Cute little sayings by Nahome

So--- I'm sure one of your questions for me is this.....

so really---how's the adoption going????

WELL---- here goes-- I'll fill you in on the scoop around here concerning the adoption transition.

Adoption is a new experience for us and it has been such a growing and learning time for all of us. We've adapted to life with 5 kiddos over the past 6 weeks--- it's really going well-- not much different than having 4 kiddos as far as my workload-(laundry, dishes, cooking) goes, it's just a little louder and outings are a little crazier than life with 4 kiddos was! Madilyn, Jackson, Hannah and Joel Daniel have been super sweet, loving, and accepting of our new addition and are adjusting well. No jealousy issues. No anger issues. They all have their "moments"-- but that happened pre-adoption, too-- so I don't think that it's really adoption-related issues but instead we just have normal "kids and siblings" kinds of issues! Joshua is also very loving towards everyone and really enjoys playing and learning from the other kiddos. They do fuss over toys quite often but again--I think that's pretty normal for all siblings! I really should wear a black and white striped shirt every day as I do tend to play the role of referee, quite often!!

Joshua Nahome is overall physically and emotionally very healthy. He has attached emotionally to us (Thank You Lord!!) and also really became comfortable and very loving towards our extended families (which was super fun to see while we were visiting them again last week!!!) He did come home from Ethiopia with a stomach bug called Giardia and he has lovingly shared that little bug with the rest of us, but we're all going to be treated for that as of Monday! It hasn't been bad as we are not camping out in the bathroom at all-- our stomachs just feel "weird" and no one is really hungry!! This could be really great for me-- I would love to loose that 10 pounds that will never go away!! Maybe the Giardia Diet will do the trick!! HAHA!! Anyway--- back to Joshua Nahome's transition.....

He gets super, super excited when I go to the grocery store and bring home his favorite things (like cereal and bananas)! It is really fun to bring home groceries because he goes crazy laughing, clapping and dancing around like it is Christmas morning!! It is hysterical and makes me realize how much we take for granted every single day. I just wonder how long his excitement over cereal and bananas and milk and yogurt will last..... Unfortunately, I'm afraid he'll be "Americanized" way too soon.

He is learning English very quickly.....he understands TONS and is already speaking in 3 and 4 word sentences and is a little sponge for new words. He has numbers down pat to 20 and we're working on colors now. Learning colors has been hard for him.....maybe he's color-blind....I'm not sure. We'll keep working! He is very fascinated by all the different names for our foods, especially foods that are similar, for instance.... BREAD PRODUCTS..... he'll ask.... "this is injera? this is bread? this is bun? this is roll? this is tortilla? this is biscuit? this is pancake? this is cornbread? this is injera?" etc. etc. OR another example.... DRINK PRODUCTS...... he'll ask...."this is water? this is soda? this is juice? this is lemonade? this is milk? this is tea? this is coffee? this is Koolaid? this is water?" etc. etc. It is very interesting to watch him and listen to him as he learns. He is still so amazed at all the options available here in "MERICA", as he says it.

He also says lots of funny things as he's learning English....... here are a few of the phrases that he says that I hope I don't forget because they are just adorable.....

when Joshua Nahome says,

"this is LUMMY." real translation--- this is yummy.
"Nahome is angry" real translation--- Nahome is hungry.
"Nahom es tummy growing" real translation-- Nahome's tummy is growling. (btw-his tummy can't possibly ever growl- he eats every 30 minutes or so!! hahaha!!)
"The End" real translation--- I am done going potty now.
"Joshua's tessarow." real translation--- Joshua's turn.
"Photos Tigist" real translation--- I want to look at my pictures of Tigist.
"I want chicken" real translation--- I want a granola bar. hmmm. -?-
"I want snackies" real translation--- I want a snack.
"Panties too beggus" real translation-- these pants are too big for me.
"Time for sleepies" real translation--- Time for sleep.
"Gimme beg hug" real translation--- I want a big hug!
"Comeon Mommy" real translation--- I want you to lay down with me mommy.
"Comeon Joel" real translation--- I want Joel to lay down with me too.

and when he says, "I love you" --- the real translation is.... I love you.

The biggest lesson I've learned through this adoption so far has been about the depth of God's unconditional LOVE for ME. Throughout scriptures we are all called heirs-- adopted sons and daughters of Christ but I've never really understood or "gotten" that meaning until now. Through this adoption, Joshua Nahome has done nothing to deserve my love, yet we love him. He has done nothing to earn my love, yet we love him. He tests me daily, yet we love him. We love him and want the best that life has to offer him.

What God has shown me in a very real way over the last several months is this.......

I DID NOTHING to DESERVE Christ's love for me, yet He loves me.
I DO NOTHING to EARN Christ's love for me, yet He loves me.
I SIN and test God daily and yet, He STILL loves me.
I know above all else, He loves me and wants His best for me.

I am so unworthy of God's love but at the same time, He's shown me the Depths of his love more than ever before through the adoption of Nahome. I love my biological children in a special way as they came from my body .....I love my adopted child in a special way because God laid him on my heart.

What a blessing to be the recipient of unconditional love! What a blessing it is to give unconditional love to our children. This has been such an amazing and humbling experience! We're growing in Him every day and are very thankful for Christ's unconditional love for every single one of us.

Blessings today,
AMY

Ephesians 2 :4-7 "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in sin-- for it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show us the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus."

1 Corinthians 2:9 "But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."