Saturday, 17 February 07

We got up early this morning, and we all walked to Layla to get Sidisse. Suzanne and the kids came along, so that we could have a last meal together before we left for our flight. The Layla kids were lively, chasing bubbles and playing soccer, doing handstands against the wall.

We hung out there for a while and then rounded up our kids and headed out towards Adam's Pavillion. We stopped at the tiny grocery on the way, the ladies there love Leyton, calling him 'baby' and touching his hair. We grab some bottled water, and head back out over the rocks and dirt piled up from the construction on the road. We climb over animal carcasses and garbage.



We do a little souvenir shopping at the pavillion, before heading upstairs to the restaurant. Our waitress, Aimy, arranged our tables, adn took our orders. When the food came, she took Sidisse from me, so that I could eat.... Sidisse fell asleep in her arms. She didn't feel well today, so we walked back to the guest house to relax with her before our long flight.



We hung out a few hours, before heading back to Layla for Unikeh's going away party. The singing and clapping in the cafeteria could be heard from outside the gate. Unikeh was served first, and then the kids were called up by group, to the front of the room to pick up a piece of cake and a cup of soda. When the party was over we headed back to Ritmo for the afternoon. We hung out with Suzanne and the kids, and enjoyed our last minutes with Ava Sidisse.





Suzanne and David called Dawit to take them to the Habesha Restaraunt for dinner. We all sat outside talking and snuggling Ava. Before we knew it, it was time to take her back to Layla... We gathered her things, and the leftover diapers and formula that we had purchased, and walked them slowly back to Layla with her.

It was heart-wrenching, and at least a few tears fell from my cheek before we made it inside that blue gate.

We took her into Wanna, and handed over the clothes and baby gear.... but I didn't want to give up my sweet girl. I stood there talking to her, and kissing her, and crying. One of the nannies came to hug me, and told me that it would be okay... They didn't understand that we were only visiting, and that Ava Sidisse would be staying in Addis. I handed her over to Jon, and he wept, too. Finally we just had to give her up. If I would have waited one more minute, I wouldn't have been able to leave at all.






We walked slowly back to Ritmo, just in time to get our bags together and load them into the Red Layla van. Jemal was there to pick us up. We swung by the volunteer house, since Ivy was leaving out on the same flight as us. We picked her up and headed to Bole Airport, where we began the long journey home... It was nice to have Ivy there to talk to, about the kids, and her time in Addis...

We had a great time while we were here, and we are looking forward to our trip(s) back!

Friday, 16 February 07

We walked together with Suzanne and the kids to Layla this morning. On the way, we ran into the kids grandmother and two of Bisrat's friends. They came to bring shoes for the kids, and to say Goodbye, one last time. It was bittersweet, as they kissed our cheeks and walked away.



We entered the blue gate to Layla, we picked up Ava, and spent some time with the kids. It was sad to know that this was our last night in Ethiopia. We headed to Ritmo for lunch, and ordered burgers from the Bella Vista Pizzeria. Suzanne and the kids ate with us. After lunch, I put Leyton and Ava down for a nap... Jon followed on his own. Suzanne and I called Dawit to take us back to Churchhill road - Suzanne needed a couple new suitcases for all of the goods they acquired from the extended family. I wanted to try to pick up a wooden stool. We made a quick trip, and came back with the luggage, but no stool. I did find a few silver crosses for Leyton, Ava and Jon.



When we returned, Jon was changing Ava's diaper, and Leyton was playing with the girls. Dinner was ready, baked pasta with cheese and fruit salad. After dinner, Jon walked Ava Sidisse back to Wanna, while Suzanne and I washed dishes.



Ava was so alive today, happy and sweet, playful, vocal - I was so sad that we only had one day left with her.



We had an early night, packing up and getting ready to check out. I wish we could have stayed another week.

Thursday, 15 February 07

I walked to Layla with Suzanne and her kids this morning... Jon and Leyton were still getting ready. Today was Suzanne's family meeting day. They were headed out to meet Bisrat, Yabsira and Mihret's grandparents.

I picked up Ava, who was just being changed into fresh clothes. We walked back to Ritmo and spent the day hanging out, playing, napping and eating. It is hard to believe that our time here is almost up.... we leave for home in 2 days. I can't believe how great getting to know Sidisse has been - I feel like she has always been with us. I can't wait to bring her home.









