Hammons House Hunting Hyenas!

Greetings -
A fantastic week last week with CAFO in town for the Orphan Summit - which I will be sure to share on super soon.  But today I want to share on hyenas.  Why you ask?  Well don't you know we are hunting hyenas here at the Hammons house!!
Tariku comes from the Kembata region of Ethiopia - located in the southern part of the country and yes there are hyenas there.  Hyenas have ALWAYS been a trigger point for him - a shall we say sticky widget of sorts.  Now our house here in Brentwood backs up to a hillside full of trees and so it took us quite a long time to convince Tariku that hyenas did not live in those trees and that in fact hyenas did not even live in America much less Brentwood Tn!  We do however have foxes and this spring we have a gorgeous red fox that calls our street home.  The boys have seen him almost every morning out the front window and we have talked about him to no end!
BUT Sunday evening as Tariku and I were coming home from His Little Feet concert in Murfreesboro we pulled onto our street and there were 3 men at the base of our street with flashlights and a very large stick.  Now we did not stop to talk to them but I could tell immediately where this was going and I knew it was not about to end well.  Tariku asked where the hyena was - I immediately reminded him there are no hyenas in America but those 3 men triggered a memory and so now for the last 2 days we have been on a mission for hyenas.  I know in his logical mind he knows there are no hyenas but when I look into his eyes I see a scared little ethiopian worried about himself and his brother and the hyena.  So tonight we will again make sure there are no hyenas in our yard and tomorrow morning I will take the boys to the bus via the car to ensure no hyenas.  Some may wonder why?  Well the answer is simple when your children were scared of the the monsters under the bed or had bad dreams you did what you needed to help them overcome their fears in the night and so I - I hunt hyenas in Brentwood.

                                                                    A red fox cub

                                                                 A hyena cub

Clearly not the same but apparently not all that different in the eyes of an Ethiopian child

999 Days or 2 years 8 months and 25 days

Greetings -
999 days WOW that is how long it has been since we took custody of Tariku in Ethiopia.  But the reason for the WOW is because tonight at dinner Tariku did something that to most parents would seem so common and "normal" and everyday and for me well it is something I have been waiting to see happen!

If it is one thing adoption has taught me - nothing works on my timetable!  It is all in the hands of God. If I am quiet and listen that is when I see everyday miracles.  I am so thankful that this evening I was not to busy with my phone or clients or outside life to miss this moment!

From the day Tariku has come home he has never really accepted food from anyone's plate.  He has always been worried that everyone eats all on their plate.  It didn't matter if you told him 1,000 times you were full and he could have it - he would always say no.  Over time he has gotten better and now accepts the leftovers a little easier.  But he has never eaten off my plate or shared my food.  I don't know why I have offered him items nightly and I always get a no.  He will eat from his dad and his papa and nana but me never.  As a mom it bothered me.  I wanted him to be safe and know what was mine was always his. But I also knew this had to come in his time.

As we sat at Zaxby's eating this evening I again offered some fries, or coleslaw and he declined.  We continued to talk about the weekend and the week ahead and the next thing I noticed he was taking and eating fries and chicken tenders off my plate!!!  For the first time in 999 days he was comfortable enough we me to be a kid who eats off their moms plate! What a moment for my heart - he is moving forward in his trust  - it's a slow process but I am so grateful that I get to see and capture these moments.

So thank you Lord for this evening.  For those moments together at dinner when a boy could just be a boy with his mom!

Unexpected sadness

Greetings -
Yesterday was a very sad day in the Hammons house as we said good - bye to our sweet Oliver.  Little did we know that a mere 12 hours later another precious baby in our house would cross over the Rainbow Bridge.
Pepsi joined our family 5 years ago as a foster that we were rehabbing back to health.  He had been tied to a tree by his previous owners for over a year and had scratched and chewed all his hair off of his back.  He had a horrible infection when we took custody of him and was ooozing this black mucus.  I remember picking him up from the shelter and driving him straight to Happy ReTales to give him a bath because I could not even make it home with him the smell was so bad.
Kenneth had come home from work and asked me what I had gotten us into this time.  The smell in our condo was awful but this little pup just wanted love.  He was sooo affectionate and so we would hold our nose and pet him and love him.  Little did we know that he soon would be a permanent fixture in the Hammons house!
Pepsi was the 4th and final puppy in our house!  Most would say that is 4 to many but for us he finished out or family perfectly.  He was an amazing companion to Touchet and got along with Oliver and Annie so well from day 1!
I do not know what happened in the wee hours that took his life but I do know that we will miss him like we miss Oliver.  We were blessed to call him part of our family for the past 5 years.
We love you Pepsi and we will see you again soon!!  You and Oliver take care and don't eat to many greenies!!

                  Our fab 4 with Oliver and Pepsi in the middle!  We will miss you boys!

