Announcing Benjamin Jack Mintesinot Wilkinson...............

We thought we would let you know that Minte requested an American name and he is now Benjamin Jack (after you Dad) Mintesinot Wilkinson. Minte helped pick it out and wanted to be Jackson or Jack. We didn't think he wanted to be called Benjamin but one day he said "Mom, I am Benjamin and Jack" when I called him Mintesinot. It is very hard to switch to calling him his American name but Jeff is reminding me.
He also asked if he would turn white when he got to America.........................seriously!

Ladies and Gentleman, today we are SUCCESS...............

Yeah, evidently Sal wasn't saying "sexist", he was saying "sucess! And "today we are success" to quote Salsawi. This morning we awoke to a call from Rahel telling us that the Embassy had the necessary paper work and we had an appointment at 2pm. We couldn't believe it!
So we go to the Embassy and The Guy, (I love The Guy) looks at me and says "I don't know how you pulled this off. I leave for vacation tomorrow and I knew I was coming back next week to see The Wilkinson Family. A home study ammendment through USCIS and NVC in 3 days. I have never seen anything like it before." I wanted to jump through the stall and kiss him! Even with Jeff standing right there. We were beaming! Grace and Heather, you are my heros! I am so so so so fortunate to have you guys going to bat for me. You are AMAZING! Heather, Shimeliss says he is so impressed with you, one of the best social workers he has ever dealt with. I love both of you ladies so much. As Grace said, I owe you guys drinks when I get home!! Thank you for everyone who was praying. I know that that is the reason that I am getting to type this good news email right now. If it weren't for God moving mountains and Grace and Heather's tenacity I would be here another week!
We leave here Saturday and will return to Fort Worth Sunday night!
Love you all! See you soon!

They may take my Blackberry but they will never take my FREEDOM....................

Ahhh Braveheart! Well anyway last night Jeff got in. We spent 3 hours at the airport waiting for him. The manager of the Cozy Place said we would have to get there an hour early just to get parking. I am pretty sure Jeff was the last one off the plane.
So we waited and we waited and we waited. Finally we saw him walk to the baggage claim area and we were so happy. It was hard to keep track of the boys because there is a huge horde of people standing in this giant clump and everyone is pushing to get closer so they can see their family member. I made the mistake of wearing flip flops to the airport and my feet were trampled by all of the maniacs.
I see that Jeff is in the line to have his bags xrayed and I am relieved. The wait is almost over but then I notice that I can't find Aiden. I start to panic. In the states this could be a big problem. I grab Minte and we search in the bathrooms and we ask guards to help us look. They have absolutly no interest and tell me "sorry, no boy." Thanks a million Police Officer Guy! Oh and by the way, great job on crowd control!
I am looking everywhere to find Aiden and I look down at my bag and see that the pocket is opened and my Blackberry, that was right on top, is now GONE. I was pickpocketed and there is no way to tell who did it. Even if there was, the police aren't interested in helping me find my kid so why the heck would they care about a phone!
Finally, when I am almost brought to tears once again on this trip, an Ethiopian woman walks up to me and says "I saw your son with the green jacket (she knows he is mine because we are the only two white people in the giant clump) sneak past the guards and go to a man in a red shirt (that would be Jeff)." Out loud I say "Thank you, I was so worried!" In my head I am thinking "I am gonna kill that little s#%t!" I managed to bleep myself in my head though. I look through the window and see Aiden standing there with Jeff with a look of pride on his face. You could tell he was pleased with himself for sneaking past the police (I hope this isn't the beginning of a life of crime).
Now that I know where Aiden is I can focus on the fact that somebody stole my FREAKIN' Blackberry right out of my purse! Dang!!!!!!! No more text messages from my friends!
I told the manager, David, of the Cozy Place and he said that they stole his Blackberry right out of his front pants pocket so of course a bag was an easy target. Uhhhh, I want to come home. Not that people don't steal from you in the states but at least they'll understand me when I am cussing them out in English!! Just kidding.......... kind of!

Another NO, and some Bottle Cap Bowling.........

