July 25, 2011

We Shaved His Head!!

July 25, 2011/ April L. Diaz

I don't know what we were thinking.

I kind of do. It's summer. His little black face and fuzzy, black head of hair was making Judah all kinds of sweaty in the heat of the sun.
We started today with the hope to shave off the extra, fluffy curls and leave his tight little curls underneath. Our clippers aren't clippers for his hair. The clipper guard kept getting caught in his tight curls so Brian suggested we just go for it. I reluctantly agreed. I LOVE HIS HAIR, but it was time for a change.
As soon as the clippers started, I became panic stricken. My voice on the video is calm and collected compared to what I was feeling. Terror took over. Nauseous and sweat instantly came over me.

It's crazy because I'm not that kind of "hair" person. I've done a hundred different cuts and colors to my own hair. "It'll grow back...it's just hair" has been my motto. But watching my son's first hair cut - his beautiful, fuzzy curls falling off his head in chunks.

I couldn't handle it. We weren't just BUZZING his head; we were SHAVING it to the scalp! I've been mourning to an extent all day.

During...he was fascinated with all his hair!!!

After. Brian's proud that both daddy and son have bald heads. I miss his curls...but his eyes certainly pop even more.
Let's just say that it'll be a while before Addise gets her hair cut. And it won't be with clippers.

July 15, 2011

6 Months Home!

July 15, 2011/ April L. Diaz

It's really crazy to think that as of today, we've been home for 6 months. A lot of things are crazy really...

we've been parenting for 6 months and we have a 3 year old son.
40+ hour flight home from Ethiopia. Beyond crazy. That was an experience I'd rather forget but it's seared into my brain. Someone needs to invent an adoption time machine or travel worm hole. I'm not kidding.
we've gone through about 2,000 diapers. Crazy smells in our house!
Over 15 doctor appointments and 15 immunizations per kid.
I took the kids solo on a trip to meet the extended family in the Midwest.
that our 2 kiddos who are 19 months apart essentially weigh the same and are the same height. [we believe in you Judah...grow grow grow!!]
how many toys have invaded our house. Despite our best efforts, the toys seem to multiply.
14 teeth have emerged between the two of them.
Judah has acquired language at a rate that astonishes us and cause us to watch what we say much quicker than we anticipated. He understands English - his 2nd language! - perfectly and speaks over 50 words well.

The craziest things are the things we can't measure...

how much we love our kids. We couldn't love them more if we'd conceived and birthed them.
what life was really like before them - it was good but this is so much better.
how entirely normal it feels to be Judah and Addise's parents!!! Our social worker said something "magical" happens around 6 months home, and I believe her. It's indescribable but totally true.
the amount of laughter and gratified head-shaking that fills our home every day.
how much Judah is like Brian and Addise is like me. Their personalities are little versions of our own!

Only God!! We are supremely grateful to be these 2 crazy kiddos' parents. God clearly chose them for us. I told Brian this week that I'm so thankful that we didn't get pregnant because I can't imagine NOT being Judah and Addise's mom. Brian readily agreed.

Happy 1/2 Year Home, Kids! We love you like crazy.

All pictures taken by http://www.hanachung.com/.

July 09, 2011

Judah's Birthday Pictures

July 09, 2011/ April L. Diaz

I think Judah wanted to celebrate ALL of his birthday because he woke up, giggly and hyper, at 7:15am. All in all, it was a pretty good 3rd birthday but Judah was definitely "off" all day - crying at things he doesn't normally, easily agitated, and overall just a bit irritable. It was a bummer for me.

One of the most memorable aspects of his day was that there were 3 wrapped presents on the kitchen counter the moment he woke up. They sat there until after his nap and he didn't say a word. It made me a little sad that my 3 year old birthday boy had never opened a present before. He didn't know what gifts were. Ugh...just another moment of reality.

He quickly learned what his gifts meant as we brought them out to unwrap. They were from my mom and dad, and Judah opened them while we Skyped with my mom. After each gift he would impatiently say, "more presents please!" It brought my mom great joy to see her oldest grandchild open and play with the gifts she'd chosen for him. It was a fun 30-minute Skype call!

The one gift Brian and I got him was a retro Radio Flyer tricycle. We couldn't wait to take him for a spin outside after his nap. The bummer of it is that Judah is so tiny that his feet won't reach the peddles and he doesn't have enough leg strength to push them. Regardless, he LOVES his new gift and there will come a day when we can't keep him inside.

A few other memorable moments from Judah's big day:

1st dentist appointment! We love our dentist. He's a member at our church and his family is also actively caring for orphans. Judah's teeth look great, but our doctor mentioned how his teeth are more like a 2 year old than 3 year old.
Cake, Canvas, and Trains, Trains, Trains :: An incredible family at our church gave Judah their gently-used tabletop train set and tons of accessories for his birthday!!! Not only that, but they painted him a canvas with Ethiopia and its flags colors. AND their daughter made Judah a cake-from-scratch. "Thoughtful, amazing, and generous" doesn't begin to describe this family!

We received a number of sweet cards, phone calls, and messages of celebration from family and friends to celebrate his life. For those, we are deeply grateful. Thanks for celebrating with us!

This collection of photos is a reminder how I am totally NOT one to capture all of his day. Nevertheless, here are a few of my favorite from the day...