We are now the Galbreath Family of 7!

With just a few words, a stranger in a foreign land at the US Embassy sealed the deal..."Your adoption is now complete..." and with that short but powerful statement we officially a family 7, and just counting the hours until we can introduce you all to Hope Mahlet and Zak Sitota in person.

We awoke this morning after a good rest for everyone (except for Candi, who got about 4 hours sleep, which doubled the number of hours for her over the previous 2 days).  Zak, Hope, and I slept in the bed and Candi slept on the couch.  We went to bed around 7:00, and they are on a tight routine and were out by 7:15.  Zak continues to cry for a good bit, but his number of crying spells was only about 3-4 today, and they were much more controlled and didn't last as long, so he is obviously able to cope much better even after just 24 hours.  Zak managed to fall out of the bed in the middle of the night - quite impressive given he was in the middle of Hope and I and he had to either roll over or around her to make it to the floor with a rather loud thud on the hardwood floor.  Even more impressive is that he wimpered a little, but was so far asleep that he didn't even wake up and was back asleep in no time.  (note to self - ask Mimi and Papa to lower Zak's bed off the risers at home and to get some bed rails before we get home if possible).

Just after breakfast we got our first bit of good news from our Agency - our afternoon Embassy appointment has been moved to 10:30, so we leave in just a half hour - so time to get ready.  So we get Hope and Zak dressed and try to pack our itty bitty diaper bag with everything we need for what could be a few hours away.   We got our ride about 10:00, and headed into the Embassy, which we figured out when we arrived is the largest and nicest Embassy in all of Africa.  They are serious about their security, so no phones, cameras, or pictures, but after only a 45 minute wait, Hope Mahlet and Zak Sitota are officially ours, and we can't wait to share them with you, as we are already love them just like Sarah Beth, Haley, and Carter, and they are very much now a part of our family. 

On our way home, it was apparent that the excitement of the day had gotten the most of Zak Sitota, as he fell asleep sitting up in the seat right next to me in the middle of a bite of animal crackers, and at the same time, he gave us some hope that our plane ride home may have some promise!  We got the back to the hotel, and laid Zak down in his bed and there he slept for nearly 4 hours!!! Candi got a much needed rest as well, as I took Hope to lunch downstairs and we had a little father-daughter bonding.  We are glad to have several families with children our kids ages here this week, as Hope was able to join a friend and their family for a little play date while mommy slept and daddy was off trying to get our bags cleared through customs (long story and I need to know the punchline before I share the story).    I return from my journey after about 2 hours and come to the room next door where Hope is, and as I walk in, I see her face light up, jump out of bed a give me the biggest hug that a new dad could ask for...bigger indeed as there are plenty of walls that Hope has put up, and it will be a slow methodical process to tear down those barriers and get her to love and trust us as we already do her.   

This day was again a day of firsts, and I suspect that with each coming day both we and Zak and Hope will be experiencing things for the first time...some of which invoke some anxiety and fear, and some that will simply be the first of many joyful experiences that we are able to now experience as a family.  As I mentioned, Zak had his first great nap, and he cried MUCH MUCH less today.  Hope had her first sip of juice through a straw - and we got a great video of the look on her face - PRICELESS.  She also got to experience the automatic flusher while she was on the potty at the US Embassy - it truly is the little things, but she has no idea of the new things she is about to experience, and it is up to us as parents to prepare them as best we can to ensure that they can embrace these new things and grow with them rather than live the next several months in fear of the unknown.  

Can't wait to get home...dying to Skype with Sarah Beth, Haley, and Carter, but our window to talk is very short, and it's been impossible so far.  Mommy and I love you all dearly and can't wait to talk on Thursday morning - so make sure you are up and ready :).  

We are not quite homesick yet, as we are having so much fun getting to know the nuances and quirks of our children...but we'll be there around hour 14 on our flight home.  For those of you who can join us at the airport on Friday (3:22 on Delta coming in from ATL), we will be a little delirious, and the kids will undoubtedly have some shell-shocked looks on their faces, but I assure you that they and we are doing very well, and we can wait to see you all.

A few more pictures

On Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 1:42 PM, Jay Galbreath <jay.galbreath@gmail.com> wrote:

Only 1 file uploaded...so let's try again.

On Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 1:35 PM, Jay Galbreath <jay.galbreath@gmail.com> wrote:

With just a few words, a stranger in a foreign land at the US Embassy sealed the deal..."Your adoption is now complete..." and with that short but powerful statement we officially a family 7, and just counting the hours until we can introduce you all to Hope Mahlet and Zak Sitota in person.  I want to share a few pictures first, because I have internet connection, and I will finish telling about our day in the next post (someone please email me and let me know if the pictures show up on the blog)

Some pictures of Gotcha Day

Only 1 file uploaded...so let's try again.

On Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 1:35 PM, Jay Galbreath <jay.galbreath@gmail.com> wrote:

With just a few words, a stranger in a foreign land at the US Embassy sealed the deal..."Your adoption is now complete..." and with that short but powerful statement we officially a family 7, and just counting the hours until we can introduce you all to Hope Mahlet and Zak Sitota in person.  I want to share a few pictures first, because I have internet connection, and I will finish telling about our day in the next post (someone please email me and let me know if the pictures show up on the blog)

Introducing....Hope Mahlet and Zak Sitota Galbreath

With just a few words, a stranger in a foreign land at the US Embassy sealed the deal..."Your adoption is now complete..." and with that short but powerful statement we officially a family 7, and just counting the hours until we can introduce you all to Hope Mahlet and Zak Sitota in person.  I want to share a few pictures first, because I have internet connection, and I will finish telling about our day in the next post (someone please email me and let me know if the pictures show up on the blog)

Gotcha Day

I type this as I sit in our hotel room at 1am and momma can't sleep -  gotta love jet lag!  And the other three members of my family are sound asleep in the bed all intertwined together.  It is a sight that warms my heart.

We arrived in Ethiopia around 8am.  Spent a few unfortunate hours in the airport trying to get our medical supplies through that we brought for the orphanage.  Around 11:30 we finally headed to the hotel, settled in and showered.  For those that missed out on another great memory of this trip so far, I got violently ill on the first leg of our journey. We were flying through the horrible thunder storms on a very tiny plane and well, I more than tossed my cookies.  I have spent the last 2 days trying to recover from that and arriving here I was still very dehydrated. Thanks to those traveling with us who did not get stopped in customs at the airport, I spent our first hour here hooked up to an IV trying to get ahead so I would feel decent picking up the kiddos.  MANY THANKS to Ben for hooking me up!!  

Finally headed to HH around 2ish.  It was a wonderful first meeting again. Mahlet came running around the corner jumping into Jay's arms, then reaching for me.  She was very excited to see us.  Sitota was sleeping, so they woke him from a nap so his meeting was a little groggy eyed.  He warmed up quickly and had so much fun wearing his shades and even dancing for us.

They both waved bye when it was time to go with Sitota saying "beep, beep."  They honk their horns a lot hear, so that's what he calls the car.  At the hotel we had fun playing with both children.  Mahlet is still a bit reserved, but really doing well.  She loved her bath.  She just giggled and splashed and even loved washing her hair.  We colored, played with dolls and put a puzzle together.  I know there will be many firsts for her in the next few days, but today was her first elevator ride and I wish I had a video camera of her face.  She hung on tight and was very intrigued being somewhere different when the doors opened to our floor. She went to bed so smoothly and was asleep in minutes.

Sitota has had the hard time.  He immediately started crying and screaming once we were alone in the room.  Please pray for my sweet boy.  It is a cry you quickly recognized as being terrified.  He has been through so much and the next weeks hold a lot of change for him, this is only the beginning.  Pray he attaches to us and trusts quickly. It breaks our heart and we are doing all we can.  He would get distracted and play with us some.  He did great at dinner, then just terrified at bedtime.  We did see moments of the very fun and sweet boy that he is.  

I ask that you remember all of us, pray for both children to have a peace.  Pray for comfort for them.  Pray for wisdom for Jay and I to know how to handle situations as they arise.  We were prepared for this, but it does not make it easy.  As a mother, you just want to take all the hurt and pain away.  Thank you so much for all your love and support.  We have our embassy appointment tomorrow - tonight while you sleep, then they will be all ours and American and you can see their pictures!!  YAY!! 

Love to you all!

Candi

Not exactly how we planned it!

We started our day planning to catch a soccer tournament game before we headed to the airport for our 1:20 flight to DC...well the tournament was cancelled after 24 hours of rain, and we should have thought is through but where do you think that storm system is going next? If you guessed DC then you would be correct, and thus we begin a very long day...

Our united express plane started off on a bumpy stretch with the wind blowing us around pretty hard. We get close to DC and are informed that we will have to circle the city waiting for some storms to clear. About 2 hours later, and an hour after we were supposed to land we begin our descent. To describe the flight as rough would be an understatement. It was the worst turbulence either of us had ever experienced. Unfortunately for Candi, she became extremely nauseous and ended up leaving her lunch and most of breakfast on the plane. If you knew us during any of our other 3 pregnancies you may think that God was getting some sick pleasure out of this, as Candi has said often that she couldn't endure another pregnancy because of how horrible she felt and that this adoption process, while long and tedious, was her easiest pregnancy ever! Well, after tonight she may have learned not to speak so fast.

