Thursday, March 5, 2009

Fill Me Up...

Life is difficult, wouldn't you agree?

My husband surprised me last night. He had been out shopping for work. He hit the thrift stores. (A little background, Steven has always thought that it is a bad idea to purchase anything for our future children. A lot of this has to do with the losses we have experienced in the past, and it also seems to have something to do with his being raised Jewish (apparently Jewish tradition discourages getting anything for the baby before he or she is born). Last night, after a disheartening week, my husband walked in the door with these....


Yep, Giraffe kiddo chairs, complete with sippy cup holders, and a compartment to hold your books, or Goldfish, or toys, or mini-remote control. This item of hope, found at the Goodwill Store made me really happy. The night before we had had a long discussion about a new development in Ethiopian adoption. I don't want to go into it here on the blog too much, but in a nutshell, kids waiting for adoption will not be allowed to stay in agency care centers anymore until after they pass court. We were feeling sad and worried about this, and what it might mean for the kiddos. I was feeling discouraged and depleted, anxious and angry.

Somehow this chair purchasing, something that was completely out of character for my husband, eased my mind a bit. I pictured our two kids, side by side in their little chairs, sipping on sippy cups in our living room. I thought, "Oh this will be a good chair for them to sit in when I do their hair." I thought about all the places these little chairs could be perched; on the sidelines of a soccer match, at a Fourth of July celebration, on the pier at my parents' house, in the Habesha Garden. These chairs made me feel like it was going to be okay. The purchasing of them, in of itself, reveals a lessening of pain in my husband. It is hard to have hope for the future if the mind is full of grief from your recent past. These chairs, grubby and used, hinted to me that maybe Steven was a little bit excited about the adoption. There is a lightness in his act of purchasing them, a hopefulness in their sagging seats, a promise of a future in their tattered edges.

For a moment I glance at the chairs. The sun streams behind them. They are empty, but look eager for occupants. I think about my husband in the middle of his work day stopping in his tracks when he sees them. I picture him placing them gently into the back of his car. I think of him thinking about our future.

I think about him being hopeful, and it fills me up.


Fill Me Up - Shawn Colvin

37 comments:

  1. I LOVE this post! Those chairs and your husband are adorable!

    Hearing about the changes can be so hard. I'm going with they are loved in the original care centers.

    I cannot wait to see a follow-up photo with them in their little chairs!

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  2. Tears, what a wonderful suprise just when you needed it. Your children will have many good times sitting on those chairs. Thinking about you...

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  3. HOPE, I love it!! I look forward to your two little ones sitting and sipping and laughing and loving! What a beautiful and thoughtful purchase... way to go Steven!

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  4. I think you should take them to all major events in your life from now til the kiddos come home. Good practice for schlepping the kids themselves.

    I can totally see the medicinal value of those little gems of seats.

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  5. Yay! Go Steven! It's crazy isn't it how the littlest, most random giraffe printed things can cause a total flip of emotion just when you need the flip the most. It also helps that it's stopped raining :-)

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  6. That is just about the sweetest and best thing I have read on a blog in a long, long time!

    Oh, and I grew up Catholic but my family has the same supersition - no baby showers, no baby gifts, until there is actually a baby. It's bad luck!

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  7. What a heartfelt post! Steven is amazing and after what you have both been thru this past year it is good to see you still have hope.

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  8. Hope those cute little chairs have cute little kiddos occupying them very soon!

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  9. I am standing in uncomfortable shoes, waiting on some BS, squinting to read the screen in the sun...and smiling ear to ear.

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  10. I understand the inclination to not want to buy anything before our children come home. And yet...these chairs look so welcoming and so hopeful!! At four months in I'm realizing this adoption stuff can be rough. Thank you for being so honest. And thank Steven for buying those chairs. A symbol to all of us that this really will someday happen!!

    --Leslie

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  11. Oh Julie, you know I am on my tippy toes for you and Steven. And those chairs are totally precious.

    Cindy

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  12. Beautiful - a resurgence of hope. I know some people don't like to stare at empty reminders that their kid isn't home yet, but I find it brings me peace to gaze into the empty crib or stroller. I'm glad it's working for you too.

    Now it's time for BUMS IN SEATS!!

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  13. Yes, the follow-up photo will be awesome! So glad Steven got these chairs! They cheer me up, so I know it must do your heart good.

    XOXO

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  14. You just made me laugh so hard, I am making the decal to put on my mirror, I love it, thanks for making me laugh...xoxo

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  15. This post moved me. After a day of being with really tough kids (high school seniors) that have somewhere down the line been REALLY mistreated, neglected, forgotten, and torn apart....I RELISH seeing parents who will take such great care of the children they are honored to have. This post just pours out the kindness, patience, excitement, and love that are so crucial to the foundation of parenting. Both you and Steven, with your garden, your chairs...but more importantly the dedication to each other and the miracle of parenting...are just going to beautiful parents.

