THE TRIP - Day 2-3

Man, SO much has been happening the past few days now that we're home, I gotta haul hiney here to finish up about the trip:

8pm Wed, ET time, 3/10/10
It's been really long since I journaled!
Here is what's been going on -
After getting off the plane we went to the visa line. We were probably one of the 7 people in line (the last ones, but still!). Took about 20-30 minutes to get through. Not bad at all! Then we went to immigration and got our ET stamps (yay!). Didn't take long either! Then a guy volunteered to grab our bags for us. So "mom" said it was okay. We exchaged our money to birr. 13.36 birr to 1 US dollar. We exchanged about $600 - which was A LOT of birr! I guess the guy saw us with the gignatic amount of money we had and he expected more than the 20 birr we gave him as a tip. This is what we were told to tip though.
I mean, yeah, that's cheap - but all he did was take our bags from the coveyer belt to the cart! I didn't want to get a guy; I would have done it myself. Oh well. Anyway, he put up a stink about it and I didn't care. I just ignored him, but Mom kept saying "No, this is what we were told to give." THEN she asked another lady! :) haha. This ET lady said "Yes, it's fine. - 5 birr per bag."
HA!
She even said he should have brought our bags to the xray (which he didn't). We waited in that line for awhile, because our donation tub had zip ties, and it took FOREVER for someone to come over and cut through the zip ties & "ok" them. We waited with another AAI couple (Joe & Lisa) adopting 4 1/2 year old boy/girl twins...they also had donations with zip ties. When someone finally came over to cut through them, the men asked Lisa what the pads were. I thought it was very funny and told her she should demonstrate them! :) haha.
Anyway, after we got through Xray, we met the AAI driver, Jemal. He said he'd take us all, but as we walked to the parking lot, he said his car was small & couldn't fit us all. Joe & Lisa went to Ritmo with another man & Mom and I went in another taxi with Jemal to the King's Hotel. It cost 100 birr to ride there.
The Kings Hotel is basic. They initially put us in a suite room, but it only had one bed, so I said, "No, sorry...we asked for 2 beds."
Now we have a smaller, less fancy room, but it gets the job done. A hot shower. 2 beds that are surprisiginly comfy. A toilet, big towels and it's generally quiet. The window in the bathroom stays open (it's their ventilation system here)...so at night it does get cooler, but def not bad. The windows & curtains are sheer, so we change in the bathroom.
The TV's broken & you can hear the cars going by, beeping at each other, but my convertor works, so the fan gets to stay on ALL night!!
When we got in and somewhat unpacked, we decided we'd take a 2 hour nap...and then shower, THEN go to layla to meet Megersa.
At first, even though I was dead tired, I couldn't relax my mind or drown out the outside noise (which is MUCH louder during the day) but I kept praying & I did eventually fall asleep.
I probably slept 1-1 1/2 hours. Then we showered and got a taxi to Layla. We were both feeling loopy and we were tired from dragging around that dumb tub, so we decided we'd haul it there and leave it.
As soon as we walked in Layla, we were met by Jessica (Gail's assistant who works for AAI) and she said, "Hi! Are you Megersa's mommy? Are you ready to meet him?"
WHOA!
I quickly saw Amanda Cadman and gave her a hug, then handed her the video camera. Mom got the camera and followed me in. Jessica went over, grabbed Megersa (who was belly down on the floor with his buddies)...then said "Megersa - Here is your mommy!" She handed him to me, and honestly - I was prepared for him to not make eye contact or arch his back or something, but I got a smile out of him, THEN he just nuzzeld into me. BLISS.
I REALLY couldn't have dreamed of it going so smoothly! He is a beautiful baby. I got so many smiles and giggles out of him in the next few hours. He seemed totally content to be with me! I changed his clothes (The size 3-6 clothes that I put on his are still a little big and the size 2 diapers are tightened as far as they will go - he's a SKINNY, long baby!)
I went around with my camera (and him) to take pics of all the other babies. The nannies are SO sweet. They kept asking me "Megersa's mommy?" and then they wanted to grab him to get a picture with him. I could tell they really love all the babies. I fed him a bottle, and just walked around with him, inside and outside.
