Happy Times

HAPPY SEVENTH BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL

2014 Update Collage sent with the annual report to the Ethiopian Government

Hana 2014 Review in Photos

In Barcelona!! 

Her first pageant!!  Queen Hana!!  

In Segovia, Spain.  Graduation from Kindergarten photographs.  

In Paris, France

Dinner in the Eiffel Tower!!

In Paris, France (Norte Dame Cathedral) and in Madrid, Spain (Chocolateria San Gines).

Hana does gymnastics!!

Hana LOVES Doc McStuffins!!

Hana makes the basketball team!!  

Hana in Amsterdam, Netherlands.                                          Hana plays the VIOLA

Hana is such a great student!!

Things Hana has done - busy, busy young lady.  

Life without training wheels!!  

Post Adoption Update 2013

Since we filed our last yearly report on Hana in 2013, we have seen Hana continue to make amazing strides in her total development.  Over the past year Hana has reached all of her age associated milestones.  She is in Kindergarten and is reading, excelling at math and enjoying school and her classmates. 

Over the past year Hana has also continued her social development.  She continues to develop and demonstrate strong bonds with our family.  Her siblings, Haley and Ian, continue to cherish her.  The three of them continue to love to play and spend time together Hana started kindergarten in August of 2013.  She is in a university model school where children are taught critical thinking skills and study habits that will prepare them for their future educational endeavors.  Hana’s positive academic growth was demonstrated when she finished second in a regional speech contest.  Hana continues to receive educational enrichment activities at home.  When not in school, Hana is in the constant care by one of us.  Hana’s social growth includes many opportunities to develop by attending community events with family and friends.  This includes trips to the library, park, museums, sporting events and other child based programs. 

Hana’s sports training in gymnastics has been a great success.  She recently switched to a gym that allows her more practice time.  She has been promoted to the age appropriate team and will continue to train and prepare for the upcoming gymnastics season.  She is currently spending 9 hours per week in the gym and her coaches continue to believe she has great potential.  Gymnastics continues to provide Hana with a wonderful opportunity to shine personally.  She is very proud of her accomplishments and continues to demonstrate a strong personal determination to succeed.

Over the past 12 months we have also provided further opportunities for our entire family to bond.  We spent a week in Portland, Oregon for a family trip that allowed her to visit the American Pacific Northwest.  In addition, Hana traveled with the family to Washington, DC where she participated in programming supporting the historic Disney children’s program Doc McStuffins.  Hana has been featured in many news stories with her mother Myiesha in support of the groundbreaking program and its importance in providing a role model for all children. 

We also continue to expose Hana to her native culture by routinely visiting with members of our local Ethiopian community.   We have never lost focus on the importance of allowing her to connect to her home culture and our entire family has adopted a strong connection to Ethiopia.  Hana is proud to share with her Ethiopian heritage and routinely expresses the beauty and significance of Ethiopia to her teachers and classmates.  She is very proud to be both Ethiopian and American and shares that with everyone she meets.

Hana’s health continues to be in perfect condition.  Since she returned to the United States fiveyears ago we have been able to nurse her back to health.  Hana is on her “curve” and is making wonderful physical progress.  She is able to do anything physically expected of a five year old.  Gymnastics has allowed her to expand on the development of her physical abilities and has helped her adopt a healthy living style that will serve her well for the rest of life.She receives yearly medical checkups and dental visits.

As we start a new year, we look forward to watching Hana continue to grow and finish her first year of formal schooling.  We are committed to continuing to expand on her educational, travel and athletic activities.  We look forward to reporting back to you in 2015 on another successful year for Hana.

4 years home!!

FOUR YEARS HOME!!
A year in review!! 
Post-adoption report has been sent to the agency and to Ethiopia.

4 Years Old

Hana is FOUR

Three Years Old

Hana is doing very well!! She is a happy, well-adjusted, compassionate, obedient, loving, affectionate, little girl who is full of life and promise. She can say the alphabet, count to 10 (almost), knows all the shapes, colors, speaks well, and physically she excels! She enjoys all foods. She's about 3 feet tall, and weighs 27#, is 3'1" tall. She has been completely healthy since her initial treatment course upon arrival to the US. And after a year of ECI (early childhood intervention), she no longer needs the program! Her brother and sister LOVE her, and she is the perfect "little" sister.

She is such a joy. And I am very happy to report she's doing fabulously!

Certificate of Citizenship Ceremony!!!

Today was a great day. Honestly, when I received the letter from the USCIS regarding the Certificate of Citizenship stating that we have to "appear" to actually gain possession of the Certificate...I was a tiny bit annoyed. "Why can't they just mail the thing already?"

