How to make an American-Canadian-Ethiopian Family

So yesterday Jacob turned 10 months. But I couldn't post to celebrate it because I was a little nervous. You see, I went back to work today. I switched my hours to work 7:30-3:30. But that means that I had to leave for work before the baby woke up. I am not going to lie, it was really hard to leave this morning. The upside is that JF is doing a little day care these days. He is working from home and taking care of Jacob. The downside being that I am, well, at work. But I got through the day just fine. I had a good, busy day. It felt really good to see my friends. But at 3:30, I could not wait to get home. It is a good thing that I did. Jacob crawled for the first time today. Let me repeat that. Jacob crawled for the first time today. I KNEW that would happen today! I KNEW IT!! But I lucked out in that it happened after I was home. Jacob also took his first step today. I mean REALLY?? Granted, he did it while holding on to JF, but he did it. It was the first time that he has even attempted it. My baby is growing up! WAAHHHH!

PS. Thank you to Jenna who put everything in perspective for me. She very eloquently said, "You went to work, had a good day. You came home, and your baby is still growing, but you were still there to see it. That is how it will always be." I needed to hear that a lot.

PPS. JF and the baby had a great day. JF loved it.By 7:30, my little baby was out COLD. By 9pm, my not-so-little baby was out.

So last night, JF and I went to have our taxes done. It was at that point that we realized Jacob not having a Social Security Number was an issue. We needed one for him to file, but can't actually apply for one until we readopt him in MA. SO what to do???? Well, I learned that you can apply for a SSN for a child in the re-adoption process using this form here. I really wish I had known about this form before we tried to file our taxes, but our accountant says we will be fine. We will submit by paper and at first include no number, knowing it will get kicked back. This will buy us the time to get the number. Problem solved!!

Our hearts are so filled with joy for the Zimmer family who passed court today. Their beautiful daughter Addia will be meeting them soon. Jenna put together a beautiful montage of Addia, so click here to go check it out. Addia, Jenna, and Dan are all so blessed to have each other. Our only sadness today is that we cannot be with them to celebrate today. We certainly are in spirit!

As you may or may not know, "wuhu" is Amharic for "water". Did you know that 1 in 6 of us on this planet does not have access to clean drinking water? Sadly, many Ethiopians fall into that category. Lori over at the Loud House on the Block is taking the bull by the horns. She is on a mission to get two wells built in Ethiopia in conjunction with the organization called Charity:Water. It is an amazing charity where 100% of your donations go to the cause! We were happy to donate to Lori's team and help get these wells built. Please go to her blog and join her team- any donation amount will help. Lori has done a series of videos to plead her case, and those alone make her blog worth checking out. Go Team Ethiopia! Go Lori!

Very slowly the weather is getting nicer here in Boston. I can't wait for the Spring weather, we will be able to spend so much more time outside. Jacob usually loves being outside, he stares at everything! I do think he is getting a little tired of bundling up though.

but it's the best we could do!

Here's the story: My sister gave us a TON of baby clothes when I was in Rochester. One of the things she gave us is an old fashion style bathing suit. It is so cute. It fits Jacob now. But it is March in Boston, and we do not have any trips planned, and I did not want to waste it. What to do? We turned up the heat, put him in it, and had our own day at the beach with the help of the Zimmers. They gave us this great island! Check it out!

Here is his sexy pose


Open up and say AHH!


Beach time is fun


Muscle Beach


Even friends dropped by the island

I think we need to do beach day more often!

Now I have to tell you 5 of my addictions:

1. I have an addiction to chunky rings. I LOVE them! The bigger the better, as far as I am concerned! I just got a new one yesterday and I am so excited. If you share my love chunky rings, may I recommend Sundance to you?

2. Cadbury mini-eggs. OMG. I love the Easter season for those candy confections alone. I will gladly give up eating meat on Fridays and whatever my sacrifice of the Lenten season turns out to be in order to enjoy these little delights. Now if I was really a good Catholic, I would give up Cadbury mini-eggs for Lent. But I will give up wine or coffee before I give these little babies up! Sorry Jesus!

