Another of Hendrick's favorite games is Othello. In his version, the two players race to see how many of each of their color disks can be placed on the board. Naturally, as with boys and disks, it always degenerates into spinning them as fast as possible! Hendrick has almost got the "flick" down to perfection. 
We had a scare Friday night as Amy had the pleasure of spending the night in the hospital for early labor. Thankfully the doctors were able to stop her contractions and she's now home on strict bed rest orders. Please pray for us that we can make it to 35 weeks (Monday, 1/7).
Merry Christmas and
Happy Birthday Jesus!
The boys let their creative juices flow as we made and decorated Amy's family's traditional Christmas Cookies! Hendrick did a great job decorating...Davis and Burke had fun eating. We love the rule: if you break it, you eat it...although, were those cookies broken on purpose? Yummy!!!!
Outside and Inside Shots of Baby #4...
We are now PAST the point of Davis' arrival (at 31 weeks) - Praise God!!! Things are going very well. The baby is looking good with an estimated weight of 4 pounds, 1 ounce, and the head is down! There are no signs that this baby will be making it's appearance anytime soon - yay! We are hoping and praying for AT LEAST another 3-4 weeks before the arrival of this precious babe.
The boys had an opportunity to visit with Santa - very exciting! Davis enjoyed seeing Santa from a distance, Burke was very curious and Hendrick was giddy with joy! He informed the man-in-red he would like a rocket this Christmas...hmmm...
They were all thrilled to receive candy canes - what a treat!!!
Mommy just can't get enough of this bundle of joy -
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17
There is so much JOY at Christmas and so many traditions: decorating the tree, baking cookies, hanging up the stockings, and eagerly anticipating the arrival of Santa Claus. We hope we do not lose focus and that we will always remember the true reason behind the JOY this holiday season: Christ was Born!!!
Thursday, November 29 - Friday, November 30
Thursday was a day of intense anticipation, and then lots of lots of waiting! We spent the morning packing up the hotel room and waiting for our Visa to come, which it finally did at 12:30 p.m.. We spent the afternoon around the hotel shopping, exchanging money, eating a couple meals, and walking around the hotel grounds. Kazahun picked us up at 6:15 p.m. and drove us to the airport, where our flight left at 10:30 p.m.. I was initially surprised that the security was so much tighter in the Ethiopian airports than in the US, but realized that terrorism is a stark reality there every day. Vigilance is needed even more for them - a Christian country surrounded by Muslim nations on every side. 
Homecoming at the Cincinnati airport was wonderful - Hendrick was holding a posterboard sign that read, "Welcome home brother Burke Zerihun." I just knew Burke would go straight to Amy and he didn't disappoint. She held him the whole time and he hugged her just like he held to me during our first meeting in Addis. Hendrick and Davis were also very sweet and happy to meet their new brother. Hendrick was pinching his cheeks with an absolutely sweet grin splitting his face. We grabbed our luggage, visited with the grandparents for a few minutes, and then hopped in the van to start our new life in Tennessee....
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Wednesday was our free day - the time in between our US Embassy appointment and getting Burke's Visa on Thursday. We hooked up with another CWA family and hired Getachew for the morning. First stop was Entoto Mountain: the original capital of Ethiopia until King Menelik II's wife moved the capital to the botanical valley below the mountain (Addis Ababa means "new flower" in Amharic). Unfortunately, the drive there was a view of even more poverty. Most of the folks outside the city subsist on gather roots, twigs, and eucalyptis leaves - again, not much to look forward to for any children that don't get adopted.
St. Rafael's church was the first building we visited. It was built in the late 1800's and is filled with breathtaking murals of Biblical scenes. On the grounds we also saw a rock-hewn church (literally chiseled out of the rock in the mountain) dug in the 12th century and apparently home to the Ark for a time. Christians also used this as a hiding place from Muslim raiders until the 17th century. We also visited King Menelik II's royal palace from 1880 and St. Mary's Cathedral's royal museum, home to a plethora of government artifacts.
