Before I get into the meat of the post, I want to give a quick update on our baby girl. We just got our official number yesterday and we are #40 for our girl. I was really hoping to be in the 30s for the New Year but we’re close, right? There are ALOT of families who are waiting to travel (either first or second trip) so we’re hoping in the next couple months to see some good movement. Once those families bring their kiddos forever home, it will open up more spaces in our transition home.
I think we’re going to go this weekend to pick out some color swatches for her room. We still need to talk about what we really want to do in there (to see how much work I have to do :) It will be a good amount of work no matter what as that room is a American-themed dark red room so it’ll take at least one coat of Kilz primer to block that color. That should be a good late winter/early spring project.
Also, today was Christmas in Ethiopia. Amber and Silas spent today making Ethiopian spiced honey bread and a stew for supper. Silas tried a couple bites which is normal on anything new with him. Hopefully, he’ll come to love his Ethiopian food. We had fun celebrating tonight! Tomorrow night will continue the celebrating as we’re going to an Ethiopian restaurant with a couple other families.
Silas helping his mama make the bread
The end result … well, part of it as the rest was in our bellies.
OK, so over the past couple days, I’ve really tried to figure out where the past 18 months have gone. Silas has gone from a tiny baby who was not able to roll over to a boy who is the epitome of a ball full of energy. His personality is so evident now. His wanting to have me play with him when I get home from work - “Daddy, Silas, play blocks.” “Hide and seek, daddy”, “Play chase, daddy” I know there will be a day when that won’t be the case so I’m trying to remember that this season will be gone in a blink of an eye.
Before Christmas, Amber and I discussed that we would convert Silas’ bed after the new year. The boy really doesn’t climb out of it (I say that even though he did this morning). But we wanted to get prepared for potty training and for him to not have too many things introduced at the same time. I can’t believe this day came today. We hyped it up with him about his “big boy” bed. And he seemed to really take to it. But the real question remains … when did my little boy get old enough for this!?!?!
The before picture
One last picture of our big boy in his crib
The front is off … Silas is reliving all the memories of singing and playing in his crib when he was ‘trapped’
OK, Daddy, let’s get this thing on!
The conversion is complete. Silas eyeing his new digs.
Seeing if he’s as comfortable in his new bed. He was most happy being able to get his monkey out of his bed by himself and not having to ask us to get it.
He and I did our normal bedtime routine tonight … Bible Story, books, singing a couple songs, praying over him. I laid him down in his bed and he stayed :) We haven’t heard from him so we think he’s still in there. Being that he sleeps upstairs and we’re downstairs, it’ll be interesting to see if there are any mornings where I wake up in bed, open my eyes and see him staring at me. Actually, that’s not him. He’d come into our room and yell, ‘DADDY, DADDY, DADDY … WHERE ARE YOU?!?!’ We had plenty of that experience when we traveled over Christmas as he stayed in his pack ‘n play in the same bedroom as us.
Alright, I need your thoughts … he’s 27 months and sleeps upstairs with us downstairs. What should be the “rules” of getting up in the morning and after naptime? He goes down our stairs on his own real well. Should we tell him after he wakes up, to stay in his room and play until we come get him? Should we let him come downstairs on his own? Any other thoughts? I’m leaning for him to stay in his room because he could wake up at the crack of dawn and I like my sleep :)
OK, here’s a couple other pics for ya…
To show you how much our boy has changed, here is a picture of him the first day we met him. It was a rough go when we arrived back at the hotel with him. We were in our room and he wouldn’t quit crying and these new parents didn’t know what else to do. So, we finally remembered to ask God to help us (sad) and we prayed over him, to release anything that wasn’t from Him, and I took him outside. The boy LOVED being outside and we sat on the steps for the majority of our time there … watching the trucks, vans, and life go by. I’ll never forget it.
This is a pic of Silas showing off his new hat that his Mammaw.made him for Christmas
Playing in the snow up at Grandma and Grandpa’s, The boy LOVES snow … he may enjoy eating it just as much as playing in it.
The eating snow was done on our deck after our first real snowfall this year. We’re always on the lookout to make sure it’s fresh and clean.
Have a great weekend! Melkam Ganna! Merry Christmas .... Ethiopian style!
