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.

Saturday, 10 February 07

It is nearly 3pm CET, and we are somewhere over Egypt. My alarm went off at 3am, and after only 4 hours of sleep, I actually felt rested. The morning got off to a rough start, we were 10 minutes late leaving the house - the luggage was just too heavy... we had to leave some things behind. When we finally did get on the road, we were about 15 minutes into our trip, when Jon realized that he hadn't signed out. This meant back-tracking for 10 minutes, and 20 minutes driving onto post and signing out. What a mess.... I'm sure you can imagine my frustration.

When we made it to Nueremburg, we couldn't find the airport. One of the things I miss most about the states, is thier FABULOUS use of street signs/road markers. Anyway.... we got turned around, and only by the Grace of God, did we make it in time. The plane had already been boarded, and we were the last to arrive. Our flight was quick and uneventful to Amsterdam. We had a two hour layover which we spent searching for 15 Euro in coins, to have passport photos taken in a photo booth for our Ethiopian Visas.







Our current flight was supposed to be sold out, but there are several empty seats.... a little more space to sprawl out. So far, our experience with KLM/NW has been great. The food is exceptional, the attendants friendly. I wonder if they fly anywhere near home?
In just a few short hours we will be in Khartoum, Sudan to refuel.

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It is now 6:45 pm CET, and we are preparing for descent into Khartoum. I was fortunate to get a window seat on the right side of the plane. We have been following the Nile for miles.... the landscape dotted with farms and plots of land sectioned off into perfect squares... compounds made of mud for houses... a sea of brown stretches out to the horizon... children play soccer in a field near the airport as we land.

After about an hour sitting on the tarmac waiting for the plane to be refeuled, passengers begin to trickle in, claim thier seats, and then we are off... In the time we were here, the sky grew dark. As we take of for Addis Ababa, only a few twinkling lights dot the darkness.





The flight was quick, just under two hours. We are seated towards the front of the plane, so we are able to disembark without trouble. We make our way with the crowd to the visa line, which by the way is at a standstill. It took us nearly 2 hours to make it through. (P.S. Although the lady at the check-in counter in Nueremburg told us that passport photos were necessary for the visa... THEY ARE NOT... we didn't even use them.) Thankfully Jemal, the AAI driver was still waiting for us. It was an interesting ride to the Ritmo Guest House, dodging both cars and potholes.

After landing at Bole International Airport at 9:55pm local time, we made it to the guest house at 12:30 am. We were all tired, so we settled into our room for the night, excited to meet Sidisse in the morning.

On Our Way!

Well, this will be the final post before seeing our beautiful girl! We leave for Addis Ababa bright and early in the morning! As you can imagine we are all beside ourselves... We can't believe that the time has finally come!



We are headed back in time to 1999.... Yes, that is right, Ethiopia still uses the Julian calendar, and in September they will celebrate the millenium!
Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.... Tomorrow will be a long day of travel, and we will meet Ava Sidisse on Sunday. Looking forward to posting a ton of pictures when we return! Stay tuned!

Hello, My Name is...

This pic was taken today, by a traveling parent. Isn't she sweet?!?!?!?
I can't wait for her to wake up in her own crib... in her own room... in our own house!



I know already that it is going to kill me to hand her back over to the Nanny's at the end of the days... and to have to leave her behind when we come back to Germany...
I can't wait to hold that baby, and kiss those sweet cheeks... Look at her chubby little fingers! What a doll!

Well, today was a bit of a blur... I spent most of the morning at the doctor's office with Leyton who has the beginning of an ear infection... the Doc put him on antibiotics, and said he should be fine for the flight.

I arranged and picked up our tickets, and started collecting Crisp, Clean $100 bills newer than 1997. Apparently the Ethiopian money exchange is a bit picky... I started making a list of things that we cannot leave the house without, and made reservations for the hund at Casa Krut, for the week... It is a good thing that Frau Krut loves Oliver... She never turns us down, even when she is booked solid... she just keeps him in her house.

I have what seems like a million things to do.... I'm so glad that I am off tomorrow...

Enjoy the pic! More to come soon!

The Day has come..... Introducing Sidisse!

After 37 long weeks, we are pleased to present:

Sidisse.... We will call her Ava, but will keep Sidisse as her (or one of) her middle name.
It is difficult to get an exact age, when children are abandoned... but the officials are estimating her to be between 6 and 8 months, they are trying to track down an exact date, but we may never know.

This first photo is from the middle of November, when she came into the care center.
Look at her lovely curls!




This photo is from a few days ago. She was in the hospital in December, and her head was shaved for a procedure.




This is Jon and Leyton celebrating the news that she will soon be ours! What is a celebration without sparklers?!?!







As it turns out, Ava Sidisse's 3 months of relinquishment wait will be up on Valentines day... we will be there to celebrate with her. It has been a whirlwind weekend... We learned of her on Friday, but I was hesitant to post because we were waiting on medical results, etc... We spoke with the director today, and feel confident that she is the girl for us...
Since her time is up so soon, we need to be there to meet her, before they can send her case through court... so that means that we are leaving on Saturday... YES... SATURDAY! We will be there for a week, and hopefully they will push her case through pretty fast after the 14th. Which means she could be home sometime in March, or April. God is Good.... It is all working out.

Now I can focus all of my stress on getting a sitter for the pets... and packing.... Wow... we have a daughter... and in just a few days, I will be holding her in my arms for the first time.... It doesn't get any better.... (well, I guess if I could bring her home with me, that would be better... but I'll take what I can get!)

Jon and I will be taking Leyton along, we finally agreed that he needs to be a part of this.... I think it will help us all with the transition to a family of 4.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we begin our journey south....

Hitting the ice... and moving to the front of the line.

Well, it has been a great weekend... On Friday we found out that we moved up to the coveted 1st place on the waiting list! It has been a long time, and it seems weird almost to say that we are now #1 on the list! Of course, as always, our referral could come tomorrow, or next month... no way to tell.

Today we got up early and 'hit the ice' (sometimes literally with our bums!) at the Ice Hockey Arena in Nuernburg. Some friends of ours had their son's birthday party there, and they rented a small rink for the kids (and adults) to enjoy. Although I don't skate, I took a lot of pictures... and you can enjoy some of them below.





This was a great day for Jon and Leyton... they were able to spend some quality time together, which is beginning to become a hot commodity these days... With all the preparations for the deployment coming up.





And here he is getting a little more confident...







Shortly after this shot, Leyton hit the ice hard, and decided maybe skates weren't such a good idea.... he sat out the next 30 minutes... poor guy.