What have we been up to?

I really do have a great excuse for why I haven't been blogging!  Tate has just been super busy!

He's been hanging at the zoo with his cousins...

being amazed at the lions...

learning how to drive the tractor...

reading TONS of books...

playing with his buddy, Drew...

 going on his first camping trip... 

playing outside any and every chance that he gets...

 being goofy...

 playing with ANYTHING that has wheels...

hanging out with his dog, Louie...

and making us smile and laugh more than we ever have.

What a wonderful 6 months it has been with our little guy.  What did we ever do before he got here? The time where we only knew his face seems like a distant memory.

What a gift he is.

Getting back into the blogging groove again!:)

Ethiopia- Part Two: MEETING TATE!!!

We slept in late on the morning of the 10th ready for a day of recuperation after our trip.  The first thing we wanted to do was drive past the Gladney care centers where Tate was staying.  We were scheduled to meet him the next morning along with the 8 other families that were traveling at that time. 

Our driver drove past the houses and it really was torture knowing that Tate was just behind a couple of walls. As we were "stalking" the center, Travis and Joanna, part of the in country staff, were driving by and stopped us.  We kinda felt that we had been caught.:) Travis and Joanna gave us a run down of the week and we got our plan for the next day.

We then went to lunch at Island Breeze.  This was our favorite place to eat in Ethiopia.  Brian is an extremely picky eater and we probably ate there at least every other day.  By the time we left, we new the staff by name! GREAT American food!  Our favorite things were the chicken burgers, pizza, fajitas.

The rest of the day was spent buying souvenirs and resting. We were going to meet Tate the next day!!!

The next morning we met the other traveling families at the Gladney care center for our instructions for our visit.  It was really cool to be able to meet families that I had blog stalked and had never met. 

After our instructions, we were lead to Tate's house.  Walking up to the house, I had to fight back the tears when I thought that this was where Tate had spent the majority of his life. 

We walked up the stairs and led to Tate's room.  Tate was not there but we did get a glimpse of his crib.  (his was the middle one)

We walked into the hallway and waited for him to be brought in from "sun time".  I was nervous that they would bring Tate in and I wouldn't recognize him in person.  I first saw the back of his curly little head as he was being carried upstairs and I knew it was him immediately.  The worker walked right by me and I am pretty sure I forgot how to breath.  When we walked back into his room he was standing in his little crib.

I didn't know what to do.  I didn't want to scare him to death so I just bent down and started stroking his little hair and just repeatedly said, "Hi".  I finally picked him up and Brian and I took turns holding him and talking to him.

It took him about 20 minutes for him to warm up to us.  One of the caregivers did help bring him out of his shell and got him grinning a little for us. 

Our first family picture!

I had received a locket from a good friend right after our referral and had worn it while we were waiting to pick him up. Tate instantly loved the necklace.  He loved to open and close it and look at his picture.  (Stay tuned for more of the locket story later.)

 Our first visit with Tate went perfectly.  It was so hard to leave but we knew that he would be with us forever very soon!

Tate's first snow!

Oklahoma Snow Storm 2011 has had us trapped inside for the past day and a half.  We finally decided to get out of our pj's and introduce Tate to the snow!

5 layers on and ready to go outside.  It was kinda funny watching him try to walk!)

It was COLD!  But typical Tate just turned on his smile and went with the flow.

He was pretty fascinated by the snow, however, I think that he was more amazed by his mittens.:)

Brian was ready to get the sled out but it was just too cold!

 

Cute boy!

Between the cold and the sun bouncing of the snow, we lasted about 5 minutes. I think it took longer for us to get dressed! For now we are just going to continue enjoying being trapped indoors together!  I love being snowed in!

Support Adoption!

Back when we first started the adoption process, we were invited to an Ethiopian restaurant in Oklahoma City called the Queen of Sheba. Once a month, a group of families from the Oklahoma City area who have adopted or are in the process of adopting get together.  We have loved being able to go and meet other families who are or have been in the same shoes that we are in.  We also love the fact that Tate will grow up having friends from Ethiopia!:)

A few weeks ago, we went back to the Queen for the first time since we have brought Tate home. It was so neat to be able to introduce everyone to Tate!  We were also very excited to  meet a lot of new families in the adoption process!  These families are so much fun and are doing a lot of great fundraisers to help with their adoption expenses!

