friend happened to be ice skating at the same time!

We bundled up Makenna and she enjoyed a casual sled ride around the ice as well as a few trips inside the warming house. She actually fell asleep in the sled.

Makenna loves her new jumping thing - what's the name again? Oh well...we got a great deal on it from Craig's List and she loves it.

Maya and I made "pink" cupcakes for Maya to take to sch0ol on her birthday. They were a big hit and all the kids in the 2 and 3 year old room enjoyed them. See everyone, I really did make the cupcakes!

A few weekends ago we took the kids sledding. Well Maya went sledding and Makenna hung out in the warming house. Maya is not an outdoor gal and doesn't like to take risks but she had a great time.

This one is just a sweet picture of Makenna. She is a tough cookie to make smile but we did get a few smiles out of her. I just love this one.

Happy 3rd Birthday Maya!

Today is Maya's 3rd birthday!  Where did the time go?  I remember the day we met her which was 2 1/2 years ago to the day.  She was just a baby learning how to sit up, crawl, and discover.  Now she is this beautiful girl who talks a mile a minute, has a mind of her own, and extremely strong-willed.  I love her.  I love her with all my heart.  She is my baby and she is now 3! 

We celebrated the occasion with a princess/gymnastics party for a few of Maya's friends.  Everyone had a blast jumping, dancing to music, and trying out all the fun equipment.  Maya smiled the entire time!  After an hour of play, the kids enjoyed cupcakes, ice cream, and juice.  Maya loved blowing out her candles and opening her gifts.  She is one lucky little girl.  Today Maya is celebrating once again, at her daycare with all of her friends.  She wanted to bring pink cupcakes with pink frosting for her birthday treat.  What she got was pink cupcakes, white frosting, and lots of pink sprinkles!

Happy Birthday Maya.  We love you!!!!

 


 

EKC Mehaber, Adoption Announcements, and More!

Will you be going to the annual EKC Mehaber on July 10th in St. Paul, MN? For more information about the event go here. It looks like it is going to be a great event this year and I'm excited. We have attended the past two years and have enjoyed it very much. It is a great way to meet up with friends, shop at the Merkato, watch some traditional Ethiopian dancing and of course eat some yummy traditional Ethiopian food.

One of the sponsors of the event is Salem, dear child. I have never heard of them until now. They have some amazing products for sale including some Ethiopian baby announcements! I just love this one.

They have t-shirts, announcements, life books, poems, and so much more. You can find all of the Ethiopia products here. As a side note, they do have many other products as well not just adoption. Pretty cool site.

Which Dress Won?

Thank you everyone for your input. What it came down to is which one looked the best on Makenna. Both girls looked absolutely adorable in their dresses and matching hair bands. I can't wait to see the pictures and to post them!

P.S. all the dresses are from Target!

What a Morning!

My morning started out bright and early thanks to Maya waking up shortly after 6:00 am. Technically I should had been up already working out but my body didn't want to move when the alarm sounded at 5:30 am. Thankfully Maya was happy this morning and cooperated which is rare these days. We then went downstairs and Maya decided to be a normal toddler. As I was busy washing dishes, Maya wanted some fruit snacks and climbed on top of the stool next to the fruit snack cupboard. I convinced her not to have any so she turned to my laptop instead. Well...my tall glass of water was next to my laptop and guess what happened next? Yep, you guessed right. Maya bumped my water glass on to my computer! Dave helped me out and we managed to clean up the water from the floor, counter top, stool, cupboards, and what we could off the computer. So now my computer is "drying out" and I am hopeful it will work. Until then, I am stuck using Dave's computer with the split keyboard (yuck).

When my computer is up and running, I will post some pictures from this past weekend: ice skating across the street from our house with friends and celebrating Maya's 3rd birthday. It is hard to believe my baby girl is 3 on Thursday. Where did the time go???

Question

Over the past week, I have been working on my online photo book of our trip to Ethiopia.  It made me think of a baby book for adoption.  When I brought Maya home 2+ years ago, I actually tried to find an adoption baby book but came up empty handed.  I didn't even try finding one for Makenna as I naturally assumed there was nothing out there.  So I guess my question is has anyone been able to find an adoption baby book?  If so, where?  I'd love to know as I would love to have one for each of my girls.  If you weren't able to find one, did you make one yourself and what did you do? 

