http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1879520870
Sibling rivalry is rampant in our house but at least we can get along for a little elf dance.
Oh yeah and they are elving down the street at the Barrand Household too!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1879883179

Peace on Earth!

We took Webitu sledding for the first time on Sunday. She wasn't very happy about the snow suit and boots at first but after seeing that everyone in the family was dressed like a marshmellow she was happy to slip into her pink boots. She told everyone about them when we got to the hill. She had fun going down the sledding hill with daddy for about 30 minutes then the Indiana winter chill became too much for her little body and mommy was happy to take her home to snuggle under the blankets! Noah & Carter raged the wind for another 1 hour and had a great time.

The last 2 hours of the long fligh were agonizing! I felt like the ride would never end. When we finally touched down I wanted to jump up and down with joy!!! As we entered the airport I started to become quite aware of a shift in my thinking. In Ethiopia I often thought about the opinions of the other Ethiopians of us Ferenji (white people) adopting one of thier children. Once I had a look around I started to notice how many white people were in the airport and how few black people were to be found. Then a horrifying feeling hit as reality set in that racism is very real in America and some of these people may already be pinning negative stereotypes on our little girl based on her beautiful golden skin. It is one thing to make yourself aware of these things before you adopt but quite another when you step off the airplane into a crowd with your very own chid. The thoughts stayed with me as we were ushered through to our first line. The attendant check our passports/visas and our child's. Then we retrieved our baggage and headed for the secondary baggage screening. Our United boarding passes to Indy were pre printed and all we had to do was send our baggage back on the conveyer to be security checked again and head upstairs through security and to find our gate. The whole process took us about 45 minutes but we hurried because we only had a short time to catch our flight. After all the hurry we finally realized that our flight had been delayed 2 hours!!! I was so bummed! We would have to wait 2 more hours to see our little boys at home again! We chatted with some people at the gate who were very interested in our adoption and received many compliments on our a beautiful little girl. We checked out our first US bathroom and wouldn't you know that our high tech sensored water faucets didn't work!!! We are in the US for pete's sakes!!! Webitu enjoyed flushing the toilet 20 times in a row. I am sure she annoyed the person in the next stall but who am I to interrupt her first experience with high powered superflushers...I know I was in amazement when I first experienced mine in the Rave theatre. Next was the awesomeness of the drinking fountain. She was so excited that it squirted water right up. I tried to show her the proper technique of sucking the water up without putting your mouth on the nosel but I am sure it will take a little practice. She particularly enjoyed watching her face in the drining fountain. Then we tried to fill her tummy with good old American greasy pizza and sugary cereal. Initally she rejected both but gave in to our fattening fare after her hunger took over. We finally boarded our plane with much relief after the flight right before our had been delayed 2 hours and finally cancelled altogether to the chargrin of many angry United customers who were stuck in DC until morning. Webitu freaked out when we tried to buckle her into the seat beside us at the flight attendants insistant that she use the seat that we had to purchase for her. I finally ignored the flight attandants wishes after the dirty looks from fellow travelers who could not stand to listen to her frantic screams from being separated even a few inches from mommy. She quickly fell asleep in my arms and slept the entire flight. As we exited the plane in Indy I became so overcome by homesickness and the tears began to flow as I saw my little boys waiting just past security. Carter looked at me funny and asked me why I was crying (boys!). Webitu was still very much asleep and showed no signs of waking but after we had given up she peeked out and caught sight of her new obsession...escalators. We road up and down the escalator with the boys and she giggled with delight. She was very excited to see the boys and that was about it. You could tell that she wasn't quite 100% awake. Afte picking up our luggage we headed to for van and the dreaded car seat. I expected the worst and the worst we recieved. As I tried to sit her down she freaked and fought for her life to not let me buckle her. She screamed and fought until she finally peed her pants!!!! The exhaustion of flying, emotion from missing the boys, drained self-control from the repeated monster fits all hit in one emotional breakdown where I just sobbed loudly and had to have Torrey take over alittle. We decided to just put the shoulder/lap belt on for now and I sat beside her trying to calm myself. We finally started our journey home! After awhile I traded spots with Torrey and Webitu did not like it one bit as she kicked and gave daddy the grumpy look. Eventually she fell asleep followed quickly by both Torrey & I. We finally made it home around 9:30 PM...home sweet home!!!!

