Melkam Addis Amet! (Happy New Year!)

Today is Ethiopian New Year's Eve. We're planning on celebrating with the Ethiopian Community Mutual Association in Seattle. Ethiopian New year is a really fun holiday to celebrate--much like our Independence Day.

In preparation, both kids got new hairdos. Melat is taking her five-year-old privilege of wearing beads in her hair very seriously. I don't allow beads before age 5 for fear of choking. She wanted special beads for the new year's celebration. This style includes about 750 beads.

Destiny got a new set of single-extension braids. I've come to the point where I do not buy extensions for her anymore--she has to buy them herself. I have found she takes much better care of them this way. The style I braided in this time took about $15 worth of burgundy and black extensions. No beads in this one--the burgundy is already bright enough.

For those of you wondering how to braid like this, the answers are practice and YouTube. I've watched many, many videos on Youtube about how to cornrow, braid and braid in extension hair (plastic hair). Also, the right products make a big difference. We use Belle Butter whipped shea in Destiny's hair (it's very dry and her scalp gets very dry) and olive oil in Melat's hair. To find Belle Butter, it is sold on Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mstashab?ref=top_trail

We've adopted again!

Breathe mom... you already know about this one. But not everyone has met the latest member of the family--Andrew the kitten!

Andrew was born in April and came from a feral kitten rescue, and spends his days rumbling around our house like a bowling ball. He's full of mischief and silliness and has a purr like a chainsaw.

August Update -- Melat turns 5 and steps on the Path to US Citizenship

We've been pretty absent around here for a couple of reasons--first, this is an adoptive family blog for the most part, with an audience of prospective adoptive families. We really haven't felt like a "different" family lately. The kids haven't had any of their special needs issues flaring, we haven't had attachment issues, and it's been summer, so we have been outside playing.

There were a couple of big summer milestones, so those warrant a post. First, Melat turned 5 on August 22. We postponed her adoption finalization while we waited to decide if we were going to change her birthdate. Ultimately we decided not to--believing it to be accurate (her birthmom assured us that it was) but she's just an especially bright kid, and has very good motor coordination, so we've always wondered.

On August 25th, we went to court to finalize her adoption. We did this pro se (without an attorney) to save on adoption costs. Because Ethiopia isn't part of the Hague convention, kids adopted in ET have to be re-adopted to gain US Citizenship, otherwise she remains a permanent resident alien on a green card with a Ethiopian passport.

I'm including a photo of all of us at the court--the judge gave her the funny pink Alligator and the court staff took this cute portrait of all of us. We spent two days playing on the beaches of Port Townsend (we filed in Jefferson county--which would be less hassle than in our home county).

After court, we took all the family out for an old-fashioned burger and malt lunch at a soda fountian in the back of a pharmacy. They had a great little corner that fit our little birthday party, and Melat got to open her birthday presents, and drink the biggest milkshake I've ever seen. A fun birthday party was had by all.