5 Million Minus 1

Sitting at the Bar

2012-02-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

When we were waiting for Tedi to come home, even after having a referral for him, the place I missed him (without knowing him) was in the car. JT and I would travel from Somerset to Louisville, or even around town, and wonder what it would be like with a 3 year old chattering in the back. The silence, at that time was palpable. It makes me giggle now because there is SOOO much chatter in our two small cars.

Now, I have notice the absence of our second child each morning during January and February as I fix Tedi breakfast. I am normally at work an hour or two before JT and Tedi even begin stirring for the day but the last two months have afforded me rotations that allow me more family time. Our condo has a bar with perfect space for two bar stools. As I pass Tedi his breakfast across the bar, I can't help but look at the empty stool with longing.

I realize the journey has really just started as we have been waiting a very short time on the referral list. Definitely this time around, we are so distracted with jobs and life and much busier than last time, thankfully. It takes away the minute by minute anguish, but not the occasional pangs...

To stay distracted, we are moving forward with our Both Hands project..... more to come on that soon..

Supporting Adoptive Families: Guest Blog

2012-02-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

My friend Megan over at Millions of Miles originally posted the blog below over a year ago and reposted it today. For me being a mom who has not had the opportunity to be pregnant, this really meant a lot to me because so many people do not know what to say or how to approach it... I believe this helps and is so much of what I would want to say but could not quite get it out.... for more great post, head over to http://www.millionsofmiles.com/, and check out my fried Megan!:

Having been through both the adoption experience and the child birth experience, I found that all kinds of people know how to take care of you after you give birth, but hardly anyone knows the right things to do when you bring home your adopted child. Most people also don't know how to respond appropriately when you tell them that you are adopting in the first place. This is meant to be a guide for the friends and families of adoptive families in the praying/planning/dreaming phase as well as families in process and newly home. Link it up, cut and paste, email it out to your family. I will say all the things to your family that you are afraid to say or maybe that you yourself don't even know that you need yet! (I don't mind being the heavy!)

1. When your loved one comes to you with the news that they are planning to adopt:

•Do not say, "Oh, don't give up trying for 'your own'" or "Don't you want to have one of 'your own' instead? Adoption is not something people enter into lightly. And prospective adoptive families already do consider this child that they do not even know as 'their own'. By saying this to an adoptive family, it insinuates that you will not be accepting their new addition as your 'own' grandchild/neice/nephew/etc. Also- many families that consider adoption have been through long periods of time dealing with infertility and adoption may be a very emotional decision. It signifies the end of one dream and the beginning of a new dream. Supporters need to be very sensitive to this and be positive!

•Share your concerns about the finances of adoption, but do it in a non-judgemental way. Yes, adoption is expensive. But you need to understand that there are grants, fundraisers, and ways to aquire the money. So instead of looking at the people who want to adopt and saying, "Oh my gosh- you are so poor, you will never be able to afford this!" say something like, "I know that this will be expensive, how can we help you plan a fundraiser?"

•Do not recall in gory detail every terrible adoption story you've ever heard. This is the equivalent of telling a pregnant woman that her baby will be born with 12 arms and she will be in labor for 3 weeks and her boobs will fall all the way down to the ground after breastfeeding. Just don't do it.

•If the family is adopting internationally, do not condescendingly talk about how there are so many kids here in America who need home. Each person needs to do what feels right for their family. Sometimes that means adopting domestically, and sometimes that means going international. Either way, a child who needs a home and a family will get one. Focus on that fact and leave your personal opinions about which you think is best to yourself. Remember- they are BOTH awesome (and BOTH necessary!)

2. Once families are in process:

•Check in with the adoptive family's (from here on out called A.F.) emotions! Adoption can be a very emotional process. There are days where you are in the dumps and days when you want to celebrate. Give the A.F. the space to talk about their feelings and their frustrations. When they call super excited and say, "I got my I-171h", pretend like you know what they are talking about and jump up and down and throw a party.

• Throw a baby shower just as if the A.F. was pregnant. Make a big stinkin' deal over the mom to be. Obviously, don't play the how big is your belly game. But do everything else the same!

•Support A.F. fundraisers. They need your help! Better yet- host a fundraising dinner, pancake breakfast, auction, raffle, etc. to help the family raise the money to bring their child home.

•If there are other children already in the A.F. offer to babysit them leading up to traveling so that mom and dad get a few last dates in before the new addition.

•If the adoption is international, educate yourself about the child's birth country.

•If the adopted child will be of a different race, educate yourself about transracial families by reading articles, books, etc. Just googling transracial families will bring up a wealth of information.

•Offer to keep siblings, pets and housesit for the A.F. when they are traveling.

3. Once families are home:

•All the same rules apply as when you bring a baby home from the hospital. Bring food, offer to coordinate meals and food dropoffs for church groups. Come over and clean. Wash clothes and put away laundry. Wash dishes. Do not believe the A.F. when they say they do not need help. THEY DO!

•Respect the A.F's rules regarding holding their new addition. Many families may wish to not have any outsiders (this includes Grandma!) holding their child so that this child who has been with many caregivers can learn who mom and dad are. A.F's do not do this to hurt your feelings. They are only doing what they feel is best for their new child. Do not make them feel bad about this.

•Also- sometimes to foster attachment in our adopted kiddos, the parent's don't want to leave them with a sitter or family member for a long period of time after coming home. Understand that this is not because the family member or sitter is not trusted or loved. It is just to help give the new child the right sense of family and permanance.

•Offer to run the carpool, run errands, cut the grass, babysit the siblings, pick up items at the grocery. New moms are notoriously sleep deprived- even if this is the 10th child they've adopted. Drop over a huge cup of Starbucks. Say hello at the door with said cup of coffee and leave.

•Give gift cards for takeout and pizza- so that long after the food welcome wagon has stopped coming, the family can still eat without having to cook! Seriously- who wants to cook when you've been up all night with a crying baby?

•Even though the A.F. did not give birth, families who are bringing home new children will be exhausted from long nights in the hospital (domestic adoption), long flights or a week or two in a foreign land with a new baby who has most likely been screaming non-stop because the child has no idea what is happening to them. Give the A.F. the forum to share how ragged they are. Do not judge them. Every single part is not going to be perfect. Let them get how hard it all is off their chest without feeling guilty about it.

•Watch for post adoption depression. It is a real thing. Just because a woman isn't flooded with pregnancy hormones, doesn't mean that she can't develop depression. There is a lot of leadup going into an adoption and sometimes the reality is tough and can lead to lots of emotional ugliness. Be supportive.

•Do not expect adoptive parents to be "super parents". I find that there is a huge stigma that adoptive families should have it all together because they "paid a lot" for their children. All families are on a learning curve- no matter how they got their children. Do not be quick to dispense advice if you've never adopted a child (because parenting an adopted child in the early days is a lot different than a biological child), but be quick to say, "How can I help?"- Then be willing to actually help!

•Most of all, share in the joy that comes with bringing a new child into the family!

Tedi on Pregnancy

2012-02-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

T: Mommy, is my brother going to be in your belly?

Me: No, dear, he is going to be adopted from Ethiopia like you were.

T: Well, you need to get that stuff to put a baby in your belly.

Me: What stuff are you talking about?

T: The stuff. You know that puts the baby in mommy's bellies.

Me: Well that takes a lot of effort and mommy does not have time for that right now.

T: So who puts babies in the bellies?

Me: Daddies put the babies in bellies.

T: Then who put me in my Ethiopia mommy, W. Y. (he knows her name), belly?

Me: Your Ethiopian daddy, C.T.

Tedi: Oh, that's right. Can we watch Wipeout?

Two Years Ago Today...

2012-01-23T17:49:00.000-08:00

.....we saw this pictures staring back at us. Our son.

.....and this is the facet that we saw this weekend....

THIS IS WHY WE ADOPT.

Imitation

2012-01-19T14:01:00.000-08:00

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery."

I was unable to find the direct source of this quote but we have all heard it. When someone cuts their hair like yours or chooses makeup because you do or does a fundraiser similar to yours or decorates their home in a similar fashion to yours, sometimes we are okay with it.... but sometimes we are not. Especially us women... We may think "well, she must be jealous" or "she is copying off me" or many similar thoughts. I am guilty of this occasionally....though rarely does anyone choose to imitate my hair, clothing, makeup or home decor. But would it not be great if we really felt flattered when someone imitated...or rather wouldn't it be great if someone wanted to imitate us not for our physical appearance but who we are on the inside....for who we are when no one's looking....

On Sunday at church, though not the main focus of the sermon, Ben (our pastor) said something that struck me.... "Is your life worth imitating?" Would someone, younger or older, at a different stage in life than you, look into your life at who you are and want to be like you? It struck me.... would someone look at me and say "Man, I would like to be Natalie Henderson. She is ____." Fill in the blank...

But what was in the blank. Sometimes in my "blank" you could say She IS cynical, sarcastic, short, negative, tired, closed off, curse (both in language and mood). While this is not who I am, it is possible when I am acting any of these ways to think that I am that way all of the time...What do I want to be....I want people to look into my life and say She IS open, real, kind-hearted, patient, loving, forgiving, gracious, a dedicated friend, ... all of that and so much more is both what I strive to be and strive to be thought of....

What is the reality? Well, reality is that we will mess up. I mess up. The gracious version of myself will judge... she will lose her patience and utter a curse word when work occasionally is overwhelming. I will be sarcastic more times than not.... My kind self may be short and closed off.

The beauty in our screw ups is this: Christ forgives us and invites us to move on.... He allows to continue to change each day into a better example of what His life was like.... to be an example of Him... to be worth imitating.

It scares me to think someone would want to imitate me but makes want to live a life worth imitating. Think of people you imitate or want to imitate. Why is that? I have several...I have the attending at work who is brilliant, confident and beautiful... I would okay being like her.... Or the friend with an always giving heart.... And there is always the person with great hair and makeup that I would be okay imitating...Wondering if someone would imitate me makes me wonder if I am living a life worth imitating. I would like to start living like this... as if someone may want to imitate me... I mean I can barely understand why someone would be my friend on some days much less choose to imitate me....

Birthday Cake Grief

2012-01-16T16:20:00.000-08:00

Today, January 16th, Tedi and I were driving home after seeing Beauty and the Beast in 3D...(he loves all Disney movies). I was flipping through radio stations and to avoid listening to LMFAO, I kept going and stopped on "Praise You in this Storm" by Casting Crowns. Instantly, Brooke and Richie popped into my mind... (Richie is JT's first cousin) This song was played last January at their son's funeral. Today would have been Eli's first birthday had he not left this world last January after an unexplainable brain bleed. I have watched them this past year and admire and respect their strength. They have made life changes to move beyond the daily grind to really do what they are called to do.... They have grown as people and shown so many of us how to really live. Despite their grief and loss, they have even shown us how to really give, to love, to keep going despite our circumstances. To read her blog in full, click HERE. I wanted to share today's blog post by Brooke. When you start complaining about the little silly things, think about this....

Birthday Cake

So today's the day I have been thinking about and dreading. It's Eli's 1st birthday. I don't know why but I think I kind of felt like I would have some sort of magic answer by now. That somehow I would understand it all by now. Well, the truth is, I don't. Sure I have been closer to the Lord throughout this last year than ever. Sure I have good days, blessings, and things to be thankful for. We have done some good things as a result of Eli's life and death. Despite all that, I am still a mom. A mom without her baby. I miss him. I want him. I don't want to be celebrating his birthday without him. I don't want to be explaining to Grant why we can't send birthday cake in the mail to Heaven. I want my little one year old. I want the cake, the candle and presents. I don't want to be taking a piece of cake to his gravesite. I want him to play in it and lick the icing off his fingers.

Yes I realize that these thoughts are not rational, they are normal, but not rational. I know he is having a much better birthday in Heaven than he could ever have here. I know that amazing things have come out of this tragedy and many peoples lives have been touched. For that I am so thankful. But I can't help it. I still want him. I want to know who he would be. I want to know if he would look like Grant. I want to know if he would act like his daddy or have brown curly hair like me. When I feel this way, I can only take comfort in knowing that God knows him completely. God knew him before he was born. He made him and He knows exactly what Eli is like.

I say this to remind anyone that might be reading and has lost someone, or going through something difficult; it is ok and normal to feel like you don't understand. To feel like you are hurt and angry. I want you to know that you can find comfort in God's promises. You just have to be looking for them. God has given me the promise of being with my son forever in Heaven. So for now, that has to be enough. And for now I am ok with just being a mom without her baby. For today on his birthday and every day and birthday to come, I will remember him. I will celebrate him. I will teach his brother and future siblings about the Lord so that one day we will all be together forever in Heaven. I will work diligently to finish my work here and serve the Lord until that day. Praise be to Him for the strength to survive the day and all the blessings He has given me.

Happy Birthday Eli. We miss you and love you very much. I hope you are having the most amazing birthday cake in Heaven.

Mommy

This Year

Last year

MLK Day: Have We Patted Ourselves on the Back Preemptively

2012-01-16T15:36:00.000-08:00

*I loved this picture on a friend's facebook.

I love good quotes... If you have ever gotten a card from me, they normally have a quote of some sort embedded within. Martin Luther King Jr. is the initiator of some of American history's best quotes. Below are some of my very favorites:

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"

All of these are so true...so moving. They make you stop. They make you think. But today as I have strolled through Facebook reading quotes, I kept coming back to this one: "I have a dream.....that one day little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers." It really struck me...or rather punched me in the stomach. I looked at the pictures of many of friends with their adopted black children holding hands with their white children....I looked at my own black son sitting in my living room, cuddling next to me on the couch watching King on the history channel.

And I realize that many of us in the adoption world, myself included, may rest on the laurels of "I have adopted a black kid" and stop there. We interact with other families who have adopted kids (as we should) but leave it there. Our churches are similar in color to us, as are our neighbors and schools and workplaces and our friends. Are we subconsciously looking over our shoulders at black people we don't know compared to white people on a city street? Do we openly pour ourselves into neighborhoods that don't look like us? Do we more easily judge a person based on their culture and color rather than "the content of their character"? I would like to think that I don't, but I know I am not always perfect. As a family, we are trying to improve this in the facets of our world... but I am still struck by our own self satisfaction on days like today when it really should be a day to say "We are trying, but we can do better."

Disclaimer: Please do not take this as "dis" on all of the facebook pictures out there. They are what prompted a heart change in me. I love some cute adoptive family pictures...which are no longer "adoptive" pics but rather family pictures. Also... I, as well as my family, are not above reproach and thus, I am as guilty and need of reminding as the next person.

Real Friends......

2012-01-14T20:35:00.000-08:00

.....put their children in your fundraising shirts. TWICE...

