Settling in.........

Tomorrow will mark three weeks since Tsebay and I landed on Maui. It is wonderful to be here and share my life with Tsebay. She is such an awesome little girl and really goes with the flow. She is a big hit on Maui! I had two work meetings on Friday and she was so great through both of them. At one point I was giving an orientation to parents and had her on my hip. I would love to have her with me 100% of the time but going to work and having her with me is getting a bit exhausting. I am looking for a sitter for three days a week. It will be hard to leave her but necessary to make sure my job is well done. Please pray I am able to find a safe environment for my little angel.

Tsebay is learning new tricks everyday. She is starting the backward crawl and continues to ensure her wants and needs are met. She is super expressive and has the best sense of humor. She is very silly. I'm not sure where she gets that from. Tsebay is a people person. She makes eye contact and engages people everywhere we go. I constantly have people stop me in stores to tell me how cute she is. It is a true joy being her momma and I know I'm spoiled to have such an awesome baby.

Here are some pics of my little beach bum----





I am excited to see another person has donated to Gladney. There is a place to donate on the right hand side of my blog. The money will go to the Care Center in Ethiopia. Every little bit helps.

I hope to have some exciting news to post this week so keep checking in.

FINALLY

Here are some pics of Tsebay's adventures on the East Coast

Here are a few pics of the little cutie on Maui

SLACKER

Hello Folks! I totally own the fact that I have totally slacked on the posts and in keeping you all up to date on my precious little girl. I have instead chose to stare at her beautiful little face every waking moment. This is a habit I will have to break soon. We are returning to Maui on Monday and along with the beaches and blue skies also comes work and responsibilities. It is with mixed emotions that I am leaving New Jersey. It has been so wonderful to spend time with family and friends but I am eager to get into a daily routine and introduce Tsebay to her Maui Ohana.

Tsebay amazes us daily. Of course my mom, Tom and I don't miss a thing since we are constantly staring at the little darling. Tsebay is sitting up independently, clapping and waving and is very verbal. She's a very happy little girl. She is easy going and loves people. She is so awesome and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful little girl.

I have so many pics to post and will get on it once I get settled on Maui. I ran into a few technical difficulties here in NJ. For those of you on Maui, we'll see you all soon and for my east coast family and friends thank you for everything. What a homecoming it's been for my little girl! To my parents...thank you, thank you, thank you. You have been the best and we promise to be back soon.

Here is a pic to keep you all satisfied. Isn't she the cutest??

Alive and Kicking on the East Coast

I know I've been a bit slack with my posts. This baby thing is a bit demanding. I had visions of updating everyday in Ethiopia and documenting all the details but between the little angel being sick, the internet connection not cooperating and my own body shutting down this was not a reality. We have had some R and R and are slowly gaining some momentum. Tsebay has been to the pediatrician and is doing well. She is in the 90th percentile for height and the 15th percentile for weight. She has doubled her food consumption and is holding her head up and starting to roll over. We have had countless visitors, a big welcoming bash and a Christening since arriving in New Jersey. Thank you so much to family and friends who have been so welcoming and generous. My mom's house now looks like Babies R' Us and I need to figure out how to get all the gifts back to Maui. I have plenty of pics and plan to post soon but as I'm learning I'm no longer the boss. We'll see if little Tsebay lets it happen.

Happy Father's Day

Tsebay would like to wish a Happy Father's Day to her Pop Pop and her Godfather to be, Uncle Domenick. She can't wait to meet these two special men in her life. Here is a pic just for you.

GOTCHA DAY!!

Greeting from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

My mom and I began our travels Wednesday afternoon for the trip of a lifetime. We arrived in Addis a bit over 24 hours after boarding our first plane. Our second flight was a bit delayed due to nasty weather in DC. We scored on the second and super long leg of our trip! My mom had three seats and I had two. We were given assigned seats upon check in but when boarding the plane were assigned new seats. We were a bit annoyed but it turned out we were in luck. We were last in line so we were put in the back of the plane and there were empty seats. I have a feeling if the plane was overbooked we wouldn't have been given any seats so I probably would not recommend being last in line.

After checking in at the Hilton Thursday night we ordered room service and lots of bottled water and tried to sleep. I did not have much luck. I was very excited to meet my little girl. After exchanging our money and having a light breakfast on Thursday morning my mom and I met our driver, arranged by Gladney, for the drive to the Care Center. The drive over was filled with such mixed emotions. I was so filled with joy to finaly be meeting my little girl but so depressed by the utter poverty. There is so much that must be done for the children of this country.

We were given a terrific greeting at the Care Center. Two little girls welcomed us with kisses and love. One of the little girls is being adopted by Scott and Monica Brown and the other will be up for adoption shortly. After entering the Care Center it was a few minutes before Tsebay was brought down and put in my arms. She is everthing I dreamed. Tsebay is alert and very observant. She is beautiful and engaging. The bond was instant. I'm in love and you will be too.

Tsebay and I made it through our first night together. She did very well considering she's 4 months old, has just been taken from her surroundings and is fighting a cold. I need to pick up a decongestant today. Any recommendations would be very helpful. Please email me because blogger has not been my friend.

For those of you traveling shortly don't forget about the discount at the Hilton. You need to get a letter and can save up to $50. per day. Also, know that if you're with Gladney you are in terrific hands. They are all so nice and really take care of the details.

If any of my students are reading try this one. You may need some help from your mom or an older brother or sister. The currency in Ethiopia is called the birr. One dollar is worth 9.2 birr. If my lunch cost 120 birr, how many dollars would this be?

I miss you all and can't wait to introduce you to Tsebay. She is the best.

60 Hours till Addis

It's 2:04 am and I can't sleep. Of course I can't sleep I'm all screwed up with my time zones (I'm in New Jersey) and full of nervous energy about meeting my daughter. The ironic thing about not sleeping is that sleep is what people keep telling me to do. "Get all the sleep you can," they keep telling me. This has me totally paranoid about sleep deprivation. I hope it does not become a self fulfilling prophecy.

My mom and I are pretty well packed. We have two huge boxes with humanitarian aid and a suitcase each. It's so strange to pack for two and so fun to pack all the adorable outfits. We depart on Wednesday. We leave Philly for DC around noon and then have 5 hours to spend in DC before getting on the 17 hour flight (I think) to Addis. We arrive at 7pm and hopefully I will be holding Tsebay bright and early the next morning. I am so anxious to meet this adorable little creature that has already brought so much joy to so many people. I plan to post during the trip. Reading the comments may not be possible so please email me if there is anything vital you must communicate (like how perfect my daughter is).

Please, please, please pray that everything goes well during the trip. Mahalo to everyone for your support. I would have never traveled down this road if it were not for the terrific people in my life always cheering me on. It's time to try and get some z's. Good night and God bless.