The flight into Addis was very very long but I was thankful to be sitting by a girl my age who didn't feel the need to shoot the breeze. We rode in silence and enjoyed some laughs about the Ethiopian airlines issues: nobody can ever figure out what seats they are in, the tvs flickering on and off, etc. I was sooooo thankful for my travel pillow thingy….the kind that go around your neck….it made the flight so much more comfortable since the seats hardly recline for the 18 hour flight. It was nice to have the window seat to prop my head against the wall but I didn't feel like I could disturb my fellow passanger to get up and stretch as much as I know I should hav e. My ankels and calves were swollen like when I ate clam chowder at 9 months pregnant…..they were HUGE!!!

At the Bole Airport in Addis Ababa I felt at ease since we had been through before. I waited about an hour in the visa upon arrival line and another 30 minutes to get my visa stamped and another 30-40 minutes to find my luggage. This time around the visa upon arrival option took much longer since I was at the end of a long line. Our flight came in 45 minutes late so our driver from the New Flower guest house had been waiting 3 hours for me by the time I got through customs. Both New Flower & BFAS wer e there to pick me up. We all shared a taxi to the New Flower to drop my things off and then drove to the Nootol guest house to meet with my travel buddy Meg. We waited about an hour or so and the Dr, from BFAS called to make sure I understood that by staying at another guest house I would not be taking full custody of Sifan until after the embassy date on Thursday. I was fine with the arrangement knowing that I could bring Sifan to the Notool to hang out with Meg and Ellie Berhane during the day and take Sifan back to the orphanage at night so I could be sure to get a good night sleep. I asked Dr. A about taking Sefan to the Notool guest house during the day to play with Berhane and he agreed that would be okay.

Meg and I walked with Korsa (the BFAS person who picked me up at the airport) about 1 mile to the orphanage. Meg video taped as we walked into the room with all of the children and I immediately recognized Sifan and picked her up. She was very quiet and a bit scared but did not protest to me picking her up. Cosa had told me on the way that she told him she couldn't wait for "mama" to come. I walked around with her for awhile and we looked in on the babies. Then I passed out stickers for each of the kids and helped Meg take pictures and video of each of the kids to send to their parents back home in the US. We played outside in the tent play structure Meg brought and then decided to head back to Notool guest house. I carried Sifan the mile on my back.

Sifan is MUCH bigger than I expected. She is at least the same height as Wubitu but for sure weighs about 5 pounds more (not less as before). Sifan has a very quiet softspoken personality….she speaks very quickly in Amharic with a lower soft voice. She talked and talked in Amharic….a couple of times I said, "huh" and she would repeat herself…but of course I could not understand what she was saying. She was fine with that but I can tell that it may become a problem later as she get frustrated with me not understanding. I gave her a much needed bath and washed her hair. She loved the olive oil spray and kept rubbing her hand through her hair and having me smell her hand. Then she found the ponytails Meg brought and picked one out. I put a single puff in her 1 inch hair, then she would go back for another and another…each time feeling the back of her head to see if there was anymore free hair. By the end we had about 12 puffs all over her head in a rainbow of colors. She LOVED it! She wasn't a big fan of the headband (but I brought like 10)…so I may need to go on a hunt for more little pony tails while I am here. She played well by herself and didn't need to be entertained like Wubitu did (and still does!). I interacted with her as much as possible without overwhelming her. When Berhane would cry Sifan would take her toys to try to get her to calm down. Sifan found a little bottle of lotion and covered her entire body in the lotion then when her skin was sticky for moiture she proceeded to rub Berhane down with lotion. Then went back to putting it all over herself (much like Wubitu does now with her lotion….we never have to worry about ashy skin in our house J ).

We ate a bit of rice and spinach (or something green like spinach). Sifan and I shared, she ate a lot but made a bad face when she did….like she didn't like it but wanted to eat anyway. She then chugged a bottle of water and later told me she had to go potty J. Really I could not ask for a more sweet, loving, little girl! She is FABULOUS!!! She will definitely help to offset Wubitu's sassiness in the house!

After awhile Sifan started to be a bit ornery…..and wouldn't come to me and took all of her puffs out of her hair. And I wasn't sure if this meant the "honeymoon" phase was already over or if she was tired (Wubi gets exponentially more ornery when she is tired). I walked over and picked her up since she would not come to me. She snuggled in tight on my lap and I started to tear up, Meg did too....and she said "she knows you are home". She fell asleep on my lap within 2 minutes. I sat there with her on my lap for about 20 minutes cherishing the moment. It was then about 5 pm and we called for a taxi. The taxi took us back to the orphanage where Sifan hopped down from my arms and walked slowly back to the group of children there getting ready to eat. She looked sad and I asked them to tell her I would be back tomorrow. No drama, they told her to kiss me and she obeyed and I kissed her back. She still looked sad, maybe a bit confused but she seemed fine when I left.

The taxi driver then took me and Cosa to the New Flower to drop me off. We got lost a bit but I had the address and phone number for New Flower in my purse so we called for directions and arrived very quickly. New Flower is about 5 minutes from BFAS by car….to far to walk. New flower is near the building with the airplane sticking out (for those of you who have been to Addis).
Upon arriving back at New Flower I dropped my purse in my room and shut the door and immediately passed out on the bed. It was around 6 pm….and even though Meg warned to to not fall asleep to get over jet lag faster, I couldn't help myself. I was absolutely exhausted! I woke up at 10 when another group of travelers arrived and checked into their rooms and fell back asleep until 4am…..it is completely quiet here at the New Flower (THANKFULLY). Meg's dad said that the blacksmith across the street works pounding away until 2-3 in the morning and the dogs are very loud so he had trouble sleeping. There seems to be only 1 dog next door here who barks only when people enter or exit the compound. My room is very small (about the same size as my room at home actuallly, big enough for the bed and to walk around the bed) but I only need it to sleep here so it is PERFECT (and only $40 a night). I haven't yet been able to explore the New Flower but there are serveral adoptive families here with their children. A note…..we stayed at the "New Flower" guest house when we came to pick up Wubitu in December 2007 BUT this "New Flower" is a different building a ways away from the guest house we stayed in last time. It is still run by the same family who I have surmissed now runs several guest houses. The "New Flower" we stayed in last time is now called the "Ethiocomfort" guest house. I am not sure when they changed this….just wanted to clarify….and apologize to those I have referred the New Flower to and sent pictures….they are different…I will give a full review of the new New Flower when I get a chance to explore more.

The power was out all day today and came back on at 2 am. I hope to make it to an internet café today to check emails and tell my family I am alive and how cute little Sifan is!