This morning we went to the doctor and the guy was very nice but he said that there is no way that Minte is younger than 9 and he can't say that he is because he could lose his job and the clinic could lose it's contract with the Embassy. I am glad that he was ethical but that does mean that we will have to go with the home study ammendment. We have plenty of time and Heather and Grace kicked butt yesterday getting the ball rolling so I am not gonna stress over it today.
My driver was very leary of me this morning. He was worried that any moment I would become "sexist". I didn't. I didn't cry once, I just decided that what ever I have to do I'm gonna do. I just hope that it doesn't include having to change my flight plans AGAIN!!!
Now the boys are in the court yard playing Bottle Cap Bowling with Mahi, the managers wife. She is so sweet and I am thankful because I am running out of free things to do! And I'm running out of money entertaining these boys! Thank the Lord for bottle caps!
Thanks for all of your support and kind words! It is really helping me not freak out!
Love and miss you guys! OH! THREE MORE DAYS UNTIL JEFF GETS HERE!!!!! YAY!

Seriously? What did I ever do to these people...........

So Embassy didn't go so well today. We were one of 6 Hope families with appointments today. We were 2nd to last to go through. Everyone else breezed right through, no problems. We should be the same right?.......Not so much.
We get to the Embassy Agent Guys window and he immediately says there is a problem. What?......WHAT??? He explains that there is a physical for Minte that says he is 9, our home study shows we are approved for a child 7-8, and the boys birth certificate says he is 6. "So which one is it?" asks The Guy. "Ummmmm, which ever one will get me the visa." Is what I thought. I refer to Rahel. She tells The Guy that Minte is 9. Wrong answer.
So The Guy explains that the age range has to meet the home study approval and my options are to go back to the doctor and get her to agree that he is 7-8 or to get a home study ammendment saying that we can adopt a child 6-9 years old and then come back. A home study ammendment? Yeah right! Over night? YEAH RIGHT! So we, meaning me, Aiden, Minte, Rahel, and my driver Salsawi take off alllllllllll the wayyyyyyy acroooooosss Addis Ababa to the doctor. By this time it is 4:00 and the Embassy closes at 5. We finally get to the doctor and we all sit in this little room where Rahel pleads with the doctors on duty. None of them look familiar from the other day when we were there to get Minte's physical. They are all talking quickly in Amharic and looking at Minte and shaking their heads. Meanwhile I am praying that they are blind or stupid, or willing to take bribes. Just kidding.....sort of. Anyway I can tell it is not going well and finally Rahel gets up to leave. She looks at me with these sad eyes (the same ones she had when she had to tell me we wouldn't be bringing Theo home) and she says "No." That's it, just NO! I know your English ain't the greatest lady but I need some elaboration!!! Rahel ushers me outside and as soon as I walk out the door there is Gananew, Shim's brother. He walks up to me and says "I am very sorry, Jaclyn." And then he HUGS ME! What! You're sorry! Your giving me hugs! "What the hell is happening here?" is all I can think! That's when I finally burst into tears. I turn my back to them all and cry into my hands. I feel someone walk around me and stand in front of me, waiting. I finally look up to see who it is. This is when I realize that God has appointed this time, right now, with mascara running down my face and snot dripping out of my nose for me to meet Shimeliss face-to-face for the first time. Nice. "Hi, nice to meet you. Sorry for all of the crying. You probably don't want to shake my hand right now." is what I said to him.
In typical Shim fashion he refers the crying girl to Grace! He actually pulls out his phone and calls Grace to talk to me while I am crying! He had to talk to her anyway but he let her talk me off the ledge first. Finally he explains to me in English that the doctor that first saw Minte is out of the country and won't be back until the next day, maybe. We will come back to see her. In the meantime, sweet Grace and my sweet social worker Heather are already working on getting an addendum started just in case. I calm down because all of this sounds so much better than just "NO". But the tears are already flowing and with the stress of this entire adoption I can't just stop them now. The flood gate has been opened and all that, right? I keep telling Shim and Rahel, and Gan "I am sorry, I know it will be ok, I'm just frustrated." And they know all that we have been through so they just let me cry. We decide that nothing can be done until tomorrow anyway because by now it is well past 5:00 so we say goodbye and agree to talk in the morning.
I get into the car with Salsawi and we leave. He lets me cry for a bit until I get my tears under control just in time for my Aunt to call and ask happily "How's it going?!" And here comes the blubbering idiot again. My Aunt finally realizes through my sobs that I am asking her to have my mom call me. We hang up and I continue to cry quietly but Salsawi can't take it anymore so he pleads with me, "You must stop crying or you will become sexist! Jaclyn, please you don't want to be sexist, you must stop." That was all it took. I put my hands to my face and burst out laughing. "No," I said " I don't want that!". I have no clue what he meant but it worked, telling me it would be sexist to keep crying. Last time I was in this state of mind, bawling and not being able to stop, God sent me a Christian driver with the perfect Bible verse. Today he sent me an Orthodox driver with bad English. I'm thankful for both because they both had just the right thing to say to help me out.
I am pretty sure with all of the crying and laughing, Mintesinot thinks I am unstable. Give him a few more weeks with me and he will be sure of it!!
Thank you Grace and Heather for all you are doing for me. I will sleep better tonight knowing that you guys are on top of it and doing all that you can!
Blessings!
Jaclyn

