Saturday, September 27, 2008

A boy and his horse

In honor of Strawberry, the wonderful pony Belachew rode this week, we got him a pony stuffed animal. He has named it "horse" and carries it with him just about everywhere. We've taken horse to the Children's Museum, to the grocery store, and to a picnic. I saved horse from being taken into the bathtub with Belachew the other night. He loves his horse!

Another Ethiopian holiday-Meskel

Today is Meskel, an important Ethiopian holiday. Meskel means "True Cross". It is believed that Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, discovered the True Cross on which Christ was crucified in the 4th Century. Many Ethiopians believe that the True Cross remains at the mountain of Gishen Mariam monstery.

There are three main accounts of how the True Cross was found. The most popular tells how Helena went off on her search but rather than the Jews telling her where the cross was, she found it by lighting incense and following the smoke as it descended to Earth.

Meskel is celebrated with a huge feast. This important festival is celebrated differently in each region. In the central highlands, the festival begins on Meskel eve by planting a green tree in town squares and village marketplaces. Everyone brings a pole topped with the beautiful yellow Meskal daisies, which are abundant in Ethiopia at the end of the rains, placed to form a towering pyramid which is then set alight.

In Addis, large crowds gather in Meskel square near the Church of Saint George. A colorful procession gathers around the huge pyramid and the torch bearers set it alight. Feasting, drinking, and dancing continue until dawn when the central pole of the pyramid falls, marking the climax of the event. The next day people return to the fire to make the sign of the cross in the remaining ashes.

In the southern lands (where Kenyon Belachew is from), the feast is the most important event of the year and lasts for at least a week.

Monday, September 22, 2008

A day of firsts

Today was a day of "firsts." We started off our day with a not so fun first...a visit to the doctor's office for immunizations. Kenyon did not have any record of immunizations from Ethiopia, so we are catching him up. He was not a fan of the needles (what kid is?), but he was a trooper and told the doctor and nurse "thank you" afterwards. After lunch and nap, we decided to take Kenyon on his first horse ride. He loves horses- he has a horse video, horse books, and horse figurines. But this was his first time to touch and ride a horse. A local park offers pony rides, so we decided to try it. Kenyon was a little unsure at first, but quickly warmed up to his pony "Strawberry" and enjoyed his ride. He gave Strawberry a kiss at the end of our time and thanked her for the ride.

Recovering from immunizations (Band-aids covering where he got his shots)

Kenyon Belachew and Strawberry the pony



One happy boy!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Happy New Year!

I know that today is September 12, but it is the New Year in Ethiopia! Ethiopia follows the Coptic or Julian calendar, as opposed to the Gregorian Calendar (which is used in the US and most of the world). New Year's in Ethiopia is on September 11, but on leap years on the Julian calendar it is on September 12. The new current year in Ethiopia is 2001. Of course, Ethiopians know the Gregorian calendar and follow the rest of the world's calendar for business and official purposes.

The Ethiopian New Year is called Enkutatash, which means "gift of jewels" and it marks the end of the heavy rain season. It is historically set by the return of the Queen of Sheba to Ethiopia after she visited King Solomon in Jerusalem. Enkutatash is not only a religious holiday but it is also a day for children to sing and dance and for exchanging New Year greetings. Happy New Year!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

3 Months Home

Arriving home, at the airport on June 6
Our family, 3 months later


Yesterday, September 6, was our 3 month anniversary of Belachew arriving home with us. We had plans to go to an Ethiopian restaurant with friends before realizing the date. It ended up being the perfect way to celebrate! Belachew enjoyed the injera (traditional Ethiopian pancake-like bread), but was more interested in playing with the restaurant owner's children.

It's amazing to reflect on the past 3 months. Kenyon Belachew has changed in so many ways. He arrived in the US as a sick, clingy little boy. He rarely made eye contact with others and was very unsure of new people. All of these things are understandable; I am sure he was confused and scared. He is now a healthy, active toddler. He is outgoing, talkative, and loves being around people. He is full of life and has a smile that melts peoples' hearts. He still likes to cuddle and be held at times, but he has definitely shown his independence and likes to do things himself. When I think of all the losses and changes he has experienced in his short life, it makes me realize how brave and strong he is. He is truly resilient and I am so proud of him.

