Meeting them for the first time...

Tarmac at Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa.

A little over a week ago, after a very long flight, we descended down the metal stairs onto the tarmac at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The first thing that hit me was the damp, drizzly air. I can’t tell you how good it felt after being cooped up in a plane for 13 hours. I took in a big breath – and drank it in. The smell was almost exotic... like the smoke of clove cigarettes hanging in the air. It was intoxicating.


We met our driver "M" outside the airport after rounding up our bags, and we were off. It takes 20 minutes from the airport to get to Horizon House – the place where our kids are staying. Just 20 minutes were standing between us and meeting and holding our kids for the first time. My heart was pounding and my mind was racing. 


“I hope they are all healthy.”
“I hope they are all happy.”
“I hope they have all gained weight.”
“I hope... I hope... I hope...”


The 20 minutes flew by. It was a blur of honking horns, merging cars and fancy traffic maneuvers by our very talented driver. I told him he would fit in perfectly in New York City.


Nearing the end of the drive, we took a hard right onto a very narrow dirt alleyway. If you blinked, you would miss it. A few second later, we stopped at a huge gate surrounded by barbed wire. We had arrived.


This is the moment we had been waiting for. The driver said they were up and we could just walk right in and meet them. No fanfare. No ceremony of handing you the baby like they did with J-Lo in the movie “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.” It was just me and Ken... and all that stood between us and our kids was a door to a small room.


We threw our bags in our room and grabbed two cameras. After taking our shoes off we quietly opened the door and walked into the room. I looked to my left and saw this beautiful little girl wearing pink lying in a small crib. She had big almond eyes and A LOT of hair. I almost didn’t recognize her. She had grown so much since we first saw her in the referral photo. But it was her. I asked if I could pick her up and the Nannies said of course. Let me tell you, there’s nothing like that moment. Holding and kissing your child for the first time. Two seconds later they handed me one of the boys. The big guy. The smile on my face was so big. And then they handed Ken the other boy. All everyone could say was “Konjo” which means beautiful in Amharic.


That’s exactly what it was... beautiful.


Over the next few days, we spent as much time as possible with the three of them and quickly learned that they all have their own distinct personalities. “N” the girl, is very independent. She loves to roll around and steal toys from her brothers. “E” the big guy can be stoic, but once he gets to know and trust you, he’s all smiles. He also loves to be picked up. And then there’s “A”. He was the third one to be born. In true youngest-child fashion, he loves to make his presence know. He has an inner squeal he belts out when he wants you to notice him. It’s hilarious. 


Needless to say, both Ken and I are head over heels. It’s amazing how much love you can feel for another little human being. In our case – three little ones. 


We truly couldn't feel any luckier.

Wordless Wednesday

Still coming off jet lag - and need to gather all my thoughts and emotions about this life-changing trip - so until then... here are few pictures.

The Best Friday… Ever!

After hoping, praying and waiting… we are FINALLY… going to meet our kids! I came home after yoga and opened my email to find the subject line ‘Court Date!!!’ from one of our caseworkers.

Ken and I couldn’t be more excited and overjoyed. It’s hard to hold back the tears.


I can't believe we are going to be parents to the three most amazing little human beings.

So watch out Addis Ababa… The Pouliots are arriving on July 14th.


Now it's time to pop open the bubbly! TGIF!!!!!!!

The Waiting Game

It’s been more than a month since I posted anything. Honestly, I feel like I don’t have a whole lot to update you guys on right now… except that we’re in a holding pattern … which sucks.


It’s been a little over nine weeks since we got our referral of the three beauties, and since then we’ve updated some paperwork – including more FBI fingerprints as well as prints for CIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). Ken also made a bunch of flashcards so we can learn some Amharic and we also got our travel vaccines. Hep B, Hep A, Typhoid and Yellow Fever just to name a few. 


Let me tell you, after being jabbed through two IVF cycles, I wasn’t afraid of the shots at all. But I must admit the Yellow Fever one is less than pleasant. I felt it in my arm muscle for days. Of course, that pain is nothing compared to the agonizing mental anguish of waiting for a court date. 


And I am sure after we meet them, and hold them, and kiss their little faces – the wait for our Embassy appointment is going to feel like absolute torture. 


On a positive note, this time has allowed me to reach out to a triplet mom group on Facebook, which has been pretty amazing. I have received so many warm wishes as well as advice about everything from strollers to schedules. It’s so nice to have a support system of moms out there who know the ins and outs and the everyday CHAOS of parenting triplets.


So thank you to the “Triplet’s Mommies” on FB.


Stay tuned… I can feel news of our court date coming any day now. Fingers crossed!

How do you prepare for TRIPLETS??!!

“How do you prepare for triplets?” That’s a question I’ve been asked many times in the past month since we got the amazing news of our referral. When I tell people – their jaws almost always drop wide open and they usually say “Oh My God. Congratulations! But, triplets – wow that’s going to be a lot of work.”

Yes, there’s no denying that fact. But I like to think of a comment that came from a friend of mine who I met at that documentary workshop in Texas (Here’s the link to my short documentary).

He’s an editor and a child psychologist. He looked at me and Ken over dinner and said, “You guys are going to be great parents – and one of the best things about having triplets is – it’s an instant play date! They will always have you and they will always each other. You will be fine. Trust me.”

I do trust him. But, seriously… how do you prepare for three little human beings who will be 12 months old and running around by the time we bring them home!!!???

