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Monday, December 31, 2007

Hello I am the official blogger for Grace and Miranda

Well my name is Kim, I also with Hope Adoption Agency, I have the privilege of keeping you informed.

I just talked to Grace just few minutes ago. She and Miranda are waiting in DC and ready to take off on Ethiopian Air flight 501.

They have quickly made friends and have seen several adoptive families preparing to leave on their flight to be united with their children.

The temperature in Addis is 61 so they are heading towards nice weather.

Grace is very excited and she said she saw a little baby in the terminal that looked like Fitty.

They should be arriving into Addis at close to 8:00 pm on the first day of the new year! I say that is a great way to ring in 2008, so many new exciting adventures on the horizon.

I hope to keep you as informed as possible, and if we are all lucky, some pictures. Be sure to leave a comment and say hi so they can have some good reading when they return home, ya like they are going to have time!

Signing off for now
Kim
www.livingloveoutloud.blogspot.com

Saturday, December 29, 2007

meeting my sisters in three days!!!

oh dear lord on the agenda today: learn Amharic, finish getting the suitcases packed, get together the lockets for the girl's ET mommies, go to a birthday party, pack up some of the x mas stuff, wash all the dog beds, finish Vivi's photo album, drink multiple diet dr. peppers because I will be without for nearly two weeks, learn how to use the new camcorder. I should be going....

EDIT::
No need to worry, Mom did break three of her fingers while trying to pull down our broken garage door! so we totally accomplished something NOT EVEN ON THE LIST!

Friday, December 28, 2007

BABY BABY BABY

WE LEAVE IN 2 DAYS TO MEET THE BAAAAAAABIES!!!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

These are a few of my favorite things!!

So I thought it would be fun, and helpful to those just beginning the process if maybe I made a list of a variety of things both mom and I have grown to love over the course of the adoption. I think every post I will do something different so that it doesn't become overwhelming. I will especially do a post about things that were essential to our travel when we get back! Hope you enjoy!!!
BOOKS!!
"I'm Chocolate, Your Vanilla" by Marguerite A. Wright is a great book about raising children of color.
"There is no Me Without You", you should read this if you have adopted, are considering adopting or are just a human being! When my grandma read this book it helped to put Ethiopia's struggle into perspective and she has become much more supportive of the adoption now.
"Held at a Distance, my Rediscovery of Ethiopia" was a great book, I only read about 10 pages, then Mom misplaced it.. oops.
"My Family, My Journey: A Baby Book for Adoptive Families" is by Zoe Francesca and Susie Ghahremani and a really great option for adoptive families who want baby books!
"The Soul of a New Cuisine" by Marcus Samuelsson- an Ethiopian adoptee has great stories and recipes from all over Africa. I would strongly recommend his Ethiopian chocolate cake recipe from this book, its amazing!!
"Foods of Ethiopia" by Barbara Sheen is a great cookbook we just received a few days ago that has a lot of recipes and explanations to go along with them.
"Lonely Planet Ethiopian Amharic Phrasebook" is essential for those traveling and/or bringing home older children to help with the language barrier.
"Kinki Kreations" by Jena Renee Williams is a step by step (with pictures of super cute kids) instructions about doing hair from ages infant to teen.
"E is for Ethiopia" which is a rhyming alphabet book about things in Ethiopia that supports education in Ethiopia and is available at http://www.eisforethiopia.com.
"The Perfect Orange: A Tale from Ethiopia" by Frank P. Araujo is a great illustrated book for slightly older children.
Both "Pretty Brown Face" by Andrea and Brian Pinkney and "Shades of Black" by Sandra Pinkney are great books that celebrate the beauty of African children.
"In the Small, Small Night" by Jane Kurtz is a great children's book about traditional childhood stories from Ghana.
"The Beekeeper of Lalibela" by Cristina Kessler is a great book for older children with wonderful illustrations.
"Why I Choose You" by Gregory E. Lang is AMAZING. I got it for Sophie for her Christmas present (weird I know) and while we were reading it the other night I was just crying out loud it's so moving! It has great pictures of beautiful adoptive families and 100 reasons why "I choose you". I think it would make a perfect present for any one who is adopting/ had adopted.

Monday, December 17, 2007

SOPHIE SOPHIE SOPHIE UPDATE!!!

here is an updated smiling picture of miss sophie!!!! She is soo super gorgeous!!!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

pictures from the baby shower!!

sorry a little late but here are some pictures from mom's baby shower!
this is my amazing Ethiopian flag cupcake tower that took me 6 hours to make...

and here are the three of us girls!!!

and mom with some of her loot

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

NAME CHANGE!!!!!

So something has happened. Aleena isn't an Aleena!!!! We have been looking at her picture and she just doesn't look like an Aleena! We think she may be a Sophia Biset Fitsum. Any ideas? Sophia means wise and ever since we saw her first picture we said she just looked like a little wise old soul!!!

PS my grandma couldn't pronounce Aleena correctly if her life counted on it!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Equality for our adopted children

http://www.equalityforadoptedchildren.org/index.html

Please check out this site. It is for a lobby group in the US advocating for equal treatment for adopted children. Membership is free, but you can also donate to them.

For internationally adopted children their goal is, in a nutshell, to treat them the same way that children who are born of US citizens overseas are, rather than as immigrants. This would essentially eliminate all of the visa/immigration paperwork we are required to do.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

PICTURE PICTURE PICTURE

INTRODUCING MISS ALEENA MADELINE FITSUM PRUITT

Isn't she beautiful??? She has the biggest most perfect eyes and that cute little nose, those full cheeks and those lips! She has my lips!!! The only thing she needs is some hair!! They had to shave her head when she was in the hospital to put the IV, poor baby!! I love her so so so so so so much!!!! We have booked our airfare and are traveling on December 31st to go meet both of the girls and bring home my littlest sister!!!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

so we officially are closer to being a family of four! WE MADE IT THROUGH COURT!!! I will post a picture of the most gorgeous little baby I have EVER seen in my life (other than Genevieve of course) tomorrow because I am unbelievably busy with the baby shower!!!