Baptism Day

We baptized Ella on Sunday the 27th. It was wonderful that she was able to be surrounded by family and friends on this special day.

In the Lutheran church, we believe that baptism is a critical first step in the Christian life of every believer. We believe that baptism brings individuals into the family of God. It is one of two sacraments in our church.

We are grateful to Ella's godparents: Paul & Lisa Goffin and Mary Jo and Winston Peterson. By being Ella's godparents they have committed to:

1. Pray for Ella regularly



2. To be a model of love, care and Christlike kindness for her



3. To remember Ella's baptismal anniversary and birthday



4. To be an active part of her life

We know both the Goffin's and Peterson's will do a great job!

I am attaching some pictures from my camera. Our friend, Leah, took the majority of the pictures. I will share them when I receive them.

Thank you to everyone who made this day so special.

Some recent pictures

Hunter just finished up his first term of junior high. He did great! He is an awesome big brother. Both Hailey & Ella are lucky to have him around.

Ella in her daycare uniform. She wears a logo'd polo and khaki pants everyday. It makes getting ready in the morning so easy.

Getting Ready for Halloween

Hunter getting ready to throw a pass

Ella is amazed by Hunter's talents

We went out to the farm yesterday and everyone had fun. Steve may not had as much fun as he has a bad cold. It seems Ella is catching it because she is coughing a lot.

Ella still does not smile "on demand" so you will see most of her pictures do not have smiles yet.

Zoo Boo

We went to Zoo Boo with Paul, Lisa and Zak today. It is a fundraiser for the Como Zoo. Ella had fun checking out all the people, costumes and treats.

U of M Appt

We received our summary letter from the University of Minnesota today. She had an appointment with them on 9/21/11. Here are some of their findings:

• Ella weighed 24.2 pounds. This is in the 10th percentile for weight.


• Ella was 32.5 inches. This is in the 3rd percentile.


• Her head circumference is 19 inches. This is in the 50th percentile.

They anticipate she will grow rapidly in the next 6 months. We have a follow up scheduled for that time where they can reassess her.

Grandma & Grandpa L

It was super sunny out today. This is Ella with Grandpa L. She liked his watch and glasses.
Ella showing off her glasses with Grandma L

Ella and Grandma

Ella had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa L on Tuesday morning. They came over in the morning to enjoy the beautiful day. Unfortunately, the sun wasn't really good for the pictures.

Ella enjoyed showing everyone her trinkets. Then she would take turns passing out her trinkets to everyone. However, then would quickly reclaim them. Then it started all over again.

She also showed off her acrobatic skills. She loves to jump from the table to the chair. She loves to stand on mommy's shoulders so she is so tall and then land on the couch. A daredevil she is!

Isabella's 2nd birthday & a trip to the ER

Grandpa H with Ella and Isabella
Hunter climbing a tree

Isabella: The birthday girl

Grandma & Grandpa H with all the grandkids

We had a great day yesterday. We went over to Amanda & Mark's to celebrate Isabella's 2nd birthday. We hope she enjoyed her party, because we had a great time. Hunter & Ella loved playing with their cousins and seeing aunts, grandparents and an uncle. The kids had a great time with the pinata too!

This morning (Monday) was not so great. On the way to bringing Hunter to school, Ella was going down the stairs. She started to slip so I grabbed her arm. On the way to taking Hunter to school, she wanted Hunter to hold it and she was sad. She was super sad when Hunter left the vehicle to go to school. She wasn't moving her left arm a lot so on our way home we stopped at our primary clinic. They sent us to the ER at Maple Grove hospital It turned out she dislocated her elbow in an injury called Nursemaid's elbow (which come to find out is very common). Once the dr reset it she quickly began using it again and was happy as lark.

However, it's like it never happened. Ella is running around the house. She went to the playground and played at the park. Kids are amazing.

I am blessed to know and love the best two kids: Hunter and Ella!

