We are official!

Here they are holding their

"Guide for New Immigrants" brochures!

Unfortunately, baby boy thought it was tasty...

and the girls, well, they can't read.

Into the souvenir box they go!

Photo slide show!

Just in case you would like to take a peek into what has me so busy...

here are some of the gorgeous faces occupying my time lately!

Travel Journal: Day 3

Saturday:

Having been awakened around 3am by howling wind coming through the crack in our sliding glass door, I couldn’t get back to sleep. I laid there thinking about our new three babies, how they will love meeting the 4 at home, and imagining our life as a new family of 9! Paul was awake too, but wanted to take a sleeping pill and go back to bed. He took the real kind, I took the herbal ones. One of us has been awake since then – typing 4 pages of memories from the past 24 hours! Oh well, he is getting some much needed rest and I am dressed and ready to go have some cups of buna in the lobby!

Today we go on a museum trip. I must admit, I would rather not if it meant we could spend the day with the kids instead… but I suppose we should learn whatever we can about Ethiopia while we are here!

 We saw lots of interesting things on the way to the museum: clothing stores, beggars, food vendors, incredibly frightening driving, the Addis Ababa University graduation in process, as well as the other typical sights – goats, bulls, cows, dogs and chickens in the roads.

The museum was very interesting – many cool artifacts and historical clothing from Ethiopian government history. We took lots of video, so my words will not do it justice. We found it very interesting to see the cultural items such as carvings, wooden furniture, clothing and jewelry that is typical to this area.

After the visit to the museum, we walked across the courtyard to the Lucy Restaurant. The restaurant is named after the famous Lucy artifact which was found in Ethiopia. The evolutionists say it is the earliest human form. The restaurant was interesting, animal hides on the walls in the shape of tiles, interesting menu options and the traditional Ethiopian-time service schedule.

After lunch we headed back to our hotel after first dropping the families off at care center 3 to visit with their children. We went over to see our kids and got to play with them for a couple of hours before their dinner time!  We enjoyed playing with the bubbles again as well as some hot wheels cars. When I first handed them the cars, baby boy threw his, Z** dropped it and reached for bubbles instead, and B** smiled and said “Machina!” (ma-kina).  The nannies brought juice for a snack – avocado and papaya blended together. The kids all guzzled their juice down in seconds flat! They love that avocado blend!

Too soon it was time for us to go. It was sad knowing we would not see them for over 24 hours at that point, but we knew that this was our last time leaving them overnight. I took all three up to their bedrooms where they were getting cleaned up for dinner and bed.  I left them their photo album books to keep overnight since it was their favorite thing we had brought so far.  After many kisses and fighting back tears, I descended the stairs, grabbed my things and went out the front doors.

Emma and I walked next door to the hotel talking about how hard it was to say goodbye today. We had some time before the cultural dinner, but only a short time frame before we were supposed to be downstairs waiting.  We changed clothes for dinner, got cleaned up a bit, and then went to wait in the lobby. While we talked to our travel group friends, we began recalling the events of the past couple of days. It is amazing how much we have packed into such a short amount of time!

After waiting for 45 minutes after the time we were told to be ready, it was finally time to go to dinner. Several from our group had decided not to go to the dinner, so those who were left piled into the van. We drove to the restaurant and walked into the smoke-filled restaurant around 8pm.  The smoke was due to the pine needles/incense that they burn as part of the coffee ceremony. There was a band playing traditional instruments on the stage and these cool chair groupings around these Ethiopian drum tables. The server pointed us to where to go and then removed a cover from the table to reveal a drum-like surface. We ordered our food and watched the show. 

The food was served family style and most of us enjoyed the injera with a yellow-curry-lentil blended substance the most. After some disagreement with the server over whether or not Paul could have the raw goat, he was served cooked goat which he did not eat. The manager got upset and the server and manager proceeded to tell him that the raw goat was not on the menu. It was, in fact, on the menu because he pointed to it to order. Anyway, we ate, watched the show, and then went back to the hotel exhausted. 

We changed into pajamas and packed our bag for the next days’ trip to Durame at 6am. 

There was an over-arching sense of nauseating anticipation in the air, knowing we would soon meet our children's birth family. 

Travel Group (and annoyed Ethiopian man in foreground)

Hand-washing before the meal - Emma and Michael on the right

More hand-washing...

Yellow stuff we enjoyed is in the 4:00 position - looks like creamed corn, but was SO yummy!