This is one of the many many reasons why the Fox Family are so important in our lives

and really more like family.

January 2012

As they did for our first adoption

February 2010...

Look at how the girls have grown, especially little Vivian! Hopefully she will have a

playmate in the next year.

Melkam Gena

2012-01-13T13:13:00.000-08:00

Ethiopian Christmas is celebrated each year on January 7. To read more about it, click HERE. Last year, JT was working on his largest fundraiser of the year as he was this year. Last year, we went to Queen of Sheba, the local Ethiopian restaurant, with the Brown family and the Armstrong family. As you can see, last year, there were five kids. Since that time, the Browns have brought home their sons Elijah and Caleb from Ethiopia (after over two years of waiting) and they had baby Asher the old fashioned way.

This year's Ethiopian Christmas was much louder. We moved the party to the Armstrong house where Donna and Brittney prepared their wonderful Ethiopian dishes. I, on the other hand, am a cook in training... I stopped at Queen Sheba to purchase injera and kikwot. It was such a nice time with some of our favorite friends. I hope you enjoy some of these pictures.

Last year, 2011

This Year, 2012

baby Asher, Grace, Dawit (in the corner), Avery, Elijah holding

Zoey (who is very unhappy), Caleb, and Tedi

Our Spread...

quite impressive

Everyone....

Dawit thought he would be in a picture

Adventures of a Doctor Mom: Part One

2012-01-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

I don't always get home before dark. I spend most of my time caring for your kids (Your = everyone but mine). I clean their cuts, sew them, listen to their hearts beating, their lungs breathing...... I write notes about them and listen to all their adventures....all of this I love...I love my job. But today....today, I played with my boy. I spent about two hours at work this morning....playing with healthy babies in the newborn nursery, ran to a meeting, and came to start laundry. At lunch with my friend, I decided with great excitement that I would take Tedi to the park and he could play...I could "exercise" and play with him.

So in theory, I bee bop up to the parochial pre-school all ready to go. Then I realize I am in sneakers and yoga pants but still have on my work shirt and regular bra..... seriously, who does that? Me = hot mess. So then I get home and find out we need to fix a couple of dossier things... I get distracted. So at three o'clock, we finally arrived at Waterfront Park.

To kick up the exercise a notch, I thought "we can jog. Tedi likes to run. I know it has been awhile but I used to play sports" Well we successfully jogged.... and I realized something quite profound.... from this point forward, I will be staring at my son's back as we run. Even at five, he is out running me. Maybe I should be a little more dejected about it but I felt relieved....that he will be athletic and fit.... that I am exactly where I thought I was athletically (which does not mean much).

We finally get to the other playground. I can't quite enjoy it. I encourage Tedi to be tough and "Yes, you can climb the rock wall!" All while my mind is racing...."If he slips, he could get a concussion...or worse a brain bleed.. He could fracture his femur or arm or worse we could be in ICU... then what would my colleagues think. I would be that parent." And those thoughts were just at the rock wall. Don't worry, if I ever spend time with your kids, my mind is racing with the same thoughts....about what could go wrong next and as the doctor, what would my next step be.... I am not neurotic about much but this I am.

Then, I think that we should swing... Tedi is not interested... Yep, the ole arse doesn't quite fit... Maybe the Mary Kate Olsen version of myself hidden DEEP within me would... .not this mommy. I shamefully stand up and suggest a jog back to the car. This kid won't let you walk... It's like running is in his Ethiopian blood. Jog = sprint. Maybe someday this will bode well for him. Gotta love the kid... "Mommy, why do we walk. Let's just run" Me: "dear, we can't. Mommy can't breathe"

We get home from the park and I am preparing a talk for the medical students on "Circumcision in the newborn nursery" .... I don't really think anything about it.. It's everyday. Tedi walks up and says "Mommy, whose penis is that?" What do I do? Explain it and keep going...

I hope you have a great week. Don't be fooled. Most months are filled with 80 hour weeks with 30 hour shifts... Not this one... I will toast to a month of fat, healthy newborn babies and time with my own!

Both Hands Project

2012-01-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

You must check out our BOTH HANDS PROJECT tab at the top of the screen. We have been approved to do a Both Hands project through Lifesong for Orphans and are now moving forward with it... hopefully on March 10, 2012, depending on my work schedule. I will post more about the details of this project later. However in the meantime, please read about the project on links above. Below is a picture of Tedi with Mildred, the widow we will be serving through our project!

Dossier

2012-01-08T19:25:00.000-08:00

We did it... notarized, signed, copied, turned in. It is in our agency's hands now. Ironically or not so ironic, we turned it in on Ethiopian Christmas. Now, we wait! Wait for it travel from Utah to Washington DC to Utah to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Wait the six to eight months are agency is stating as the referral wait time! But we are excited. We are happy to wait this time. I say that now...we will see in eight months. However, I read about all of these families waiting and waiting so eight months seems so short. We are so blessed to send it it in!

So enjoy the wait with us.....

2011: A Year in Review

2012-01-02T17:52:00.000-08:00

2011 was a good and bad year.... The year started with our cousins losing their son at only seven days old. This was followed by the deaths of JT's sweet little mamaw, my step grandmother, and my best friend of sixteen years' father. Despite the losses, it was also year of watching Tedi continuing to grow, choosing a career path, JT getting a promotion, and starting our second adoption. We are so very blessed. Enjoy the pictures!

January:

We celebrated Ethiopian Christmas with Zoe Brown (who now has three brothers) as well as Gracie, Avery, and Dawit Armstrong at Queen of Sheba.

Our first big snow

February

This was a busy busy month with my vacation at work, birthday and other fun stuff!

We took a trip with my dad and his family to Gatlinburg, TN. Tedi loves his Granpa Kevin!

Once we got back, we drove to Indianapolis with our best friends, The Fox Family, where Tedi endured the Barbie exhibit and loved swimming.

JT even bathed and diapered Vivian.... that was an adventure

I turned 28... and enjoyed some sushi

March:

We visited with the Gibsons at their home.... the cute red head is also a Natalie

Isn't he cute?

April:

This was also a busy month with Easter, retreats and such.... and my husband thought he should make the national news with Barack Obama...

My Intern Retreat with work.

Dipping Easter Eggs

Rocking Adoption Shirts at Easter

May:

We both worked a lot but were able to celebrate with our good friends, Jacqueline and Chris, on their wedding day.

June:

We said good bye to our dear friend at work, Shivani (in the middle) who moved to Augusta.

We also visited with Daddy's mentor, Coach Meyer

July:

We took a little road trip to see my family...

Swimming with Granny Sylvia and Harv

.....and visiting at Granpa Kevin's boat

We also celebrated ONE YEAR HOME!!!!!

August:

We celebrated our 8th Anniversary and finally welcomed home the Brown brothers. Here we are at the zoo.

September:

We celebrated Ethiopian New Year with the Hardman's and their daughter, Claire.

ALSO.... Tedi became a US CITIZEN!!!!!

....and played in a soccer league

October....

Our first family trip to the beach and a Spider man Halloween...

November

Tedi's 5th Birthday, Snow Ball After Party and Thanksgiving made for another busy month....

December

Merry, Merry Christmas...... school programs, work parties and more!

What a great year! We are so very blessed..... Maybe next year we will be able to post a picture of a 4th Henderson!

2012

2012-01-02T16:50:00.000-08:00

"Making resolutions is a cleansing ritual of self assessment and repentance that demands personal honesty and ultimately reinforces humility." -Eric Zorn

Yep, I make them every year. Don't you...even in your head if you don't talk about them, blog them, facebook them. They are there if you are honest with yourself. Even if you don't want to admit, you think of ways to better yourself each new year.

So what will I dare do this year... How will I better myself (or at least try) during 2012... I have failed year in and year out but it is always fun to look back and see what I thought I could do, what I actually did, and such.... This year's are going to be broad rather than finite and narrow, at least making me feel I can make some progress....make a dent

So, here ya go (judge if you must)

1) Be a better mom: more wrestling, more reading, more playing.... I might try to be a little less strict though I doubt it. More Bible reading, more sports (this year will start little league if he's interested) I need to do more reading about being a mom...though we will see how that fits in... the more playing and wrestling seem to take precedent over reading these days.

2) Be a better wife: I hope to make at least one day or night each month, regardless of my work schedule, to have a date with husband....good food, lace bra and all. Also, I plan to be slower to speak....sometimes I speak too quickly....Yep, I do. Sometimes this incites issues... Just saying.. I am going to work on this. Number 3 goes with number because when I am happier with myself, I am more pleasant and enjoyable to be around (Go ahead 1997 and say it ..... "duh")

3) Lose Weight: There you go.. I know you were waiting for it. I still want to lose fifty pounds this year as I talked about in October. I want to be healthy.. not just thin. There is so much wrapped up in the this that I will not go into this.

4) Read my Bible more. As simple as it seems, I am not always good at this. I am honest enough to not fake it or pretend I do. I want to be a good Christian wife, mother, friend, doctor but I slip and am willing to admit it.

5) Build others up: I think I am a good person most of the time but I need to be better. Not just friends, but people I don't really want to talk to ...I need to build them up as well. This may seem basic but spans so many facets of my life. (your life too)

6) Cook More (thus eat out less)... a problem because A) I don't like cooking much B) I am not great at cooking (which may be the reason I do not like it) C) I love eating out with friends D) I love ethnic food which I definitely can not cook. This is healthier, for my waistline and wallet so it makes the short list.

7) Take care of myself more.... in addition to losing weight, I want to be kinder to myself... get a pedicure occasionally. Buy Shampoo I like every now and then, STOP BITING MY NAILS.. I can save money in a lot of places but I need to treat myself well every now and then... (again, so broad but so important)

Okay, I believe that is all. I will need to remind myself of these occasionally... What are your resolutions?

Ringing in the New Year

2012-01-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

We first visited with our friends, the Gibsons, their daughter Natalie, and their five week old son, Isaac. As you can see, Isaac and I are the best of friends.

We then hung out with our friends down the street. As the ball dropped, Tedi and I had fun playing the phone camera.... JT was not so amused.

Happy New Year!

Christmas 2011..... in pictures

2011-12-30T18:14:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics from our holidays this year... Enjoy. (I post them for me as much as I do for other's to view to be quite honest)

The Henderson Men

This says everything

His "Grinch"

Thank you Santa

The gift he bought for daddy with his money

Victoria's Secret

2011-12-28T18:12:00.000-08:00

I don't sweat. I mean, give me a three mile run in the Caribbean without air conditioning or an ocean breeze, and Yes, I will sweat. I was not one of those girls in high school basketball that was dripping after the tip off. Yet, as a grown woman, an educated doctor, I still break out into a cold sweat upon entering Victoria's Secret.

I get that is it "the" store for mainstream bra and underwear buying, especially if you let your preteen wear undies that say "pink" or "naughty" or have cherries on them.... that is your decision. I own several of their bras, but have never liked their underwear.... even at my smallest, I found them undesirable.

Nevertheless, I find myself venturing into the overwhelming walls of pink and white for every Semi-Annual sale, just for "giggles".... or with hopes of getting lucky. I am very self aware. I know I am not skinny....not the VS prototype..... not the nice B or C cup. I am aware of this. Whether the size I am now or my smallest, I push the limits of not spilling out of their beautiful turquoise, red, and coral brassieres.

Well, I found myself there last night... Alone. My friend was occupied with in-laws. My other one did not answer her phone. My loyal semi-annual sale friend lives in Nicholasville. Of course I left JT and Tedi at home watching Louisville football. I grabbed a couple of options and stood there, clammy, in the overdone dressing room. My back was sweating and my heart of was racing. I was hungry.... then the same sales girl who opened the room for me, unlocks and starts to walk in the room.. I mean, SERIOUSLY size 4 twenty two year old blonde....cut me a little slack. Two bras in, I decided I was done... Cue the self deprecation. Maybe once I shed some more pounds I will re-visit the haven of pink.....

I did end up with bras that night....but it was not without a stop for a pair of earrings I really wanted. I know, not a great example but they were less than $10 and I tithe... don't judge.

I hope you enjoy your Vicky's experience, but I thought others out there would enjoy this huniliating story at my expense.

T-Shirt Order #2 ..... they are here

2011-12-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

Yes, they are here... If you have ordered one from me, please shoot me an email to set up a meeting time or email me your shipping address!!!
nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com

Adoption Process: Where are we now???

2011-12-18T11:28:00.000-08:00

Well, thanks to ornament sales, a gift from a family friend, t-shirt sales, Lifesong, the gift from my residency friends, photo fundraiser by our friends at Lizzie Loo Photography, and some other fundraising/saving, we have the funds to send our dossier to Ethiopia. We should have our completed dossier on Britney's desk by January 2.... Hopefully she will approve it and it will head on its way to Ethiopia.... the trip the paperwork must make between Louisville to Utah to DC to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia takes approximately one month.... Once the Henderson Dossier is in Ethiopia, we are placed on the waiting list for a child, a boy rather... we are currently being told 6-8 months of waiting for a referral...then court.....then embassy....then home. So maybe before I finish residency in June 2013, Christmas of next year would be overly optismistic...

I thought I would be anxious during this process since it is much much longer than it was with Tedi. But the peace I have now is surprising to even me. I am not sure if it is all peace or some masking by my crazy work schedule that I did not have during Tedi's adoption or merely being a parent now when I wasn't before. Regardless, I am thankful for the peace and patience. While anxious to see the face, hear the name, and know the child who will be the second Henderson boy, I know all too well that the timing is not mine to choose.

Why the wait is worth it.......

Pre-K Christmas

2011-12-18T11:07:00.000-08:00

Can you imagine getting fifty five 4 and 5 year old boys and girls onto risers, teach them to both recite lines and sing about eight songs for over half an hour? Can you imagine keeping them from not killing one another, pushing each other off the risers? I am sure it must feel like herding cats. Yet the teachers at Tedi's school did a remarkable job, as they have all year. It melted my heart to hear them sing several Christmas songs while wearing reindeer t-shirts made from hand and foot prints. Tedi loves singing so he was proud we were there....

Tedi and his best buddy, Sam

With Mommy

Photo Booth

2011-12-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

We had our work Christmas Party at 21C Hotel last week. The highlight, other than the wonderful appetizers, crazy mod art, desserts, and a couple of party crashers, was the photo booth.... complete with costumes. Below are pictures of the pictures but you will get the point.

Elf of a Shelf: More of Clark and Eddie

2011-12-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

A few posts ago I introduced everyone to Clark and Eddie, our elves. We continue to celebrate the Christmas season with our elves. Some nights they are good...some they are bad. I am not an "elf over-achiever". As much as I LOVE the online images of elves making snow angels, I can't think about the clean up. Two nights ago, Clark and Eddie were even "too tired" to fly back the North Pole.... Yep, we tired. Nevertheless, this is a tradition that our family is enjoying.