Please share!

Cast Your Vote!

I need your help! The girls are having their pictures taken in a few days and I can not decide on the outfits!

Well I know Maya will be wearing this:

And Makenna will be wearing one of these dresses:
So I need your help - which one do you think looks the best? #1 or #2?


Please vote by leaving a comment as I am not very technology savvy or I would have created voting buttons. Thank you!!!!!!

Our Thoughts About Traveling to Ethiopia

We have been asked several questions by several people about being in Ethiopia. Of course we are no experts but we are happy to help anyway we can. Here are some questions we have been asked and our thoughts.

1. How much money to exchange?
   I guess that depends on what your agenda is for the week, how many days you are in country, and what the requirements are from your adoption agency or accommodations (hotel, guest home, etc.). We recommend you convert more than you need as it can be difficult to exchange money while you are there and the banks are not open on the weekends. To give you an idea, to hire a driver all day would be around 60 USD. An Ethiopian painting would be around 200 Birr , and an authentic Ethiopian soccer jersey is about 600 Birr. We converted enough money to pay for any shopping, dinners, and for our accommodations (which included any dinners at the guest house, drivers, and laundry service). Remember you can convert it back to USD at the airport if needed.
2. Where do we recommend for people to stay?
   We had the best experience at the Ethiopian Guest Home (EGH) and highly recommend it. You can click here to read all about it and how it got started. We have never stayed at any of the hotels but I hear the Hilton and Sheridan are very nice.
3. How did we get around the city?
   Thankfully the EGH has drivers. We just had to let the receptionist know what time we needed a driver and they arranged it for us.
4. Is it safe to eat out and were we worried about getting sick?
   Yes it is okay to eat out as long as you understand what is okay to eat. For example, I would never get an apple with its skin on as it very well could have been washed with tap water versus bottle water. As long as the food is cooked and isn't something that is cleaned with tap water or grows in the ground like lettuce, you should be fine. It is best to talk to your doctor before you leave and get a prescription for travelers diarrhea.
5. What kind of things did we do while in country?
   If you have read our blog posts recapping our trip (see our January 2010 blog posts), you have a good idea of all the things we did while in Ethiopia. The main reason for our trip was to bring home our daughter Makenna but we did do many things outside of the adoption (Kolfe Orphanage, Korah Leper Colony, shopping, etc.). If possible, we highly recommend getting out of the city and seeing the countryside as Ethiopia is absolutely beautiful. Some things to do while in Addis are visiting the National Museum, shopping, Lion's Zoo, and Traditional dinner/dancing.
6. What to pack?
   I made the mistake of packing way too much our first trip and thinking I could style my hair like I do at home. For our second trip, we packed light and had our laundry done while in Ethiopia (EGH has a laundry service). I kind of felt like it was camping but on a good day as you do have water, electricity, and the possibility of styling the hair (as long as you have the right converters). If you are bringing home a child then be sure to pack what you need but you can buy formula and diapers at any supermarket for a reasonable amount. Personally, I feel it is best to keep the infants on the same formula until you get home so I recommend purchasing it once you arrive in country.
7. Other tips and advice?
   If you are traveling with an infant, I highly recommend bringing a baby bjorn with you or something like it as it will save you while traveling though all the airports. For toddlers bring an umbrella stroller. I would also recommend bringing some snacks along with you especially something with protein (nuts, protein bars, etc.). You can certainly stop at a grocery store while in country but it may be easier to pack a few snacks with you. Last but not least - only drink bottle water!

I hope this helped those reading this post and waiting to travel to Ethiopia for your first time. We love to talk about Ethiopia and help answer any questions so feel free to ask away. Again, we are no experts but are happy to help. If anyone has anything to add, please do so!

Guess Who Likes Carrots?

 
Hmm...Makenna had the biggest smile during meal-time today.  It melted my heart as her personality is starting to shine. 

