"More water please"

One day after I must have retrieved 6 glasses of water for Joshua I took a moment to think about how different water was for him 3 months ago. We take so many things for granted in this country, but one of the most over looked "luxuries" we have is readily available clean water. That day I truly had a moment. I sat down and wanted to cry for the time my child had gone without so much. I thought about all of the children in Africa who continue to go without and right then and there decided to do something.

This Christmas many of us are reviewing our 401k and savings accounts and are more than discouraged. We are "cutting back", saving more and praying lots. One thing we aren't doing however is drinking dirty water or not drinking at all. Our adoption agency is currently working to raise money to build a new boys orphanage. This was Joshua's first home and many of the children he spent his first year and a half with are still there. Tim and I want to help Our Family Adoptions in raising money for this wonderful place. In particular, we are hoping to raise enough money this season to dig a new well! This sounds big, but we know many people follow our journey and even pocket change adds up. We think a new well is around $4000, but would love to raise enough to surpass that number and dig a new well for the girls orphanage as well.

As you put your children to bed tonight and retrieve one last drink, as you wash your dishes or take a bath, take a moment to think how different your life may look without water. If you would like to help us in our endeavour, please send us a check made out to Our Family Adoptions. All donations are tax deductible. If you do not have our address, please email me at danielleott1@aol.com (I hesitate posting it online). We plan to compile all of the donations and send them to Jilma to be earmarked for a new well. Thank you for taking the time to consider contributing to something so dear to our hearts.

Long overdue updates

I can't believe it has been a month since I updated our blog! So much has happened. Here is a quick run down...

In November Tim celebrated the "big 35". The kids made the cake.


In December Amelia celebrated her 4th birthday and started dance classes. I was very excited to say the least.


Caleb continues to do great in Kindergarten and just lost his first tooth. He also started dance classes and seems to really enjoy them. As a prior dancer, I am thrilled, however everyone else is a bit hesitant.


Joshua continues to do great. He has adjusted so well and many days we forget he is new to our family. Amelia and Joshua spend hours on end playing during the day and after quite a while always end up disagreeing in the typical sibling manner. Caleb is definitely the "big brother". Where ever Caleb goes, Joshua is not far behind. Purchasing Christmas presents was hard for Joshua. He should be playing with toddler toys, but instead he enjoys following Caleb with Matchbox cars and Legos.

Joshua was baptized last Sunday and Grandpa and Grandma Ott were able to drive out from Kansas for the big day. My cousins, Miranda and Josh, also agreed to be Joshua's godparents and spent the weekend with us as well. The service was very nice and was a great reminder that we are all adopted in God's eyes. Caleb and Amelia wore my Dad's baptismal gown for their baptisms, however they were 6 weeks old and the gown just wouldn't do for Joshua. We decided to have him wear the outfit the ladies at the orphanage made for him and sent home with Jilma. It was perfect and will be a special memento of the day.


Lastly, we have heard great news from another family adopting from DRC. Julie and Bill Briley are the couple who first led us to Our Family Adoptions. They have accepted a new baby boy to adopt - Moses. We don't know Julie and Bill well, but they radiate faith and hope and we are certain Moses has found a wonderful home with them. Moses has Downs Syndrome, so please pray for his health while he waits for Julie and Bill. He appears to be doing well, but it will be so much better for him to be in the US and obtain the medical attention he needs. Julie and Bill hope to bring Moses home in early 2009. You can follow their journey at www.thebrileys.blogspot.com.

We did it!

I can't believe it, but we did it. We were able to assemble 16 family members at Walt Disney World for a great vacation and one big dinner together. Our annual tradition was made even sweeter this year with the arrival of our newest family member. Unbelievably we were able to share this trip with all of our family - both sets of grandparents, both aunts and uncles and 3 cousins. It was great!

