Scaffolding as Architecture

First Month

Today marks the first month with Noah in our custody. It's been a so wonderful having him home and he is changing so fast. He seemed so tiny, now with just a few extra pounds he seems huge; even though he's not. He is now able to eat 8oz of formula every 4 hours without spewing most of it, he moves around so much and he loves to hold your hands and stand. He seems really close to rolling from back to belly, but I think he hasn't had the interest yet. He is a kissable, cuddly boy - just watch out for hair and glasses!
Here's a picture from a few weeks ago when we returned and one from last night after Noah and I did a little steam bath to loosen congestion - He doesn't sit still enough anymore to take a similar picture - but does anyone else see the changes??? He's also gone from size 1 diapers to size 2 finally last week.

First Tooth!

I wish I could post a picture of his first tooth, must have cut through last night. It's the bottom center left, and the bottom center right is about to come through, looks like as early as today....Ask how I discovered it.....HE BIT DOWN ON MY CHIN.....the kid has great aim!
Here's a picture from today

Noah Update

Here's some of the latest pictures. We just found out he has salmonella and clostridium difficile - neither of which we are treating, seems he's had them for a while and only has trace amounts left. He is a trooper! Hopefully that explains tummy irritation and what seems to be a cry of extreme pain when he needs to eat. Hopefully it will pass within a couple weeks! Hopefully the 3 hour feedings in the middle of the night will also slow down as he gets better. He's been to the doctor, but will have his first pediatrician appointment next Wednesday - doesn't that sound exciting!
Last Friday we did a quick weight - he is up to 13 pounds! So here's some pictures from this week and last. I still need to download the videos - I am slow.....

Noah goes to the Zoo

We are lucky enough to be only 5 minutes from the Denver Zoo, but we also have great friends who have a membership. Thanks Crystal, Joey and Caleb for inviting us! It was Noah's first trip to the zoo and I as I expected - a bit young to care. But I had fun!!!











Very excited to ride the train...










Are we done yet????

The Story of Ranger's Love for Kitty Roca

Ranger has a new habit, KITTY ROCA, it seemed to develop in June sometime when we started using wheat cat litter. We've always had baby gates at the rooms that have litter, but while we were out of town it seems there were major incidences and some vomitting. So, obviously he is getting over the gates (he must have finally realized he could). Last weekend James installed small cat doors (Hobbes can barely get through them!) - NOW WE WAIT UNTIL RANGER COMES UP WITH A NEW METHOD OF DESTRUCTION....watch out for the smart dogs!

Quick Post!

Here is a little tease.
The first one is taken the day we met at Toukoul. He was very bundled, making him warm and sweaty. He stared and smiled at us the entire first 3 visits. Then he started making sounds with great effort, as if he had never used his voice. It was amazing to watch. His eyes are so engaging and his skin is so soft, much more than I expected.
This is not to say he hasn't felt some level of shock, but he is handling it like a trooper as we try so hard not to overstimulate him too quickly. He is really healthy, just the old congestion breaking up and some special diaper cream we are now done with.
In the second picture I just missed his big grin, but it's still cute. Ranger is confused, but love to lick his feet and seems to handle the kicks to the nose and pulling on his ears just fine. I think he will be ok as long as he gets some attention.
I have pictures on snapfish - all of them from our camera at least (no weeding out of the bad ones). Just post your email address or email me and I will send them too you. As my new usual I am having outlook issues (solved finally) and have lost my autofill addresses - oops!

Delayed Again!!

Ok, I was making great progress by yesterday with Noah's schedule and finding time to get things done - then I got sick last night - no just a little sick, I have been really sick. I was given IV fluids finally this afternoon and we should have the results of the sample in 24 hours, if I make it that long! It may actually be caused by the Cipro I took when I was sick on the trip; that sucks! There are a few other possibilities, but that seems the most likely.
So, that means, although the camera is hooked up to the computer to download pictures, it will be a few more days before I can get this going.
The good news is Noah is great, very healthy excluding his congestion he's always had is finally breaking up so he's oozing a bit :) and the beginnings of sore gums at the beginning of teething. He is still really tiny, at 5 months he fits best in 0-3 month clothes. But he is up to 12 pounds now!

A Few Bumps But Have NOAH!!

Shari and James have little Noah and he is doing great. They are having a good trip minus some yucky illness for Shari and James. Noah is very alert and responding well to Mommy and Daddy.

Posted on Shari & James behalf by Crystal

Picking up Habtamu, Bringing home Noah!!

HERE WE GO!!!
Bags 98% full and we're exhausted, that means we're ready! At this point if it's missing we'll have to live without it (that doesn't apply to the camera batteries we need to buy tomorrow). I feel like I could open my own pharmacy for both Rx and OTC. We tend to be minimalist travelers - but how do you prepare for something you know nothing about??? We have LOTS of baby clothes, some of the real tiny stuff we may leave there, the diapers we brought (although not many as we'll buy there) won't be there on the way home and baby wipes in every bag. Some lactose free formula in case of emergency is pretty heavy and the darn converter (thank you Cindy) weights like 5 very precious pounds. Music still needs to be downloaded and decisions on the laptop - we don't want to take it! I still need to set up bills for while we're gone and clean the house a bit and we're done and can enjoy tomorrow. Optimism is building and we really just can't wait to get there! btw - date on the picture is wrong, I think today is 7/3/08.....
HAPPY 4TH TO EVERYBODY - we'll see you soon!

