Final Blog Entry

Sabah and I have been a little family of two for one year now. It has been the most amazing year of my life and I look forward to what the future holds for us. This blog was started to document her adoption process. Now that we are home, and settling into a new life, and starting the process to grow our family, I find it is getting harder and harder to update the blog. It was never meant to be an on-going project. So, with a heavy heart, I am shutting down mysproutling. For those of you who NEED your Sabah fix, you can catch us on Facebook. I'm not any better at posting pictures there, but now and then you'll find some. Just search for Tania Bryan. There aren't many of us, and you will know it's me from our picture. If you are a blog stalker (and that is perfectly ok), you may want to send a message with your friend request, stating you found me on FB through mysproutling....otherwise I might ignore you if I don't know who you are.

I've kicked around the idea of starting a whole separate blog for my second adoption, and that is definitely something I may start in the next few weeks. I will post one final entry here with the web address if I do indeed decide to do this (gotta keep things fair between the girls...if I have a blog for Sabah I need a blog for H).

In the meantime, I'm looking into a service that will turn your blog into a book (including the comments), that I can give to Sabah when she is older (see why I would need to start a blog for H?).

For all of you who have supported me/us through this amazing journey, THANK YOU! I seriously could not have made it through without all of your support and encouragement. The adoption community ROCKS, and I'm so happy to be a part of it.

Happy "Forever Family" Day

One year ago TODAY, I met Miss Sabah for the very first time. Oh what a wonderful day that was. I remember the anticipation very WELL. The drive to the orphanage with the other two families was so surreal. We were all so quiet, just taking in the scenary. We had all arrived the night before, in the dark, and so this was our first time seeing the "real Ethiopia". We of course were all so anxious to get to Toukoul to see our wee ones. We were running late, and so were a little upset that we would only get to spend about an hour with our babies, but we were excited none the less. As we approached the blue gates to Toukoul, you could have heard a pin drop. We all had so many emotions going through us that no one knew what to say.

We pulled into the orphanage, and piled out of the van and proceeded to wait..and wait....and wait....and wait. The nannies were busy getting the babies ready. We were busy being impatient as the nannies got the babies ready. We couldn't understand what was taking so long. Then, from around the corner comes the first baby. Little Weredesh. We all cried as they placed her in Lisa's arms for the first time. Leah and I were still waiting for our little girls to make their appearance. We waited and waited and waited for what seemed like an eternity. And just when I thought I couldn't wait another second, there she comes. Sabah and Aslynn, in their nannies arms, coming toward us. I was about to jump out of my skin. The nanny holding Sabah made her way over to me, and handed me MY DAUGHTER. My precious baby girl, who I had longed for for so so long. She was finally in my arms. There are very few perfect moments in this world, but the first time your child is placed in your arms (whether from birth or from adoption), it is so magical and so perfect and there is nothing else in the world that can top it.

Happy Forever Family Day Sabah. I'll never forget the moment you were placed in my arms, and we officially became a family.....a little family of two.

Here is a short video of that precious moment.....

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

And here is a video of my little sproutling a year later....Dancing in the living room....

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And a picture of us THEN:

And a picture of us NOW:

It's Official

OK, so there are actually two things that are OFFICIAL. Number one....I'm a terrible blogger. But you all knew that already, right.

Number two....I've officially started adoption number two for a waiting child. My dossier is almost complete. That's right people, it's almost ready. It seems SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO easy the second time around. I feel like I'm missing something. But nope. It's done. Just waiting on my doctor to send my medical form (she was getting it notarized on Friday), and then that's it. I also have to wait on my homestudy update. They can't officially finish the update until I get them the medical form. Then, once that is done, I send it in to INS to get a one time extension on my I-600A and ammend it to say two children instead of one (NOOOOO, I'm not adopting two more, I just need the I-600 to say two TOTAL. Sabah is one, daughter #2 will be two). Once that is done, I have to get re-fingerprinted as my fingerprints expired(whodah thunk a thing like fingerprints could expire). Then I can send my dossier to Ethiopia and officially get my referral. If all works out, I will be referred a 7 year old girl named H (this is all the info I will post for now). I can assure you, she is so sweet and very cute, and I can see her fitting in with Sabah and I and making us a family of three!!!

