Wordless Wednesday

A little gift from a close friend. Looks great on the Jeep!

Cases Have Been Cleared!

It's official. We are heading back to Addis Ababa to pick up the triplets and bring them home! It feels so surreal - especially since we've spent years dreaming about this moment.

It's hard to believe it's finally happening!

We got the email Friday morning from the U.S. Embassy saying "Cases are cleared; request for visa interview." I honestly thought it was a mistake. I didn't think we were going to travel until mid to late October. But here we are, running around like crazy people, making travel arrangements and trying to figure out what exactly we have to pack for our babies.

I've gotten as far as LOTS of diapers, wipes, formula, snacks and of course several changes of cloths (in case of blowouts, which are probably inevitable, on the 16-hour plane ride home.)

As one mother of triplets said - who also adopted from Ethiopia - "just remember the plane ride is just one day out of your life. If the kids cry the whole time and things are insane, who cares. You'll never see those people again anyway."

That made me feel better. I also feel better because we have three fabulous women traveling with us to Addis and back. So there will be plenty of hands to hold the babies.

Like I said, I can't believe this is finally, FINALLY happening.

We are leaving as a couple next week and coming back as a family of five. Pretty damn amazing!

Doro Wat Night in Warwick

In celebration of the triplets turning 11-months-old yesterday... I decided to whip up some authentic Ethiopian cuisine. OK, it may not be completely authentic, especially since I couldn't get my hands on ingredients like fenugreek seeds for the Berbere. But, hey all you can do is your best ... right!?

I decided to make Doro Wat , which is a spicy chicken stew, and one of the most recognized dishes in Ethiopia. The recipe calls for hard boiled eggs, but I ended up skipping those. Wasn't feeling it.

So here is my culinary masterpiece bubbling away in our wok. (Believe me it tastes better than it looks!)
And below is the final product. I served it over couscous with cranberries and chunks of mango. It was quite delicious. On the side I served an Ethiopian cucumber and tomato salad. (Again, straying a little from the original recipe, I added a little fresh basil from our herb garden.)

So with our bellies full of "almost" authentic Ethiopian food, we went to bed last night and woke up to an email this morning from the U.S. Embassy saying... "We would like to inform you the consular section completed screening for your Form I-600 petition.  We will now begin the review of orphan status for the I-604, Determination on Child for Adoption."

All this very formal talk just means our paperwork is getting processed and things are moving along! Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly the rest of the way.

Maybe my next culinary challenge will be making Injera! Has anyone successfully made this spongy little delight yet?

The Triplets' New Digs!

I was looking forward to a long, lazy holiday weekend - but instead what I got was hard labor. OK. Not really. But in three days we did manage to complete the triplets' room. I've had a vision of what I've wanted their room to look like for months - and it all started when I spied some birch tree decals on Etsy. I LOVE Etsy. I love it.

What I didn't love was installing them on the wall. Honestly, I was scared that I was going to make a mess of them, tear them, get frustrated and abandon the whole thing. I had to give myself a pep talk - and after scanning some how-to videos on Youtube on applying decals - I was ready to go.

Put a bird on it!

Four-and-half-hours later, a few mishaps, and presto: The birch tree wall was done. I was thoroughly impressed with myself. Just ask my husband. I promptly rewarded myself with an ice-cold Dos Equis!

Then it was on to the cribs. Three massive boxes containing all kinds of parts and pieces. After lots of research I chose the Babyletto Hudson crib in white. Not exactly my dream crib, which was the Oeuf Sparrow Crib, but at $730 bucks a piece - I had to find an alternative. So the Hudson crib was the next best thing. Remember, we have to buy THREE of everything. Things get pricey fast! And honestly, I really love the look of the Babyletto. It's simple, modern and sturdy. Perfect for my three little ones.

And the best part... they were super easy to put together. I had all three done in under 2 hours. Again, totally impressed with myself. I was on a roll. 