I have read the blogs, facebook posts and such about celebrating Christmas with Jesus only or Jesus and Saint Nicholas or nothing secular or everything.... While I understand all perspectives and arguments for each, I think we should all be careful not pass judgement about how one family may or may not celebrate a holiday. Every child, ever family is in a different place... In our family, we do all of it. We do Santa, we do Elf on a Shelf, We do presents and parties and celebrating with friends. But if you ask my son, home from Ethiopia for 18 months, why we celebrate Christmas, you will still hear "It's Jesus Birthday." We will leave Santa and his reindeer cookies and milk and carrots. We will make Jesus a Birthday cake. But it's up you...what parenting style you employ to get your kids to be functional, loving, good adults and parents in the future....

Enjoy Eddie and Clark's latest adventures:

Us

2011-12-13T18:41:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile.... Awhile since what, you may ask? Well, as the ebb and flow of a blog goes, I feel it necessary every several months to "re-tell" our story. New people come to the blog and it's nice for them to know who we are, where we stand, our background....without going digging through blog. So here you go:

Pre-Adoption:
JT and I met in college. We were friends first....well, rather, I would not date him because I was 18 and an idiot. When I finally wised up, we were engaged in three months and married 13 months later. We thought, "well, we'll have kids in a couple of years once Natalie finishes her teaching degree." Well then I got daring and decided to be a doctor or something crazy like that...A year and a half of pre-med, two years of living apart, moving to NYC .... we thought we had weathered enough storms.

The Trying:
On the weekend of our 5th anniversary, we decided to try to get pregnant... I got obsessed. For the next year, I was consumed and JT was pushing away. Let's be honest. Scheduling sex is not fun. Taking basal temps is strange... having clomid-induced hot flashes while scrubbed in for a six hour abdominal surgery.... none of this was fun. But we wanted a child. Yes, we talked about adoption. Said we would do it......do it someday.... after we had our "own" (I can not even stomach writing that now). Well, as the end of my medical school inched closer we realized that pregnancy was a less than ideal way to start residency.... so I re-filled the birth control prescription, shed a few internal tears, and went on a cruise (for real).

Adoption:
I was sitting in JT's mamaw's house, relaxing in her small bedroom recliner when JT walked in and brought up the idea of adoption... the timing for both of us was right. Something inside of us, individually, and now jointly, moved ...and now it clicked. Forward we went. I won't sugar coat our experience.. We had family and friends that disagreed with our decision....basically openly bashing us. The wait was hard...having wanted a child so badly, each day proved increasingly painful, especially after seeing Tedi's face. So much for a kid early in residency.....Tedi came home three days after I started.. Yep, so much for our timing.

Now:
If you are called to adoption...(and by that I mean....not just called to adopt a child, but support those that do adopt, be involved in the lives of adopted children, sponsor children in orphanages, do mission trips), it is hard to stop caring... most of us are not built that way. If we were, adoption likely would not be our calling. Here we are... 18 months later, in the middle of our second adoption... with "our own" child and another boy in our future. I am now a doctor. We have a 5 year old. We are blessed. Will we adopt a third or fourth time? Yes. Will we get pregnant in the future? Maybe. Will your life be changed if you adopt, sponsor a child, support a family? Yes..without a doubt. So think about it....

What will stop your plan? What will make you change your path? Meeting one child, reading one blog, one or 45 negative pregnancy tests?

With all of this said, we are not just an "adoption family". We are a "wife in residency family", "a husband in development family", a child of divorce family, recovering "religious kids" who love Jesus not pomp and circumstance family, a "make our friends family" kind of family.... we are all of these...who just followed the call to adopt. Just normal, regular people trying to live lives for others and make a difference... who are you?

Email us always: nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com or jthenderson17@yahoo.com

Tedi's Referral Picture....

and why we keep spreading the word

The same boy this week

Giving

2011-12-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

Throughout our adoption journeys (both with Tedi's adoption and this one), we have been blessed with shocking gifts.... small gifts with big heart....big gifts.... people giving of themselves when they do not have to. However, I have experienced two instances in the last week where giving was not expected and the giver wanted nothing in return....even a thank you was too much because "that is what they were SUPPOSED to do"

1) I have a friend who is adopting. Her family has had great blessings with their fundraising all at once. She felt that they needed to "give back" from what they were given and she chose us. I was floored and humbled. That very day I was texting and calling my two close friends telling them I was down and feeling quite inadequate.. They told me to snap out of it...tough love style but it was this family's love and example in action that reminded me of how truly blessed I am....as is our family

2) We had my class of residents over this weekend for a Secret Santa/Christmas Party... I love the people I work with and so does Tedi and JT. We all brought lots of food and drinks and exchanged gifts, all of which was fun...as always. After giving gifts, Abby handed JT a card for us. I thought it was a thank you note for hosting...also not knowing and being uncomfortable when someone does something overtly nice for me, I walked into the dining room. JT read it aloud... Basically, it said that my resident friends had pulled together and saved over $800 that they wanted to give us for our adoption. I was so shocked. I am not a cryer....I tend to internalize. I just froze....both in awe and shock. I can still not articulate my gratitude and surprise. These are people who know me, but are not necessarily familiar with adoption.... and maybe that is why it meant so much....it was just "what you do".

These two instances have been real "pick me up" in what has been a trying month or so with family, friends, adoption and such. We are so blessed to have great people surrounding us.

"Blessed are those who give without remembering. And blessed are those who take without forgetting." ~Meltzer
(I desire to embody this and be this and surround myself with those that do as well)

Pictures from the Party

Heetan holding little Cady for the first time

Erica and Mitali with Cady

Heather and Adam... not their baby but we all think they need one

Yes, that is a Victoria's Secret gift bag....

If I could have gotten Pregnant instead.....

2011-12-12T18:51:00.000-08:00

....... I would not have to lock every medicine in a lock box but rather keep out of my child's reach
....... I would not need to provide three years of taxes to someone who will judge my ability to pay bills
....... I would not have to answer questions about my parenting style, draw family trees and define the strength of each bond and who will and won't accept my multi-racial family
........ I would not have to write a 10 page autobiography about my past
........ I would not have answer "when will you have one of your own."
........ I would have not to be fingerprinted, interviewed (twenty times), watch videos about children's medical needs (despite being a doctor), or be asked offensive questions about loving a black child (when I already have one)
........ I would not have to explain my fertility, sex life, adoption decision, and family planning daily

BUT.....

....... I would also not have loved my husband as much as I do
....... I would not have a multitude of friends I have made in the adoption world
....... I would not have learned patience the way I have
....... Others may not have adopted or become attune to the needs of children around the world.
....... I would not have been called Mommy and get daily hugs
....... I would not be the person I was ultimately called to be
....... I would not be the doctor I am called to be...

This weekend through today I was reminded of the ups and downs of the adoption journey.....both the joys of getting large gifts and love and hearing hurtful things and going through the monotony of the paperwork trail. Yet, I get home and a little man says "Mommy, read to me the Toy Story book Miss Erica got me" and I sigh and realize....not only does he have a mommy, a warm home, extended family, exceptional friends, but can read, write (kind of) and can love unconditionally.... If I had gotten pregnant in my time, he may never been here.... here with us, here on earth.... we will never know. So today, despite the frustrations, I am so very thankful to know my not getting pregnant now has changed my world forever.

Merry Christmas Card

2011-12-12T18:09:00.001-08:00

Adventures of Clark and Eddie

2011-12-12T18:07:00.000-08:00

We have bought in to the Elf of a Shelf craze.... last year my good friend Lindsey sent one to Tedi. He and JT named it Eddie, after the movie National Lampoon's Christmas vacation. This year, they started making black elves so we decided that Tedi (and his future sibling) needed this elf as well.....which of course is named Clark. Eddie is the "bad" elf and often gets in trouble while Clark innocently looks on! Tedi is having a blast with this. Enjoy some of their adventures!

Before Clark came to live with us.....feeding the reindeer Pringles

Eddie breaking the rules and playing cars on the table

Playing with Daddy's razor and toothbrush

Sleeping in Tedi's bed when Tedi was gone

Playing with Tedi's new Slinky Dog from Toy Story

Toilet Papering the tree

playing on the bookshelf

Second T-SHIRT ORDER

2011-11-29T19:20:00.000-08:00

For those of you waiting on your t-shirt (you know who you are), the second order will be placed at the beginning of next week so there is time to get them before Christmas. For those of you looking to order a tshirt for yourself or as a gift for the holidays, email me (nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com) or pay on the Donate button and include your color choice and size.

Colors:

Gray, Blue, White

Price:

$15 each

($4 to ship if you live outside the louisville area)

Sizes:

Youth XS-SL

Adult S-4X (add $2 for 2X or up)

MIA

2011-11-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

...yes I have essentially been missing in action. Between moving and my current rotation and JT's big event, we have been a little busy around here. I intend to be back soon... in the meantime, here are a few pics to enjoy...

Tedi's New Bedroom

Our Adoption Agency reunion

My little Elephant

Strawberry Birthday Cake

JT and I at the Snow Ball after party

With my friend Heather at the after party

Loving his day at Chuck E Cheese

And the winners are.....

2011-11-16T17:41:00.000-08:00

........

Bunch #1: Sarah Elliot http://ethiopiaminusone.blogspot.com/

Bunch #2: Britney Armstrong http://jamesandbrittney.blogspot.com/

CONGRATS!!!

Email me for details on how to get your goodies... nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Last Raffle Delay....... Pinkie Promise

2011-11-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

For those of you that I have bid.... I am so so sorry for the several day delay. I did not anticipate moving when I first posted this.... and now we are moved in but not completely unpacked.... and my book with the records is in a box not yet emptied.... But it will be this week.... I am sorry. but soon...

(if you have not bid, you still have time)

Thanks and sorry
~Natalie

Raffle Extension

2011-11-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

So as I wrote a few posts ago, we are crazy. We are moving this Friday. Because of this, I am going to have to push back the drawing for the raffle till Sunday, November 13. Sorry to those who have already entered and have to wait in suspense. For those of you have not, you have a little more time!!! Click the link below to see the items and how to enter.

http://5millionminus1.blogspot.com/2011/10/giveaway-adoption-style.html

Also, because we are blessed to be presented with this problem..... for a $100 donation, you get 40 entries.... Not bad odds if I must say!

Thanks for any support you can give!!!

Orphan....month

2011-11-05T17:56:00.000-07:00

“Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.”

What face changed it for you? Should there be a face that changes your world? What are you doing for orphans this ORPHAN SUNDAY?

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

Spiderman had a great Halloween.... He understood Halloween much more than Buzz Lightyear did last year. We went to Trunk or Treat this year with our friends from church and then on Halloween day....trick or treating we went. My friends, Adam and Heather, live in a great neighborhood for this. This was Tedi's first time going door to door and he loved it! Enjoy a few pictures below!

Tedi-bear and Claire-bear (as they call one another)

Before leaving for Trunk or Treat

All the church kids...

Our friend Heather with her dogs in costume

Crazy!

2011-11-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

Maybe we are crazy.... I think we may be on some days. JT and I have been toying with idea of moving homes (we rent so changing rentals) for a while now for many reasons.... We were going to look all over and wait for a better time for both us.... but a place we were interested in opened up. So, we are moving. November 11.... why are we crazy in doing this? JT's largest work event of the year is tomorrow, November 2. I start a call month where I sleep at the hospital every 4 nights.... And Thanksgiving and Tedi's birthday is this month. Oh and Orphan Sunday is coming and our Raffle is ending on the DAY WE MOVE. So yes, we are crazy, but I do believe there is a reason we are moving...God has a reason for this timing. We are packing, working, packing and cleaning and REPEAT..... with the help of good friends, of course!

So yes, we are a little crazy! Stay tuned for pictures of and after the move.

Keep spreading the word about the raffle. The items would be great for Christmas gifts (or just keeping for yourself) See the post below. Also a second order of shirts will be later in November!

Giveaway REMINDER

2011-10-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

Have you entered our raffle???? Two posts below are all of the items! You do not want miss out! Tons of great stuff and low entry cost... just hit the Paypal button on the right to enter!!

Nov 10 is the day!!

Our Gracious Donors

2011-10-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do a post with a bit of info our those people who donated items for our RAFFLE so that you could know more about each item and why it is special AND why you should buy a chance to be a winner.

147 Million Orphans: http://www.147millionorphans.com/
From them: We are two moms who love orphans! We met six years ago as we were both going through our first adoptions (one domestic and one international) … Thirteen kids and seven adoptions later, we are bound together through faith and mission. We love “doing life together” and accepting the call to speak up for orphans everywhere. We want to help as many people as possible to see the 147 million orphans as scripture calls them, “…those who have no voice.” We want you to see YOUR PART in helping change the life of an orphan. Could it be adoption, sponsoring a child, volunteering for orphan care ministry, rocking babies at an orphanage, financially supporting someone adopting, or buying these products?

Project Hopeful: http://www.projecthopeful.org/
About them: Every orphaned child hopes for a family and a home. The reality for many children with HIV/AIDS and other special needs is that the chances of having that dream materialize are slim. Time and again, Project HOPEFUL has witnessed that with education, encouragement, and assistance families and individuals can be enabled to advocate for and adopt children with HIV/AIDS.

What began as a group of mothers on a mission to advocate for their children living abroad with HIV was developed by God into Project HOPEFUL. Today Project HOPEFUL exists to Help Orphans and Parents Eliminate Further Unnecessary Loss… of time, dignity, and life.

Until January of 2010, internationally adopted children with HIV had to immigrate into the US through a different protocol than children without the virus. Carolyn Twietmeyer founded Project HOPEFUL after her eyes were opened to the serious and outdated immigration procedures facing internationally adopted children (especially those with HIV/AIDS). With a strong desire to adopt children most in need of a family, she and her husband, Kiel, adopted a sibling group of three from Ethiopia, one of whom was HIV+. When the Twietmeyers came up against unyielding immigration delays, Project HOPEFUL was created.

In 2007, working closely with EACH - Equality for Adopted Children, and EACH's Founder, McLane Layton, Carolyn went to Washington, D.C. to advocate for critically needed changes to the immigration process for HIV/AIDS adoptions. Together, Project HOPEFUL and EACH met with Congressional staff and government officials to advocate for removal of unnecessary barriers and delays that were keeping children with HIV/AIDS from their adoptive families. Through these efforts, Project HOPEFUL and EACH were able to help reduce the time involved in obtaining an HIV immigration waiver from the 3-9 months it was taking down to 10 days or less. Between 2007 and 2010, when the HIV immigration waiver requirement was finally lifted, Project HOPEFUL helped almost 200 families seeking to adopt children with HIV/AIDS. Streamlining the process for these highly vulnerable children has been life-saving for many who would not have survived if the changes had not been made.