Last night Torrey & Webitu fell asleep at 3:00pm and I tried to wake Torrey to eat but he asked that I just let him sleep & promised to take care of Webitu I she woke up in the middle of the night. I quite enjoyed the quiet time for a little bit. They woke up at midnight and of course little Webitu wanted her mommy. I couldn't resist the little calls for mommy. We played quietly for a few hours until the electricity went out. Luckily we remembered to pack the flashlights which were quite amusing for awhile. Finally mommy couldn't stay awake any longer and daddy took over until she fell asleep again at 3am. I have gotten used to getting up at 6am and couldn't fall back asleep after hearing the calls to worship and chanting from the local church. With the desparate lack of sleep I tried to have Torrey take care of Webitu as much as possible but she really just wanted mommy. I tried to spend a lot of the day packing quitely in my room but Webitu would run away from daddy when he wasn't paying attention and run upstairs to find me. The Guesthouse staff showed us how to make traditional Ethiopian food: injera and wat. I have to say that I am not at all a fan of injera and am kind of glad that Webitu doesn't particulary like it either. I will be happy to have it when she wants it but won't feel guilty about not making it once a week or so for her. After lunch the Guest house staff showed us the Ethiopian Bunna (Coffee) Ceremony. Webitu got really excited when she saw the cups and coffee pot out. In her family background video it shows her sipping on Ethiopian coffe. She didn't particularly like the coffe once she had a chance to taste it today but you could tell that it struck a cord of warm memories for her. After the Coffee Ceremony, several of the families arranged for a van to come and take us shopping one last time before we left. Note for future travelers: Travelers Checks can only be cashed at the Sheraton or Hilton Hotels. We tried several banks for a couple who only brought travelers checks they just recieved blank stares. Also, cash is most easily transferred into Birr at the hotels, airport, or on the Black Market. Another family had a big issue when he tried to exchange thier US dollars at a legitimate bank. The bank refused to exchange the money and after thier $100 bills exchanged hands with the banker several times under a counter, they were afraid that the bank exchanged thier bonafide bills for counterfeit while he was standing there. The family finally decided to take the cash to the Black Market (that is what you tell the driver to get you money exchanged this way). One of our drives said it is basically illigal but nobody really regulates it. You get the best price for your money and the transaction is very quick, upfront, and painless apparently. Anywho...we set out bartering our last birr for some awesome wears. I scored some awesome African drums for the boys and and Ethiopian cross. I am sure I could have gotten much better prices for my items but I was short on time and basically paid the same as I would have paid at the souvenir shop for similar items. One mom was really good at bartering and got some very awesome deals but spent 20 or so minutes on each transaction. So after our final shopping excursion we headed back to the Guest House for a few hours before we loaded up for the airport. The Guesthouse staff were working on getting the bedding changed but were very patient with those of us who were not ready to be scooted out of our rooms. I took a nap for about an hour while Torrey watched Webitu. When I awoke he had headed to the CHS Office to pick up Webitu's Passport, Lifebook, Background video, and Lifebook video. When they returned we ate our last dinner together and met a couple coming in from the next travel group. The mom was originally from Ethiopia but left when she was 16 to come to the US. The next travel group consisted of mostly parents picking up infants and one child 1 1/2 years old. It was very nice to have our travel group of mainly older children and one infant. I really felt like we could all relate having a similar experience with very mobile children with very well formed personalities. I am not sure how another travel group would have tolerated Webitu's monster fits (I am not sure how we made it...the grace of God is my only guess). So we took our group pictures and loaded the vans. We arrived at the airport and our driver brought luggage carts to us and very firmly made it known to all the porters looking for a tip that we did not need thier help. You enter the airport and security officers keep pointing you down the line to the appropriate security baggage scan. Next on to the ticket counters where they print your boarding pass and take check your luggage. They were very forgiving of one of our bags being 14kg over the limit and let it pass without us rearranging everything. Next you turn left and find the counters with little cards to fill out a card for each person traveling with you. You need passport info and visa numbers for each person including your child. Keep them all out because you go to the windows and show them the card and your passport. Next you are sent upstairs to find you gate. We had an hour to kill so we visited a few shops and I realized for the first time that taking Webitu shopping will be a challenge. She is very particular but intent on what she wants. She immediately spotted a black bracelet with Ethiopian flag color beading and put it on. She refused to take it off or switch it with anything else. She gave Daddy the cute smile and the 45 birr practically fell out of his pocket into the storekeepers hands as he admired her sweet cheeks and beautiful bright eyes....yep, we are in trouble! Next Torrey decided to check on our health insurance status since we still couldn't get anything nailed down before we left. The lady at the telephone office told Torrey it would be 3 birr per minute (about 66cents) However after the 17 minute call they said it was $3 US per minute and we were stuck paying the $54. Get it in writting if you can or just don't use the phone! We did find out that the insurance agency we were contacting would not cover Webitu under a normal plan because of her Malaria but were willing to cover her under a 6 month renewable short term plan at a reasonable rate!!! Ahelalueah!!! Next we slurped down our liquid items and proceded through the security at our gate. If you have ever traveled with Ethiopian Airlines you know that they are not very efficient at all! Well, this time was not any different. We saw our crew enter the plane and leave then we were told to move to another gate for another airplane but then ushered back into our first gate. Then again told to move to the next gate and through security once again. After all was said and done we waited at the gates for an additional 2 hours!!! Webitu was having a great time throwing fits with her skirt pulled all the way up over her head so the entire airport could see her polka dot underware. If we tried to cover her she screamed louder, kicker harder, and spit further so we resigned ourselves to the fact that everyone had already seen them and fixing it wasn't worth the trouble. After entering the airplane she quickly fell asleep and we began our 18 hour flight to the US. At first we were in row 12 on the airplane but realized after we were inflight that our seats did not recline because they had moved a while on the airplane and put it right up against our seats. Torrey asked the grumpy flight attendant if we could move and he said that there were no empty seats. After awhile of arguing we moved to the back of the plane which was actually mostly empty. The rows in the middle equipped with 3 seats were all occupied by 1 person so they each had a full long bed of seat to lay in. So we took two sets of two side seats. I laid Webitu down on the two seats while I sqeezed onto the floor. Everytime a person would go by they would trip on my toes because I couldn't squeeze them in enough to clear the aisle. The worse part was though that our seats smelled like fresh urine. If you can avoid Ethiopian Airlines it is so very worth the money!!!! We were rather fortunate that she slept in 5 hour increments and I could sleep for about 2 hours of those at a time.