Two More Weeks

Last night I realized in two weeks I go back to work.  I have mixed feelings.  In a way, I am relieved to be going back to a job that I love and to know that I will be contributing to my family financially.  The other part of me feels guilty about going back and sad to be sending both of my children off to daycare.  I am going to miss my laid back days and my snuggle time with Makenna.

So many things I am going to miss...

• waking up later (if you call 6:30 am later)
• feeding Makenna
• snuggling  and playing with Makenna
• getting stuff done that is usually only done on weekends such as laundry
• connecting with other mommies through blogging on a more frequent basis
• tuning into the Today show
• running errands with include appointments during the day without having to ask my manager to leave early or feel guilty if my lunch hour runs over by a few minutes
• catching a few minutes of the Ellen show (my new favorite)
• wearing sweats versus dress pants
• Did I mention my cuddle time with Makenna?

Although I am going to miss so much of my current days, I do have 2 weeks left at home.  I plan to make the most of them and try to enjoy every minute.  I must admit, I had a tough couple of weeks after we arrived home from Ethiopia.  I really don't think people talk about it but I think I had or maybe still have a little of PAD (post adoption depression).  I absolutely love Makenna but it has been hard adjusting to two kids with one that is a stranger to me.  It has been hard not feeling that I am able to get out of the house, be a perfect  housekeeper, seeing and talking to my friends, being able to take time for myself such as a hot shower and exercising, and just live as I knew it before we left for Ethiopia.  With that said, I am adjusting one day at a time.  I finally feel more like myself this past week and it feels great.  I can tell I am a happier person, a better wife and mother, and more patient.  I can think with my head versus my feelings which is a good thing for me! 

I found an article that talks about PAD.  If you are interested, you can read it here.  I would love to know if anyone else felt the way I do or am I the only one?  It is something that people talk about?  How does someone go about adjusting to a new child in their family.  Any tips?

Adoption Playgroup

Thursday evening we hung out at the children's museum at Yunker Farm with our adoption playgroup. Maya had a blast playing with all of her friends especially her good buddy Solomon. Makenna seemed to enjoy herself by watching all the excitement while staying super close to me in the baby Bjorn. However, I think Dave had the most fun with Solomon's dad Jared. Look at these big kids. They were playing rough with other boys by throwing balls at them. It was really funny and I love the action shot.

Makenna and I hanging out...

and of course Maya had fun playing with all sorts of fun stuff


Thank you to Nicole for another fun playgroup!

Tried Again

Oh my...one of these days I'll get a picture of my two girls together both looking at the camera smiling.  One day...






Okay, the picture below is kind of cute.  I'll take it.

Announcements

Let's talk baby announcements. I'm not sure about you, but I like to find cute affordable baby announcements where I can buy a large quantity and send to all of our friends and family. When I began searching for the perfect announcement for Makenna, I found so many websites that had the most adorable baby announcements. The problem is they are not for adoptive children! I mean why would I buy an announcement that included birth weight and length???? I want adorable, hip, trendy, whimsical adoption baby announcements. The ones I have been able to find have been dull, boring, and doesn't include a picture. Well that doesn't work for me! So I thought I would adapt an announcement to fit my needs and I thought Shutterfly would be perfect. Shutterfly has adorable and affordable announcements. Well I was wrong. Apparently Shutterfly thinks their announcements should only include name, birth date, weight, and length and they do not allow you to modify. Grr! However, Snapfish came through for me and I was able to create a custom made baby announcement on a budget. It certainly isn't the most stylish but I like it and it will work for me. Thank you Snapfish! If you are not crazy about Snapfish, Dave did find another site that has a few adoption announcements that look pretty cute and allows you to add a picture (thanks Dave but a little late for me). Check them out here.

If you found any other sites for some great adoption baby announcements, let me know. I'm curious if there are any other websites out there with pre-designed adoption baby announcements or if you must custom make them.

Here is our baby announcement...Welcome Makenna!

P.S. The top got cut off when scanning but it has a pink and green stripe to match the bottom. Double click on picture to enlarge.