Anyway, I'm excited to have the dossier almost done and being that much closer to bringing H home, but I'm also very SCARED! I feel it in my heart that this is absolutely the right choice for my little family, but that doesn't keep my mind from being scared and going through all the "what ifs". I mean, what ifs can drive a person INSANE if you let them. I know it will be a challenge. A completely DIFFERENT challenge than bringing Sabah home. H speaks absolutely NO ENGLISH. NONE, NADA, ZIP. This will be one of the biggest challenges we will face together. I plan to start learning as much Amharic as I can, and I'm getting people lined up that I can call in emergencies when I need translators, but it will still be hard, and it DOES scare me. I also don't know H's background yet. I don't know why she is in an orphanage, how long she has been there, or even if she WANTS to be adopted and come to "America".

I have a lot of research and reading to do on older child adoptions. And even with all my fears and worries, I still go to bed at night, thinking of little H and praying to God asking if I'm doing the right thing. And sometimes, I actually want to hear a NO from him. But I don't. Every night, I still feel like this is the right thing for Sabah and I. Every night, I can imagine two little girls sleeping in the next room. Every night, all the what ifs from the day seem to disappear and I'm left with a calmness and a feeling that THIS is the path I should be taking. THIS is what is right for me. For Sabah. And for little H. So forward I go, and hopefully in a few months (maybe April/May) I'll be taking another trip back to Ethiopia to bring daughter number two home.

And with that, I leave you some pictures of Sabah and her cousins at Halloween (like I explained above...I'm a TERRIBLE blogger).
My Little Ladybug






Elijah the Boxer and Superman Ethan

Little Lamb Elizabeth

Mini Toukoul Baby Reunion

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to join 4 other local families who adopted babies from Toukoul. Some of us were from Adoption Avenues, and some from Dove. ALL the babies were from Toukoul orphanage.

What an amazing site it was to see EIGHT babies all under the age of 2 (actually I think everyone was under 20 months). Some of us have been home almost a year, and a couple families have been home only a few months.

We had lunch at Laurelwood, and give them HUGE KUDDOS for accomodating such a large crowd and for having enough highchairs on hand.

It was fun seeing the looks on the faces of the other customers as we lined all the kiddos up for the photo below. I don't think anyone captured a picture of all babies looking at the camera at the same time, but it's a great picture non the less.




From Left to Right

Ruby, Roman, Elisha, Mariah, Allegra, Alec, Haven, and Sabah.

We are hoping to get together every few months to keep the kids connected.

Sabah and her Cousins

I just had to post a picture that Tina took of Sabah and her cousins. All four kids are looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. Those of you with more than one kid knows that this is just absolutely amazing. :)

Ethiopia Trip

I just got back from a week in Africa. No, I wasn't there to pick up daughter no. 2....it doesn't work that quick, even with a waiting child.

What can I say about the trip that won't take two days to read? It was fabulous(as expected) and horrible (not expected). I'm not going to write a lot of detail, but in bullet point format, here is how the trip went:

The Good:

* The staff at the guesthouse were even more amazing than the last trip. It was good to see them again, and meet new ones. Because I was the ONLY person staying at the guesthouse, I certainly got individualized attention. I feel like I really got a chance to connect with each of them, and enjoyed watching them play an impromtu game of soccer and also got to sit down during staff lunch and share a meal (an ethiopian meal) with them.

* I got to go on an overnight trip to Awassa. I enjoyed a fabulous visit to the fish market. If any of you go to Awassa, you HAVE to visit this place. Monkeys eat out of your hand, and the pelicans are as big as you are. SO SO SO worth a visit.

* I got to visit Sabah's FIRST orphanage. The director was able to find her paperwork with her very first picture ever on record (that we know of). Such a special and emotional visit. I took lots of pictues of the baby room and the outside courtyard. I can't fully express what it meant to me to be there and to see this place. Ugh, bringing tears to my eyes as I type.

* I drove by the bus station where she was found. I tried to picture exactly where she might have been left and tried to imagine what her mother must have been feeling like that day. Again, very emotional.

*I got to exerience part of the Rift VAlley! THE RIFT VALLEY! One word: AMAZING. I also got to see Lake Awassa and Lake Lagano up close, as well as several other large lakes from a distance.

* I'm ready to start adoption no. 2 for a waiting child. Visiting the orphanage and seeing the older children again, has made it clear to me that this is what I want to do. Sabah will have an older sister soon (if everything works out as planned).