Day 7
I took some sleeping pills last night because I have not had a good night sleep in at least a week. Just a warning to future travelers: the beds are basically a short box spring. This spoiled American is having trouble adjusting to the hard mattress after sleeping on my pillowtop bed at home. After 12 hours of sleep I finally feel at least 80% today! We went to spend the day with Webitu today at her school but she immediately pointed to the door because she didn't want to stay. When we tried to take her into the story room she went limp and gave daddy the grumpy face. He took her out of the building and a car happened to arrive to drop someone off. She insisted that we leave in it immediately. So we brought her back to the Guest house to play. She had a wonderful time playing and eating tons of fruit again. She really is a bundle of energy and smiles. We also got to see the 3 year old in her today. She was showing off her monster fits a lot today. She throws herself on the floor and kicks her feet and takes her shoes off and throws them and spits on you! We are trying to stop it now by ignoring her and playing fun things to get her to come back to play. They are getting shorter but she is definitely stubborn sometimes. She is really attached to mommy today and gives daddy the grumpy look when he comes near. I think we literally had 30 fits today, I know it will get better but it is very exhausting. Daddy stayed with Webitu at the Guest House while I took the trip to the museum. It only cost 10 birr ($1.10 or so) The first floor has robes of the former royalty of Ethiopia and the throne of the former Emperor. The basement houses Lucy the oldest "human" which was found in Ethiopia. My favorite was the top floor which held beautiful paintings of the Ethiopian people and hand tools that were used in the past or may still be used by the very poor in the Ethiopian countryside. I really enjoyed the paintings by the local Ethiopian artists that were for sale.
After the museum we ate and played with Webitu for awhile until bedtime. Her favorite things to do are jump off the couch and throw the blocks around (the daddies even like to play throw the blocks when nobody is watching). Bedtime was frustrating again. Webitu threw a monster fit and took ALL of her clothes off and lay on the floor spitting. After her fit was over she refused to put her clothes back on. So we played awhile but finally decided she had to at least put her underware on. This caused another LOUD monster fit but she cried herself to sleep. International adoption of an older child is not for the faint of heart! It is exhausting, often daunting, and frustrating. Webitu speaks Kembatisa mixed with Amharic so sometimes even the nannies do not understand what she wants. Navigating the language barrier along with the emotional minefield of being 3 years old, in addition to them trying to adjusting to new parents who have different expectations, exhausting for both the child and the parents. It will all be worth it though. All parenting is hard at first. The adjustment isn't always fun but it is so worth it to see your little one sleep with their long eyelashes touching and sweet little lips in a pucker. I know when she wakes up she will know that one more day has passed and my mommy and daddy are still here no matter how many fits or things broken from the day before…they love me.
Day 8
Webitu woke up happy as always. She tried to get up at 1:30am but daddy shut the lights back off and she fell back asleep, yeah! Today is the going away ceremony at the Care Center. Normally the children would have already been at the Care Center and ready but most of the families kept their children overnight last night (for future travelers, you can take your children into custody at any time but you need to okay it with your social worker in Ethiopia …you cannot take them with you on the day trips though). When we arrived they took the
children upstairs to dress them in their traditional Ethiopian clothes (they will give you the clothes they came in back, and you get to keep the Ethiopian clothes). Then the nannies bring the children down. The older children were chanting the Webitu's name as she came down,
which made her beam and giggle. Then the film crew video tapes each family member giving a thank you to the Care Center or talking about their experience in Ethiopia. They pass out a large heart with each child's name on it to the parents. Inside is a message from the
nannies about how much they loved the child and well wishes for the future. The Nannies then put the children in the middle of the room and the parents and nannies gather around them. A staff member says a prayer in Amharic and then a parent volunteers to pray for the
children. Then the children join their families. Then the older children (3 and up) are called up to cut the cake. They pass the cake around along with pop to the parents, children, and other children watching the ceremony. Then each family is called up to take individual video shots. Finally each child is called up to put their hand print on the wall. It was all very touching…CHSFS does a wonderful job. I believe this ceremony is included in the video that is sent home with us on Thursday! After the ceremony we came back to the Guest house for lunch and then
quickly off to the U.S. Embassy to apply for our children's immigrant visas. First you proceed through a tin storage locker thing where you pass through the first metal detectors, then you wait on benches outside under a tent to pass through the next secrurity check point. You will have to take watches and belts off if they contain metal. Then you have to test each liquid you bring in by drinking it in front of the people. No cell phone or items with batteries. They
confiscated Webitu's toy phone because it had batteries (we picked it up after the appointment). Next we walk to another building to wait downstairs for our appointment. They have a small play area inside for the children and a TV! We got to watch the Notebook while we
waited. Then Marta will come down for each family when our names are called (you can't really understand the loudspeaker when they call names.) Normally they ask very basic questions like was you child in an orphanage, etc. Each family went through with no problem and we were last….woudn't you guess it…we almost didn't make it though. When they called us up they were not happy with our paperwork because they say that a family cannot abandon their child unless they are an infant. Since Webitu just turned 3 they were not going to approve our visa because the US could not consider her an orphan. So we waited for 45 minutes while the embassy contacted Ato. Asnaka at the CHS office. This was agonizing as we contemplated the possibility of the US not letting our daughter come home. I couldn't imagine leaving this little girl here and I have been so home sick I don't think I could spend any more time here waiting out the legal storm. I kept thinking about Noah & Carter and how they would feel for us to be gone so long and waiting out this process for 1 &1/2 years and still not having the little sister they prayed for so much. I couldn't fathom not bringing this little girl home, someone who will fit perfectly
into our family..that God had hand picked for us from before time began. We prayed and our friends Tom & Nikki prayed for us. They finally called us up to talk to a higher up who explained the US definition of an orphan. He asked if we had met the family and we explained the condition of her father when we met him and that it was very clear to us that he had no expectation from us other than pictures in the post placement reports and that if we were to not
adopt Webitu that any other family could do so. They finally had us redo our paperwork saying that she had no parents since she was abandoned and approved us. They also had 4 other families refile their paperwork with the same change. I know God chose us to be the ones who were stopped because He would help us to handle the situation in the way he would have wanted it handled. They had the same issue with 4 other families but we were the ones they stopped. God has truly been with us and He did not abandon us. In 2 days we will be on
our way HOME with our little girl! After the Embassy (we were there 3 hours with our little fiasco) we stopped at the Sheraton to confirm our flights. They have an airline office where they give you a number and you wait for an agent to get with you. By this time I had been overly stimulated by Miss Webitu and her fits at the Embassy (at least 10 rolling on the floor spitting, kicking ones for various silly reasons) and her not wanting anything to do with Daddy. Daddy took her against her will and let me have a little stroll alone. They were playing good old American Country Music and Christmas music in the lobby which made me so very
homesick! It is amazing how you don't realize what your "culture" is until you away from home and start to miss the little things. Anyway, after a little retail therapy I was ready to care for little Webitu again. Everyone was exhausted so we headed home for some dinner and
Torrey promised to take care of Webitu for the rest of the night. I straightened out our room upstairs for awhile and read the children's books I bought at the Sheridan (45 birr and 25 birr). Then I fell asleep at 7:00 from pure exhaustion. I didn't even wake up when
Webitu came in searching under the covers saying "mommy, mommy". She got her PJ's on happily for daddy and they played peek-a-boo with the blankets until she passed out. Having 2 adults here is very important. I could have never done this without Torrey!
Day 9
Today I woke at 5am from last night early bedtime. I really enjoyed the time to think about our little girl in our home with the boys. Webitu woke up at 6:15…I don't know how I am going to adjust when we get home since most people know it is a stretch for me to get up by 8. I finally felt 100% and was happy to play with my little girl. She is learning many English words but I think we have learned an equal amount of Amharic. Right now she says: mommy, papa, bye bye, thank you, baby, bump (road construction), and hi (when she talking on the play phone). We know Jamas (shoes), Dabo (bread), wad e sha low (I love you), boutka (fruit), coy (wait), and shenet, sheet, sheeno (for going to the bathroom) Many of these words may not be clear Amharic since the nannies told us she often blends the Amharic with Kambatisa. Most of our communication is by hand singnals and faces. She waves
her hand no and smiles and nods for yes. When she is mad she gives a grumpy face and hides her face from you. She is always jabbering in Amharic/Kambatisa but I feel really bad that I have no clue what she is saying. Occasionally the driver with be able to tell us what she
is saying but often we have no clue. Today we thought we had a free day but the van picked us up and had us take our discharge papers back to the doctor. We showed Dr. Ferhiwot Webitu's crusty red eye and they gave her some ointment for an eye infection. The doctor told me that Webitu was very scared that they would take her away from her Mommy and daddy but she assured Webitu that she was with us forever. You could tell she was very uncomfortable because she clung to me for dear life. While we were waiting for the vans to pick us back up
Webitu pricked her finger on something and became a major drama queen. She showed everyone her tiny ouchy and all the nannies smothered her with kisses. You can tell that she was well loved by everyone as they knew her name and called her over to them. Next we went on a tour of the projects CHSFS-Ethiopia have been working on the better the Ethiopian community. First we saw the new Woman and Children's center that opened 8 or so weeks ago. The doctor said that they have had 45 women come to deliver since they opened. It is very affordable to deliver at the new facility (180 birr or about $20!) To stay in a room It is only 45 birr per night or $5) They have an operating room for C-sections, a pharmacy, a lab for basic bloodwork, an ultrasound room and are starting to be equipped for a NICU. There were several women there for doctor's appointments. Next we went to the CHS academy. They started construction in November and have a few students who have begun classes. The rooms are small as to keep the class size down. The cost of this private school is around $500 per year. They hope to get sponsors for the poor children in Addis so that at least half of the children are on scholarship. They are also building a large auditorium for the students to use during the week and to rent out on the weekend to help sustain the school financially. This school costs around the same as other government run facilities that are over populated but substantially less than many of the private schools in the area. The school is outfit with 2 computer labs, and a library. The children are taught Amharic, English, Mathematics, Environmental science
(including physical and social sciences) and Aesthetics (art, music, and P.E.) It is very exciting to see CHS reach out to the community at large. I know there are many more projects out in the wings from CHS-ET and the community is greatful. On the way home we stopped at Webitu's school and she clung desparately to Torrey. Everyone took a tour to see the playroom, classrooms, and playground. On the way back Webitu finally stepped into the van without freaking out if we were not holding her. She is slowly becoming sure that we are not going to leave her, I know it will be a very long process but it is good to see a little bit of progress even if we will go through it all again when we get back home. So far we have had only 3 short fits today! I am starting to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel! She is so sweet! Nita, her friend from school who is being adopted now too, taught her how to use the baby stroller and they had a lot of fun pushing their babies around. We gave Webitu her first bath today and it was good to wash the Orphanage smell out of her hair. She loves her little head bands and I love to put hair lotion in her tight little curls. She struts in front of the mirror when she puts on a new outfit like a supermodel, however, I cannot get her to put a skirt on. She like to critique my clothes and will wave her hand no if she doesn't like what I am wearing…what a diva! If I could understand most of what she is saying I would guess she is bossing me around. She is very particular about who does what for her and will not accept a tissue from papa if she asked mommy to do it. She likes to stay neat and clean and spends quite a lot of time wiping the crumbs from her dabbo off of her pants and mine. She can blow her nose all by herself and peel her own banana! I can't believe we have been given such a sweet wonderful little girl! I can't wait to bring her home…I am sure she will have some sort of show for you! WE LEAVE TOMMORROW!!!!!!!

