ydayayadaydayaaadaydayaaa

One of my most blessed months of my life is coming to a close.  October has truly been 'one for the record books' as they say.  I think if we could just freeze time right now where we're at...I'd be ok with that.  But, at the same time, Wes and I are constantly saying...oh, I can't wait to see him crawl or yikes, wait till he's walking, we'll really have fun then.  God has been incredibly gracious to us in October.11!
This week was filled with even more changes and new things for our little man.  First of all, Kaleb discovered his voice.  In the last few weeks, he has vocalized a lot and liked makes sounds.  But, this week... we started telling us stories.  Ydaydaydayda...and on, and on, and on, and on he goes.  He's got a lot to say.  He's lived enough life already filled with all sorts of adventures, that's for sure!  Here's a little video of what a very typical afternoon at our house is like... Kaleb LOVES his playmat :)  This is what the Roth B&B is sounding like these days-

This week, we've mastered the art of sleeping all night about half the time.  The other nights he just needs a 're-fuel' in the middle of the night.  A new diaper, a bottle and he's good to go.  Most the time, he doesn't even bother to open his eyes.  He just knows that if he squacks enough...help is on the way.  This week has also brought the onset of what we call 'migrating'.  He starts on his play mat then all of a sudden, he's almost under the tv stand then he's randomly over by the rocking chair.  He can't crawl but he twists, scrunches and rolls around alot!  Its fun to watch and see his little brain working to figure out things. 
And, today he put on his Sunday best for church.  Here's a picture of us after church this afternoon.  The weather has been beautiful and we have been blessed by an incredibly gorgeous fall season. 

He flirted with all the ladies at church today :)

 And, they flirted right back! 

Happy Sunday everyone :)  

7 Months

'Sun Kissed Baby Toes'

"May the Lord shine his face upon you and be gracious to you".

- Numbers 6:25

Our little man is 7 months old. 

You've been through a lot in just seven months.  What an understatement. 

God has preserved you. 

He protected you. 

He found us. 

We met you. 

He brought us together. 

We love you sweet baby Kaleb. 

Just so we don't forget...

We can already see so many changes in just a few weeks. They say the baby days just go flying by. And, I believe them. So, my sweet baby, here are the things of the week we just don't want to forget...

- You like carrots and sweet potatoes. Peas are ok. Green beans are uggh.

- You've graduated from the 1-2 diapers to size 2. You are a Pampers Baby Dry baby. Snugglers= floods and just aren't cool for this dude anyways.

- You met your first doctor on Tuesday. She was kinda weird. We've got a better place lined up... no worries little man.

- 1st shots were horrible. You screamed and screamed and screamed. Sorry you were scared and were afraid and hurt a bit too I'm sure.

- On Wednesday, you got to meet Great Grandma and Grandpa Berry. Ohh, it was fun! Which involved his first restaurant experience in which he literally flirted with the entire place. Lots of waitresses stopped by. Grandma Berry got lots of giggles and smiles and wiggly sweetness out of you that night!! He definitely charmed the entire place :)

- Today, we went to church for the first time as a family of three. We finally migrated to the 'Reserved for Families with Children' tables and everyone was thrilled to see you. We played it cool in the back and snuggled through our first church service. You did great!
- On Tuesday, you weighed 14.8lbs. and measured 25.5" long at your 6 month check-up. Pretty sure you've gained about 1.5lbs since we've been together as a family.
- You're officially a squirmer. Rolling over is fun but, squirming can get you were you want to go. Mobility is just around the corner little man!
- We've spent LOTS of time playing this week. The playmat is doing wonders for your strength training and the bumbo is lots of fun...especially when watching your first world series : ) Thanks Dad for finally tracking one down at ToysRus!
- Your sweet baby hair curls are definitely making their appearance. When we picked you up, you only had two sweet little curls on the back of your head. Now, you've got a headful and lots more on the way.

Our First Week Home

Ohh, its been an incredibly fun week.  We're settling in very nicely and our little man has already grown and changed.  When we first picked him at the orphanage, he didn't roll over.  He would roll onto his side but couldn't make it all the way over onto his tummy.  Well, Monday morning during our 4am playdate... he did it!  He flipped right over, looked at me for a second and then flashed the biggest grin.  Oh, so proud of himself- we are too!  At this point, he rolls over whenever he wants and whichever way he wants.  Lucky for us, he hasn't quite figured out you can roll multiple times in a row. 

We've transitioned from Ethiopian formula and cereal already.  It was smooth sailing without any diaper disasters- yay!  He hates rice, loves mixed grain and loves those bottles.  By Wednesday, we figured all was well...so, we started him on carrots.  The first bite was met with the furrowed brow.  The second spoonfull was followed by a big gummy grin.  You love your carrots!  All this good food is going straight to his thighs, those skinny legs gained their first fat rolls this week too :) 

Loves bathtime once he discovered that kicking one's legs causes splashing which is always a good thing according to little boys. 

We love watching the wind blow the purple leaves of the Canadian cherry tree out front.  Most days are filled with lots of sputtering.  You know sputtering of the lips- you can thank your dad for that one.  

We have found our schedule (we think ;) hopefully.... its tricky to migrate a 6 month old through a 9 time zone realignment.   But, we think we've about conqured it.  Sleeping from 9pm to 4am- we can handle that. 

We are having fun.  Lots and lots of fun being a family of three.  God has gifted us with one of the happiest and joyful babies I've ever met.  Seriously, if he was a she... 'she' would most likely have a 2nd middle name of Joy.  We are blessed and truly enjoying the gift that God has given.  Thanks for praying for us and checking in on us. 

God Bless!

Introducing...Kaleb :)

Kaleb A. Roth

Born March 22nd, rural Ethiopia

Home Forever- October 8th, 2011

Homeward Bound

We are done.  We are heading home.  We have adopted a son from Ethiopia.  Our next stop will be the USA where we can just be a family.  Our time here in Ethiopia has been incredible.  The hospitality and generosity of the people here has been incredible.  We've got his little passport and what we hope is a pile of diapers. 
Please pray for us.  Pray for good health both for us and our little guy.  Pray for good connections and lots of sleep along the way.  We have been doing very well this week however, quite honestly- the hardest part is yet to come.  Getting home. We have a BIG GOD- he can get us home without major diaper disasters or tummy aches.
We can't wait to introduce him- oh, we are so excited to introduce him to our family, friends and prayer warriers!!  That's all folks, we're signing out from Ethiopia- see you soon!

Today is the Day!!!

Good morning from Ethiopia!  We just had an amazing breakfast of pancakes with Vermont maple syrup and peanut butter- yummy.  We're enjoying a quiet morning before we have a meeting at the Bethany office.  After that, we'll have lunch and then go to the orphanage to pick up our children.  They will have a goodbye party for the kids too.  It will be a bittersweet moment.  Yesterday, we watched as another family picked up their son.  It was profound and painfully simple in many ways.  Yet at the same time, it was a beautiful and incredibly emotional moment as well. 
Pray for us today, as we start our journey of a 'family of three'.  We're thankful we'll be able to buy formula and wheat cereal which he is used to.  I think we're as ready as we can be!  Next update... he'll be in our hands :) 

Keep praying for us and God Bless!!