First Days in Ethiopia

From my journal the Tuesday after "Gotcha Day":

"What a difference a couple of days makes. On Sunday, I was scared. Trying to get to know K'Tyo but having to take care of some basics--cleaning him up, trying to communicate & being exhausted on top of it was hard.

Yesterday, we went back to the Care Center in the morning, & I think it's the best thing we could have done. At first, you could tell K'Tyo was apprehensive, but our driver explained to him what we were doing. When we went in the gate, all the children came running yelling his name. Suddenly, he was a celebrity, & he was loving it. It was so fun to watch him play with his friends & meet some of the nannies. Once he was playing & having a good time, I got to go in & visit with Sister & hold babies. Once lunch was over, the children laid down (well, they were supposed to be--they were watching us out the window) & we left again with K'Tyo. It was almost as if this confirmed for him that the Care Center was no longer his home.

We had a wonderful afternoon of shopping & seeing more of Ethiopia. I don't think I will ever forget the sweet smile of a boy about Kami's age that started walking with us & asked her if she was from America & then told her she was pretty. He did not beg for money, but when we got to the car to leave, we gave him some anyway.

Today, we had our embassy appt. It turned into a long day, but it's done. When we got there, we got out of the van & a homeless man came running (hobbling) to us. He had very obvious skin disease & hygiene issues, but he grabbed K'Tyo's face & kissed him on both cheeks. This man was the poster child for the homeless or the "untouchable", but his first priority was to delight in this little boy, not to ask for money. The lump in my throat wouldn't go away for a long time.

Everywhere I look, I see things in a state that I could never have imagined--shacks with tin roofs, rubble, dirt, people sleeping in the street, I have seen 2 bodies lying by the side of the road, babies running around half naked with no shoes, donkeys & goats in the road fighting for a place amidst the many, many cars, extreme poverty everywhere...and yet, I love it here. I think it has nothing to do with what it looks like, but everything to do with the underlying attitude. I will have to keep processing it to try to put it into words.

I think K'Tyo is every bit as ornery as Kami. We so enjoyed going up on the roof after dinner with the light-up toy & then...oh, my! I have not laughed so hard in a long time. They got in their jammies & were doing somersaults & then the dancing broke out. This child can laugh and dance like nobody's business.

Day by day, this child is becoming my son....

The Dentist Appointment...

Ok, seriously, does this child break a sweat over anything? Well, besides a woosha (dog)....

Sorry for the picture quality...cell phone

Yes, he was that happy and laid back through the whole appointment. And the best news--NO CAVITIES!!! After the initial shock of that news wore off, I experienced extreme jubilation for the both of us...he would not have to experience the pain in his mouth, & I would not have to experience it in my checkbook. It's been a good day!

Tomorrow I intend to continue a post from my journaling in Ethiopia! :o)

Going Back to "Gotcha Day"

Here's the beginning of what I hope to be a series of posts from my trip to Ethiopia. I included a picture from the airport before we left. The only other things to say about that are 1) the flight was long; 2) I felt like dog meat upon arrival. Nuff said.



So, after having a decent night of sleep, we got up for the big day. The day you wait for & try to envision for a very long time. It was very surreal, & then became a bit comical. We were picked up in this van...there are many, many of these in Ethiopia, and they all have their own flare. Ours was decked out in fur on the dash & all kinds of other funky accessories. We got to enjoy what I assume was Ethiopian rap on our way to the orphanage. Not sure that's what I had envisioned, but I was kind of diggin' it!



The metal gate to the orphanage was opened, and the first thing we saw were toddler-age children everywhere, but we didn't see K'Tyo. So, we followed the other parents into the baby room & watched as they were united with their little ones. I was glad we got to witness this for a few minutes, but then we decided to venture out to see if we could find our boy. Just as we were about to step out of the door, Kami said, "Mom, there's 'Tyo". With his huge arm sling, it was unmistakably him. I think he was trying to figure out what all the excitement was about b/c he looked kind of puzzled. It's a little bit of a blur, but I remember squatting down & saying his name. He looked at me, & I pointed to myself & said, "Mommy". He came to me, a little bashful at first, but once he put his arms around my neck, he literally did not let go. I know I keep using this word, but it was very surreal.







Now, that was the fairytale part. The reality began to hit as this sweet little boy stayed very close during our whole visit. He never got far from me or Kameryn, but all I could think was, "I need to clean him up". I moved past the emotion of the experience to a bit of panic. I think a lot of it was being tired & it's also very overwhelming. We finally got back to the guest house, and I was into "roll-up-my-sleeves" mode. He was in desperate need of a bath, nail trimming, & teeth brushing. Lots of teeth brushing. At the end of the day when he was tucked into bed, I felt more like a nurse than a momma. I had to shed a few tears as I desperately was missing my husband & other children all the while wondering what had just happened.