Day 6
Today we took the trip to Hosanna to meet Webitu's birth family. We woke up at 4am to take the Land Cruiser parade that would arrive at 5am. The staff has the day off on Sunday so we helped ourselves to some toast and jam and made PB & J sandwiches to take along (bring
lots of snacks for this trip if you travel soon). As you leave Addis the corrugated tin buildings fade and the tukkel (huts) come into view. The tukkels dot the beautiful mountainous landscape. As the sun rises you start to see families emerging from their homes with their livestock. Children age 6 or 7 driving donkey drawn carts (basically a piece of wood mounted on wheels). Children as young as 5 carrying their baby siblings on their backs. It was amazing and beautiful. All the chidren would stand on the side of the road and wave at us as we passed with huge smiles on their faces. Even men in their 20's would pose for pictures as you drove by.
Meeting Webitu's birthfather was heart wrenching and I will not be the same as long as I live. The people of Ethiopia dearly love their children but have been put in a horrible spot where they cannot feed the ones they most dearly love. To be put in the position to have to
make an adoption plan for a child to ensure that they do not starve is absolutely unimaginable in the US. I am ashamed of myself to doubting the intensity of the poverty here in Ethiopia. It is real, children really do die of starvation because the soils have eroded or there is not a good harvest because of drought. I will remember and teach all of my children about Ethiopia and its people as Webitu's father asked. May God bless him and his family in every language that exists.