Suzanne and the kids pull up, just as we are heading out for lunch. They are loaded down with bags of clothing, spices and photographs. Thier family meeting went extremely well, and they were overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of the extended family.

We decided to call Dawit and see if he could take us to the Hilton - Jon and Leyton wanted to swim and Suzanne needed to change her tickets at the Ethiopian Airlines counter at the hotel. He came to get us, but brought the car, the van was in the shop. He helped us to flag down another cab, and we were off.




The Hilton is a beautiful hotel... modern and lively. There are many shops, a gym, restaurants, and poolside cabanas. Jon and the kids jump in the pool and Suzanne and I shop, watch birds, and hang out on the lawn chairs with Ava. It was a beautiful day, and it was nice to spend a couple of hours outside.








When we returned home to Ritmo, dinner was waiting for us... injera and 3 kinds of wat. Ethiopian food, though it isn't found outside of Ethiopia too often, is great... We had a nice dinner together, Ava included, who sat on the couch and played with a toy, while we ate... (she had a bottle on the way home)

When we were finished, we all walked back to Layla for the nightly ritual...

Wednesday, 14 February 07

We woke up as usual at 7am this morning. Today is a great day! Not only is it Valentine's Day, but it also marks the end of Sidisse's 3 month abandonment period. We had an appointment with Elsa the Sponsorship Program coordinator to meet Tilahun and his family. After hopping in one of the famous blue and white taxis, and heading across town, down dirt and rock roads, past mud packed houses with corrugated metal fences and roofs. We finally pull up to a metal gate. The cab driver honks, and a boy with a tattered red sweater peeks out through the crack. he see's Elsa, and swings the gate open. We enter into a tiny plot of grass and dirt, a woman sitting on a low stool with her head hanging into a bucket of water... A small girl in a blue jumper and purple sweater runs up. Another boy in a red sweater right behind, It's Tilahun. Elsa introduces us, as we head back a narrow path along the small mud thatched house.



Tefera, the father comes out... a huge smile on his face. Elsa mentions that he is so grateful for our support, and he speaks in Amharic to his children and they shake our hands, and say Thank you, over and over. We stand outside in thier doorway for a while, and Tefera apologizes for the electricity being off. We talk about what the children like about school, and what they plan to be when they grow up.... Tilahun a doctor, Million, a Teacher. We give them the backpacks that we brought for them, and I pull out the rag dolls for the girls. Tefera's wife and youngest daughter have travelled to the countryside to take care of some family members. Finally, the bare bulb hanging in the house comes on. Tefera invites us in... The house is small, two rooms. Plastic bags filled with clothes and other items line the walls... no bathroom, and along one side of the room a cardboard box, opened and spread out on the floor with a few blankets folded on top.... the kids bed, Tefera tells us. And in the other room, a thin mattress on the floor. They pay 130birr (about $15) per month for rent. There is no running water, no sink, no stove, a mud floor and walls...



We walk outside and take a few photos, shake hands, and hug. We say goodbye and God Bless you, and then we are in the car and on our way again. Tefera and the kids clutching the backpacks and dolls, waving towards our car. We head back to Ritmo, get our stuff together and head to Layla to pick up Sidisse.



We run into Gail, who says that if we are still interested, that they will file Ava Sidisse's case in court on Friday - it can take 10 days or 3 months, but we are in group J. She also says that we should stop by and see the Doctor so that he can check out Sidisse's progress.



Dr. Debela tells us that her progress is amazing, and that she is doing great.

We came back to the guest house, and made arrangements with Suzanne and Dawit to go to Churchhill road for some traditional item shopping, at 3pm. Ashenafi, the AAI driver, stops by to pick us up on his way to AHOPE. We gather our donations and load into the van. We make it there and meet Sidisse, the director. She accepts the donations of vitamins, cloth diapers, dolls and cash (vitamins and cash were collected by our local girlscout troop) and has her secretary write us a receipt. She gives us the grand tour.