After a new U.S. immigration tuberculosis screening protocol was imposed that negatively impacted children being adopted with HIV, Carolyn again teamed up with EACH and traveled to Capitol Hill in an effort to make changes. Eventually the tuberculosis screening process for children under 11 was changed to make things more clear and streamlined for adopted children with HIV and/or tuberculosis histories. The changes that were made allows these children to receive the appropriate screening for conditions of concern, while at the same time being able to be united with their families and receive appropriate love, care, and treatment by their adoptive families.

In the years since its inception, Project HOPEFUL also began partnering with University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital pediatric infectious diseases clinic. Together Project HOPEFUL and Univeristy of Chicago have created regional workshops designed to arm individuals and families with powerful medical facts about HIV/AIDS so they can make informed decisions about whether or not adoption is for them. The numbers of UnOrphaned children coming home to the Chicagoland area testifies to the power of local education and support in helping unite adoptive families and combat stigma. Project HOPEFUL is thrilled to report that 100% of families that had previously been undecided committed to pursuing HIV+ adoptions after attending Project HOPEFUL /University of Chicago workshops. Project HOPEFUL desires to replicate this model with other state associations and pediatric HIV specialists around the nation.

Project HOPEFUL has also presented informative breakout sessions at various orphan care conferences around the nation. Steadily there has been increasing awareness about adopting children with HIV/AIDS, and the number of families seeking to adopt positive children has increased. Project HOPEFUL is working to raise funds to aid in children's adoptions in order to help curb any financial hurdles that might prevent otherwise willing families from adopting. Project HOPEFUL continues to raise awareness and advocate for children living with HIV/AIDS and other severe special needs. We are committed to spreading the TRUTH in PANDEMIC proportions, because NO child should perish for of lack of knowledge.

Pitter Patter Art: http://pitterpatterart.wordpress.com/
From her: My name is Laura Kelley and I started Pitter Patter Art in 2007 to showcase artwork and other crafty things I was creating. I love God and want to serve Him and give Him praise in everything I do. I acknowledge that I need grace and thank God everyday for it. I have been married to my husband Josh for 8 years and there is no one else I would rather do life with than him. Together we are passionate about Africa and specifically the water, AIDS and orphan crisis going on in our world. We are bound and determine to do as God has called us to do and care for our brothers and sisters. “We have to take the risk to get deeply involved with the people we serve. We should really hurt when they hurt. We don’t work for our brothers to feel good. We work for our brothers because we can’t truly be happy if they are not, we can’t be successful without their success, and they can’t hurt with out it hurting us.” I used to be a kindergarten teacher, but once I had my little girl Harper in 2007, I decided to stay home with her.Our family could not have made a better decision. Our son Hud arrived 18 months later and staying home couldn’t get any more fun. We adopted our second son Sol from Ethiopia in July of 2009 and things just couldn’t get much better. I love what I do. And now we are in the process of adopting our third son from Ethiopia as well. I have always enjoyed painting and creating unique pieces of art. Sewing soon became something I loved to do as well. There is rarely a day that goes by that I do not create something…it’s a passion, a sickness and a true, true love. Hope you will enjoy a glimpse into my little world. All proceeds from my site go straight into our adoption fund, so not only are you getting unique, quality items, but you are also helping us bring our next little boy home.

Feeding the Orphans: http://www.feedingtheorphans.com/
A Note from 10 year old Sydney, the founder: When I was 7 years old, I started praying for a sister to add to my 2 brothers. I would sit for hours and watch videos of orphans and read blogs. Then, three years later in November 2009, my parents finally decided to adopt. We brought Helen and Samuel home in November 2010 and now we are in the process of adopting two little boys.

One night we were driving home from my grandparents’ house in Kentucky and Mom wanted to stop and get dinner. The boys were excited, but I said, “I don’t want anything.” We went into the restaurant and ordered our food. When we got back to the car I asked Mom if we could go buy bread for me to eat. She said, “Only if you tell me what is wrong.” I looked at her with tears streaming down my face and said, “WHY SHOULD WE EAT LIKE KINGS AND QUEENS WHEN THEY HAVE NOTHING?” I asked for bread and water because the first picture we had of my little sister was of her holding a tiny piece of bread and she had not eaten in days.

God told me to design a t-shirt to sell to raise money to provide food, medical supplies, and clean water to the orphans of Africa. My goal was to raise $500 and it was reached very quickly. I used the money to buy food and supplies for the orphanages when we traveled for my brother and sister’s adoption. With this money, we also fed the street children.

After I got home from the first trip, I really wanted to go back to Ghana with my mom to bring my siblings home and to visit the orphans. I raised the money for my plane ticket and collected supplies to take over. Since then, God has continued to break my heart for the orphans and I just want to follow Him. Please join my family and I on God’s journey,

Wallace Family: http://wordfromthewallaces.blogspot.com/
From them: Our blog started in September 2010, after a couple months of sending out email updates on William's stage 3 Superficial Spreading Melanoma diagnosis. Blogging was the best way to keep everyone updated on William's health status and the needs of our family. On March 23, 2011 we celebrated 6 months of William being cancer free! We let out a long sigh of relief. Ahhhhh. And then... we refocused. We are the Wallace's and we are about orphans. Not because it's trendy or heroic or because they're cute. We're about orphans because they are precious to God. He tells us so in James chapter 1 verse 27 - "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." So what does that mean? What does it look like when you don't feel called to sell everything you have, move to Africa and start an orphanage? We are slowly figuring it out. For us, the first step was to start the adoption process, so one focus of our blog is adoption. We want to be and provide resources for families interested in adoption and foster care. We want to encourage you and pray for you and support you in any way we can. BUT, there is so much more to James 1:27 than adoption. We are just starting to unpack it. As we do, we are blogging about it - the theology of orphan care, raising kids with a heart for orphans, adoption and funding, foster care, human trafficking, orphan sponsorships, organizations that are doing orphan care well (and how you can support them) and life and how we are living it.

Jenkins Family: http://jenkinsethiopiaadoption.blogspot.com/

The Jenkins are a family I met through the blog world. The husband is a doctor and just finished residency a few years ago (what I am doing now). Debi made us some great ornaments last year and continues to sell them as they continue a very long wait for their Ethiopian child. Check out her blog and store.

My Crazy Adoption: http://mycrazyadoption.org/
From her: Welcome to my crazy life! I love to write. I love my family. I love the craziness of love, mommyhood, and life. The definition of “my crazy adoption” means many things to me personally. My life has been full of joy, challenges, miracles, pain, and crazy adventures. I am adopted by God, married to the man of my dreams, blessed mom to three crazy kids, and wildly passionate about adoption and orphan care! I jumped into blogging four years ago and love sharing my life with you. My desire is to be full-time mommy and adoption advocate at any stage of your journey. I want my blog to provide you support, cheers, encouragement, and hope through parenting and your adoption process. I want to help guide you to the best services for adoption and link you with other adoptive families from domestic, international, and foster care at One-Stop Shop. My site is faithfully updated six days a week with interesting, thoughtful, and crazy content. Relationships and connections with other bloggers have been cultivated all over bloggy land. The readers at My Crazy Adoption are an interactive group of like-minded individuals who visit regularly, read, contribute their comments and participate in blog events. I will feature a new adoption family and video every month that will inspire you to make a difference. Every family featured has made the important decision to adopt and change the life of an orphan! We are all called to simply love.

Elliot Family: http://ethiopiaminusone.blogspot.com/

From her: I'm mommy to Noah, the coolest little train loving, football and basketball watching, oatmeal eating, dimple smiling, scooter riding, Veggie Tale watching, Jesus loving 6yr. old who thinks he is 15! He has had me wrapped around his little finger since the day I laid eyes on him. He is the best gift God has ever given me! I pray that I raise him to have a servent's heart and that he will be an example to all those around him. Those who know me would say I am a Mommy first. full time nurse, photographer on the side, scrapbooker, lifetime movie watcher, people.com reading, Casting Crowns lovin, SVU drivin, organizing freak, pasta eating, clothes shopping, frozen coffee drinking, yankee candle and bath and body loving chick......but before all that......I am a child of God ♥ Saved by the blood of my Savior Jesus Christ. I strive everyday to live my life so it will glorify him and show Christ's love through everything I do. I love God with all my heart and am always trying to learn more about him, to grow closer to him.

The Canvas Heart: http://www.thecanvasheart.com/

From her: Although I live in Texas now, my husband and I served in Ethiopia for two years (one year in Addis, the other in a small village). I spent over a year learning the language and have just recently decided to use my Amharic language skills as a means to help support my family. So I created an etsy store where I translate names/scriptures/phrases into Amharic. I find alot of joy in using this skill (especially on this side of the ocean) and am eager to share it with others.

Minus 1 Project: http://www.minus1project.blogspot.com/
From them: I am a wife and mother of four, soon to be five, currently in the process of adopting from Korea. I have spent the last several months reading, following and enjoying many adoption related blogs. It is fun to read so many stories, all unique in their adoption journey, but with one heart...to become families, fathers, mothers, and siblings to those who are alone. My family is no different and I am excited to be able to join the blogging world and to document our adoption story. We are excited and blessed to share with you our family's MINUS 1 PROJECT. We are walking with our Lord, family, and friends to bring home our son or daughter, brother or sister!! Please join us on our journey

Borders Family: http://borderspatrol.blogspot.com/
I went to college with Jenny and Stuart. They are a super sweet couple with twins that are two years old. They currently adopting from the Congo. Check out their blog for more info!

Marquis Family: http://teammarquis.blogspot.com/
From them: We've been blessed with the addition of our four year old daughter from Ethiopia. We fell in love with Ethiopia and want to honor the gift of our daughter by continuing to embrace her amazing homeland. Join us on our journey as we become a family of six through international adoption and as we work to support the beautiful country of Ethiopia. (and their girl came home with Tedi)

We are so thankful for all the donations and encourage you all to buy a raffle ticket. The picture do not do everything justice!

Giveaway.... Adoption Style

2011-10-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

In Honor of Orphan Sunday and our second adoption......

Check this out!!! Several big people in the adoption world as well as families we love and families we are just getting to know have donated the below items.

There were so many donated items that we have grouped them into two bunches to increase your chance of winning! The total of the two bunches is valued over $300. With shipping you would be hard pressed to buy all of this for less than four hundred dollars

Dates:
Today through November 10th at midnight

Winner will be announced on

11/11/11

(cheesy date, I know, but I actually did not plan it...

it was based on the 10th being the date we turned

in Tedi's adoption application two years ago)

Bunch #1:

147 Million Orphans Shopping Bag

http://147millionorphans.com/

Pitter Patter Art Custom Tee

http://pitterpatterart.wordpress.com/

Example:

(you will contact Pitter Patter Art to custom design yours)

Feeding the Orphans

http://feedingtheorphans.com/store

Size: Adult XL

Wallace Family T-shirt and Necklace

http://wordfromthewallaces.blogspot.com/

Contact: wallacemastiff@yahoo.com

Size: Youth Small in Charcoal Gray (blue is pictured)

"I will not leave you as orphans..."

Wallace Family Necklace

Adoption Canvas by Tiffany Kincaid

Email: tkincaid83@hotmail.com

Jenkins Family Christmas Ornament

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/EthiopiaAdoption?ref=em

Website: http://jenkinsethiopiaadoption.blogspot.com/

My Crazy Adoption T-Shirt

http://mycrazyadoption.org/

Size: Men's XL

Marquis Family Africa Hat

http://teammarquis.blogspot.com/

Elliot Family T-Shirt (short-sleeved Large) and 2 Bracelets:

http://ethiopiaminusone.blogspot.com/

Our Shirts and Ornament:

http://5millionminus1.blogspot.com/

nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com

Size: You Choose Color and Size

Bunch #2

Project Hopeful Necklace

http://www.projecthopeful.org/

My Crazy Adoption T-Shirt

http://mycrazyadoption.org/

Size: Women's XS

The Canvas Heart: James 1:27 Canvas in Amharic

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/thecanvasheart?ref=seller_info

Website: http://www.thecanvasheart.com/

Minus 1 Project

Got Love: Adopt Tumbler

http://www.minus1project.blogspot.com/

(cup on the far right)

O'Leary Family: Worth the Wait T-Shirt

http://fromgodtoghana.blogspot.com/

Size: Youth 2T

Jenkins Family Christmas Ornament

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/EthiopiaAdoption?ref=em

Website: http://jenkinsethiopiaadoption.blogspot.com/

Borders Family T-Shirts (2 shirts):

http://borderspatrol.blogspot.com/

Sizes: Large, XL

Marquis Family Africa Purse:
http://teammarquis.blogspot.com/

Feeding the Orphans Bracelet

http://feedingtheorphans.com/store

Our Shirts and Ornament:

http://5millionminus1.blogspot.com/

nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com

Size: You choose size and color

How to Enter:

(Pay via Paypal on the right sidebar)

Shipping will be free to the two winners.

$10 for one entry

$20 for two entries

$30 for five entries

$50 for fifteen entries

Free entry (after paying for at least one entry) for one Facebook post about the raffle

(tag me Natalie Stewart Henderson or message me so I know you posted)

Free entry (after paying for at least one entry) for one blog post

(comment here to let me know you posted)

*in the checkout comments, add which bunch of items you prefer
email for questions: nataliehenderson21@Yahoo.com

Thank you for everyone who donated. I will have blogs to highlight each organization/family
in the coming days to get their word out as well!

T-Shirts: Orphan Sunday Challenge

2011-10-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

My friend, Emily, issued a challenge about adoption t-shirts back at Easter time... I am going to challenge you again. Orphan Sunday is NOVEMBER 6, 2011. Put away your slacks....your blouses....your cardigans.....your sports team shirts.... Pull out an adoption shirt. If you want to purchase one of ours, we would love the support. If not, choose any adopting family with a shirt, any organization that supports adoption and REP there shirt on Nov 6.

Maybe you go to a church that will not emphasize Orphan Sunday. Well, here is your chance to put the idea in their hearts that serving orphans and the "least of these" really is "church".

So if you want one of our shirts... or your entire church does....well, email me nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com ... if you don't like our shirts, then email me still and I will direct you to other families or causes in the adoption world.

November 6.... Don't Forget!

Vacation

2011-10-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

If you are friends with me on facebook, you have seen these and more. If not, well, here are a few snapshots from our vacation. On day 3, our camera lens stopped working (it slipped off the cooler into the sand...about six inches...then adamantly refused to work) We have had a great time and hate to leave tomorrow. We have slept, walked on the beach, laid in the sun, cooked dinners, played a lot, read books, watched movies, and just enjoyed being a little family.