Day 5
We decided to take Webitu back to visit the Care Center to visit her nannies and friends. When we arrived the children were all sitting on the carpet watching Buggs Bunny and traditional Ethiopian dancing. During this time it became quite evident that we were in an orphanage.
There were so many children and not enough help to keep them from hurting one another. Some of the boys are very rough and will pull each others legs or dive on top of other children. It was heartbreaking so see some of the little ones continually victimized by a rough child. I finally made my way though a sea of children wanting my attention to one little girl with beautiful big eyes who had been hit several times and was continuously crying against the wall. I
held her and fended off the leg pullers and just sobbed for the little girl. These little ones need their mommy and daddy! Many were content but some sat crying and it took a few tries to get then to accept a hug and affection to comfort them. Next came snack time. Webitu was very hesitant to sit down for a snack. I had to show her that we were not leaving her before she would sit. The nannies come around with a large bowl of water and a pitcher to pour water over their hands, Then each child was given ¼th of an apple. Webitu didn't like the peal so she spent most of the time biting off the peel and handing it to me. Then she would hold up her hands to show that she was all done and wanted more. After all the apples were gone we went outside to play. The children do not have any play equipment just 6 or 7 balls (some were fla) Mainly
Torrey & I were the entertainment. Webitu started to point up into the tree and we couldn't figure out what she wanted, but she was insistant that we get it for her. So I tried the leaves and flowers but she made sad face at these. So I tried to put her up in the tree and this didn't work. Finally I gave her to torrey and he couldn't figure it out. We asked the nannies and they said she wanted a lemon from the tree. Wouldn't you know, way up in the tree were tiny
lemons. She was very insistant that daddy climb the tree and get her a lemon and kept showing him where to put his feet to get up. Finally she talked one of the staff into climbing the tree to get her the tiny lemon. She was so happy to suck the lemon juice out and feed the seeds to mommy. It is very evident that she was loved by everyone. She showed everyone her new shoes with much pride. Several times a nanny would come and take her from us to show her to the other staff. She was quite happy. Staying at the Care Center started to become overwhelming. So many of the children want your attention at once and they will do anything to
get it. One little boy would steal the shoes of the child you wereholding as say "one, two thrrree" and throw them as far as he can. But when you held him he laid in your arms and kissed your cheeks saying, "I love you" with his Amharic accent. It is so sad! Right before the Makeena came to get us Webitu spilled water on her shirt and threw a monster fit and wouldn't let anyone touch her (she hates to be wet or dirty). Finally she let the nannies hold her right when
we had to leave. WE had a lot of fun with her for the day but she wears you out!!! I was happy to have a little break from the energy. After a nap we went shopping again and exchanged the rest of our US money into birr. It was nice that our driver took us to a shop with set
prices so we didn't have to barter. Then we went to the Crown Hotel for dinner and traditional Ethiopian dancing. It only costs 95birr each (about $10 per person) for an Ethiopian buffet. We really enjoyed the food and dancing..I will post a video when we get home. This is where I had my meltdown. I got a lot of tomatoes and remembered that if Carter were here then he would have only eaten the tomatoes…this opened the floodgates of homesickness…who knew tomatoes
would make you cry so much. It has been so hard to be away from my boys for so long. We have never been away for longer than 2 days and 7 days without a huge Carter hug or an "I love you mommy" for Noah is unbearable. If you are with the boys this week please drop us an email to let us know how they are doing…not hearing anything is unbearable!