We make it back to Ritmo just in time to meet Dawit, and head out shopping. We go to the Haille Selassie shop where there are a ton of great buys. We purchase some silver crosses, a few large wooden ones, a banana art picture, a silver spoon and a drum. When we are done there, Dawit takes us to the Abyssinia shop near Loyal Supermarket. We find a couple of shirts there, and some scarves. There are a few other shops, but the 'hawkers' see Leyton in the doorway, and gather around waiting for us to come out. We head to Sheromeda in hopes of finding something great. We end up at a very busy outside market, and decide that we don't want to fight the crowd with the kids. Instead we opt for a coffee shop, where we can buy beans to take home. 1 kilo, 2 bags comes up to just over $5. We make it back to the guest house for dinner before heading back to Layla.



We drop off Ava Sidisse, and head to the older kids compound to visit awhile. Tonight, there was an evening program in the courtyard. A group of kids dressed in thier traditional clothes, sang songs and did a dance, before the rest of the children ran off for toothbrushing and vaseline. It was a nice night to hang out with the kids and Suzanne.

Tuesday, 13 February 07

The stairwell in the guesthouse hallway was noisier than it had been the past few days... The chatter and footsteps of children woke us this morning. We showered and dressed and congregated in the kitchen over coffee, waiting for Nate (Merrily, the director's son) and Meghan (a volunteer) to arrive to take us on the grand tour of Layla. When they arrived, it was deemed that we wouldn't all fit in Nate's tiny jeep - instead, Meghan led us by foot to Layla. We collected our sweet Sidisse, and met the group on the basketball court. Meghan led us past lines of laundry, into classrooms where children were singing songs in English. We passed by the construction of several new classrooms, where workers laid bricks. We saw the courtyard and cafeteria, the kitchen and offices.




















When the tour was concluded, we decided to go out looking for diapers and formula. Meghan led us to a tiny store with a dirty brown and white striped awning. We found what we were looking for, but decided to walk a little further to Adam's Pavillion, to look for clothes for the kids and get some lunch. On the way, we passed an interesting site.... bulls, loose, eating from a dumpster.



We found a couple of good shops selling traditional clothes and jewelry, along with a limited supply of baby items (I found a binky and some baby lotion!).

We stopped at the rooftop Paradise Garden Terrace Restaurant for lunch. The service was great, the food delicious. We sat there talking for a while before heading back down the dirt and rock road, dust-filled air, over-filled busses and taxis driving by. We make it back to the Ritmo, and spend the afternoon hanging out with Suzanne and the kids.

I dress Leyton and Ava Sidisse in thier new traditional outfits, and the girls all come in to show off thier new dresses.




I lay down on the bed with Ava, and we take a short nap - before I know it, it is time to feed her, and get her back to Layla for the night.



Suzanne and the kids walk with us to drop her off. We make it back to Ritmo in time to get ready for dinner with Alex and Dawn. Alex stops by to pick us up at 7:30, and we head to his place to wait for Dawn, who was stuck in a meeting. They have a beautiful house in the 'well-off' section of town. Mansions really, behind walls and heavy gaurded gates. We sit there for a while, talking and checking out the newly purchased baby gear (Dawn is expecting her first child in March). We leave to pick up Dawn at her meeting, on the way to dinner at 'The Habesha Restaurant'...

The resaurant was cozy, benches and low stools with injera basket tables in groupings around the candle-lit room. Traditional singers and dancers entertained with catching beats... Alex says that you know it is a good restaurant, when it is packed with locals....




He orders us Special Tibs and Fasting Vegetables. The food was delicious. We had a great time, in spite of Jon's nausea. It was great to hang out with natives, and have an inside look into life in Addis. Leyton had a great time, he spent most of the dinner mesmerized by the dancers.



Alex and Dawn dropped us back at the guest house around 10:30 - and we were out for the night.

Monday, 12 February 07

The electricity came back on last night, so we woke up with the call to prayer from the nearby mosque. We showered, got dressed and headed out to Layla/Wanna with Gail and 2 of the 3 families that arrived last night. There was excitement in the air, as they all headed off to meet thier children for the first time...

Suzanne Vedder is here from Michigan, to pick up Bisrat, Yabsira and Mihret. We have seen them a few times on Waiting child videos. Wanda Heinz is here from Maryland with her sister Pat, to pick up Unikeh - who she plans to rename JaRee. We pull into Layla and Suzanne and wanda are led away to meet the kids. Jon, Leyton and I go into Wanna to pick up Sidisse. Leyton plays with the toddlers in the courtyard. I go in, to find Ava being fed and burped by one of the house mothers. She finishes the job, and then hands her to me, saying something about 'Mama'...