Dancers doing their thing! 

Check presenter baskets... pretty cool!

I think we paid around $12 for dinner.

Cool tree from at the museum - looked like a giant poinsettia!

Friendly reminder from the museum folks...

(Baby monkey named) Selam - they say is the earliest human child.

This was on the cover of National Geographic at one point.

Uh huh.

See! I'm not making this stuff up!

"Lucy" was on display in the USA while we were in Ethiopia... so we missed that gem.

Photo of a lady making injera. We didn't get to see anyone actually MAKING the injera while we were there, so this was a little clue as to how they pour it and get it all thin and even since they can't tip the pan around.

Travel Journal: Day 2 - the day we met our babies!

FRIDAY-

This was the day we had been waiting for! 

The day we meet our children for the first time!

We woke up at 7am to a very chilly room! July in Ethiopia is more like October in Tennessee. 

I walked out on the balcony to take a look around and see Addis Ababa in the daylight. I saw nannies at work over at the care center, a small child waving at me from a make shift building across the street, and a gorgeous view of the mountains in the fog.

The strangest thing about Ethiopia so far is the diversity. We are staying at a hotel with solid marble front steps, marble floors, and probably the nicest accommodations anyone in this area has ever seen… but in the back of the hotel are shacks you would think were abandoned. There are packs of dogs roaming the streets, cats crying, chickens and roosters crowing, huge potholes that resemble small lakes and people pushing wheelbarrows full of potatoes for sale.

We debated what to wear, (“does this outfit say ‘Hello, I am your mommy and I am so incredibly happy to be here to meet you today!’”), then Paul went downstairs to ask for an iron. He was told they would bring one up. He went to shave and shower and while he was in the bathroom, I heard faint knocking. I figured someone was knocking down the hall it was so barely audible. After the 3^rd time I heard it, I went to the door to see if someone needed something… and it was the guy bringing us the iron! He was knocking on OUR door! Oops! 

He came in and removed the TV and other items from the desk, then laid a bright red towel out on the desk to make an ironing board. I thanked him and gave him a tip – 10birr, about .70, but figured it was about right based on other prices and tips I had heard of. 

He then proceeded to actually iron Paul’s shirt and pants! 

I didn’t realize he was going to do that! Not sure if I had then invited myself to pay another tip… I knocked on the door and told Paul he was here and ironing. Eventually, he was finished, and yes – he got another tip and was on his way to go fix someone’s shower! I guess this guy was the hotel’s Jack of All Trades.

After we were dressed, we went downstairs for breakfast and met several of the other families in our travel group. First was Kimberly – who I had emailed several times over the course of our adoption. Next, Heather, Chonda, Wendy and their husbands joined us.  Emma and Michael  were on their way still after being delayed due to weather.

We had breakfast – some strange looking and tasting eggs – and many, many cups of coffee!

One of the Holt staff arrived and gave me our itinerary. It was a little confusing since they thought we were not arriving until today at noon, not last night at midnight. I think military time notation would be a good idea for in the future.  At least this explains why we had no driver!

After some discussion about our schedule, Paul and I decided to jump in on the rest of the travel groups schedule and go to the Holt office right then. I am glad that we did because we got to meet the staff, see our babies’ big binder that contained our dossier and the intake photos I have never seen, and learn more about our trip and hear the Holt staff’s heart for our kids. They really do love them all so much. They are so proud of what they are doing and you can tell it is their life’s calling.

As soon as our meeting was over, the driver loaded up the two families who had children at the second care center. I believe they called it Care Center 3. Our children are at Care Center 2… which we thought was Care Center 1. I don’t know if there is a center 1… but I know which they are talking about now at least.

We waited what seemed like an hour for the driver to come back to take us to OUR care center to meet our children!

When we arrived, we honked and were let inside. The Holt staff photographer/videographer got ready and Sister Martha came to speak with us. She was SO kind and sweet and sincerely loves these children SO much. She explained that they would bring the kids down the stairs one at a time and we would know them. Well, I was sure I would be the only one seeing three at once, so I was not nervous, but I can see how it could cause some stress! Sometimes families travel having only seen one photo from many months prior! They change SO much SO fast!

