A traditional Ethiopian hut
We woke up early (4AM), which was very early for those of us not adjusted to the time difference yet. Luckily I was still on night shift mode and was functioning pretty well despite the lack of sleep. We had a light breakfast of toast, packed some food for lunch and were out the door by 5AM.
When we stepped out of the gate the street was lined with eight land rover type vehicles. It was still dark and it was damp out. We climbed into the vehicles, one per family and drove off. The countryside was beautiful, very green and full of vegetation. Every once in a while we would come upon a village of huts or shacks. There were a few larger towns, Mostly though it was
countryside with huts interspersed here and there.
We reached the city of Hosanna after four hours and made our way through packed mud streets to the care center. There were throngs of children outside the gate begging for candy. Some had learned enough English to ask "What is your name?". When we went inside the gate each family was led to a room where members of their
children's' birth family were waiting. E and M's father and uncle greeted me with hugs and handshakes. We were able to talk to these men for about a half hour learning about the family life E and M had left and I was able to promise that the children would grow up being able to attend school and have the opportunity to do whatever they wanted in life. I also promised that our family would spend the rest of our lives learning about Ethiopia, so E and M may have an idea of their heritage. Their father was grateful but also very sad. I gave him pictures of E and M and
promised more as they grew as well as letters. One great find was that their father did go to school and can read and write in
Amharic. I should be able to find many people here who can interpret a
letter for me.
We took pictures then had a candle ceremony, a symbolization of the birth family passing their children to the adoptive family. It was a very emotional day for all involved.
We toured the satellite care center, where the children stay until they are able to go to
Addis Ababa. then we were on our way back. The drive back was exciting. All along the highway were people, men, women and children. We were stared at and waved to our whole way back. We stopped at a hut near the highway and were able to see how most of our children had lived prior to the orphanage. We saw people working, guiding their ox to plow the field. Children were the most excited to see us, shouting "
ferengi" which means "white people", and waving frantically.
After
retuning to the guesthouse Eva, Adam and I walked to the care center to visit with
Meretech. She was excited to see us and even more excited when we pulled out a pen and paper for her to scribble. It was almost as if she had been craving the stimulation. She was warming up to us but still not making a peep. We walked back to the guesthouse (about a 15 minute walk) and stayed
there for the remainder of the day, visiting with the other families picking up their children.
Last night Maya started writing out her Christmas wish list. I told her she could put anything on it that she wanted but not to expect to get everything on her list. So far she has only come up with four things she wants.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
This is one thing you can do in a clean living room.
I took all three kids there with the intention of looking for a cat to adopt. I had found a few online that I thought might be okay. Bootsie was not on my list but apparently she thought she should be. Maya was looking at all the cats and Bootsie stuck her paws out of her cage as Maya went by, causing Maya to stop and look at her then declare that this was the cat she wanted. We spent a little time with Bootsie and Maya was sold on her so we brought her home. She is a very affectionate, petite 1-year-old
kitty, she loves sitting on laps and tolerates all kinds of hugs, kisses and being carried around by the kids.
dma and Grandpa right away to give them the good news. He had his last soccer game last week and was sad that he won't be able to play on a team again until next year. Elias is never sad for long, right now he is plotting how to spend all his money.
Being silly for the camera
Hannah has a fun hair-do 
Yesterday was Maya and Elias' first day of school. Maya got on the bus without a hitch and I drove Elias to school. I could tell that Elias was nervous but I know he'll love being around other kids all day. I didn't drag out my good-bye to him, I could tell he was getting upset. So after a quick hug and kiss I left him in the care of his very capable teachers. I made a quick stop on my way out to wave to Maya and remind her to
look for Elias after school at the buses. Hannah and I waited at the bus stop for the kids after school. Elias got off the bus with a huge smile on his face. Both kids took the bus to school this morning.
et in. Soon their feet turned into halfway up their legs, then both Elias and Hannah slipped and ended up sitting in the water. By the time we left they were both soaking wet but had huge smiles on their faces. Lake Superior was a hit. Later we toured my old neighborhood and I commented to the kids on all the changes. Maya was the only one listening, she loves hearing stories from my childhood. We had a great time on our trip and the kids were great travelers.
h now. It doesn't seem like it could be that long yet at other times it feels as as if they have been here longer. Elias is understanding just about everything I say to him now. I know that soon he is going to start spewing out English like a native. For now though I love the mix of Amharic and English in his husky accent. He rolls his r's so everyday words turn have a fun little twist to them, "green three" are two that sound especially fun. He also believes that the correct way to pronounce our state is "Minnesitota". He's still making jokes daily and keeping us laughing. Hannah is picking up English too. She has a soft whispery voice but not much accent. She still uses some Amharic though she wasn't speaking it as much as Elias.
up with him and resorted to walking after awhile. So now I guess I'll have a cross country runner, just as long as he doesn't want to play football I'm okay with it. While we were in Fargo Elias discovered that he loves to play with baby dolls. I am sure when he is 15 this fact will be quite embarrassing to him but for now I think it is wonderful. He likes to change their clothes and even carried one with him in a backpack carrier as we went to garage sales today. He is showing what a compassionate kid he can be and I couldn't be happier.
seem like it has really been that long yet at the same time I feel that we have been home longer. The kids had their first doctor visit with their first round of immunizations and blood work. We had a lot of crying that day though later they were showing off their band aids like they were trophies. We are all adjusting to the newness of our family.
only one day he was acting dramatically when throwing away something into the stinky trash. He'll tell you his name is Mommy with a straight face then crack up. He'll pretend that he is afraid of Maya when she walks in a room and he'll hide behind me. He does have his bad moments too. It hasn't been so easy learning the rules of the house and he's been testing me to see what he can get away with. For the most part he is having fun. He loves to play outside, especially if it involves getting wet or it involves a ball. He is also really excited about learning and we are working on getting him to recognize letters, numbers, shapes and colors. He is practicing writing too and can already write his name. He should be ready for Kindergarten in a month.
Hannah Meretech is a sweet girl. She has a stubborn streak in her but mostly she is just happy to be doing whatever her big brother and sister are doing. She finally started talking (all the time) after about 2 days at home. She has a very cute little squeaky voice. She has done some testing of the limits and discovered that I don't like whining. Her manners get better every day. She is very girly in that she likes to wear dresses, have her hair done and loves babies. She had a ball playing dress-up in old costumes of Maya's. Many of Maya's hair binders end up as bracelets on her little arms.
ready to go
At the airport
Now they are mine!
A traditional Ethiopian hut
My first meeting with Meretech
