1Hundred Girls

A few months ago, I posted about my friend, Tamara, and the amazing work she is doing through Studio Samuel Foundation(SSF) to empower young women who are aging out of the orphanage system in Ethiopia with life skills and the confidence to break the cycle of poverty. Recently, Tamara asked me to join the board and take a more active role in the projects and goals that Studio Samuel is embarking on this year. My answer of "Yes!" was a no brainer. I believe whole heartedly in their mission and am hoping, for reasons close to my heart, to be especially involved in their upcoming projects focused on women's health. If it isn't obvious, I am pretty excited about all of this!

Yesterday, SSF launched the 1Hundred Girls Campaign. I wanted to share two easy ways you can get involved and make an impact on the life of a girl in Ethiopia.

BRAS! Yep, you read that right. SSF is trying collect 260 new or gently used bras for teenage girls at Kechene orhpanage in Addis Ababa. I visited Kechene while we were in Ethiopia and I would love nothing more than to help provide those girls with self esteem, even if it's something as small as owning a bra. Here is the LINK with the mailing information to send a bra or bras. SSF needs to receive all the bras by February 1st so they can be sent to Ethiopia in time for the event.

KARATE!! I think it's pretty well known that karate not only teaches self defense but builds self esteem as well. Sadly, many of these young girls find themselves in situations where defending themselves against rape is not uncommon. For only $27 you can sponsor a girl to take karate classes for 6 months! Think about how easily and quickly you can spend $27 at Target (or your favorite store to putz around) on stuff that is simply that. Stuff. But $27 would provide a young woman with possibly life changing skills. Here is the LINK for more information about the karate program and you can read why each girl in the program has a desire to learn karate.

If you are able to send bras or sponsor karate class, would you please let me know? I would love to send you a personal thank you.

"Invest in a girl and she will do the rest."

Turnpike Play Date

As I mentioned in my December Recap post, we had the opportunity to meet another adoptive family that I have known through blogging for several years. However, it didn't come about as you might expect. Rebecca's blog was one of the first blogs I started reading when we began the process to adopt from Ethiopia. They were in the final stages of waiting to bring their son home in 2008 when I first stumbled across her blog. Since then we have communicated several times over Facebook and email and through our blogs. She cheered us on when we brought LB home and I cheered for her as they returned to Ethiopia to adopt their daughter. We've even talked about trying to arrange a get together when LB and I were visiting Oklahoma, since they live about two hours from my parent's house. However, as Rebecca said several times when we met, "We could not have planned this!"

We decided to begin our journey back to Ohio on December 28th. The plan was to leave around LB's nap time and drive to Illinois and stop for the night. My sister, who lives in St. Louis, was going to follow behind us. (My sister also followed their blog.) We were about an hour into the drive on the Oklahoma turnpike when an SUV with an Ethiopia bumper sticker passed us. D and I both noticed the bumper sticker and wondered aloud if the people in the car were an adoptive family. D even mentioned that maybe they used the same agency since we were still in Oklahoma at that point. All of a sudden the SUV slowed down and pulled in front of us so it left D with no choice but to merge over and pass them. I looked over into the car as we were passing and Rebecca was waving at me! It turns out she had recognized me when they initially passed us and told her husband to slow down. I happen to have an Africa bumper sticker on my car as well, which is what prompted her to look at our car. I actually wonder that if neither of us had Africa themed bumper stickers would this meeting ever had happened? Maybe not. Once I saw her, I started dying laughing and D thought I was totally insane. He couldn't believe I would recognize someone that I had never met. I started wondering if they would know to follow us off an exit so we could try and meet and just say hi. But then I got the idea to message her on Facebook with the hope she had her phone on her. She wrote me right back and we decided we would travel up a few exits to a stop in Missouri where there was a Starbucks. It turns out they were driving from Oklahoma to Missouri to see family. Thankfully, LB had yet to fall asleep because I really wanted our kids to meet. I should also say that we used the same agency so LB and Rebecca's kids were all at the same care center in Addis. Not at the same time. But still the same place and the same nannies. So they didn't meet in Ethiopia but they did meet at a Starbucks off the highway in Missouri. Too funny.

