Ash in his Puma Gear

I stink at blogging

I officially stink at blogging. If you want real-time updates on the Brophy kids, please add me (Sarah-Marie Martin) as a facebook friend and let me know you are an Ethiopian adoptive parent, current or future. Below are selected summer pics. xo

Pondering Life at 2.5 years

Play Date Central

Ash is quite the play date host. His friends could not be more adorable. The shots below do not do justice to his precious friends.

Eyerus's Bday - Feb 2009

OK, so I missed a few months of postings. Facebook is the culprit. These photos are from Eyerus's 12th birthday in late February (btw, her birthday is made up and I'm convinced she is a Leo like me). We had a blast!! On the birthday eve we had a family dinner at Tortilla Flats. I won bingo and we all got "shots" (juice for the kids), and we won a t-shirt for Eyerus. The actual bday included loads of gifts and Ethiopian food, including a coffee ceremony and doro dabo. Finally, Saturday brought a slumber party with friends. Little slumber was had. Selam gave Eyerus a gorgeous Ethiopian dress, pictured here.

Mother's Day 2009

It was a very happy Mother's Day indeed! Joelle (my sister and Ash's godmother) stopped by for a special visit. Ash also started sleeping in his new big boy bed...photos below.

February in Florida

Ash, the computer genius

Typical Eyerus

SM: Eyerus, where is Dad?
Eyerus: He's reading the newspaper.
SM: He's ALWAYS reading the newspaper.
Eyerus: Because THAT is what boys do!

Merry Ethiopian Christmas!

We had a very Merry Christmas

We were surrounded by love and overwhelmed with joy over the (very warm) holidays in Houston. Eyerus and her cousin Camille had the BEST time playing together, and Eyerus again proved to be the "baby whisperer" with cousin Liam. She has incredible skills caring for children. We already miss the Martins and Gagnons immensely.

As we reflect on almost two years with Ash and a full year with Eyerus, we are so blessed by our children. They amaze us more every day. It is truly INCREDIBLE how much Eyerus has grown/changed/developed in the last year. She is and will always be our Christmas miracle.

Happy holidays to all of you in the blog-o-sphere!

Happy Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for...including Nick's Aunt Nicky, Uncle Rich and cousins, Kayla and Kennedy, who visited for Thanksgiving.

The Two Martins

See posting from July 2007 - the two Martins ("Harrison" and "Ash") have been reunited. I cannot believe September 11, 2001, was over seven years ago.

Eyerus' Style

Eyerus has great - and quite unique - fashion sense. These photos don't do it justice AT ALL!! She layers like a champ and mixes colors you would never think to mix. One of her favorite pairings is pink cowboy boots with capri sweat pants. It's such a hoot. Another favorite - green camo pants and purple psycadelic baby-doll top.

Professional Photo Shoot

Photo Fix for Carey Grange

Eyerus and my trip to London!





Halloween 2008! (Eyerus' First Halloween)








Pumpkin Picking and Petting Zoo

Jen Hammonds' Visit to NYC

Liam Gagnon, Handsome Nephew

Passports!

It's a miracle! Both of our kids have US passports. What an accomplishment.

Happy Ethiopian New Year!

So Much for Separation Anxiety

Tuesday was Ash's first day of nursery school. The school hosted a session on "separation anxiety" and even visited our house so Ash wouldn't freak out on his first day of school after he was dropped off. The school gives the kids one month to separate from their parents/care givers; if it fails, a child has to try again next year.

Etenesh took Ash to school yesterday and waited nervously. He took one look at the classroom, ran in and started playing like crazy. He grabbed a book and gave it to a teacher. Etenesh asked the teacher what to do and she said, "go ahead and leave." Ash yelled, "Bye, Etenesh!!" Meanwhile, all the other kids were crying and hanging onto their mom's or nanny's legs.

Ash is too much! Apparently he had the time of his life running around that school room yesterday. So much for separation anxiety.

BIG day for Ash

Today, on the 2nd anniversay or Ash's birth, he started the day with his citizenship interview and was accepted! That's right, we're all citizens in this household...way to go Mom for rocking the court processes and overwhelming paper work.

But the day gets better...Ash met his nursey school teachers and then had a Thomas-the-Train themed 2nd birthday party surrounded by his playgroup posse. His BFF and weekend babysitter Selam visited, which absolutely overjoyed him. He also spoke on the phone with many loved ones and demonstrated his ability to say "Hi, [ ]! Love you. Have fun. Bye bye." Overall, he had a blast on this wonderful day!

