K
So I should probably start with saying, you have two parents who need to work on their baby arms. We are so not used to picking up a child, let alone one who weighs almost 24 pounds. We will work on this, but our arms are sore.
I love breakfast. It has always been a favorite meal of the day, but I especially enjoy it when someone else is making my breakfast. K, The Riveria, makes these awesome little "pancakes." So far we have had them both mornings, but they aren't pancakes like we have at home. They taste a lot like crepes. LOVE these pancakes. Combine them, with the chocolate flakes, spring rolls, and coffee, it makes a great breakfast. Your Dad and I learned something this morning during breakfast. The longer you sit there, the more food they bring you. As we sat there, the waitress first brought us yogurt and then eventually sausages and breads. The bread was like a cinnamon pound cake. We will have to sit over our coffee more often.
This morning we were picked up at 9:30 to go to HH. It was a really special morning, because today was the S Family's gotcha day for their twins. Okay, truth time, I was crying as we got to watch this. I can't imagine the mess I will be when we come back for you.
You were wearing little overalls in the morning along with your bib we brought yesterday. I love how they dress you in overalls two days in a row! At home you have a pair of overalls waiting for you from your Great-Grandma Shirley, along with a red top. I know there is a story that goes with the overalls, your Dad will have to tell you the story since I don't remember it right now.
We spent the morning outside of the baby house in the little courtyard between it and the older kids' house. I know, it looks so quiet in the picture above. It isn't quiet in the mornings in this location. I love how all of the special mothers have the babies outside sitting in their bumbo seats, laying on blankets, or walking around. Your Dad and I always wanted to laugh at one little guy. Whenever we saw him he, he always had a piece of bread in his hand.
I love we saw you for the first time yesterday, but I think I love you more today. Today you were given to Dad before I got to hold you. I am pretty sure, right now at least, you prefer your Dad to me. That's okay, there's a theory about that (I will explain it more later). Your Dad stayed outside with you while a couple of us followed the S Family to witness a miracle. When I got back to you and your Dad, you seemed happy in his arms, although you wouldn't smile, no matter what we did. Your Dad was already singing to you. I am sorry, he already has you listening to the Ramones. Joey will be happy.
I felt kinda bad. You were content in your Dad's arm, not crying, until you saw me. That's right, you saw me and started to cry. That's okay though, you eventually stopped crying. I don't have the schedule fully figured out yet, but at some point while we are there in the morning, the special mothers pack up the babies and go inside for naps. During the morning we took you upstairs to get a fresh diaper, I get to change you for the first time, and while coming back out of the baby house you sighed. Words cannot express how I felt when I heard and felt this. It wasn't just any sigh, it was the sigh babies give when they are content and happy. You sighed!!!!!! I don't know when, but being content didn't last.
You began to get fussy, so your Dad grabbed the blanked Grammie made for you. We wrapped you up, as best we could, we so don't do it the same as your special mothers, and held you. Eventually you fell asleep in my arms. (So it isn't a contest with your Dad, but it is, I got you to fall asleep first.) Your Dad and I kept you outside for a bit, holding you and just looking at you. Eventually we walked you back upstairs and put you in your crib.
Eventually Wass told us it was time to go and we all packed into the van to go back to the hotel. Once at the hotel, your Dad and I went upstairs to grab the green bin with donations. Along with the C family, we were going to the orphanage you were in before HH. We drove through the streets of Addis to stop along the road to buy a goat. That's right, we bought a goat. Wass saw a goat dealer driving his goats away from the goat stand, so we asked him to pull over to get a goat to take to your former home. We watched him point at different goats, discuss prices, and we ended up with a goat.
It was always part of our plan to take a goat to the orphanage. We thought the goat would ride in the back of the van, we might put sunglasses on him. That isn't what happened. The goat was placed in what we called "the goat hole," also known as the trunk. The rest of the trip we talked loudly and a lot since we could hear the goat. At the same time, we got Wass to talk to us about Ganna (Christmas) and the traditions of having a goat on Ganna. We learned it is the male who slaughters the animals that are eaten for the family, it isn't considered a job for a female. This conversation brought about one of our favorite quotes of the trip. (This is in reference to Ganna and goats.)
Another child is occupying the crib. This mom's heart broke when she saw it and the condition it was in. You lived in a crib with only three sides. The wall was the fourth side of your crib and was to keep you safe. So difficult to see, even more difficult to write about. We left this room and were shown where the C family's daughter was for a day, while she was there. While seeing this room we got to truly see how great Wass is. A little child saw us and started screaming, he had never seen a white person before. Wass got down on the ground and comforted him, telling him it was okay, until it was okay for him.