Vacationing with 3 children is a little busier, but overall very doable and fun! We always feel when we come back from vacations and that we have learned something new about the kids and we watch them grow in just one short week. This trip was no exception. Joshua had been home only 9 weeks when we left for the trip and we were a little worried he may be nervous about getting on a plane again. We turned out to be half right. As soon as we arrived at the airport we could sense he was tense. He clung to us like never before and became cranky and nervous. After about 15 minutes in the airplane I think he forgot about being nervous, relished in the fact that we were all together and enjoyed flying high in the sky. Once we got to Orlando, Joshua was comfortable and seemed to express himself more that we had seen to date. It was great.

We also realized just how much Joshua loves his green stroller that helped carry him home from Africa. We took our double stroller with us, but after two days we realized it may be nice to have an umbrella stroller with us since our 6 year old got tired towards the end of the day. We had my parents bring the green umbrella stroller Jilma bought for Joshua and from the time it arrived, he far preferred to be in "his stroller" than the larger more comfortable one.


Joshua also surprised us with his love for the water. He fearlessly jumps in, goes down slides and puts his face right in the water. Caleb and Amelia (especially Amelia) loved watching him learn and just have fun.
All three of the kids loved being on the go everyday. They ate well, slept when they were tired and seemed to go with the flow great. I was even able to get them to sit down once in a great while for a picture together.


The Halloween party also turned out to be a huge success. Our army soldier, little bo peep and elephant looked adorable and had a great time at the party. I was grateful Amelia decided to wear a "girly" costume vs a doctor costume (once around all of those princesses I knew we would have a battle being a doctor) and was amazed at how Joshua left his hood on. As a matter of fact, I had a hard time getting him to take it off. We tried to surprise the kids at every turn and one big surprise was for Caleb. His best friend Nicholas was also at Disney World and we surprised them with an afternoon together. What fun!

I think the last thing we realized was how much we really do stand out. Even in 9 short weeks, we began to forget how conspicuous we were to others. After about 2 days of being around hoards of people from all walks of life, we realized we were getting quite a few looks. Everyone was pleasant and it didn't bother us, but it was definitely a reminder that our "normal family" isn't so normal to everyone else. I even watched a mom cover her about 8 year old son's mouth when he loudly began to comment on Joshua's difference in color from his family. It didn't bother me and if I had the courage to say something, I would have told her that it is OK for children to be curious and her son's comments didn't bother me. However conspicuous we may be, I am grateful Caleb and Amelia don't quite get it yet. I am sure down the road we will have many conversations, but for now I am enjoying the innocence and acceptance of my children and family.

We travel a lot and I think many people may question why. It is for stories like this. I love being purposeful about spending time together. I think traveling, no matter where you go (yes, even Walt Disney World!) allows for opportunities to learn about others and yourself. Every day there are opportunities to teach your children something valuable, but there is something about being outside of your comfort zone in a new environment and actively looking at the world around you. No matter how far we travel from home, I love watching our children actively look at their world and the people around them. Life is truly great!

Our new family

Things have been settling in quite well for us. We attempted to take a family portrait amidst the beautiful fall colors and had a tough time getting 3 children under the age of 6 to participate. Here are a few of the best...





We are just about a week away from our big trip and the kids are completely excited. Caleb talks daily about all of the things he is going to show Joshua. To be honest, I can't wait to spend 6 days together as a family just having fun and spending time together.

In some ways, I feel that since Joshua came home I have been so consumed in integrating him into our family that it is easy to forget where he came from. The last 8 weeks have been wonderful and it is an effort to take a moment to remember the crisis in the Congo still exists, minus one child. The DRC's situation is extreme and unless action is taken by the worldwide governments things won't get better. I have been reading a book called Not on our Watch by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast. Out of their work an organization was formed - The Enough Project. Click here to read more www.enoughproject.org. This is a great site to educate ourselves about the situations in Congo, Dafur, Chad and Uganda. I have also been inspired from a campaign that has been started by college students world wide. Congo week is Oct 19-25th and during this time university students are hoping to educate and inspire the world about the DRC. Visit their site to learn more www.congoweek.org. In summary...