First Day of Fifth Grade

Eyerus started fifth grade at PS3 on Tuesday. She has the same teacher as last year and many of the same students in her class. Nick and I are very proud of the progress she made with us and various tutors over the summer and know she'll continue making educational break-throughs this year.

Bloggers Unite

So we missed the blog union due to SM's birthday extravaganza, but we were lucky to finally meet Drew, Carey and Zoe the following weekend. What a treat - and what a gorgeous family! We will be hosting Travis and Joanna of Gladney Ethiopia fame in a few weeks and look forward to seeing them and their adorable kids.

Did we post a photo yet of our new nephew, beautiful Liam Gagnon? What a blessing for the Martin family - grandchild #4! Born July 25, 2008. A Leo like his favorite aunt - so far he's way too mellow to appear Leo, but we'll see how he progresses. We can't wait to meet him soon.
.

Happy Birthday to me!

I can't believe I've been blogging for so long that this is my second bday on the blog. Wow - what an amazing "National Holiday" party and awesome beach weekend w friends and family! And an impromtu Ethiopian dance session the night before the party. How else would one celebrate 35 wonderful years??

My babies

Cousin Kayla and Ash

Happy Fourth of July

What a blast to see the Delps again. We had such a nice weekend with them. Ash and Lilly couldn't stop hugging and kissing. And we re-enacted the post visa acceptance baby bump (see below, March 2007).

Nursery School Update

Ash was accepted! Yahoo!

Ash's First Interview

Today Ash had his interview, I mean "play date," for a wonderful local pre-school. He was on fire! Charming, friendly and adorable in his seer sucker suit and Crocs. If he doesn't get into the school, it's for no fault of his own (Mom applied late). We then visited my office, where he charmed everyone. He is pictured above with my amazing assistant, Andrea.

Eyerus' First Trip to Texas

Eyerus enjoyed a fabulous Memorial Day weekend in Houston. She and cousin Camille (SM's goddaughter and niece) are truly the best of friends. Eyerus painted Camille's toe nails and hosted Camille's first sleep over. At the neighborhood pool, Eyerus went off the diving board and down two scary slides many times - despite not really knowing how to swim. She is fearless!

Nick and Ash hung out at the Jersey shore in their matching shirts. Happy 65th birthday to SM's dad, Jim Martin, aka Pappy!!!

Happy Mother's Day 2008

Reflections of a mother the day after mother's day... yesterday I felt very lucky - lots of attention and presents and love. Nick is good at gift giving and spoiling in general. Last weekend Eyerus said to me "Mom, thank you for adopt me." If I hadn't been driving it might have been water works. She then launched into a long conversation about Michael Jackson and whether he was white or black. When I responded that he had a condition that had caused his skin to whiten but that he was born African American, she sagely asked what color his hands are.

Eyerus has gained over 10 pounds since arriving in the USA 5 months ago. She is still a toothpick, but at least a healthy one. Her English is incredible. She recently said, "Mom, I have question for you. What do you call small snake?" Answer: "a worm." She had seen some small earthworms in our back yard. She is convinced they are going to burrow into her hand as she claims one did to her friend at Kechene. Last Friday she sang a song with a group in her class musical - we were proud she could learn the words to one song. After the show when she was performing at home (a typical occurrence), we came to find out she has memorized about five other songs in the show and was singing along behind the scenes. She is such a hilarious, animated child. The center of attention. And such a survivor - always positive despite such a tough life.

We are definitely struggling with reading and school in general. She claims she used to be able to read but then her teacher hit her so much that she learned to hate reading and school in general. She told me if I gave her fish juice it would help her read. We don't think she was literate in Amahric so we've gone back to the basics of kindergarten learning to read. It's good practice for me, one of the least patient people in the world. And also interesting to see Stanford and Princeton overachievers deal with someone with such different experiences and skill set.

She and Ash are totally smitten with one another. Every morning they hug after he wakes up. It's adorable. Then he starts screaming "Yaya, yaya, yaya."

This was our first family photo over a year ago. Crazy how time flies...

Fast forward 13 months...my cuties in Bleecker Park on Mother's Day 2008.

Later, in the back yard.

It would be quite an understatement to say a lot has changed in the last year. March 23, 2007 - my second day in Ethiopa and the fortuitous day I met Eyerus. I am in love.

Family Trip to Wyoming

Our family trip was outstanding! Teton National Park is stunning, and it was awesome to see Old Faithful (at Yellowstone National Park), if even in the snow.

Ash's Alphabet and Animal Noises

Happy Spring!

New York City is blooming, and so is Eyerus.

Our cute kids

I recognize the title above is obnoxious, but I can't help it! The kids are too cute. We had an great weekend in Annapolis with Aunt Katie Brophy and Great Aunt Gina Cocomello. Ash can't get enough of his sister...his nickname for her is Ya-Ya (must be repeatedly screamed with joy).

