Day 3

It was pretty trippy to go to sleep as a mother of 3 on sunday night and know when I woke up that I would physically have 4 children.  Elliot has legally been ours since court, but since he wasn't in our possession I really didn't feel like I had 4 kids.  As I wrote on day 1, I was pretty nervous about seeing him again. The way it worked was that even though we flew in Sunday, we couldn't go see him til Monday morning.  And the Monday morning visit would be only 10 minutes to reconnect before I had to whisk him away to our embassy appointment.  I woke up early, had some tea, got to pray and read a bit.  I had a lot of peace and was thankful that God has really allowed me to be in the moment this whole trip.  Every time I started to try and predict what it would be like with him these next couple days, God would just shut it down.  So when Abrehem poked his head through the gate, I knew it was time.

When we pulled up to the gates of the orphanage, we saw a lot of the little guys were outside.  It was neat to see them playing outside, because during our court trip I didn't see the nannies take them outside at all.  I thought maybe Elliot would be out there, but he wasn't.  They told me he was upstairs getting dressed and to wait outside.  I sat on the ground and played with all the little ones.  They were so cute and friendly, it was hard not to want to scoop them all up.  One of the nannies popped her head out and said he was ready.  I walked up the 3 flights and saw his little face over the gate of one of the rooms.  I immediately crouched low and crawled over to him.  I started talking low and whispering to him that his mom was back and we were going to go home now.  Of course he didn't understand a word, but I wanted to give him some space but also try and comfort him.  Then I got out my phone and started showing him pictures of the last time I saw him.  I showed him a video of him and I and several pictures.  He started showing some interest, and then once I let him hold my phone, I was inJ 

I carried him downstairs.  He was  bit hesitant, but wasn't reaching for the nannies.  We walked out and got in the car and he let out a couple little cries.  I held him close and tried to reassure him.  By the time we were down the road he had wrapped his body around mine and was gripping my shirt.  I held him tight and scratched his back.  As usual there was massive traffic getting to the US embassy, and before I knew it he had fallen right asleep on me.  It was the best feeling ever.

Embassy was incredibly anti-climatic.  We showed them our passports, waited in a room for about 5 mins, then they called our name.  I walked up to a window and a man asked me a couple questions, then said, 'congratulations, your adoption is complete.'  We left and headed back to the guesthouse.

I had asked the social worker prior to our arrival to have the going away party right after embassy.  They assured me this would be no problem.  I wanted to make a clean break from the orphanage, I didn't want to have to take him back after he had been away.  So when we got back and they told me the party now wouldn't be until Tuesday, I was pretty bummed.  Knowing there was nothing I could do, I just accepted that was the way it would be.  The head social worker of the orphanage called me into the office so they could tell me a bit about Elliot’s schedule.   We went over some basics about what he eats, when he sleeps, personality etc.  It was neat to hear more about his personality.  They told me he is the leader of the toddlers, very outgoing, and a happy boy.  Since all I had witnessed up until that point was a quiet little guy, it was fun to hear about his real self.  After everyone had left the office, it was just me and Elliot and the social worker.  I started to get up to leave, but she stopped me.  She said, ‘can I ask you a small question?’  I said, ‘yes, of course- anything.’  She looked up and said, ‘are you a Christian?’ I said, ‘I am.’  With much relief she said, ‘oh good, that is of the most importance.’ I went on to tell her about our faith, community and that we are praying that a life following Jesus was in Elliot’s future.  She said, ‘that’s good, because he is going to be a pastor.  Watch this.’  Then the boy, who I've heard utter only one or two words, places his hand on her head and says something in Amharic and then a big amen!  It was so crazy.  She went on to tell me how he prays for everyone.  It was pretty special to say the least.

