Talking with Jacob and Mardia

I called Jackie Friday night to see if the kids were awake and she they were already asleep. I think I woke her too - new Mom you can imagine how it goes. Anyway, we talked for quite a while - what a lovely woman. Finally, we agreed that Akins could call on Saturday so we did. Jacob sounded wonderful he was saying "Junior do you know who I am". Junior said "Hello, I miss you, I love you, how was the airplane". Jacob was having a hard time understanding him as he was talking too soft and in three year old style. When I took the phone back Jacob told me the airplane scared him when they went to land. Then he said "I want to speak with Junior's Granny!" How cute is that? I put Mom on the phone which thrilled her to death to be able to speak with Jacob again, he spent a lot of time close to her when we were in Liberia. He then asked for her phone # and took it down so he could stay in touch. Then Mardia got on the phone and Akins spoke with her for a while. She was saying "I love you, I miss you and just giggled any time Junior spoke. Totally cool stuff - this is what it is all about right here! I remember promising Jacob and Ishamel that they would talk to and see Junior again! Well, we are part of the way through keeping that promise! I could have burst!

Today was getting the tree and decorating day so lots of pictures and stories to follow tomorrow on that topic!

One final thought as I close for the night...Jessica needs us now. The DNA was not favorable and there is a lot of turmoil and uncertainty as we try to sort out who Diamond and Florences real parents are or if they are even related to one another! Fortunately, we have our personal I-Spy Karen on the scene right now to help get good information back to Jessica. Please keep these kids and this family in your thoughts!

They made it!

Pat checked in and let us know that Alomiza is home safe and sound. They are bonding very quickly and seem like a perfect match! I knew it all along! She said Alomiza is calling her "Ma" and talking her ear off. Very cute!

Jackie checked in and said the Jacob is a lovely boy and poor Mardia was asleep on the couch wiped out from the long trip. JJ had gone to the store with Jacob in tow. I doubt that boy will sleep for days as he will be afraid to let them out of his sight!

Pat also reported that she was able to meet Tarry and Maima's mom and even got some contact information so the kids can stay in touch especially Abegail and Eman who are their cousins. Felicia was still enroute to be delivered to her Mom in Chicago. Everyone seems to be doing great. Junior would like to call Jacob and Mardia so we will try tomorrow night after giving them some time to rest.

Karen also checked in and she is working hard at getting the passports for Kurker and Diamond (Angeline) the passports have been approved MAJOR step and just need signed. If all goes well she plans on bringing home four kids her two and Shelby and Lori's two.

We all need to pray for Jessica as the DNA testing is being redone on Diamond and Florence - final results should be in on Friday or Saturday. I know Jessica is frantic and I am so hoping this comes out okay! Fingers crossed everyone!

The kids are coming home!

Today marks many good moments! Karen should have met her kids tonight. Ishamel and Diamond must be thrilled right now laying in their beds dreaming of America. Karen is trying desperately to bring both home but Diamond's passport was still not available, let's hope this one trip will do it!

Also, Tarry, Maima, Jacob, Mardia and Alimoza are all enroute to the U.S. right now! I know Pat, Jackie and JJ are all in the last stages of preparing for the kids to join them and DNA is in on Sharon's girls Jemama and Princess with 99.9% certainty they are a match!

We still have a few kids we need to finalize including getting Kurker's passport so he and Gormah can come home to Shelby and Lori and getting everything finalized on Assata, Martu and Mackie. Obviously, this is not all of the kids at the AFAA house but it is the kids for which I have developed deep bonds with their families and want home as much as their parents do!

Trials and Tribulations

For anyone considering international adoption it would only be fair to be sure and tell all the good and bad stories. It all sounds so cute right? Most of the time it is, but today was one of those really challenging times with Akins being defiant and fighting me at every request. I guess I can look for the silver lining and hope that it is because he is feeling safe and now testing me to see if I really am going to keep him forever (which I am) but while in the midst of the turbulent moments it is hard to find the shimmer of the lining. On the up side...the attorney called today and it looks like we will get a court date sometime in December and hopefully finalize the domestic part of the adoption. Then I can apply for a SSN and US passport as well as get certified US birth certificates.

Tommorrow is a new day!

Akins finds his "s", his manners and the a-b-c's

One of the common traits of the Liberians is not to use vowels at the end of words. When we first met Akins he always said "yeah" with the "h" left sort of hanging out there not really stated. Recently he has started saying "yes" with a very pronounced "s" it is as if he realizes it is different and is making a point to say the "s".

As quickly as he learned to say the "s" on yes he also has learned some very polite phrases. He says "thank you", "sorry" and "please may I have some...". For the most part there is appropriate use of these phrases but he will say "sorry" in an attempt to get out of things too. I guess he thinks it is the get out of jail free card for nearly any transgression. Most of the time it is so cute it works - maybe that is why he keeps doing it!

I wasn't thrilled about changing daycares at first but it seems like things are clicking in his head since going to the new school. He's been saying his ABC's a lot the past week or so and can now get up to H or I before getting a little confused. Baby steps, but hey at three that is pretty good I think.

First Thanksgiving

Mom prepared a really great meal and we are bad because at 8:00am we called to see if there was the option of coffee and pecan pie for breakfast. After pleading she caved so off we went. Akins was not real keen on the pecan pie so he ended up with some toast. I on the other hand got seconds (mine and his)score! Then we just hung out until the meal was ready and Akins enjoyed gobbling (no pun intended) down his first drumstick which he referred to as the "big feet". Navigating through the bones has become a bit of an art and a special part of the fun when eating chicken or any other poultry. All of it is chicken after all right?! Oh, wait everything is chicken, including me, mom, the dogs, his school and Lorea - duh!

It was fun to watch him make his way through that big leg. We managed to get him to try a lot of different things. Lorea and I both like the whole sweet and salty combo so she managed to get him to try turkey and sweet potato, turkey and cherry salad, turkey and cranberries, you get the picture. The game however got him to try everything and he actually like some of them. After dinner we had pumpkin pie, he liked it even the big crust, but not the small crust. He was okay with it until he saw it then it was "Mommy what's it" pointing to the bottom crush. I told him crust, he peeled the bottom off and ate the rest, I told him the big crush and small crush were the same thng and he said "huh un". I can never figure him out, usually he would like the part that is softer, this time it was the crunchy part. As soon as the feast was over he was back to asking for Sushi which is on the agenda for tomorrow. Great!

Turkey Feet!

Akins has candy in his ears!

When I was a small child my father used to play this game with us. He would tell us to lay down and he would inspect our ears to see if possibly anything had grown in there and magically we would have candy. Usually just a piece or two for each ear. Well, I tried this on Akins and imagine his surprise to find two M&M's in each ear. Puzzled first and then delighted!