It was so surreal to see her family get out of the car and to give her and her kids a hug. We spent close to an hour at Starbucks where we chatted and our kids ate snacks and played. It was so fun to see them together and to experience her kids' personalities, even though I felt like I already knew them. They were as cute and as wonderful as I thought they would be. Rebecca and I kept laughing about the craziness of the whole situation and the time we spent there flew by. We did snap a few photos to document the occasion before we all continued on our road trips. As you can see from the photos, LB was quite smitten with cute Ruthie. You can hardly blame him! I love that he put his arm around her.

Seriously? How often does stuff like this happen? I'm so glad it happened us!

Rebecca, next time let's pick a spot other than the turnpike for a play date.

LB's First Snow

My neighbor sent me the above picture the day after Christmas to give us an idea of what we were missing in our neck of the woods. I was not at all sad about it. D was hoping for a white Christmas in Oklahoma but thankfully that didn't happen. My mom sealed the deal on that one because she bought LB these really cute boots just in case it snowed. So, of course, it didn't snow. The day after we got back from Oklahoma all the snow was still here so it was time for LB to finally get the chance to play in the snow. It's a little surprising that just a few days ago LB had his first experience with snow. We live in Ohio for goodness sake! LB's first winter home we got a ton of snow but he was still just a baby and wasn't even walking yet so playing in the snow wasn't really an option. I know some parents plop their babies in the snow and take a picture but I'm not a snow person so even though that probably would have been a cute picture I opted out for my own warmth. Last year, I think all we got was a dusting or two. But all of that snow was waiting for us when we got home this year. D set out in the snow first to start clearing the driveway and I got to work on bundling up LB. He was a sport about it considering he isn't usually a fan of the whole getting dressed process. Once he got outside he was initially hesitant about stepping in areas where D hadn't shoveled. So he explored the snow from the comfort of our walkway for a while before venturing out. Sadly, the snow was super powdery and that made it really hard to build anything. LB asked me several times if we could make a snowman and I had to demonstrate that the snow just wouldn't stay together well enough to make one. We did manage to make a few, small snowballs and LB loved that, which isn't surprising since he loves to throw anything and everything. He threw some at me and thought that was hilarious. At one point he tried to climb the little incline in our front yard and made it about halfway up and said, "No me think this really safe." Ha! Always the cautious one. He lasted about 30 minutes. I thought that was pretty good. I think if it had been easier to make snowballs or if we could have made a snowman then he would have lasted longer. However, ever since I've asked him if he wants to play in the snow again, without hesitation, he's said, "No." I can't say it disappoints me. Thanks to my awesome new gloves from my sister I was able to snap a few pics of LB without totally freezing my hands off. First, you should admire my new gloves. They have changed my life.

Okay, now you can see pictures of LB.

As cute as he looked and as much as I like his new boots, my fingers are crossed that we are done with snow for 2013. 

December Recap

It's been a busy but very fun month! This was the first year that LB started to understand some of the concepts of Christmas. Last year he recognized Santa and would say, "ho ho ho." That was it. This year there was so much more excitement and wonder. I really enjoyed December through the eyes of an almost three year old. Right after Thanksgiving we started putting out some of our decorations. We opted out of a tree this year but I think this will be our last year doing that. We knew we wouldn't be home for the week around Christmas so we decided not to mess with it but seeing how excited LB was about the tree at my parents made me regret that decision. Next year we will have a tree! Any time we saw a Christmas tree he would exclaim, "Look at that Christmas tree!" But we still had fun decorating the house with some twinkly lights, an advent calendar and some other holiday decor.

LB loved choosing a new doll for each day of the month and would cheer almost every day that Christmas was "getting closer!" The Ethiopia doll or "Hipia doll" as LB would say occupied the number 1 spot all month.

At the beginning of the month we met some friends at a holiday festival where they had a Santa and merry go round and a little train ride for the kids. I'm not sure there has ever been a cuter Santa photo. 

Doesn't Santa look pleased to see LB? LB asked for a "really, big airplane." Shock. 

