Ethiopia - First Half of Day 1

We arrived at our guesthouse in the late evening on Wednesday night.  It seemed like we would never get there.  Those last few hours on the plane passed extra slow.  

We woke up early Thursday morning to a rooster crowing, dogs barking, a cow mooing, and the smell of fires.  This is the view from the roof of the Jemimah Guesthouse in Addis.  Beautiful.

We had no electricity, but there was still hot water.  We showered super fast so that there was hot water for other people, too.  After about an hour, the power came back on, so no worries there.  We got ready and headed down to breakfast. 

The staff at the guesthouse was amazing.  So friendly and accommodating.  We ate fast because we were so anxious to start the day.  We were told that the Holt driver would be there at 8:30, but one of the other families had been told 9:00.  At around nine, we went to the lobby to wait.  When he pulled in at 9:15, I think we practically ran out the door.  We were with two other couples who shared our court date, Jeff & Jennifer and Jack & Barbi.

The driver took us to the Holt Office, where we dropped off our donations, went through an orientation, and toured the building to meet all of the staff.  After about 30 minutes, we were in the van again, headed to meet our children!!!  We went to care center 3 first, to drop off Jack and Barbie, who are adopting two children who live there.  As we waited for our driver to help get them settled, I took this picture. 

Can you even begin to imagine doing that much laundry, probably on almost a daily basis and possibly by hand?

After an eternity After about five minutes, we were on our way to Care Center 2.  My stomach was in knots and I would swear in court that it was about a 20 minute drive.  I think Jennifer and I even said something to each other about how long the drive was.  Realized later it's actually only about five minutes.  Time was doing that slow motion warp thing again.

We climbed the steps of the care center and Sister Martha came out to meet us.  There were a bunch of kids crowded around inside the doorway.  I immediately saw Little E, standing there in a yellow shirt with no idea how big this moment was.  My heart started racing and I got tears in my eyes.  I turned away so that he wouldn't see that.  Some of his health updates say that he gets distressed by people crying and I didn't want to start off by upsetting him.  We changed shoes on the porch and went inside.  I looked at a bulletin board full of pictures until I was sure I had my emotions under control.

The nannies were working to clear the room out, but the kids swarmed us.  I sat down in a rocking chair and they were all over me, wanting to be held and loved and talked to.  They're all so beautiful and precious and it made me happy to know that almost all of them are going to join a loving family soon.  As the room emptied, I pointed Little E out to Justin.  He hadn't seen him yet.  E was crying and a nanny was kneeling beside him and talking to him softly.  We probably had big ol' goofy grins on our faces and I was itching to jump up and run over there, but I already have a three year old at home and I know at that age it's better to let them warm up and get comfortable before you smother them with hugs and kisses. 

Soon, she brought him over to us, told him we were his enat [mother] and papa, and left.  He just stood staring at us.  We stood staring at him.  Then he walked over to the television and kept pointing at it.  He wanted us to turn it on.  Uhhh uhhh.  No way did I travel half way around the world to sit and watch TV.  :)

We got out the bag of toys that the fab four sent him and he perked up immediately.  He loved the green Ford truck the girls had chosen and started playing with that.  Then he got out the crayons, but didn't want to color.  He handed them to us one at a time, alternating between me and Justin, and then wanted them back to line them up very precisely.  We did that game for awhile and then Justin couldn't stand it anymore and started doing his dad thing, tickling and playing and wrestling.  Little E loved it!  That's when we saw his first smile and I swear my heart was in a puddle on the floor.

Then I remembered that I wanted to trace his foot so I know what size shoes to bring next time.  When I got out the pen and paper, E was fascinated.  He wanted to play with the pen, which quickly evolved to he and Justin drawing all over themselves.

We then went downstairs to meet with his pediatrician.  We were thrilled to hear him described as a normal, healthy little boy with lots of friends.  Amharic is his second language, not his third like we were once told, and his speech has improved so greatly that the doctor actually forgot about the tongue tie until I reminded him.

We went back upstairs to watch Little E have lunch with his friends.  Well, we attempted to do that.  But again, the kids were all over us wanting us to hold them and take their picture.  Guess what happened?  Little E got MAD!  I really think he was jealous of them wanting our attention.  The solution was to take him back downstairs to our original room and feed him there.  I couldn't believe how much food was in his bowl, but he scarfed it down in these insanely giant bites.  When he finished, the nannies came to take him away for nap time.  Sad, sad, sad! 