Watermelon Picking

We are done picking Watermelon's for the season

Ella running around the garden

Hunter and Ella

Sunday School and Other Weekend Events

Ella went to Sunday School for the first time today. We picked up Zak (our godchild) and his grandma on our way to church. Zak and Ella are in the same Sunday School class. One of the first people she saw when she got to church was Mary Jo Peterson. She is such a warm and welcoming person that I am happy she was probably Ella's first impression of Calvary. Ella was not sure of Sunday School. At the begininning, she would not let me go. I was excited to see that Grant Dresser was in her class too. Grant's mommy, Tara, has always been a tremendous source of support. She definitely did not like the singing. However, when it was snack and water time she was all about that. She then sat in my lap and her and Zak worked on an art project. Then Winston Peterson came to see her. She was all gigles and laughs with Winston after awhile. :) So I would say the first day was a success!

It's amazing how God put's the right people in your life on a specific day. It was great to have Arlys and Zak come with us. If Ella was going to be a handful, it was great to have reinforcements. One of the first people we saw when we entered Calvary was Mary Jo Peterson. She is such a warm and welcoming person so I am am happy she is Ella's first impression of Calvary. Mary Jo and Winston are the parents of Elsey. Elsey was my precious Sunday School student last year. Unfortunately, Elsey passed away at the age of 11 last winter. She will forever be in my heart. When we entered Ella's Sunday School room, Tara was there. Tara and her husband, Doug, were instrumental in going through the grief process when Ethan died. They had lost their child a month before. Their son, Grant, is in Ella's class too.

Ella was able to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Hagelin on Saturday. She also got to see Uncle Mark briefly. We went out for the afternoon. Ella loved feeding Grandma red raspberries. It's kind of funny because she begs to eat the yellow raspberries at home and would never share. She played with Grandma and Grandpa and had a fun time. When it was time to leave, she didn't want to go home.

Hopefully, she will be medically cleared soon so she can spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Litfin too. They have come out to talk to her when she is in the car but she hasn't had much quality time with them yet.

Updates: Ella is sleeping better. She is sleeping about 10 hours at night and 2 hours for an afternoon nap. She still does not like Cheyenne (our dog) but will at least be on the floor or near her. Prior to this weekend she would only sit on the kitchen counter if Cheyenne was out.

A small update

In general, things are going really well with Ella. The one item that is not going well is sleep (which is totally to be expected).

Sleep: Due to the combination of jet lag and change of environment right now, this is the hardest part of the transition right now. She has been averaging about 3-4 hours of sleep since we have arrived home. I'm hoping tonight is the change of this. She slept from 7-12:45 and hen I put her down at 1:30 again. Please pray we are turning the corner on this. 3-4 hours makes Ella and Mommy very cranky.

Medical: Ella has an infected sore on her tummy that is currently being treated with antibiotics. She went to the University of Minnesota International Adoption Clinic yesterday. It was wonderful that she had an Amharic interpreter so she could speaker in her own language. This enabled the University to get a more accurate assessment. She was assessed by multiple practioners there and is developmentally on target. She is a little small in the height/weight category; however, the doctor believes she will catch up in the next 6 mos. Poor little girl had like 20+ vials of blood taken. Ella is currently 24.2 pounds.

Attachment: Ella is showing a preference for Steve, Hunter and I so this is good.

Hunter: Ella thinks Hunter is like a supreme being. If Hunter is around, no one else needs to be in the room. This weekend she would call him "Unter". She would walk around "Unter, Unter, Unter". When we dropped him off at school in the am, she would point to where he sat and say "Unter". Last night, she got to see Hunter again. The first thing she wanted was to be held by him. She also nailed down the word "Hunter" last night with the H so that was good.

Please keep Hunter in your prayers. He started both junior high this year and confirmation. He also got a new sister. Although he is doing well with all these changes, it's a lot of change for a young man and we would appreciate your prayers for him.