Towards the middle of the month, we took LB to an event called A Tuba Christmas. It is what it sounds like - a bunch of tubas playing Christmas songs. Given LB's love of music we figured this event would not disappoint. He was a little stunned by the sounds TONS of tubas made but he enjoyed it and still talks about it. For several days afterwards, he kept asking if he could have a tuba. And he still talks about how the musicians raised their tubas at the end of some of the songs. He also likes to pretend to conduct musical instruments and then take a bow. It's pretty cute.

D and I really enjoyed Tuba Christmas and I am hoping it can become an annual Christmas tradition. (Yes, I am still obsessed with photo collages.)

The day before we were supposed to fly to Tulsa to be with my family, we made a crazy decision and decided to drive instead. There was snowy weather headed our way so D suggested we get out ahead of it and not risk cancelled or delayed flights. It ended up being a good decision but was very unlike us. We aren't typically fly by the seat of our pants type of people. LB did pretty well and the drive provided for an unexpected and hilarious meet up on the Oklahoma turnpike with another Ethiopia adoptive family I only know through blogging. It is worthy of it's own post. (Teaser - we met THIS wonderful and adorable family.) Truly amazing! More to come.

Once we got to Tulsa, LB had a blast with my family. My cousins from Kansas City came down for a visit and that was definitely a highlight. LB and my cousin created a new game called Drum Ball. Watch for it as a possible future Olympic Sport.

At one point, all of us were gathered in the family room and LB shouts, "Everybody up! Everybody Dance!" He's pretty hard to say no to so we all obliged. He's got some legit moves.

We have a bit of a tradition running for taking LB to see Santa near my parents' house on Christmas Eve. So even though he had already seen Santa we made a last minute visit to see him again. Thankfully, LB still asked for a "really, big airplane." Whew. As always, his personality shines through in photos.

We also went to the candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve and LB was truly an angel through the whole service. D reminded me to keep that memory close when LB was throwing a fit on the drive home. I also took possibly my favorite photo of LB from 2012 at the service. In my opinion, the look of awe and wonder in his face truly captures the spirit of Christmas. I love that boy of mine.

Christmas morning did not disappoint and LB got his "really, big airplane." However, we think his favorite gift was from Aunt Bebe. She got him a trumpet and he plays with it constantly. 

Clearly, he is imparting his own style to the art of playing the trumpet. The next big thing will be to play the trumpet upside down.

Thankfully, we survived the long drive back to Ohio despite driving through some nasty snow.

I hope your holidays were filled with joy and cheers to a happy new year!

Christmas Tree Craft

In case you aren't friends with me on Facebook or Instagram, then I thought I would share this totally awesome Christmas craft that LB and I did yesterday. I got the idea from one of my favorite websites, Play at Home Mom. Yesterday was rainy and dreary and the playdate we had scheduled fell through due to sickness so I decided it was the perfect day for this activity. I turned on some Christmas music and asked LB if he wanted to make a Christmas tree. He started jumping up and down and saying, "Yay." He was ready before he even knew what we were going to do. I love that he enjoys art. Finding creative things for us to try doesn't always come naturally to me but I had a feeling this one would be a hit. Here is what you need:

1. Toothpicks
2. Gum drops
3. Foam Cone (I got one from a craft store and it was only $2.)

That's it. Perfect for me. If you are more ambitious than me then you can let your kid paint the foam cone green. LB still can't totally be trusted with paint. They do paint at school and I let him do finger paints outside but he tends to get carried away. So I let him use a crayon. It didn't work that great but it gave the cone a green sparkle. Then I pulled out the gum drops and toothpicks and showed him how to poke the gum drop and then push it into the tree. That was all he needed and he was off and running.

I love watching his little hands work. He gets pretty serious about it. What made this so great was that he could do it without any help and was so proud of what he was creating. He would tell me what color he was going to do next and as it got more full he had to brainstorm about where to put his hand so he could push the toothpick into the foam. I also think the addition of Christmas music really helped set the mood. He even said, "My love Christmas." And at times he would pretend to sing along to the music. He's such a little performer.

