Firsts . . .

Firsts . . . they only happen, well, once (duh!), and although we've missed a few, we are enjoying so many others.

First teeth brushing:
First guitar lesson:

First playdate with our dear friend's 23 month old, Jackson:

It's hard not to just share pictures because there are so many cute ones, but I'll try to be a little better about adding some commentary to our lives!

We're asked alot: "How is everyone adjusting?" . . . that one is easy to answer! We're all doing remarkably well! We have waited for this wonderful child for so long that I don't think we could have been more prepared. Shifting schedules and adjusting our lifestyle was easy peasy! Granted, chasing around an active almost-toddler is making me appreciate my age a little more! Added bonus? Toting around a wriggling 19+ extra pounds is a FABUOUS upper body work out!! More importantly, Caleb seems to be bonding and attaching better than we could have expected. We keep a vigilant eye on potential "flags," but have been blessed thus far.

The second question we're asked about is his health. Well, he's gained 1 1/2 pounds in 3 weeks and he's grown over 1" . . . he's still below the "normal" percentiles, but he's making terrific progress. Developmentally, he's also making huge leaps and bounds with the one-on-one attention, proper nutrition and additional stimulus. It's fun to watch him process information and grasp new concepts on a daily basis. We have had some medical challenges due to his nutritional deficiencies and spotty immunizations during his first year of life, but nothing we can't overcome. Despite multiple doctor visits, lots of shots, xrays, pokes, prods, blood draws, etc., this kid has been a super-trooper!!

Well, nap time is almost over for little one so I better sign off for now!

Snapshots from the first 2 weeks

After a long day at work, Daddy gets to play with Caleb! The excitement is mutual!

Little Caleb chasing me down the hallway!

We're having fun here at the Maeda household . . . can you tell? :o)

Looking Forward, not Backward!

I had this grand plan to document our trip to Ethiopia on our blog for both family and friends . . . and then I found that once home with little Caleb, I'm only interested in what's happening now, not what happened last week. Every moment with our little guy transfixes me and I can only marvel at him and wonder what he'll do next. So, I'll just document our trip in Caleb's "life" book some day soon, and leave the blog for enjoying what comes now!

That said, however, I did want to include a short video from our stay in Ethiopia. We stayed in a very small room at a guest house so the three of us had LOTS and LOTS of time together -- mostly laying on the bed and playing and bonding. Other than some short excurions out and about and mealtimes, this is what we did day in and day out and it was wonderful!!

HOME SWEET HOME!

We made it home with our beautiful baby boy!! The trip went very well -- exhausting, of course, but Caleb was so good-natured and easy to care for!!

Below are a couple pictures from our first few moments together:
The shyness went away quite quickly (probably less than an hour!) and his little personality really started to shine through. Below is Caleb with Daddy in the Ergo carrier:

I'll keep posting pics as I sort through them!

From 2 weeks to 2 days!

I realized this morning that I hadn't posted anything since our wait to leave was 2 weeks out and now it's 2 DAYS out!! Needless to say, we've been busy busy busy for those 2 weeks, and now it's hard to believe that it's only 2 more days!!

The very long "to do" list is now done. We are packed. The house is ready for Gwen to house-sit and dog-sit. Affairs are in order. Details checked and double checked. HERE WE COME!!!

For those watching at home, here's the plan for when we're there:

1. We leave Friday midday on our first leg of the journey - flight from Seattle to Amsterdam.
2. Connecting flight from Amsterdam to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, arriving late Saturday night.
3. Sunday we depart on a 4-hour van ride to the Awassa region of Ethiopia to visit the orphanage Caleb spent his first several months, and hopefully a visit with his surviving birth family.
4. Overnight in Awassa Sunday night, returning to Addis Ababa Monday morning.
5. Monday afternoon we'll get to meet Caleb for the first time (!!!!).
6. Monday night - Thursday we'll spend 24*7 with Caleb, taking some day trips to experience the region.
7. Thursday is our embassy appointment -- this is where we'll apply to get visas to come home (a formality).
8. Friday we'll receive our visa (barring any delays).
9. Saturday night we'll board a red-eye plane home, again traveling through Amsterdam.
10. We arrive home the afternoon of Sunday the 21st and can finally show Caleb his forever home and forever extended family!

So, that's a rough sketch of the next couple weeks! There are so many unknowns and unforeseens, but all that doesn't matter because we'll have little Caleb with us and that's all that really matters. All the rest is just background noise. You know?

Thanks for all your support through this journey and we can't wait to introduce you all to Caleb in the next several weeks and months! And yes, I'll be posting a trillion pictures once we get back! :o)

Jitters with a capital "J"!

So, two weeks from today at about this time of the morning, we'll be loading up our car and heading to the airport to board one of several planes we'll need to fly the 8360 miles to pick up our son (although we'll actually have to fly over 9000 miles due to flight connections, etc.).

It's not the first time we've taken a long trip. Kyle and I have flown all over the world. And like with any other trip, I have pre-travel jitters. But to say this time I have my normal jitters would be a HUGE understatement. This isn't just a trip to visit beautiful locales, or historic monuments, or awe-inspiring archaelogical locations. This is a trip to go get OUR SON. The impact of that statement doesn't escape me. Nor, apparently, has it escaped my nervous system! I am overcome with nerves, worries, concerns, anxiety and yes, overwhelming excitement, anticipation, joy and happiness.

So, here I sit with massive JITTERS (Capital J, I, T, T, E, R, S) and you know what? I wouldn't change a thing. That's what they make Costco-sized Pepto Bismol for, right? :o)

New photos!

Photo sent by our agency this morning -- he's gained 3 lbs. since he entered the House of Hope. Still a little peanut of 18.3 lbs at 13 1/2 months! One of the photos taken by a traveling family the first week of January:

What a flirt! :o)

I'm likely quite biased, but is there a cuter child on this planet? I DON'T THINK SO!