Watch an Adoption Happen

Some of our best friends in the world, the Harbaughs, are in Ethiopia as we speak. They'll be meeting their kids face to face for the first time in just a matter of hours. Check it out here.

Vocabulary Development

But certainly not American Idol material!!!

Just Pictures

A T-Shirt Story (Part 5)

Last week, another mother in Belgium was reading our blog with her daughter, Yeabsera, who was adopted from Ethiopia in August. When they came across the post called A T-Shirt Story the little girl recognized the purple striped shirt immediately. In May of 2007 the six-year-old's caretakers told her that a forever family had been found. They chose the purple striped shirt for Yeabsera to wear for the official government photos that had to be taken.

Two months later that same shirt would be worn by Netsanet (Neti) on the day she went home with her forever family.

And in October a little girl named Tsion would wear the shirt home to her forever family in Belgium.

According to the tag the shirt was made in India and imported to Spain (one of the countries Kid's Care Orphanage serves).

The brand name of the shirt is, appropriately, Exit Kids.

Finally!

Some of our best friends in the world just officially became parents of two little ones in Ethiopia. You can have a look here. They'll be traveling to Africa soon. Our whole family is super excited for them.

For those who don't know the story, the Harbaughs found our blogsite over a year ago. After exchanging emails we discovered we live 10 miles away from each other. Both of us were in process of adopting two children from Ethiopia from the same agency. Our families have been getting together about once per week for at least half a year.

A T-Shirt Story (Part 4)

Wow!

This T-shirt thing has generated more email than any post in recent memory (maybe ever).

But there's more...

Another adoptive mother emailed me. Seems her daughter also has a significant connection with this shirt (the purple-striped one). If she gives permission I'll fill you in. If not, just know that the shirt has played a significant role in the adoption of a third little girl.

I feel a children's book coming on.

A T-Shirt Story (Part 3)

There's a missing element to the story of the T-shirts. IF we could only figure out where these shirts originated from it'd be a much more compelling story. I'm guessing that most of the clothes the orphanage uses are donated. Imagine if we could somehow find the Mom who purchased the shirt several years ago for her little girl. Where are they from? How old is that little girl now? Where did they donate the shirt and how did it end up in an orphanage in Ethiopia?

And where was the shirt made? (the shirt's probably seen more of the world than I have!)

There's only one person who would be interested in something like this and rich enough to pull it off.

So, Oprah, what do you think?

A T-Shirt Story (Part 2)

(Believe it or not, this one's true too!)

Yesterday, another mother in Belgium was looking at our blog with her daughter, Mastewal, who was adopted from Ethiopia a few months ago. When they came across the post called, A T-Shirt Story, the little girl looked at the picture with astonishment. She was pointing at our youngest adopted daughter, Meke, wearing a pink ladybug shirt.


Meke donned this shirt the July day we took her and Neti home from the orphanage. Since we brought clothes for both girls, we opted to leave the shirt at the orphanage, knowing they'd continue put it to good use.

Later that same month, a 7-year-old little girl arrived at Kid's Care orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. One morning her caretakers chose a pink ladybug shirt for this little girl named Mastewal.

The shirt was a perfect fit - so perfect that it made the trip all the way with her across the sea with her forever family in Belgium, where her mother will read her "A T-Shirt Story (Part 2)" tomorrow.

The End.

A T-Shirt Story

Today, a mother in Belgium was reading our blog to her daughter, Tsion, who was adopted from Ethiopia a few months ago. When they came across the post called, Two Great People, the little girl's eyes got big. "That girl is wearing my clothes! This is T-shirt Tsion!”


She was pointing at our oldest adopted daughter, Neti, wearing a purple and white striped T-shirt.


Neti donned this shirt the July day we took her and Meke home from the orphanage. Since we brought clothes for both girls, we opted to leave the shirt at the orphanage, knowing they'd continue put it to good use.


For several months the shirt was undoubtedly shared by several little girls (according to Neti, sharing clothes in the orphanage is common practice). During those months a 4-year-old little girl was going through major changes in her life.


In October, that little girl arrived at Kid's Care orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She was introduced to her new living quarters, a very small room with two sets of bunk beds shared by several other little girls. In the corner of her new bedroom sat a table covered with a pink and white cloth - the same table - and same room - Neti and Meke had occupied several months earlier.

Each morning the caretakers would lay clothes out for their kids on the pink and white table. One morning a purple striped shirt was chosen for a little girl name Tsion. The shirt was a perfect fit - so perfect that it made the trip all the way with her forever family across the sea to Belgium, where her mother will read her "A T-Shirt Story" tomorrow.

The End.

Reading

We recently found out that Neti and Meke had never seen a book up close before becoming members of our family. No one had ever read to them. We didn't realize it at the time but this picture taken in the Ethiopia airport lobby is probably one of Meke's first exposures to a book (7-15-07).

Most evenings when I get home from work Neti meets me at the door with book in hand and asks me to read. Tonight I told her I wanted her to read to me.

I asked her if she knew the letter sounds. She did. It was just a matter of putting them together. We got the ABC flashcards out and I started arranging words around the letter "A".


Buh - - aaaa - - duh


Buh - aa - duh


Buh-a-duh


buh a duh


Bad?


I wish I had the camera rolling to capture the moment when she first realized she read a word. (Had I been thinking I probably would've chosen a better first word).


We did as many three letter words as I could arrange...then four...then five. Each success was followed by a squeal and orders to "make another one, Daddy". Meke got in on the act too. She knows just about all of her letter sounds but was mostly unsuccessful in her attempts to meld them into a word.

Suh - - aaaa - - tuh

Suh - aaa - tuh

Suh-aa-tuh

Tea?

Not quite. She was able to get a few of the three-letter words. Her first word was "cat".

Tonight before bed, Neti read a beginning reader book to Meke.

Tomorrow she wants to read the Disney Princess Collection to Mommy.