Once he had the one foam cone pretty full he asked to make another one. Sadly, I only bought one but promised him we would do it again. In an effort to keep things real around here, I should disclose that we had a little toothpick incident when we were done. I turned my back to throw a few things away and before I could stop him LB had dumped all the remaining toothpicks on the floor. There were some still on the table and he decided those needed to be on the floor too. Awesome. Thankfully, he was quick to agree to help me clean them all up. Sometimes I think he makes a mess just for the enjoyment of cleaning it up. Sigh. But it was totally worth it. The second D walked in the door, LB ran to him and exclaimed, "My make a Christmas tree! Look Daddy!" He was so proud. The tree is our new centerpiece. Let me know if you try it. So fun!

Let's Make Music Together

Last week we attended LB's final music class of the year. We've been going every Monday since the fall. The program, Music Together, is a 10 week course and the new sessions don't start until January. I cried. Yep, you read that right. The teacher was singing the goodbye song and before I could stop them tears started rolling down my cheeks. I felt so lame but I couldn't help myself. This has been one of the greatest things LB and I have done together. Even now as I type, I want to cry. I'm not sure if it's the brillance of the program itself, or the amazing teacher or simply the power music can have on our souls but LB and I both loved every minute of every class. What it probably comes down to is that I feel immensely grateful to participate in a program like Music Together and to see my son so happy and thriving. Music takes hold of him in a way that nothing else does. Those 45 minutes of music class bring him so much joy that he is either smiling, carefully observing the teacher or dancing the entire time. Watching him participate so willingly and happily each week has been such a gift. In the end, I imagine it was that deep sense of gratitude that caused the tears to flow.

LB fell in love with the teacher, Leigh, at the very first class. I did too. He brings her name up several times a day and has since the moment she picked up her guitar and started to sing, "Hello Everybody." She has a way of making you feel comfortable right from the start. And it turned out we shared some connections that would surface over the first couple of sessions. A few weeks into the class, Leigh mentioned that she would be heading out of state to visit family so we weren't going to have class the following week. She explained that her parents live in Kenya, where her father is a physician, and this would be her only chance this year to see them. It hadn't come up yet that LB was born in Ethiopia so after class I told her and we were both excited that we shared the bond of Africa. We chatted a bit about some unique experiences of being in Africa and how hard it is to explain how poverty, joy, hope and despair all live side by side to people who haven't been there. And how being there really makes you question all "the stuff" we cling to here in the States when our friends in Africa clearly find happiness without. Then Leigh turned to LB and looked him in the eye and said, "We are so glad you are here." It was not in an "America is better and you are better off here" kind of way but in a sincere "I am so glad to know you and to be making music with you" kind of way. I almost cried then. It turns out that our connection to Leigh didn't stop there. A few weeks later, she told us a story about going to her college reunion. The point of her story was how things were going okay and she was having nice conversations with people but it wasn't until the music came on and people started dancing that really paved the way for  the fun to begin and for memories to be made. However, I only half heard her story at that point because I got such an overwhelming feeling that we shared the same alma mater. I knew Earlham's reunion was that weekend and I'm sure several colleges have reunions in the fall. But I just felt with 100% certainty that she went to Earlham. I just couldn't shake that Earlham vibe. After class, I asked her and when "Earlham" came out of her mouth I just wanted to hug her. It's not everyday you meet someone who went to your teeny tiny but incredibly unique college in Eastern Indiana. Leigh is amazing and is definitely a huge part of what makes music class so enjoyable.

Clearly, the other part is the music itself. Music Together provides you with a CD of a collection of 25 songs. They give you two of them so you can have one playing in the car and the other at home. We'll get a new song collection at the next session. And they aren't songs like the itsy bitsy spider but are songs I don't mind listening to in the car even if LB isn't with me. You don't sing all the same songs at every class but Leigh mixes it up each class while still following a similar pattern. I actually wasn't aware there was a pattern until LB pointed it out me around week 3. Yes, he's smarter and more observant than I am. Leigh brings out various instruments throughout class and there is a lot of movement and dancing as well. During the free dance, Leigh will usually pick a song that the parents will enjoy too. Leigh is quick to point out that the kids don't have to be participating in an obvious way to still be learning and benefitting from the music. There are several kids who run around or roll on the floor and don't seem to be listening. However, I was with one of those kids at the park the other day and he was on the swing and was clear as day, in the sweetest voice, singing one of the songs from music class. The connections in the brain are being made just by being there.

