Welcome to Rob and Candy's Blog

We are going PINK- we are adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. We'll be sharing our journey to adopt our daughter!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Date night and more

Last week Rob and I went out to dinner and left the boys at home with Rachel, our favorite babysitter. Rachel has been Igor's babysitter for a year so he is very comfortable with her. Henry sees Rachel at church, we've had her over to eat several times and she's played with the boys while I was home. Rachel is not a stranger to Henry so when we left, I mean snuck out the door, Henry, Igor and Rachel were playing tickles. Henry did not cry because he didn't see us go. He had so much fun with Igor and Rachel I think he forgot to look for us. Rob and I had an awesome date and I look forward to our next date in June!

Igor had been eagerly anticipating Memorial Day weekend because the swimming pool opened on Saturday. We promised Igor we would go to the pool over the weekend. Saturday was hot and humid, a perfect pool day! I called the pool manager asking the water temperature, she replied 74 degrees- brrrrrrrh! We took Igor and Henry to the indoor pool where the water was a balmy 84 degrees. This was Henry's first time to the pool. He loved the shallow end but in deeper water he held tightly on to daddy.
In previous years I have had a difficult time keeping the wildlife from eating my garden. This year we have spotted the turtle, three rabbits, chip monks, TWO SNAKES!! (YIKES!) and the mockingbirds in the backyard. I haven't seen the deer but my neighbors have. I am using Liquid Fence on my flowers and veggies this season. So far, I haven't lost a plant!

I am very excited about our blueberry bushes. I planted three bushes last fall and we have about 100 blueberries! The mockingbirds ate the first ripe blueberries so I've netted the bushes so we can enjoy the rest. Henry's favorite fruit is blueberries. He was delighted when I picked a few this morning. He was not interested in sharing.
My first successful sun flower
The boys investigating the turtle

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Henry goes to the doctor

Today I took Henry to the doctor for a "weigh in". The doctor wants to check Henry's weight periodically because of his tummy troubles. She wants to make sure he is not losing weight. I was pretty sure Henry had gained weight because he feels soooo heavy.

I knew the news was good when the doctor came in with a huge smile on her face. In January Henry was in the 16 percentile for weight. Today Henry is in the 58th percentile. Even though Henry still has tummy issues his periodic weigh-ins are over! The doctor is so pleased with his progress and so am I. Henry has grown an inch since January. My baby is no longer a baby.....

Henry loves to try new things. The other day he decided to ride Igor's scooter. Henry's scooter has three wheels, Igor's scooter has two wheels so it is a lot harder to ride, not to mention the handle bars are as high as he is tall. To my surprise Henry can ride Igor's scooter and he REALLY enjoys it. ahhh, but don't tell Igor, he doesn't like it when Henry touches his stuff.

Igor finished his last art class on Saturday. He starts T-ball next month. These are the last two paintings for a while.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Henry's Giardia Diet

I was going to reintroduce milk into Henry's diet this week. I hadn't seen any difference in Henry's tummy troubles since removing dairy from his diet. Igor had ice cream on Wednesday and Henry wanted some. I gave him a few bites of ice cream and the results were unfavorable.

I spoke with 3 difference dietitians/nutritionists last week. All were very helpful and provided me with some good information. The nutritionists aren't sure if Henry is lactose intolerant or if his GI tract is reacting to the fat in the ice cream. Either way, Henry is off dairy for a bit longer.

They want Henry to eat 5 or more small meals a day. We are increasing the amount of fiber in Henry's diet. This includes raisins and nuts in his oatmeal, adding 2 tablespoons of wheat germ to his food and making sure he eats plenty of fruits (berries, grapes, apples with the skin on...) and veggies (beans, peas, chickpeas....). Henry should have at least 5 half-cup servings per day. The nutritionists wanted to make sure I was not giving Henry fruit juice. I'm not. They said fruit juice goes right through little tummy's so no fruit juice.

They wanted to limit Henry's refined sugar consumption. When I shared Henry's diet they agreed that his sugar intake was low so no worries there.

They want Henry to eat some fat but in small portions. They think that food high in fat could aggravate his GI tract.

They all agreed that Henry should go back on probiotics.

Here are a few other tips:
The label on the bread should read "100% whole wheat" or "100% whole grain" for the highest fiber content.
Pasta made from whole wheat or whole grain contain up to 6 times the amount of fiber than white pasta.
Breakfast cereal should not contain more than 10 grams of sugar per serving.

The changes to Henry's diet are not significant but maybe just enough to make a difference.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Ethiopia Reads

In my on going search to help make a difference in Africa I recently learned about Ethiopia Reads. Their goal is to create a reading culture in Ethiopia. I love to read so I knew this was something I/we could support.


Henry, Igor and I go to the library once a week. The boys love to pick out their own books and check them out. I cannot imagine life without a public library. In 2003 Ethiopia Reads built the first free public library in Ethiopia. 60,000 children visited the library in 2007.


Ethiopia Reads established Ethiopia's first Donkey Mobile Library in 2005. Since then, the traveling library has served thousands of boys and girls, registering an average of 35,000 visits per year. The Donkey Mobile Library is a sturdy, portable cart that houses hundreds of children's books in both English and local Ethiopian languages. The Donkey Mobile Library has introduced reading and books to children in some of the poorest areas of Ethiopia, a country where 99% of schools have no books.




May 9-15 is Ethiopia Reads Book Week USA. This is the first annual week long celebration to encourage reading to build connections between children in the US and Ethiopia. There are several ways to get involved. Click here to check out their website.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Catching up

Last week Henry and I met Jill and Silsa at the children's museum! We had a great time.

Yes, that's Henry painting his face...


Henry's latest trick is getting into the pantry all by himself. He is clever but not quite tall enough to reach his favorite treat.



We had Ethiopian food at a friend's home on Wednesday. Henry was so excited to eat Doro Wat that our hostess sent us home with leftovers. Henry enjoyed Doro Wat the next day for lunch.


Sunday was Henry's Dedication at church. Rob's parents, aunt and uncle and our sisters attended the dedication service. It was a sweet time. After church we celebrated mother's day, Henry's dedication and birthdays. A good time was had by all.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Formula update!

UPDATE: From Tom Davis' blog:
YOU DID IT! We raised all $12,500 as of this morning. Thanks to everyone who made this happen. We'll keep this post up for now and send you additional details on this project. Thank you, Thank you! We can now provide 400 cans of Nutramigen to malnourished babies in Ethiopia.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Malnourished babies

Ethiopia Urgent Need
The Transition Home where Henry lived for several months continues to receive malnourished infant babies for adoption. Check out Tom Davis' Blog for Duni's perspective on these precious children and the need. Duni was our family coordinator during our adoption process. You can help by making a gift of any size. A gift of $30 will buy and ship one can of formula to the children in need.