Attachment Plan

Many people have been asking what our attachment plan is for when Jacob comes home. I feel so fortunate that we have been able to stay in Ethiopia with him, that I’m thinking we won’t have to worry too much about others holding him once we are home. He seems to be pretty well attached to us. I know that once we get home to a new place and new people Jacob will go through another adjustment period, but he seems to be pretty well bonded with Brad and I so I’m hoping it will be a short adjustment period. The two main things that we will stick to is only Brad or I feeding Jacob, changing his diapers, and putting him to sleep. Jacob seems to have a few issues with sleeping. For the first two weeks that Jacob was with us, he would wake up many times a night scared and checking to see if we are still there. He now sleeps with one hand on each of us. One day we went back to the Transition House and his nannies were holding him, he kept his eye on me and gave me a look that said “don’t you dare leave me here”. That night he had a night terror. That was scary. We couldn’t get him to wake up or stop crying. But since then he hasn’t been back to see the nannies. As far as other people holding him, we will just see how he responds and go from there. We will see how Jacob responds to people holding him at first. One thing we are going to do is that Brad or I will be holding him in between each person that holds him. He will come back to one of us each time just so he will feel comfortable. We won’t be taking him to the church nursery for a while either. It’s too much like the orphanage setting that he was in for the first part of his life.
We will probably try to stay home for the first week to help him get adjusted to his new house and surroundings. And to help all of us adjust back to IL time. We want to invite anyone who wants to come meet Jacob to come to the Peoria Airport! We will let you know when our plane will be landing in Peoria. We want everyone to be able to give him hugs and kisses and we will see how he is responding to being held with so many new faces around. I’m hoping he will be somewhat awake because it will be the middle of the night Ethiopia time.
We just want to do what is best for Jacob, thank you for supporting us with this!

A Blessing

When we came to Ethiopia we thought we would be the only family staying between court and embassy. But the week after we got here, the Knox family came for court. As soon as Caylene met her Ethiopian kids she turned to her husband and said “There’s no way I can leave them”. She packed as if she was staying, but her husband wasn’t convinced yet. After spending some time here and knowing that Brad and I were here also, they decided she would stay. What a blessing this has been to both of us!!! She has 2 Ethiopian kids, 5 and 3. We both passed court the same day and we had our Gotcha Day together. We have enjoyed experiencing these special days together! Brad has really enjoyed playing with her son and he has helped hold Landon Sada’s hand, etc while we have been out. So I know Caylene has enjoyed the help too! It’s been nice to have another family here to talk to and do things with. Another family was here the other day and told Brad the kids will miss him. Brad said “I will really miss the kids!” I have made so many new friends during this adoption process. Caylene’s friendship will always be a special one because of all the time we spent together in Ethiopia!!

We Are Coming Home!!!!

We just got an email from the US Embassy that said we are cleared and can come in for an appointment on Monday to get Jacob’s visa!!!!! We told Jacob that we are going home and he started cracking up, he was so happy! We are still working on flights, but we should be home on Friday night- one week from today!!!!

I Miss....

As we are getting close to coming home I’ve been thinking a lot about things I miss from home and things I will miss from Ethiopia.
I Miss…
-being with family and friends, Skype is nice-but not the same
-brushing my teeth under the faucet
-washing dishes without boiling the water first
-driving a car
-stampin
-candy- I don’t eat that much candy at home, but since you can’t get the same stuff here I have been craving it! 
-Cherry Coke and Mt. Dew

I Will Miss…
-the people- everyone here is so nice, friendly, hard-working, and humble
-life is so laid-back and easy going
-Job, Yonas, David, and T- so helpful and they go out of their way to help in any way they can
-the kids at the Transition Home
-spending 24 hours a day with Jacob and Brad
-the beautiful countryside

Photo Shoot :)

On a day with nothing to do in Ethiopia, we take lots of pictures of our cutie!!

Submitted to Embassy

Today we found out we were submitted to Embassy!!! AWAA tried to submit us last Wednesday, but they were missing a paper in the morning, thankfully we were in country and we rushed over to the AWAA office, signed the paper and they tried to submit us again. When the AWAA employee went back, the cashier was gone for the day. Thursday was a holiday and they don't accept paperwork on Fridays. So since we had been partially submitted on Wednesday (our agency's designated day)we were allowed to be submitted on Monday! We are so happy that we are on the last leg of this journey! We have LOVED our time in Ethiopia, but we are really missing home too.
So the US Embassy has 7-10 days to review our paperwork and decide to clear us to come home or investigate more. Another AWAA mom that is in Ethiopia waiting now too, talked to Jeff, the US Embassy adoption man and he said they are trying to review the files in 2-5 days. He said there was a chance we could be home at the end of next week! I'm trying not to get my hopes up, because nothing is for sure in the world of adoption! But I'm excited to think we will be home, with our son, soon!!!!