Elliot with nannies and staff at Hilawe

We left Hilawe and headed back to the guesthouse.  He seemed pretty tired, so I just laid him down in the bed next to me and we fell asleep within minutes.  Four hours later, there was a knock at the door telling us it was time for dinner.  Elliot sat down and ate a whole plate of spaghetti and then about half of mine.  The boy can put it back.  It was awesome!  After dinner we got our best glimpse of his true self. He started smiling and laughing and playing with toys and just being generally adorable.  We finally made our way up to our room to get ready for bed, but he was still wide awake from that crazy nap.  So for the next hour he opened and closed these Tupperware tubs my mom brought.  He filled them with stuff from around the room then jammed it all in the cupboard in our room.  He organized and rearranged the shoes and toys.  He was totally entertained for a good hour.  I started to get tired, so I turned out one of the lights and tried to lay him down next to me.  He got right up and kept playing.  After 10 mins more of playing, I finally put him in the bed and turned out the light.  He was asleep within minutes!  He slept the entire night without waking.  It was crazy to wake up every so often and here his little breath. Occasionally he would let out a little whimper or sigh and I would take my hand and place it on his chest.  He finally woke up around  7… I was a little nervous to see how he would be in the morning.  But lo and behold he rolled right over and gave me a big ol smile.  Perfect end to a perfect beginning.

Selah

Day 2

I’m about an hour from touching down in Addis.  The plane ride has, for the most part, been pretty uneventful which I’m super thankful for… however I’m a little concerned about getting the chainsaw in my checked bag through customs!  I’m even more thankful to have my mom by my side on this trip.  As I have mentioned more than once, the first trip we (Brandon and I) took to Ethiopia back in October was the hardest thing I’ve done in my adult life.  Many factors contributed to my anxiety—from stress about how the kids back home would fare without us, to the unthinkable – some type of accident while traveling.  Add those to the stress of being in a new country and meeting your two year old son for the first time.  Yet as I should know by now, God’s grace came in such abundance, that my every little concern was covered in multitudes. 

It was always our intention to travel back the second time together. Since it is not a requirement for both parents to come for the second visit, many adoptive families chose to have only one parent come.  Since the second trip is so short, having only one parent (the primary caregiver) come is a great way to offset the overall adoption cost.  For us it was only about 6 weeks ago that we decided maybe both of us wouldn't come.  Many people were surprised that Brandon was okay with staying back this time.  Once we began throwing the idea around of having my mom come,  I was amazed at the peace God gave me about the trip.  Brandon graciously told me he wanted to do whatever was best for our entire family.  Being able to be totally focused on Elliot this trip was my top priority.  As amazing as it would be having B here, I know that the stress of how the kids back home were doing would make me lose focus. Knowing B is home caring for our babies makes all of this so much easier.   Having a mom whose heart is so inclined for the impoverished, and a heart so full of love for Jesus and all children was the best traveling companion I could have asked for.  Not to mention, I can be my WHOLE self around her, and much like labor, feeling safe in this journey is of paramount importance.

The weeks leading up to this trip have been some of the busiest of my life.  As if juggling 3 kids, a husband, and many extracurricular events wasn’t enough, I suddenly was hit with a massive wave of work.  I’ve been a real estate broker for almost 8 years, yet about 6 months ago I made the decision to go work for a local company.  Previously I just worked from home, mostly with friends and family, and averaged about 2-3 deals a year.  I’m on track to close more escrows in 1 year with SLO realty than all the deals I did as a broker for myself the last 7 years .  I wasn’t sure how well I would transition in to being a working mom, but without even knowing I went from very part time to almost full time.  Thankfully, I really love what I do, so I didn't even realize how consumed I became.  Instead of being super stressed about leaving the kids this go around, I became super stressed about leaving my open escrows.  Yet, like my first trip, my amazing community rallied around me and is standing in the gaps for me.  As I have some time to finally reflect, I’m really realizing how much God used all the work these last couple weeks to totally curb my anxiety about traveling.  I was actually to busy to worry about anything but work!

I found myself saying things like the ‘storm before the calm’ these last few weeks.  I know I can’t fully comprehend just how much my life will change in 1 week.  To go from working my booty off, to girls nights, solo trail runs, date nights with my husband, pedicures with lily, to being a true blue stay at home mom is going to be a very interesting transition.  It’s not easy for me to have to think about saying no to things, but I have to keep reminding myself that these next few months with Elliot are so critical.  That establishing his trust and confidence in me has to outweigh everything. I know it will be such a battle with my flesh, yet as He continues to do, I’m trusting my God will give me everything I need to walk this out.  Please be praying for me in this.