We also won't tell L, but you are not a fan of your blue elephant she got you yet. I know it rattles, crinkles, and is soft, but as of right now you are not a fan. We will work on this. After the swing, you couldn't be comforted, not even with song. We tried the blanket again, but it didn't work. I am pretty sure you eventually stopped crying, but I can't be sure. All I know is all too soon we were told, "Time to go." I really don't like these three words.
After getting back to the hotel, the G family and us decided to be adventuress. We decided to entrust our lives in Teddy, the cab driver. Before pulling away from the hotel, the security guards wrote down the time, the cab number, and our room numbers and we were off to dinner. The goal was to go to a restaurant on Bole, but our cab driver couldn't find it. At one point he pulled over, made a call, but it still couldn't be found. So we went to Island Breezes for pizza. It was good. Here's what we learned along the way. . .
Most used cars come from Europe. If you brought a $20,000 car into the country, you would have to pay taxes on it around $40,000.
It is okay to ignore the lines on the road. I think it is actually encouraged.
If you hit someone with a car, and they die, you go to jail for 15 years. We never got a clear answer as to what happens if they don't die.
Moscow Square is a great place to meet someone. I didn't get a picture of it, but there was a lot of lanes of traffic there. I want to say 8 on each side of the road.
The green and yellow means construction. There's a lot of construction areas in Addis.
There are not a lot of street lights or stop lights. It is also okay to drive without your headlights, in the dark.
Luckily, when the road "T's" and you have to go through 5 lanes of traffic, there are police to help.
There are a lot of really big bottles of coke. We also saw an IKEA sign and Barney.
There's coke everywhere. No diet coke.
So I should probably start with saying, you have two parents who need to work on their baby arms. We are so not used to picking up a child, let alone one who weighs almost 24 pounds. We will work on this, but our arms are sore.
I love breakfast. It has always been a favorite meal of the day, but I especially enjoy it when someone else is making my breakfast. K, The Riveria, makes these awesome little "pancakes." So far we have had them both mornings, but they aren't pancakes like we have at home. They taste a lot like crepes. LOVE these pancakes. Combine them, with the chocolate flakes, spring rolls, and coffee, it makes a great breakfast. Your Dad and I learned something this morning during breakfast. The longer you sit there, the more food they bring you. As we sat there, the waitress first brought us yogurt and then eventually sausages and breads. The bread was like a cinnamon pound cake. We will have to sit over our coffee more often.
This morning we were picked up at 9:30 to go to HH. It was a really special morning, because today was the S Family's gotcha day for their twins. Okay, truth time, I was crying as we got to watch this. I can't imagine the mess I will be when we come back for you.
You were wearing little overalls in the morning along with your bib we brought yesterday. I love how they dress you in overalls two days in a row! At home you have a pair of overalls waiting for you from your Great-Grandma Shirley, along with a red top. I know there is a story that goes with the overalls, your Dad will have to tell you the story since I don't remember it right now.
I love we saw you for the first time yesterday, but I think I love you more today. Today you were given to Dad before I got to hold you. I am pretty sure, right now at least, you prefer your Dad to me. That's okay, there's a theory about that (I will explain it more later). Your Dad stayed outside with you while a couple of us followed the S Family to witness a miracle. When I got back to you and your Dad, you seemed happy in his arms, although you wouldn't smile, no matter what we did. Your Dad was already singing to you. I am sorry, he already has you listening to the Ramones. Joey will be happy.
I felt kinda bad. You were content in your Dad's arm, not crying, until you saw me. That's right, you saw me and started to cry. That's okay though, you eventually stopped crying. I don't have the schedule fully figured out yet, but at some point while we are there in the morning, the special mothers pack up the babies and go inside for naps. During the morning we took you upstairs to get a fresh diaper, I get to change you for the first time, and while coming back out of the baby house you sighed. Words cannot express how I felt when I heard and felt this. It wasn't just any sigh, it was the sigh babies give when they are content and happy. You sighed!!!!!! I don't know when, but being content didn't last.
You began to get fussy, so your Dad grabbed the blanked Grammie made for you. We wrapped you up, as best we could, we so don't do it the same as your special mothers, and held you. Eventually you fell asleep in my arms. (So it isn't a contest with your Dad, but it is, I got you to fall asleep first.) Your Dad and I kept you outside for a bit, holding you and just looking at you. Eventually we walked you back upstairs and put you in your crib.
