Coming Home

Monday & Tuesday, July 26th and 27th, 2010

Well, after a wonderful week in Ethiopia it was time to pack up and head west. We fell in love with the country while we were there and there was still so much to do and see. However, we were also ready to settle into life back home with our new addition to the family. Good-byes to all of the Gladney staff and the wonderful families who traveled with us were sad. Here we are sharing one last meal together at the airport in Addis. 

Many people have asked how our 18+ hour plane flight was with a baby on board.  Well, let's just say it was interesting to say the least. I kept wanting to take pictures since it was Judah's first ride in an airplane, but that's rather difficult to do when your 4 month old has a massive case of diarrhea and the worst diaper rash in history. I'm sorry, but Jeff and I should win an award for changing his diaper (while he screamed ferociously due to the diaper rash) in the airplane bathroom every hour for 16 hours. Not to mention the waking every few minutes by the screaming toddlers beside us...big fun. Judah was a trooper, though, and actually did better than we did! Needless to say, we were exhausted both physically and emotionally by the time we returned home. So the greatest gift was to see the smiling faces, happy tears, and open arms of our friends and family when we stepped off the plane. Thank you to everyone who made the day so very special. So good to be home!!!

Family and friends starting to gather

Happy and Anticipating Grandmothers!

 

Hi everyone

Grandmothers get first peek

Happy tears

Hi Gran'ma

Hi KK

Stealing their hearts already

Jeff and his dad (aka Pop) embracing...so sweet

Dad still can't stop kissing me!

Let's go see your new crib :-)

Shopping, Sightseeing & Dinner with a View

Saturday and Sunday, July 24 & 25th, 2010

With only two days remaining in Ethiopia, we wanted to take in all that we could...and take home all that we could from this beautiful country! With amazing crafts/items and a great exchange rate for the US dollar, we shopped til we dropped! The experience was neat as well....I'm now a fan of open air shopping with bartering as most prices aren't fixed. 

A row of shops in one of the districts

Thanks to suggestions from friends (mostly Elizabeth, a Gladney mom who traveled with us), there are a few things I recommend purchasing there if you are traveling anytime soon to meet your child:

Silver cuff links (or other handmade silver jewelry to give your child). We bought Judah some beautiful cuff links with the Lion of Judah engraved on them to give to him on his wedding day, or perhaps another important day like his graduation or first job.  The silver there is amazing; there is one long street in Addis with nothing but side-by-side jewelry stores! Be sure to shop around, though....prices definitely vary and some are not local/handmade. 

Traditional Ethiopian Children's Attire. We bought infant and toddler sizes for Judah to wear....beautiful white linen outfits adorned with interesting and colorful designs and trim. 

Coffee, Coffee, and more Coffee!  We bought tons of bags of the most amazing coffee ever at Tomoco to enjoy for ourselves and to give as gifts to friends. 

Artwork from Makush Gallery. Beautiful African artwork/paintings from over 40 different local artists with amazing prices! We will enjoy these paintings in our home for many years to come...and maybe even give one or two to Judah one day if he's lucky ;-)

Okay, so we bought more stuff but these were definitely my favorite purchases. And yes, I did a little shopping for myself as well! 

We also did quite a bit of sight-seeing, including visiting the National Museum where Lucy lives.

Ironically, however, Lucy was on tour in the States while we were in Africa...ha! Oh well, at least we saw a replica :-)

We also got some pics of the various Lion of Judah statues around town...very cool. 

One morning, we drove atop Entoto Mountain, the highest point in Addis. It was beautiful and peaceful--such a stark contrast from the busy city below. 

We saw some pretty cool things while atop the mountain, including the first church built in Addis Ababa. 

It's amazing the amount of wood these women carry on their backs down the mountain!

And our driver, Eyatsu--along with a cute kid we met who lived there--, even taught us how to play a game using a whip to make a loud cracking noise. For the life of me, I can't remember the name of it...it was cool though :-) Eyatsu was awesome; we, on the other hand, not so awesome :-(

And what's a final Gladney weekend in Ethiopia without a trip to Dreamland Restaurant?!

Check out the view that awaited us at our table. 

Just beautiful!

Happy Family!

Difficult Day

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Friday had a much different tone as we knew this would be the day that we would visit several government orphanages. While there, we learned that out of the 63 agencies worldwide who are licensed to adopt children from Ethiopia, Gladney (our agency) is one of three who encourage/require you to visit the government orphanages. And although we knew it would be difficult, my heart was just not prepared...I don't think anyone's can be.

The needs we saw were vast and most conditions, heartbreaking. Some of the details I've yet to talk about with anyone, but let's just say I spent most of the afternoon in tears. However, there were moments of smiles, laughter, and hope. Some of the older children had quite the personalities, making us laugh and putting on "shows" for us. I will never forget the moment when I was buried in my husband's chest sobbing loudly, only to look up to find a pre-teen staring at me with the most confused look. I felt like she was thinking, "I wonder why that lady is crying? She looks so silly!" You see, for many of the older children this is the only life they've known, and for some it seemed to be okay as they do not know any other way.

The sights, smells, sounds, touches are forever etched in my memory. Although heart-wrenching, I am grateful for these memories because Jeff and I will never forget. In fact, we will dedicate our time and finances in the future for many many years to come...we were forever changed by this day, and we can only hope and pray that we can be a small part of positive change in the future for these beautiful children. Needless to say, that night we returned to our guest house and hugged Judah a little tighter. 