Ivy gave us a tour of the compound and Megs fell asleep in my arms. I forgot my ERGO (if you can believe that!) and had to hold him, but it was soooo sweet!
After about 30 minutes I switched with Mom and she held him until he woke up.
By the way, the nannies think it's great that she's the grandma.
He took more bottle and then we played a little more, but it was about 6:45p, so we left. We were meeting Anna Faulker - a Cedarville grad that live in ET - at Kaldis (ET starbucks that also has some American style food) for dinner.
Amanda came too. She's GREAT! I ordered some sort of chicken club salad (which it wasn't...so I didn't eat it) and fries (yum!) and a chocolate milkshake. Double yum!
It was good to meet Anna and she said she'd love to take us shopping on Wednesday after lunch!
Leaving Megs wasn't as hard as I thought. That sounds bad, but he's still getting used to me, so I want the transition to be as smooth as possible. And, I want to experience ET while I'm here.
He watched me leave, and I looked at him to see if he was upset, but he wasn't. He knows his crib. He's familiar with the sounds, sights and smells of his room, and his world will be rocked soon enough...so I didn't mind.
He will sleep well and see me the next day.
I was totally okay with it...plus it was fun going out with the girls at night.
The walk to and from the King's Hotel takes about 15 minutes...some of it is uphill and that's not fun with a giant diaper bag and shopping stuff, but it's good for me. At night it makes me more nervous. But that's my nature.
When I can't understand the language, it puts me even more "on guard" - but the Lord has been SO good to us. No sickness, not really feeling jet-lag, EXCELLENT, AMAZING, ADORABLE little boy; and safety.
When we got home, we putzed around waiting for Tim and Dad to call.
It was great to hear Tim's voice.
He was SO happy to hear about Megersa! We chatted for awhile and I felt good knowing he was keeping Cale busy. After that, I got my bed ready, took 2 tylenol PM, put the fan on, covered my face and fell asleep.
7 am, Thursday, March 11
Backtracking here to yesterday morning. Hopefully I can get caught up - there's just SO much to remember!
Okay, so our first night here - I slept okay. Woke up 2-3 times in the early night. Was feeling "awake" at about 2-3am, so I decided to take a melatonin. Slept AWESOME after. The alarm actually had to wake me up at 7 am. Decided to hit snooze and fell right back asleep for 15 more minutes.
But then we got up, and ready for Embassy.
Ivy was having a shuttle bus pick us up and another AAI couple who are staying here at 8:15am. Since I showered late yesterday afternoon, I didn't wash my hair again and to my surprise, the flat iron worked! (Surprised because the day before the blow dryer wouldn't.)
I decided even with that to pull my hair back in a ponytail and wear a headband. Cute! :) I sorta dressed up for Embassy - though it's not required.
It just FEELS like an important event.
We got ready and went downstairs at about 7:55a. We went into the Kings restaurant, but decided we didn't really have enough time for a sit-down breakfast. I ate a B-bar and a fruit roll anyway.
We were then greeted by the other AAI fam in the foyer and chatted about AAI.
Not long after, Susan PD came in (who is AWESOME, btw) and said "Okay, let's go!"
I was second-to-last out the door, but could spot Megersa on Ivy's lap right away.
I sat toward the back and grabbed him to sit with me. Once he was in my arms, he seemed sorta wiggly and restless. I put more hydrocortisone on his cheeks (he's got BAD eczema) - but when I touched his cheeks, he was opening his mouth, so I put a binky in and he fell asleep in seconds. THEY dressed him in a long-sleeved red onesie underneath a blue and pink polo with khacki pants and red socks.
I'm glad he looked like a boy!
The first day I met him, I had to laugh at the onesie he was wearing - "all american girl"...and was hoping that he would be dressed more gender appropriate for Embassy.
We drove over as he slept and when we got out, I put him in the ERGO (I remember he slept for another 10 minutes, but when he woke up he seemed content to just observe and was generally happy in the ERGO.)
I decided to get him out of it in the waiting room. There was a small area for toys for toddlers/young school-aged children and a bunch of chairs - it was very full!