English: We're making progress. She says Mommy, Daddy, Hunter, parts of her ABC's and No. I believe she is saying yes, but it's not real clear yet.

Ella's Room. Our friend,Dolly, designed and decorated Ella's room. I know this is a repeat for those of you who saw it on Facebook. We will be buying Ella a white bed and dresser once she is ready to transition out of the crib.

People: Ella has started to meet new people. We are deliberately expanded her world slowly. She has met Bernetta briefly. Mommy needed a Caribou coffee after one of the "sleepless nights". She has also met Lisa & Zak. They stopped over for a couple of minutes after daycare one day.

Hair: Mommy needs to learn to do her hair ASAP. The great braids that Meheret put in, have begun to fall out since Ella pulls at them when she is cranky.

Favorite activies: Making the house look like a disaster. She loves to take things out of the cupboards and put them in bags (and carrying them around) or stack them on the stairs. Last night, she had every box of Mac N Cheese (we shop at Costco so I think it's a 6 pack) out and stacked on the stairs. Hunter, Steve and I took her to the park yesterday. She was laughing and giggling as she chased Hunter around the park equipment. Hunter was an awesome big brother. He took her down each slide in his lap the first time and then she would do it on her own.

Blog: This blog will begin to transition to our family blog with details of Hunter & Ella's life. Occasionally, I think there will be something about Steve and I, but our lives don't include as many picture/posting opportunities. So one day when I have time, I will redesign or have it redesigned as our family blog. I will keep the same blog address for ease though.

Freaky Friday

Friday was the day we left Ethiopia and with that there were a lot of goodbyes to be said.

In the morning, Layla House (the care center Ella was at) had a good bye party for her. All the kids sang songs for her and Tigist and Mekdes (two other children leaving).They also served coffee, soda and rolls.

As thoughtful as the going away party was, it was very hard on Ella. I took her back to the environment where her primary caregivers, friends and roommates were for the past two years. When we had to leave she had a meltdown. :(

The rest of the day we just hung out at the guest home and talked to people at the other guest home. Since we had a flight in the evening, we wanted a low key day.

When we first got to the airport, Ella was in very good spirits. She fell asleep about an hour before we were ready to board the flight. She slept through takeoff and for about an hour into the flight. I guess she needed more energy for her airplane antics. The majority of the flight Ella was unhappy. She was crying and screaming. The only time she would calm down is when an Ethiopian person would hold her and speak to her in Amharic. I am so grateful for the flight attendants and passengers who volunteered to help with her.

Thursday

This morning as I was starting to wake up I heard some noise. I thought people must be cleaning the hall or something. I looked in Ella's pack n play and she was there. So then I just started to wake up. I roll over and I have these two beautiful brown eyes staring at me. Note to self: put on glasses/contacts before looking in the pack n play. It also would have helped to turn on a light.

This morning I needed to wash her hair. Meheret was going to braid it when she came in, so all I needed to do is wash it. You will notice her au natural hair in the pics.

After showertime, we had breakfast and then went to another guest house for a visit. It was nice to see some people before they left on tonight's flight.

Some of the people were going shopping and I thought it would be fun to go with. One of the other guests, offered to watch Ella for me. Unfortunately, Ella was not interested in me leaving. I am grateful though that the people who went shopping bought Ella a traditional Ethiopian dress. It was very thoughtful of them to do some shopping for me.

While some people went shopping, others stayed back. It was fun to talk to everyone. The kids had fun playing together. Ty is going to be a soccer super star. Ella and Abdi were having fun talking to each other and playing.

Tonight, Meheret braided Ella's hair. It looks super cute and I'm grateful she did it. Ella will now look cute for her going away party at Layla tomorrow.

It is sad it is my last night in Ethiopia. However, I am happy to be going home to. It is time for Ella to see Steve again and to meet Hunter.

