Ethiopia Trip 2

We have been home for a couple of weeks now, so I thought I'd better record our 2nd trip before I forget what I think is unforgettable.

We went back and forth and all over the place trying to figure out the best travel plan for our family.  It was perfect that it would be over Christmas break, so the girls wouldn't have to miss school, but being the super sentimental/family oriented sap that I am we had to be with family at least around Christmas.

We finally decided against the better judgment of some veteran adoptive families to... first fly to NJ a couple of days before Christmas, spend Christmas Eve with my family, leave the girls at my mom and dads and fly out of DC (because it is a direct flight) on Christmas day.  It was pricey, but I never thought I'd say this...we just didn't care even though our savings was depleting at a rate that was a little scary for us.

The girls were happy to have a small Christmas in exchange for flying, staying at Grandma and Grandpa's, hanging with the cousins for a week, and especially in exchange for a couple of little brothers.  I was a little emotional not getting to spend Christmas Day with them, but they were spoiled and loved well by aunts and uncle and Grandparents.

My girls with their cousins and the spoilers:)

Jason and I arrived in Addis Ababa the morning of the 26th.  We were greeted at our hotel by our good friends, Rob and Kara.  We all asked for the same embassy appointment, so we could be there together. Once Jason and I got a little nap in we went to Khaldi for a macciato and the worlds best french toast with the Plaisures.

We excitedly met our driver to go get Caleb first.  We got to have another couple join us as they were going to pick up their baby too.  My nerves were all over the place. 

  We walked up to Caleb's room, and he was sleeping, so we reluctantly woke him up.

I had heard so many stories, so I thought I was totally prepared for all worst case scenarios from picking up our boys to the "hellacious" flight home.  But I guess I wasn't quite prepared for the reaction of the nannies.  I knew they loved these babies, but I just hadn't given a ton of thought to how difficult it would be for them to say goodbye, because they had bonded with Caleb, and loved him.  After I snatched up Caleb I turned and saw two of the nannies crying...Ugh, it broke my heart.

We let the nanny change Caleb, and I just felt bad reaching for him, so I waited for her to hand him to us. These women had invested so much in Caleb, and just letting him go across the world with a couple they didn't know anything about had to be heart-wrenching.

We really didn't stay that long.  We asked the nurse bedtime routine type questions, and then left.  It kind of felt like when Kami, our oldest daughter, was born, and it was time to go home.  I just remember feeling like, "so we just leave?  you let us just take her home now?  we are in charge of this little being? huh?"  But that was that, and we left for Jane's House to pick up Joshua:)

This sweet little girl wanted to kiss him goodbye.

This is one of the couples with us, Amy and Greg, with their sweet baby that they also named Caleb:)

We piled up into the not-so-comfortable little Toyota van for a short drive to Jane's House.  I have a new appreciation for the car seat laws...  It was no easy task keeping myself upright while holding a baby trying to keep his head from flopping against the window as we speed over huge potholes and dodge pedestrians and crazy traffic (no lines in the roads, random goat crossings and no regard for oncoming traffic--and somehow zero road rage).

Joshua didn't really seem to remember us, but we didn't expect that he would.  It was just a rush of excitement for us, though, to finally be there, take him home, and start our new normal.

Joshua and Silas (our friends, Emily and Brandon are in the process of adopting him, so he and Joshua will get to grow up knowing each other:)

Silas is 2 years older, and just sweet as can be to Joshua.  They were looking at a picture.

Mouth crammed full of bread, holding the little photo book of our family, his bedroom, our house and his referral picture we sent with a friend to give Joshua before we even met him.

Hope this isn't too much face:), but Silas is a very happy giggly little boy, so Jason couldn't resist playing with him, and we were given strict orders to give him some extra loving (I'm the worst friend, though, because Emily gave me a bag of fun little gifts for him... that I left back in NJ in the much needed carry-on.  Thankfully, Emily is a forgiving friend.  We took lots of pictures for them, though)

And soccer... he loves soccer

Three of the nannies with Anya and Joshua.  

Joshua and Silas checking out Anya's new family.

This broke my heart as we posed for the picture, because the little girl in pink struggled the whole time we were there.  She wanted to be in the picture so badly.  We fell in love with her on our first trip.  Thankfully she has been referred to a family, but she has no idea.  She was getting so upset that we weren't putting a new outfit on her.  We would be holding one of our boys, and she would come over and cry so upset wanting to be held.  We would hold her, but then she wanted a new shirt too, etc.  It was really amazing how she knew exactly what was happening.  She was likely upset too that these friends were leaving.  I would have brought her home with us if we could have.

We were in the same hotel as the two other families with us, which was great, because Anya and Joshua could play together.  We got back to the hotel, Jason and Rob went to get chicken fried rice, and pasta (I brought a loaf of bread, peanut butter, chips and salsa, etc. haha, so I was set).  We all ate dinner together.  Then we decided to give the boys baths and get them ready for bed.  I thought this is when all hell would break loose.  Certainly, they would be up all night, scared to death, having nightmares, and waking up freaked out not knowing where they were.  Joshua loved the bath.  Caleb not so much.  But they both, seriously, laid down without a peep, and fell fast asleep.  I got up with Caleb once or twice, but he went right back to sleep.  AWESOME!:)

My boys and their technology

So that carry-on... I left a carry on at my parents...the one with wipes, bottles, formula and toys! Fortunately, I brought a suitcase with donations that had formula, so I took a can out of that:/, but there was a little store nearby that I was able to get the rest of what we needed.  Definitely not ideal, but thankfully an alternative.

The next day we just hung out a little with the Plaisures in the hotel.  We laid the boys down for naps, so Kara and I went to get coffee and shop (haha:) just to the grocery store to buy coke:)

Our embassy appointment was in the afternoon.  It's crazy how we saw poverty, poverty, poverty, then the beautiful US Embassy with the nice sidewalk and landscape in front.  Just didn't fit, but it did feel nice to have a taste of home.