Happy Easter!

I can't believe we've had this blog long enough to post two Easter messages! Ash is so much bigger than last year. He and Eyerus successfully completed an indoor Easter egg hunt of varying difficulty levels. Eyerus was very well behaved at church as she made up her own words to the songs and told me communion was yummy and she wanted a second helping. :)

Pictured are my sister Joelle (Ash's godmother) and her husband Lloyd.

We had the pleasure of hosting Ryan, Abby and Marta (of Gladney Ethiopia fame) this week. Eyerus reconnected with several long-time friends and played like crazy with Marta. At a Gladney event, she was elated to see Betty and the other Eyerus from Kechene, who arrived recently from Ethiopia and live on Long Island.

Extracurricular Activities

This week Eyerus has no school, so she is taking gymnastics day camp at Chelsea Piers. Check out her stylish duds and excellent posing (compliments of Tyra Banks and American's Next Top Model, her favorite show). Ash didn't want to be outdone, so he modeled his Giants pajamas with flair. It's amazing how cute he looks today given we took him for professional photos yesterday and he would not stop crying...literally not for 2 seconds.

Snow!!!

Eyerus and her friend Zwednesh were thrilled when it started snowing during their play date last weekend. They ran outside to enjoy this wonderous miracle that they've only seen a few times so far in America (it doesn't snow in Addis Ababa).

Eyerus' First Month in America!

"Choose me"

I know I'm probably breaking some sort of blogger law, but I had to post this. While in Addis picking up our daughter, we spent some more time with Samson whom we had met earlier in the year while we were bringing home Ash. I think he's about 8yrs old and is just adorable. He held my hand while we walked around the compound and we played all sorts of games. As we were preparing to leave, he had me bend down so he could give me a kiss and then whispered "choose me" in my ear.

His story is a bit complicated because he has at least one sibling (but i think 2) that would need to be adopted with him. His older sister (11 or 12) is pictured above with him. She was super friendly as well. I think they are going to be part of the Bright Futures Camp and I'm hoping they will find a home soon.

If you are interested in adopting older children, i can't say enough good things about this little guy. Spread the word and maybe we can find them a home. Please post me any questions you have and I'll try to get you in touch with the right people.

Good-bye Addis Ababa

Anbes, our friend and driver, emailed us this cute going away photo. We miss Ethiopia.

Merry Christmas!

This is my (Sarah Marie) favorite photo from our wonderful trip. Merry Christmas!

Catching up with Mimi

Sorry for the lack of updates, but SM got some sort of a virus that
had her out of comission for a few days and that left me with very few
spare moments. The good news is that she started feeling better
yesterday and she's back to her old self today. I'm not sure if this
will make it on to the blog, as this is the 10th time i've composed
and tried to post this update. Blogging is not allowed in Ethiopia
(you can usually post, but can't view) and for some reason I'm getting
blocked from posting so I'm trying to sneak in through the back door
now.

For those who don't remember, Mimi (22) works at Gladney's foster care
center and took a special liking to Ashenafi during the 5+ months that
he was there. She made all of us gifts and wrote him a very special
and emotional letter when we came to pick him up back in March. She
has stayed in touch and sent more gifts when the folks from the bright
futures camp came to NY back in July. Mimi is deaf and grew up in the
Kechene orphanage.

We met at her church and then proceeded to her home. She rents a room
in the back of someone's compound (house). She has no electricity and
has a faucet outside of her room. There's a communal bathroom that she
shares with the owners and other renter(s?). It would remind most
Americans of a shed in the backyard and is about the size of the walk
in closet we had in our Fulton St. apartment to give perspective to
those who had visited us in NY.

She keeps it immaculately clean. There are pictures of Ash, Eyerus,
SM, and I up at the foot of her bed and a poster of Jesus on the
wall. She is an accomplished knitter and has beautiful hand made
blankets and pillows on her bed (the blanket took a year, the pillows
a month, SM's purse a week, my bracelet 15minutes..).

Mimi prepared lunch (salad, bread, bananas, wat) and the traditional
Ethiopian coffee ceremony for us (cook the beans, grind them, brew
them). We had two brews and were offered a third which means she
likes us! We were fortunate to have Joanna there to act as an
interpreter (she signs). Joanna is part of Gladney's newest addition
to Addis and is pictured above with her two adorable kids. Through
her we were able to catch up with Mimi, telling her about us, our
families, and our children's new home. We were also able to learn a
very interesting fact....