Eventually Wass told us it was time to go and we all packed into the van to go back to the hotel. Once at the hotel, your Dad and I went upstairs to grab the green bin with donations. Along with the C family, we were going to the orphanage you were in before HH. We drove through the streets of Addis to stop along the road to buy a goat. That's right, we bought a goat. Wass saw a goat dealer driving his goats away from the goat stand, so we asked him to pull over to get a goat to take to your former home. We watched him point at different goats, discuss prices, and we ended up with a goat.
It was always part of our plan to take a goat to the orphanage. We thought the goat would ride in the back of the van, we might put sunglasses on him. That isn't what happened. The goat was placed in what we called "the goat hole," also known as the trunk. The rest of the trip we talked loudly and a lot since we could hear the goat. At the same time, we got Wass to talk to us about Ganna (Christmas) and the traditions of having a goat on Ganna. We learned it is the male who slaughters the animals that are eaten for the family, it isn't considered a job for a female. This conversation brought about one of our favorite quotes of the trip. (This is in reference to Ganna and goats.)
"If you don't buy goat for your children, they make gloomy face."
Well, the children in your former orphanage, will not need to make a gloomy face come Ganna.
{The gates to your former home.}
Eventually we got to your former home. It was very clean, but bland. The walls were white, there was not a lot of sound, there was no laughter. So different from HH. Wass talked to the ladies working and we were lead upstairs to your former room. Before we got there, I don't think there were any adults in the room, just babies. Wass translated for us and the woman talked and we were shown your former crib.
 |
| {The laundry, looking down from the door leading to your room.} |
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| {The goat, eating and much happier out of the goat hole.} |
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| {The kitchen} |
We left the orphanage and were taken back to the hotel.
Have to know how to break the law in order to drive in Addis.
During the drive back to the hotel, Wass explained to us about how you do need insurance to drive a car in Ethiopia. We also learned about the difference of time there. Midnight is the start of your work day. No matter when you start, that is your personal midnight.
For lunch your Dad and I shared an Ethiopian dish and we were picked back up at 3 to go back to HH.
When we got there, you were up in the butterfly room, so we took our shoes off, walked up the stairs and turned left. When we got in there, one of your special mothers was feeding you, so I got to finish doing this. Hon, we are going to have to work on your diet. I know veggies are not fun, but you do need to expand your diet to include them. We have been told you do not like the potato and carrot baby food made at HH and prefer the rice cereal. I do have to agree, but you do need veggies, they are supposed to be good for you.
We played with you in your room today. You were wearing a Sponge Bob pajama outfit that was way too big for you. You so do not fit into a 4T, you need something smaller. But that is okay. Why? We saw you smile for the first time this afternoon. That's right, you finally smiled!!!! While taking pictures of you with your special mothers, M got you to smile. I love this picture, it is now a favorite.
While we were up in your room, your Dad made his first attempt at feeding you. There was a lot of laughter by the special mothers while he tried this. Cutie, you ended up wearing a lot more of your food than eating it. Your Dad will learn. In addition to feeding you, your Dad changed your diaper for the first time. This was an afternoon of laughter.
While we were up in your room, your Dad made his first attempt at feeding you. There was a lot of laughter by the special mothers while he tried this. Cutie, you ended up wearing a lot more of your food than eating it. Your Dad will learn. In addition to feeding you, your Dad changed your diaper for the first time. This was an afternoon of laughter.
This afternoon we sang, we sang and clapped your song, danced, looked at your picture album, and eventually found our way outside. Your Dad insisted on putting a new bib on you. That's right, you wore one of your Ohio State bibs. In the pictures, you don't look too happy, but your Dad was smiling. We tried swinging with you, but you didn't like it.This afternoon your Dad continued to sing Ramones to you, but as of right now you are not a fan of "Blitzkrieg Bop."
After getting back to the hotel, the G family and us decided to be adventuress. We decided to entrust our lives in Teddy, the cab driver. Before pulling away from the hotel, the security guards wrote down the time, the cab number, and our room numbers and we were off to dinner. The goal was to go to a restaurant on Bole, but our cab driver couldn't find it. At one point he pulled over, made a call, but it still couldn't be found. So we went to Island Breezes for pizza. It was good. Here's what we learned along the way. . .
People like to drive close. Really close. There was about an inch between us and this car.
This blue van is known as a "blue devil." The drivers of these vans drive for 22 hours a day.
Love,
Mom
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