One of the things we do in every class is that the second to last song is a lullaby song. The two lullaby songs in the most recent collection were Shenandoah and Shady Grove. She chose Shenandoah for the last class. Leigh turns off the lights and encourages you to cuddle or rock or rub your child's back. LB and I were on the floor, he was curled up and I was rubbing his back and I started to think about how wonderful that moment in class is for attachment. And then I realized it wasn't just confined to that moment but that actually the entire 45 minutes of singing and dancing together is all about attachment. I started to have some regret that we didn't do something like this much sooner. Even though I feel like our attachment went pretty smoothly it still would have been wonderful and helpful, especially given LB's love of music. If you have the opportunity to do this with your child then I couldn't encourage you more. I wish I had thought of music more as an attachment tool in the beginning. Thankfully, attachment is an ongoing process and we are lucky to be doing this now. So on this last day of November, I am especially thankful for music.

"Music in the soul can be heard by the universe."
-Lao Tzu

Pre-school Gymnastics

We are very lucky to be close to a few community centers that have a lot of great offerings for young kids. Most of them are really reasonably priced and I plan on taking full advantage this winter. I like having some structure to our day and I think LB does too. This winter we have an activity that gets us out of the house every morning except Fridays. It's a good system and I plan on sticking with it.

A few weeks ago, I signed LB up for a pre-school gymnastics at the rec center that is 5 minutes from our house. It's a 6 week course and only cost $25. I figured even if it was awful and boring then I was only out $25. My hope was that it would give LB some confidence in his gross motor skills and be a way to use some energy during these cold months. LB is actually quite coordinated and strong but his cautious nature has held him back from exploring his physical abilities. As you might have guessed, LB was a little hesitant to go. The whole drive there he kept saying, "Me no go to nastics class." I kept telling him he would love it and that we were going. As soon as we walked in the gym, LB was no longer singing that tune. The teacher sets up some equipment for the kids to play with for the first 20 minutes of class. Then they do a circle time, which consists of being led through some stretching and singing songs that involve movement. Next they do a new skill and the teacher has them line up and each kid gets a turn. The first week it was doing a "pencil roll" down a ramp and last week it was walking across a low balance beam and yesterday she helped them flip their legs over a bar. Of course, getting the kids to line up can be a challenge but I think it's good practice and so far LB enjoys watching other kids do the skill so he doesn't mind waiting. They end with bringing out a big parachute and they make waves and a tent and get the opportunity to run under it while the parents have it lifted. LB won't do that part because it gets a little crazy and noisy (massive understatement!). I don't blame him. He hangs out with me and helps lift the parachute for the other kids. And in his defense, he isn't the only kid who opts out of the craziness. I tell myself it's because he is so smart.

The class is half over and I am ready to sign up again for January. I've already noticed a change in LB after just 3 classes. He is gaining confidence and is more willing to try new things. He's letting go of some fears. The first class he wouldn't let the teacher help him with the "pencil roll" and wanted me to do it. The second class it was the same thing. He wanted to hold my hand to walk the beam. I get it. I am his safe person and am happy to oblige. However, this week he completely surprised me. The instructor had a kid, who took the class before, demonstrate to hold on to the bar and lift their legs to the teachers hands. Then the teacher helped them flip their legs over and be upright on the bar. I thought to myself that there was no way LB was going to do it. A couple of kids went up, including one of his buddies from school, and everyone would clap after each kid tried it. The teacher said, "Okay, who is next?" And LB stands up, with all the confidence in the world, and walks right up to the teacher. I would venture to say that he strutted. I was in shock. He put his hands on the bar and she lifted him over. After he got down, he ran to me and shouted, "My did it!" It was awesome. Completely and totally awesome.

At his first class, I snapped some pictures of LB so I could show D the things we did in class. They aren't the best but you get the idea.