As many of you know, international adoption is quite costly.  B and I were fully prepared to incur any debt for this adoption.  There were times our credit cards got to high, and we had to wait to take the next step, yet either through gifts, an AMAZING fundraiser, or a closed escrow, I am so proud to say that we will walk away from this adoption 100% debt free.  For all of you who have contributed either monetarily, or by watching my kids so I could work, or by having me be your realtor, my heart is so full of thanks and gratitude.  I love seeing God in the details….

Home Part 1

It’s been almost 4 months since I last saw my son.  Many people have asked me if it was really hard to leave him our first and only week together.  One of my biggest fears prior to taking our first trip was just how hard it would be to leave him.  I replayed so many scenarios through my brain about our goodbye and just how much my heart would hurt leaving him.  I imagined the pain and anguish I would convey when I had to tell the story of our first goodbye.  So when we arrived home and I was first asked about our goodbye I was almost embarrassed to say how not hard it was.  Saying goodbye to Elliot, much like this entire experience, has been anything but textbook. 

As I wrote in my prior blogs about our court trip, Elliot was extremely attached to the ‘nannies’ (caregivers) at the orphanage.  He made it very clear that he would tolerate us, but he preferred them.  It was extremely encouraging to know that he could, and was attached to these women.  After all, they had been his mommies for as long as he could remember.  Leaving Elliot with these women was not only easy, but it felt so right.  And as any mom would tell you, your child’s happiness trumps just about everything.

So I guess it goes without saying that my anxiety level about having to take him from his home far trumps any goodbye I've had thus far.  It’s a strange thing to be trembling with excitement about finishing a 2 year process, but also be struggling with pangs of guilt as I prepare to traumatize my son.

I know you’ll say something like, ‘oh, but think about the amazing family and home he is coming in to.’ Or , ‘he’ll adjust so quickly, how could he not love having a real mom and dad.’  And I agree.  I really do.  I keep saying things like, ‘it’s short term pain for long term gain.’  Or, ‘you’re right, life in an orphanage is not an easy road.’  All of these are true, and it does help my brain to feel better about all this, but as a mom, it absolutely breaks my heart. 

Adoption never claimed to be a perfect solution.  In a perfect world, every child would have at least one parent who loves them unconditionally.  For some reason, my first choice for Elliot didn't work out.  And so tonight, I leave everything I hold sacred and safe, and board 2 flights for 20+ hours to find, hold, protect and LOVE the son that was not born of my body, but born of my heart.  The son that God knew that one day would be ours and would finally complete our family, from the moment I laid eyes on that blond hair, blue eyed boy at CCS. 

‘For where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God.’ Ruth 1:16

day 5

when the ET lawyer for our agency casually recommended we be at the office today at 1 or 1:30 for our court appointment i was a little flustered simply because no other details were allotted.  i was still not totally sure what was supposed to shake down while we are here.  we woke up this morning planning on heading over to see elliot before court, but since the van broke down monday the ride situation got a little dicey.  we ended up just getting a ride to the office, signing some paperwork and essentially preparing for court.  when we met with the social worker we realized a few things about elliot's history. it was all stuff we have copies of, but to hear it explained to us by the social worker was really enlightening.  learning more about where he was from was really cool for us.  turns out another couple that was there for court was going to the region he was from and agreed to take a bunch of pictures and email us.  that was super cool and we are looking forward to seeing those soon. 

after the paperwork we had about an hour to kill which was not enough time to go see elliot so we got dropped off at this coffee shop that is a starbucks knock off.  pretty funny to almost feel like we were at home.  when 1:30 rolled around and no one was there to pick us up i began to get a little uneasy.  since i had recently learned more about the ethiopians ideas about timing, i was a little prepared but surely court couldn't be this casual?  just as i began to really ask b to do something (i nor he had any idea what to do since we didn't have a phone or a number to call) our driver and the social worker rolled up.  we made our way to court, which was simply a room on the second floor of an inconspicuous building near the airport.  we took an elevator up to the second floor and walked down the hall to the waiting room where our social worker signed us in-- or at least we think that's what she did.  there was a piece of paper floating around that everyone was signing and fussing over.  there were tons of ferenge in the room as well as many ethiopians.  the room was buzzing with nervous energy at least from us ferenge as we looked each other up and down all stuffy in our 'nice' clothes.  a girl poked her head out of a side door and said a number,  and an american couple stood with their social worker and walked in.  they came out 5 minutes later smiling and tearing up.  this went on for the next hour and a half.  still our number was not called.  about halfway through our wait and older american couple-- probably in their late 50's, early 60's walked in with 3 ethiopian children-- a girl about 12, a boy about 9, and another girl about 7.  i didn't think much of it til i saw where they were walking to.  in the corner of the room was an ethiopian couple.  it quickly became evident they were the children's biological parents.  suddenly there was a lot of crying from both sets of parents.... and of course me.  as in i. couldn't. stop. crying.  this was stressful on many levels.  one, i wasn't expecting this much emotion, and two, the judge could call us in any minute-- i had to get it together.  our social worker explained that the white parents had sponsored the 3 kids and had them living in america for the past  year or so.  now they were back because the kids ET parents wanted the american couple to adopt them.   this did not help matters for me.  by now the ET women around me were beginning to become concerned about me.  they kept asking why i was crying and b said, 'cuz she's happy,' which was not the truth at all.  our social worker told us that this was a very good thing and the other  ET women in the court who were also emotional were very happy about this.   that made me feel a little better, but not entirely.