The Andrews' are "Recycling Love" highlighting many adoptive families until February the 18th and helping them raise money by selling some really great t-shirts.  Families earn $10 for every t-shirt sold!  We were able to meet the Linck's, Habuda's and Ellis' at the Queen! So check it out and buy a shirt!

 The Linck's are also making some yummy cupcakes for Valentine's Day.  We ordered some of the red velvet and they were delicious!

The Ellis's also have a really cute etsy store!  Clutches, key rings, coozies, t-shirts, and some other super cute stuff!  You must go check it out! I ordered Tate the robot shirt for Valentine's Day!  I can't wait to see him in it!

We also got to meet Lindsay and Brian who have some really great fundraising stuff going on!  Lindsay also has an etsy store where she is selling some adorable scarfs and headbands!  They are also selling some opened eyes t-shirts but you better hurry! The deadline to order those is tomorrow! My friend Laura already ordered hers! (Laura, you are the best!) 

Please go and check out these blogs and support their adoptions! 

My new favorite book....

Sunday was baby Sunday at our church.  I can remember last year seeing all the new babies and thinking about how we would be up there the next year!  I love those full circle moments.

As a gift,  the children's minister gave Tate a Bible and the book, God Found Us You.

Now I have seen and heard about this book a couple of times, just never got around to getting it. Tonight I read the book to Tate before bedtime.  Let me just say that I should not have read this to Tate without reading it first.  Tate even laughed at me a couple of time when my voice went up a couple of octaves as I tried to fight back the tears, unsuccessfully I might add.

If you are an adoptive parent or soon to be adoptive parent, you must get this book.

It really took back to all those emotions that you go through during the process.

"I started seeing you everywhere, in the leaves of the giant oak in the bark of the pine.  Even in the stars!  How I longed for the day that you would arrive, when God would  find us you."

  I was talking to Jennifer yesterday who is in the paperwork stage of their Ethiopian adoption when she delivered some of her oh so yummy cupcakes. We were talking about the wait and about how sometimes it does feel like the wait will last forever. 

"No matter how much I prayed it would happen, I still had to wait."

"You waited and waited and waited?"

"And waited.  But I knew that someday you'd arrive when God would find us you."

I rocked Tate to sleep with tears in my eyes.  I remember thinking on some days that he would never get here.  I would imagine a little boy's toys all over the place, his laughter filling the house, and it just felt like a dream. 

But tonight I sat there with a little Ethiopian boy in my arms and as he sucked on his little fingers and patted my arm, I knew it was not a dream.  I pray that I NEVER forget that longing we experienced as we waited because as we were waiting God found us him. 

"When God found us you...you made me the happiest mama in the world."

    

Bath Time = Fun Time!

  Tate LOVES bath time. 

When we walk into the bathroom and pull back the shower curtain, he starts laughing and trying to wiggle out of our arms. 

We have to wrestle with him in order to take off his clothes as he continually lunges for the water.  When we finally get him in, he squeals and splashes up a storm. 

He loves the water! 

He will stick his face in it and blow bubbles and loves it when it's hair washing day which means we pour water on his head.

We've learned our lesson about how to end bath time.  Instead of just taking him out, which use to cause him to cry, we have learned to drain the water.  The only thing is that when he realizes the water is going down he he sticks his face in it until he can't reach it anymore. 

What a funny little guy!

"Okay Mom, no more pictures!":)

Ethiopia- Part One: On Our Way!

It is so hard for me to believe that it was over 3 months ago that we were beginning our trip to Ethiopia!  In some ways, it feels like it was yesterday. 

Our flight left Oklahoma City at 1:15 pm  on October 8, 2010 via Delta with our first stop in Atlanta.  My plan was to be completely packed and ready to go by 2pm on the 7th.   Well, needless to say, that did not happen.   We had been "packing"  for the past 3 weeks.  By "packing"I mean throwing everything that we think we may possibnly need for a 3-6 week stay in a foreign country into our spare bedroom.  Packing was something that  had really intimidated me.  I had read my packet from Gladney telling us what to take and I had printed off every list and suggestion from blogland.  I just felt like I was out of my league.  I will admit I had 2 meltdowns that day.  One becasue I was so unsue of what to take for Tate to eat, that I was sure he was going to starve.  The other, I had bought over 300 size 3 daipers to take and we got an update from Gladney at 4pm that said he was wearing size 4's.  So he had to make a last minute stop to exchange diapers.  (Come to find out, 3's would have worked.)