He still seemed squirmy and I thought he might be hungry. I got the bottle out and as soon as he saw it, he started wimpering. Poor baby! I went as quickly as I could but he was starting to get impatient. Never cried, but looked so pitiful!
I had Mom hold him. I'm not great at bottles yet..not much experience - the bottle, the drop-in, the nipple, add the formula & water, shake, screw it on. not hard stuff, but torturous I'm sure to a hungry baby!
He was JAZZED after his bottle. Smily and cooing at the other Ethiopians. There were about 4-5 families from AAI and several from different agencies. We just waitied our turn as we chatted. I went to the bathroom, then came back and put him back in the ERGO (to get ready). We waited probably about 45 minutes overall before our turn. When they called us up (actually, Gail came and got us) we had to walk upstairs.
It was about as anti-climactic as you can imagine. There was another waiting room upstairs, but I was told to walk to the open window with Gail standing beside me.
The American women behind the glass was friendly enough, though I thought it was so bizarre to have the entire thing (except the very bottom) covered in thick-walled plastic. Like at a bank. What's with the security?
Hm. I could barely hear her questions. I can't reember them all, but something like this:
Are you the person on these forms? Yes.
Is this the child you were waiting for? Yes.
Is this the child that was referred to you? Yes.
What happened to the child's parents? He was abandonded.
Who found him? I said a police officer and social worker. But Gail corrected me saying it was an individual walking and a PO.
Is your husband here? No.
Have you met the child before or after you passed court? After.
Do you know this adoption is final? Yes.
You know you must re-adopt him according to your state laws? Yes.
And there may have been one or two other simple questions, but nothing intense. Easy peasy.
She told me we'd get his passport on Friday morning and Gail handed me a red file with all his doctors reports and other paper (haven't opened it yet). Then we walked back downstairs.
Megs seemed kinda stinky, so I changed his diaper (and his outfit) and then we played in the little play area.
He really enjoys rolling around - moving in general. I was surprised the first day I saw him that he likes to be "wrestled with" or tossed around - totally makes him giggle!
He's also very used to being on the floor, so it makes sense.
I think when I hold him a lot, he gets really wiggly and starts to shake his body (partly also because he lacks back/neck/leg strength).
Even still - he was as happy as a clam.
Probably about 15-20 minutes later we left with our group. I had Megersa in the ERGO and he fell asleep again in the car. He slept the whole ride, then about an hour after that when we arrived at Layla. I decided to take more pics of the babies and toddlers. They're always readily available for pics!
The toddlers kinda just play around all day and it's the cutest thing to see them all eating in their cloth high chairs - feet dangling! :)
On Tuesday I heard some little one in one of the baby rooms that was empty. It was filled with broken or unused cribs. I peeked in there and there were these little hands and feet on the floor, and a voice, kinda wimpering. I quickly went to one of the nannies and guestered for her to come to the room. She said "no babies in this room." I nodded my head, but still pointed for her to look. She seemed shocked as she saw the scared little toddler come out from behind the cribs!
Seemed as though she and the other nannies were asking questions (maybe pointing fingers, who knows! :) He's fine though.
Okay, so, I gave Megersa some more bottle when he woke up. He doesn't eat much. Maybe a couple oz at a time. He's a slow eater too - which is fine with me. I've been offering him a bottle a lot. I want him to know I am Mommy and can give him food and comfort.
We played a little then at about 1pm, I gave him to the nannies so we could go out shopping.
We were meeting up with Anna Faulker and Amanda Cadman. She was going to take us to some good places and help us haggle.
She was running late, so we walked to Kaldi's again and ate some quick lunch. This time I took no chances and ordered the french toast Anna had the night before. It looked good. I also had a chocolate shake again. Yum. Amanda got a carmel mocha frap which I fully intend to get before I leave on Friday!
After lunch, we went with Anna and her taxi driver to the shops.

