Trains and Thankfulness

On Saturday we were on a mission to find a new storage unit for our DVDs. Our former DVD towers didn't prove to be so kid-friendly. That point was confirmed when Judah pushed one of them over twice in the span of a couple weeks. If Addise would've been on the other side...yikes.

Our mission found us at Ikea, and as we wandered through the maze that is Ikea we didn't find a new storage unit, but we did find a train set. Brian was set that Judah needed it. I didn't argue.

So we brought home the train set and put our sleeping babies in their cribs and plotted to have the train set up for when Judah woke up from his nap. When Judah woke up I went to pick him up and Brian sat next to the train set. I smooched Judah a few times and made sure he was alert before I brought him out of the bedroom. As I carried my groggy son into the living room, I quietly exclaimed, "Judah, look what Daddy got for you - a train set!" Immediately, Judah perked up, smiled his silly grin, and squirmed down from my arms. I thought he'd delve into the magic of the train set, but instead he made a bee line for his daddy. He threw his arms around Brian's neck, planted a big kiss or two on his lips, and let out a contented sigh. After a moment, he plopped down to explore his gift.

This momma lost it. Tears.

Judah recognized the giver of this good gift. Instead of diving into the joy of the gift, he wanted to properly thank his daddy. Only after a moment of connection with his dad did he actually go to enjoy his train set. My tears came because I wondered if Judah had EVER been given a gift like he did that day. A gift. Just for him. Thoughtfully displayed for his enjoyment.

Of course, it also was a picture of God and his child. I wish I would be more like Judah when it comes to properly thanking my God for his gifts before I immerse myself in the enjoyment of those gifts.

Finally, it was a picture to me of the goodness of a daddy. Brian wanted to get Judah that train set. He knew his son would like it. And he wanted to set it up so that it would be joyful surprise for his son when he woke up from his nap. [So many spiritual analogies that I don't want to spoil it by adding my commentary. I hope you see them.]

This little guy is teaching me so much. I'm so glad that he's our son.

Everyday Miracles

It's easy when you're a mom of 2 toddlers to get lost in the monotony of the ordinary and routine - wake up before you want to get out of bed, change diapers, make breakfast, gulp down coffee as fast as possible so you don't have to microwave it again, hope the kids play so you can clean up the kitchen or check email or make a phone call, put Baby #2 down for a nap, guiltily put on Yo Gabba Gabba so you can get more work done, get Baby #2 up from nap, make lunch...

Serving 2 little ones in the small things has been one of the best things for my soul and one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I've joked that I would crave a complex leadership problem, strategic planning issue, or relational issue to solve OVER changing yet another poopie diaper.

It's been remarkably easy for me to become Judah and Addise's mom. Maybe too easy. It's easy to forget about the 3.5 years that we YEARNED for them. It's easy to forget the number of tears that were poured out as we pleaded for God to work miracles in 2 governments, provide finances, and transform our lives to bring our family together. It's easy to forget about the number of transitions, amount of loss and change our kids have gone through in their short lives. It's easy to forget that we are still learning how to be a family and we're still getting to know each other.

There have been moments in the monotony of the ordinary that I've received glimpses of the miracle that are Judah Abebayehu and Addise Aster Tarike Diaz. In those moments, I've had to choke back tears as I've wiped a butt, massaged shampoo into their scalp, or scooped another bite of applesauce into their mount. Those are the moment when I remember the miracle that is my everyday. The miracle that is my son and daughter.

Here are some snapshots [mainly off my iPhone] of the past several weeks. BTW: it's hard to get 2 toddlers to be still long enough to get a crisp shot. I hope you can see a wee bit into their personalities. They are beautifully and wonderfully made...

Playing on a car at Disney in Toon Town.

Addise's first time on "It's a Small World" at Disney.
She doesn't seem too impressed.

Judah's cashed out after a fun first day at Disney!

There are really no words to adequately communicate how funny this picture is to me.
Brian found our daughter sleeping like this one morning.
I'd like to point out that Addise has ALL those stuffed animals in her crib because she likes to shove her limbs into the crib slats. She's that kind of girl.

Playing with Momma's hand. She laughs and giggles and talks ALL day.
She brings enormous joy to our lives!

We went to the high school retreat for an afternoon and somehow returned with these sunglasses. He LOVES them.

On Addise's first birthday.
My maiden name is "Getz" and I wore this very shirt when I was Addise's age.
Funny thing is, she totally has "Getz" qualities: boisterous, fun, social, and strong willed.

She's totally a goof!

Judah's going "poopie" once or twice a day. MIRACLE indeed.
This picture was on the same day as his 2nd round of immunizations.

Lastly, a quick video of Judah's first time using a spoon. After being home for 2 months, it's enthralling to see their progress. Enjoy!

Injera

Since we've been home, yummy meals been delivered most days of the week. Friends have dropped off bags of groceries - food we need and food they hope J&A will like, too. "Helpful" doesn't sum up how I feel about these meals and groceries. Without argument cannot imagine making food for our family right now. It feels like too much just to brush my teeth more than once a day, much less make 3 meals a day for 4 people.

On Sunday our friends, the Baran's, brought us Ethiopian food from a local Ethiopian owned restaurant. We thought that especially Judah might really need a taste from home after nearly 3 weeks of not having any familiar food. A couple necessary Target bags in stow, the Baran family showed up with Doro Wat, Beef Tibs, and Injera for our family dinner.

What happened next surprised this exhausted and overwhelmed momma to tears [my first tears since getting J&A]...



The entire time Judah was consumed with his food. He couldn't take his eyes off it. He ate more than we'd ever seen. He literally tasted home that night for the first time in a long time. My heart exploded when I became emotionally connection [again!] to how much transition this little 2 1/2 year old has been through in the past month. New language. New caregivers. New food. New bed to sleep in. New clothes to wear. New environment to explore. New boundaries. New weather. NEW NAME! New, New, New! So much to grieve and learn.

People say kids are resilient. And they are. But grieving is still necessary. Saying "goodbye" to everything that you knew is still hard. Learning a completely new way of life is still enormously challenging, especially when communicating is so difficult.

Parenting Judah these past few weeks has been extraordinarily difficult. Parenting an infant like Addise is a piece of cake compared to a toddler. But their are moments like eating injera and taking baths that solidify that we are supposed to be Judah's parents.