    Thanks so much for continuing to share!

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  16. love the chairs, and love your hope :).
    don't love the new rule, but in the end, it'll work out the way it's supposed to. we have to cling to that.
    mucho love,
    becca

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  17. How sweet is he?! I love reading about your dreams for your kids in those chairs. Beautiful post.

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  18. Ummm.... WHAT?! I hadn't heard about the news you shared today. Sort of makes it hard to breath... like... right... now. ARRRGGHHHH!!! Seriously.

    As for the chairs- YAY STEVEN! GREAT PURCHASE!!

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  19. Awesome! Those chairs are just perfect. My heart too hurt a little when I heard about more changes. Hang in there and can't wait to see those seats filled :)

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  20. Zora said it so well, what can I say? The garden and chairs speak volumes. Don't you have an awesome playhouse in your yard, too? I heart Steven, please tell him. I love sweet little gestures.

    Christine

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  21. Wonderful chairs, wonderful husband (way to go Steven!), wonderful post!!

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  22. your husband is wonderful. this post made me cry. I loved it.

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  23. Giraffes - quiet, elegant, graceful, and perfectly suited for the places they live. The way they eat leaves off of the acacia tree without getting deterred by the sharp needles...well, it makes me think of how perfect your two little wee ones will fit in your lives, in their giraffe chairs.

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  24. Oh, sweet,sweet husband and future daddy!! This is another one for the book.
    Damn it, will they please give you your referral!??!!

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  25. I'm moved. Great husband. Great father.

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  26. Come on bums in seats! Bums in seats! Love it. Those little leopard chairs just about made me cry. I hope Steven can imagine children sitting in the chairs playing those guitars in the background, or has a place in mind for the guitars up high!

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  27. I think your husband is simply a sweet man. We are our lucky ladies, I have one too.

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  28. Lovely... - Themia

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  29. I love the chairs and what they represent. I can't wait to see a future post with your sweetpeas in them. And I know that they won't be gently placed in the vehicle, lol, b/c you'll both me frantically packing for a camping trip and tossing them in the back while trying to buckle your energetic and possibly cranky kiddos into their carseats. ;)

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  30. That is so sweet. You found a little joy and that is so precious at such a time as this.

    The new part in Ethiopia is not great but it's not awful either. When we traveled to Hosanna the kids were still getting loved on somethin' fierce. Though it wasn't quite like it was in Addis, it still was like nothing I've ever seen in an orphanage. The kids still crawled/walked over to their nannies for extra lovin'.

    Not ideal but certainly better than in most spots around the world.

    Thinking of you all...

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  31. love those chairs! But so much more than that - love that he bought them for you. It's such a big thing to let yourself hope.

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  32. I LOVE the chairs, but even more, I love the fact that Steven is hopeful and getting excited. You both deserve that. Ironically, G wore a leopard dress yesterday....maybe she was expressing her hope and excitement, too, and I didn't know it!

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  33. Hey Lady

    Quick Question....have you seen a birth video yet? I really wish that CHSFS would upload one or two of these on the web so that families could see them.

    If you have not I would like to make a copy of Habis and send it to you.

    Communication with CHSFS was horrible...there were times in my very short wait that I wanted to punch a wall...but the way in which they love and care for the kids is absolutely unmatchable. It is what makes the longer waits absolutely worth it.

    I have to say that after coming home and having Habi's video I know 100% completely that he was in such amazing care while he was there. I have footage of his life for the 3.5 months he was in care at CHSFS and in all of it...he was sooo happy. It outlined everything he did within a day. I feel like even though I was never there, I have a VERY good picture of what life was like for him and I dont feel that he suffered one bit...he was taken care of in my opinion in the best way he could be. In fact his life was sooo much better than many kids here in America.

    In some ways I felt pressure when he first got home to live up to the care the nannies gave....thats how much faith I have in his time there. I mean I have the happiest child alive...I would like to think some of that has to do with the fact of how well taken care of he was.

    He spent 3 months in the Hossana orphanage before coming to CHSFS in Addis. I dont know a lot about the care there, but based on the nannies emotions and the care recieved in Addis along with the fact that CHSFS supports the other homes I can pretty much assure you that your children are going to be very well taken care of. Now that the children are spending more time...I am sure they will go even further to take are of these children. They have always make the children thier number one priority.

    Let me know if you would like me to send the video. I think it will really help!


    I used to cry and wonder what life was like for H man and have no pictures of what it was like. I really think the birth videos change all that and I told my worker that if I would have had 1/100th of that footage during the wait my life and wait would have been 500% improved.

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  34. I love those chairs!! What a great symbol of good things to come.

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  35. I love that the chairs are basking in the warmth of the sun, surrounded by the activity and music of the house. They must be enjoying what waits for the little ones that will soon occupy them.

    A good, sweet surpise. A good, sweet hope.
    Rebecca

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