Away We Go: Part 4

Looking back now, the rest of our time in Ethiopia was kind of a blur, full of happy and sad, excitement and anxiety.    I am glad I took the time to journal about it each day, preserving details I was sure I would never forget, but already have.
We woke to a freshly made hot breakfast every morning (except the one when the power was out) and were then taken to the HOH to see Wren.  We were nervous each time, not knowing if she would be glad to see us.  But she was always happy, even when wasn't feeling so hot for part of our visit.  Runny nose and an icky cough made for a sleepy girl.  She fell asleep in my arms twice - which is just the best feeling, let me tell ya.  We got to perform other normal parental duties as well, like change her diaper and feed her lunch (they feed her so much!  it's like an enormous bowl of cream of chicken soup).

After our morning visits our driver would take us back to the guest house for lunch, which was always accompanied by coffee and Coke.  Coffee and Coke.  Coffee and Coke.  Every meal, all the time. Even at breakfast.  Not sure if you know this, but coffee is kind of a BIG deal in Ethiopia.  Coffee was born in Ethiopia and coffee ceremonies are held daily.  We didn't have the chance to be part of a coffee ceremony on this visit, but will on the next.

After Wren's afternoon nap we got to back for our second visit of the day.  Again, she was always easy going and easily entertained.  We would played music from our computer or phone to see what her reaction was.  She especially loved the itunes visualizer and some old school Michael Jackson.  Ya gotta start somewhere...

On our second to last day in Addis we were able to meet Wren's birthmother.  For weeks I had been very nervous about this meeting.  Like, sick nervous.  I really had no idea what to expect.  Her mother had traveled from southern Ethiopia, a two day trip, to go to court and then meet us.  Even thinking about it now I get uneasy.  She was very polite, she answered most of our questions. It was hard to tell if she was sad or bitter.  She was very reserved, showing no real emotion.  My heart broke for her. I am sure it was painful for her.  So needless to say, it wasn't an easy meeting.  I'd go as far to say it was the most awkward moment of  my life.  We will save the details of our meeting for Wren.  It is her story, her family history.  As awkward as it was, I am glad we had the opportunity to meet her and someday share it with her daughter.

Away We Go Part 3: The Day We Met

We left our house at about 3:30 am.   It was dark.  And I was deliriously tired.  And nauseatingly nervous.  The flight to DC was a breeze.  The flight to Addis was not.  It was a full flight, so there was no stretching the legs or sprawling out over a row of seats.  I got to sit next to a man who had no shame.  A nose picking, armpit scratching and beer guzzling stinky stranger.  I did not sleep the entire way there.  It was painful and I was on the verge of tears.  I was quite a mess.  When we arrived in Addis there was no one to meet us at the airport.  A Children's Hope rep should have been there to pick us up and take us back to House of Hope II, the CHI guest house for adoptive parents.  But no. We waited.  And waited.  We finally decided to try and call HOH.  No dice.  Our phone could not get service, and we couldn't figure out the pay phones at the airport.  And we were cranky and tired.  I guess we must have looked pretty pitiful because a woman approached us and asked if she could call someone for us.  Hoorah!  We finally got ahold of our escort, who showed up at the airport about 30 minutes later.  Apparently there was some miscommunication between our agency and the HOH director about our arrival day.  
We made it to the HOH II  so we could get some rest and have lunch before going to the transition home to meet our daughter.
The children are at the House of Hope, aka HOH, aka The Transition Home.  It is about a mile from the guest house where we were staying.  Wren was waiting for us when we got there.   She was in a very good mood, singing and smiling, happy to see us.  Her nanny carried her upstairs and lead us to a family room, where all the magic family bonding happens.  It is just a plain room with some tables and couches.     At first she was not too keen on being left alone with us, but after just a few minutes she warmed up to us and her nanny snuck out.    Wren was very excited to show us her new shoes.  She would point to them, smile and say "chamas" (shoes).  We would take them off and put them back on - that was a fun game.  She was also entertained by the computer and the phone and a piece of cardboard she found under the sofa.  We left the transition home late in the afternoon.  Wren was very sleepy - she had skipped her nap to see us.  We would go back the following morning for some more bonding/play time.

sleepy wren.  sleepy mommy.  