And if you can believe...that's all I journaled by hand while in Ethiopia. I will try my best to remember the specific details from that point on!
Until tomorrow...Thanks for reading!

THE TRIP - Day 2, Part 1

Because we lost 8 hours going to Addis, we're gonna skip right till Day 2.
We left on Monday morning, but after a 15 hour flight, we arrived Tuesday morning.

9:17am - Addis Ababa 3.9.10
Where did the night go? Well, we had about 3 1/2 hours of dark & qiet. I SHOULD have taken the sleeping pill. I probably fell asleep for 2 hours, or just under - but I bet if I had taken the drugs, I'd have slept much longer! Oh well. My stomach woke me up too. We just ate breakfast like an hour ago. I'd rate ET air food between a 4 and a 5 (out of 10) - not inedible, but not really good. At least it wasn't putrid! :)
Anyway, I thought i'd write some final thoughts about our 1st flight before we get off the plane (I believe we've begun the descent - touching down in 30 minutes or so.) I very much enjoyed the big tv screens that cycled through the current time in ET, ETA, time in the zome we were in (at that point) and then there was this cute little animated plane that showed where we started and relatively where we were - surrpounding countries and all).
The people were nice. Directly in from of us is another adoptive mother (different agency) who brought 4 friends. Nice & informative. The Ethiopian lady who sat behind us slept the entire way - or so it seemed. Probably 70% of the trip though. Good for her! She must have taken this trip before. Stewardess - nice. Bathrooms were messy most of the time, but not really smelly (so that's a pro).
Plane, comfty- but probably could have been brutal if it was full. The fact that the movies started all at once and were on different channels would have been good - if I was awake for the start of them. But I REALLY could have done without being woken up with a "fresh citrusy towel." I was trying to sleep and would have prefered not to be woken up to wash my face with an orange! :)
Overall though, it was way better than I had envisioned and I have to thank God (and all those who are praying) for safety and sanity on this long flight.
Looks like we probably won't make it for Meg's nap (ETA 9:42a) - It'll probably be 10 before we're off the plane and then we have to get the transit visa, go through immigration and get our bags...have them xrayed then take a shuttle to our hotel. Mentally we're preparing for at least 2 hours for that to happen. I think when we call Gail, we'll ask to meet her at Layla at 3 or so.
A nap in a bed and a shower sound divine to me!
"Mom" just reminded/informed me it was 1:40a our time. Lucky Tim is sleepibg. Jealous!! :)
Speakibg of him - he may have been right about me over-packing! I packed, but did not use these things from my carry on - (though it doesn't mean I won't in ET):
my book, my magazine, my snacks - and I brought a bunch (I only ate 1/2 box junior mints and chewed 2 peices of gum). Didn't use the money blet, PSP, DS, crossword puzzle book (though in my defnse I thought it was a word jumble) my extra shirt & undies (though I WOULD pack them again) - & the throw away heating pads.
Things I did use - earphones, deoterant, toothbrush & toothpaste, water, gum, & notebook! My hat (my hair is looking bad!) pillow from home, eyelash curler, hand sanitizer (the bathrooms were not equipt with them & some of them didn't have soap!), lotion, tissues and chapstick.
We MADE IT!BOLE airport, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

THE TRIP - Day 1, Parts 2-4

Okay, both boys are in their rooms. Megersa fell asleep in minutes, and Cale...well, he's still banging around up there - but sleep is coming. :)
I'll try my best to type fast, because I'm EXHAUSTED as well!
This middle-of-the-night baby jet lag stuff is for the birds.
Tim is at work, so if I dont nap while they do, I'm done for!

So, lets just dig into the journal:

3.8.10 4pm, Eastern Time
Got on the plane. Took off around 10:50am I think. The flight isn't too full, so hopefully we can spread out a little bit! I see many empty seats! We're both pretty tired from getting up so early, so we're gonna plan to try and sleep right away.
WOW - it's dark! I've been napping, or trying to for probably 2 hours. I'm not sure if I'm really getting any sleep, but I know I'm groggy. I was sitting in the 2 window seats initially, but my legs are so cramped, I switched with Tim's mom. She got a nap in the 3 middle seats - laying down. not sure if she was able to sleep in the 2 though. I can't imagine us being cramped in the 2 seats, side by side.
Thank you Jesus for the extra leg room!!
Looks like we're about 3 hours from our touch down in Rome. It's dark, dark, dark! Makes me want to keep sleeping or TRY to. But Nana and I are going to play some cards.

