Pictures!

I finally located where Caleb hid all of our Ethiopia photographs on the computer! (Ok, he didn't really hide them. I just had trouble locating them!)

Here we are getting to see and hold and have Denekew for the very first time in person! It is Monday Feb 18 at about 10am we are inside the Hannah's Hope Orphanage Compound.

I got to hold Denekew first!

Caleb was the first to get him to laugh. But we found out soon enough that he laughs and smiles easily and often!

Here he is fast asleep in the tummy carrier!

--------------The building on the left has all the nurseries. The open building on the right is where all the babies sun bathe each day!

--------------Here we are outside the compound gate. These are the other two families that we traveled with to all bring home our children!

Here is Denekew fast asleep in the moses basket that the orphanage let us use while we stayed in Ethiopia. As you can see both the pajama and the basket is a bit small for him! Poor guy!

--------------Here is the crib that was Denekew's bed. Above is the cute painting that was on the wall opposite his crib.

We have so many more pictures and stories to share. For now I hope you enjoyed seeing a glimpse of our first day in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Arrival of Denekew Lewis Oglesby

We have now been home for one week. I feel bad that I haven't yet blogged. But we are still adjusting to a 11 hour time difference (as well as waking up and caring for a baby in the middle of the night)!

Denekew is AMAZING! From the time we picked him up on Monday Feb 18th at Hannah's Hope in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia he has been nothing but smiles! He breaks into a grin just from getting a grin. He full on laughs at little silly things! He did NOT cry a single time for the 29 hours of flights and layovers, traveling home from Ethiopia! He laughed, we played, he slept, we slept! It was unbelievable!

We think that he is adjusting to us and the sights and smells of America well. He is always checking everything out! He is sleeping good (besides the time difference thing). He eats GREAT! He rolls over, although not often. He is almost sitting up on his own. And he LOVES the johnny-jump up (he gets himself laughing in that)!

We took him to the doctors this week to start getting his regular appointments going. He weighs 17 lbs 12 oz and is 26 3/4 inches long! He was in the 50-75% for weight and 75- 90% for length! And those statistics are made based on American born babies! Overall the doctor was really impressed! And we are too! We couldn't have asked for a happier, funner baby.

As far as Ocean and Jag go: They are ecstatic! At our home airport as Caleb, Denekew and I came up the escalator to baggage claim the first thing we could see was Ocean and Jag squealing and jumping up and down! Then one of the first things Ocean said was "Denekew likes Ocean better than Jaguar." Oh, the sibling rivalry, but this I did not expect! I couldn't help but laugh. If I can figure out how to get a video clip from our new video camera up here, you have got to see the kids when they first meet Denekew! And even now the thrill of a new sibling has not worn off (as I thought it might).

Thank you everyone for your prayers; I know this transition would not be this smooth if it had not been for you!

Take Off!

Bright and early this morning (it's 4:30am and I've never been so awake!) we take off for Ethiopia! Our trip begins at SeaTac airport with a 7:40am flight. Please be praying with us for traveling mercies.

In an unusual twist of events, last night my Ethiopian friend called me to tell me that her friend is also traveling to Ethiopia today! We are on the same flights! She has arranged for us to meet each other. Her friend is going to be there in Addis Ababa and may also be able to spend some time with us while in Ethiopia! If nothing else, I have someone to chat with for the 24 hours of flying time!

What a sense of humor our God has!

Next blog post we will be home!!!!!!!!

Amazing Blessing!

Caleb and I have discussed the situation three carseats (and children) in the backseat of our Subaru Outback (Station wagon) will have on us all. How long will that work for us? In Caleb's ideal world there would be a Porsche that would fit us all! In Jen's ideal world there would be a wind-powered Suburban for all of us, plus some! When will we break down and buy a minivan or SUV? (And with what money?)
Amazingly, we don't even need to worry about it! Today we were GIVEN a 1995 Ford Windstar minivan!
Thank you, Don & Sharon Clifton! You have answered our prayer and blessed our family!
(I didn't think I'd ever get tears in my eyes over a minivan or hear Caleb (aka sport car maniac) so excited!)

Ethiopia, here we come!

More like: Denekew, here we come!
I'm so excited; our trip is finally scheduled.
We leave Seattle Feb 16 and return with our son Feb 22!
One week in Ethiopia and our family will be changed forever!

Here is a little update on Denekew: He is currently 4 and a half months old and 15 pounds and 23 inches long. He is wearing clothing size 3-6 months and diaper size 2 (12-18 lbs). He is drinking 6-8 8oz bottles a day!

Right now his legal name is Denekew Caleb Oglesby!
Totally our son!

Travel Call!

WOooo HOooo! We finally got our travel call. I am so excited. Some final details are being put in place but it looks like our trip will be Feb 17- 22nd. We will have this confirmed tomorrow. I spent the day calling our moms and telling them and getting quotes from travel agents!

Thank you to everyone keeping us in prayer.
Caleb and I went to Portland for the weekend and attended my aunt Marilyn's 50th birthday open house. There we met many of her friends, all of whom responded to us "Oh, you are the people adopting! We have been praying for you!" How refreshing!

Nursing our son

This is a personal choice, but I wanted to share that I am planning on nursing Denekew. The few people I have told were shocked that this is even possible. I thought maybe if I shared a little about it now from my blog, I could head off some surprised looks and questions later!

Yes, adoptive breastfeeding is possible! There is actually an amazing amount of information out there (internet as well as published books). I have inserted some links at the bottom that I have found helpful. I am planning on using the Lact-Aid supplemental nursing system, where the baby nurses and can get breastmilk (if you have it) and/or gets milk from a supplemental bag. The device was actually invented by a couple that adopted in 1969 and wanted to breastfeed their child! Here is there story:
http://www.lact-aid.com/lastory.htm.
The system is designed to help your milk come in by inducing lactation. But even if it never comes in you can have the close bonding experience associated with nursing while your child gets their formula from the supplemental bag!

I am still trying to locate an adoptive mother actually doing this! So far I haven't heard back from anyone with the La Leche League. If you are or know of someone nursing an adopted child, I would love to hear from you!

http://www.lact-aid.com/
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBadoptive.html
http://breast-feeding.adoption.com/nursing/preparation-for-adoptive-nursing.html