Playtime......

Mason's personality is beginning to really come out. He is such a ham and a bit of a stinker. I'm telling ya, his facial expressions are hysterical. He's very flirty. He can have an atitude as well. He will bat our hands away if we tell him no. He has learned the sign for "more", can blow kisses, say "up" and "night night". He loves the bottle and bathtime. Here are just a few pics from our playtime together as a family. We had a picnic yesterday at the playground. Madalyn was very excited to show us how she can flip over the bar now. She and Kenz had a secret hiding place somewhere within the play area.

The People and the Culture of Ethiopia

The thing we enjoyed most about our two trips to China was the people. The same is true for Ethiopia. The people are kind, curious, reserved. There is joy on the kids' faces in spite of their circumstances. The women are cautious, conservative. I think of Daniel across the street from our hotel. He is bright, a survivor, knows how to get stuff for his family. He is mannerly, respectful. Then there is the man without the use of his arms or hands who builds benches with his feet. He is petitioning the government to give him a real workshop rather than the front room of his "house". Most of us have no frame of reference for real hardship and I know I take a lot of things for granted. My life is rich beyond imagination for them. They won't ever know what it means to take things for granted. The culture is rich in tradition and ceremony. The presence of Christ is obvious. We went to a church service while we were there and the message was about bringing our burdens to Christ for His yoke is light. I wondered how do these people do that. But many of them know what it means to be dependent on others and in that way, are far more freer than most of us.

Most people walk to where they need to go

These boys were herding the animals you see in the background

Most babies are carried this way

The traditional coffee ceremony set up

Coffee is always served with popcorn at the end of the meal. Most people put a lot of sugar in their coffee

This is hand washing taking place before eating

This is injera and is served with every meal. It is like a rolled up crepe, a bit tart, room temperature. You tear pieces off and use it to scoop up your food. No utensils.

Food with a lot of flavor, some spicy, very good. Most of it is cooked down, stew like.

Traditional dance

She has finished rosting the coffee beans and then brings them around for everyone to smell

Loved seeing themselves on the camera

We bought one of his benches for 40 birr or $4. Notice the detail on the legs to the left, also done with his feet

His daughter

Life in Ethiopia

We continue to do well. We are all sleeping through the night so no complaints there. Mason doesn't like to be put down much so he's spoiled already. He is eating just about anything except eggs........like daddy, he doesn't care for them. I was telling Matt yesterday how they say you have to introduce a food 10 times before they can really determine whether they like it or not. Madalyn overheard us talking and she says, "ok, Mason, these are eggs. Eggs, this is Mason" and proceeded to work her way up to 10..........we cracked up! Concrete thinking.........

I promise to post more pics of us but I wanted to share some of the country with you all. These are just some random pics of the several hundred we took. I want to also show you the people but I'll do that in a little bit.

Home and Happy

After almost 30 hours of travel, we arrived home on the 13th. Felt so good. We are all doing well and slept great the first night home. Mason slept from 8-8. Now, this morning he has been up since 4:30am but no biggie. We were beyond excited to see the girls. Mackenzie was all over Mason mothering him already, wiping slobber of his chin. Madalyn was so happy to see us, she started crying. When I asked her if she was ok, she said, "I'm happy". Sweet thing. The girls did really well with our friends who we will be forever grateful to for caring for them so well. They are very excited to have Mason home. Madalyn keeps saying, "I can't believe I have a brother now".

The plane rides home were uneventful and we all did fairly well. Mason did great in the car seat much to our surprise, no tears. Now maybe that is because he was so exhausted he didn't have the energy to cry so we'll see but it was a pleasant ride home. The only things he has not liked is our Golden Retriever, Jacob and the high chair. He was initially petrified of the dog but is slowly coming around. I think it is the first time he has ever seen a dog. In ET, dogs are solely for guarding and aren't considered pets or treated very well. We'll see what happens with the high chair. He is eating well and drinking a ton. He sees the doctor on Tuesday.

I'll share more details later but here are some random pics of our trip:

Our first introductions.........




Random cute pics:









More to come later as promised..............

One more day....

It is Wednesday night here.  Well, I don't think I can get pics to post here.  I'll try to email some of you directly.  Don't worry, in about 3 days, there will be more pics than you can stand.