While at Kechene, Mimi became very attached to Eyerus from the moment
our little girl arrived at the orphanage. Mimi became a mother like
figure for Eyerus and helped raise her over the years. They have
stayed in touch since Mimi left the orphanage and went to Gladney and
are very good friends. Mimi could not believe that her two "babies"
were going to be brother and sister, she was so happy. The divine
nature of this coincidence is not lost on us. We are very fortunate
to have had Mimi look after and love our two children and will always
have a place in our hearts for her.

Our last day

Eyerus was saying "nege America" all day yesterday. Nege means
tomorrow...

We're doing some last minute sight seeing, buying some coffee at
Tomoca, and visiting Kechene for one last good bye today. Our flight
leaves at 10:30 pm, so we have some time to fit it all in.

SM is feeling better. Yesterday, we went back to the Gladney foster
care center so Ash and Eyerus could have one last play date with Mimi
(Ash was cranky / jet lagged the other day at lunch). We have some
great pictures and videos of this and Ash was really into it,
especially when the cows started walking down the street outside of
the orphange (hope the picture comes through!).

We land in NY at around 1pm on Christmas day and look forward to
getting home to show Eyereus her new house and then to opening some
presents!!!!!

Nege America!!!!!

mid-week update

OK, we've got lots to fill everybody in on, but first THANKS for all of your great messages back to us! Eyerus is overwhelmed with hugs, kisses, and warm wishes from friends, family, and fellow adoption bloggers.

Our visits to the orphanages were fantastic. We had two days of visits, the second day was a bit more emotional for us as we visited the Kechene children's home which is where Eyerus has lived for the past 5yrs. She was excited to visit and made sure we picked up some candy to hand out to her friends. We saw her bunk bed and said "Goodbye!" to it and then met with her friends, went to the playground, and I even played volleyball with some of the girls and a few of the other visiting family members (this was a ton of fun!).

We saw several children who are in the process of being adopted and passed along warm wishes, hugs, and kisses to them from their parents (bloggers unite!). They are all super excited and I know Eyerus can't wait to have a U.S. reunion ASAP.

Today we visited the Gladney foster care center. What a difference 9 months makes! When we were here last they had one building, they now have 3 (two for infants, one for older children)! We enjoyed the coffee cermony and playing with the babies (including some of whom have just been placed to some of our readers...) but the real highlight for us was seeing Mimi again. For those who followed Ash's adoption, Mimi was a caretaker at Gladney who really took a liking to him. She made him, Sarah Marie, and me presents and wrote him a very emotional letter.

She is deaf and grew up in an orphanage (Kechene) and knows Eyerus from there (they were friends, too!). Words can't describe the scene today, but needless to say it was extremely emotional. We're blessed to have her in our lives and are meeting her at her church and then to have some lunch tomorrow.

Today was also the embessy....VISA approved!!!!!!

Tonight is the traditional Ethiopian dinner with all of the dancing. I'm hoping SM can rally for it, she's a bit under the weather as I write this.

It's official. Ash and Eyerus are best buddies. He loves playing with her and she makes him laugh at the bat of an eye. It's good to see that Eyerus still has the ability to make friends everywhere she goes, true to form she has met every kid in the pool at the Sheraton and has enjoyed hour upon hour of swimming with them. Look out Jersey shore, here she comes!

A very long and rewarding journey

We left our apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City and arrived in Addis Ababa just over 24 hours later. Ash was great on the plane and he really only cried a few times when he was sooo tired that he didn't know whether he was coming or going.

We finally got off the plane and then remembered just how long the baggage claim process is over here (be prepared). By the time the last of our 8 mamoth bags came off the line we were brimming over with excitement to see our daughter. As we cleared customs we were greeted by the biggest smile you could imagine on the prettiest little girl. It was all I could do to not melt (daddy's going to have a hard time not spoiling his little girl). Eyerus came to us with the clothes on her back and a book that her Aunt Joelle had sent to her via Drew and Carrie (who had just adopted and visited her orphanage, Kechene). It was great to see the joy, thanks, and surprise on her face as she unpacked all of the great clothes her mom had picked out for her when we got back to the hotel.

Today we're off to visit two orphanages (and drink some coffee, i hope). This should be really fun because we brought lots of clothes, toys, and soccer balls for the kids (thanks SM!). The picture above was taken at the airport just after we cleared customs and is officially our first family photo. We'll post soon - keep visiting!