you see, adoption is a funny thing.  it is by no means a perfect solution.  anyone who disillusions themselves otherwise will be sorely disappointed.  yesterday while talking with the manager at our hotel she said to me, 'your son is very lucky.'  it wasn't the first time i had heard some variation of that, and i know people mean well when they say things like that, but i often find myself with nothing to say in response.  it's no secret that the every adult ethiopian we met  would love to come to america.  america  represents hope and change, a way to move up in the world.  yet, they don't love the idea of us adopting their children.  i understand both.  adopting a child from a third world country has nothing to do with bringing them to america, it has everything to do with providing a child with a mom and dad who will love them forever.  every child deserves that.  so to see this ethiopian father weeping in the court as he mourns the physical loss of his children from here on out, i couldn't help but be torn apart.  yet on the other hand i see such a selfless love pouring out of them as they realize that the life their children will now have will include not only unconditional love, but every physical amenity possible-- as well as the opportunity for an exceptional education and college.   as soon as i saw those 3 kids, i saw lily, ozzy, and tali.  and i asked myself if i possessed that kind of selflessness.  our social worker mentioned this was a case of 'extreme poverty.'  would i love my kids enough to recognize that my love wasn't enough for them?  is that even the case?

so there i was sneaking glances, trying to hold it together as these ET kids showed their mom and dad pictures of their new house, their new school, their own room!  all in shiny, beautiful, america!  soon enough their name was called and just like that a new family was forged.  i was thankful that these kids now had 2 moms and 2 dads to call them daughter and son as bittersweet as it was.

by now we were were the last ferenge in the room.  i was really starting to wonder if in fact the court thing was cancelled after all.  our social worker had some words with the girl calling numbers and next thing we knew we were escorted into a small room.  we sat in 2 folding chairs and faced a middle aged woman behind a desk.  our social worker had prepped us somewhat, but more importantly she had told us to keep our answers short-- which was invaluable advice for me, cuz lord knows what kind of rant i would get on.  we answered a quick yes to about 8 questions on topics from international adoption education, our thoughts about ethiopia as a country, what our kids thought of the adoption, and lastly if we had met tegegne.  before i knew it, she looked up and said these sweet, unforgettable words, 'the court approves this adoption.  it will not be cancelled for any reason from this point forward.  congratulations, tegegne is all yours.'  more tears from me and and off we went. 

since we didn't get to visit with elliot that morning, abraham took us over there after court.  this was probably our sweetest visit with him.  he was up from his nap and had a snack and was in a great mood.  he still didn't want to come downstairs so we hung out in his room. 2 other toddlers were cruising around and they all were fighting over the stuff we had brought for elliot.  it was cute to see him say some words to the other kids and get a little feisty with them. we also got some video of him cracking up which we can't get enough of.   today was the only day that we left and i felt like he was actually sad and a little confused.  made my heart hurt to think about. 

to celebrate our victory we  took abraham out to a nice dinner at an indian restaraunt.  not the best curry we've had, but it was fun nonetheless.  abraham had never had indian food so it was fun watching him try everything even though he didn't really care for it.  another great day in ET, can't believe we leave tmrw.   that means goodbye, which are never easy.