Today was emotional.  There was a good-bye ceremony at the care center which was really beautiful.  We were all  in tears when the nannies said goodbye.  It is very hard for them.  They care for the babies so well and some of them have been there for a while and they are attached.  We know Mason was very much loved.  They seem to pour themselves into the kids.  They genuinly consider them their own.

We did a lot of shopping today and bought a lot of fun stuff.  We've eaten dinner in the hotel every night.  I've ordered onion soup several times and it has come out different every time.  It's kinda funny.  They say that you can order something several times in a row and it will come out different every time. Last night, grilled chicken  was boneless skinless.  Tonight, it was two chicken thighs.  Go with the flow I guess. 

Mason continues to do great.  He sleeps well.  He is working us already.....he cries as soon as we put him down.  Of course we pick him right back up.  We don't mind :o)  His favorite place to be is right on own laps playing with a stacking cup and a spoon.  Last night he fell asleep with the spoon in his hand.  He cracks us up with his expressions and how he moves those eyes.  He is quite the charmer.  You'll see.  I think he'll do great on the plane.  All; the babies have a wet cough and some are having blow outs a few times a day but overall, they're all doing great.  He's not exploring too much yet but I'm sure that will change once we are home.  We are so lucky.  I'm sad his birth mom will miss out on knowing him. 

It will be a bit sad to leave tomorrow night but we are anxious to get home.  We are craving clean air, a softer bed (I think a firm bed but this is plywood with a sheet on it), salad, and Diet Coke....not necessarily in that order.  We are very excited to see the girls. 

No Pics....

Ok, so I hear there were no pics.  I'll try again later.

Oh, and did you know that donkeys know their way home? 

let's try again!

Let's try this again.......

PICS

Ok, this is a test. Can someone email me and let me know if you can see these or open the file. I'm not sure how it will post, if at all. I've been able to check email so feel free.

We went to the Embassy today and everything is done. We're doing great. Mason slept through the night no problems. We're looking forward to being home.........

We have Mason!

It is Monday night here in ET. They let us take the babies today rather than wait till tomorrow. We still have our embassy appt tomorrow and after that, it's official. We picked him up from the care center around 5pm, fed him, and he is asleep now. He is doing great. He is equally comfortable with both of us which is a nice treat for Matt since the girls preferred me in the beginning. He mimicks us in sound and gesture. He'll blow on us when we blow on him and he just has the cutest smile. He took a bottle just fine much to my excitement and fell asleep before finishing it. He was easy at least for tonight. He is stretched out between us on the bed in his cute little jammies. Tomorrow we go to the embassy and will spend the rest of the day in the hotel.

I keep forgetting to tell you about something he did just before meeting him. As we entered the care center and they brought the babies down, they sat them on a step. We of course,were looking at him and Matt waved to him.....and he waved right back. It took my breath away. It is a moment we won't forget.

Earlier today, we hired a guide to take us to the Merkato. We went with another couple in our group. Our guide, Saywa, is the head of security for the Canadian Embassy here. The Merkato is the largest outdoor market in Africa. Thank goodness we had him with us. It was crazy. We got some good stuff and will do more shopping on Wednesday. I was asking him about the culture and wages and such. When I asked him how much the average Ethiopian makes, he said 10 birr per day which equals about $1 US. If you have a Master's degree, you can make as much as $10 US per day. I don't know how people survive here. I asked him what Ethiopians think of Americans and he said that we are loved here in ET. He also told me that everyone loves Barack Obama (which I already knew from a previous conversation with someone else here). He said, "he is not America's President, he is the world's President". I'm glad we went to the Merkato but what a nuthouse, total chaos, very crowded.

So far, we have seen chickens, oxen, donkeys, and goats. It is very common to see these crossing the road or walking along the road with all the people and the traffic.

Better run. Internet has been easier than I expected but I still don't know about pictures. We'll see.

We are missing our girls terribly and can't wait to be reunited with them..........

Ethiopian food.......

It is Sunday evening here. Last night we went to a traditional dinner ceremony complete with Ethiopian food, dancing, and a coffee ceremony. The food was really although some pot had chicken feet and boiled eggs in it......we passed on that one. During dinner, they danced several traditional dances specific to the 16 nations here in ET. We saw about 5 or 6 different ones before leaving. Our guide requested they do the dance for our childrens' nation, Kenbatta and they complied. It was great. At one point Matt was up dancing. I don't know, you'll have to ask him! It was a great experience and quite a beautiful display of the culture.