The Embassy appointment reminded me of going to the DMV.  We sat in a room with other families, waited for our name to be called, take the boys up to the window, answer a few questions and that's it... I really wish there was a way to fit that quick little bit into the first trip, so we wouldn't have had to made the trip two times, but rules are rules.  At least we got to go when it was freezing in the states and warm there:)

Alemu, our Ethiopian mafia friend:), invited us over for traditional Ethiopian meal.  He had injera, the fixings that go with that, pizza and roast with carrots and potatoes:).  It was funny, because he turned on the TV when we all sat down to eat, so I wondered if he just figured that's what we are used to?:)  He was so sweet with the boys.  

His cook brought out this huge loaf (?) of bread after dinner, and he had all the men cut it.  It had to be cut a certain way:).  So we all got this huge hunk of dense bread that I couldn't swallow.  Jason wasn't too keen on it either.  I discovered in the middle of the night in the dark as I reached into the backpack for a diaper that he had crammed our bread into the diaper bag, so we didn't offend anyone by leaving it uneaten...  that was gross.

We did venture out with Amy and Greg and Rob and Kara for a meal with the children...  not the greatest idea.  Thankfully, Jason was holding Caleb, because something didn't agree with the poor little guy, and he puked all over Jason's hands and leg, and then all over himself as well.  Nothing like being in a restaurant, and a kid pukes as you are eating!:/ Joshua had a fit because he shoved all his food in his mouth at once, so we pulled his plate away to give him one bite at a time.  We asked the waitress to explain to him what we were doing, but she couldn't understand us, so I can imagine the Ethiopian people were apauled at these Americans and their attempt to parent.

We had one more day to just wait for our flight home, so we just let Anya and Joshua play in their room, then ours, then we took them out to the courtyard of our hotel to kick around a ball and blow bubbles (Joshuas favorite).  The gate was open, and random people would walk by.  The people are very friendly, but this guy walked by and said, "he is my brother" with a smile and started to reach for Joshua, so Rob closed the gate, but the guy reached through and grabbed Joshua, and was pulling him through, but Jason and Rob pulled Joshua back through.  It was really strange, because the guy was smiling, so seemed harmless, but it kind of creeped me out a bit. 

So that night we got our things together to leave for the airport with everyone, but Greg came down and said that Amy (who is pregnant) had been throwing up for the last few hours, he was trying to get their things together and take care of their new little guy, so running late.  I felt so horrible for her!  I cannot imagine already dreading this forever flight of no sleep with a potentially screaming toddler, and you have the stomach flu?!  Thankfully, her mom was with them to help too, but it was rough for Amy.

We got to the airport, and just like the first trip some guy came out to get us, and moved us to the front of the line.  Not a single person acted like, "what the heck?".  We were definitely not in the US:).  Then when we got to the ticket line they did the same thing, so I said to one of the families in front of us that was now behind us, "I'm so sorry".  They sweetly said, "It is our culture to make you a priority".  So not right, but so humbling.

We got so many looks that I wish I could have interpreted, but I like to assume it was all just curious and nothing negative:)  This very old lady brought over a snickers for both Anya and Joshua.  So sweet, but Joshua drools bad and even worse with sweets for some reason...all over him.  Anya fell asleep on Kara.  Jason played chase with Joshua.  Caleb fell asleep in his stroller.  So far so good.  We said a teary goodbye to Plaisures, because we had different flights, and boarded with Amy and Greg and our ridiculous amount of bags, strollers and babies in tow.

Joshua and Anya

The iphone=lifesaving device for children

Kara and Anya

I had requested a bassinet seat, but apparently they thought that meant I didn't want to sit with my husband then, because our seats were separate!  Once everyone boarded the flight attendant came up and asked me if Jason and I would like to sit together, because there were 6 seats right in a row that were not occupied on this full flight! God was chuckling I'm sure at our excitement and relief.  And it was so nice to be able to say to the large man behind me with his winter coat on with his sleeping baby (in winter coat also) attached to him in a front carrier that he could have my seat with the bassinet in front:).

Jason did amazing at entertaining Joshua.  Caleb woke up for a bottle, and went right back to sleep, so I was able to lay him down across a couple of seats.  Joshua was just so excited by all of the little gadgets, touch screens, food, and buttons that he was well occupied for the first couple of hours, but then he crashed.  We had to land in Rome for an hour, but otherwise we had a direct flight that took 15 hours.  Caleb slept all but 1 hour of it maybe, and Joshua slept all of it except for the first couple hours of playing.  Unbelievable really after hearing so many stories of kids freaking over seatbelts or ears hurting, and not sleeping, or screaming and scared... For whatever reason God decided that was not going to happen with our trip, and I was thrilled!

We arrived in DC December 29th at 730am.  So we got through customs, loaded the van and drove the 2.5 hours to my parents.  It was snowing!  I loved watching the expression on Joshua's face.  Both boys just gasped when we stepped out into the cold... I know, boys, I hate it too.

I was dreading the car seats.... but both boys thought they were awesome.  Caleb cried at one point, but more because he was over tired and hungry, so a bottle solved that minor hiccup.  We stopped at a Wendy's and Joshua even cried when we took him out of his seat to go in.  We were again amazed at how well they seemed to just adjust to whatever it was they needed to adjust to. 

I think I'll have to take another day to share about the girls meeting their brothers for the first time, because this is turning into a book, but to sum up this trip to bring our sons home I would have to say God's favor was all over it.  Another blog, another day I'm going to list from the beginning of the process to the present how God blessed and blessed and surprised us over and over.  God is good.