Highlights:

1) Tedi seeing the beach for the first time

"Mommy, this is awesome"

2) Seeing the deer and alligators

3) She Crab soup at the marina... amazing!

4) Sleep, rest, sleep, rest, wine

5) Laying in sun (the first three days)

6) The blessing of staying here

Responsibility

2011-10-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

JT here. I will write this post and know that it will cause everyone to realize how great of a writer Natalie is. And cause everyone to realize I am not a writer (as you will see below). I am sure our readers will be clamoring for Natalie again soon!

I came upon the following passage in a book I just finished reading: "Kisses from Katie." If you have not picked it up, do so. Now. Katie is a 22 year-old woman who lives in Uganda and has adopted 14 beautiful Ugandan girls as a single mom. Her story is amazing and her soul is beautiful.  We have some mutual friends with Katie and have known about her for over two years. She is an inspration to many- including Natalie and I. You can find her blog linked to ours as well.

"But God continued to show me that adoption is His heart, and it was becoming mine. Adoption is wonderful and beautfiul and the greatest blessing I have ever experienced. Adoption is also difficult and painful. Adoption is a beautiful picture of redemption. It is the Gospel in my living room. And sometimes, it's just hard."

"Adoption is a redemptive response to tragedy that happens in this broken world. And every single day, it is worth it, because adoption is God's heart. His Word says 'In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will (Ephesians 1:5). He sets the lonely in families (Psalms 68:6). The first word that appears when I look up adoption in the dictionary is 'acceptance.' God accepts me, adores me even, just as I am. And He wants me to accept those without families into my own."

"My family, adopting these children, it is not optional. It is not my good deed for the day; it is not what I am doing to 'help out these poor kids.' I adopt because God commands me to care for the orphans and the widows in their distress. I adopt because Jesus says that to whom much is given, much will be demanded (Luke 12:48)."

This passage, and the entire book, hit me like a ton of bricks. It sums up many of the feelings that I have on the topic of adoption. It also challenges me, though.  When we adopted Tedi, life for us had changed. Not only did we add a member of our family but our outlook on life changed. Suddenly, my eyes had been opened to the 150million kids who did not have a mommy or daddy. Things that were important to me (like money, status and sports- don't get me started on the insane importance we place on basketball in the area we live) took a backseat to advocating for orphans. I thank God everyday that He allowed me to see the orphan crisis up close when I traveled to Afica. I am a changed man. Changed for the better. It is not an easy thing to witness- the extreme poverty and millions of fatherless children. The responsibility that comes with it is not something I can turn off.  I am so thankful that God has called me to help love these kids. It is so much better than debating trivial matters like basketball or politics all day!

Recently, I was filling out a form that asked me to list all of my philanthropic work. When I wrote out everything that Natalie and I are doing to give back to our community, it looked like an impressive list. But then I realize that I/we are called to do more. We have all heard the phrase, "I will sleep when I am dead." Sometimes, I think that is our family's motto but I realize there is so much work to be done.

The process of our second adoption has been such a different experience for me. There are several reasons for this. First, life is so much busier for us now. We have Tedi to care for now. Natalie is now a pediatric resident physician and often works 80 hour weeks. My job is extremely involved and busy- which I love. I love advocating for children in our community who have been abused and I am so lucky to actually be paid to help rally our region around this cause. Our first adoption was such a whirlwind that, as I look back on it, seemed to really fly by. This second adoption is starting really slowly. We are prepared for the process to take longer this time due to added travel and the Ethiopian government toughening some aspects of adoption.

As I was at the beach yesterday with my beautiful family: Natalie, my gorgeous, intelligent and driven wife and Tedi, my perfect little boy, I found myself alone and staring out at the Atlantic Ocean. I came to the realization that about 7000 miles across that big body of water is a child who is destined to become a member of our family. He does not us; we do not know him. Yet, he is loved by every fiber of my being. My heart aches for him because of the "trauma" that Katie speaks about. It scares me when I allow myself to imagine the scenarios that may have led to his becoming an orphan. I know that baggage comes along with that.  But I'm willing to deal with this trauma and heartache because I have a Savior who did the same thing for me. Jesus knows I am screwed up and full of issues. He does not care and loves me perfectly.

I cannot stop fighting for my son in Ethiopia. We have to push on despite the heartache of the wait and the annoyance of international adoption (like having to answer questions about if I can love a child of another color. Really? Have you met me and my son Tedi?).

Luke 12:48 "To whom much is given, much is required."

My heart is still in Africa...

50 in 50

2011-10-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

So I have been struggling immensely for awhile with my weight and body image but it has been magnified lately. This is my weakest point, the place where I feel the most inadequate. I realize that much of this is that our Western culture puts so much value on appearance. However, as a doctor, a mother, a wife, and an advocate for orphans, how can I be okay with my "fattness"? How can I tell my patients to lose weight if I cannot? How can I talk about starving children when I am gluttonous? Even more than this, I must learn to love myself as Christ loves me. He loves me fat or thin but at the same time He gave me one body and I am ruining it...

Here is my plan. I am posting it here publicly more for accountability than anything else.

50 pounds in 50 weeks
*if it happens faster, then great....but this is reasonable, slow, and allows for failures and bad days. So by the beginning of October 2012, I would like to weigh at least fifty pounds less.

Exercise at least three times per week
*I often use the 60-80 hour work weeks (yes, this is really what I work many weeks) and I have a kid EXCUSES but I can no longer make these excuses.... The motto of a book I just read, How Lucky Can You Be, was "Don't Whine, Don't Complain, Don't Make Excuses".... no more excuses.

6 Glasses of Water each day
*I love diet coke. I love carbonated beverages in general. It would be unrealistic of me to say "NO MORE SODA or COFFEE". I would surely fail. But I can get my water in to balance this....

Fast Weekly:
*When we were in the process of adopting Tedi, we fasted from food from after dinner on Tuesday until dinner on Wednesday. It was not fancy; it was not taxing but it was a lesson. I am going to restart this, both to help me focus on my diet, the reason for doing it and remind me of the abundance I have, but to also refocus me on our adoption...to remind me of children and people who have little when I am gluttonous, even on a diet. I will not complain or boast in this fast... simply take liquids and gum from Tuesday after dinner till Wednesday night... that is only breakfast and lunch (and the incessant snacking) What do you think?

Post Monthly Progress
*I likely won't share my weight. That is a little TOO vulnerable even for the ever honest me.... However, I will tell you if I am down or up and where I stand. But it will only be monthly. I hate when all someone talks about on facebook is the gym or their diet...

Run a 5K in 6 months
*My friend Erica promised to do this with me.... cause I loathe running but it is a good goal.

Reward:
*I believe rewards help us meet our goals. As I thought about this, I kept thinking....what should I do for each milestone... A new pair of nice jeans, a massage, a purse, a Sephora trip, or some other indulgance that I love.... But after reading How Lucky Can You Be, Red Letters, Crazy Love and Kisses from Katie in the last 7 days, I can't quite stomach any of that... So I am still trying to come up with something useful, something celebratory to give back to others.... maybe donate my old clothes to a worthy cause or the amount of weight I have lost in groceries to another family... or something. Any ideas?

*I would love if anyone interested wants to join me. My email is nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com if you want to join or have questions or suggestions and encouragement!

Control

2011-10-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

So I am going to write about it. In my human heart, I am frustrated. Even before Ethiopia is actually involved in this adoption, the process is frustratingly slow (is that even a word). Most of this is due to fundraising. With our first adoption, we had a few big donations early on making it much easier to have the funds for the initial fees. Plus, with this adoption, we have to $7300 before we can send our dossier to Ethiopia, and it was ~$4000 before. God is providing in His timing, but never in the timing we expect.

Yet, I know God's timing is pefect. I know that He knows exactly where our next child is, when they will come home, where the funds will come from, when the papers will be mailed. My human self is so weak and so doubting, wanting control, wanting to do it in American time (fast) rather than His time (perfect).

So I must wait... I must do what I can in terms of endless paperwork and such but pray for God's financial provision. Pray for his peace. Pray for me to be always aware of His timing rather than mine.

We wait because he is worth it and the next one will be as well.

First Trip to the Beach

2011-10-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

This was Tedi's first trip to the beach. Thank you to my aunt for allowing us to stay in her place. Only thing we have to pay for: gas and food.

Our man was ready to go. Check out a preview of a view pictures from our first day.

end to a great day

Treats

2011-10-16T06:57:00.000-07:00

I do not try to hide the fact that domestic skills are not at the top of my favorable qualities..... but I am working on it. Evidence.... before finishing my latest rotation at the hospital, I made fruit pizza cookies.... and last night, I made Cocoa Pebble Treats. So, I thought I would include my simple recipes...from the recipe box of simplicity and the inept chef!

Fruit Pizza Cookies:
1) Cookies: Choose your favorite sugar cookie mix. (they turn out better when you use the cookies mixes rather than the roll of cookies.... I mean of course you could make them from scratch but that requires more time than I have.)

2) Icing: Mix 1 tub of whipped cream cheese with 3/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of Splenda. Yes, it requires a lot of sugar... you can increase or decrease the sugar to taste. We also normally add food coloring (pink or green) for fun! Once cookies are cool, apply icing.

3) Fruit: Choose you favorite... Once I have found to be the easiest and taste the best are mandarin oranges and strawberries.
*Allow to set in the fridge for an hour or so for best results

Peanut Butter Cocoa Pebble Treats:
Ingredients:
6 cups of cereal
4 tablespoons of butter/margarine
1 bag of Mini-Marshmellows
1/2 - 1 tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter

1) Melt the butter in a pot
2) Stir in marshmellows until they are all melted.
3) Remove from heat and add peanut butter
4) Then, stir in cereal slowly until all cereal coated with marshmellows
5) Pour mixture into dish and allow to cool

Vacation Reads

2011-10-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

We are leaving tomorrow for our little family vacation/break. We are so excited. I am looking to sleeping, reading, praying, quiet, and quality family time. I am going to catch up on non-medical reading...Check out my pics below! I will let you know what actually gets read. I plan to update from afar.

My initial options for vacation reading..

(I even took a facebook poll)

And what is making the trip (plus Kisses from Katie for a second time)

Chicken and Dumplings

2011-10-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of having dinner with our friends, James and Britney Armstrong, on Monday. Brit is an amazing cook (and friend) and is quite famous amongst her friends for her chicken & dumplings. She must love us or want to shut us up every six months. Whatever it may be, the food was awesome and so was the time with our very special friends... Check out Tedi with Gracie and Avery Armstrong.... (missing....dawit, their cutie from Ethiopia)

Tedi and Grace

....check out her 5 Million Minus 1 shirt (first edition)

Tedi and Avery

Get Your Fundraiser Promoted....

2011-10-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

....as I mentioned in an earlier post, we are doing a huge giveaway/raffle on the blog and facebook starting at the end of October leading into the first week of November to celebrate Adoption Month as well as continue to save for our second adoption....

So, I have already received several great donations for the raffle. If you would like to donate an item from your fundraiser, please email me (nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com). This will benefit your adoption because you will definitely get more blog traffic. Your blog address and contact will be posted. Plus, several big names in the adoption world have donated items and will be re-posting the giveaway....increasing your traffic MUCH more than my blog ever could.

Have a great night!

4 days and courting

2011-10-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

....until we leave on our little family vacation. We could not be more thankful to my aunt Pam for giving us her home in South Carolina for a week. I can not put into words my excitement....Ten hours in the car should be interesting...nevertheless, I am super pumped!

Saturday, our family was invited to sell our shirts and ornaments at a fundraiser for a Congo-based relief group. Our friend, Megan Terry, invited us out.... I was working but the boys headed out to Simpsonville for a movie in the park. We sold several tshirts and were able to spread the word of adoption even more. We will be placing our second tshirt order during the last week of October/first week of November!

T-SHIRTS are HERE

2011-10-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce that our first batch of t-shirts has arrived. I am off today (which is a false sense of joy since I must work 8pm-9am tonight and tomorrow night and skip normal life) so I drove out to pick up our shirts from Sixth Street Print House in Shelbyville. I spent the rest of my morning rolling each shirt and tying them with fabric strips (thanks for the idea Lindsy Wallace) and then the afternoon sorting and such. Well, I realized 150 shirts are a lot. Now, if you live in Louisville, we need to set a meeting time to get your shirt to you. I have them divided out and ready to go.

If you have not paid, you can click on the paypal button to the right or email me at nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com for our address to send a check.

Note: The "dark purple" is actually more blue, as you can see. If this is horrible for you and you want another color, let me know. There is also a 3-4 day delay on the youth sizes and adult S/M in the gray, though should not affect anyone.

Lastly, if you missed this order and want a shirt, we will be placing second order at the end of October so email me, facebook me, comment.... whatever works

$15 each (Youth XS-Adult 4X)

Gray, White, Blue

Up and Coming....

2011-10-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

So here is what you have to look forward to (or maybe we have to look forward to and you get to read about)...

1) T-SHIRTS: I will be picking up our first order of T-Shirts tomorrow.... I am so excited. Yes, we must spend money to make money in this fundraising game....however, we are so excited to see these! So for you 95 peeps who have already ordered, they are coming and you can pay via paypal here on the blog or by check! I will be taking a second order after we get back from vacation.... see #2

2) VACATION: Since I started residency in July 2010, we have not really taken a vacation. Thankfully, my program gives us four weeks each year of vacation. Yes, I know that seems like a lot. However, after working 60-80 hours each week (and sometimes people die), the break is much needed. The first two weeks I had off were last August...they were spent getting to know our son. The next was in February....not much to do then. We were elated when my Aunt Pam offered her beach house to us. Yes, we are blessed. Her home is three bedrooms and three bathrooms on Fripp Island, South Carolina (near Hilton Head). We are responsible for our food and gas (which I did a moonlighting shift in July to pay for) and her cleaning lady. I can not tell you how excited we are. JT and I are like two kids ready for Disney, but we are ready for sleep and a drop of wine and sleep and the sound of the ocean. Tedi keeps saying he is going to bury his daddy with sand. I have DO NOT know where he got that idea. So in the middle of this second adoption, my aunt and uncle's gift is so very valuable to us....for family time and bonding AND mental health.

3) ORPHAN SUNDAY: Yes, it is coming! November 6th. Actually, November is Adoption/Orphan Awareness Month. I am trying to plan something cool for it....Stay tuned

4) GIVEAWAY/RAFFLE: You are going to be itching to get your hands on this.... a little 147, project hopeful, adoption art, tshirts.... you are going to want this... Stay Tuned. It will be the kick off to Adoption Month!