3.8.10 6pm, Eastern Time
Feeling it. Dreading the rest. JUST when I decided to lay back down, the lights came on - and stayed on. I tried to keep laying down, blanket on my face & all, but no dice. Then the carts came down. Too bad the food wasn't good. Some sort of tuna (with celery! :( and a 'stamp' of roast beef, then some waldorf salad - with celery.
No thanks! I asked for something else. RAW FISH! (okay, it wasn't raw, but the skin was still attached!!!!), and some fruit. So I ate the small fruit cup and passed on the rest. Supposedly after we take back off (after landing in rome) we'll have breakfast. I'm not really hungry, just thirsty for water. But if I continue drinking I'll pee for the, oh, 4-5th time! ha ha. It is me, so it's to be expected.
Oooh! THe lights went out again. Maybe I'll go to the bathroom, then try again to sleep. TRY! We are suppose to get to Rome in 2 hours. So ALMOST 1/2 done with the trip!!

3.8.10 8pm, Eastern time...I think.
Rome! We made it to Rome - safe and sound!
Haven't slept since I last wrote. "Nana" and I talked. Discussed Renee & Seth, Jon & Adele, us, them, David & Amber, etc. I had to yawn several time, but I think holding off and sleeping as close to arrival as possible will help. I'm debating taking a tylenol PM. I'm pretty hungry, so if I sleep through breakfast, I'll be really hungry - more worrisome still, If I take the sleeping pill and CANT sleep, I'll be "dead in the water!" UGH! What should I do, Tim? :) I miss TIm. I wish he were here with me. I also really miss my Cale, though I'm super glad he's not on this flight! 5 hours left though, which is great!
Initially I thought 7 hours, then subtracted to 6, but the voice "from above" :) said 5 hours, 10 minutes for this last flight! WAHOO!! I think once we get there, and get through customs & immigration, we'll decide on our plan of attack. ie: going directly to meet Megersa, or going to the hotel, to nap, shower and get ready - THEN spending the rest of the day at Layla. If we get there and he's napping, I'd hate for them to wake him only for him to be scared and grouchy. So, if it doesn't look like we'll make it to Wanna before 12 (which we probably wont) then we'll do the nap/shower thing. I AM an anxious mommy, but I'm not dumb. I can't fire on all cylinders when I'm exhausted. I've gone to the bathroom probably 5-6 times. Small bladder, yes - but at least it gets me to walk around!
Okay, I might take 2-3 advil instead of tylenol pm. Decision made.

TICKETS, PLEASE!Welcome!The cool TV screen that updated us every step of the trip!Our assigned seats.

THE TRIP - Day 1, part 1.

Okay...I have some free time! Both boys are asleep...for now! Better make this quick. :)

Just to preface everything - I am in LOVE with my son. LOVE LOVE LOVE HIM!! Even when he's projectile vomiting on me! haha. I've journaled a bit while on the plane and in my down time at the hotel. I dated each entry, so I'll try to just type what I wrote.

Journal entry 1: 3-8-10, 9 am, Eastern time
On the plane. WAIT! Not yet. Wow, I'm tired! We're sitting at the gate waiting to board the plane. Our flight was delayed from 9:30a to 10:10a. Not TOO bad. Though waking up at 5 in the morning certainly was! I'm pretty dang tired already. I really hope I can sleep on the plane. Maybe 3 good naps will help me stay awake long enough to be functional. I can't believe I'll be holding my baby in less than 24 hours!
Packing is done. Thankfully. Last night I went to "jelly leg" mode for a short time. (When I get so nervous I can barely walk.) But I THINK I have the most important things, and if not, well...too bad. The bags are gone! Megs' bag weighed 42 lbs, mine, 31, donations, 29.5, Nan's 41 lbs. Fewf! My carry on weighs 11 lbs though it seems heavier. I'm not sure I'll use everything in it, but if I don't, I'll just sit there waiting for the time to pass, so I'll try and do stuff purposely when I'm not actively trying to sleep.
Waiting in line finally kicked in my "GO" drive. Just seeing all the BEAUTIFUL Ethiopians was like - whoa! We're going to Ethiopia, in AFRICA! To bring back my son!! Praying very hard the flight isn't brutal.
Tim's mom and I in line to check-in!
Weighing the bags.Sending the bags through Xray.After going through security!Our Gate.Up the escalator to the shuttle that takes us to Gate D.In the Shuttle!Our plane...waiting to get on it!!

Unexplanable.