We left and headed back to Care Center 3 to get Barbi and Jack and then went back over to the Holt offices to meet with our lawyer....

We Made It

Paris was beautiful. We packed a whole lot into three days, inluding
16 straight hours of sleep. :) We ended our trip last night by going
to the very top of the Eiffel Tower as the sun was setting. Awwww...
magical! We're enjoying our couple time, but good grief we miss our
kiddos! Seems like forever since I've had cuddle time with them.

But, the big news is that we arrived in Ethiopia about two hours ago.
Our flights were all smooth and no delays. We don't have an initial
impression yet, except that everyone is so extremely nice. We arrived
in the dark and haven't seen anything. The guesthouse is nice and
cozy.

Tomorrow we finally meet Little E! I can't imagine that we'll be able
to sleep tonight. Tonight we met a couple of other adoptive families
and now we're off to bed. It's midnight here.

Keep up the prayers. We can feel them!

Here We Go!

Alrighty.  The time is finally here!  I gotta say, this doesn't feel real yet.  We'll probably get home from the trip, look at each other, and say "did that all really just happen?"  I hope to be able to update the blog while we're gone, but I'm not 100% sure I'll be able to.  

I'm stealing an idea from my friend, Lori, to ask for specific prayers for every day we're gone.

Day 1 - November 19:  Safe travel as we drive to Clovis and a fun evening with my family celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday.

Day 2 - November 20:  We get up to drive to Amarillo at three in the morning.  So, prayers for safety for that part of the trip and also for our air travel, which is all day and all night.  Peace for the kiddos as the reality of us being gone sets in.

Day 3 - November 21:  Arrive in Paris.  Prayers for us to be able to navigate the metro and not be too terribly jet lagged.  Prayers for our kids' hearts to be full and for Maci, especially, to be content.  Always a hard date.  We had our first miscarriage nine years ago. 

Day 4 - November 22:  Sightseeing all day - Louve, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe.  Prayers for us to relax and enjoy each other.  Prayers for the grandparents in Clovis juggling the fab four and their schoolwork.

Day 5 - November 23:  Sightseeing all day - Versailles, Eiffel Tower.  Prayers for our kids to cooperate as they do their school and to be a blessing for the shut-ins they're delivering meals-on-wheels to.  Prayers for Maci to be able to fall asleep at night without me there.

Day 6 - November 24:  Travel all day - Paris, Frankfurt, Ethiopia!  Prayers for travel safety, for flights to be on time, to get our visa with no problems, and to pass through customs with no issues with all of our donations.  Prayers for the kids.  They're probably really starting to miss us now.  Trip is halfway over.

Day 7 - November 25:  Happy Thanksgiving!  Orientation with Holt, meeting with Little E's pediatrician, and finally MEETING LITTLE E!!!  Please pray for it to be a blessed time and for him to not be confused by the whole thing.   Pray for us to have peace that this child is part of God's plan for our lives.  Evening - we're meeting several other couples for dinner.  Praise that we're able to connect with others who are on similar journeys.  Prayers for our families and kids as we're apart on this holiday.  I've never even spent a major holiday away from my parents, so this day is monumental in so many ways.

Day 8 - November 25:  Court hearing.  Pray for us to hear the words that he is our child and for all of the necessary paperwork to be in place.  Pray for our hearts and Little E's as we say goodbye.  Our prayer is for him to not realize that anything out of the ordinary is going on.  We don't want him to have any more trauma in his little life.  We fly out in the evening, so travel mercies.

Day 9 - November 26:  Fly all Friday night and all day Saturday.  Addis, Frankfurt, Houston, Amarillo.  36 hours total, I think.  Prayer for our hearts as we continue to deal with having children on opposite sides of the world.  Travel safety.  Praise that Tio and Chyanne are able to meet us at the airport so we can see our kids two hours sooner and to help drive us to Clovis, if necessary because we're so tired.  Prayers for the kids to not drive Tio and Chyanne a bit crazy with their excitement.  Praise - we get to see our kids!

Day 10 - November 27:  We're very worried about driving the four hours back to Rio Rancho with the jet lag we'll be feeling.  Please pray for us to be alert and clear headed while we drive.  Praise - we're home!!!