We were the last ones to be introduced to our children. I loved seeing the other families meeting their kids for the first time! Finally, I stood up so I could get a better look, and I saw a nanny leading the children down the stairs! They were walking and holding hands. As soon as they got to the bottom of the stairs, Z** took off running for me! She ran right into my arms, baby boy tackled Paul with a big hug, and B** came to me! I kneeled there crying and smiling this huge goofy smile while holding my girls! Paul was videotaping as best as possible given the circumstances, but I am so happy the Holt staff has someone who does that too!

We went and sat together on the couch and just absorbed as much of them as we could! We had quite awhile to play together and we got to see smiles and personalities coming out very quickly! B** (oldest girl) is so incredibly beautiful and very smart! She takes wonderful care of the younger two. You can see how she has loved and cared for them for nearly a year now. She acts very much like an oldest child. She has a smile and a voice of an angel! Z** (middle girl) also is gorgeous! She has these high cheek bones and an adorable freckle on her right cheek! She smiles and laughs and just seems to enjoy being with people. She stayed with us for the most part and kept returning when she would wander away. D** (baby boy) is such a sweet baby! I know they say he is almost 3, but he seems so much younger than that! He seems barely 2 to me. He is a snuggle bug and has a great smile! He is still in diapers and just seems like such a wonderful baby boy! He threw the ball with us, was scared of playing chasing games, and just loved to be held!

After our meeting, we went upstairs to feed them lunch! I got to help feed all three kiddos! 

They brought out this bowl and pitcher of water to wash their hands, then gave each child a huge plate of injera and “wat” and something that looked like potatoes with chopped up ham. They ate ALL of it! Each one of them! Baby boy tried to feed me his first bite! How sweet!  I took it and fed it to him instead. He smiled at me! I fed some to B** (oldest girl) but she was doing better on her own. She's a very efficient eater!

While we were eating, Emma and Michael arrived directly from the airport and 30 hours of flights to meet their daughter! Our travel group was now completely here and accounted for!

After lunch, they went to the potty and we went back downstairs to play! This is when the true personalities came out! We had some Magnadoodles in the bag and they were a huge hit! They carried them around and learned to erase the screens. Many more smiles, many more giggles, much more hugs and kisses! The nannies eventually came to tell us it was time for their naps. We took them upstairs and I helped tuck them all into bed. It was so sad to leave them, but also so incredibly amazing to have met them and to have fallen totally, head-over-heels in love with them so instantly!

We walked back to the hotel in a daze. 

We had just met our children! 

They are wonderful! 

They are so sweet, and smart and amazingly beautiful! 

We were just FULL! 

Everyone was having lunch, but Paul and I weren’t really hungry. We went up to the room where I had some of the food we brought for me and we downloaded the videos and photos from our first meeting to the computer. Sister Martha had asked B** if she would sing and she sang this adorable song for us! 

We watched that video several times!

Soon it was time to get back in the van and go to the Holt office again. On the drive there we saw many shocking things. We saw a man with contorted limbs dragging his body, clothed in rags, across the sidewalk. Children were selling food on the streets, men urinating just wherever the urge hit them, bulls and cows in the street, herds of goats with pink markings on them, chickens scratching in the runoff area next to a fence.

At the Holt office, we filled out our 1600 forms (times 3) and the I184 forms (times 3) with the help of the Holt staff. We were hoping this would go by quickly so we could get back to the care center and see our babies again soon! Once we were finished, we waited on the paperwork to be verified then loaded back in the vans again.  First we drove to Care Center 3 to drop off those two families to visit their children.  That was an amazing place! SO many children there! Many older, most all were over 3 or 4 years old… but they were so beautiful and had such sweet faces!  We dropped those families off and went back to our center to see our babies! First the girls were brought downstairs. They had on different clothes this time and I thought Z** was D** from up the balcony! Oops! Z** sat in my lap, B** in Paul’s lap and we looked at the photo albums we brought. The girls loved looking at the photos! I tried in my best Southern/ Amharic to explain who and what items were in the photos. Soon, baby boy was brought downstairs and we looked at his book together! They all three carried their books around and showed each nanny who came through the room! They were so happy to show off their gifts!

We had also brought party favor bubbles this visit! They were a huge hit! The girls loved them, but baby boy was scared at first. He liked to blow them, but didn’t want to touch them. He would pop them with his photo album, but that was a close as he would get! B** said her first taught-by-us English word – Bubbles! She also repeated after me the names of all her siblings as we pointed to her siblings in the book! We laughed at Daddy’s picture with the Woo-shah (dog), Ricotta!