5) Dad's Birthday: My turned 60 on 10/5/2011. We surprised him by showing up for his dinner. Tedi adores my dad, as do I, and hated leaving.... I thougth I would share a few cute pics of the evening (as well as just some cute ones in general) Enjoy!

With Dad!!!

And some silly fun with the iPhone camera

....now off to bed. trying to make my body be ready for two night shifts this weekend and then return to days on Sunday....not easy but mandatory.

The F Word

2011-10-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

Gotcha....didn't I? Check this out. Bono is at it again.

Fundraising for Friends

2011-10-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

Three weeks ago, we met the Wallace Family at an art show here locally. They are also adopting from Ethiopia and have had quite the adoption process. They started adopting THREE years ago.....then they got pregnant. They started adoptiong again OVER a year ago, and William, the dad, was diagnosed with melanoma. So now, they are going at it again. Third times a charm, we pray. They are selling tshirts, like we are, to raise money for their adoption. Check out the tshirt that Tedi is sporting in the picture. They also have gray and yellow shirts... I bought a yellow one and am in love! Check out their blog for their shirts as well as ornaments and jewelry!

“To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.” G. K. Chesterton

First T-Shirt Order / Both Hands Project

2011-10-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

Great news! We found a couple of days ago that we are approved for a Both Hands Project. We were blessed with Tedi's option to receive a matching grant from Lifesong for Orphans and it was so helpful. This time we wanted to take a stab at the Both Hands project because of what it stands for and the potential. I attached the links above with more info. There will be more posts on this come but we are so excited and just wanted to share this!

In other great news, we placed our first t-shirt order. We are very excited. I hope that after they come it and more people see them that we will keep selling and selling. We were lucky enough to be invited to a fundraiser this coming weekend at a family movie night in a neighboring town. We will be selling our extra shirts, taking orders for more shirts and selling ornaments.

And again, this is why we fundraise. This is why we adopt. This is why we exist.

Kisses

2011-09-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

JT and I left for work this morning at the same time... that is a big deal in this house. I had an all day research meeting (it was as fun as it sounds). As we were leaving, JT leaned over and gave me a kiss. Tedi was already in his booster seat in JT's car. About two minutes down the road I got a call from JT to rehash the following conversation:

Tedi: Daddy, why do you kiss mommy everyday?
JT: Because that is what you do when you love someone and you get married and live with them for a long time.
Tedi: I just don't get that.

.....a few minutes later

Tedi: Daddy, your car smells good.
JT: Thanks.
Tedi: Mommy's car smells awful.

OCTOBER 1

2011-09-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

I posted this last week but I wanted to share this again. Our good friends over at Lizzie Loo Photography are doing their fall mini family photography sessions THIS SATURDAY, October 1. Afternoon sessions have been opened so be sure to email her at elizabeth@lizzieloo.com or grab her phone number off of the flyer below!!! Part of the proceeds go towards our adoption!

Bullet Points: Our Life (and Adoption)

2011-09-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

~ We saw Lion King in 3D this week. I must admit, there is not much you can do with an old movie when making it 3D. To Disney's credit, the color quality was better. I kept having to tell Tedi to put on his glasses because I paid $9 for the "3D" component.... AT A MATINEE!!!!

~ I eat out too much. There I said it. I am lazy about cooking. I do not like cooking. My waistline shows it. I am working on it. There. I said it. Evidence of this.... my Ethiopian son loves Thai food. He calls it "Kung Fu Panda Noodles" but love them nonetheless. I must say I am proud he can even use chopsticks.

~ We mailed our updated homestudy to USCIS on Thursday. We have our fingerprinting appointment for October 12. Hopefully, this will go smoothly and we will have our USCIS approval (I-171) before we send our dossier. Our paper-chasing is almost done. We have completed the home study.. We have given our agency most of the supporting docs.... Now, just to grab a local background check and copies of reference letters for the dossier....and wait for the funds to send the dossier..

~ I must admit....my biggest weakness is doubt. Lack of faith really. Everytime I think of our second adoption I get nervous. I have this "Where will the money come from?" question. I don't know why I think like this. With blessings from others (through God), we were able to pay for our first adoption. He provided then. I should know better to doubt His ability to provide now. However, in my doubt, I realize that I want it now...it being my adoption paid for and my child home. How American of me, how undisciplined me? In our culture we are taught that we can get things now.... I am working on this.. Praying for patience. Praying for a heart waiting for His timing not mine.

~ Tedi lost another tooth last weekend. (A little more evidence that Ethiopian dating may be off by a year or so...) We were watching the Louisville vs. UK football game. Tedi walked into a room of 10 adults and announced, "Guys, I have bad news. I have bloods in my mouth." It was so so funny. Then that night he pulled it out himself... We are running out teeth and need the big ones to get here for eating purposes. The tooth fairy did come to visit.. He (yes, he) brought a dollar and a sucker (I know suckers are bad for teeth. Oh well!)

~ We have sold a lot of shirts... I am on call at work so I do not have a count with me. But they are going great! Plus, we have ornaments still for sale....to the tune so far >150! If you are still interested, please let me know. nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com

Price: $15 each

Colors: Dark Purple, Gray, or White (see pics below)

Sizes: Youth XS (2-4) through Youth XL

Adult S-2X (greater than 2X add $1)

~ Lastly, this is just my favorite picture. At least twice per week, I make him stop on the steps and take a picture. This one is definitely a mommy favorite!

T- SHIRTS, T-SHIRTS, T-SHIRTS

2011-09-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

So I know I have posted a few fundraisers lately.... However, here are the tshirt designs. We are going to take pre-orders for a couple of weeks before we print them. I think you will love the design by Lizzie Loo. There are three colors (see below) and they will be in Adult and Children sizes...

Price: $15 (+shipping)

Sizes: Adult and Children (add $1 for 3XL or larger)

Payment Options: Paypal (right sidebar) or Check

Contact: nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com

Gray Shirt Option

White Shirt Option

Dark Purple Shirt Option

TriVita Fundraiser

2011-09-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

Man, aren't we blessed that another person is stepping up to help us with our adoption? Check this out for sure if you take vitamins regularly, are health conscious (or should be), or you just want to see what they have to offer.

My aunt and uncle, Joe and Pam Moody, are very passionate about helping others experience wellness through nutrition and so they wanted to help us! They are willing to donate 50% of all first time sales of any first time customer (so if you ordered before just order in another name.) YES, 50%!! TriVita offers some superior products and pharmaceutical grade quality so it's a company you can trust! Good health doesn't just happen you have to make it happen! Please check some of the great products, a whole food Kid's Vitamin, the B 12 and Nopalea, a natural wellness drink with amazing benefits. TriVita offers over 30 great products, so please check them out!

Please order at www.seekhealthyliving.com and email Pam at pmoodyclt@aol.com to let her know you ordered. Not only you investing in your health, you are helping with the Henderson Adoption!
You can also call Trivita at 1800-991-7116 and make sure you tell them Pam Moody referred you, to insure proper credit. If you have any question please call Pam at 704-243-1695

Adoption Photography Fundraiser

2011-09-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

Check out the flyer below.... Our friends at Lizzie Loo Photography are doing their annual fall mini session on OCTOBER 1st.... the good news for us, they are donating part of the profits to our second adoption. For all the details and to schedule, look at the details below! Thanks Elizabeth and Nathan in advance.

The Real Deal

2011-09-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

If we are lucky, we will have many people in our world who are the "real deal." People who are there....through the med school graduations and multiple moves and poor times and let's eat out times. I am lucky.... The Henderson family is blessed with many "real deals" in our world. Friends who stick by us and support us, no questions asked (well maybe a few) Well, today we were blessed to spend the day (like eight hours) with the Fox Family. Emily and I made our ornments while the men hung out and the kids ran laps around the house....the evolution of a friendship from college dorm sleepovers to referee-ing our childrens tattling and fighting and painting adoption fundraiser ornaments....it really has been a beautiful friendship. I love this girl and her family. She spent her Sunday, normally dedicated to her husband and family, helping ME make ornaments for adoption #2. We made a huge dent in production and had lots of fun! Check out Em's pictures below of our work. Email me if you are interested! nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com
ONLY $5

91 Ornaments Sold!!!

2011-09-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

It is only September. It has only been two years since we did this before. Yet, we are being continually blessed. Yes, we have sold 83 ornaments so far. I am so excited because the wood came in today and we are headed to our friends' house, The Fox Family, on Sunday to crank out hopefully our first 150 ornaments with the goal to ship the ones ordered already by mid next week. Emily and I are going to post pictures on Sunday with the new ribbon options and the completed first batch!

We are so blessed even before getting fully into this adoption and appreciate all the love and support.
Email me if you have any questions or are interested in an ornament.

Crafting...

2011-09-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

Domestic.... I am not. Artsy would not describe me.... Yet in my lack of home-making, domestic, womanly attributes, I did love art class growing up. So when my friend Emily proposed the new and improved ornaments for our second adoption (see below post or our Etsy Store), I did not know what mod podge or decopauge or scrapbook paper really was or where to find it in Hobby Lobby. Well, after creating the ornaments on Monday, I thought, "Hey, why did I doubt myself? I can try a little more creative stuff." So, fast forward to today. I went back to Hobby Lobby (with Tedi, not the best parenting move) to get ribbon for the ornaments (cool options BTW). I decided since the 2 packs of canvas were on sale that I would try my hand at this crafting thing. Below are my results. Not perfect at all, I will be the first to admit it for sure. You can even see the wrinkles in the second canvas (the first one is busy enough to cover them up pretty well) .... BUT they do look pretty good for a first try. Other people are much better at this but it was self gratifying to know I could this. My next project is do a partner for the "adopted" canvas, but for adopted to be written in Amharic..... I would sell these with the ornaments but I am not sure my skill is worth it

A gift for someone with Tedi's handprints

Adoptive Family & Blogger Ornament Special

2011-09-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

For any of you adoptive families or bloggers out there, I want to offer a deal for you. If you post our ornament pictures with a blurb on your blog and/or facebook, we will waive the shipping costs for your ornaments. If you order >5 ornaments, I will decrease the cost to $4 and not charge shipping. Just comment on this post or email nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com to let me know you posted the pics and a blurb about the ornaments. If you want any personalization on the back side, that is possible with $1 added and a little bit of time. You can choose red or gold ribbon as well. Thanks in advance for the support!

Details:

5"x4" Wood Rectangle Ornaments (1/8" thick) with decopauged logo

Price:

$5 each (+shipping)

Payment can be paid by check or through PayPal at the right side bar

Contact:

nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com

Front of Ornament

Back of Ornament

CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS FOR SALE

2011-09-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are selling Christmas ornaments for adoption #2. We find ornaments to be fun, easy and appreciated this time of year....plus you can support a creat cause: a forever family for another child. Now I know the message is similiar to our ones fom two years ago.... Below are pictures of the ornaments. (If you would like to exchange the bible verse for your child or family's name, let me know. It will be handwritten with a slightly different white template.)

Cost: $5 per ornament (+ shipping ~$1.50-$3.00 depending on quantity)
If you buy 5-10 ornaments, they are $4 each.
Ways to Pay:
1) Paypal via the "Donate" button on the right side bar
2) Check or Cash to our home address

Left: Front Right: Back

Out with the Old (TShirts that is)

2011-09-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

These were our fundraising t-shirts when we adopted Tedi. Now that we are beginning the process of our next adoption, we wanted to clear out our stock....

(keep in mind I just realized that we still had "stock" today)

New Price: $10 (includes shipping)

Sizes Available:

1 - 6 month old

1 - Youth Medium

3 - Adult Small

1 - Adult Medium

4 - Adult Large

7 - Adult 2XL

1 - Adult 3XL

nataliehenderson21@yahoo.com

Enkutatash: Ethiopian New Year 2004

2011-09-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, Ethiopia's New Year is on September 11 (except on leap year when it moves to Sept 12). And yes, in Ethiopia it only 2004. Below is a little explanation on their calendar:

The Ethiopian calendar, also called the Ge'ez calendar, is the principal calendar used in Ethiopia and also serves as the liturgical calendar for Christians in Eritrea belonging to the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Church and Lutheran Evangelical Church of Eritrea. It is based on the older Alexandrian or Coptic calendar, which in turn derives from the Egyptian calendar, but like the Julian calendar, it adds a leap day every four years without exception, and begins the year on August 29 or August 30 in the Julian calendar. A seven- to eight-year gap between the Ethiopian and Gregorian calendars results from alternate calculations in determining the date of the Annunciation of Jesus.

The current year according to the Ethiopian calendar is 2003, which began on September 11, 2010 AD of the Gregorian calendar. It has six epagonemal days and so the following year (2004) will begin on September 12, 2011.

Enkutatash is the word for the Ethiopian New Year in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia. It occurs on September 11 in the Gregorian calendar, except for leap years, when it occurs on September 12.

So today, we decided to head to our local Ethiopian restaurant, The Queen of Sheba, for an Ethiopian New Years celebration with the Hardman family and several other adoptive families and local Ethiopians. The experience was fantastic. It was more than our usual dinner....there were traditional breads (not injera), music, discussion of traditions with children, the popcorn and coffee ceremony, baklava dessert and just a great time. I can honestly say it was worth the money and despite being tired, it was a fantastic time. We also got to visit with our friends from Stanford, KY, the Hannahs. Loved catching up with them and the Gibsons. I am glad we have the opportunity to festivities like this to help maintain pieces of Tedi's culture and heritage.

I love this little man.

Claire Hardman having her hands washed....traditional Ethiopian custom

Tedi was getting ready to mash some injera, cabbage, alecha sega wot, lentils and beef

Claire...too cute

loving his whistle toy that was gifted to him today.

My Place: September 11, 2001

2011-09-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

Today has many purposes.... the memory of many lost, the Ethiopian New Year (see next post).... I want to briefly talk about teaching about hate....

We all have our "place".....the place where we were when the planes hit.... like people did when JFK died. I was sitting in the lobby area of the Preston Center at Western Kentucky University. I was getting ready to start my weight lifting class with my now best friend Emily Godbey Fox and we watched the second plane crash into the tower. Only a year and a half earlier I was in NYC for the first time for a chorus trip (I don't sing; I just love to travel). We had stayed at the Marriott....address: 3 World Trade Center, New York, New York. I was only seventeen at the time. Fast forward to watching the towers tumble. At eighteen, a college freshman, I could not fathom the magnitude of the loss. I knew it was bad... I knew it was sad....I knew it was devastating for our country. I still have our college newspaper from that day. I went to prayer services. We discussed the Muslim religion in my Religion 201 course. But like everyone else who did not lose a loved one or friend, I moved on. It was not until I moved to New York City in 2007 that it really it home. It was not walking amongst Ground Zero or the church that still stands. It was meeting my patient....a man who had a lung resection because of cancer.... Cancer he developed after going into Ground Zero for 17 days to cut wires to decrease the electricity. Or my friend who was an EMT.....he had just finished his night shift and was heading across the George Washington Bridge...too far away to help his colleagues. Or my rotation at Bronx Lebanon Hospital and having the nurses show me the spot from the 16th floor where they watched it all happen. Or visiting a loft turned museum in Tribeca ....the photographer was the one hired by FDNY to photograph the cleanup....a piece of the plane sat in his loft. The stories he had were not really stomach-able but real. There is a big difference between 18 years old and 25 years old...It was then I realized the depth of the pain from that day. It was then I realized the depth of hatred it took to do something of this caliber.