3. Jogging. I am not a fast runner, I will never win a race, but I love, love, love it! I like to bring both Caly and Jacob with me, but we take up a ton of sidewalk space, so usually I choose between one or the other. If my friend Tara is running with me, she takes Caly and I push Jacob and everyone wins, but we make a bit of a spectical as she has her dog Simon with her, too!

4. Coffee. I am an addict. If I do not have my coffee in the morning, I am a little like a zombie. And I have to tell you, that it is not the caffeine I am addicted to, it is the whole process. I need the mug to be substantial and warm, I need the coffee to be plentiful ( need to reheat the mug, after all). Idon't usually drink a whole mug of it, but the smell, the taste, the clutching of the mug- I need every morning.

5. Reality TV. Poor JF, this one drives him crazy. I am not into the competition ones so much (Dancing with the Stars or American Idol don't really do it for me). I need The Girls Next Door and Millionare Matchmaker, mixed in with Flip This House and Designed to Sell. I LOVE these shows.

Now, since I have just tagged for the Honest Scrap, I am going to not tag, as it would be the same group. But I would like to thank Claudia for the compliment, it has made my day!

My 20s were spent in and out of the hospital with multiple surgeries for endometriosis. When I was 27, I had to make a very difficult decision to have a hysterectomy. It a terrible decision for me. I was not dating anyone at the time, and I could not imagine who would want to date me after the surgery. How would I even bring it up? I could not imagine not being a mom. But who would allow me to adopt when I was having surgery every 9 months and would not be able to lift a baby for weeks after? How would I ever smile again?

Little did I know, that was the best decision I could have ever made. It allowed me to live without pain for the first time in 9 years. I could laugh again. Shortly after that, JF asked me out. We had been friends for about a year before the surgery. At the time, JF so eloquently stated, "Uteruses (sp?) are overrated". It seems he truly believed that. He married me a couple years later.

Fast forward to today. I have a husband whom I adore. I have a darling baby who is my heart. We are surrounded by friends and family, and lavished with support. I am healthy enough to jog! And I do!! Everyday of my life, I am grateful. My life is better than I could EVER imagine. I am so lucky. For whatever reason, today, I more acutely aware than I am on other days. So I want to take the opportunity acknowledge how lucky I am.

Bula everyone,
JF here, or "Jai" as everyone calls me in Fiji. Jean-Francois is just too much of a mouthful, not that I can judge as most Fijians are fluent in at least two languages (English and Fijian or Hindi). I have finished up most of my work and I preparing to head home. This is it for long trips to Fiji (or anywhere for that matter). From now on it will be one and two week jaunts, with the family if possible. This trip has gone very well, we got all our work done, everyone got along, and we spent time in two of the nicest places in Fiji, the village of Yaro on Malolo Island, and Waitabu on Taveuni Island.We just got back from Taveuni, despite the best efforts of Bligh Waters Shipping and Ferries to strand us on the island (I have never ever been on a Fijian ferry that ran on time.) We were a day late but all's well that ends safely ashore. Waitabu was a paradise, a small village of about 25 homes (called bures pronounced burr-ays) with lovely friendly people and a very nice reef just off the shore. Waitabu has protected a portion of their reef for conservation and they run a small visitor center and take out the occasional tourist. It is well off the beaten path so it has not suffered from hordes of Aussies and Yanks descending on this undeveloped countryside. There are pools fed by waterfalls in which one can swim, forests with orange doves and red parrots, and close to 100% coral coverage just past the reef crest. Of course there is also no internet and only power while the generators are running. I didn't wear shoes for two weeks (and ended up forgetting my flip flops in the village). Regardless I will soon be trading in the shorts and bare feet for boots and a heavy winter coat, and I can't wait. I will see you all very soon.