Meeting the Grands

Who heads to the desert in the middle of the summer with three little ones? We do! We spent the better part of a week in Palm Springs for a work conference for me and we were joined by some very special guests. My mom drove out with us to help with the kiddos and my grandparents flew into town to meet their newest great-grandchild and see their favorite Ethiopians. It was a priceless trip that still came with the cost of sacrifice.

Perhaps my favorite moment was when Granny and Gramps (my kids great-grandparents) walked into our hotel room for the first time. They busted in the door after bedtime and Judah and Addise giggled with delight while sprinting to give them hugs. THEY KNOW THEIR GRANDPARENTS! Judah and Addise know they are loved by them. It was a joyful reunion to say the least.

While I sat in an air conditioned conference room for work, my mom (sitting on the pool steps) played for hours with my kids in the pool.

Asher wearing Gramps' shirt from when he was a baby!!! This shirt is 80 years old and in pristine condition. Gramps held Asher for hours on end which made my heart glad.

Such a beautiful shirt in perfect condition! Thrilled we were able to capture this moment...(and that double chin)

My Granny with my son.

Three generations sitting on the couch. My grandparents are amazing grandparents. They take great delight in us and radically love on us. (After a dozen attempts, we still couldn't get 6 smiles at the camera. Impossible.)

Birthday Boy

I'm just gonna say what every other parent says on their child's birthday, "HOW IS MY SON 4 YEARS OLD?!?!" This birthday was like our first one with Judah because last July 8th he was barely speaking English and had no concept of birthdays. This year was a different story. I was a bit obsessive about building anticipation for his big day.

"Judah, what's coming up?" 
"How old are you going to be?"
"What are we doing for your birthday, buddy?"
"Do you want a party?"
"Is grandma coming here for your birthday?"
"Are you getting presents for your birthday?"

Brian got sick of it. I did not. To me, this was a birthday worth celebrating BIG. So we did for about 2 weeks.

The morning of his birthday, we burst into his room and I nearly yelled, "Judah, what's today?!?!" He bounced up on his bed and squealed, "MY BIRTHDAY! PRESENTS!!!!" Yes, buddy. Today's your day.

Lion King book from Uncle Matt and Aunt SB. He's a reader!

He's also a "watcher". This boy loves movies like his Daddy.

We celebrated his birthday at a bounce house with his friends a little belated so Grandma could be in town. It was so fun to party with our diverse group of friends!!! Judah had the time of his life.

FRIENDS!!!!!!

My girl with my mom.

We had a sweet friend make 2 kinds of DELICIOUS and adorably decorated cupcakes. We discovered a little too late that Judah ate the wrapper of half his cupcake. Oops.

"Cheese!" With Daddy.

Our oreo sandwich. Judah's best friend, Cohen. He's logged a lot of hours with Cohen over the past year and a half. This was their last time together since Coco's moving to Paris soon. Bittersweet part of his party.

The spoils. Judah was truly spoiled. Though I don't want my kids to be spoiled, this birthday felt "right" to shower him with gifts. It was an explosion of love on this little boy's life. He's never experienced something like this before now. So grateful for our friends for choosing thoughtful and fun gifts that he truly loves. They know him. That's the best part.

Addise couldn't quite understand why it wasn't her birthday too. :) Judah graciously shared the spotlight, because that's just who he is.

Heck ya! A Batman shirt with removable cape. SO COOL!

One gift was cooler than the next. He could hardly move from one gift to the next because he was so overwhelmed with each one.

Fishing pole for the pool. He's already been practicing a lot.

Thank you's have yet to be written but I've been non-stop grateful since his big day. Judah felt loved. He was celebrated. He was lavishly gifted. Most importantly, he was surrounded by friends and family who know him and love him.

Of course, I couldn't help but to think of the woman who gave him birth and gave him up. I silently spilled a few tears. Offered up a few prayers. Hoped that the God of all good and perfect gifts would continue making good things come from so much loss and pain.

Judah, you are my first born son. Your eyes speak a hundred thousand words in more animation and expression than your words can yet convey. You are kind. You are giving. You are a reader and a watcher. You are a great big brother to Addise and Asher. You are joy embodied. You have the most tender heart. You have a conscience that is enviable to most adults. You are smart as a whip. You are a deep observer and intense learner. You are a fighter. You are so sensitive. You are playful and silly. You love superheroes like your Daddy. You are uber-curious. You are my son and I love you beyond what you will ever comprehend. Happy birthday, Bugs.

Re-Finalization Day!

Eighteen months ago we became the legal parents to Judah and Addise in Ethiopia's eyes. In November 2010 we went to an Ethiopian court to swear before a Judge that we would forever and always be Abebayehu and Tarike's parents and love as our own children.

Our first official family picture after Ethiopian court.

Yesterday, May 31, 2012, we re-finalized our adoption in the United States. If we could describe the experience in two words: momentous and anti-climactic. When Judah and Addise entered the U.S. they were legally our children and U.S. citizens. They have a social security number. But re-finalization was necessary for some reason beyond my understanding strictly in order for them to receive inheritance and get U.S. birth certificates with their legally changed names. Until this point, their legal names have been Abebayehu Brian Diaz and Tarike Brian Diaz. HA! Yesterday's superfluous court appearance (in my humble opinion) changed all that.

Why they required another thick stack of confusing paperwork for those reasons is really mind boggling. Why couldn't those two things be taken care of the first time around?!?! Brian's sure it's only to secure jobs for government workers. This process didn't cost us any money (phew) but it cost us hours of time.

Oh so patiently waiting outside the court room. Why they schedule court hearings during nap time (1:45pm was our appointment) and then make you wait for an hour is beyond me?!? Puffins, grapes, and occasional squawks from Asher kept them contained and mildly mannered.

Our family of five with the Honorable Judge Sherman and the California state seal behind us. The Judge was so wonderful with us - kind, warm, and VERY fast. There were 6 families re-finalizing yesterday. I'd met the court clerk the week before where I told her we have 3 kids under 4 years old. She had mercy on us and put us as the #1 family to re-finalize yesterday. God bless her!! **Seeing Asher in this picture is like a page from "Where's Waldo".

The after party. Our wild and crazy Ethiopians. Asher was also passed out, but he's only 5 weeks old.

Though I'm not crazy about the pictures from our big-but-not-really day because of my 5-week postpartum body, the alternative wasn't my first choice (39 weeks pregnant). And I LOVE that Baby Asher is pictured in our family picture. Though Asher wasn't even in glimmer in his daddy's eye throughout our adoption process, it's beautiful that he's pictured in our final legal experience. God's so cool like that to arrange all those little details.

So, it's official. AGAIN. Judah Abebayehu and Addise Aster Tarike are forever Diaz's.

PS. It's highly likely that this blog will cross 100,000 views with this post. How fitting. It's wholly humbling to know that this blog's been viewed that many times in the past 3 years. What started as a streamlined attempt to keep long-distance family informed throughout our adoption has become much more for reader and writer. For this and more, I am thankful.