Day 4
Today we got to spend the morning at Webitu's school. When she saw us she came running and jumped into my arms and gave me a huge hug!!! Then we went to the Bible story rooms where the children take their shoes off and sit on mats arranged on each wall of the room. There were 4 teachers for the 20 or so children. We had a great time listening to the dramatic story telling of Zaccheus in Amharic. We even sang "Zaccheus was a wee little man" in Amharic. Then the teachers called a few boys up one by one to sing Amharic songs. One little boy's voice took our breath away. He was 3 or 4 but sounded like a grown man with an incredible voice. One boy screamed the words to the song and everyone had a good laugh! The entire time Webitu was
making silly faces while I copied them. She is so silly! She was still a little timid around Torrey but he had plenty of little ones who wanted his attention. When the story was over the children waited for their turn to leave the room and put their shoes back on. When I
didn't stand up right away she patted my chest and gave me a grumpy look. We waited a little longer and went to find her shoes, but she couldn't find the ones she wanted to wear (shoes are basically interchanged by all of the kids). The nanny put a pair on her and she went completely limp and threw a fit. I picked her up and calmed her but she was clearly very upset still. The nannies found the shoes she wanted and exchanged then for her…shoes are very important to
Webitu. Next we had snack time. All of the children rinsed their hands in a
large concrete wash area with about 5 faucets then everyone had a seat. The snacks (a croissant filled with cheese and broccoli) were served in Tupperware dishes and each child had a thermos full of juice. When Webitu finished her juice she put her hand in it to get every last bit out and licked her hand (the next time we came we brought her a bottle of water because she was clearly very thirty). Then the children played on the playground. Webitu wanted me to hold
her the entire time while she did silly things with my sunglasses. She would call at each of the nannies and teachers names so they would look at her in her glasses….she is a bit of a show off! Then the most awesome thing happened…she told me she had to go potty and took me to
it! She is completely and totally potty trained!! She says shenet or sheet to tell you she has to go and doesn't have any accidents! Then we played some more and Daddy decided to get out the bubbles. Webitu said "Daddy bubbles!" (heart melter). Torrey blew some for awhile and then the 3 year old broke out in Webitu and she insisted that she do it herself. She did a great job and told her friend Nita "coy, coy" which means "wait, wait" when she tried to grab then from
her. The van then came to pick us up and we had to leave. They had to tear Webitu from Torrey's arms and she screamed and kicked because she did not want us to leave. It was heart breaking but we couldn't take her with us because we had several meetings scheduled for the
day. The first meeting went over general schedule and reminders aboutEthiopian culture. Then we came back to the guest house for lunch. We waited then for our appointment with our adoption team where we watched Webitu's background video and talked to her doctor. For all
of you CHSFS people out there or those considering agencies, this video is priceless. It includes actual footage of your child in their home before coming into care and interviews with important people in your child's life. This video was incredible and really helped me to
completely feel comfortable that adoption was the best option for our daughter. After the video we spoke with Dr. Ferohewit who had treated Webitu several times during her stay at the Care Center. As of right now her ear infections are clear…praise the Lord! We were cautioned
though that every time Webitu has a high fever we need to have her screened for malaria. Apparently one other time that she had an ear infection she had a recurrence of malaria and had to be treated again. Please pray for her health and that we can get our insurance to cover
her. After the meeting we were bummed because we were told that we could not meet Webitu for the rest of the day but 5 minutes later they came back out to say that they would take us to see her. When we arrived she ran and jumped into my arms immediately. We decided it was definatley time to take her to the Guest House with us because we couldn't handle another hard goodbye when she was 100% perfectly happy with us. We had to call and explain to the social worker the situation since they like families to wait until Tuesday to take full custody of the children. They approved us and we climbed into the Makeena (car) to the Guest House. Webitu was very happy and copied the words we said like bump. When we arrived she was so excited to
see the push toys and riding toys in the courtyard but had no idea how to use them. She was very interested but very wary of the Cozy Coupe "Makeena." We had fun swinging on the porch swing together and jumping off things into Daddies arms. She quickly became Daddy's
little girl. At dinner time she didn't like any of the food so the cooks gave her some Dabbo (bread) and she had fun feeding it to mommy. Webitu is very energetic and had a great time sliding off the arm of the couch and throwing blocks. She didn't know how to play with the
baby doll stroller but had fun shoving the stroller back and forth to daddy. At bed time she showed off her skill of opening a banana with her teeth, it was quite impressive!! We were very worried that she would freak out at bed time but everything went really well. Daddy rockedher to sleep in about 5 minutes and laid her down beside us. She is a very restless sleeper. She tossed and turned, and rubbed her hands together like she was washing then throughout the night. She doesn't like blankets and kicked them off every time we covered her. She woke
up smiling and giggling (at 5:30am)!!! We played lights on and off for awhile and read her some books. When it was time to get dressed she was ecstatic about her very first pair of shoes and white headband. She would not take them off for anything. We are so very excited that things are going so well! She is so much fun!