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

Thankful for Friends

As the time for us to leave quickly approaches, I'm struck with overwhelming gratitude for everyone who has supported us during the past year.  Today, I'm especially thinking of our friends here in Rio Rancho.  Seriously, we have such an amazing group of friends!  Eleven months ago, they dropped everything to take our kids when we started to lose our baby.  They supported us and grieved with us when it was over.  Then when we felt led to adopt, they jumped on board and backed us 100%.  I'm so touched by all of their prayers and emotional and financial support.  Every single bit of it means so much to us. 

We also have wonderful family, don't get me wrong!  We're so very blessed in our lives!  But today, I have been thinking about how several of my friends are stepping forward to take the fab four and juggle their schedules and their own large broods of kiddos so that I can have all day Thursday to finish getting ready leave.  You guys know who you are.  Thank you!  You totally rock.  

Today's picture is some of us moms when we took the kids sledding earlier this year.  I laugh when I look at this because I have about three layers of everything on and was still freezing a wee bit chilly.  Everyone else seemed to be very comfortable and I was appalled when they started taking off coats and gloves because they were too hot.  ;-)  That's me, third from the left.  Michelle is missing from this picture, having just rushed off with an injured child.  Sandy is also missing, having just adopted her sweet little boy.

Thanks for your love and support, ladies!

Three days!!!!!!!!  We're coming Little E!


And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.  Colossians 3:15

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S-T-R-E-S-S

Well, I think the overwhelming stress excitement of getting ready for our trip might just do me in!  Our bedroom seems to have spontaneously combusted.  There are suitcases, clothes, and donations on just about every surface.  I can't seem to find enough hours in the day to get it all done.  I think we may have a couple of weeks coming up where our homeschooling is made up of 'life experience'.  I also agreed to be part of a Christmas Extravaganza that some women from church are putting together.  It's going to be a really fun event, but I need to sew a lot of stuff and I haven't even been able to think about that yet.  Unfortunately, it's the weekend after we get back.  My table will probably be pretty lame-o.  That's the least of my worries right now, though.

I have recently become obsessively fixated been thinking a lot about our Maci.  She's never been away from me for one night.  The longest we've ever been apart in her 3 1/2 years is probably five or six hours when I was at a couple of quick births.  I'm trying to prep the older two on how to deal with all of the emotions Maci is going to express while we're gone.  I would really appreciated prayers specifically for her.

I have to say, though, it will be interesting to see what it feels like to be myself, separate from my many appendages.  I have recently been able to start leaving a couple of kids at home while I go shopping and I love it!  I feel so normal and anonymous.  It's lovely!  No one is looking at me like I'm crazy as I try to manage my three ring circus up and down the aisles.  No one asks if it's a school holiday and then says oh or hmmm when I say we homeschool.  Not one asking if they're all mine, which inevitably leads to the adoption when all of the kids chime in that there's actually another one on the way.  

But still, eight days without the fabulous four is going to be about all I can handle.  I adore my kiddos.  


So, nine days until we head to the grandparents.  That's another freak out I'm having.  A couple of days ago I realized, DUH!  I have to pack all of the kids, their schoolwork, and the dog to be away from home for ten days.  I've been focused on getting me and Justin ready.  But no, there's so much more to it!  I have a little song that's stuck in my head for the past few days.  Do you know it?  We used to sing it as kids... I am slowly going crazy, 1,2,3,4,5,6 switch.  Crazy going slowly am I 6,5,4,3,2,1 switch.


I really don't want to leave off with this being a whiny post.  We are incredibly blessed to be able to have a mini vacay in Paris and to be able to bring another child into our home from halfway around the world.  Yes, the logistics are mind boggling.  But, this is what life is about.  These moments where I think I might actually be going crazy, the school days made up of looking at maps of Paris and researching the climate in Ethiopia, the love we already have for a child we have never met.  It's a wild ride, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.  


One quick funny... Maci talks about Little E all the time.  The other day, the doorbell rang and she yelled, "E is here!  E is here!"  She hangs out in his bed and plays with his toys.  Yesterday, she started telling me that Ethiopia is going to be her brother, too.  Now, first of all it's super cute to hear the word Ethiopia come out of a three year old's mouth.  Seriously.  I love how she says it.  Secondly, it's also been impossible to convince her that Ethiopia is a place and not a person.  Poor girl is trying to wrap her mind around everything she's seeing and hearing.  So, if you hear that we're getting a child named Ethiopia, that rumor is false.  For now.  ;)


Nine days until we leave for Clovis!!!  Ten days until we get on the plane!!!  Two weeks from tomorrow we meet Little E!!!