But...I am SO happy they make a big to-do about it. I had no idea it would be a full-on ceremony, with an oath, a President's message, video, music, pledge of allegiance, and the whole deal. In a room with about 50 other children...called the N600 ceremony because it was all N600 children there. Ages less than 1 to about age 20.

With this certificate....we are finally DONE. No more *official* social-worker (paid) post-placement reports. We have the Passport, SS#, and now the CoC.

Of note: At this ceremony, they take the permanent resident card away. If you happen to not have it with you (lost/stolen/forgot/whatever) you have to sign this paper *promising* to mail it to them when it is 'found/discovered/whatever'.

Very happy we did it. Very happy they make us go down there. Very happy everything is finally all complete!!

1 Year Post Placement

12/8/2009 - Hana is doing very well. She is about 26 pounds, 32 inches, wearing 2T clothing. She has a full set of teeth. She follows instructions well, and therefore understands English very well. She enjoys many of the common foods we eat, such as Cream of Wheat, granola-type bars, chicken, potatos...but her favorite so far is corn.


We've moved to Texas, and she had her first appointment with her new pediatrician in October. Pediatrician was impressed with her health and development considering the circumstances. Overall she's very healthy. She gets URIs/colds, not too frequently (maybe she's had 3), but when she does her nose will run and she'll cough for a month!


I'd like to see her weight a tiny bit more, so we continued the Boost/Ensure up until late November. We decided to stop the supplementation because she'd feel so satisfied, she'd frequently refuse to eat at mealtimes. Since the point is to *add to* the meals (and not replace them), we cut back on the Boost. She started eating more at mealtimes...so we cut back more. It's important for her to develop good eating habits, and now that she's old enough to participate in the family mealtime, I think it's best that we allow her to develop an appetite. Now, she gets no supplementation...and she seems to have lost no weight.


Hana started preschool this fall. She's doing SO well. Her speech (as I pointed out earlier) seemed to be lagging behind. And although the ECI folks didn't think it was significant enough to warrent therapy, I'd like to see her use more words, and string two or three together in simple statements by now. So I was going to have her reevaluated in January...but now that's she's in preschool, she's doing much better. So, we'll see what her speech is like in January and decide then if she needs a reevaluation (or just private therapy via health insurance, etc).


She's done lots of fun things this year. Disneyland, travel, museums, circus, parks, water parks, birthday parties. She got Christianed, started school. She seems to still be bonding well with us. Her and Ian attend the same preschool, so they are 'friends' now (after a somewhat rocky start). Haley and Hana get along great. BUT Hana is now starting to "express herself" with screams/yells, gestures...and a few words. So when she not happy, she now can show/tell you all about it.


We're still working on counting, the ABC song, colors/shapes, body parts, and basic words. She doesn't like to 'perform' so when asked to do something...she gets all pouty-faced and would refuse to do it (that is if she thought that would get her out of performing...but it doesn't...so she does).


Emotionally she seems to be doing well. Initially, and up until as recently as last month, she seemed very uncomfortable in Mommy and Daddy's bed, not too comfortable being held cradled like a baby. She'd prefer to go to bed alone...in the dark...with the door closed. We started leaving a video in the DVD player playing on a TV in her room at bedtime - and she'd fall asleep to that. Then, we started making a big deal of the bottle at bedtime (i.e. making her ask for it, occasionally NOT giving it to her). That takes away a bit of 'distraction' and comfort...which forced her to seek comfort elsewhere.


That's where the TV and the family came into play. We'd leave the door open with the TV on...and instead of going inside of her own mind, in the dark...or sucking on a bottle as comfort...she started singing with Elmo...or standing up in the crib looking out the door. Trying to connect. Doing things, and interacting in the world outside of her own mind.


Eventually she got to the point where she didn't want to go to bed when she was not sleepy. (vs. before, she'd go to bed *anytime* and sleep 16+ hours/day if undisturbed!!). She asks for the TV. She protests the door being closed, and the room being dark. This makes us happy because...this is normal.


So, after a year of being home...and gradual titration down of the bottle/supplementation, medications...and increasing interaction (bringing her into our bedroom, and rubbing/holding/talking to her until she literally just passes out from exhaustion) has yielded a little girl that seems more at ease with affection, being in the midst of family/people, and a preference for being awake and interactive than alone in the dark. She's not quite so "awkward" in these intimate situations with family...and this is good.