Ash and His Gladney Girlfriend

Today Ash and his parents had a play date at the Bergers. Sara is a Gladney baby who arrived home to New Jersey in August. She is 21 months old, smart, and adorable! Ash has decided he likes older women.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great time at Nonna and Poppys house for Thanksgiving with the Brophy/Klinzing clan. Ash kept "moo"-ing at the three springer spaniels. Either he thinks they are cows, or maybe he just "moo's" at all animals. Nicky and Rich bought Ash his first pair of walking shoes, an adorable pair of Stride Rites. Let's just say baby shoes have come a long way since I was a baby.

I just packed my 2 huge duffel bags of humanitarian aid for Ethiopia. I guess I'm planning ahead for Dec 16 departure! With Nick's bday party and both of our work Christmas parties coming up at our apartment, I guess it's best to get a few things out of the way.

Ash's walking is coming along! He now takes the iniaitive on his own to stand and walk 4 or 6 steps. Very exciting stuff.

As you can see from the last two photos, our beach house is down to the studs. I knew it was going to be a huge renovation project, but I'm not sure I expected this. We need the work to be completed by the end of May so Eyerus can get back to her beloved beach. :)

We have so much for which to be thankful!

It's official!

We are Eyerus' parents! Addis here we come.

Eyerus' Court Date Update

Today was Eyerus' court date. Everything went smoothly, but they need one more document, which Belay will deliver tomorrow. We plan to travel Dec 16, arriving Dec 17, and returning on Christmas Day. What a special Christmas and perfect present we will receive. PS - if you don't know who Belay is, read the most recent posting on the Drew/Carey show. I couldn't express Belay's role better, if I tried.

Ash Walks!!!!

Our new nanny, Liana told us that all Ash lacks in terms of being able to walk is confidence. SOOOO...when we help him walk, he can do it. Attached are some of his first steps. We are elated!

Happy Anniversary to Us

Ash enjoyed his visit with Oma (SM's mom) very much last weekend. Nick and I were in Napa Valley celebrating our fourth wedding anniversary. Attached are photos of Ash in "his chair with his remote." He seems grown up until one notices the binky! The second photo is in Ash's room with part of his beautiful mural in the background.

Drew and Carey Meet Eyerus

Yesterday Drew and Carey - who are in Ethiopia picking up Zoe gave Eyerus lots of love and delivered Aunt Joelle's care package. Only one more month and we'll be there! Check out Carey and Drew's adorable baby and awesome blog at the link below.

http://web.mac.com/careygrange/DrewCareyShow/Blog/Blog.html

Latest Pics of Eyerus

Attached are photos we received today from Ryan and Abby, Gladney's representatives in Ethiopia. In the second she is reacting to the cold water in the kiddie pool. She is too cute!

Happy Halloween!

Ash was an adorable tiger for Halloween (thanks to Cheryl, he likes to make a "grrrrr" noise). The costume has nothing to do with Princeton (this is SMM writing), instead it's just a cute costume that Aunt Darcy and family gave Ash for his birthday. Nick and I were on the set-up crew for the neighborhood party. Aunt Tiffanie (in town for her 40th birthday!) babysat. We then took Ash to the kiddie parade, where about 100 adorable kids marched around a few blocks. Ash was carried most of the way since he can't walk unattended....yet...although it seems to be days away! We then attended the huge party in Bleecker Park, including taking a hay ride around the block. We enjoyed visiting with Tiffanie's whole family, who stopped by to meet Ash, and all the babies and toddlers at a friend's kiddie party in the afternoon.

Court Date!

Eyerus' court date is November 19th! We will travel in mid to late December. The big question - do we bring Ash or not?? Maybe we could stop in Dubai. I would like that. We are blessed. Attached is a recent photo of Eyerus (on the far right) with an American volunteer and her daughter.

Ash Gets Caught. . .

. . .with his pants down, so to speak. :)

Fall in NYC

Ash continues to be the sweetest, cutest, and easiest baby. Today we took this photo of him in his birthday outfit from Oma and Pappy (SM's parents). It is a perfect fall day, the kind of day that makes you feel good to be alive. There's a little bit of our backyard in the photo - pretty cool stuff for New York City.

The other photo is of Ash's godmother and SM's sister, Joelle, her husband Lloyd, and Nick and SM at Lloyd's sister's wedding a few weeks ago. The reception was at a beautiful location on Long Island Sound.

Ash the Dancer

B-day Number One

Unfortunately Ash's birthday was a bit of a bust. He got a virus and we, as nervous, first-time parents, spent time during his bday weekend in the ER and at the pediatrician. However, we finally had a cupcake a few days later. I've included a photo of Ash in his ridiculously hip Puma sweats. Notice him smiling for the camera, as usual.

Uncle Jimmy Teaches Ash a Bit of Physical Comedy

Ash has the best laugh ever! Nick's brother, Jimmy taught Ash some physical comedy on the car ride home from our day trip to Florence.

