In just a few days on the 19th of this month, we will have had Ayana for 7 months! It seems like we have had her forever and then again it seems like we just got her and the time is flying. It's hard to describe.
She was so little and fragile when we first picked her up. She is so different now. It is amazing what how much she has changed physically, mentally and emotionally.
I thought I would compare pictures of when we first got Ayana and now...
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Ayana had a check up last week and she has grown an INCREDIBLE amount, 4 inches! She is 31 inches and 25 pounds. She is in the 75 percentile in height and weight. WOW!
I will write more later if I can about some major changes that have taken place in the last few months with her. God is Good!
So Ayana has started to copy her momma and she is carrying her toy pail around like I carry my purse. It is hilarious! We always say to her, Where is your purse, Ayana? and she goes looking for her pail. Look for yourself....
9-11-It is still fresh in my head....I like this quote,
“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children. ” by President George W. Bush.
and in happier news....Melkam Addis Amet!
Today is also the celebration of the Ethiopian New year (Enkutatash). Enkutatash means the "gift of jewels". When the famous Queen of Sheba returned from her expensive jaunt to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem, her chiefs welcomed her bolts by replenishing her treasury with inku or jewels. The spring festival has been celebrated since this early times and as the rains come to their abrupt end, dancing and singing can be heard at every village in the green countryside.
But Enkutatash is not exclusively a religious holiday. Today's Enkutatash is also the season for exchanging formal new year greetings and cards among the urban sophisticated - in lieu or the traditional bouquet of flowers.
Thinking of Ayana's mom and all the kids in the orphanage. I wish I could be there celebrating with them. I miss Ethiopia!
So when we knew we were adopting an African American baby, I decided to do some research on how to do African American hair. I did not want my baby's hair to scream, "I have a white mom who clearly doesn't know how to do my hair!" So I did a lot of reading and tried to get familiar with what products and processes to use. I understand every one's hair is different but I figured research couldn't hurt!
So Once I got Ayana, I abandoned all that I had read. Ayana's hair was so soft and not at all what I thought it would be. I am not trying to stereo type people, I just read a lot of blogs of other children from Ethiopia and was expecting her to have more dry coarse hair. We washed A's hair every other time she took a bath with regular Johnson's baby all in one wash and didn't have to brush or put product on it after and it was soft and very manageable. The back was a little more dry than the front. (probably since it lays against the bed while sleeping)
Fast forward...I learned I need to go back to what I read. A's started scratching her scalp a lot. So much so it started bleeding. I felt so bad. The frequent washing was drying her hair and scalp out to bad. Not just washing it but too much water cab dry it out because it strips the oils that her scalps needs. Her hair is also getting thicker and longer so we did have to buy a wide tooth comb which we only use when it's wet. We only wash every 10-14 days now and it doesn't get greasy at all in between washes. Her hair and scalp are doing great now and she is back to having really soft and shiny hair.
Hair Products: I have a lot of friends who use "Carol's Daughter" products but I haven't tried that yet. We are using the "it's a curl" organic baby curl care and we love it. You can find it at this website.
We usually bathe A once a day which can dry her skin out if you don't moisturize daily. A loves baths!!! I told our nanny that A could not get her hair wet anymore and that I would wash her hair from now on. Sooo......One day I walked in from work and our nanny was giving A a bath so I could hear her giggling when I walked in the door. I went to the bathroom to see and what I walked into was HILARIOUS! A was sitting in the tub playing with her toys. The funny part is that she was completely naked of course except for a GIANT sunhat on her head that the nanny must have been using to keep A's head dry while A took a bath. LOL! I can;t get the visual out of my head. I wish i would have taken a picture. It was so funny!
~Sunhat she was wearing in the tub except she had the strap around her face to keep it on~
So this incident prompted me to go to the drugstore to get a shower cap for A so she doesn't have to wear her sun hat in the tub. She wore it today around the house. It was so cute and funny!
Skin Products: I love the smell of Johnson's baby lotion but A has really dry skin and I found she needs something a bit heavier for her skin so I have been trying Aveeno Baby Fragrance Free Daily Moisture Lotion and I like it but am open to comments if you have a product you like for babies skin. A does have a lot of bumps on her left cheek and it sometimes leaves white marks on her cheek where the skin pigment gets lighter. I'm not sure what it is. We will be going to the pediatrician on Wed to take a look.
I would love to hear feedback from other parents. What are you using for your babies skin and hair? How often do you wash? Any other tips?
I just got back from Austin, TX for a week called, "Mega Camp and Mega Leadership Camp" with Keller Williams. By the way, it was very hard to leave Ayana for 6 days! I missed both my girls so bad! and you too honey! :)
One of the speakers at the camp truly blew me away and has me so convicted in my life right now. His name is Nick Vujicic. You may have heard of him or his ministry called, "Life without Limbs." Nick has a Remarkable Story of God's Grace. Nick was born with no arms and no legs. The doctors told his parents that he would never have a life and would live in bed. It's too much to write but it's worth you reading his story. Read his inspiring story HERE:
Here is one of the many videos on youtube about him: (Sorry for the subtitles)
Part of his speech was him telling us a story about a conversation he had with his mom. He said Mom, I want to be a speaker!
Mom: Who will you speak to? Nick: I don't know. Mom: How will you get around? Nick" I don't know. Mom: How will you get hired? Nick: I don't know. Mom: What will you speak about? Nick: I don't know. Mom: How will you promote yourself? Nick: I don't know. etc...