Tips for Traveling Families

After spending 6 weeks in Ethiopia, here are a few things you might want to know…

-flip flops are fine, I’ve worn them everyday
-bring a USB jump drive to be able to print pictures
-bring air freshner for the room
-you can buy an adapter in Ethiopia, if needed, Yebsabi also has a few they will let you borrow
-bring a blanket to sit on at the Transition Home
-bring books to read with the kids, they all love to listen to stories- Five Little Monkeys was a favorite
-print pictures of the kids you take pictures of while in ET, they love them
-nannies love for pictures to be taken and printed for them also
-AW’s plan is for you to eat at Yebsabi each night (except for traditional dinner night) and its $7, I would bring some meals that you can make in the microwave. Some people were too tired to go anywhere else or wait until Yebsabi’s dinner was ready. It’s nice to visit with the other families, but I didn’t always like the choice at Yebsabi either. I was glad we had a lot of our own food. Zebra Grill and Kaldi’s are within walking distance too.
-most meals cost us about 200 birr ($12)
-it seems most families spend about $400-500 in one week. It depends how much you spend shopping
-not everyone loves chocolate as much as we thought they did; everyone is very appreciative of anything you give them
- you will want to bring something for Yonas, Job, T, David, guards, maids, receptionists, AW office staff, and nannies. Something small is fine for them. You will be very appreciative of how Yonas, Job, and David go above and beyond for you!
-before you go into court, you can ask if your MOWA letter is there, this made it a little less stressful once you are actually in the room with the judge
-we flew Delta/KLM, they were very nice, but next time it would be worth flying Ethiopian Air to have one less connection
-bring as many diapers and wipes as you can, they are very expensive in Ethiopia
-get out of the city to see the countryside; we went to Awassa, Nazeret, and the Gorge-beautiful!!!!
-visit your sponsor child if you have one, such a wonderful experience
-try to have a list ready before you go shopping, you don’t have much time
-ATM’s are within walking distance to Yebsabi (about a 10 min walk), I’d bring cash if it’s a short stay, but know that its close if needed
-laundry at Yebsabi is easy and great! It gets expensive over time, but for a short stay its worth it
-the calling cards are available right outside of Yebsabi; they cost 100 birr (about $6) for about 8 minutes to call the US- the front desk at Yebsabi can help you
-bring: a flashlight (power goes out often), flavored packs for water, snacks, food to hand out, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer
-there is an Ethiopian Resturant across from the TH, its good and only costs 16 birr ($1) for the fasting platter (no meat)

Before I left I wanted to know what the store had so I knew what I could buy there. Here are some things I found at the supermarket: milk, cereal, bread, noodles, chips, canned veggies, and expensive cheese. Most toiletries are easy to find too.

If you are staying between trips, I would bring as much food as you can pack. I would also bring peanut butter and jelly (you can get bread in Ethiopia) to pack a lunch. You can stay at the TH all day if you have your own lunch. There is also an Ethiopian restaurant across from the TH that we ate at a few times. There is also another guest house, Polaris, very close to Yebsabi. It’s cheaper and the staff is nice. There isn’t a microwave or internet, so we bought both and still saved tons of money. With the help of Job, we were able to buy an internet stick for $120, plus we have to load the green mobile cards on it-so worth it! But staying at Yebsabi is worth it if you can afford it. It’s so nice to see all the new families coming!
If you have any other questions you can email me, I’d be happy to try to help! tara_mowen@yahoo.com

Life is Changing with Jacob Jafar!!

We knew life would change when we became parents. We were so excited for the change and becoming a family of 3!!
Here are a few ways that our life has changed the last 2 weeks we have had Jacob with us:
-our hearts melt with every giggle and smile from our sweet son!
-I spend at least 23 ½ hours with my son attached to me, he loves being in the Moby wrap or snuggling
-he likes to be held by mommy and daddy, when others hold him he keeps his eye on me
-I don’t know how to eat a meal with 2 hands anymore, I will be glad to have a high chair at home!
-we haven’t gotten a good nights sleep, Jacob wakes up 4-20 times a night
-when Brad reached to hold my hand, he got the pacifier in my hand instead 
-a baby now sleeps between us- Jacob wakes up crying every 10 mins (I’m not exaggerating) when he is in a crib or bed by himself. We have tried 4 different types of beds, he doesn’t want anything to do with any of them, so he is sleeping with us
-we are getting faster at making bottles, he cries louder and louder the longer he has to wait
We know this is normal for most parents, but its all new to us! We are exhausted and LOVING it!!! Jacob is the light of our lives and we are enjoying every minute with him!!! We are so thankful god chose us to be his parents!!!