We end up landing in Baltimore almost 2 hours late, and then we sit on the runway...and we sit...and we sit. We wait as no planes are coming or going and they won't let us pull up to a gate that isn't owned by United Airlines. In the meantime the toilet is overflowed and the natives are getting restless...and still not feeling very well. It takes us nearly 2 hours to get off the plane, and they give everyone their bags and offered an hour bus ride to Dulles...I've been married to my wife long enough to know that she was NOT getting on a bus with 60 people after tossing her cookies halfway to Baltimore...so we made use of our travel insurance (best decision ever - thanks Lynn Torti) and they book us a rental car while we are still waiting on the Tarmac. Of course the rental cars are 10 minutes off site and my phone is dead, so I leave candi to get the bags and it takes me forever...but at 8:30 we finally head out in our Chevy Malibu packed full with all of our bags.

Thank God for GPS, because we were able to easily navigate to our hotel near Dulles, and we make it just in time to eat dinner here at the hotel restaurant. A long day, almost over. We ended up right where we needed to be, but the journey was one that we won't soon forget.

Here's to clear skies for the next leg of our flight to Addis...I'm not sure we can handle much more, but We will faithfully continue our journey and just 24 hours from landing in Addis and being reunited with our children forever.

Sent from my iPad

Galbreath Family Homecoming

Hi friends.  We leave today to go to Ethiopia to bring home our two precious additions to our family.  Hope Mahlet and Zak Sitota will be home with us on Friday.  As many of you know, the adoption process is long, but the transition for our family is just beginning when we get home.  You all have been wonderful support for us for the past year, and I know everyone wants us to be able to show off Hope and Zak, but in the weeks and months to come we will be spending most of our time with close family.  We want to introduce new experiences and new people into their lives slowly and cautiously, as they have already experienced so much trauma in their short lives.  

When you do meet them, please don't feel offended if we ask that you not hold them.  We are trying to build the bond to us as parents and our family and teach them a healthy respect for boundaries and trust. We will be teaching them to give high fives and fist bumps to our friends so that is completely appropriate.

It's tradition in the adoption world if you want to see them, feel free (but not obligated) to join us at the airport when we arrive...We will be arriving on a Delta flight from Atlanta
on Good Friday April 22nd at 3:22.  There will be plenty of people, and it is overstimulating for all of us, but if you want to come support us and welcome Hope and Zak home, you are more than welcome to come - we will love to see you all.

Thank you for the prayers and support.  We will ne updating you on FB and our blog  while we are gone galbreathjourney.blogspot.com. we will be able to post pictures after we get them on Monday, so we can't wait to share them with all of you.

Jay and Candi















Sent from my HTC on the Now Network from Sprint!

Travel Dates!!!

Quick update!

We got the best call of all today! We are leaving Saturday to go pick up our children!!! On cloud 9!

We will be arriving in Ethiopia on Monday morning. Our Embassy appointment is Tuesday. We will be leaving Ethiopia on Thursday and arriving home on Friday afternoon - Good Friday!!! What a way to celebrate Easter! Celebrating a new life for so many!

Thank you all for your prayers. Can't wait to share my new children with you! It is so close!!

Candi

Just a couple of details about the call that will make it memorable for me. First of all, the timing of it all, even down to the threat of shutting down the government, all lands our Gotcha day on my birthday!

Second, I am sitting in a barber's chair for the first time in probably 4 years (my lack of hair doesn't really lend itself toward paying a barber). The wonderful thing about this is that I received a gift card for a haircut and shave at the Ordinary Hero benefit dinner just last Thursday night that they gave to all the soon-to-be adoptive fathers in the audience...and there were probably close to 20 of them in the room which is just amazing. Thank you to the Tanksleys, as Kirk is my brothers best friend and donated the freebies to Uncles Classic Barbershop, and he didn't even find out about our adoption until last night when he was visiting my brother in Atlanta.

And my favorite, before I get in the chair I tell my barber Jeffery M that I am expecting a call, and that I wouldn't normally except it...and shared the whole story. Well, about 25 minutes later, I'm right in the middle of my spa treatment...I mean shave that felt like a spa treatment, and the phone rings. It's our case worker, and she tells me that she has good news - for all you case workers out there, it's always good to get straight to the point - no need to beat around the bush when we all know why you're calling. She says that our application has been accepted by the US Embassy, and we are clear to travel for our Embassy date on Tuesday the 19th. I finish the call, and am beaming from ear to ear - can kick myself for not getting a picture, but I have a face full of shaving cream - and it's all over my phone after my call. So I finish my very relaxing straight razor shave, complete with hot towel wrap and enjoy my last few minutes of relaxation for the day.

The next 5 hours are a whirlwind. Candi is working and unavailable most of the day. I even had to leave her a message and text, but I was under strict orders to only call if I had news about our travel dates, and I dare not disobey an order. We find out quickly that several of our AGCI friends are traveling with us, Yay for the Marcordes family, and so excited to be able to travel with the Voss family, who are bringing home a girl and boy who are almost the exact ages of our M and S. In our rejoicing, we pray for the Huss and Williams families that they will get good news in the morning and they could travel with the rest of us and hurry up and bring their kiddos home.

One of my more memorable days for sure...with more to come just one week from today!

God is Good.

Jay