Our trip to Italy! Part 1

Here are some of our favorite photos from the amazing trip we took with Nick's family...we stayed near Lucca and visited Florena, Siena, Montalcino, Pienza, and several other adorable towns. Nick and I had our first weekend sans-Ash in Portofino. What a wonderful trip....
Ponte Vecchio in Florence with Jimmy and Katie

Ash's great grandfather, Poppy Cocomello
Portofino view from our hotel
Portofino

With Aunt Tiffanie Fisher, who visited from London

Our trip to Italy (and Amsterdam)! Part 2

Amsterdam with jet-lagged baby
Being cute as usual
With "Italia"-clad dad and second-cousin Kennedy
In Pisa with the cathedral in the background
In Florence at the Museum San Marco

Ethiopian Celebration

Tonight we saw the amazing Mesgana dancers perform (dance trouple of Ethiopian girls touring the US). http://www.mesgana.com/ Ash and I wore our traditional Ethiopian clothes - his were purchased at the Mercado in Addis Ababa and mine were a gift from wonderful Mimi (from Gladney...see posts from trip to pick up Ash).

Happy National Holiday to Me!

My birthday season/month/week started off with a bang with lots of flowers and balloons from Nick, followed by an amazing dinner party at Tao the night before the National Holiday (notice the birthday metal - thanks Jill - and the tiara - thanks Elizabeth), and a wonderful weekend with my parents, aka Ash's Oma and Pappy Martin. My best birthday present might have been when Oma offered to babysit Ash from 6-8am on Sunday morning! A close second was Ash learning to crawl on August 7, Oma and Pappy's 42nd (!) wedding anniversary. Nick proved yet again that he knows how to spoil me rotten and to plan an awesome party.

A Beautiful Memorial to Martin Wortley

Several weeks ago, the two baby Martins -- Martin "Harrison" Worley and Martin "Ashenafi" Brophy -- met. They are both named after Martin Wortley. Ash was born almost exactly 5 years after Martin's untimely death on 9/11.

Martin's brother, Paul, his sister-in-law, Lara (the parents of Harrison), and his parents, Mike and Celia, spent time with Ash. It was a special moment.

Darcy and Camille "Vacation in Sea Girt"

Darcy and Camille arrived late Wednesday night and visited the Bronx Zoo on Thursday with Eyerus and Cheryl. We had a great beach day on Saturday. Eyerus kept calling Camille, "Reese" or "Lilly" (see posting directly below), but she finally got it straight. Eyerus is great with kids and has a bunch of new friends in Sea Girt. She left to return to Ethiopia today. We will miss her. It's crazy how easy it seems to take care of just one baby after two weeks hosting a 10-year old non English speaker.

Fourth of July with the Delps

We reunited with our friends that we met while in Ethiopia for a great Fourth of July visit! Ash was delighted to see Lilly, a baby that also lived a the Gladney foster home with him (Lilly is pictured in the "first ever post visa daddy/baby chest bump" below). We were thrilled to finally meet their daughter, Reese, and to see Mike and Anne again. Their blog is awesome and is at the following url: http://www.elizabethalem.blogspot.com/ .

Visitors from Ethiopia

The Gladney Bright Futures Camp NY group arrived at JFK on July 1. Ash and Eyerus were thrilled to see each other again. Eyerus will be staying with us for 2 weeks.

Hanging with Second Cousins

Weekends at the Shore

Ash is loving his weekends in Sea Girt (in more ways than just eating lots of sand)! :) In the first photo, please notice his Stanford onesie. In the second photo, Nick is in the background, kayaking with a friend in 60 degree water. Ash and his Mom don't like to go into the Atlantic until July when the water is warmer. In Sea Girt, Ash loves the swings at the park, his baby swimming pool on the beach, and riding in the baby carrier behind Dad's bike. He is also very intrigued by grass since he doesn't see it in NYC.

Bath Time

Family Photo

When we were in Houston, Darcy's friend snapped some professional photos of us. Here is one of our favorites. Her website is www.storytimephotography.com. Photo by Courtney Forbes.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Ash met Aunt Darcy, Uncle Joe and cousin Camille for the first time last weekend in Houston. He also met many family friends at a Cinco de Mayo party at Oma and Pappy's house. He and cousin Camille hit is off instantly. She was so sweet to him, giving him lots of love and kisses!

Oma and Pappy bring spring weather

This weekend Ash met his grandparents on the Martin side. They were kind enough to bring spring weather from Houston (finally!!). They fell in love with the little guy immediately. Who wouldn't?? Even tough, stoic New Yorkers melt when they see Ash!