The Congo is the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world today where nearly 6 million people have died since 1996, half of them children 5 yrs old or younger and hundreds of thousands of women have been raped all as a result of the scramble for Congo's wealth. The United Nations said it is the deadliest conflict in the world since World War Two. However, hardly anything is said about it in the media. Can you imagine 45,000 people dying each month and hardly a peep from anyone in the age of the Internet? This is literally what has happened and continue to happen in the Congo. There is a media white-out about Congo and no worldwide resolution to end the conflict and carnage there.

There is a very exciting development among students throughout the globe. In October 2008, students from the US, Canada, England, Belgium, Germany, France, Brazil, Jamaica, Norway, Korea, Ghana, Mali, South Africa, Columbia, etc. etc will organize events (films, lectures, demonstrations, and more) on their respective campuses dealing with the Congo situation. We are calling it "Break the Silence" Congo Week where at least 100 countries and 1,000 university campuses will participate in a week of activities in solidarity with the students of the Congo.

The purpose of the Break the Silence Congo Week is to raise awareness about the devastating situation in the Congo and mobilize support on behalf of the people of the Congo. It will take place from Sunday October 19th to Saturday October 25th. The key organizers are students from North Carolina A&T , UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Greensboro, University of Maryland, Howard University, Bowie University, and Cornell University.

So often we think we are just one person unable to do much in the world. I definitely feel like that, however I have begun to realize that if I learn as much as I can, tell others as much as I can, and speak up as much as I can, maybe one voice can eventually join thousands and finally be heard.

A true midwestern day

Apple picking and pumpkin picking, what else is there to say?

A hopeful reunion

Through our adoption process we have met a wonderful family in AZ. They are adopting two siblings from Jamma Letu and the hope is that they will be home in the spring. Their names are Joseph and Solange and they are adorable. To follow their story visit

http://www.thecamjam.blogspot.com/

Our lives were truly meant to cross. Cami called Jilma at Our Family Adoptions just days before we called last February. At that time, Jilma told her about 3 children -a little boy about 18 months old (Joshua!!) and a boy and girl sibling pair. Thankfully, their family wasn't looking to adopt a toddler!!! What an amazing twist of fate. While Joshua stayed at the boys orphanage he and Joseph seemed to have been buds. Below is a picture of Joshua at the orphanage with Joseph just before Joshua left. Also below is a picture of Solange. Those dimples!!





We can't wait for these wonderfully beautiful children to meet again one day. Until then, we are in prayer for a quick paperwork process and a safe trip to AZ!

One month today!!

I can't believe it has already been a month! We met Joshua one month ago today in New York and it seems like he has always been here. Things continue to go great. Joshua remains healthy and his lead levels have decreased since he has been here. His lead level was high likely due to environmental factors, but the longer he is here the more they go down so that is great. Last weekend the kids enjoyed their first "slumber party" in Joshua's room. Caleb and Amelia slept on the spare bed in Joshua's room and they all had a blast!

Joshua loves pasta (I am not sure if it is possible to have Italian roots in Africa, but no joke, the child loves almost anything related to Italian cuisine) and tonight we took him to his first visit to Maggianos. It has to be one of our favorite Italian restaurants and those who know us well understand the significance it has played in our married life - in the three major cities in which we have lived, there has been a Maggianos within miles. Joshua proved to enjoy it as much as we do.


That is about the extent of our happenings. Life seems to have become pretty status quo, but I am sure that will change. Today the kids started a countdown to our Disney trip - 28 days and counting! Each year we travel to Disney in September. With Caleb starting school this year we decided to make our trek in October to catch fall break and celebrate Caleb's 6th birthday. This has been planned long before we knew about Joshua and we are thrilled he will get to be part of it with us. Here are Amelia and Joshua getting in the spirit...