Day 3

Today we hung out at the New Flower Guest House waiting for our time to go to the CHSFS guesthouse.  We woke to breakfast of eggs, toast, and jam. Seasoned travelers we met at the Care center later Said that small breakfasts of bread and jam are the norm for Europeans.   Since the website for New Flower lists everything in Euros, we are guess this is why there was so little food for our American appetites. For lunch we ordered our first traditional Ethiopian dish of injera (a sourdough pancake) and dorro wat (chicken stew).    It was very good but very spicy! We were scheduled to arrive at the CHSFS office at 4:00 but after lunch we were having trouble waiting so we asked our friends at New Flower to call a van for us at 2:30. Through the bumpy roads & stopping for directions we made our way to the office. We were greeted by the guard and told to leave our bags and suitcases out in the driveway. (We were nervous about this but everything was watched by the guards + the front gates were shut the whole time). Next we were introduced to a flurry of people and taken upstairs to a large meeting room. A journalist came in after awhile + had us sign a paper saying that we would not take pictures of other children at the care center. (I know that this was the sign that we would get to meet Webitu today but Torrey was oblivious since we were originally told that we would have to wait until tomorrow morning). My nerves got the best of me so I went to the bathroom + wouldn't you know I locked myself in and couldn't get out! How embarrassing… it was quite the entertainment for everyone in the office. Luckily the top window on the door was missing so I called for Torrey to come help me. This brought the attention of many! So I passed the key through the open window so they could try it from the outside. They couldn't get it so they passed it back to me + I had to pass it back to them.  Finally they banged on the door and tried the key again and it finally opened! So 2 minutes later the film crew shows up and loads us in the van. We drive ¼ of a mile to the school. Torrey still didn't know what we were doing! So we climb out of the van and look at each other realizing that this is the moment! Tears started to form but we recovered right before we entered her room. She was sitting on the floor with 2 other little girls coloring pictures. Her hair has started to grow back and it is light brown with little curls. We were surprised at how tiny she is!   She immediately handed me a paper that she had colored blue and purple and another with a smiley face sun sticker on it. She pointed to the sticker's eye and then at her own eye.   Then she giggled. The nannies gave us a sheet of stickers to give her. We peeled of a little butterfly and gave it to her. The nanny tried to get her to put it on her forehead but she started to get shy. So I took one and put it on Torrey's forehead and got a belly laugh! Then we played "Where is it?" since it was one of the only phrases I had learned before leaving. So Webitu would put the sticker on the ground under her knees and I would say"Yet No?" and she would move her legs so I could see the sticker. Then I would gasp in surprise which was followed by more belly laughs. We played this for about 10 minutes with the other 2 girls and Webitu. The nannies from the other rooms came to watch the little girls laugh. Then our driver came to let us know that it was time to leave. Our first 15 minutes with Webitu were absolutely wonderful! I think she will get along very well with our goofy family. I can't wait to hear the harmony in the combination of Carter + Webitu's belly laughs!   Her papers said that she likes to be carried around I so Noah will be so happy to know that there are many opportunities for piggyback rides in their future!

There are police and military people stationed all over town. It is
hard to get used to seeing men with large guns all over the city.

Addis seems to be a city of stark contrasts. On one block you see
elaborate homes behind beautiful gates and the next you see shacks
made of corrugated metal and men in suits walking by men lying in the
streets. It was heart wrenching to see children 6 or7 years old
begging for money to feed their emaciated bodies. Even more sad were
the tiny mothers begging for money to feed their tiny babies.
Today we took a tour of Addis Ababa with a driver named Teddie (he
only charges $5 per hour). He is a student at Addis Ababa University
majoring in business but he hopes to work in film. He is currently
working on a documentary on farming outside the city. It was very nice
to get the perspective of a young Ethiopian. Here are a few of our
favorite tidbits from Teddie:
1) The Ethiopian community was outraged at the Pope because he shook
hands with Beyonce' when she was here. Apparently the Pope is only
supposed to shake hands with people who have taken communion.
2) Traffic was blocked today because Condolisa Rice was in town.
3) There is a meat processing plant in town that throws the bones of
the ox in a pile. The pile is now a huge mountain that stinks horribly
(we included a picture of the pile)
4) The city used to use garbage trucks to collect trash but they could
not keep up with demand, so now you pay a boy to come and get your
trash but often they do not put it in the proper place.
5) There are no speed limit signs or traffic lights. There is a
general speed limit based on the size of the vehicle but it is not
enforced.
6) The traffic police are corrupt they will give you a ticket for
whatever they want and everyone knows that it is very time consuming
to pay them to the government so it is common practice to pay the
police officer off.
7) The government & some private builders are working toward building
condominiums to steer away from the tightly packed gated homes. This
is very evident throughout the city where construction of massive
housing Complexes can be seen everywhere.
We had a great time shopping and taking pictures of the city. We
bought traditional Ethiopian clothing and other fun stuff. Torrey
forgot his belt but couldn't find one to fit around his tummy (you
know us fat Americans). Teddie helped us to barter when we shopped but
I finally got the hang of it by the end. I wish we could barter at
Wal-Mart!
We ate lunch at a nice restaurant… about like a family dinner with
food like Applebee's. Food is so Cheap ($20 for 5 stuffed people
including tip.) Nikki was very nervous about eating food not prepared
at the guesthouse because of the prevalence of Hep A and Typhoid but
we used hand Sanitizer + avoided vegetables washed in Ethiopian water.
It was delicious.
After lunch we dropped Tom & Nikki at the guesthouse for a nap and
collected our donations for AHOPE. AHOPE is an orphanage for HIV
positive children. We delivered Christmas gifts that a fellow Ethiopia
Adopt yahoo forum member sent to us to transport to Ethiopia.
Unfortunately the children were napping so we only got to peak into
the rooms. I am glad though because seeing the little ones made me
anxious to meet our little Webitu. The tears started to form in the
corners of my eyes. Soon…
Oh yeah… Torrey was right they do have a zoo in Ethiopia but it only has lions.

International travel is very stressful the first time.  Is there an international travel for dummies book?   I sure needed one!  I was so nervous on the way to the airport that I chewed my thumb nails off!  We started the morning with Torrey waking the boys to tell them goodbye before he headed off to take his final.   Noah was particularly sad and said that he would miss us.  Carter was excited he said "Today you go to get KEZIAH!"   However, by the time Uncle Brian got there to watch the boys, they were trying to push us out the door!  Having Uncle Brian over is a special treat!   It definitely made leaving much easier.