Getachew drove us back into town and hired a guide to take us through the Mercado - the oldest and largest public market in Africa. We visited handcraft makers, weavers, and the spice market. The entire experience overwhelmed my senses...people packed together like sardines (watch out for pickpockets!), African and middle eastern spices, intricate and colorful woven wear.
The afternoon consisted of two orphanage visits - one to Gelgela (the place Burke stayed before the Care Center) and one to Ahope (home for HIV+ children). Gelgela was in the process of moving to another house, so there weren't any kids, but the nannies were there and remembered Burke. Once again, it was clear he was one of their favorites. Ahope is an amazing organization. They have about 30-40 HIV+ children, many of whom will never be adopted (I am proud to say that the USA is the only country that will adopt these children!). They have a decent stock of medicines for each child, but it is pretty clear that they continually rely on medicinal and monetary donations for support (if you're interested, please check it out: http://ahopeforchildren.org/). This is an amazing ministry - giving comfort and care, sending these children to school and teaching them about God's love for them before their brief time on earth is over.
The last stop of the day was the National Museum in Addis - home of the famous partial skeleton "Lucy." While I know this provides revenue to a country badly in need of money, they are unfortunately furthering acceptance of evolutionary theory, which at is root is a very racist idea. In the theory, humanity began in East Africa (Lucy is one of the supposed Missing Links), and then migrated across the globe and continued to evolve over time. The logical conclusion of this theory is that people of African descent are closest to primates since they were the first descendants from the apes and have not "evolved" like Caucasians....what a terrible idea! This is unfortunately widely accepted, even amongst many churches and Christians. How wonderful would it be if we all believed that all humans were specially made in the image of God, and all in need of a savior in Jesus? If you want to read further on this subject, please visit: http://onehumanrace.com/
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Ok, so it's not just newborns who wake up in the middle of the night! Burke, accustomed to sharing a crib with two other boys, had a bit of trouble sleeping on his own in the hotel crib. He ended up asleep on my chest at 2 a.m., but thankfully he has slept in his own crib every night since.
This morning, we and another CWA family hired Getachew, a local driver and good Christian man, to see some sights around Addis Abbaba. We shopped for a while at Churchill Ave. and I really enjoyed haggling. Getachew warned us there are prices, and then their are prices for Americans, so don't be worried to barter and talk down price. For only a few hundred birr (9 birr to the dollar), I bought bags full of beautiful local artwork in ebony wood, paint, and silver. We also got to see the weavers guild in full swing. This was a warehouse of men from a southern-Ethiopian tribe at work on intricate woven scarves and blankets. These men make maybe $5-$10 per week, which in Ethiopia is quite a lot of money. They deserve much more with how beautiful their craft is.
This afternoon was our appointment at the US Embassy to finalize Burke's paperwork. His passport and birth certificate had been finished, I just needed to answer some questions in person and under oath to get his US Visa. It was neat to see all of the Ethiopian citizens at the Embassy who had "won the lottery" in 2007. The US gives 55,000 visas each year to Ethiopia, more than any other African country since they are our ally, and these are doled out in a lottery each year. We met many people throughout the week who hoped to one day win a visa and move to the US. It's amazing to think how thankful they would be to have a minimum wage job here, as that would make them rich in Ethiopia.
Dinner tonight was Assa Wat Key (Nile perch in a red pepper stew with injera bread). Wonderful!
Today was also our first day to truly be immersed in the poverty of this city. Every street was lined with the homeless and crippled, either begging for money or sleeping in whatever shade they could find. It felt hypocritical as a Christian to not give out every birr in my pocket to these folks - who could have needed it more? But, I know that Amy and I prayerfully consider to whom and when to donate money, and our budgeted and planned approach allows us to be more strategic (i.e. adopting). My prayer is that their government will be able to attract sufficient industry to their relatively stable city and create some wealth, and that of course all of the beautiful children here will be adopted!Monday, November 26, 2007
Our first full day in Addis was amazing. Kazahun, our driver, got us to the the main CWA orphanage (The Care Center) by about 10 a.m.. It was us and another CWA family, and our kids were immediately brought to us. Burke was decked out in a sweet pink outfit and it was clear the staff was very proud of his clean, new clothes. I snuck a peek down his diaper when no one was looking, just to make sure...we got comments the rest of the day about our beautiful daughter!