Today, the care center is closed so we didn't get to see Mason. However, a few minutes ago, I was overlooking the care center out the window and saw one of the nannies. I told her I wanted to see my baby. She brought him to the window and he waved and smiled at us. An unexpected treat to see him even for a moment. They took us to a resort/spa about an hour and a half away today. It was upscale even for American standards. Like a resort you would see in the carribbean. We had lunch and you could swim or kayack if you wanted. On all the tables were these beautiful rose centerpieces, similar to what we would see at weddings.......very expensive. Here in ET, a single rose is about 20 cents. Our guide Dawit, could not believe it when we told him what we would pay in the states.

Some other things about ET.......there is rarely toilet paper in any bathroom so you have carry your own. And the toilet paper cannot pass through the system so there are trash baskets next to all toilets for you to dispose of your paper. Also, there is rarely soap and if there is, it is bar soap.....and NEVER any paper towels. Driving here is nuts. There are no stop lights and the whole city is made up of round abouts for you to turn around. The thing I miss the most about home at this point is clean air. Rock on EPA! The diesel fumes and dust are overwhelming. Some of us in the travel group have befriended a little boy, Daniel, who lives right across from the hotel in a yellow painted tin shack. He has joined us for lunch and we have given him food and money, against recommendation of the hotel staff. There are 6 people living in his space which is extremely small and has dirt floors. He is very bright though and knows English fairly well. We get a lot of stares mostly out of curiosity. Similar to China.

Well, tomorrow we may get to take Mason for the night but I'm unclear about the schedule. We are planning a trip to the Merkato, the largest market in Africa, to do some shopping. We are anxious to spend some real time with him outside of the care center. Oh, any one of the best parts about this trip has been playing with the other children in the care center. They are all delilghtful and so eager for your attention. Some will just come sit down on your lap for a little loving. Matt brought a few hot wheels and they have been a huge hit with a couple of the kids, particularly one little 4 or 5 year old boy. And I'm partial to this one little girl who is about 2 and a half and she walks around carrying a baby doll all day. She loves to wrap it up in this bandana and give it a bottle. She reminds me of Kenz.

Well I need to share the computer while the connection is good. Love to all.........

Going well

Day two with Mason. He is much more comfortable with us even after a day. He sat with us for most of our time today. He's interactive,playful and quite the ham. For those wondering, he's in 18 months. Gotta run........off for traditional dinner.

We've met Mason!!

I know you all are dying to hear news. It is Saturday morning here in Ethiopia and we spent several hours with him yesterday. He is beautiful!! We are so impressed with the care center and the nannies just love the babies. We walked in with the 6 other families in our travel group and they introduced us to our kids one by one. We recognized Mason as soon as they brought him down the stairs. He has a little hair and eyes that are captivating. He went back and forth between wanting to sit with us and wanting to return to the nanny. But he is smiley and playful and became more comfortable with us as the day went on. You'll see pics hopefully in a couple of days if I can post them. Internet is sketchy at best.
Our flight was fine and uneventful. We met up with some of our travel group in Amsterdam so that was fun. Today, we will see Mason again and then go to the museum to see "Lucy" and on to a traditional Ethiopian dinner. The people are kind and curious. The level of poverty and homelessness here is profound and heartbreaking. You really can't comprehend it without seeing it. It is very difficult to say no the children begging or anyone begging for that matter. I better go, you never know when the power will go out or internet will drop. I'll post again when I can. Love to all of you..........

We're off........

Bags are packed and we’re ready to go.  It’s been a crazy couple of days but it all gets done in the end.  You’d think it would get easier the third time around but this is a new country for us and certainly a new baby.  We are travelling with 6 others couples and most of meet up in Amsterdam and then fly into Addis Ababa (the capital of Ethiopia) together.  We leave today at 1:20 from Orlando and arrive in Addis at 10:00pm Thursday night.  So let’s see, with the 8 hour time difference, that’s about 25 hours of travel time.  I’m glad we showered.  It actually isn’t a bad flight plan.  Our longest layover is just 3 hours in Amsterdam. 

 

We dropped the girls off at Brad and Becky’s last night, had dinner together and tucked them into bed.  It went well and they are very excited for their “10 day sleepover” as they’re calling it.  But boy, will I miss them.  Ten days is a long time.

 

Well hopefully the next post will be news of us being with Mason Israel.  Thanks for all your support and interest in our journey to bring him home.  Stay tuned and much love………

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