Saturday was a trip to IKEA. I love the idea of IKEA - but I hate actually going to the store. It's a maze you can't escape. Also, those damn Swedes make everything so difficult to put together - and I'm Swedish (a quarter Swedish that is)! On a positive note, I was inspired by some fabrics I saw there. At $6.99 a yard, I bought three different patterns and framed them in a white frame that was just $19.99. It's amazing what you can do with a glue gun. Presto: Original wall art for under $30 bucks a pop. 

Fabircs: Annamoa.

             Evalena. 

             Gunilla.

We also bought a really cool light fixture. I had originally made one with balsa wood. Unfortunately, that DIY project didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to. Seriously, working with balsa wood is a B-I-T-C-H.

The room was looking good. My vision was coming alive. But what really pulled the room together were the drapes. My one big splurge. White and gray zig zag fabulousness from Carousel Designs. (You'll also notice the bird mobiles hanging in the middle of the drapes. We found these hand-painted gems at a small store when we were in Ethiopia.) Throw in a basket from West Elm (that I waited to go on sale) and we're almost there. Just waiting for the Ryder Rocking chair, also from West Elm, to be delivered. (That was also on sale too.) Actually, they just delivered that 5 minutes ago. Here's what it looks like:

Oh. As I am writing this, my husband yelled downstairs that we got the email from the U.S. Embassy we've been waiting for saying they have are paperwork and are now processing it. It's been 4 weeks and 3 days since our court decree, so things are moving along. We are one step closer to bringing them home. 

I can't wait for them to sleep in their new digs. That's when the room will really be complete!

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Other items in the room:

Alexa Shag Rug on Overstock.com: OK. It's white. I know it will probably get destroyed. But it looks great now. 

Crib Mattresses: L.A. Baby Organic Cotton Mattress on Amazon. (they fit perfectly in the Babyletto Hudson Crib)

Mattress Pad: American Baby Co. organic waterproof mattress pad, also on Amazon.

Sheets: (another splurge) Giggle better basics orange stripe organic fitted sheets. (note: if you're wondering why all the organic, I once wrote an article when I was working at Fox News about "Greening Your Baby" and it convinced me to buy at least some stuff organic.)

Owl Switchplate. Hoot, Hoot Owl Swichplate at Anthropologie.

West Elm Basket. It was originally $99 and I got it for $59 dollars, although I don't think there are any left online. I would check a West Elm store.


Custom Curtain Rod: Highland Forge. They are great to work with. The price will vary depending on length and material.

Floating shelves: IKEA Lack wall shelf.

Changing table. IKEA Hemnes 3 drawer chest.

Drawer Knobs. Lisbon Knob from Anthropologie.

Wall Color: Cumulus Cloud from Benjamin Moore.

Accent Wall. Peacock Blue from Benjamin Moore. (Don't judge this color until it dries. It looks a little neon when it's wet.)

Various stuffed animals from Babies R Us and Amazon.

Waiting for my 3 little birds! (We bought these in Ethiopia as well)

Wordless Wednesday (And a shout out to all the amazing ladies who were at my baby shower!)

Closet is literally BURSTING thanks to the generosity of all my friends and family!

Hand-knit sweaters made by Ken's Auntie Dot featuring handmade buttons from a tree in their yard. Amazing!

Double stroller with the Joey Seat! I think I'm reserving that seat for my little girl N. (Thanks again to everyone who went in on this!)

Choo Choo ready to go. (Thank you Shrewsbury Crew!)

Thanks to everyone who traveled near and far to make my baby shower so memorable. And a special thank you to my mom Lou, my sister Aimee, my sister-in-laws Katie and Wendy and my mother-in-law Mary Jeanne for throwing such a lovely party.
I love you all and  I can't wait for everyone to meet the trio! xo

Wordless Wednesday

Baby socks...

Matching skull pj's for the boys!

I had to drag Ken out of Baby Gap! He was on a tear.

Who doesn't love a mini jean jacket and a cute dress!

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.