We spent the morning ensuring our paperwork was all in order and visiting with the children and staff. Burke was very clearly a favorite of the nannies - they couldn't stand to not hold him. They smothered him with kisses and hugs, and also gave us some good info. on his feeding and sleeping habits. All of the children are very sweet and well-behaved. They shake hands as a greeting and shout, "WELCOME!" whenever someone says, "thank you." Grandpa Barrett was a hit, playing his harmonica and showing magic tricks to the kids. It's fair to say they'd never seen anything like it. 
We took it easy in the evening with some traditional Ethiopian food for dinner ("dura we" - spiced chicken with a hard boiled egg and injera bread), shopping at some of the hotel stores, and giving Burke a bath.
Merry Christmas 2007
We have been blessed beyond measure!
God is growing our family! We welcomed our third child home from Ethiopia in November and will be welcoming our forth child into the world after the new year.
Burke is doing wonderfully well adjusting to his new life in the USA. We have kept him at home the whole time and he has quickly adapted to his new schedule (two two-hour naps every day plus eleven hours of sleep every night!). He loves playing with his big brothers and smiles when he sees them after nap time.
Just wanted to let everyone know the boys got home safe and sound tonight...we'll be updating the blog in the coming week or so with lots of pictures and details from the trip (we will whet your appetite with these pics below). It was an amazing journey - Ethiopia is a beautiful and exotic country and we are thrilled with our new family member!
The guys are on their way home! They departed Addis Ababa late Thursday and will be arriving in Cincinnati this afternoon. Burke Zerihun is coming home!!!! Our family will be heading back to Tennessee this evening - we are anxious to get our son home and be a family of five.
Mike and Amy's dad have had (from all reports) a wonderful and amazing time in Ethiopia. They have been busy - visiting markets, museums, orphanages, churches and experiencing Ethiopian culture. Burke Zerihun has been an angel - very loving, cuddly and fun. They warn "he will melt your heart". What an amazing opportunity and experience...what a blessing is Burke Zerihun!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for all of your prayers!
Mike and Amy's dad picked up Burke Zerihun Monday morning...today was their Embassy appointment.
They say Burke is amazing - very happy, healthy, and full of snuggles. When they first saw Burke Zerihun, he was decked out in a fancy pink floral outfit...yes, he is a boy - very cute. Mike reports Burke is a good eater, giggles and babbles alot: "abababa" (abaye is is "father" in amharic).
While at the Care Center Monday, they were able to spend time with the children - apparently dad's harmonica and magic tricks were a big hit with the children! They will be visiting Gelgela orphanage and AHOPE Wednesday (they have bins of donations to deliver).
They also made a trip to the market for some shopping...and plan to venture up Entoto Mountain later this week. Then, Friday, they will be HOME!!!!!
Amy's mom hosted a small family "Celebration Party" this evening - celebrating our growing family...Burke coming home and the baby-in-the-belly. It was so nice to celebrate our blessings with family. We were showered with thoughtful gifts, decorated onesies for Burke, and enjoyed pizza and cake. It was so fitting to have a party as Mike and Amy's dad (Ted) are on the airplane traveling to Ethiopia.
*It is pretty neat to have Mike and Grandpa "deliver" Burke into our family - Amy has "delivered" the others.
Mike and Amy's dad (Ted) left for today for Ethiopia! The whole family came for a send-off at the airport. It is wild to think that in less than 24 hours, they will be in Ethiopia...and, Monday morning, they will pick up our son! Hendrick cried as they left to walk to their gate: "I want to go to Ethiopia!"
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