Torrey's dad drove us the airport!!!  THANK YOU, THANK YOU!  He helped to keep us occupied through our first set of travel delays!  We were scheduled for a 2:30 departure from Indy and leaving at 8:30 for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.   We went to check in through security and realized that the ticket counter forgot to print our boarding passes but we had plenty of time to go back.  The security system at the Indy airport is so much fun (easily amused I know).   You put all of your stuff in the bin including your shoes to go through the x ray machine and then you stand in your stocking feet in this chamber.  It shoots air at you and sucks it back up to check for traces of explosives on your skin and clothes…sweet!
Our flight was being continually delayed.  The desk by the gate was saying that our 2:30 flight might not leave until 6 or later!!!!   We contacted the travel agency to see if there was a flight out later that evening or in the morning from Washington DC but were told that there were no flights for 2 days!!!   This started my first of many travel crying spells.  I said a quick prayer as I let the tears flow and 2 minutes later they started to board the flight!!!   Hallelujah!  There was major turbulence on the flight that made me very nauseous plus I was tired and irritable so I started to cry again.   We made it to DC at 6:45!  This left 45 minutes to check in and get something to eat.  There are no signs telling you where Ethiopian Airlines are in DC.   Luckily the shuttle bus attendant knew which gate it was (D23 for anyone traveling in the future).  It was all the way at the end of the terminal but we made it in time!   We grabbed a salad and met our friends Tom & Nikki who are also adopting from CHSFS and boarded our flight.    

If you are flying Ethiopian Airlines board the plane as soon as you can.  Find your correct seat and keep your boarding pass out to prove you are in the right spot.   When we boarded our seats were taken so the flight attendant moved us up to the front but then the passengers who were assigned those seat came.  Next was a 55 minute debacle over seating.  Everyone thought it was us causing the problem because the passengers of the seats we were sitting in were very vocal.   We calmly told 4 different flight attendants the situation and said we are willing to sit anywhere just to point us in the right direction.  So there ended up being a massive seat shuffling as most of the people were in the wrong seats!!!   The finally cleared two seats for us (not our assigned ones) and we were off.  We watched 4 movies in flight.   We were really excited because the movie menu listed Oceans 13, Nancy Drew, the Waitress and several other movies I have been  dying to see but for some reason these movies were not actually available.   Instead we got to watch The Holiday, Gracie, and some Katherine Zita Zones flick.  I didn't sleep much because my body favors the horizontal position.    Torrey didn't have too much trouble since he stayed up all night studying for his final.  We had 4 meals (all free…we thought that a lot of airlines were going ala cart so were happy to still receive these)   We also received free Ethiopian airlines blankets, socks, eye mask, toothpaste and toothbrush!!!  I love free!  

We refueled in Rome during daylight hours and got a glimpse of the beautiful coastline, hills, and trees but were very sad not to get to explore.   It was also very interesting to fly over the deserts of Northern Africa.  The clouds cast perfect shadows on the flat sand…beautiful.     We made it to the airport in Addis at 8 oclock and again had no clue what to do next.  I am very happy that a lot signs are in English since it is taught in the Ethiopian schools.   So for future travelers.  Get off of the plane, go down stairs.  Look for the sign that says Visa at arrival or something like it.   You do not need anything but your passport (I printed an application off the internet for obtaining a visa before you fly but it was not needed) and $20. One person fills out your visa info then you move down and pay.    Next they direct you out of the office and a man signs your visa then sends you to the fast lane to get it stamped.  It was much quicker to get the visa at the airport than waiting in the line with people who already had visas.   Next we collected our bags and kept walking to the end of the long foyer area to the bank to exchange dollars for birr.  Then backtrack to the security scan and show them your luggage claim tickets that you received on your first leg of flight.   Send your luggage through the scanner and look for your driver. 

Since we arrived 2 days early we are staying at the New Flower guest house.  We arranged for the owner of the guest house, Helen, to pick us up at the airport.   She arrived with a van for Torrey & I, Tom & Nikki and paid luggage porters to put our 8- 50lb pieces of luggage on top of the van!  I was so glad to have Helen there to pick us up because we had just been through such a new strange process at the airport that a friendly face to care for you was very welcome.  We have a wonderful room with a view of the garden here.   It will be fun to explore Addis in the daytime.  There is another couple from Denmark staying here at the guesthouse who are in the process of trying to bring home 2 children.   They have been here since November 15^th and have run into many bumps in the road.  Please pray for them that they will finally be able to leave this week with their new children.   It is a lot of fun meeting new people so far!  Oh yeah it is 65 degrees here at night (Helen thinks that that is very cold!!!)

My last travel crying spell came at hour 12 of our flight.  I went to put my seat back and the woman behind me started to bang on my chair.   This opened the flood gates of pent up anxiety and frustration from being cramped on a plane when you are tired, hungry, have to potty, and have trouble communicating with those around you since almost everyone on the plane is from Ethiopia and normally speak Amharic.   I was so glad to have those feelings though.   It was a tiny glimpse of what our little girl will be experiencing over the next year as she learns to adapt to her new home.   She is going to have needs that she can't express to us easily because of language and won't know the basic rules of our lifestyles, she is basically being pulled from what she knows and being thrust into a totally new environment where she doesn't know what is going to happen next, what she can expect from us, and what we expect of her and there isn't anyone to explain it all to her in her own language.   I feel like I am a little better prepared at least to understand the tantrums and tears.  When I, as an adult, feel overwhelmed and burst into tears by taking an airplane to a new country, basically on my own terms, how   much more emotional will it be for little Webitu who has little control over the situation in which she is removed from EVERYTHING she knows!  Please pray for our little girl.