The Horrible:

* We were in a car accident coming back from Awassa

* My wonderful driver, Katama, hit a boy as he (the boy) darted across the HIGHWAY!

* It wasn't his fault and by the grace of God, he was able to slam on his brakes hard enough to not KILL the boy.

* I keep picturing the impact in my mind...it replays itself over and over and over

* There is no emergency service in Ethiopia. We had no choice but to put the boy in the back seat and find the nearest hospital

* The boy has a head injury and as he is drapped across my lap in the backseat, all I could do to comfort him was to stroke his cheek while holding a sweatshirt to his bleeding head.

* Ugh...hospitals in the country of Ethiopia are shall we say...different.

* In the course of waiting, at some point I hear the most horrendous moaning coming from the father. A lot of chaos follows. Lots of talking in Oromo. No one tells me anything. My driver is upset, my lawyer is crying(yes, Abebe was on the trip with us...I didn't know whether to put that in good or in horrible section). I thought the boy had died. Apparently he passed out and had to be revived.

* After three hours, the staff decides the boy should go to Addis Hospital...there is no ambulance service for this, so we have to drive him (another car/driver had been dispatched from addis to get me).

* a four hour drive back to Addis with a dying boy in the car....who is puking the whole way....not fun

* My driver is taken to prison. Like Mexico, if you get in an accident in Ethiopia, you are thrown in jail until court decides you are not guilty. He was still in prison when I left on Thursday.

* Boy goes to Addis hospital and last I heard, he was going to be ok.

* In all the comotion at the hospital, my camera was stolen from the car. I lost ALL the pictures I took of Sabah's first orphanage.

* The slamming on the brakes threw me forward and then back, so a pre-existing neck injury has flared-up like you wouldn't believe, making rest of the trip, as well as the long journey home, almost unbearable.

* the guesthouse STILL charged me for the full trip to Awassa! Unbelievable!

There were other good and other not so good things, but these were the highlights of both (good and bad). Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to post.

I'm so thankful to live in a country that has great emergency services and a justice system that says you are innocent until proven guilty. I pray everyday for Katama. It was his first accident ever (and he's been driving for a long time). He was visibly shaken up by what happened, and I didn't get a chance to say goodby to him and to tell him that it wasn't his fault. I still don't know how he is doing....

Pumpkin Patch

A couple of weeks ago (Yes, I know I'm behind in my blogging), Tina and I took the kids to the pumpkin patch. It was the first Pumpkin Patch visit for both Sabah and Elizabeth. We got to try Pumpkin Bowling. Elijah got a strike on his first throw. Sabah had one good throw and then threw one big fit, so she didn't get her three turns. Her cousins were happy to each have one of her turns. We got a hayride out to the field then spent about 20 minutes trying to find the perfect pumpkin. The rule was, if you can't carry it, you can't get it". How was it that Tina and I still ended up each carrying a pumpkin? The boys each got a good sized pumpkin in the patch, and the girls got baby pumpkins back at the check out line.

Fun Times.

Friends!

Last week, Sabah and I got to have dinner at Mudai (a GREAT Ethiopian restaurant here in Portland) with the Zeltins. I met Corey and Lisa in Ethiopia when we were both picking up our girls. They live in Bend and were in town for the weekend and we decided to re-unite the girls. Here is a sweet sweet moment that Lisa was able to capture on film of Sabah and Weredesh:

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Oh my gosh...it just makes my heart smile every time I watch this.

Sabah's list of Ethiopian friends just keeps growing and growing. Her Toukoul buddies that she's met live and in person now includes:

Weredesh Blog
Aslynn Blog
Janissa Blog
Jeremiah and Josiah Blog
Ruby and Roman Blog
Alec and Haven Blog

And not to forget little Zaela, who isn't from Toukoul, but is actually her first Ethiopian friend she met after coming home to the U.S.

We are lucky to have so many of these friends living in Portland and thankful for airplanes that allow us to visit those in California and Arizona. What a blessing for these children to keep this special connection with each other.

Can you help a little girl with her school project?

Calling all blogger buddies (and stalkers).....

