Our Scheduled Baby

We had to go all of the way to Ethiopia to get a baby who has a schedule. We obviously can't make that kind at home.

Benaiah has a schedule on which he KEEPS US! I guess it was from all of those months in the orphanage setting that makes him cling to the predictability of knowing he is going to get what he needs at a certain time.

7:45 am Wake up!
10:45 am Bottle and nap
12:30 pm Wake up!
3:30 pm Bottle and nap
4:30 pm Wake up!
9:30 pm Bottle and bed
2:00 am Get in bed with "Mumum" and "Dahdah"

Today, I had to leave the house -twice. William did good at getting him his morning bottle and nap, but when it came time for the second one, I was needed to leave again, and William needed to tend to things at work. Now, the little guy is a slobbery, stumbling mess, and I don't expect to have a good night's sleep tonight. (I'm not blaming William!)

We have found that we cannot do more than one event in a day. On Saturday, our event is church. Benaiah runs around and shows off. (We do not put him in the nursery yet.) Church is during the 2nd nap, he doesn't settle well to eat or take a bottle, and by the end of the night and all night long, he is just a mess!

Our biological children, learned to run around town and be around a lot of people early because we eased them into it as infants. Jeremy was "high-need" and running around was harder on him, and we've noticed that Benaiah is also not so laid-back and flexible. I would guess that this is because of the way he is wired and because his first year of life was very different.

I'll always remember the first time we took him to Kroger to grocery shop a month after we brought him home. We all went together. He started out in William's cart, but we quickly figured out that I needed to push him. He grabbed onto me for much of the trip, and I needed to keep talking to him and assuring him that things were OK. There were just too many colors and things there for him to process.

Between Benaiah's schedule and his temperament, we can't handle a lot of activity and excitement right now. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with him, I'm just saying that we need to be selective and conservative about the activity we expose him to outside of our home.

A lovely date

I had a wonderful date with my lovely bride tonight. We went out to the local Ethiopian restaurant and enjoyed a great dinner. After Dinner, Susan had the great idea to go to the Krispy Kreme for dessert. The "HOT NOW" sign was on, and you can actually see the doughnuts being made on the conveyor.

We saw several people come in and Drool over the fresh, hot doughnuts. We met one girl who said her name was "Bizz -- but that's not my real name, my parents weren't on crack". Today was Bizz's birthday, and her friends brought her in to enjoy the tasty goodness. She was a first-timer too. Another gentleman came in with his children and commented that they cost twice as much as they do at the grocery, but nobody cares.

There is nothing quite like a fresh, hot doughnut, and to see them plucked right off the conveyor . . . well, it doesn't get any fresher then that. This was my first trip to the actual factory, but it will certainly not be my last.

Long Recess!

Benaiah's Dedication

Sunday morning, our church held a child dedication ceremony during which we vowed to raise Benaiah up to love God and serve Him.

There were 24 families. It was held in the church's chapel which was really dark, so we didn't get any good photos of the actual ceremony.

Considering that the ceremony was during Benaiah's nap time, he did great! He did need a bottle before it was over, but who can blame him?













We had lots of friends pop in to support us. Part of the ceremony was for our friends and family to vow to support us and Benaiah. That meant so much! Thanks to all who came!












After the ceremony, we had cake with friends and family. It was a really nice time to visit!

Meeting the Vaz Family!

Saturday, we rushed over to RDU to meet a dear family from our church who was returned home with their newest child from Ethiopia!

There was quite a crowd of family and friends which included church family and families with Ethiopian children! It was very cool!

Their new baby is gorgeous and big brother and big sister seem to be happy to have Mom and Dad home!

Congratulations, Vaz family!

A Busy, Busy Valentine Weekend.

Happy late Valentine's Day! Marissa made this beauty at church! I always love to tote project dripping with glue onto the shuttle bus to the parking lot and then home. I thought this was really pretty, so it was well-worth it!

We had a full weekend, and I think we're still trying to recover from it!



Jeremy swam on both Saturday and Sunday mornings in the last short-course swim meet of the season. He did very well and took some time off of most of his strokes. It is amazing how much he has improved since September!


Since we ran from the pool to church on Saturday, William prepared a Valentine's feast for Sunday afternoon after Jeremy finished swimming. It was delicious! The cake was coconut with a raspberry-almond filling. YUM!



































William makes one craft project a year -my Valentine card. He cuts, stamps, colors, ties, etc... to make something beautiful to give me. (He also wrote a tear-inducing message inside that I'm going to keep to myself!)

Thank-you, William! I love you!

Happy Birthdays!

Happy Birthday to Susan's mom, Barbara. We celebrated with family and grilled hamburgers last Friday.




















Today is our nephew Benjamin's 5th birthday! Happy Birthday, Benny-benny-ben-ben!!!












Just an interesting fact we'd like to share.... Our computer desk has the perfect place in which to store small Ethiopians...