When we woke up travel morning, it felt like Christmas.  Brian and I just sat in the living room trying to wrap out brains around the fact that it would be the last time our house would only have 2 people living there.   We left for the airport 3 hours early, which was a good thing too because we had to turn around twice because I left my iphone and then camera cord.:)

 We ended up taking 5 bags, 2 backpacks, and 2 small carry-ons.  We did have to pay $250 for the extra bag, but I have no idea how we could have downsized.  We ended up staying for 5 weeks, but prepared for 6.

We checked our bags, said our goodbye's, and got through security in about 30 minutes

 . 

Brian even got a little nap in while getting creative with the travel pillows!

Our plane took off and we were on our way. First stop Atalanta, then Amsterdam, then Ethiopia!
We were lucky in the fact that our trip went smoothly and quickly. We slept a lot and watched a lot of movies.  We kept commenting on the fact that on the way home we would have a son, and we had no idea where he was going to fit!

We landed in Ethiopia after midnight on the 10th of October. We got through the visa line where we were denied a 60 day visa, so we would have to renew that later.  We grabbed our bags and found our driver, Hennock, waiting for us. Hennock was also the owner of the BNB guesthouse where we stayed which was actually very convenient for us.  He took us straight to the guesthouse.  The BNB is located about 5 minutes from the Gladney care center.  The first week we stayed in the larger apartment until the Lovin's and Capps' arrived.  There were two rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom with shower, and a large living room/dining room area.  There was actually a  lot more room than I had expected.

We settled in and went to bed.  Trying to sleep knowing that your son is only 5 minutes from where you are  was difficult!

One year ago....

One year ago, a terrible blizzard came through Oklahoma on Christmas Eve.
 Roads were closed. Our plans were ruined.
 It was the first time in my life that I did not go to my grandparent's house on Christmas Eve.
 It was the first time Brian had not been with his family.
 Luckily, we were at least snowed in at my parents house. 
It would be a Christmas Eve we would never forget.

We had no idea how true that would be.

Little did we know that on that very day halfway across the world, a little boy was being born. 

Our lives changed forever.

Happy Birthday 1st Birthday Tate Engida Plumb! 
It brings tear to my eyes to think about the moment you were born.
I wish I could have been there. 
But I am so thankful that I am with you now.
You have brought more joy and love into our lives than we ever thought was even  possible.

WE LOVE YOU!

A double dose of Santa may be too much.

A couple of weeks ago we went to see Santa Clause. 

Tate did great.  At first he just stared at him, but then he gave us one of his trademark big smiles!

Tonight, we made a last minute visit.
I guess we should have left it on a good note.

Maybe the reindeer scared him?

Hope he's not traumatized!:)

It's a Birthday Party: Dr. Seuss style!

I have a friend that was born on Christmas day and I have heard her horror stories about not getting parties or getting ornaments for presents.  I told Brian a long ago that I never wanted to have a child born on Christmas Day.  When  we got our referral for Tate we were told that he was born on December 24.  Christmas Eve.  Well, I guess that is not Christmas Day!  God makes me laugh.:)

So, in order to try and separate his birthday from Christmas a little bit, we had Tate's first Birthday Party today!

The picture for the invites!  Seriously, could he be any cuter?

 The cupcakes!

 Green Eggs and Ham

 One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

 Cat in the Hat

 Thing 1 and Thing 2

Luckily we got the picture before the cotton candy melted!

 Ready to party!

 The Birthday Boy!

 Aunt Kelli started things off with "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

Tate and his buds Drew and Hudson.  I have a feeling these three are going to get into a lot of trouble together!:)

 Presents!

 He liked the cake!

 He really liked the cake!

 Ok, he LOVED it!

We can't believe that we almost have a one year old in this house!  What a fun way to celebrate an amazing boy with wonderful family and friends! 

Happy Early Birthday Tate!

We love you!