The Meeting

There is so much I want to write today. Right now it's Friday afternoon about 4 pm here and we've had the boys for just 24 hours now. What a roller coaster it has been! Today I will write about meeting them and how that's going and in a later blog entry I'll talk about our excursions and what we were doing before getting the boys. So, our day began yesterday both having not slept much in anticipation of our journey to get Thomas and David. We had worked it out so that our friends here Travis and Andrea would go with us to take pictures and take video. We are so blessed to have them here and have them be involved with us and the boys. It's no easy task to get around the city when you're a foreigner and don't have a car. Travis and Andrea took two different taxi rides to meet us with our agency worker.Lielana, the assistant to Abebe who finds the families for children here, picked us up right on time at 9 am. I say on with emphasis because we've come to know Ethiopian time here in Addis. Being on time here includes anywhere from 15 to30 minutes late. We met up with Travis and Andrea in this very busy part of town. It was still rush hour and that meant traffic, cars, buses, vans, and people. There are so many people walking everywhere here. It's so amazing to see. People have no shortage of exercise that's for sure, not that many have a choice unfortunately. So we meet them and head off to the care center. The care center is a smaller place than the orphanage where the children who have families coming to get them go. It was another 30 minute drive to get there although distance-wise it wasn't all that far. Julie and I could barely put into words our feelings on the way. I even get a bit choked up thinking about it right now writing thisentry.

We also decided to bring along the 6 bags of donated items we brought with us. So many of you were so generous in giving us things to bring to the children. They open the gates to the carecenter and immediately we're bombarded with young children running to us with arms open wide and smiles even bigger. We drop of bags and try to hug them all. They don't know us. We look different. We don't speak their language yet their smiles and laughter and love touches our hearts in a way I can barely describe here in words. This one beautiful little girl hands me a book and tries to sit on my lap as I kneel down. Another couple of boys are just fascinated by my 13 dollar watch I bought for the trip. One of the care takers tells me they want to see it lights up like another American's watch did a few days before. It's now time to meet the boys. We walk a very short distance. I walk ahead of Julie. I peek into a small room and there is little David,in his bumbo seat sitting there. There is another boy there with him, but it's not Thomas. I tell Julie, "there they are!" We remove our shoes and walk in. Julie goes right to David and picks him up. I'm looking for Thomas. One of the caretakers walks to a crib and says Amare is here, sleeping. She picks him and brings him to me. Julie has David, and I have Thomas. We are a family at last. There is plenty of video you'll get to see when we get home of these momentsas I just can't describe them here and see the screen through my now teary eyes. We hold the boys for a long time and visit with the wonderful caretakers and also hold some of the other babies, each one so precious, unique, and beautiful. We talk about the boys'schedules and what they're eating and try to learn as much as we can about them. Little David is laughing and giggling most of the time and little Thomas is just Mr.serious and trying to take it all in. Neither cry a single tear. The care center staff has prepared a small coffee ceremony for us complete with roasted barley as a snack. It was very good by the way. Travis and Andrea join us as well. See, they speak Amharic, the language here so it's just so wonderful to have them with us. They didn't have to translateas the English of most is good. The workers just really enjoy that some Americans speak their language and speak it well. Soon it was time to go. We could tell the boys were so well liked because each and every care center worker made a special point to say goodbye and get their picture with the boys.We promised them to send those pictures back.

There is definitely no easing into parenthood. We left the carecenter with a boy in each arm and there you have it. They're ours. We're their parents. They depend on us for everything.Our ride back to the guest house included agrocery store stop to buy a few more diapers and some formula. Julie went into the store with Lielana and Thomas while I waited inside the van taxi with David, who had fallen asleep in my arms. This was a very busy area with many people walking around and hanging around. Soon, I was spotted by this very young lady holding a young child.  I'm not sure if she was begging for money or if she wanted me to take her child too. It broke my heart. She had beautiful, yet sad eyes, and her child had to have been 5 or older. Another young lady as well came to the window and tried to get my attention. It was the most uncomfortable I have been so far on the trip. It's so different to be the only white person in sight. I feel as though everyone is looking at me and wondering what I'm doing here. I know it's just a glimpse as to what the boys may feel someday. It's a terrible feeling but one I feel is important to go through. We arrrive back here to the guest house and bring the boys to their new temporary home. They are such curious little guys, just looking around, pensively, as they try to figure things out. I soon change my first diaper. It's Thomas, and guess what, it's a poopy one. Whew, I had no idea. (we have video by the way) I think I did alright first time around. He seemed happy...for the short term. It's time for a nap and Julie has Thomas and tries to get him to sleep yet he resists. I hold David and lie down on the bed. He sighs, giggles,and soon falls asleep on my chest. Ah, fatherhood, it suits me. We're off to our first dinner with the boys in the frontpack carriers! Who would've thought they'd be so complicated. I really should've read the book on that one. We actually had Ethiopian food last night for dinner and it was delicious, and remarkably easy to eat with one hand. The boys were angels and again, were just content to look around and see everything.

To fast forward a bit to bed time, which was early, I'll just say this: Julie and I were baptized by fire our first night with the boys. Neither one slept more than an hour at a time and when one fell asleep, the other would wake up. They both are very congested and are having some trouble breathing when they lie down. Thomas, at one point, woke up screaming. We soon realized why. He had blown out his diaper and was messy on his clothes and in the crib. Poor little boy was just not feeling well. We cleaned him up and tried to comfort him. He had this scared look in his eyes last night that got to me and Julie both. It's got to be so scary for these boys...waking up in a strange bed, strange sounds, strange people coming to them. It breaks my heart when I can't comfort them. But, in between the tears and the scared faces, are smiles and laughter and kisses and snuggles that make it all worth it.The boys are starting to look at us both today with different eyes. The eyes of children to their parents I think. I'll write later about my adventure shopping today and how little David missed me when I was gone. It's almost dinnertime now so I must get this sent. Julie says hello to everybody. We miss all of you but since yesterday there has not been time to be homesick at all. This is where we are supposed to be. Our family, together...the beginning of forever with these two little angels God has given us.