Same swing

only 9 months later...

Readopt Final

We had a special day today because Liv Tunsitu Aster Elkins adoption is final. This means she gains her US citizenship. I was lucky enough that my good friends Kris and Terry could join us (Kris went to Ethiopia with me) as well as my nanny Tomoko. LT is very attached to this group and I'm so happy they could share this day. After the 15 min. hearing we went to a cool lunch spot downtown and got to snap a couple pics in front of the street art.

While the hearing today is really just a formality it was terrific to have a day honoring our union. What wasn't so great was as the judge was uttering the official words, LT was repeatedly smacking me in the face pretty hard. I have a no tolerate hit policy = timeout without warning but in this instance all I could do was chuckle and think...I may not have a 24 hour labor story to hold over your head but NOW I have a smack story. LOL.

Congrats to Yaddi!

I know an international celebrity now ;) Yaddi and I became acquainted when I wrote him about loving his art. I decided to purchase a piece that is so dear to my heart (this one on the right) and we've been friends ever since. It is with great honor that I celebrate Yaddi and his talented artistic vision. See the breaking news story below.

It was a huge honor to have his design selected as the new flag of the African Union and to watch as the flag was presented at the recent African Union Summit, says Yadesa Bojia, a graphic designer in Housing and Food Services.
But Bojia -- whom campus friends call Yaddi -- said the true extent of the honor was made even more clear the day after the ceremony.

"I was going the next day to the African Union for a meeting and there was this marching band that played for the presidents (of the African nations), and as I was passing by they stopped what they were playing and ran over -- they all wanted to take photos with me. And their leader was right in front of them."

The band breaking ranks for his attention was only part of a whirlwind experience that included Bojia, his wife, Hewan, and young children Becca and Isaiah meeting the president of Ethiopia and his attending the African Summit. Bojia said he also stood right behind Libyan President Mouammar Kadhafi, outgoing president of the African Union, as he hoisted the new flag for the first official time.

The African Union is an intergovernmental organization created in 2002 from the former Organization of African Unity. The union comprises 53 states and is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Bojia said he created his design in response to a 2006 worldwide announcement that the union was seeking a new flag. In all, 116 potential flag designs were submitted and a committee overseeing creation of the new flag chose five finalists, including his design. Then his was chosen from among the finalists.

Bojia's winning flag design shows the continent of Africa silhouetted against a background of lush green, surrounded by thin shafts of light and ringed with a circle of stars. He said he wanted his design to be "forward-looking" rather than to dwell on the past. The flag, he said, is meant to symbolize "a new day for Africa" -- as well as "unity, hope and prosperity" for the African Union. He said he sketched out four or five ideas before deciding on a final design.

Bojia was born in Ethiopia and came to the United States in 1995. He earned an associate of arts degree in graphic design from Seattle Central Community College and then a bachelor's degree in visual communication from Seattle Pacific University.

In addition to his design work for Housing and Food Services, Bojia also helped design and illustrate the Pacific Science Center's 2008 Lucy's Legacy exhibit. A painting of his titled The Invisibles also was used as a poster by the Simpson Center for the Humanities, and another painting, The Messengers, hangs in the Supreme Court of Washington's Temple of Justice.

Bojia said he got interested in art as a child, and the murals in Ethiopian Orthodox churches -- filled with bold lines and vibrant colors -- captured his imagination.

He said if there's anything that took him by surprise, it was the level of feeling regarding an Ethiopian design being chosen as the flag to represent all of Africa. "I did not realize the amount of pride that it brought to Ethiopia," he said, clearly pleased.

His colleagues at Housing and Food Services are pleased for him, too -- and proud. "We couldn't be more excited and proud of Yaddi," said Pam Schreiber, HFS director. "He is such a talented designer and it is so appropriate that he received this recognition. HFS is fortunate to have him on our team!"


His website is:
http://tellabet.blogspot.com/

The New Flag:

Small steps feel good

171H clearance came.

we go to court friday for readoption.

LT's gone from 0 to 25th percentile on growth charts.


Painting by Kokebie Huruma, Female, Age 10, Hope Organization School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Valentine's Plans

Each holiday presents a brainstorm of what should we do as it's our first _______holiday together.

When thinking about it I stumbled onto the PBS website.
"While many adults spend Valentine's Day expressing their affection, many children are focused on enjoying delicious confections! But candy needn't be the center of your child's day. Encourage her to do something creative: express feelings through poetry, choose a special recipe to make with you or create fun e-cards for friends and family."

Tip from PBS - for young children like LT, make a big heart and inside write words of what they LOVE. You can also use stickers to represent the Love topics.