The reason I'm sharing this is b/c I've said before that I don't like to pretend or try to portray perfection. Lots of things in life are hard. This was a beautiful but extremely hard day. But here's the good news: We made it through, and Monday morning brought a new day with new experiences showered in a good dose of God's grace. I look forward to sharing in the coming days details surrounding falling in love with my son.....

Sunday Snapshot: First Week Home

I thought I had somewhat prepared myself for being back home & all the transitional things that people warn you about.

I prepared myself for jet lag (especially since I do not do well with a messed up sleep pattern...ask Joe). I have yet to experience anything significant (hope I didn't just set myself up to hit a wall with that).

I prepared myself for meltdowns, temper tantrums, sleep issues, adjustment issues of every variety with K'Tyo. Notta. Nothing. He acts like he's been here his whole life & Joe & I keep waiting for the bottom to fall out. I know that sounds like me being a negative Nelly, but it is really kind of crazy. Yes, he's acted like a 4-yr-old when he doesn't much care for a directive or if the answer is "no", but I would expect nothing less. But otherwise, he seems to thoroughly enjoy every new experience with ease.

I prepared myself for Kaya to be clingy since Mommy has never been away from her. Well, here's where I got sucker-punched. She's not been clingy. I almost wish that's what I was dealing with. She's been a stinker. A naughty, rebellious stinker. At the beginning of the week, I actually felt grief b/c I felt like I lost my baby. Things have gotten better as the week has gone on, but that has been the hardest part of all of this. The good news is that she & K'Tyo are getting along really well, & he is actually very protective of her. It's quite sweet, actually. My hope for the coming week is to share some things from my journal about our time in Ethiopia (with pictures, of course!!). I can't believe we've been home a week!

Ok, so I'm sure you've heard enough of the update...here's what you really want:














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Happy to Be Home!

As much as we loved our time in Ethiopia, it is such a blessing to be home! K'Tyo was amazing on that long flight (we got stuck on the runway in Amsterdam for over 3 hours b/c of the ash cloud) & is enjoying getting to know Daddy & his other brothers & sisters.

We spent much of yesterday with doctor visits. The good news is they took off that yucky cast & he did not have to have another one put on b/c he's healing up so well. He just has to wear a brace for playtime. The bad news is he has a stress fracture in his lower right leg, which is what has been causing his limp. It should heal on its own, so no cast for that.

I have many pictures & experiences from our trip that I would like to share (I journaled while I was there since Blogger was not cooperating), but for now, here's a couple pics from his first evening at home. You can also view a few more pictures here. Our friend, Tim, is a local photographer that gave us a most precious gift by coming to the airport & then to our home to take pictures of our first moments together.

From Ethiopia

Not sure if this will work, but we'll give emailing a post a try.  I can see blogger here, but I can't do anything with it.  Internet is spotty, too.

 

Anyway, this week has been one of the most remarkable of my life.  I have been journaling a lot to help me remember things as well as process them.  Things are so extreme here.  There are cars everywhere just making up their own traffic patterns & rules.  They share the road with many pedestrians, dogs, donkeys, goats, etc.  There is also poverty unimaginable everywhere; things torn apart, falling apart...It's not very pretty, & yet it is beautiful.

 

There is so much I want to share...so much on my heart.  But the beauty is like none other.  The reason it is so spectacular is b/c it really has nothing to do with the outward appearance of things.  It has to do with an attitude...people are loving, friendly, & they genuinely value each other here, especially children.   For example, when we had to go to our embassy appointment, we pulled up & got out of our van.  A street beggar in rags with obvious signs of a disease came running so excited up to K'Tyo.  He kissed him on both cheeks with such delight.  Sounds somewhat horrific, right? Actually, it was humbling.  In that moment I was stunned b/c he did not ask for money...he saw a treasure greater than money.

 

Yes, I have a lot to share and a lot to learn.

Sunday Snapshot: K'Tyo's Coming Home

Hey bloggers, this is Kaelee. I am the oldest of now seven children and I offered to blog for mom while she was gone. Kaya is doing very well for mommy being gone. She even waved at mommy until she was out of sight and yelled, "BYE MOM!!" Mom and Kam made it to Africa okay and... well, let me just show you some pictures instead of talking :)












HI BROTHER! We'll see you in one week!!

PS The teacher in me wants to know how they're communicating. :)