In our case… we’ve been talking to a lot of experienced moms and dads, I joined a triplet mom group online (which is very informative) – and we’ve been doing a lot of research.

I’ve also been indulging myself by picking out things for their room. Cribs, and birch tree decals for the walls of the bedroom, a funky rocking chair and some handmade stuffed owl pillows from Etsy. (I love Etsy!) I haven’t bought anything yet. I am waiting until we travel for court and come home to get their room done.

(We've also been having some lengthy discussions about names!)

Needless to say, I am incredibly excited (and a little scared) – but I know with patience, help from our support system of family and friends and A LOT of love – things are going work out just fine.... right!?

Got advice for Ken and I as we get ready to become parents of three? Well, we are wide open to any suggestions.  Also – for any multiple moms out there – I would love any suggestions for triple strollers (preferably ones you can power walk/jog with!)

The Call That Changed Everything

A week ago Monday at 10:49 a.m.  – as I was running out the door to drive Ken to the airport – THE CALL finally came from our agency. 

We had been matched.

Not with one baby, not with two – but with three beautiful little peanuts. That’s right. TRIPLETS! They are almost 6-months-old and are the cutest little beings I have ever laid eyes on. Two boys and a girl from Ethiopia.

It’s overwhelming and amazing all at the same time. 

It all started when I was in Texas. Our case worker sent out an email to families who were eligible for a sibling group. I remember looking over the email and forwarding it to Ken – half joking – saying “Wow, healthy 5-and-a-half month old babies – BUT Triplets! That’s a lot of work.”

He responded a few minutes later saying… “Sign me up!”

He scheduled a call with our case worker to talk about how to move forward. She told us there was significant interest from other families as well, and we should not get our hopes up because they had been waiting much longer – some of them two years. That was OK with us. If it was meant to be – it was meant to be. So we got our homestudy update and officially asked to be matched.

Honestly, with all the luck we’ve had in this crazy adoption process, we really had no expectations. None. And then wham! Fate steps in and we are the parents to three little beauties.

There’s still a long road ahead. The babies are from a region where our agency has just started to work in, so in a way, it’s almost like a pilot program. There are unknowns and travel to the region is far from easy. But we are feeling optimistic and ready for whatever life brings us.

We are hoping to bring them home before the end of the year (fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly with court and the embassy!) I have been a mad woman over the past week - running around... updating paperwork... getting things notarized, state certified and on and on -- and this is just the beginning of the journey.

Wait until we bring them home. This house that we live in now – which is pretty mellow – is going to be UPSIDE DOWN.

And... I can’t hardly wait!

Two Weeks in Far West Texas

Marfa, TX

I have been home for two days now… and it feels good to be back. There’s nothing like being in your own house and sleeping in your own bed. 


But, I must say – to my complete surprise – this New England girl thoroughly enjoyed West Texas. I was in the tiny town of Marfa for two weeks for a documentary workshop. And believe me, it’s not an easy place to get to. You have to fly into El Paso (with no direct flight from NYC) and then you have to jump in a car and drive three hours to this dusty, little artsy town with a population of 2,000. 


Being in cowboy country in the middle of a two-week workshop does have its advantages though. 


Advantage No. 1: The fact that you can drive 85 miles-per-hour with your hair flying in the desert wind without a cop in sight. I actually think the speed limit is 75 in some places and they want to raise it to 80. Perfect for a lead-foot like myself. 


Advantage No. 2: Because it’s an artsy town filled with creative people, the coffee is amazing and so is the food.


Advantage No. 3: Being surrounded by the minimalist and wide open desert landscape. It really is a different kind of beauty.


Advantage No. 4: Meeting interesting -- salt of the earth people – that I would’ve never come across if it weren’t for this little town.


Advantage No. 5: Feeling inspired by all the new stuff I was learning. I actually know how to use a Canon XF305 professional video camera – and use it with confidence. For all of you in the production business (or news biz) I can white balance like a pro no matter what time of day it is, shoot at all different angles, edit in Final Cut Pro, hook up a wireless lavalier (lav) and adjust the audio until it’s just right. Being on the other side for many years as a producer, it’s empowering to know how to do all of these things! And I never shot blue video once!


Advantage No. 6: I have a completed short documentary, and as a result, feel like I can jump right in and start on my own documentary that I’ve wanted to do for almost a year now. (Once I get a link to my documentary, I will post it on my blog)


Advantage No. 7: Being completely distracted. I was so engrossed in what I was doing, I didn’t even think about the adoption, which was a welcome break. No obsessing over our wait. No fretting over if this will ever happen for us. It was truly refreshing.


Advantage No. 8: Saying you want to do something and actually doing it are two completely different things – and sometimes I find myself getting stuck in the middle. In limbo between having a goal and then really going after it and achieving it. It almost happened with this journey because I was ALMOST too much of wimp to go to a foreign place for two-weeks by myself. BUT I am so glad I did. I feel more confident not only in my professional life as a result of everything I learned, but also in my personal life. 


In the meantime, while I was gone, things started to happen on the adoption front. I don’t want to say exactly what it is, because I don’t want to jinx it. I will say it could be life-changing.


Until I have more news, here are a few pictures to enjoy of Marfa.

First day of shooting. Adam Bork (the subject of the documentary) fixing one of his many vintage cars.

Putting the story together, act by act.

The Food Shark (food truck) - run by Adam Bork and his wife Krista - was the subject of the documentary.

Main street in Marfa

Another view of Main St. at dusk

The night of the screening.