LAST UPDATE!!

What can I say...

Blog Changes....Embassy Paperwork

I am playing with the background; any opinions. No need to tell me there are no giraffes in Ethiopia, I already know that. I lost all the crap in the side bar, so I am trying to decide what to put in there...any thoughts??? please...please...
Big question, we want to change the URL - don't want it to be roadtodelaney anymore - do I need to start a whole new blog?
We are so much closer already. We will be in Ethiopia in one month, in fact almost half way through the trip and about to have our embassy appointment!!! We just got all our embassy paperwork, that is a good sign that we are almost there. I am working on July 2, but that should be it - not much time off to pull it all together with the holiday being that Friday and leaving on July 5 in the morning.
We can't wait to hear our wonderful little boy laugh, cry, scream (how many people say that) and just to see a smile would make my day!!! We are going to see him so soon....so close we can almost hold him....

DO YA THINK THEY HAVE A CLUE???

Fly Away Home!

Ok, it's more real now... Plane tickets have been purchased, hotel reservations made and almost all of our vaccinations have been injected - next week is yellow fever and typhoid for both of us.
Deanna flies into town on July 4th to join us on our adventure and Saturday July 5 we fly out of DIA, with a stop in DC to switch from United to Ethiopian Air we will be in Addis around 8pm on July 6. WOW - nothing I've done has happened this fast! We head out July 15 at some horribly late time like 10:15pm and should arrive at DIA around 3pm on July 16. Then, sadly Deanna has to fly back home on the 18th.
So, we leave in less than a month and it's already flying by - but not fast enough; is that actually possible???
Some days I can't believe we're doing this and other days it's the most natural progression in life. It's strange to feel such anticipation for so long. But we really can't wait to settle into a new life with the boy with the most beautiful eyes we have ever seen...Thanks to the Odell's for using our bottle of champagne to toast him without us :)

Noah Habtamu Everist Wheeler

We made it through court today!!! He is ours in the eyes of Ethiopia now and we couldn't be more excited...I think I will hold off on my ramblings for right now and see if I can get the (3) photos we have in here in some order. I can tell you it is absolutely amazing to be in love with a photo!

The first is the most recent on May 21, 2008, weighing 9.25 pounds and 20.1 inches tall.



May 15, 2008 - a surprise, not expecting a picture, seemed to just show up in a package.









April 23, 2008 - referral picture - isn't that a great pink!!!









More details later - when I am less scatterbrained...i hope that's a word.

COURT DATE!!!!

I was totally stunned by a phone call from Dove this afternoon...We have a court date, and although I guessed we would have one set for mid-June; IT'S MAY 30!!! Yes, the May 30 of next week. Which in my tiny little mind, assuming we pass the first time (and it's possible we won't), we will travel in early July, about a month earlier than I was predicting. It's so exciting, yet I am thinking we need to fill our typhoid Rx, get our yellow fever vaccinations, I need at least my 2nd Hep B.. The baby shower is set for either June 21 or 22 and it may be the last weekend before we leave, WOW!
We should be getting an update with new photos and info tomorrow, the program director said he looks good in the photo(s) - so now I am really geared up to look at them..Wish I could post them.
Hopefully after next Friday I will put them on the site.

REFERRAL!!!

I can't believe that this morning I was just so excited about our dossier being delivered to Addis today - when the real news came at 4pm today that we have been matched with a beautiful 10 week old baby boy!!!

R.I.P.

We lost Umbrella (alias Brella, Brell,Bella and B) yesterday. I came home and she was panting and breathing hard; saving us was our wonderful vet - who was closing in 15 minutes, but took us anyway (we are definitely regulars). As I suspected when we left it was bad. Her lungs were filled with fluid and most likely had cancer. It wasn't a tough decision, albeit a very sad decision, she was my companion for almost 11 years - she flew from Boston to Arizona and then up to Denver. Then a year later drove with us back to Arizona and then a few month later drove back with James and I (and Cordell) back to Denver - from the Sherman Street apartment to the loft downtown and 3 years ago to this house - where she seemed the happiest!
I MISS HER SO MUCH!!!

Ethiopia Here We Come - UPDATE!

I am so happy to say that our dossier for Ethiopia is leaving the US tomorrow!!! The official wait time is 4-6 months - but it can happen at any time since they match the best family for each child. The current match time for infants under 12 months is about 2-3 months. So the excitement in the house is growing!!

Ok I guess I need to go to the gym - need to be in decent shape for travel!!!

ETHIOPIA HERE WE COME!

I've been so lame with this site in 2008 - but nobody really reads it much so I have gotten lazy. Not to mention very busy. Paperwork, work, sleep, paperwork - too tired to care about anything, becoming to depressed waiting for the I-171H that took 10 weeks to get here...then more work and sleep...WHINE WHINE WHINE

On the brighter side:

Our dossier has been received by our agency today - if nothing has to be redone it should be off to be authenticated at the Ethiopian Embassy very soon and then translated. I think I have the order right??? Either way with any luck in the world it will be off to Ethiopia before the end of the month...hope...hope...I'm still not entirely ready to say we will travel before the end of the year - but it would be great if we could. Referral times are still 3-6 months for infants and we have requested a boy or girl since we can see either fitting well into our family. I need to get a poll up to find out what people think - James thinks girl and I think it will be a boy - so we are a house divided...