Emily Burns, a 4th grader from Lincoln Elementary School in Illinois, needs to collect a postcard from every state. She has collected one from most states, but still needs the following:
North Dakota
New Mexico
Utah
Delaware
Connecticut
Maryland
Maine
Vermont
New Hampshire
West Virginia
and
South Carolina

If you live in one of these states, would you be willing to send a post card to her at:

Lincoln Elementary School
c/o Emily Burns
501 South Euclid Avenue
Princeton, IL 61356

There is no requirement as to what to write on the postcard. You can write about the weather, some state facts, something historical, etc.

Please leave a comment if you are able to help out. I'll be sending her one from Oregon this afternoon. What a fun project!

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

9 Months Home

Where oh where has the time gone? I can't believe Miss Sabella and I have been a family for 9 months now! She has changed so much from our 6 month home post. I no longer have a little baby, but an opinionated, sweet, stubborn, independent, lovable, kissable, cuddleable (I made that up), ornery, silly, talkative (a language only she knows), smiling, dancing, singing toddler. Sabah brings a smile to my face and melts my heart every single day. Some of her accomplishments/changes from the 6 month post include:

* Her hair is getting SO long. I can put it up in two pigtails now and she is just so stinkin cute.
* She laughs a lot now. REALLY LAUGHS. Again, for those following the blog, you may remember that Sabah rarely laughed. She smiled a lot and did quick excitement screams, but never really just giggled. She does that now. It makes my heart burst with momma happiness.
* She now sleeps in a big girl bed (toddler bed). I had put a toddler be in her room with her crib for her to gradually get use to it because Tina will be taking the crib in a few months for her new baby girl, but Sabah didn't need to be gradually moved to it. She jumped right in (ok, not jumped...she struggled a little at first to get in), snuggled right down and fell asleep. She also stayed put until mommy got her up the next morning. Since then (about two weeks now), she has had no problems. Her crib is now disassembled and waiting for Auntie to pick it up.
* She talks ALL the time and can even say some understandable words. Please, Thank you, up please, down please, more please, Hi, hi kitty, hi baby, What's that, Where it go (she mumbles this all together into one word, and shrugs her shoulders when she says it), all gone, weeeee (on the swing).
* She has developed taste buds...and I don't know if I like this or not. I use to be able to feed her anything, but now, she is definitely getting picky about what she likes and doesn't like. She LOVES all fruit and will eat all the fruit on her plate first and THEN start picking at other things. She use to LOVE veggies, now she tolerates them. She loves wheat bread and that is always the second thing she eats. She HATES salsbury steak...and I mean HATES it (her and thousands of other people).
*She is starting to throw mini tantrums when she doesn't get something she wants, or if I tell her she can't do something. Timeouts work good though and I just sit her down and tell her she can get up when she stops crying. Oh, I so can't wait for the terrible twos. :)
*She walks so much better now, which is GREAT for my back, but it sure slows us down. She walked from the car to the store this afternoon with me, while my sister and her gang of 3 kids waited and waited and waited at the entrance for us to finally get there. Oh well....a slower pace isn't a bad thing.

There's definitely more changes, but I don't need to turn this into a novel (I just need to post more often).

Here is a hodgepodge of pics. I'm too lazy to label each one and put them in any type of order, but they are of her new big girl bed, and a day at the Portland Rose Gardens....oh and a bubble bath thrown in there as well.

Welcome to the World Elizabeth

I'm an Auntie again. And I'm in love! Back in December, when me, my mom and my sister Tina, were in Ethiopia picking up Sabah, my sister was starting to feel the first symptoms of morning sickness. She did not know when she left for Africa that she was pregnant, but started suspecting that she was about three days or so before we left. As soon as she got back she took a pg test and it confirmed that yes indeed she was pregnant. We were very excited, and since she already has two boys, and Sabah was only 6 months at the time, we prayed that it was a little girl (so Sabah could do girly things with her rather than always playing ruff and tumble with her boy cousins). When we found out it was a girl, we were all very excited....especially Tina, since she has inherited all of Sabah's old clothes....which were/are plentiful.