Today, Tedi, my four and a half year son, glanced at the TV and asked why there was so much smoke. I tried to explain to him in simple terms that some mean people flew big, big airplanes into the tall buildings where boys' and girls' mommies and daddies worked and how this is not nice or what Jesus wants us to do to others. He asked "so their mommies and daddies died?" Broke my heart. Yes, they died. We talked about it simply a couple of times and I think he understood on his level. BUT here is the real question. How do we teach our children about hate? And how to overcome it and not be part of it? We must, but how? A question I can not answer right now but definitely food for thought on a day like today.

My friend Lee Ann posted this pictures on facebook today from our NYC trip in April 2000.

You probably can't find my 17 year old self but this is taken from the Statue of Liberty.

Race: Our First Conversation

2011-09-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

JT: Is Sam your new friend?
Tedi: Yes, Daddy.
JT: What does he look like?
Tedi: He is white. I am brown.
JT: What color is his hair?
Tedi: White like yours daddy. Mine is black.
JT: Yeah.
Tedi: Okay, when can I play my new game?

It was as simple as that. Someone told me recently that kids will get you in the car when you aren't expecting it...and they were spot on. We were driving home tonight and that was our conversation, the first one on race. I know two weeks ago in school they talked about what makes each person different....maybe skin and hair came up.. I am not sure. But as quickly as the thought was in his mind, he was onto something else. At least we know he realizes the difference....But the beauty is the fact that it (race) really does not matter to him... Sam is his buddy. Simply his friend.

Inadequacy

2011-09-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

I am sure I have may have blogged on this topic before. My biggest struggle is the intense feeling of inadequacy....as a mother, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a doctor, co-worker. I love my job and almost every minute I spend in the hospital, yet I find my sincere joy in caring for others' childrens keeps me away from my own child. I can not dedicate enough time to my friendships because the time spend away from work is appropriately given to my husband and son. I do not see my parents, whom I love, or my sister very often. Then in the midst of all of this, I am not leaving enough space to spend time in prayer...and maybe that is why I can't ever get all of the other stuff together. Well...I know it is.

At any given moment, I am thinking.... "Why am I fat? Why can't lose the weight? Why am I not as smart as him? Why can't I spend more time at home? Why can't I be as good of a mom as her? Why can't I cook? I want to read a non-medical book. Does God hear my pleas? Do those around me know I love them without me saying it? Should I wake a little earlier so I can get home earlier...4am is early....okay, I can do it?" This could all take place in one single minute. I am woman......so this seems natural.... Yet, when I start thinking this way, despite my desire to listen to sad music like Angel by Sarah McLachlan or read Sylvia Plath, the quote below comes creeping into my mind. I don't really have great commentary on it but feel it speaks to my heart even when I do not want it to. I hope you get something out of it.

Our Greatest Fear

it is our light not our darkness that most frightens us

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,

talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other

people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of

God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,

we unconsciously give other people

permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,

Our presence automatically liberates others.

—Marianne Williamson

Why......

2011-09-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

As a disclaimer, I do not feel required to answer to people or explain our decisions.....However, I think it is helpful to others going through or considering adoption.....and just being nosy :-) You never know who you may convert to adoption...

.......adopt again?

We want to grow our family. We are called as Christians to care for the "least of these" and we feel specifically called to adopt. It was never a doubt that we would adopt again....it was just when.

......now?

Well, with me in residency through June 2013 (and fellowship from 07/2013 to 06/2016), no time is ever going to be a good time, until I guess July 2016...but then I have a "real" job. So, really, is there a good time? Is there a good time to get married, to go back to school, to get pregnant, TO DIE? There is never a "good" time for anything. This is I know. However, having lost seven dear family members to death in the last 11 months has made the brevity of life very palpable. I do not know if I will ever have a "right time" or tomorrow. Will I be more tired....Yes. Will I be stretched.....Yes. Will I be able to deeply love and be loved..... Yes. So now is the time for us....we only get back what we are willing to give, if we only take the time to give it.

...... NOT our "own"?

Well, I have answered this before, BUT our adopted child(ren) are OURS. When you hear my son say, "Hey my mommy..." there is no doubt that he is OUR son. However, why not biological kids? Much of the time Tedi has been home has been sans birth control... Yet, I am okay with the absence of pregnancy in our world. At times, it will creep into my heart and I will get bitter.... Then, I get in check and hear Tedi's footsteps or sweet voice and know God's plan for our family is not that of typical. Will we ever "try" again.... Maybe. Will I be less of a mother? No. Will I live unfulfilled? No.

......adopt from Ethiopia again?

I could simply say, "Why not?" That is true, for sure, but not entirely. When we originally began Tedi's adoption in 2009, our USCIS (US government paperwork), form was written for two children, either sex, aged 0-5. Since we only brought home one child, the paperwork is still good for an extension for a second child less than 5 years old.... So that definitely played a part in our decision to return to Ethiopia, but we also sincerely love this country, it's people and the culture.

.....our agency?

The agency we used for Tedi was Arise for Children. At the time they were partnered with Hope, another agency, who was technically Tedi's "placing agency". Arise went through several changes and was bought by Lifeline Adoptions. Because the two ladies, Britney and Lesley, who worked for Arise stayed on with Lifeline, we decided to stick with them. Lifeline is a very well established agency in China and other countries. That in combination with knowing Britney and Lesley confirmed our decision to use Lifeline.

So, really...... WHY?
This is why we do it.... this is why we take the harsh words, the doubting, the waiting, the heartache, the joy.

2011-09-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Big Announcement

2011-09-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, you are reading correctly. We are adopting again. We are adopting from Ethiopia again.

More details will follow in a longer blog by JT.

We are super excited to start this again.

Next Stop...... Vice President

2011-09-02T06:44:00.000-07:00

As I posted yesterday, Tedi went before Judge Paula Sherlock to become legally our son in America and to be an American citizen....allowing him to get a passport. Passport = Fun Vacations! It was a special day for our family and I am so glad our friend Elizabeth was there to capture the moments for us. What a great job she has done with our family pictures in the past and yesterday's special moment. Tedi was very well behaved and followed instructions. I think he really liked getting to use the judge's gavel.

Now my boy can not be President of the United States according to the Constitution, but he could be a Senator or even Vice President.....if he so chooses. Regardless, yesterday made it possible. He is ours, yet again. Below are quite a few pictures from Elizabeth. Enjoy because pics are the best part

This really is my son!

Banging the Gavel

With Judge Sherlock

With Ms. Jessica, the guardian at litem attorney

with Elizabeth

with his new Nemo toy from Judge Sherlock

Nemo and Daddy fist bumping

Stay tuned for some big updates coming soon!

American Citizen

2011-09-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the court house and finalized Tedi's adoption on the US side of things... Our good friend, Elizabeth, joined us there and photographed the entire ordeal. For that we are so appreciative. I hope to post some of her pics from inside the courtroom... In the meantime, here are a few pics from before and after the big event! Enjoy. What a beautiful boy we have?!?!

Post Court lunch at City Cafe

Instagram-"ing" Our Life

2011-08-28T18:13:00.000-07:00

So for the last several months I had seen people on facebook post pics using some app called instagram....well, honestly, I was a little annoyed. I was like "just post the picture".... nothing fancy. Well, I got a new phone and I must apologize....because these "fancy" pictures are fun. Here is a week in instagram.

the quietest time of the day....and the most precious

loving the candy canisters at Sweet CeCe's

Chocolate covered banana at Comfy Cow (yeah we are sweets kind of family....or mommy rather)

Chillin' at Cardinal Towne

Rockin' the nautical hoodie

Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

2011-08-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

We spent a few hours of my day off this week with the Brown family who I talked about two posts ago. Tedi enjoyed the water park and playing with their boys, Kenenisa and Chera. Enjoy a couple of pics.

Chera in orange and Tedi in yellow

City of Addis...... how will you change the world

2011-08-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome Home Brown Family

2011-08-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

Our friends Justin and Donna Brown had no children this time last year. They were anxiously waiting bringing home their daughter, Zoey Hiwot, from Ethiopia while their paper work on their sons, Chera and Kenenisa, drug on in Ethiopia. Zoey came home in December 2010 and their sons were still not here. Into the spring of 2011, they found out they were pregnant. Their son, Asher, was born in July 2011. FINALLY, almost three years after starting the adoption process to bring home their sons, Chera and Kenenisa walked down an escalator in Louisville, Kentucky. You read correctly. They had zero children this time last year, and now they have a 1 month old, an almost 2 year old, a 4 year old and almost 7 year old. We rejoice with this sweet family. JT even had the opportunity to meet the boys and Zoey while they were still Ethiopia last July. The pictures below are from the airport on Satruday night. This is the best part of adoption....celebrating with others.

Loving the Escalator

Tedi and Dawit....

Justin with Kenenisa to his right, holding Zoey with baby Asher (with their friend's son)

Chera, the oldest, hugging Tedi...

(he hugged everyone but Tedi was a little shy)

First Day of Pre-K

2011-08-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Who is this boy? I am not quite sure. There is an undeniable difference in the small child who started pre school last year.

Our goals for school last year:

1) Learn our colors (we thought he was color blind....who was I kidding...he now knows 'tan', 'beige')

2) Share (we are working on this but much improved)

3) Write our name (not absolutely there but getting there)

Now, a year later, he told us he liked school. He came home and could count to ten in SPANISH today. I think that would be his fourth language (tribal language, Amharic, English...) His teacher, Senor Pete, taught him this. I wish you could hear him say "Senor Pete." It was so funny and cute. Unfortunately, I was unable to be there to take him to school...you know, that work thing. BUT his fabulous daddy took some great pics for us to cherish. Check out the difference. Look what some love, some food, and some time can do for a child. Man, we are lucky parents!

August 24, 2010

First day of pre-school

August 22, 2011

First Day of Pre-K

Collateral Damage

2011-08-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

I read an article the other day on a friend's facebook discussing how UNICEF is against international adoption in order to keep children in their home country. The author of the article discussed how children in these countries are often "collateral damage" for the sins and choices of adults....

....the children in the African horn, specifically Somalia, are dying because of war and fighting and famine. I do not claim to know the politics of Eastern Africa, but as I watch Anderson Cooper's special on the healtcare and death in the region, my heart aches. Not only do I ache watching this for the 600,000 children that are dying, the children so malnourished I can see their bones.... but I ache thinking of my own son's birthplace, his birth family. Even now, children are being prohibited from getting vaccines, thus dying of preventable diseases like measles. And here we are as a world. Here we are with dead children. Children without parents. The drought...maybe not of man. But the death, death from starvation. Bono said it best on the program, "You can blame droughts on God, but famine is man made. We know how fix this." Children are the collateral damage in this world crisis.

....but this is not a "developing" country problem alone. Unfortunately in my job (as a pediatric resident at a children's hospital), children are the collateral damage from our choices... who is injured in the car accident when the adult is intoxicated. After the economy crashes and people lose jobs and tempers flair.....who are the victims....victims of abuse. Think about it. Every choice we make affects other people, no doubt. However, children, the most vulnerable, are the most affected....every decision we make can affect our children, and not just our children but the ones around us... When we text and drive and wreck into someone else's car....when we are frustrated and selfish and do not tip as well as we should, the waitress may be short on her normal food budget....when we turn our back to children starving worlds away because the aren't "our children", children die.

Collateral damage. I do not know how to fix it but I know it is enough to make you think.

Soccer Man

2011-08-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I have been a bad blogger. I am not quite sure why I have been so absent because I love blogging. I keep writing all kinds of blogs in my head. There is one that I keep writing over and over and am sure it will be posted soon! In the meantime, we have been busy around here...

Tedi spent the end of June and three weeks of July taking swimming lessons. He went four days each week, and though he continues to protest that he needs his swimmies, he does quite well. He also went to four days of soccer at Mockingbird Soccer Camp, thanks to his Granny Sylvia. He was so excited for soccer.... Well, day 1 came with some issues. I showed up thirty minutes early to watch to find my son not listening to the coach, ending up in time out. (Thankfully the coach believed in discipline.) I took him to JT's office where he got a talking to...I will admit it; I was upset. Tedi knew it. Well, the next day, he apologized to his teacher and his babysitter made sure he listened. He came home that night and told me how he listened and hoped we were happy. I do not want him to do things to "please" but he does have the kindest heart. I love this little man and his wonderful heart!

Tedi also went to bible school with his "favorite cousin" Grant. He loved the Panda theme seeing as how he loves Kung Fu Panda. The last day they made panda masks.... He and Grant were too cute even if they have looked a little bit like bank robbers!

Fab Friday: Organization Style

2011-07-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

In my quest to get organized, I could not afford the wall organization system designed by Pottery Barn... So I thought I could do a few things to be MORE organized. Though some are repetitive, at least I am trying and making an effort. Maybe in another year, I will get there....

1) Dry Erase Board: Hanging in our kitchen is a board similar to this. We do not keep it up as we should. It serves more for funny quotes for friends and grocery lists....but it was a start.

2) Lilly Pulizter Agenda: In college, I kept a planner that they gave us at orientation. Then I stopped...but I gave my friends a hard time about theirs. My friend and Tedi's babysitter, Taryn, is a fan of the Lilly Pulitzer agenga, shown below. Not just are their cute designs but the insides are super functional. I am hoping to buy one very soon....I may even steal the design of the one she picked.

3) 3 Ring Binders: Simple but so helpful. My friend at work, Cathy, was always giving a hard time about being successfully unorganized. Well, since I have started my research for residency, I have invested in a three ring binder.... and it has helped with containing my research and such.

4) This Man: Yes, I admit it.... JT is part of the reason I keep it together. He is mosly organized at home and subperbly at work...Even tonight, he made me rearrange the living and move our desk into the living room....and made it work. I love him, even when his organization drives me nuts... :-)

5) Google Calendar: Until I get my hands on a planner (see above), I will settle for google calendar. It is quite handy and even provides pop-ups on the ole' cell phone.

Congo T-Shirts

2011-07-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

Our friends from college, The Borders, are adopting from the Congo. They are amazing because they already have 2 year old twins at home! They are running their tshirts at $15 now which is a discount. Head over to http://borderspatrol.blogspot.com/ to get one yourself.