Today is.......

Embassy Day! We will go and get Minte's passport with visa and all of the other documents needed to get him into the states! We are excited about this. Minte doesn't quite understand that we aren't leaving for the states immediately afterwards but he will figure it out when we are still here tomorrow.

Food Dreams.......

OK, I like Ethiopia, I really do but I am dying for some fresh vegetables! I just want a huge salad! Mmmmm, Sashimi sounds so nice right now! I feel like I have eaten as many carbs in two weeks as I have in my whole life. The food is good here and I like Ethiopian food a lot, but if it isn't Ethiopian it's Italian with the pasta! Grace I am so sorry for ordering Italian food for you guys when you stayed with me after picking up Addis! Uhhh, you probably wanted to smack me!
I never thought I would be missing the guy who owns the sushi place around the corner from me but right now I just want to send him a "Thinking of You" card so he nows how much he and his White Fin Tuna are missed! I have to stop typing about it before I tear up!
Miss you all, I'll write again soon and hopefully I will have moved on from my food dreams. Jaclyn

The Language of Mintesinot..................

Minte has four different ways of saying YES and I felt they deserved their own post.

1st (and most obvious) is the "YES MAWM, I LIKE IT!"
I write this in all CAPS because when he says it like this he is excited and wants to make sure I know he is.
2nd (slightly less obvious unless you speak Amharic) is "Ahh". He says this when he is answering me but is in too much of a hurry to think in English.
3rd (this one took me a couple of days to figure out) is the quick inhale. It's just a quick breath in. I'll admit that I myself have started using it because, let's face it, sometimes I am just too lazy to say the entire syllable that is the word YES! That and it is kind of fun to do in a weird way, it makes me feel a little more Ethiopian!
4th (this one is almost indistinguishable) is the Eyebrow Yes. It is just a quick flick of the eyebrows in response to a question. It is so hard to detect that it was just today, after two weeks, that I realized he was answering me when he did it. Before today I would repeat the question over and over until I got one of the other versions as a response. Minte was pleased at this because he immediately realized that I had finally.......finally gotten it! One more hurdle crossed!

Damage Control:

I am on my way to help Chris Mott do a little damage control! Her bag with Lice Killing Shampoo didn't make it to Addis yet and I just happened to bring an extra bottle. So we are going to rid her children of bugs and make sure they don't invest the rest of them. I can't wait to see them and meet them face to face. The last time I saw Sofonyas he just sat with me holding my hand during a coffee ceremony. He had had a hard night because Yonotan had left the day before and Minte a week before so he was sad and didn't rest well. Finally he got to meet his family this morning!
Minte is so sweet and funny. He makes silly jokes and really hasn't done much pouting. If he starts pouting we figure out what caused the problem and we tell him we are sorry and give him hugs and kisses and he is fine after that. I think he just wants us to recognize that something is wrong since he can't fully verbalize it yet. He minds really well and usually has a really upbeat, positive attitude. OH! He is wearing shorts. This may not seem like much to most of you but Grace and Gina, you realize that this is unusual for an Ethiopian boy. I think he likes dressing like Aiden. We call them the twins when they are wearing outfits that are similar! It is funny, at least the Ethiopians think it is when I say it!
I also wanted to say thanks for all of you comments on our blog. They make me feel great and help get me through each day. Thanks for checking in on us and showing your support. Even though I am surrounded by loads of people I am still lonely. I love you guys!
Blessings, Jaclyn

All is well......