Meeting Aunt Joelle

Ash is all smiles about playing with his madrina, who came to town from LA to meet him.

Happy Easter!

Ash spent Easter weekend at his grandparent's house in Manasquan. He met the Klinzings and is pictured with great uncle Rich and second cousin Kennedy. On Easter Sunday he wore his traditional Ethiopian outfit, hand-made by Mimi from Gladney Ethiopia.

At Home in NYC

Ash is enjoying his home on Fulton Street. He recognizes Mom and and Dad and is quite fond of them. He likes to be on the go, so we are walking everywhere. He is also very pleased with of his nanny, Sofia, and is learning to eat cereal. We think he likes everything but the cold weather!

Happy Reunions

We arrived safe and sound in Dulles. Nick's dad and Aunt Gina were kind enough to meet us at the airport. Ash enjoyed a weekend and began to recover from jet-lag, surrounded by the loving care of the Brophys.

Our baby loves to swim!

Our flight didn't leave until 10:15 p.m., so we decided to take Ashenafi for a swim in the gorgeous Sheraton pool. He loves to swim! The baby is fearless. He will fit in well in Sea Girt.

An Emotional Day

On the day before we left Addis Ababa, we had a reunion with the care givers who had taken care of Ashenafi between month 1 and adoption (Gladney has a foster care center). Mimi, a lovely woman who had grown up in an orphanage and is deaf, had become a surrogate mother to Ash. When she saw him, she cried and cried, and didn't stop even when we left 2 hours later. She wrote us a letter in English saying how much she loved him and would miss him, and she gave Ash and us handmade presents including gorgeous Ethiopian-style baby clothes. It was absolutely heartrending. Nick taped me sobbing on the video camera - maybe we won't share that broadly! We are lucky our baby was so well loved (Ashenafi means winner/lucky one). We are truly blessed. (Mimi stopped by the Sheraton before me left to say goodbye one last time - bringing yet more presents for mom and dad...the generosity and love of the Ethiopian people we met brings tears to my eyes as I write this).

The US embassy

After being scared down by horror stories of 4hour visits and then being welcomed by imposing pictures of Bush, Cheney, and Condie (Cheney had a scary smirk and might as well have had a sign that said "come to the US and i'll take you hunting!") we breezed through the embassy in about 45minutes, with the bulk of it being spent in security (using the whole fist there, doc?).

Above, a jubilant pair of dad's and babies doing the first ever recorded "post visa acceptance, dual baby / dad chest bump". I'm calling the Guinness book of world records...

Museum Visit

SM, Ash, and I went to two museums yesterday. Lot's of culture and a huge history leasson (jim bob would be proud!). We saw Ras Tafari's (a.k.a former emporor Haille Salassie) bedroom and lots of his former belongings. The picture above is of me at the garden at the museum at the University, formerly the emporor's palace and home to some great artifacts. The National Museum was also a terrific visit. We saw the 3.5 million year old skeleton of Lucy, the most complete fossil that links man and ape.

Fasika, Part II

Of course, what would a night out with Sarah Marie be without a little audience participation. In her defense, she wasn't the only person in the crowd to participate, but in my humble (and unbiased) opinion...she was the best!

Fasika, Part I

Ethiopian food is great, but what really distinguished Fasika was the live music and dancing. A troop of about 6 men and women preformed traditional dances from each of the various tribes in the country. Here's one of the more fun outfits of the evening.

A lot to catch up on...

We have been so busy we haven't had too much time to post. Shame on us, sorry! OK, a few things to report. 1. Ash isn't perfect (i think i might be the first parent in the history of parents to admit that about their child), he had either a bit of a cold or was simply overstimulated (not hard to imagine), but he couldn't sleep a few nights ago. I took him for a 2 hour "walk" from midnight until 2 in the hotel lobby, so he wouldn't get us kicked out of the hotel because of his wailing. After that and a hot shower, he ended up crashing hard until 9:30 the following morning, crisis averted.

2. We went to a beautiful resort area on a lake about an hour outside of Addis called Dreamland, our friend Belay says he plans to retire there, i can see why.

3. Above is Harek (spelling?), she's one of the caregivers at the Gladney foster care center. Belay was kind enough to enlist her to watch our children while he and the Gladney crew wined and dined us at Fasika an authentic Ethiopian experience. More on that to follow....Harek is an angel and amazing with the kids. She amazed us rookie parents as she was changing Ash's diaper while he slept when we walked in. Clearly, she's got skills!