Good Bye my sweet sweet Oliver I will see you again soon

There are some that will never understand this post and for those I am sorry.  I am writing this post as a mom to my 1st love who has left the world today.  I am writing to thank him for all he taught me about unconditional love.

My Dearest Oliver ~

I knew from the day you came into my life that today would come.  And yet GOD opened my heart to you in ways I could never have imagined.  You came to me as a puppy at a time when the odds of 2 legged children were NOT in my future.  We traveled the world together.  You were my best friend, my companion in sickness (even being snuck into hospitals to vist me) and so many happy moments.  You were a companion and best friend to Annie.  You moved with me so many times and saw me through so many changes.  The largest being that of becoming a mom to Tariku and Teddy.  You helped Tariku learn to love and accept me as a mom and for that I will be forever grateful.  You loved me on days when I didn't love me!  You made me laugh with your funny snores and your ridiculous barking.  You were a shining star in my life for the last 12 and a half years and now you have gone on to the rainbow bridge free of cancer, free of pain and free to be carefree and watch over us as you have for the last 12 and a half years.  Thank you for being a part of my journey I love you and will miss you but I know that you are safe and healthy and I could not ask for anything else as your mom.  So all I can do now is remember our time together and look back at the photos and remember your kisses.  I love you my sweet sweet bubba!  Until we meet again~

All my love 

 mommy

Many thanks to Jeb Wilson with Nashville Photography Group for capturing this photo for me!

Did he know it was his birthday?

Yesterday was Teddy's 7th birthday.  He spent it at my parents house on Spring Break - playing in the snow and playing golf and basketball.  But did he know it was his birthday?  Sometimes parenting a deaf child with little language is rough.  Yes I KNOW Tariku told him 10,000 times it was his birthday and yes I KNOW my parents told him 1,000,000 times he was 7 but does he know?  Does he understand?  Does he get that he is a year older? Does he understand that Tariku is now 8 and not 7?  Unlike Tariku where we talk and talk about upcoming things we are not there with Teddy yet (I know we will be eventually)  We can't talk to him about the changes of the past year.  I know the time will come when all of these topics will be possible but today as a mom of a brand new 7 year old I wonder what did he like best about being 6, is he excited to be 7 and does he really know what a birthday is?

Happy Birthday Tewdros Joshua -

Greetings -
March is not a slow month in the Hammons House!  Just past Tariku's big day is another miracle - Teddy's birthday!  Today Tewdros "Teddy" Joshua turns 7 - as I write this today I think about the boy I met 2 1/2 years ago 1/2 way around the world.  The boy with no language and only one friend, the boy who trusted 1 person (and it was NOT me) - I think about my conversations with his birth mother - the woman who not only gave him life but would now give him a chance at life.

Today that boy speaks so well in American Sign Language, he has soooo many friends and is loved by so many people.  So today we celebrate his 7th birthday!  We celebrate the 7 years he has been on this planet.  We celebrate with him all things that are blue, and Wii related!  We celebrate his love of soccer and basketball and golf!  His amazing laugh and his love for his papa!

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEDDY! I am blessed and honored to be called your mom

Happy Birthday Tariku James - The Well is on the Way

WOW oh WOW!  What a week!  Last week Wednesday Tariku and I were having a small argument over the fact that we had not yet built the well back in Ethiopia and as I write this a mere week and a day later the money has been raised and when Tariku wakes as an 8year old his dream to give his sisters water will come true!  Over on our facebook page your will find a quick video we made last night about reaching our goal!  I cannot begin to thank the hundreds of people that made this dream possible for Tariku - But there are a few that I want to take a moment and recongize for without them this event never would have gotten off the ground or happend!

1. - Kirsten Howard (aka Ben's Mom) - when I called her in a panic that I had committed to this crazy idea in a moment of weakness she jumped on board with her awesome graphic design skills and created the amazing shirts for the fundraiser and has been a huge behind the scenes cheerleader for me this past week!

2. - Mathews Team Sports in Franklin TN for going ABOVE and BEYOND with the printing of these shirts for us

3. - Lipscomb Elementary for embracing both Tariku and Teddy and allowing them to be the boys they are.  As a school you have gone to great lengths to help Tariku see this dream come true and stood with him on this journey.  We are blessed and humbled to call you our home

4. - Each and everyone of you that shared his story, prayed for this heart and his sisters, donated and will continue to pray as we see the well come to being.  For the journey is only just beginning and we invite you to stay with us and see the story unfold!

Happy Happy Birthday my sweet Tariku - may your sisters someday know the difference you made for them and the heart you have for Africa.  May you know how very proud I am that God has called you to be my son.  Today while you travel with your papa to Wisconsin for Spring Break rest assured knowing that soon very very soon your sisters will have the same safe water to drink just like you!