We are doing much better now. We ordered the boys another bed for the room and that seems to make the days much smoother. I'm sure it boils down to the fact that they weren't sleeping well. They are entertaining themselves with whistling right now. Minte has taught Aiden how to whistle really loudly with his fingers in his mouth. You know, that thing that Dads do when your down the street playing too far for them to yell. Well, at least that is what my dad did. Aiden and Minte stand in the courtyard or bathroom and whistle their heads off. I am sure the other guests wish their heads would fall off so that they could have some peace and quiet. Anyway, they are getting along well and I am feeling better and we are all happy. We got out of the house a bit yesterday and I found a great place to go shopping and get lots of great souveniers for cheap. I can't wait until Jeff gets here so that we can load up. Even the boys are looking forward to shopping. I guess if you bore them enough anything sounds fun.
I really am having a good time in Ethiopia. I like it here. I also want to go home to see you all and talk with all of you. I miss my friends and being able to call ya'll and text. Oh the texting withdrawals I am having! Morgan, Grace, and Karissa, unless you already have unlimited texting, you should enjoy a cheap phone bill for August!
Nothing major to report other than we are at peace and it is nice! I will post again soon! Jaclyn

Shocker!!

Well, I managed to electrocute myself with that FREAKING CONVERTER!!!! Yes, the same converter that almost burned down the Cozy Place. (Rebecca Brutto, I can hear you laughing all the way over here in Ethiopia!!) My arm tingled all last night, on top of my raging headache. After I did it Aiden asked if he could try to do it........seriously??? Did I actually make electrocution seem fun?

So It's Not All Roses..

Yesterday ended up being a rough day. I had one of my awful burning headaches that made it hard to deal with anything, much less two boys who are getting on each others nerves. The language barrier is a bit of an issue for them. Mintesinot is a typical little brother (even though he is technically the older brother, more on that another time). He tears up Aiden's Lego creations, doesnt value anything that Aiden has put some effort into, and is clueless that Aiden is a bit Type A in that he wants things done his way. Don't ask me where he where he gets that from. (Don't ask Jeff either, because he will lie and say he gets it from me!!) Describing Mintesinot and Aiden as opposites would be accurate. Minte is starting to figure out that he is frustrating Aiden and I think it is stressing him out. I hate that for him. He woke up with a fever blister today. Poor thing.
I have read five books in the two weeks that we have been here, and I wouldnt consider myself a fast reader! Its just something to occupy my time until Jeff gets here. 9 more days

T.I.A.

For those of you who don't know what that means, it stands for THIS IS AFRICA!!!
Here in Africa the internet has been down for 4 days, again. Here in Africa people are not in a rush to get the internet back up and running! But I am loving it Here in Africa!
And the funny thing about Africa is that Aiden, the boy who is never sick, has been sick on three separate occasions with three different ailments! The first was the fever that went away within 12 hours thanks to some antibiotics I brought. The clinic that Aiden got his shots from prescribed them, thank the LORD! Two days ago he woke up early and was loudly rustling about in the living room. I was frustrated with this since it was 6 am and I had no intention of getting up before 7. He was being very noisy so I yelled "Aiden, knock off all that noise!" Then I hear muffled sobs, very unlike Aiden to cry over me being a grouch in the morning, because I'm always grouchy in the morning so I realize I need to get up and see what is going on. I turn the corner to three lovely puddles of VOMIT! Nice. My poor baby was trying not to wake me but couldn't get out the door in time! I felt two feet tall for getting on to him! I am such a jerk! He was fine within the hour and we went to the movies later that day. Weird huh? Today he has "a stomach ailment" or the poo's if I am being lady like! He is a trooper though!
Yesterday was a nice day, we spent three hours or so at Hope. I got to rock the baby to sleep and hold him while he napped. So did Aiden. It was so nice. He didn't cry when I held him this time which was a first! PROGRESS!
Minte is good as always, not a bit of trouble. He is a bit on the wild side though. And LOUD!! He is very loud, but in a cute way! For now it is cute anyway!
I miss you all terribly and I am counting down the days until Jeff gets here. 11 more days! Ahh I can't wait! Thanks for all of your texts, even though I can't respond, they connect me with reality and I am so thankful for it. I can't wait to introduce you all to my new boy, soon, very soon!
OH, please say prayers for my friend Linsey, another Hope mom. She is here picking up her baby Abdisa who is about 4 months old. He is sick and in the hospital because of dehydration and anemia. He is a tiny thing! Linsey's sister-in-law, Sarah, gave me an update saying that he should be able to get out of the hospital today and they are trying to get an earlier flight out so that they can get him to the hopital in the states. Thanks!
Love you all, thanks for checking in. Jaclyn