day 4

it's crazy to think that we leave this place tomorrow.   in some ways it feels like we've been here for months, in others its like we just got here.

today started out a little dicey.  i woke up at my usual 6 am after getting my first full night of sleep without taking anything!  i hopped out of bed (which i think might be the first time i've ever used the words
'hop out of" and 'bed' in the same sentence).  i was anxious to get downstairs and call home.  yet once i got down there i realized the wifi wasn't working.  no call home, no email, no blog.  i was kinda bummed but knew that this sort of thing happened.  i mentioned the problem to the manager-- the sweetest girl ever-- and she tried to reset it with no luck.  she assured me the IT guy would be here in a half hour.  that was at 7 am.  i tried to find the email that had all of the ET staff's number so we could call and get a ride to the orphanage and AAI offices.  yet the email wasn't there... i had to be connected to the internet. no problem, the IT guy would be there by 9 i was sure.  wrong!  ET standards of time mean give or take a couple of hours!!!  by 10, still no guy.  mille (the manager) was aware of our situation and was trying to find us a solution.  we couldn't just call a taxi to take us cuz we didn't know the address...  just as my stress levels were beginning to escalate (due purely to the fact that i wanted to get to the orphanage by 10 to insure at least 2 hours with elliot before his nap) the owner of the lodge walked in.  he is an irish guy who married an ET woman.  when mille told me who he was, i went over and thanked him for such a great place to stay.  we have been loving it here i told him, and all the staff is just amazing.  he was sweet and said he would pass on the message to his wife.  i went back to sit with b and we were about to head out to find an internet cafe to get the phone numbers to be able to get the address for the taxi.  but since our phones don't work here, we would have to walk to said cafe, get number, walk back to lodge and call.  just as we were getting ready to leave, mille comes up and said, joe (the owner) will have his private driver take us to the cafe to get the number!  we were so happy.  yet it ended up being that joe paid him to take us wherever we wanted.  so we made it to the cafe, got the number, had the driver call our ET contact, get the address, drive us to the AAI offices, wait outside for 10 minutes while we chatted with our lawyer, then drive us to see elliot in plenty of time to be with him.  seriously SO god!

when we arrived at hilawe for our second visit, i felt much more comfortable.  all of the older kids were at school so it was much more mellow there.  we went upstairs and saw our baby boy in his little bed... still in his new jammies:)  so, so, so cute.  we got out some stickers we had brought him and he spent probably 45 minutes peeling off the little star stickers and putting them on my hand.  he was pretty infatuated with it.  the staff suggested we go down to the first floor for some privacy.  when we tried this on sat, elliot became pretty tense and started to cry.  today was no different.  as soon as we got back upstairs, he was fine again.  today we were in our own private room upstairs which was a step up.  baby steps to get him comfortable with us.  after he lost interest in the stickers we moved onto some legos they had in the room.  he built for awhile with b and i.  we tried to show him some pics and videos on our phones, but he was obsessed with pushing the one button on the iphone... just like big sis T.  today was the first day that b got to hold him.  they looked out the window at trucks for awhile, typical boy.  next they brought lunch in.  same exact thing he ate on sat... and i have no idea what it is.  it looks like a mix between pasta and rice cereal.  i can't wait to feed this boy when he comes home.  he's gonna have a world of flavor awaiting him!  saturday he didn't want us to feed him, so the nannies did.  today was the same, but since the nannies were gone we didn't know what to do.  so we just gave him the spoon, and lo and behold he was a happy guy.  he did pretty well feeding himself, and we realized that he is most likely left handed.  so fun!  b is left handed, but none of our bio kids are and i'm pretty sure left handed people are smarter than right handers:)  after his successful feeding we said goodbye as it was time for his nap.

as we made our way downstairs, there was a family coming up.  we all kind of stalled on the stairs at the same time to put our shoes on and we realized they were there meeting their 6 yr old son for the first time.  ahhh, broke my heart in just the right way.  seriously so adorable.  i, the only one crying at this point, offered to take their picture all together. as soon as the dad picked up ermias, the boy, ermias with a huge smile kissed both him and his new mom on the cheek.  it was so raw and so real.  i felt so happy to see one of the older kids going to have his very own mom and dad.  after chatting with them a bit they told us they had a bio son that was 6 also.  so fun.