Busy 24 hours

On Thursday afternoon we went to the AWAA office to see if our 2nd MOWA letter had come in. They told us it hadn’t. We need this MOWA letter to get Jacob’s birth certificate. We were told that it would come in “maybe tomorrow”. So we left thinking not much would be happening this week. Friday morning we went to the Embassy to try to get our I-600 notarized (something that just became required). We hired a driver and went to the Embassy only to find out that the notary doesn’t work on Fridays. We got back to the guest house and were trying to decide what to do with the rest of our day. We were sitting down in the lobby using the internet and watching the Royal Wedding when T came in a told us we had an appointment at Immigration to get Jacob’s passport in 30 minutes. We were so excited and confused how this happened so fast! We started asking T questions and he said you have 30 minutes to get there, so we can talk later. We quickly called our driver and he was close by! We made it to Immigration with 5 minutes to spare, then waited for another AWAA employee for about 30 minutes. I was afraid we missed our appointment, but it didn’t seem to be a big deal. We followed the AWAA employee to the front of the line. This was a little uncomfortable. There were over 100 Ethiopians waiting to apply for visas, and we just went to the front of the line and applied for Jacob’s passport and he got his passport photos taken.
While we were waiting for the paperwork to be all filled out we got to see Jacob’s birth certificate. It said Jafar Bradley Mowen ( we will legally change it to Jacob Jafar Mowen when we get home)!!! How exciting!!!! It also listed his birthday as November 8, 2010. All of the paperwork we had received said December 8, 2010. We called to the AWAA office and they told us its no big deal it was just a typo, but it’s what we have to go by now. We have a police letter that says he came to the orphanage on December 8th and we were given pictures of him from when we was just days old, so we know that was a close birthday. I was so sad that we lost a month of his life. He is now 5 ½ months old. Although, I am sad he is now considered a month older, I am glad his birthday won’t get mixed in with Christmas.
So within 24 hours AWAA received our MOWA letter, got Jacob’s birth certificate, and we applied for his passport!!!! Praise the Lord!!!! We are hoping that we will be submitted to Embassy for our appointment and Jacob’s visa on Wednesday. Then we are hoping we will be able to come home WITH Jacob in the next 2 weeks if everything goes quickly!!!!!

Ethiopian Easter

Often Easter is celebrated a few weeks later in Ethiopia than back in the US, but this year we were celebrating Easter all over the world! We started our morning out by having a coffee ceremony at our guest house. They decorated with long grass and flowers. They made bread, popcorn, and coffee. Then we went to church at the International Evangelical Church. Jacob was dressed up in his traditional Ethiopian outfit! Ethiopian wear these outfits on special occasions, so there were many people dressed up all over town!
Another custom here at Easter is slaughtering an animal for a big traditional dinner. Job, an AWAA employee, went out of his way to make our Easter special! He hosted a traditional dinner for us. In the morning he slaughtered a goat, and then he and his mom prepared a whole big dinner for us. We really appreciate him including us and making Easter special!
Here are some pictures from the day!