T-shirts are Hanes 50/50 blend.

Sizes left:

9 Large

12 X-Large

5 2XL

1 3XL

Absent

2011-07-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

I have not known what to write lately..... well that is false. There has been tons to write about but I never seemed be able to put it into type. There are times when I find writing cathartic and sharing important....and others where I need to sit upon the feelings...mulling them over in my head....times like these when I am contemplating the loss of a dear patient and another family member, witnessing harsh abuse, and trying to make life decisions, both professional and personal. Theses combinations cause silence....that is where I have been. Absently present in my own head.

We have not been up to much in the Henderson house otherwise......well other than me working nights (ED and moonlighting) while JT makes everything run. He is so good to me. I promise to blog more very soon...I have some good ideas saved up
~nat

A Year in Pictures

2011-07-08T01:23:00.001-07:00

This is a twelve minute video of pictures and clips from the last year. Enjoy, if you have time, because this is something I deeply cherish and want to share.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Evolution of Our Family: 1 Year Later

2011-07-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

Our First Family Picture

July 3, 2010

One Year Later

July 3, 2011

Yes, it has been one year since Tedi came home. Can you believe it? We can't. I had the last few days off so we drove to visit my mom and then my dad. It was relaxing family time together. (more pictures of that are too come.) My heart is so full with joy tonight....one year after bringing Tedi home. As I tucked Tedi into bed tonight, I was overwhelmed. Just holding him almost made me cry. I feel asleep next to him and have never felt better. Earlier today, I watched videos of this time last year...Tedi not even able to speak English other than Mommy or Daddy as a whisper while in the background he is yelling for me to do this or that...all in English. People would tell us that things would change quickly. He would speak English before we knew it. I did not believe but oh how it is true....oh how he has changed. I know you are thinking "Why can't she have more to say about this when she writes so much all other times" Well....when you are here, then you will understand. Tomorrow will be a fun video.. Stay Tuned.

Meeting Daddy

2011-06-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

This is what happened one year ago today. I was in Louisville, trying to sleep as it was 3am in KY, though I was waiting on the "call" to know JT had Tedi. It never came because of poor service... Finally I called...(see second picture below)...Tedi would talk on the phone, and rarely does now, but to know he was there and with JT was amazing. Our cell phone bill that week was so expensive because I could not stand to know that my son was without me... The picture below of JT and Tedi is one I will cherish my entire life.

First Time Tedi Talked to Me.... he thought I was crazy

Cuteness

2011-06-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from his last few days with mommy.... Gotta love his Run DMC shirt (JT has a matching one)

Erasing Hate

2011-06-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

As I write this, JT and I are watching an msNBC documetary about a former skinhead racist with body-covering tattoos. Tonight is the first night this special aired but the link, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036750/, (or watch the clip below) shows a clip and small article about the documentary. Please check this out. I find it unfathomable that such deep seeded hate exists in the heart of anyone. It is both an eye-opening and interesting story while showing the slow redemption of someone once consumed by hate. I also feel convicted because I am so guilty to look at someone like the man featured here, with his face covered in tattoos, and instantly judge without knowing him....knowing his story. So while it is easy to sit and judge this man and this culture, it also forces you to look inward. I would normally say "enjoy" but rather, this time "learn".

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

51 Weeks

2011-06-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Tedi has been in our family for fifty one weeks. Yes, this time last year JT was in Ethiopia... (i was crying nightly and starting residency).. Be ready for some cute posts coming up!

Organization Wanted.....Needed

2011-06-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

So, let's be real. I am not organized. It has even turned into a joke on my NICU rotation. I still do my work efficiently without issue, but I am not the girl with the 3-ring binder, divided into sections for each patient. I am not the person with an organized office. I do not have a closet system....my clothes are a HOT MESS in the bedroom floor. Tedi's toys are pseudo-organized. My car, well, that is a different story. Just ask my dad.

Well, I am trying to slowly morph into a more organized person for multiple reasons.....to pay bills ahead of time, to avoid messes on our entry table, to coordinate our ridiculous schedules, to be a better mom and wife, and to just feel better each day when I walk into our house... Sarah had Pottery Barn catalogs and I caught a glimpse of the below pictures.... I can not afford these but they are beautiful and, in theory, they would make my organizational world better.... maybe I can piece these together, TJ Maxx and gifted style, along the way.... (but I did organize books, mail, and my bathroom storage tonight...so there is a start. Goal for this week: clean the car to find Dr. Franco's video, put up dad's wine from the car, and organize the closet)

I will welcome these as a wonderful gift :-)

And this, or something similar, is definitely something that will be present in my future organized house.....but this is just for being "home-y"

Father....not a DNA-Dependent Relationship

2011-06-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

I see so many men...well I really do not see them because they are not around.....that provide their DNA for my patients but never love or provide for them. Yet, I meet men whose DNA composes no child and still they love them, raise them, and FATHER them. Therefore, father is a relative term....not one necessitated upon biology but rather on love, sacrifice, and teaching. Fathers, whether stepfathers, adoptive fathers, biological father, or otherwise, make such a huge difference in the lives of the children in which they involve themselves. We look around at society and wonder why children act the way do....I would contend that there are a lot more single moms or even married ladies trying to do the job of a man and woman. While us women are strong, enduring creatures, fathers, real father figures, play a unique role in a child's life, and their absence can devastate and destroy the path of a child, a culture if some intercession is not made.

I say all of this as preface to my real point. I, unlike so many people I meet daily, am lucky. I have a father, a daddy, that loves me daily and unconditionally. I have a step-father who loves me as if I were his child by birth. I have husband who has transformed into a fantastic father. I would like to take today's post and briefly honor the fathers in my life....

1) Bob, my step-father
My mom married Bob when I was in the fifth grade. Tough year for any change, much less a family change. He has been around ever since. He showed up when I started my period at school just a few months after he joined our family, cheered at most of my basketball games through high school, and was present at my wedding. I can think of such funny stories with Bob.....like him being brought along for many day long shopping trips with my mom or hiding the phone from us because we always left it off the hook or honking the horn for 20+ seconds as I walked into junior high school. If you asked me to think of Bob, I would see him in a polo shirt, khakis and loafers, all neatly ironed with creases....probably playing golf, talking politics or now, being silly with Tedi. I love him very much.... below is that very thing, Bob being very silly with Tedi...pretending to be a walrus.

2. Jimmy, my father in law

My father in law was not raised by men. He lost his father as a toddler then his grandfather as a very young boy. His mother also died when he was a toddler. Raised by his aunt and his grandmother, he still became a strong man, father and leader of his house. In his retirement, he has forfeited golfing and sleep to spend time with my son. Never complaining, he participates in car pool and still goes to construction sites to throw rocks and play in water. I deeply admire Jimmy for the way he raised my husband and how he loves my son.

3. My Dad

I love my dad. He is the hardest working man I know and demands nothing less from me. Maybe working these 30 hour shifts is tolerable because of what he taught me. He had no option but to work hard. He was the 13th of 15 children to parents that were tenant farmers in rural Tennessee. He started working at twelve years old, the age when many now have iPhones. He was in the Navy and thereafter began working for State Farm Insurance without a college degree. He has worked his tail off for everything he has. He loves me and my sister unconditionally. He is even getting to where he loves JT, I think :-) It is amazing to see him now as he loves on Tedi and to hear Tedi say "That's MY grandpa Kevin!" When I think of my dad, I hear Mark Cohn's "Walking in Memphis" playing in the background. We are sitting on the boat listening to Zac Brown Band or our shared love for diet Mtn Dew or his fudge or any of his cooking really. I hear him saying "Now sis..." or "I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just sayin' " or "You're my girl". There is so much I think of when I think of my dad. More than anything I am just thankful to have been gifted with such a man when so many children are not.

4. JT, my dear husband
This is the first year that my man and my partner is a daddy. Together we became parents this year...not by creating a little bitty baby inside of me but adopting one of the most beautiful, fun boys I have ever met. A perfect fit for our family.....God knew what he was doing when Tedi became part of our family almost a year ago. JT is so patient with Tedi.....especially when I am not. He teaches him to change light bulbs and fix vents and to tell his mommy she is pretty even when she is not and to hold doors open for ladies and to say his prayers as night and to love Jesus and give kisses and to follow directions the first time (working on this).... all of this and so much more make JT an unbelievable father. I fall more in love with him each time I watch him with Tedi. We did not know we could love someone so much until Tedi joined our family...making us parents and yet better people. I love my husband so much and even more now that he is a daddy. When I think of JT, I hear Notorious B.I.G. and Conway Twittytshirts. I hear more loud singing and conversations. I see my life being lived one day at a time for the rest of my days. I see a father to more children than Tedi.

"I used to believe my father about everything but then I had children myself & now I see how much stuff you make up just to keep yourself from going crazy." ~storypeople.com

Eulogizing......my way.

2011-06-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

A man I loved left the world late Tuesday night. I met him when I was in sixth grade. I was standing on the newly poured concrete basement foundation of my dad's house in Hustonville, Kentucky. I stood facing south (I think) watching this red headed girl about my age with her parents standing on the foundation of their house, also on Hancock Street. My stepmother at the time was a teacher at the school in Hustonville and knew this family well. We walked down the then gravel road and met the Luttrell family. Both around 12 years old at the time, Sarah and I stared more at our feet than talking to each other. We both had those bad mid-90s, for lack of a better term, "turd-roll" bangs. It was on that day I met Steve, Sarah's dad, and her mom Cynthia. Little did I know on that day in sixth grade that Sarah and I would become best friends, not just in junior and high school, but now as adults.

Steve ended his long battle with multiple myeloma on Tuesday night at the young age of fifty-seven. Ever by his side, Sarah and Cynthia sat. As devastated and heart broken as I was to hear the news, I could not fathom the million pieces my best friend's heart was breaking into. She, like her father, are always strong, driven and focused. Losing him is losing her second self....and yet her best friend.

Sarah is an only child and a girl. Her gender did not matter to Steve. He bestowed upon her his love of cars... I never remember the Luttrells having less than three cars at their house at any given time. Steve's mustang, Steve's Jimmy, Sarah's Pontiac after we were 16, and then Cynthia's car, which varied between a hunter green Mercury Sable, a white mini van, and a gray Jeep Cherokee. It was in that Jeep Cherokee that we drove to many cheerleading tournaments...me of course watching because THAT was not my thing...Steve and I would sit and complain but cheer Sarah on, nonetheless. He also imparted his love for golf to Sarah. Remember I said they are both stubborn....(strong-willed :-) Well, I only golfed to get out of basketball conditioning and so that Sarah and I could hang out more. I remember being privy to several trips to Hickory Hills golf course in Liberty, KY with Steve and Sarah.... by the end, they would be so frustrated with each other, one was throwing their hands in the air. Yet, every golf match we ever played Steve meandered hole to hole, not only watching Sarah but me and our friend Gentry as well.....offering encouragement and pointers when our own parents could not be there.

The world took back a special man this week, though one that needed not to suffer any longer. We will all laugh a little less because of Steve's absence but enjoy who he is by living life with his wife and daughter....by enjoying his collection of antique barber chairs and the Mustang and his manicured yard and his stories of hitchhiking while in his 20s, remembering dinner at their house with my new husband or the time JT showed up to visit without me... and Cynthia was in her robe and Steve laughing so hard at this, or explaining our whereabouts in high school multiple times...always being caught. I will remember Steve and Cynthia (and Sarah) driving to Bowling Green, KY and sitting in 100 degree heat to watch me graduate from college. Who does that????

I pray for their hearts' grief yet I always pray they see the deep impact that permeated wherever Steve went...the effect he had on many beyond him. I pray that the Lord comforts Cynthia after losing a husband of many years and Sarah for the loss of her daddy during the week of Father's Day. But I hope they know this.....Steve lived well and Steve lived on purpose. That can not be taken back. That is not stolen by the grave. I loved this man and considered him family . I write both the funny and sad of this post with a huge "I'm on call and crying would be awkward" lump in my throat. Please pray for the Luttrells as they endure the funeral proceedings....and then try to live life. I love these people so please love on them in your prayers.

"I still remember the day the world took you back & there was never time to thank you for the thousand scattered moments you left behind to watch us while we slept" ~storypeople.com

349 Days....

2011-06-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

.... is how long my son has been home from Ethiopia. I can not believe it myself. Within a week of coming home, we took Tedi for his first checkup with the doctor (shocker, since I am a pediatrician myself). At that time, he weighed 36lbs and was 39 inches tall.... Going with the birth date we were given (making him three and a half at his appointment), his weight was 75% for age and height was 50%. Yesterday, 348 days after coming home, that boy weight 43.8 pounds and was 45.5 inches tall.......meaning he was between the 75-90% for weight and >95% for height with a BMI of 15.5 (50%)...again, I am in peds so cut me some slack with the percentiles. I do plot my own kid's growth. YES, he GREW 6.5 inches in a little less than a year. I can not even believe it....I guess all that bone growth weighs a lot because he is still as thin and athletic as ever. Do I think he is truly four and a half years old....probably not.... Are we sticking with that age? Yes. We understand the Ethiopian dating system is not always accurate..... so my son will always be that kid with his height beyond the growth chart.... It is amazing what love and food can do. I am not sure in his previous arrangements he could have managed to grow that much in one year. Before you know it, he will be taller than me.

This and That

2011-06-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

1. Bragging: I first must brag on my man! Two weeks ago JT earned a promotion at his work. His friend Brian left for another job leaving the position open. Having earned it, JT was thrilled to get the nod and take the job as Associate Director of Development for Family and Children's Place. I am so very proud of him and needed to share with everyone.

2. Boys Only Trip: Over Memorial Day weekend, JT, his dad and his brother took Tedi to his first Cubs game! (I worked..... Shocker) JT grew up watching the Cubbies on WGN and now our little Henderson family are true Cubs fans. They ate Giordano's pizza and ballpark hot dogs and said "Go Cubs." That is what Tedi thought the trip was all about! Below is a pic of the souvenir Tedi picked out....

3. Reading: I was an English major back before med school....before that, I was the nerd who loved to read. So in preparation for adopting Tedi, I collected books. We even had one of our showers that focused on books, not clothes and toys. Well until this last week, Tedi quite honestly had no interest in reading....as much as me or his teacher, Ms. Johnson tried. Now, to my surprise, Tedi all of a sudden wants to read and I am totally digging it! Our favorite...... "LLAMA LLAMA Misses MAMA" We love it! Below, JT caught a pic of Tedi and I doing our nightly reading.

Yes, this was my boy praying at bible study. It does not get much better than seeing this.

....Glasses shopping with mommy.... he is still darn cute in the glasses.