When I look at myself, I have to acknowledge that I have changed in the past 3 months as well. Of course when you become a parent, your life changes dramatically. I had anticipated many of these changes and looked forward to them, but until you actually experience it, it is hard to know what it will feel like. I have to admit that parenting has been much harder than I thought. I have had moments of wondering "what were we thinking?" I've shed many tears since becoming a mother, out of joy or frustration and exhaustion. Parenting is the most challenging thing I have ever experienced, but at the same time it is the most amazing thing. The challenges I have experienced in parenting in these 3 short months have taught me a lot about myself- to love in a deeper way, to give of myself when I feel like I have nothing left to give, and to see life through the eyes of my son. As I have shared, Belachew loves playgrounds. He often asks me to slide with him or climb on the playset with him. At first I wanted to sit back and watch (partly to get some rest, and partly to not look ridiculous), but he didn't have to ask too many times for me to start sliding with him. I know he will grow up fast and I want to treasure these moments together. So as long as my bottom can fit, I will ride as many slides with him as he wants me to.

He has picked up English quickly, but still uses many Amharic words. He knows the English words for most of the Amharic words he uses. While we know it is important for him to continue to develop his English skills, we love the fact that he still uses Amharic words. We have no doubt that he will soon be as fluent in English as other children his age, but we would like for him to retain some Amharic words, even if it is just vocabulary. We think if he can keep some of the vocabulary words, it will enable him to (re)learn Amharic as he grows up, if he chooses to. We know that Belachew is now an American, but we want him to be proud of where he came from and we want to keep as many connections to his Ethiopian culture as possible. We look forward to a many more months and years- a lifetime together as a family.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Got $2?

Here's a way to make a difference.

Watch this:




and then go here:

www.charitywater.org/birthdays/fundraiser/sept/view/576

I was introduced to Charity: Water by Geremu's parents, and then saw this video about it this week. Even if you don't know Geremu (trust me, if you knew Geremu, you'd want to give him a birthday gift- he's an awesome kid), consider giving $2 (or more) to this organization. They are doing great work in East Africa and are currently raising money to bring water to communities in need in Ethiopia.

Did you know that the amount of water an American uses in 2-3 minutes a day is more than the average Africans' daily supply? I don't say this to make you feel guilty- please shower, do your laundry, flush your toilet, and wash your hands. I say this for you to realize that our water supply is a blessing and privilege, something that many people do not have, and something we should not take for granted. And like all blessings we have, I think we should stop from time to time and think about these blessings, and how we can give back and make a difference. $2 sounds like a good place to start.

These are a few of his favorite things

It has been fun to watch Kenyon's personality come out more. He definitely lets us know what he likes and what he doesn't. Here are a few of his favorite things these days, in no particular order:

-101 Dalmations and The Jungle Book- the movies, the books, he loves it all. At a minimum, we read the 101 Dalmations book twice a day. He loves to talk about the Mama wusha (dog), Daddy wusha, and Baby wushas. The elephants and monkeys are his favorites in The Jungle Book and he will often quote lines from them or march around the house like the elephants

-Salad- he loves it!

-Macaroni and Cheese, otherwise known as "cheese"- still a favorite around here

-Sweets- he is starting to develop a sweet tooth, but thankfully most of the sweets he consumes are relatively healthy- granola bars, fruit snacks, yogos, and juice are current favorites. These are definitely limited, but it has been good to see him expand his food interests. The salad balances out the sweets, right?

-Singing- his current favorite songs to sing are "Jesus loves me" and "Pay me my money down" by Dan Zanes (one of our favorite children's musicians). So you'll either catch him singing about Jesus' love, or the money you owe him and putting you in jail if you don't pay him

-Playgrounds- slides are still a favorite, although he also enjoys climbing and swinging

-Playdates- he loves playing with his friends

-Our local Children's Museum- we usually go once a week, thanks to the membership we got as a gift. He loves the carousel there and would ride it all day if I let him

-Helping mama- he wants to do whatever we do, so I've been trying to put this to good use. He likes to help me dust (on the rare occassion that I have time to clean), stir pots in the kitchen, use the dustbuster, and feed our dog Rainey. One of his favorite jobs is pushing the button on the salad spinner (and sneaking out lettuce to eat when I am not looking)

-Books- other than "101 Dalmations" and "The Jungle Book," just about any book that has animals in it, this kid loves. Current favorites are "Soon Baboon Soon" (we've renewed this from the library 3 times), and "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly said the Sloth." Kenyon loves books and has most of his favorites memorized.

On September 6, he will have been home with us for 3 months. He has added so much joy and laughter to our lives. He is a delightful challenge- testing boundaries and limits as most toddlers do, yet so fun and sweet at the same time. I look forward to continuing to watch his personality develop and see him become the person that God made him to be.