we also met a couple other adoptive families that day.  a couple from texas with 2 bio boys adopting a 1 yr old baby girl who is absolutely adorable, and a single mom adopting a 1 yr old girl with down syndrome...  angel here on earth.  seriously, seriously amazing.

once we got back to the lodge we were were lost without abraham.  elani (other staff member) told us he was at the mechanic working on the van that broke down yesterday.  i decided to call him and see if he wanted to hang out with us.  he answered and i said, 'abraham, we miss you!'  he said he'd come over in a couple hours and take us shopping- we'd take the blue donkeys again since the van wasn't fixed yet.  i'll have to fill you in on more of his role here and his story one of these days, its pretty remarkable.  shopping was pretty hard core and very mexico.  we went to the popular toursit shops and as you walk by they say, 'JUST get in here!'  its very funny but also very commanding so you listen!  once inside they are shoving everything in your face.  if you look at one necklace, they take all the necklaces in the store ad lay them before you.  very aggressive!  we bought a few gifts for people back home and came away pretty sure we got taken.  but all for a good cause since most of the stuff is handmade here.

the afternoon winded down as abraham took us to the fancy hilton to use the atm.  we cruised around there a bit and were amazed at how fancy and international the place was.  we had a drink by the pool and then headed back to the lodge.  since yesterday was the first day i hadn't napped, i was falling asleep on the way home.  we skipped dinner due to a late lunch and i fell asleep at 8.

another great day in addis!  tomorrow will be amazing as well as we get to go to court, or so we think! please be praying for favor for us.

day 3

africa has effectively both stolen and broken my heart all at once.  the polar effect it has had on me is incredibly overwhelming.  one minute i'm amazed at the strength, beauty, and resolve of these people and wooed by the incredible scenery, and the next i'm devastated by the complete and utter lack of poverty and despair.

in our brief notes frrom our agency on places to stay, things to do, and places to eat, there was an aside that said not to give the beggars money. they said  it will be incredibly hard not to give change to the children, but if you do, it simply encourages them not to go to school and stay on the street and beg.  i had my first test last night.

after our busy day at the orphanage we crashed out for 3 hours.  after we dragged ourselves out of bed we found a restaurant we wanted to try.  b said it was close enough to walk...  in the dark.  by ourselves. in africa.  did i mention my husband is whiter than white (i know i'm not far behind, but at least i have dark grey hair)?  as we were walking down back alleys in the mud to get to the main street we passed many street people.   i felt a little frightened and uncertain, but everything i'd read and seen here was that the people were not hostile or aggressive.  once we got to the main street i loosened up a bit and was excited for a date with b.  we had a somewhat difficult time finding the restaurant mostly due to the fact that it was on what they call the second (our 3rd) floor of a building with no sign.  however, b's map skills afforded us the correct route.  we had passed a few beggars as we walked and although it was hard, i was able to resist the temptation to empty my pockets.  once the restaurant was in sight we picked up our pace.  with our goal in sight, i just so happened to glance to my left.  my heart quickened and my face felt hot as the tears begin to spring forth.  to my left, on the side of the road there was a girl about 4 yrs old sitting up and curled up at her feet were 3 tiny boys aged probably 10 months to 2.  the girl and i locked eyes and she looked down. we kept walking and my heart started pounding as i tried desperately to get a hold of my emotion.  b felt me tense up and tried to comfort me.  we made our way into what we thought was the restaurant but was actually just a hip bar.  we sat down confused, but figured this must be it since the guy downstairs told us it was on the second floor.  we ordered a drink but found no food on the menu.  we passed the time with small chit chat, but b knew my heart wasn't in it.  we tried to talk about why we weren't supposed to give them money but failed miserably.  at this point we realized the restaurant was actually on the next floor up so we decided to head up. but first i pleaded with b to go give them some money.  he was hesitant, but conceded.  he got up and said 'let's go.'  i quipped, 'oh honey, i can't go.  i can't see them again... its just too hard.  can you just run down there (block and a half away) and give them some money?'  he just smiled knowing there would be no other way for the night to continue without this errand.  as i waited in the bar i was so thankful that i married a man whose heart was as big as mine... even if you don't always see it, those of us close to him know that behind his tough  exterior is a lot of raw emotion that comes out when you least expect it.  he came back and told me their mom was now with them and he gave them some money.  a weight had been lifted.  at least tonight they would sleep next to their mom and have a full belly.  i tried not to let the reality that those sweet kids were just 4 in 4 million that were hungry in ethiopia on that saturday night.

we woke up sunday morning to another nice breakfast and quiet time.  on sundays, the orphange is closed for visitors.  we knew this, but it was still hard not to be able to go again.  since we weren't doing official orphange business, abraham couldn't drive us in the agency van, yet he agreed to spend the day with us touring.   he met us at the lodge at 8:30 and we had our first experience in an ethiopian taxi.

we fit right in, right?!

i can't even began to describe this.  there are several common modes of transport here.  all ferenge take a taxi called the blue donkey which is a tiny blue 4 seater, or have a private driver.  the ethiopians however, take these blue 12 passenger vans to get around.  yet they don't just go when and where you want.  there are routes and they only go when the van is full--- meaning 12 or more passengers.  our driver abraham told us to follow his lead.  we took probably 5 of these taxi's to get to get to a place called entoto.  it was incredibly unnerving being in these cars.  the way people drive here has no rules, very few stoplights and lots of honking.  yet somehow no one is ever mad.  honking is like saying, 'hello!' and they do it very freely.  we almost crashed, or so i thought, at least 7 times.  and the amount of pedestrians we almost clipped were too numerous to count.

people are always in the street, probably doing 40 mph here

finally we arrived to the base of the mountain  where we opted to hike the 2 miles up (thank you brandon).  abraham told us no family has ever asked to hike up the mountain, and by the end i could see why.  it was not an easy hike, especially with the altitude. 

 felt pretty lame about complaining when i saw these ladies.  this is their job.  they trek through the mountains for a day or two collecting about this much wood, tie it to their backs and walk down... all to sell the bundle for about $3 US.  2 days of back breaking work.  humbling to say the least

another mode of transport

when we finally reached the top it was well worth it.  the whole city laid out before us... it was absolutely breathtaking.

beautiful addis

  

abraham, our driver and new bestie over here

we toured around a bit up there. the guy that founded addis ababa had a palace and a church we could walk through as well as a historical museum.  it was really cool to have abraham tell us all about the history of addis. 

the orthodox church at the top of the mountain.  don't look at my shorts, it was very stressful not having any shorts i felt that were long enough to wear here

it made me fall in love with this place even more.  we made our way down the mountain and had a few more harebrained taxi rides and enjoyed a nice lunch with abraham.  we spent the afternoon sleeping again.  we woke up at 6 as abraham was coming to get us to take us to a traditional ethiopian dinner.  this was by far one of the highlights of the trip.  we got a taste of ethiopian food and got to watch some amazing tribal dancing and singing. 

let the sharting begin!

i've got some super sweet videos to share once we get stateside-- unfortunately takes to long to upload here.

all in all another incredible day here.  tomorrow proves to be even better as we get to hang with our boy and take care of some official adoption business with our agency.  please pray it goes smoothly and we will have favor with the staff and authorities here.  

day 2

since i poured my heart out yesterday, i'll try to give you guys a play by play of today-- cuz i know its a day i never want to forget.  

we woke up saturday morning earlier than we wanted, methinks the jet lag was catching up.  our driver, abraham was coming at 8:45 to pick us up and take us to hilawe (the orphanage elliot is at).  we had about 2 hours to kill.  thankfully the place we are staying provides a really nice breakfast and a quaint little cafe with free wifi to hang out at.  we got caught up with emails and facebook and had some time to read.  god had given me psalm 121 about a week after we got our referral for elliot.  i read it today and was reminded again, just as this entire trip has been one GIANT reminder of god's love for his children.  these verses specifically have continued to resonate with me as i think about our boy... 'the lord will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life; the lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.'  what a promise.  

i kept thinking i was going to start feeling anxious or nervous to meet him, but i had a real surprising peace (probably due to all that praying i've been begging for).  up until this point, this moment wasn't one that i had thought much about.  i think i wanted to protect myself from to high or to low expectations. 

abraham--who happens to be a super cool guy and amazing tour guide  was right on time.  he did his usual bit about all the touristy things we might want to know, which consisted mostly of unmanned herds of sheep, goats and cows strewn about in the middle of the city.  i was surprised now that i was seeing the city in the daylight how much it reminded me of mexico.  a midst shacks there were lots of unfinished buildings but also sprinkled in were super fancy high rises.  it was very polar to say the least.  abraham first took us over to the layla house, which is where our agency used to have their orphanage.

i had heard lots of great things about the place, so it was weird to see it almost totally empty.  now our agency doesn't pull children from one orphanage, but several.  after layla house we picked up a gal from our agencies ethiopian staff.  next thing i knew we were pulling into the gates of hilawe.  we were minutes from seeing tegegne for the first time.

as we parked the car there was a big group of americans gathered right out front.  they were a  group from the US doing some medical mission work.  they were basically a group of doctors and nurses going from orphanage to orphanage doing check ups on the kids.  it was nice to have them there as we weren't the only 'ferenge' (what ethiopians call white people).  the orphanage was big and actually really nice inside.  hardwood floors, clean rooms etc.  it seemed very organized.  we walked in the front door and went up the first flight of stairs to the second level.  there were quite a few older kids (5+) hanging around.  these kids were so stinkin adorable and so so so so sweet. they wanted to shake our hands and they just smiled and smiled.  the boys were outgoing and girls shy.  seriously such beautiful children.  it was then that i started crying.  i was really surprised how affected i was by these kids.  i've seen posts on our adoption group with people pleading to consider adopting older children.  now i see why.  perhaps some of it was seeing lily and ozzy's eyes among the ones i saw today.  it really shook me.

we made our way up to the second set of stairs and saw 2 rooms.  the first room had a gate and 3 little ones probably all under 18 months hanging on the gate.  they were adorable, and my first glimpse of babies.  i looked into the room next to it and sitting on the floor i saw him.   i recognized him right away. he looked just like his pictures, but even cuter.  the thing that surprised me the most was how tiny he was.  the pictures made it seem like he was bigger, but the kid is seriously little.  the nannies (caregivers at the orphanage) immediately start saying 'tegegne, mommy poppy' and pointing to us.  i bent down and more and more tears came.   as i sat down to be at his level he just looked at me, taking it all in.  next thing i knew he was in my lap cuddled right up.  the staff suggested we go downstairs in the lobby area and play with him.  we walked down and sat on a chair.  he wasn't interested in getting out of my lap.  we gave him a little truck we had brought and he held onto it as we showed him some pictures from the little photo book we gave him.  he kind of started to get a little fussy and at that point one of the nannies brought him some milk in a sippy cup.  we realized it might be better to take him back up to his room.  this was the right choice. once up there he climbed out of my lap and started to loosen up a bit. it was cute to see him interact with his little roommates.  we played trucks, looked at more pictures and really just hung out.  babies would cry and we would hold them as the nannies went about their work.  we gave him some jammies we had bought him and the nannies put them on him.  i wish i could show all of you how adorable he looked in them.  a couple of the medical missions people came in and started chatting with us. they offered to take a look at him which was super cool. the lady who visited with us told us he seemed pretty healthy, he def had a pretty good cough going but then again all the kids had runny noses and coughs.  she said she works at a lot of orphanages and that we were very fortunate because hilawe is a really nice one.  that made me feel really good.  the doctor estimated that he was between 18 months and 2.  i could tell how much elliot loved his nannies as well.  i felt really happy that he was so attached to them.  by the end of our 2 hour visit, the nannies were asking him to point to mommy and poppy in the pictures and he was.   i don't think he really grasped the situation but i was happy to know that he seemed reasonably comfortable with us.  it was hard to say goodbye, but i felt like our time was really rich.

all in all it was a pretty amazing day.  elliot was everything i hoped for and more.  i know it will be an adjustment for all of us, but i'm so happy and thankful to be able to actually do something about all of these orphans.  it literally breaks my heart into pieces being around them.  if it's hard to imagine, peek into your babies room while they sleep... and try and imagine for just one moment, that you don't exist in their world. you won't be there in the morning to cuddle him in your bed, or make him his favorite breakfast, or tell them you love them.  in fact no one person is there to do that.  it's incredibly painful to know that elliot has never had this... that he's probably never been to a park, never ridden in a car, let alone a stroller.  he's never had the same warm body to hold and tell him that he is perfect and loved...

i can't wait for this to change....