Our first holiday all together -Easter

Can you tell they LOVE each other?

The Time has Come

It has begun...planting season. This is one of the times of year I am a single parent. My husband will work from sun up to a few hours past sun down. As difficult as this part of the year is for me, I think it is more difficult for him. Some days he will only see the kids for an hour for so. Our son will also struggle with daddy being gone for so many hours. G LOVES playing with his daddy. I am just not as wild as daddy during playtime.

I think I am as ready as I can be. The most difficult part is not having a break. This will be the first year that G is not taking an afternoon nap, so my day will begin around 6:30am and end whenever the kids are both in bed and the housework is finished for the day. I always aim for 8pm bedtime, but this is not always the case. Any mother knows after the kids go to bed, it is time to clean up and prepare for the next day. I also try to stay awake until C returns home to try to stay connected as much as possible.

This will be the first year with E. She does not do well with others holding her either, so a break may be tough to come by. I wonder how baby E is going to handle the routine change, hopefully, she will adapt well. I always try to take the kids out to the field to see daddy at least once in during the day. I am thinking she may be a handful in the tractor trying to push or grab any button or gear that she can get her little hands on. She is not a baby who is just be content to sit quietly. ;)

I am praying for a safe planting season, great weather so they can finished quickly, and peace in my home.

Say What???

We have been home just shy of 3 months now and have been leaving the house much more with Baby E the past few weeks. We definitely receive many double takes when we are out some more discreet than others. Yes, I have one child who is very fair skinned with almost white hair and another who has dark skin and masses of curly black hair. Yes, I am the mother of BOTH of these children!

I am surprised at some of the strange things people say, or how they think they can stop you and ask you 101 questions about my baby's history and not consider themselves rude. It is just so bizarre. When you have a child that looks like you, no one will stop and ask a single question about that child. But, when a child looks different than you, why do people feel like they can ask anything about that child. I just don't get it!

Here are a few of the craziest questions or statements I have heard so far:

1. Does she speak her African language? Me-"She is just a baby; she doesn't speak yet." (What the heck?! She looks no where near old enough to talk.)

2. I have never seen one up close; she is adorable. - Me - "You have never seen what up close, a child?"

3. Oh, how wonderful of you to adopt an orphan! We are so proud of you! Clarify-We did NOT do anything wonderful!!!! We wanted another child now we have one. Baby E lost the chance of truly learning how to be an Ethiopian woman, to learn her country's traditions and culture without a book, her ability to become a native speaker...need I go on.

3. What does "your little boy" think? Me-" It is his sister and he loves her."

4. What does "your husband" think? Me-Well, her father loves her.

It is difficult to just walk away when my 4 year old, the proud big brother, wants to share everything he knows about his sister. G states,"This is my baby sister, E! She is from Ethiopia; that is in Africa!" I am happy he is so proud. My son sees his sister. He does not see that she looks different than us. He doesn't realized that the majority of families in this area do not have adopted African children or adopted children at all. All he sees is his family, a father, a mother, a brother and a sister. He will be started preschool this fall and I worry about some of his innocence being broken and gone forever. I wished we lived in a world where everyone accepted all types of families whether tradition, adoptive, or non-traditional.