It was clear that the kids were getting tired. It was an overwhelming day for all of us! So many emotions and new experiences at once! Around 6:30, the nannies came to get them cleaned up, fed dinner and off to bed. We reluctantly said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel for dinner. It’s not like me to not have many words, but I was just trying to process and soak up everything I had seen and felt!

We ate in the hotel lobby and I had Injera and Tibs for the first time! It was really good! I was surprised that I liked it as much as I did! We sat with the other families and enjoyed recounting stories from our day! 

Paul and I went to bed around 9:00, worn out from all of the excitement!

(trying to find photos of this day that I can share... if I find them I will add them here!)

Travel Journal: Day 1

It’s Thursday, sometime close to noon in Germany.
So far we have been from Nashville to Newark and then through the night to Frankfurt.

Sitting here in a foreign country,
it all of the sudden occurs to me how REAL this is.

We are going to pick up our children.
This time tomorrow, we will have met them already!

They are REAL children,
with passports and airline tickets and
they are coming home with US.

And they will be coming home with us
through this gigantic airport…in the middle of the night.

WOW!

Maybe it’s the (sporadic) one-hour of sleep I logged last night, but I am a little nervous already. If I feel this much “culture shock” just being in Germany… how much more will it be once we arrive in Ethiopia!? Or Istanbul, for that matter!

In Nashville after clearing security, we purchased a snow globe with Nashville scenes on it to give to the nannies at the care center as a gift from our home town. We didn’t realize we would have to go through security AGAIN in Newark (and also here in Frankfurt come to find out). The Newark TSA thought my little Nashville snow globe was a threat to national security, and they destroyed it.  So… we are without a gift for the nannies from Nashville.  I purchased some post cards from Newark… one with Obama on it since the Ethiopians are big fans. We are also going to purchase some German chocolates to take to them. I guess it’s better than nothing… but I had really hoped to have a Nashville/Tennessee gift for them.

I have also lost all concept of time. Already.  It’s noon in Frankfurt. It’s like 4 or 5am in Nashville. I have been awake for 3 or 4 hours already today.  It’s a strange feeling not really knowing what time it is or what time your body thinks it is!

ETHIOPIA:

We landed in Ethiopia just after 1:30am local time. We went down a hallway to the customs area where we filled out a card telling them why we are here, how long we are staying and where we will be staying. We then went to get our visas. We only waited a moment in line before it was our turn. The girl in line ahead of us was explaining to the visa officials that she was born in Ethiopia, but we saw she had a US passport and a Washington state driver’s license!  Paul started talking with her and found out she was adopted through AAI (another agency we had researched)! She was now 17 and was visiting Ethiopia for the first time. When she asked what agency we were using, she turned her body towards me and I saw her necklace said Be****! I smiled and told her one of our daughters is named Be**** as well!

What a cool way to start our trip!

After that , we made it through to the entry point where our passports were  checked, stamped and we were on our way to baggage claim! Amazingly, all 4 of our checked bags made it and looked unharmed and un- searched!  Also amazing!

We passed through our final security checkpoint (once again having bags searched due to the hot plate), and began looking for our sign-holding Holt employee! There was none to be seen. We realized that our delay in Istanbul had made our flight later than we anticipated, but when we tried to call the numbers we had been given by Holt, we couldn’t reach anyone. Finally, Paul negotiated with a cab driver to take us to the Union Hotel Apartments. They were less than pleased at the long drive and the driver didn’t really seem to know where he was going.  It was one of the scariest rides of my life. There were not really any other cars on the road, but the sights –even at night- were frightening. I began imagining all sorts of bad things… some sort of plot to drop off “ferungis” so that they could be robbed and killed… winding up at some other “Union” hotel that was not ours… etc, etc, etc.

Finally, we saw the familiar gates I have seen in photos for months now! I recognized the care center before the hotel! I couldn’t believe we were mere FEET away from our babies!! Finally!

The driver honked at the gate and shouted in Amharic to the guard on the other side. They let us in and 3 or 4 employees appeared to help get our bags upstairs. After some debate with the cab driver about the actual negotiated fare, we checked in and were taken to our room, number 207. The room is very nice! We have a large bed (probably a king), a dressing table, a desk, side tables, a small eating table and two chairs, an armoire and a whole bedroom for the kids when we take custody! Their room has a dressing table and an armoire as well as a balcony overlooking the area behind the hotel.

After unpacking our things into the armoires, setting up all of my food and putting away all of the bags, we were finally in the bed at 3:30am. We slept really well!