Our drive took us back to the HOH II, where we had dinner.  It was a traditional Ethiopian meal; cooked veggies, rice, some mysterious meatball things, and injera - a traditional Ethiopian bread.  everything was great, except the injera.  Some people love it, some hate it.  It looks like a giant pita, but it tastes nothing like pita.  It's spongey.  And sour.   And kind of bitter.  It is used as a utensil; just tear off a piece of injera and pinch up some rice and veggies.  It wasn't our favorite, but it is the pride of Ethiopian cuisine, so we cleaned our plates.
There were no other CHI adoptive parents making the trip with us, so we were the only ones at the guest house.  It was lonely and we would have loved to have had the opportunity to meet and talk with other adoptive parents.  Hopefully next time!

our (messy) room at the House of Hope II

exterior of HOH II

Away We Go: Part 2

Well I am sure you have seen our video or heard the news - we passed court and are now the proud parents of a little girl, Wren Kibnesh Lee Berry!

The hubs made this little video.  And I'm gonna warn you, it might make your allergies act up.

Over the next week I'll post more about our adventure in Addis Ababa and the time we got to spend with Wren.

In the meantime I think you should read this.  It will also make your allergies act up, but for a different reason.

Away We Go: Part 1

Very soon we will be leaving on our first trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Eeek!  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.  Nervous.  Excited.  Anxious.  Downright giddy I tell ya!  I get to hold her!!!!  But not until after the the LONG flight there, which is one of  the reasons for my nervousness.   While I love to travel, I am not a great traveler.   Airplanes kinda freak me out.  I mean after all, 'an airplane is just a building on it's side, being thrown through the air' (Claire, Modern Family).
I am also nervous because I have to leave my boys.   My babies!  How will they get along without me?!   In reality I know that they will not miss me one single bit.  In fact they can't wait to get rid of me, and manipulate their poor, sweet, unassuming Grandma into taking them to Chuck E. Cheese.  They are so crafty.  I will miss their craftiness.
So, here we go.  Off to see our girl.  And hug her.  And play with her.  And make her our own.

ps.  Once we get back, we'll answer the ever so popular question "What's her name?"  Stay tuned....

Scenes From a Blizzard

the beginning…

reading by candlelight when the power went out…    

Heading outside…

Heading back in

Smile and wave

We got a new photo of baby girl yesterday.

happiness.

For Baby Girl: Donations and Art Projects

Lifesong for Orphans is an incredible organization whose mission is to “bring joy and purpose to orphans.”  They provide food, clothes, schooling, discipleship and support to orphans all over the world.  They also partner with adoptive parents, like us, offering matching grants and interest free loans.  At this point we’re not sure if we qualify for a matching grant or not (we’ll find out soon), but in the mean time Lifesong will be accepting all financial donations on our behalf.  Meaning, if you were going to help support our adoption, checks and money can be sent to Lifesong, with our name in the memo line.  They will collect the money for us, and send you receipts for tax purposes.  And, if we do qualify for that matching grant, then all the money donated to our Lifesong account would be doubled!  

So, if you’re willing and able to help us bring baby girl home, here is where you can make a donation:

• By Check
  Please make checks payable to:
  Lifesong for Orphans (with our name in the memo line)
  Mail checks to:
  Lifesong for Orphans
  PO Box 40
  Gridley, IL 61744
• By Credit Card (PayPal.com)
  On the PayPal screen, please indicate where you'd like your donation to go. 

Our goal is to raise $5,000 to help fund our second trip to Ethiopia.  And we truly appreciate everyone who has already and is going to help support us financially.  If fact, we want everyone that helps with our adoption fund to also help us with a little art project.  We have a stack of 4x4 canvases and we would like you to paint/decorate them however you chose.  Use paint, crayons, pencil, newspaper, hot glue, scrapbook paper, photographs – whatever you like!  There are no rules or guidelines, anything goes!  We just ask that you sign the back and then return it to us so we can hang them in her room.  We want this “canvas collage” to be a representation of how many people care for her before they even knew her.