Coffee Ceremony at Polaris Guest House

Caylene, Roza, Sada, Tara, Brad, Jacob, and Job

Job slaughtering and preparing the goat for lunch

Our traditional Ethiopian Easter Dinner

Our First Full Week with Jacob Jafar

Monday, April 18th-Gotcha Day
We showed up to the TH at about 9:30am and the Dr was checking on Jacob. She said he was very sick and didn’t know if we should take him or not. She told me he had a fever of 39 C. I didn’t know what that transferred to in F, so I wasn’t too worried yet. I started to cry and I didn’t ever know if we would pass court or not. I just kept thinking “we might be able to legally take him, but the Dr. won’t let us”. Well an hour later the Dr. met with us and told me we could take him if I did this list of things with him. Then the nurse told me that his fever was 102.7 F. Ahh! My poor baby! He was awfully cuddly all day. As I was walking out of the Dr.s room, Yonas-an AWAA employee- came to tell me we passed court and Jacob Jafar was legally our son! I shouted with joy jumped on Yonas and then started crying some more! Happy tears this time!! Yonas told me that he didn’t tell Brad yet, so I went to tell him. I was crying so he thought something was wrong at first. Then through my happy and relieved tears I told him “We passed!! This is legally your son!!” Brad was skyping with another family and their older kids. But he jumped up and rejoiced with me!!
There is another AW mama staying at the same guest house with us. We were all hoping and praying we’d pass court together on Monday and bring our kids back together. She didn’t have a scheduled court date (we did). So we heard first that we passed and they didn’t know anything about her yet. Yonas told me someone was still waiting at court to see if she will pass and that her case is more complicated. I think that was just because she didn’t have a scheduled court date. Praise God about an hour later she found out she passed too!! We were taking our kids home on the same day!!
We finished with some things at the TH, and Brad had a tearfully goodbye with an older kid that is waiting for the correct papers before he can be adopted. Brad is ready to start the process to come back for him and his little brother. We will see what the Lord has in store for all of us! So we left the TH around noon and brought Jacob back to our guest house. He wasn’t feeling that great, so he slept most of the day. One of the things I had to do for him is give him a Tylenol suppository. I had never done this before, so as I was changing his diaper one of the workers at the guest house asked if she could do it. She used to do some kind of health care before working here. So I gladly let her. But I had plenty of times to give it to him over the next 5 days.
At the TH they were feeding Jacob about 7 oz every 3 hours. He never finished a bottle when I gave it to him. So I was hoping to give him about 5 oz about 5 times a day. But he didn’t really want to eat anything. We bought him a little bed, but he is too big for it, so after a while he was kicking so much to stretch his legs we brought him to bed with us. He woke up scared about 10 times. As soon as he heard one of our voices he was OK. He also ate like 3 oz 3 different times in the night. I made up my mind that I wasn’t going to complain and just be thankful that God chose me to be his mama and love on him and hold him while he is sick!
Tuesday morning he woke up without a fever, but woke up from his morning nap at 11am with a 103.1 F fever. We called the Dr. at the TH and she wanted to see him right away. We rushed back to the TH before the Dr. left at noon and she checked him out. She thought he had double ear infections and still a high fever, so she wanted to keep him overnight for 24 hours of observation. They started him on antibiotics, which he HATES. I was crying, again. I didn’t want to leave him sick at the TH for lots of reasons. I am his mama and I wanted to be the one holding him when he didn’t feel well. But we left, with me crying, and went back to the guest house without Jacob. We woke up early the next morning and went back to the TH and the nurse told us he was fever free and we could take him back with us!! Praise the Lord!! We got to hang out at the TH with the other AW families for a little bit while we waited for our driver. He still wasn’t 100% better and was really liking cuddling with me! He did just a little better at night. He still woke up several times, but quickly went back to sleep after we patted him or gave him his pacifier. He ate 3 oz 3 times at night again. He also woke up in the middle of the night with a fever again.
Thursday morning he still had a fever and didn’t want to wake up. He slept all day. I woke him up to eat and give him a cool bath. Then I noticed that he had about 15 dots on his stomach, sides, and shoulder. Several kids at the TH have the chicken pox now, so I was thinking it could be that. He went back to sleep-all day. We just stayed at the guest house with him all day. He had a fever on and off all day too.
Friday morning he woke up with a slight fever and he still hadn’t pooped since we got him Monday morning. But there were no more spots, so I was really hoping it wasn’t chicken pox. We took him back to the TH and the nurse saw him and gave him medicine for the constipation. The Dr. was already gone, so she didn’t see him. She asked us to come back Saturday morning.
Saturday morning we went back to the TH, this was the week we were supposed to take Jacob and not go back to the TH- but we were there 5 out of 6 days. Saturday morning the Dr. said she didn’t think it was chicken pox, but maybe a reaction to the antibiotics or the new soap we were using. His fever was also gone and the only thing she noticed was his cough. She gave him some cough medicine and medicine for the constipation. On Saturday night he had his best night of sleep. He only ate one time during the night to eat and 2 other times because he was scared. We are hoping that we are finally starting a little bit of a schedule and he is much better!
Easter Sunday was a great day with Jacob feeling much better and we had a great first Easter together, I will post about it next…
We am so thankful for this 1st week with our son and we can’t wait to spend more time with him!! We are so thankful that God chose US to be Jacob’s parents!!

Entoto Mountain

On Saturday, April 16th, we went up to Entoto Mountain. Five of us went, so we split the cost and it was $11 per person. It was neat to see the city from a different view. The whole drive up the mountain we saw women carrying loads of wood and sticks on their back. They get less than $1 per load and it’s a very long walk up or down the mountain. I’d say its worth the trip to see while you are here. Here are a few pictures: