3+ Months Home

Time for a wordy update, copied from a note to our adoption forum/support group:

Our transition is 'almost' dreamy! It's going extremely well most of the time. We have some minor struggles here and there, but most have been only slightly more difficult than dealing with typical teen/preteen issues (and with 7 girls from 7-16, some of these issues are bound to surface!)... with a bit of extra emotion and grief attached.

I tell people that we do have tantrums in our house... but I just put myself in my room until I'm done with my fit. ;)

Our girls are affectionate, fun loving, kind (unless in the middle of sibling conflict... they can bicker with the best) - so many positives. Occasionally they are a little moody, and sometimes quite homesick. The 7 year old can be so active for attention, that she nearly sucks the air out of a room. The girls have been learning to trust us, and open up more each week. They have been giving us glimpses of their life and struggles in Ethiopia... some real eye openers. I am amazed by some of the things they've endured.

The other children have had some big adjustments too, but after 3 months things are already settling quite a bit. The big brew-ha-ha starts when the siblings run into the language stuff/misunderstandings ~ the US kids are just certain that the Eth kids are babbling on in Amharic to get away with saying rude things about them. The US kids then start speaking pig-latin, which ticks off the Eth kids. It can be quite something to behold, but it's pretty funny at the same time. It's now becoming a joke between them.

The kids have started singing together during our travels. Our van now sounds like a camp bus, with kids singing at top volume. The first-aid kit makes an effective drum.

I have to choose to look into the future, and picture all three girls doing well. When I start to feel overwhelmed at the prospect of catching up with their schooling, it can feel like there's an elephant on my dinner plate... A friend has encouraged me to take one thing at a time - only focus on eating the tail, instead of letting myself panic over devouring the whole elephant at once. :) So, we're plodding gently through some summer school, focusing on critical thinking skills, reading, and basic math.

Remembering the wait:
I remember longing for the pre-court-closure court date. We waited for quite some time (felt like an eternity), but our turn came and now the wait is a fairly distant memory. Our total process was only about 9-10 months... a decent gestation for our 'triplets.'