I think everyone sees Hana as a true part of this family. Even Hana. However, there are times Hubby and I wonder if she's still 'unsure' or 'uncomfortable' here because of a facial expression she'll make, or a certain "awkwardness" she may display. A 'discomfort'...kinda like someone who realized they wore jeans to a black-tie affair. Nervous smile, wringing hands, darting eyes. And with discipline, being told "no," or the taking away of something she shouldn't have and trying to replace it with another object...causes her to really get upset. Immediate and loud yelling, big instant tears, and big pouty mouth with the whole poked out lip and all. This response can be illicited even with a very low whisper and a disapproving tone. Evenso, she's still very agreeable, correctable, and doesn't hold a grudge.


I realize that our emotional development may be just a bit behind (as a family) because she was so sick when she arrived. Keeping her at arms length, emotionally. The "distraction" of TB and the anti-TB meds. The focus on what she's NOT doing or able to yet do. The focus on her weight (currently she is weighs in at 24 pounds and is 32 inches)...and the attention/energy spent on just making sure she's healthy, and has the things she'll need just to survive...muchless actually thrive. Us learning about her (then learning how to subsequently deal with her)...and her us. Our expectations, our boundaries, etc. Understandably all of this "business" gets in the way of "pleausre" of bonding and fully emotionally investing/integrating in/with her, and her with us. But this is slowly (actually more slowly than I thought with a small infant...since she's actually been with us here longer than any other place in her life) resolving. But, like I said, I attribute the delay to her illnesses, and the distraction an illness serves to development in other ways.


We've received her new social security card. Passport application, and Certificate of Citizenship applications have been submitted. Her post-placement 1 year SW report is upcoming next week. And with these things...her 'legal' transition is totally complete.


Summary:
Health issues resolved - check
Legal issues resolved - check
Developing issues resolved - almost
Emotional issues resolved for the baby - possibly/almost
Emotional issues resolved for the family - almost

***

The Passport has been obtained. Social security card obtained. And today (3/4/10) the Certificate of Citizenship has been obtained.


Hana seems to be doing MUCH better with adjustment, in that she is asking for more kisses...and talking more. Not quite as 'uncomfortable' speaking up for herself, sleeping in the big bed, etc.


ECI came for a f/u visit, and determined that they should keep an eye on her because she didn't have more than 20 words (and by 2, she should have 50+). But, as of last week or so, she actually has begun putting short phrases together...which actually "catches her up" to where she's supposed to be. She knows her shapes, body parts, and follows commands well. So...I bet in a month or two, ECI will decide she's doing well afterall. Actually, they wanted to 'give her more time' (this time), but *I* persisted and 'advocated' that they don't wait another few months, but rather just start working with her now....


Anyhoo...everything is complete now. All paperwork. So...I will not be updating this page much anymore as I will integrate her story into our collective story (so check out the family site). Additionally, I will use our collective story now to compile the kids individual books.

Hope you enjoyed Hana's adoption story!! But now...it's a *family story*.

CoC Interview letter

We received a letter from the local USCIS office today that instructs us to show up for an interview they scheduled for March 4th. If we are not able to make this appointment, they want you to write your reason....and mail the letter back.

Since I'm off that day...
...we can (thankfully) make it :)

More to come.

The Passport came today. Post-Placement report is complete

The US Passport arrived today. They returned all of our original documentation: the green card, adoption decree, and the American birth certificate.

Just waiting for the Certificate of Citizenship.

Letter from the US Dept of State

We received a letter today from the US Dept of State (the Passport people)...
...asking us to send either:

Hana's certificate of citizenship if she has one (which she doesn't)

OR one of the following:
Her Green Card (the actual card, not a copy)
Her Ethipian passport with the US entry visa attached with the date of entry stamp
Or some sorta letter from USCIS indicating her legal entry into the country.

We sent her Green Card...and the letter back (as requested). Hopefully indeed they only require one of the afore mentioned pieces of data...

We'll mail it on Monday. And see what happens.

1 year post-placement *visit* is complete

Our agency requires 3 post-placement reports to be done by a social worker @ 3, 6, and 12 months home. Today, we completed our final home-visit for this final report. The agency we used for these reports is Adoption Answers here in DFW area. She was great, friendly, and best of all is a mom herself...so she understands the family!

We received a receipt from USCIS regarding the CoC. Apparently we can expect to wait up to 5 months for this to arrive. And sometimes they ask for an interview for presentation of original documentation, etc. So...we'll see. Hopefully the Certificate will just arrive in the mail one day (soon).

The Passport is supposed to arrive in the mail in about 4-6 weeks.

Social Security card arrives. Passport application is in.