Guess Who Is Not So Laid Back:

Here's today's post from Jaclyn.
Its Aiden!! He is a hyper little monkey now that he has a brother to rough house with. All they want to do is wrestle. It is really cute. The boys rough house and if they are on the bed Minte will act tired and say "Aaaden, I sleep, I sleep" and then he will lay down and fake snore trying to trick Aiden into thinking that he is tired and not going to wrestle anymore. Then when Aiden isn't paying attention, or so Minte thinks, he jumps up and attacks Aiden.
Yesterday was a hard day for Aiden. He had a moment of crisis where and had a melt down. We were at the Bole Rock Pool and Gym. Minte wanted to swim and Aiden didn't. The water was cold, there were tons of people in the pool and Minte didn't know how to swim so he just hung on Aiden and splashed him in the face. It was a whole ordeal but we managed to get through it but not before Aiden had to have his NachoLibre video game taken away for the day. It was because of his refusal to help Minte and he was being ugly to me. Who knew Aiden loved wrestling so much.

Communication Limitations in Addis Ababa

Good morning, Everyone. I just spoke with Jaclyn on the expensive phone (buy stock in Cingular). She is encountering some limitations on communicating with us. The internet in Addis Ababa, even the high-speed at the Hilton, isn't working, and she can receive text messages, but not send any. She thanks everyone for your love and messages, but she cannot respond to you.
She took the boys to the Lion Park. They watched real lions devour goat pieces and road a small ferris wheel. Minte' is learning more english words with Aiden's help. When he gets frustrated, he says a word in Amharic that sounds real close to our "s--t". Also, Jaclyn learned that you can't keep the electric converter plugged into the wall for 2 days......started to smoke.
They're having fun learning about each other and bonding. Ya'll have a blessed day. Mine is very, very quiet.
Jeff

They Made It!!

Family, Friends, and Loved Ones, here's an update:
Thank you very much for your prayers and your support. I just spoke with Jaclyn, Aiden, and our new son, Minte', on the expensive phone. J & A made it just fine to Addis Ababa, and so did all our boxes of donations and bags. Their flight was long and their TV didn't work. Nintendo DS to the rescue! They played Mario Kart for 17 hours.
They met a very excited Minte' at the Hope Orphanage and he's staying with them at the Cozy Place, a bed-n-breakfast equivalent. Minte' is very loving and very limited in his english. He and Aiden are getting along wonderfully. Get this, he claims that he's 9 years old, not 7. Interesting. We'll see how "big brother" Aiden handles this.
They also met and held the baby today, who is very, very small. Maybe we'll get to bring him home with us. Until the court approves him, we are limited to just daily visits.
Jaclyn's immediate challenge over there is keeping the boys from getting bored. The caregivers at Hope maintain a schedule and daily structure to their 60 orphans. Thus, Minte' wants to know exactly what they plan to do and when. I foresee lots of swimming. Jaclyn can get "day passes" and use the swimming pool and internet at the Hilton Hotel - it's clean and safe.
Hope is very grateful for their gifts and donations. Thank you. Addis Ababa is more modern and more clean than Niger, West Africa, but it is still 3rd world. I can't wait to go meet them.....gotta take my own TV.
Allow God to work through you today.
Lovingly,
Jeff