Anyway, on Monday, the doctor finally scheduled an induction for tonight, since the baby was large and already a week overdue. On Tuesday, Elizabeth decided she wasn't going to do anything on schedule, and decided to start her arrival. When Tina got to the hospital, they (her and her doctors), decided a c-section would probably be the safest route since the baby was so big. SOOOOOO, at 2:29 pm on Tuesday, August 18th, Little (errr, make that big) Elizabeth was born. Weighing in at 10 pounds 10 ounces!!!!!!! What is funny is that Tina weighed 5 pounds 5 ounces when she was born (I was a porker at 6 pounds 5 ounces). Elizabeth is exactly TWICE the size of what Tina was. Even though she is a big baby, she still seems so tiny. She's the sweetest little (errr big) thing and has the chubbiest little cheeks. Yes, I'm in love. Tina and I are identical twins, and her children have alwasy been extremely special to me.....after all, if we all did a dna test, I would show as their mother, just as much as Tina would. Since I can't have children from my own body (I refuse to say "children of my own"), Tina's beautiful kids are the closest I will get to seeing ME in them. To see some of my features (which are Tina's features of course) and some of my personality (the good and bad). I'm also thrilled that Sabah has a new best friend and will get to grow up with Elizabeth. Don't worry Janissa and Ruby, Sabah says she can have more than one BFF. Haven is on her way from Ethiopia soon, so there is another BFF as well. Always room for BFF's.

Congratulations to Tina, Ron, Elijah and Ethan on the arrival of Elizabeth Alexsandra Remidios Gaddi (the two middle names are after LizzyB's grandmothers). Welcome to the World LizzyB, Welcome to the World. I love you already.


Meet Elizabeth


Mommy and baby


Daddy and his "little" girl


Big Brother Elijah holding her for the first time


Big Brother Ethan holding her for the first time


Auntie and LizzyB


Sabah meeting Elizabeth


Pure Heaven

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today I was at work, and very unexpectantly received an e-mail that contained the picture of the most beautiful child on the face of this earth. I can't believe how fast the year has gone by....yet at the time, it seemed like every hour was a week and every week was a year....time was just dragging on while waiting for a court date.

The following is part of a post that I wrote a week after referral, titled "referral reflections":

So, it's been a whole work week since I got the referral of my little girl. I can't believe I actually made it through the work week and actually got SOME work done (sorry PTR....maybe next week will be more productive). :) I have so many thoughts and feelings running through my mind and body that it's difficult to sort them all out. Here are the main things I'm feeling
AMAZED
Gracious
Humbled
Honored
Scared
Terrified
In LOVE
Weepy
Anxious
Impatient
Smitten
Unworthy
Ill Prepared
In LOVE (oh, I said that one already)
Longing
Fullfilled
Blessed
Lucky
In LOVE (oh, there it is again, hmmmmm)

This little girl is so amazing to me. And I hardly know her. I look at her picture (about 10,000 times a day...err, make that a minute) and I can't help but smile.....
So, now I sit and wait for the court date, and stare at this lovely little girl. Man how I love her already.

And one year later (8 months home), I feel the same way. Man how I love this little girl. She is growing up to be such an amazing little person. I sometimes look at her and wonder how I was ever so blessed. How did this perfect little child become mine? And all those feelings from that post a year ago, are all still there. ALL of them.

Still Terrified? Yep.
Still Blessed? The world over.
Still Smitten? Every day.
Still Unworthy? Absolutely.
Still Honored? More than you could know.
Still Scared? Oh yeah.
Still Fullfilled? More than I ever thought I COULD be.
Still In Love? I don't think my heart could love her any more.

I won't repost them all....you get the picture. What I love most about my little Sabah is her unconditional love for me. She melts my heart when she wants to crawl into my lap and just have me hold her. She melts my heart when she gives me unsolicited kisses. She melts my heart every time I look at her, and she melts my heart every time I think about her. Thank you Lord for this precious little girl you have sent into my life!

Help out another AP with travel expenses

Adoption is EXPENSIVE. No two ways about it. Unless you are independently wealthy, raising the funds for an international adoption can take years. I always try to help out other adoptive parents reach their goal. I can't give much, but when I see an adoptive parent selling something to raise funds, or doing a raffel, I try to buy. Here is a link to a single momma who is getting ready to travel to ET to get her precious daughter. She is raffeling off a 32 inch LCD t.v. $10 for one ticket, $25 for five tickets and $50 for 15 tickets. It' a really good cause, so if you have an extra $10 to spare (or more), then head over and enter to win. Good Luck.