Hana's new social security card arrived in the mail today. That was fast!

The USCIS cashed the $420 check...so they've (obviously received the packet/application).

Hana's passport application was submitted today. They took her new birth certificate and adoption decree. They also took the photos of her, and both me and hubby had to be present with our passport (of which they made copies) to sign in their presence.

The Social Worker is coming next week to complete the final post-placement report.

Social Security Application is in. CoC packet mailed.

Today I went down the the Social Security office to apply for Hana's Social Security card/number. There's a one page application that takes all of 5 minutes to complete. The instructions are pretty clear.

I brought along her Ethiopian and American birth certificates, her Green Card, her Ethiopian passport, the Adoption Decree, Baptism record, and all of my information (drivers license, SS card, passport).

All they asked for was:

The Application
The Adoption Decree
Her Ethiopian birth certificate
My driver's license

The entire process took about 90 minutes. The child does not have to go with you. They give your documents back to you after looking at them. And they give you a receipt (there is no fee) which indicates that a Social Security card should be expected in the mail in about 2 weeks. On the receipt it indicates that Hana is a "U.S. Citizen" so it is not necessary to go back with "additional proof of citizenship" with a U.S. Passport, CoC, or anything else.

Very easy. Shoulda did it sooner!
***

Mailed the packet of stuff to the USCIS for the Certificate of Citizenship today as well.

Passport appointment made for Monday morning. I'll let you know how that goes...

June - December 2009

June-December

Hana continues to thrive. She's learning the rules, and now demonstrates "a difference of opinion" if something happens (or doesn't happen) that displeases her. She threw her very first temper tantrum (on the floor, kicking feet, etc.) We corrected that behavior, and she hasn't repeated such an episode since. She still eats very well. We continue to supplement her full/regular diet with Boost.

She has had mutiple repeat laboratory tests in May (including HIV, Hep B/C, RPR, CBC, chemistry) all were good. It was discovered that her prealbumin remained low despite dietary consult, supplementation, etc. So inflammatory conditions were ruled out...and recommendations to continue Boost/Pediasure remain. Her stools are solid. CXR clear now.

She finishes up her anti-TB medications in a few days. She is about 21 pounds, about 20th percentile for weight/age. She does do a few tricks (touches nose, claps, etc.) She also follows directions quite well. She is a bit more demanding (in terms of wanting to be held, fed, changed, protesting bedtime, etc). But, still very easy-going.

We have submitted all the paperwork for readoption here in America (since she came on on and IR4 visa). Our (hopefully) finalization court date is in 4 weeks! Then...we get to reapply for an American birth certificate, (certificate of citizenship), and finally a US passport.


Early July.

Hana Banana is doing great. 20 pounds, 10 oz, she's right at 50th percentile for height and HC, 20th for weight. She's saying a few simple words such as "Dada" and "Hi." She seems to understand just about everything we say to her, and responds well to simple commands. However, she's not yet talking...though she tries...babbles quite a bit. She's a good eater, but less enthusiastic about mealtimes. She dances to music, and can climb up the backyard slide (which is amazing).

Healthwise, she's doing well. Lots of labs, repeat labs, etc. reveal normal chest xray after 5 months of anti-TB meds (one month left). Everyone in the family remains TB skin-test negative, and everyone is doing well. She has no GI issues, her skin is normal, and her repeat HIV, RPR, Hepatitis, liver/kidney, CBC, CRP, lead level, iron levels, albumin, chemistry, are all unremarkable. Her prealbumin was a bit low, so she continues to get Ensure/pediasure/boost or Carnation instant breakfast in lieu of formula or regular milk as recommended by dietitian.

We enjoyed Easter, Disneyland, and multiple park visits now that the weather is warm. Finally a backyard swing, her own room, and relaxed parents...things are going very well for little Ms. Hana!!



7.30.09 - First trip to the Circus!! Final adoption paperwork and new birth certificate delivered!!
September 2009 - Christening was done at Unity Church. She was so pretty in her white dress...and internalized the entire ceremony, rose petals and all.


ECI - early childhood specialist came to the house to evaluate Hana. Just to check her progress, and see if she needed any extra help. They determined that she is: 19 months adaptive; 20 months cognitive; 26 months fine/gross motor; 30 months social; and 17 months language. This is excellent!! They believe she is actually overall more advanced than her 18 months and that she's been focused more on the social, motor, and likely made up for some initial lack of adaptive skills. They expect her language to be right on target now that these other areas (that she's obviously been focusing on) are above average. They recommended some activities, and reeval as needed in 3 months.