Every question he answered with, I don't know.
I guess the point is that he didn't know how he was supposed to get there but he knew where he was going. He knew if he kept his eye on the goal, he would get there and everything else would come with Jesus leading him. So that is exactly what happened. Today, Nick is a speaker and has achieved so much and is making a difference in many lives in his 11 ministries.
At 26, Nick has: Spoke in over 24 countries to more than 3 million people and over 200 thousand souls come to Jesus for the first time He has over 2,100 speaking invitations pending and the list goes on and on....
His testimony was so inspiring. The whole time I listened to him I was convicted on the limiting beliefs that I have been having.
I have had a lot of feelings over the last 6 months that I do not know how to sort or deal with. I am not sure what direction God is taking me in but He has been working on me BIG time and I do not know what to do with the thoughts, visions and convictions I'm having. They are so strong, it can be painful sometimes. Have you ever had such a strong vision or conviction but wasn't sure what to do about it?
The thing Nick said that really stuck with me is he said ask yourself 3 things:
1. Why am I here? What is my purpose? 2. Where am I going? 3. What am I doing to get there?
There is always the question of How? He said once you have those 3 things answered, you just take one step, and one step, and one step. As you keep taking steps and seeking Him, Jesus will have led you to the HOW!
This hit me hard. This is why I am a Christian and why I follow Christ. I don't have to know how to do everything. I just need to focus on those three questions and seek the LORD and He will take care of the How. This may bot be anything new but it's what I needed to hear in my life at this time. Hallelujah!
Side note:
Another powerful moment was when he had us write down the 5 things that mean the most to us on a piece of paper. He then said, is health on your list? All of us said yes because if we don;t have our health we can't be around for the other 4 things on the list. Duh?
He said if health is on your list, and it is so important that it is on the top 5 things that are the most important to us, answer this question...Do you exercise? not much, I replied to myself. Do you eat healthy? Uh, pretty sure I do not. He said, how is it important to you if you said no to both of those questions than it isn't important at all. That hit me in the gut! Ouch! He asked that if a camera crew were to follow us around to see a day in our lives, we would truly see what is important to us and that is how we spend our days not what we say is important. I believe in GOD, family, then business but if someone was to follow me around for 24 hours, is that what you would see? Wow, another OUCH!
I HEAR YOU LORD! I HEAR YOU! I am will continue to pray and answer the 3 questions, and take one step, one step, one step.....
I recently had a night for mommies at our house to relax and enjoy the company of some great women. We had a margarita spa party to be exact. We had a spa lady and a masseuse at the house. It was a lot of fun. Gotta love some girl time!
I forgot to post how Savannah's camp went. In this post, I told you about Savannah and her cousin, Austin going to Teen Mania Extreme Camp.
In one word, it was AWESOME! They absolutely loved it and were totally on fire when they got back home. They learned a lot and described life changing experiences and they had awesome one on one time with team counselors too. They also got to watch some of the top Christian bands. She will definitely go again next year. She might also go on a missions trip next year too if she is ready. The funny thing is that I went on missions trips with Teen Mania over 16 years ago and they are still going strong.
I was only to take pictures when I picked them up:
We really loved having Austin with us too other than the fact that I learned I have to keep him away from the ladies. Aparantly, the girls think he is HOT! He lives in MO and since we have moved to TX, we haven't been able to see him as much. He is really an impressive young man. Austin and Savvy were born close together and have been close ever since. Thanks mom, for making the arrangements for Austin.
Well the day has come, the first day of 8th grade. Savannah was not looking forward to school. When I asked her if she was excited to go back to school, she said, no. I said, aren't you excited to see your friends at least. I guess, I just don't want to learn.
Ummm...I think I might be in trouble. Don't you go to school to learn? Not if you ask a teenager. lol
Letter to Savannah:
Your first day of 8th grade... You are simply growing up too fast Savvy! I pray you learn to appreciate what education can do for you. I pray that you will choose Godly friends and stay strong when under peer pressure. I pray you will take the road less traveled even when it's not the cool thing to do. I pray that you are a leader and not a follower. I pray that your inner beauty is even more astounding than your outward beauty. I pray you lean on God, Mom and Dad when you need support. I pray your mother doesn't embarrass you too bad. lol
I was able to capture a few moments on video with the help of my friend, Lindsay. Nothing can get me down when I hear this. In the words of Rascal Flatts, I melt!
Ok, I have been a BAD BLOGGER! I am so sorry to anyone still reading. Things are fine but very busy at work. This is the busiest time of the year in real estate and when I get home I spend time with the family and then there is no energy left to blog. I will try to do better. I don't even know where to start, so many things to tell....
Let's start with the fact that Ayana is into absolutley EVERYTHING! She is running around the house like a mad women. Every day a new adventure...
She has 12 teeth now inlcuding her molars so she can eat table food like a champ. Anytime she eats she makes noises like a trash compactor until she swallows. It is so funny!
Words: she doesn't talk too much but she says ma ma a lot. She can also say: da da Ball Ba ba (bottle) Bop bop and a few other random sounds like, wa wa.
She is adjusting and bonding very well and is still a total Daddies girl. As soon as he gets home from work he can't even go to the bathroom without her following him. She will cry anytime he leaves the room.
She also absolutely loves her nanny that comes to our home everyday while we are at work to take care of her. She gets so excited when she gets to the house. She waits by the door and screams when her car pulls up.
Overall, only good news. she will be going to the doctor next week for her 15 month check up and I will let you know what happens...