Theta Mom

Being home with Makenna has given me the ability to search for new blogs.  I love blogging and I love to read other blogs.  One blog I have found recently is Theta Mom.  This blog is not about adoption but about motherhood.  Heather talks about many topics and I love her recent post about blogging.  I have pasted it below but you can also read it here. 

3 Secrets to Getting ‘Return’ Blog Followers
by Theta Mom on February 5, 2010

Don't want to miss a moment of Theta Mom? Subscribe to my posts via RSS feed, or e-mail!

I was recently reading a post from Kelly at The Pursuit of Mommyness about what makes you subscribe to a blog. She posed some really good questions and it made me reflect on why I follow a blog and I would love to take this conversation a step further…

As bloggers, we follow blogs for various reasons; if you are a part of a Blog Hop such as Friday Follow, this may be a good reason to find some new reads and return a follow; there are many platforms that bring bloggers together, such as The Mom Bloggers Club where you can find blogs of interest and follow; there are other communities like SITS that encourage comment love, so this is a great place to find and follow blogs within this group…and the list goes on.

But as many blogs that you choose to follow and vice-versa, what makes you not only follow, but return to that blog again and again?

For example, you could subscribe to over 300 blogs but really only read and comment on 30 of those weekly. This brings me to the question…out of the many blogs you end up choosing to follow, which are the kind of blogs that you return to again and again no matter what? The kind of blog that if you are pressed for time will be one to visit on your list?

I strive to be one of those blogs that you follow and return to, not ever wanting to miss a post. So when I think of the blogs that I follow, I wanted to share my top three reasons of what brings me back to those blogs again and again:

1. A blog with well written content that I can relate to: A blogger that posts about topics I can easily connect with is a major draw for me. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about motherhood; any well written post about a topic I can sincerely relate to will get me hooked.
2. A clean blog design with easy navigation: I enjoy blogs that are easy to navigate with just a few clicks. If I want to peek into the archives or get to know more about the blogger, I don’t want to have to go searching for it. And easy navigation does not have to mean a fancy blog design, just a clean design that doesn’t take away from the content.
3. A blog that encourages support of its readers: I like a supportive blogger who encourages comments and wants to continue the conversation. How boring would blogging be if you never got a response? A blogger that shows support of its readers is what brings me back again and again. And I certainly don’t mean a comment for every comment. In a perfect bloggy world this would be fabulous, but we all know how unrealistic that goal would be. I’ve tried to keep up and it’s impossible. So, how do you show support? It can be displayed in various ways to fellow bloggers: via a reply to a comment, a visit to the blog, a link back to a blogger within a post, an email, a tweet or retweet of a post, the sharing of a post on Facebook, a Stumble of a particular post, a chat on a community message board, a recommendation of a blogger to another, etc… There are so many ways to help promote and show other bloggers support, so I like to return to blogs that encourage this as well.

So now I would love to hear from you! After you choose to follow a blog, what makes you return again and again? And if you are a new follower, welcome! I am so glad you are here at Theta Mom and can’t wait to check out your blog!!!

Tried

Hair Blogs

For those who have read my blog for awhile know that I love to blog about hair. I am always looking for new styles and ideas. It is fun to learn how to style Maya's hair and to complete a new "do". Due to my love of learning about Maya's hair, I have found two fun blogs that I must share with you.

The first one is Happy Girl Hair. This blog is a mom of 5 year old twins from Ethiopia. She has great hair ideas, question and answer posts, and features hair related products such as styling products and sleep caps. Check it out!

The second blog is Beads, Braids, and Beyond. This blog has tons of styles to use as inspiration as well as the ability for you to share your hair pictures of your child(ren). I even saw she had a give away to win some Curly Q product. How cool is that?

I hope these two blogs give you all some added inspiration. I know it has given me some to try something new and to keep learning. Enjoy!

Comic

Dave came across this adoption comic strip awhile back.  The funny thing is I can see Maya saying and doing this.  Click on the picture to enlarge...

Fashion Diva

On Sunday Maya decided to take fashion into her own hands.  She had started out with a purple sweat suit but ended with this...

We had a good laugh.  I especially loved it when she began singing the tomorrow song from the movie Annie.  Maya is our fashion diva, ha ha.