I love the idea of focusing on expression as an important aspect in celebrating Valentines Day. Maybe, I'll come up with a song we can learn too. I'm also thinking it would be fun to find heart cookie cutters to use for pancake molds. PBS suggests poetry as well for older kids. Last year, I received multiple Valentines Cards from LT's friends which was cute considering they were all under 2. This year I already got the cutest card from the Little Ethiopian family of the twins and an amazing Yo Gabba Gabba valentines sticker book from my bestie Alexis.

For a holiday that can mean a variety of things for me as an adult. I love that Valentines is now new to me through LT's eyes. Love is definitely in the air.

Windex

“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear as it is - infinite” - William Blake

The last 5 years feels like I've been living in a pin-ball machine. Little continuity with surprise after surprise around the corner. Everything I didn't expect, has been everything that's meant something great to me. And days like today, when I'm greatly mourning the passing on of my pop, I stop and count my blessings & focus on cleansing my perception. To that end:

I'm so grateful that the biggest hassle in my day today was taking out the trash bins with some light rain.

I'm so grateful that my soul feels fed by my work.

I'm so grateful that when I feel overcome by responsibility, I stop and realize I can handle it.

I'm so grateful that the people around me inspire me to be better.

I'm so grateful that the Universe is supporting me both by giving and taking away and my senses/heart are learning to take the appropriate cues.

I'm so grateful that at 36, I feel like I still see the world enchanted by all the beauty & grandness.

I'm so grateful that Ethiopia has entered my world as a focal point.

I'm so grateful that I get to mother Liv Tunsitu.

*Artwork by Ethiopian Artist Shifera Girma. I'm in love with how he captures a spirit of energy & romance in his works. Looking at this art is meditative & healing. Thank you Shifera.

Take 2 - waiting for wait list

I contacted Wide Horizons (after Gladney verified they were no longer accepting single mothers) for an application in mid December and as of today I've completed everything and only waiting on immigration clearance to be put on the official wait list. The paper chase process for baby boy has been MUCH MUCH easier than for LT. A big part of that is that I've done it before and kept good files and saved extra official documents and just felt more knowledgeable. Another big part of it was that I wasn't dealing with changing my name back to my maiden name (after my divorce) like I was the first go around. Truthfully the name change was more work that the adoption paperwork if you can imagine that. And the other big part is that my homestudy was considered an update as opposed to creating a new one and that really quickened the process.

If I could give any tips to others in the paperchase (who are trying to move through it quickly)...I would say keep asking, keep verifying, use friends, yahoo forums, stalk other people's blogs, and be persistent. One example is the CIS has changed their protocol when submitting the I600A. They ask you mail everything through Texas now. All I can say is I would HIGHLY recommend going directly to your field office in person and dropping it off, ask for a fingerprint appointment on the spot and make copies and get receipts of everything you submit. There is SO MUCH that is completely out of our control when it comes to International Adoption that when I can push things through...I try.

At this point I believe my wait for a referral will be somewhere around a year, once I'm on wait list. I know that other agencies are moving much quicker than this but I'm happy with this timing as LT will be around 3 1/2 when Yared comes home and he'll be around 1-2. While we all know that anything can happen to the program (especially singles) and timing is ONLY hypothetical, I am living in the space that it will manifest as it should.

All I can say is TGIF and release a big sigh of relief that I no longer will be making Kinkos & Fedex my home away from home anytime soon.

Love.

Growing Up

I'm now living the cliche - "what happened to the time, she's all grown up."

We've been home 9 months together and LT is 22 months. I'm not sure what happened...but it seems that all of a sudden she's growing up. Very few signs of a baby and lots of signs of a happy, fearless, funny, determined toddler. I'm not sure when all of this happened but it's here. Even though she was 13 months when we came home, due to her unfortunate series of circumstances she was more at a 6 month old level when we met. Pretty quickly, I saw great strides in her development. But in the recent month it's like she hit a big milestone and officially entered all things toddler. She's coming into her own and I'm so proud of her.

She is social and requests her own play dates.



She's independent and likes to sit in big chairs.


She's outgoing and loves a dance party.


She's nuturing and kind.


She's helpful and makes me pancakes in her kitchen.


She's sweet and laughs at my jokes.

What's amazing about all this is how resilient children are. In a matter of months children get back on track. I am witness to the power of the human spirit, not just in Liv Tunsitu but in all of the children in our adoption community. They all are coming into their own and I feel so lucky to be a part of this experience and family.

Today we had the monthly Ethiopian luncheon at Messob and it was packed with families. It's so cool to see the children have each other and treat each other with love and excitement. It's moments like today that I feel ultra ultra lucky. I just wish I could bottle all these special moments and never forget the small strides that add up to big change.

ETHIOPIA - investing in a mother's health

Wonderful Video for Moms

Big Day at the Park - SNOW!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Feel It.

Melkam Gena!

Our first Ganna together! Let's Celebrate!

Happy 2010!