Sidisse having breakfast with the caregivers.



Toddlers getting ready for lunch.


Preschoolers watching a little tv before lunch.

We take a few pics of babies who have families waiting for them, and then head out to the soccer/basketball court and watch Group 3 play ball and do gymnastics. Kids come and ask our names and states. They kiss Sidisse's hands and cheeks. We hang out there for an hour or two, and then make the trek over dirt and rock roads, with 4 and 5 foot drop offs on either side.



Jon is not feeling well today, and when we come into the house, we meet Suzanne and Wanda and thier kids, who are already here. They have called Dawit, a contract driver, and he is coming to take them shopping for clothes. The ones Wanda brought for Unikeh a re too big.


Leyton, Bisrat, Yabsira, Suzanne, Mihret & Unikeh


Wanda, Pat & Unikeh

We hang out in our room, playing with Ava Sidisse, she smiles at us today, and seems to recognize us. She is the sweetest baby, and we love her so much!





We spend as much time as we can snuggling, and interacting with her... It seems to help. She is more responsive than she was yesterday. Her eyes brighter, and her smile more deliberate. She is an angel. We head back to Layla with Suzanne, Wanda and the kids to drop Ava off. We spend a little time with the older kids as they get ready for bed. When we get back to the guest house, I put on a DVD, Narnia, for the kids. There is a party in our room, as they all gather round to watch Lucy and the gang hide in the wardrobe. About an hour later, they are all tired.... we stop the movie for the night and head off to bed.

Sunday, 11 February 07

I woke up with the alarm at 7:00am, only to find that the electricity was out, and there was no hot water. I decided to make do with a facewash and bottled water tooth brushing. Gail met us at 10am, and drove us to Wanna to meet Ava Sidisse. We walked through the Winnie the Pooh gate, into a flurry of toddlers and preschoolers... hanging laundry... women handwashing tubs of clothes, while kids splashed in the streams of water that poured out. We stepped up into the baby rooom, where babies played on the floor and were cuddled by the caregivers. After a few words between Gail and the workers, it was discovered that Sidisse had been returned to her original orphanage, Sele Enat, by mistake.

We loaded into Gails van, and headed across town to get her. On our way, Gail announced that we could keep Sidisse with us at the guest house during the day, and only return her to Wanna at night. When we arrived at SE, the gate was opened by three little boys. They welcomed us in, waving and introducing themselves. There aren't many children at SE, and the ones who are there, are waiting desperately for the day that the van pulls up to take them away to Layla House and to America.


We follow Gail into a tiny room, dark and lined with cribs. Gail speaks to the two house mothers, and they point her to a crib in the corner. Gail bends in and turns around with our sweet girl. She hands her to me- it seems sureal that we are here in Addis, meeting our daughter for the first time. Her sweet little face just like the photo.

I don't think I held her for more than a minute, when she spit-up everywhere. One of the nanny's took her and walked across the room to change her clothes. When she finished, she handed her back to me, and we left. Gail drove us back to Layla, so that we could visit with the kids and have lunch. The kids surrounded Leyton, touching his arms and hair, following him everywhere.





Jon and the older boys played basketball, Ava Sidisse and I sat in the shade and watched some of the girls practice flips, handstands, and back bends. Amharic music blaring through the courtyard. We visited for a couple of hours, and Leyton became overwhelmed- we decided to head back to the guest house early.




After our short walk to Ritmo, we stripped Ava down for a bath, to get that neglected orphanage smell off of her. When we removed the sleeper the nanny had put on her, we were shocked to find her 'wearing' a plastic bag with a piece of cloth in the bottom. My heart breaks, thinking that she will have to go back there. I pray that Gail can find a way to keep her at Wanna.




It was a great day visiting with Sidisse. She doesn't make many noises, and getting her to make eye contact is difficult. She like to be in the sling, and loves to be outside or near a window. She has the cutest little feet, and the most beautiful chocolate brown skin... She is adorable. She rolled over today...
It is hard to believe that this tiny person can come into our lives, and we can love her like she has always been with us.

Today we also met Danette Quinlan... She is here picking up her sweet little girl, Zinnia. She leaves tonight for America.... Here are the girls.




Around six o'clock, we walked her back to Wanna, and handed her over for the night to the house mothers.