Driving up to one of the orphanages

Kechene Girls' Orphanage

Jeff giving out suckers to the children

This little boy took to Jeff immediately. This picture was taken right after he gestured that he wanted Jeff to fix his shoe. With torn clothes and no diaper, we still saw glimpses of a smile.

If you would like to to help, please check out this sweet family's blog to see a current project that is underway to hire more caregivers in one of the orphanages we visited.

Finally Final and Time to Celebrate!

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Thursday was the day of our interview with the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa. Here we go!

 This is a critical (and final!) step in the adoption process, as this secured Judah's entry back into the United States by giving us his visa and passport, along with all of his legal documents such as the judicial review of our case, birth certificate, etc. We were a little nervous and didn't really know what to expect. Fortunately, though, it was much easier than what we imagined. After a really nice lady asked us a couple of simple questions through a glass window, she had us sign something and then said "Congratulations!" It was a huge relief to have those documents in hand. Now time to celebrate!

That evening, our group went to a traditional Ethiopian restaurant where we enjoyed amazing food and some unbelievable African dancing.  The Ethiopian stews (wat) on freshly baked injera was definitely the best meal of the week!

Our meal was accompanied with great conversation and incredible music by a live band.

And we enjoyed even more coffee after our meal...always served with popcorn, by the way.

Following the meal, we all enjoyed a wonderful sampling of traditional Ethiopian dances. Here are the dancers performing a dance from the Tigray region, which is where Judah is from. Belay told us that the Tigrayans are know for their moves, so Mommy is hoping that is true for Judah ;-)

And much to our surprise, the dancers pulled people from the audience to try the dances. And of course, I was all about it...so much fun!

Jeff busted a move as well! 

 What an incredible day...writing about it made me miss Ethiopia terribly.

Can't wait to go back someday!

Busy Day in Ethiopia

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

The day after we met our son proved to be a busy one! We began the day with a visit to the Gladney Foster Care Centers, which is where Judah lived from the age of three weeks old until the day we met him.  I was really looking forward to this day, as we would get to meet his primary caregivers as well as give lots of love to other Gladney children who were waiting to be united with their forever families.

The morning was a joyous, yet sad one as Judah's "Special Mother," a Gladney employee who took care of him while at the foster center, had to say good-bye. She was beautiful and sweet, and I couldn't hug her tightly enough! This picture was taken when we arrived there with him, and you can already see the tears in her eyes.

While Judah's Special Mother had her last moments with him and dressed him in traditional Ethiopian clothing that she made, Jeff and I had a chance to tour three of the centers and meet the precious children waiting to be adopted. It was such a joy to love these children, take pictures and video for families, and deliver care packages. After the tours, we were invited to join in a traditional coffee ceremony. For those of you who don't know, legend has it that coffee was discovered in Ethiopia...so Ethiopians take pride in this fact hand roast the best coffee I've ever had. These ceremonies are very special, and it is considered an honor to be invited to one. The longer the beans are roasted, the more the host is believed to like you :-)

Overall, it was a great morning and we are so very thankful for the wonderful care that Gladney provides at their Care Centers before the children are united with their families.

After our wonderful morning, we had lunch at a great restaurant called "Top View." And although it was rainy and foggy that day, the view of the city from our table was still beautiful. 

 

Judah enjoyed the outing as well!

 

He looked adorable in his traditional Ethiopian attire!

After lunch, we visited the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, which was absolutely beautiful and full of some amazing history. We were so fortunate to have Gladney's own, Belay Tafesse, to give us a tour of this incredible house of worship. Belay's father was a general who worked for Emperor Haile Selassie, so Belay had such interesting insight and knowledge.

 

 

 

Overall, it was a busy but wonderful day. After the church tour, all we wanted to do was snuggle with our little man...and that we did!

Glimpse of Heaven

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Although Jeff and I slept a combined total of 4 hours the previous night, we have never felt more awake....the adrenaline was flowing! The feelings I felt the morning I met my son were excited yet peaceful. Here I am waiting for the moment to meet precious Judah, looking toward the door...if you look closely you can see the outline of a smile :-) 

Again, I wasn't really nervous until I saw the gate of our guest house open and someone said that our sweet baby was in this car...my heart was pounding! 

For years I've tried to imagine what my reaction would be when I met my child for the first time. Those who know me well might think I would cry a river, but somehow as the moment drew nearer I had a feeling I may not cry. Instead, I was all smiles and just in awe. I love that we have that moment captured...

But don't be fooled, seconds after I held him a few tears began to flow....gentle, happy tears. I honestly can't describe the first moment when I hugged him tightly. It's as if all of my stress, unrest, and worry from the past several years was washed away immediately. It's like the world stopped just for that moment, and the peace I felt was like a glimpse of heaven.  

Judah immediately noticed his daddy and just couldn't stop looking at him. It was the sweetest!

 My heart then melted when Jeff held him for the first time. 

 It's truly amazing how he immediately loved his daddy. This was moments after Jeff first held him...

 Mommy got smiles as well! 

 We will forever celebrate this day, July 20th, the day our family was FINALLY united! 

Faithfulness springs forth from the earth and righteousness looks down from heaven. ~Psalm 85:11