Wednesday's Happenings

Steve best watch out, Ella is both a neat freak and a coffee lover. This morning at breakfast I was brought a cup of coffee. Ella drank all of it. She wanted seconds but I thought that was a bad idea. I'm blaming the coffe for a lack of a nap. Anytime her hands get dirty or she spills she cleans it up right away.

We stayed at the Guest House in the am. It was nice to have a quiet morning. Ella wanted to be held every second of the day. I not only have to hold her but she wants me to stand up and do it. If I sit, she screams. The habit of screaming will eventually have to be broken, but this point her wanted to be held is a good thing and will help her develop a bond with me (and eventually Steve and Hunter once we get home).

This afternoon we went back to Layla, our agencies care center, for a quick visit. At first she was really upset and thought I was going to leave her there. However, as she saw familiar faces and kids she was very happy to be there. She was running, playing and the having a blast. Unfortunately, she was very mad at me when it was time to leave. I took her away from something familiar.

We went to visit my sponsor children this afternoon. It was so wonderful to see them. Their spirit, gratitude and faith are just humbling. They were happy to see me, Ella and Miriam (the social worker). They were so thankful for the tennis shoes that I brought for them. They all went and washed their feet before trying their new socks and shoes on. The oldest is getting great grades on his national exams and will go to college. The youngest and middle are working hard so they can go to college too.

We had a small playdate tonight with friends and that was fun. Ella had a blast running around with the other children. She was very sad when they left.

At the beginning of the day, I was her favorite by the end she was very mad at me. However, such is the life of a toddler.

Embassy Date

Today started out with good news, Ethiopian Airlines had located my luggage! Yeah! Also, we got a call from our agency director that the embassy switched our appointment from 130 to 1030. So the agency quick sent a driver so we could make it on time.

Our embassy appointment was kind of anti-climatic. Visual waiting for your license tabs or driver's license renewal (it has the same feel). You wait until your number is called and then you go up to the window to complete the adoption. Ella will have the necessary paperwork to enter the US on Thursday.

After the embassy, we came back to the Guest House and had lunch. Ella ate up her rice, carrots and green beans. They were super yummy.

Then we decided after lunch, to take matters into our own hands with the luggage. Since I had not received delivery of my luggage, I went to the airport to pick it up myself. It was really humorous. I had was holding Ella because she was so tired (since she only had a nap in the car) and pulling two 50 pound suitcases. After they were complete on the scanner, someone offered me a cart to put them in which helped a lot.

Ella went to bed early tonight since the day was so overwhelming for her. She was in bed and sleeping by 6 pm. I'm hoping for a good sleep tonight too.

Pick Up Day

Today has been a great day. I still don't have my luggage, but I'm doing o.k.

I started off the day by going to the Hilton. It was so nice to pick up a comb, toothpaste and a toothbrush. It's amazing how that can change your whole day!

Next, I went to Layla House to see all the kids. It was so much fun. Ella was much better about hanging out with me today. By the end she wasn't letting me put her down. I had her take her nap at Layla so I knew she got some good rest in the day if tonight didn't go well.

While Ella was napping I headed over to Ritmo Guest House to visit some other adoptive parents. It was great to see the Gaines, Welch and Connelly families. Praying that the Gaines and Welch families pass embassy soon. Ed Connelly and I go for our embassy appointment tomorrow.

After naptime, Ella and I played some more at Layla. Plus, I think I held every kid in the toddler room twice. When it was time to go Ella left without any tears. We loaded up in the Dawit's van and off we went. Ella was staring out the window all the whole way.

When we got to the guest house, we were quickly informed we were having dinner at another guest house. It was good to have dinner with other people, but it was a bit overwhelming for Ella at first. She warmed up to people by the end of the night. We celebrated Ethiopian New Year with coffee, popcorn and a bonfire. Nothing like freshly roasted coffee beans for coffee. Ella tried the coffee but did not care for it. The whole thing tuckered her out and she went to bed quickly after we got home.

Prayer requests: That Ella's transition goes well & that my luggage arrives before I leave.