Church in Ethiopia

We were very lucky to have been invited to church with one of the families that's travelling with us. Their hometown church has a sister church here and we went for what turned out to be an amazing service. The people were so welcoming and loving, each giving us hugs and huge smiles. The minister was visiting from Nairobi (spelling?) and was one of the most passionate, warm, and energetic people i've ever met (he's next to SM in the photo). After about 30minutes of the whole congregation singing, dancing, and clapping (it reminded me of a toned down version of the scene in the blues brothers) he spoke for about an hour and kept us captivated the whole time. He and some other members of the church are joining us for dinner on Tuesday, so hopefully we'll have some more stories to follow.

17 years until school, but already...

17 years until college, but already Ash has a favorite! First he played with the football, now he practically picked out the Princeton sleeper himself (hyperbole)....Dad couldn't have drawn it up any better than this! The only thing he needs to complete the trifecta is some Harley gear (which i seemed to only have packed for myself, i'm like a walking Sturgis billboard).

SMM's BFF's!

These two cuties were holding SM's hand, playing with her hair, trying on her sun glasses and generally laughing and smiling the whole time we were there. So precious. The girl on the left is the one going to Texas in July, she's darling.

Last Orphanage of the Day

This orphanage had older children. It was amazing. They were so well behaved, so kind, so trying to find a home. The girl on the left (Yem?) is going to a camp Gladney sponsors in Fort Worth in July, she's precious. We also met a 10yr old girl who's new family is coming to get her in 20days. She's moving to Missouri and was to die for. Wish we could have taken them all home with us...

first orphanage

The days first trip was to the state run orphanage. So many cuties, they all loved SM.

Day 2 : Wow

SM and I were so funny last night. A combination of first time parenting nerves and jet lagg made for quite an adventure. We were aware of every noise Ash made all night, wondering if he was OK or needed something. It was even worse when we didn't hear anything! We'd lean over the pack and play and make sure he was all good. Needless to say, he was fine. He actually slept like a champ and only really creates a fuss when he's hungry or tired.

Today we went to 3 orphanges, 1 state run and 2 private. The first two we went two were homes to all 3 kids on the trip. Luckily, Ash only spent a few weeks in his before going to the Gladney foster home. Lucky too that it was one of the private (ie. better funded) ones. We saw where he slept and met the lovely kids and caretakers he was there with.

If there was a fast track application, we would have taken a couple of more kids home with us, for sure. Today was overwhelming, heartbreaking at times and heartwarming at others. The good news is we can all help.

meanwhile, back at the ranch...are you ready for some football?

The hotel is actually beuatiful. Gorgeous lobby / rooms / pool. pictures to follow. we've navigated two feedings and two diaper changes and he's with us for good from now on. SM and I are hoping he's as good a sleeper as the folks at Gladney say he is, because we're officially bushed! spread the word that we're officially together with our son.

baby's first "4 bucks"

After changing baby Ash into his own clothes (and sucessfully completing the first diaper change) we hit the local coffee shop with the mangers of the foster care center and the other families. A Starbucks like shop where 9 people had fancy coffee drinks and 4 had sandwiches for the equivalent of USD $14....makes us really miss manhattan (not!).

where's my binky?

We arrived at the foster care home with one of the other familes. Words can't describe the nervous energy and anticipation that filled the room. Since this was their second child, they offered for us to meet our child first....who were we to refuse?

after much ado...we arrive in Addis Ababa

We arrived at about 9:00 a.m. and met the two other families. One from Houston (their first child) and one from Maryland (their 2nd, have a 2yr old girl at home). Customs and getting a visa were much easier than we imagined / feared and soon we were on our way to our hotel. Slight change of plans...we were supposed to "relax" today, get adjusted to time zone / sit by the pool....all of the sudden a curveball comes down the pipe and we have an hour to shower / unpack / get a bag ready because we're going to the foster home to meet our kids!!!!!!

15 minutes until we board the plane!

Well, we did it.  The two of us sucessfully transported over 300lbs of luggage from NY to DC and now have it all checked in. 

Despite our arms aching and threatening to fall out of our sockets, SM almost broke down in tears as we were checking in this morning. 

We could hardly sleep last night we're so excited, so much to think about...good thing we have a 16hr flight ahead of us. I bought the last two seasons of 24 on dvd, so we can numb our minds en route.  Wish us luck!
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getting ready for our trip

T minus 3 days and we are mostly packed (thanks to smm who did it all). Of course, the last thing to get packed is dad's bag, which after some late arriving charitable donations leaves me enough room for approximately 1 pair of jeans and two shirts. not too shabby. Along with clothes, food, medicine, and a car seat for our little guy, we're bringing 4 giant bags of humanitarian aid for the foster care center. SM is so excited she wants to leave today. Tonight is a last hurrah for us, dinner at Chanterelle.