Click here to check out her blog

Busy Weekend

I love weekends (don't we all). However, they seem to be getting shorter and shorter lately. Sabah is at the perfect age to be able to take her out and about and have her really enjoy it. We just got a new bike and she LOVES going for bike rides. I got the Weeride Kangaroo child seat.....it's the one where the child sits in front of you (between your legs) opposed to the back. This allows her and I to have interaction with each other as we ride. She loves to point to things and I love being able to see her. Though I love this new bike, I QUICKLY realized how out of shape I am. WOW. I live in a neighborhood called highland hills...so as you can imagine, there are HILSS. UGH. Even the smallest incline gets me huffing and puffing and wanting to give up and go home. But both yesterday and today, I pedaled on (while Sabah just sat there enjoying the ride....oh how I wish I could be a kid again). It's great excercise and a fantastic way for us to get outside.

After our morning bike ride on Saturday, we went to the Saturday market with Tina and Eli. Tina is ready to give birth ANY DAY NOW, and so she decided she would walk around the marked with me trying to induce labor. No such luck. She's still waiting for little Elizabeth to make her grand enterance into this world.

After an afternoon nap, Sabah and I were back outside and going for a walk. It was the perfect day to be outside. The weather has cooled down significantly. In fact, on Thursday and Friday, we didn't even make 70 degrees. Today was a perfect 78!

This morning Sabah and I went to our new church. We both had a lot of fun. It is always nerve racking being the new person and not knowing a sole, but I survived. Of course, Sabah makes friends wherever she goes and was the hit of the nursery.

After church, I again met up with Tina and ran a few errands and she and I watched a movie (at home) while Sabah took her afternoon nap. Then a few more errands and some time spent with Ethan and Eli at Tina's house. Home in time for some dinner, play time, bath time and finally bed. And now the weekend is winding down. Where oh where did it go?

Sabah in her "Sunday Best" (this expression is her new thing...she LOVES to crinkle her nose)






At the fountain. Sabah is so tall that the 18 month swim suits don't fit her well...they aren't long enough. Oh well. It doesn't stop her from having fun.





Our new ride. I LOVE it!

A Day at the Lake

The Pacific Northwest has been hit with a heat wave this last week. Normally, in the summer, we get a few really hot days....up into the 90's, but this entire last week, we have been in the hundreds (106 on Wednesday) or near hundred...and let me tell you....WE ARE NOT USE TO IT. And many of us do not have air conditioning, so for all of you who are laughing at us because 107 in "normal" in your neck of the woods, try turning your air off for a week and you will know what most of us are feeling.

Anyway, it got down to 98 here today, and Tina, her husband Ron, there two boys,Eli and Ethan, and Sabah and I packed up and headed to Hagg lake for the day. It was a perfect day. There was lots of shade at the picnic tables and the water was super warm. A bit muddy, but that didn't stop anyone from jumping right in....especially little miss Sabah. This girl LOVES the water and she was constantly trying to go out further and further. The only unpleasant part of the trip is that the yellow jackets seemed to LOVE our picnic table....I think it must have been over the nest or something because we seemed to be the only table having such issues with them. There were literally no less than 10 bees at a time on us, our food, or flying near us. So totally annoying. But, we didn't let it spoil our day. We all had a wonderful time, and can't wait to go back.

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A Family of Three Again

When I put my beloved cat Tanner to sleep, I told myself that I was not going to get another cat. It was just going to be Sabah and I from here on out. I was going to enjoy not haveing to clean a litter box, of clean up furballs, or have cat hair all over my clothes. Well, as you can see by the pictures below, that didn't last very long. Sabah and I have adopted a 4 year old cat named Otis. Otis is a "big boy" if you will, but he is the sweetest thing ever. He, unlike Tanner, is a lap cat and would be content all day to cuddle up on my lap. And though I still hate cleaning a litter box, I'm glad we got this sweet boy.

Fun at Grandma's

A couple of weekends ago, Me, Tina, Sabah, Ethan and Eli packed into Tina's new (to her)Explorer and headed down to Eugene for the day to spend time with my parents. It was a gorgeous day and my mom got the pool out for the kids to play in. My brother filled up the pool and Grandma, fearing that it would be too cold for "her babies", carried bucket upon bucket of hot water from the house to make the pool a little warmer. Sabah LOVES the water and loved playing with her cousins in grandma and grandpa's backyard. She also got to meet her Uncle Phil for the first time. My brother was pretty smitten with her, and Sabah LOVED him.



Sabah and her Uncle