I ate the elbow of the bread today...or the heel, whatever it's called.
If you're my husband, or someone I grew up with then you'll know that this IS a weird statement for me to write.
I NEVER eat it. I actually dont think I've ever eaten it (unless I turn it facing in on my sandwich when there is absolutely NO other option, and it LOOKS like a normal sandwich). I think it's repulsive. It's all small, and curled in (and burns when you toast it). I save them for Tim to eat. If he doesn't eat them - I throw them out. I won't even make Cale eat it...because it's weird.

So, why did I do it?
I DON'T KNOW!
I also don't know why I feel LESS prepared to get Megersa then ever.
And I have no real reason to feel that way.
-Our house is unpacked. Completely. It took me 5 days.
((I'd say that's GOOD!))
-My bags are packed for ET. I need to check everything once more, and purchase either a fanny pack (it's funny just to write that!) or a money clip, and that'll be that.
-Megersa's room is totally done...set up, with clothes in his dresser, diapers out, with the appropriate baby creams, bibs, toys and bottles put away. I've washed down the exersaucer, bumbo, and the fabric for the bouncer, walker and car seat.
It's ALL ready!
-Tim's feeling great about his new job.
-Cale is adjusting well and can't wait until it's warm out so he can go swimming at the community pool.
-I've painted my nails, waxed my eyebrows, and even got a spray tan (I know, I KNOW...I'm ridiculous - but I HATE looking pasty in pictures! :)...but still, I dont feel prepared.
My mother-in-law is going to arrive tomorrow night, so I hope that'll kick-start my "GO" drive, but I'm not so sure.

Will this baby like me? Will he resent me for taking him from his country? Will I be able to juggle two children? Can I handle the logistics of flight and travel?

Where are my friends?? I feel sad.
I miss them.
When my really good friend Mandy moved from IL to CA; I was sad, she was sad, but I didn't know how she felt when she told me she was lonely...because I had our other mutual friends.
And now my friends still have each other, but I'm all alone.

I'm confident that I have some budding friendships here, and everyone at the church is SO nice and supportive, but for right now...I'll need to quote Cale again to say:
"Something's weird."
I hope this feeling changes soon.
Maybe I won't feel prepared until Megersa is put in my arms...and then the world will seem right...because then I will KNOW that this is real.

4 days?

Did I read that right?
I'm leaving in 4 days? And since today has started, it's really only like 3 MORE days left here. I'm shocked.
Honestly.
I'd like to tell you all that it feels SO real right now, but I'm still not processing it! It's like I've had this baby in my heart for so long, that it's hard to fathom actually having him in my hands.
The other thing too is - that even though I'm about 95% packed (suitcase-wise), I still have to gather up the documents I need, and the monies I'll bring. That part seems scary to me.
I'm the type of person who loses things. And I'm not exaggerating. I recently lost my wedding ring (though thankfully I never got it soddered to my engagement ring, so I still have the diamond!)...
I went on a 13 hour bus trip once (IT WAS BRUTAL) with my cousin and sister after our car broke down while driving home from college, and lost my ticket. I put it in my pillow!
Who does that!!
I'm pretty sure when they asked me where it was I started crying (and when you're a cute college girl they'll give you more passes in life than then old hag I've become - haha!).
I've misplaced (and I can say that because I've always found it again) my debit card MANY times, and well, lets just say that I've finally decided to hammered a small nail in to the kitchen wall for my keys to hang off of.

So, can you understand the fuss about traveling oversees?
I'm not sure if I've mentioned that I've only traveled oversees twice. In 2003 I went on a Missions Trip to Kosovo. It was great - but because it was with the college, I dont remember having anything to worry about but my ticket and passport.
In 2007 after we got married, we went to St. Marteen. Well, I was married, so Tim took care of all that stuff.
I know, I know...I'm a child! :)
So, now I have to worry about bringing a BOATLOAD of cash (for the baby's visa, our hotel, food, and spending money), a form called the I864, I865, I600 and a power of attorney.
Not to mention the E-tickets, and perhaps an immunization record (which I don't posses, by the way!)....whoa! I'm getting a little bit nervous about all of that.
What's that? I'll be fine?
Oh thanks, but I'm still anxious about it.
My energy is running out. I have been going NON-STOP with this house, - I've unpacked all but 3 boxes myself (though Tim has been great about setting up curtain rods, putting together the desk, crib, and helping move the heavy stuff).
So I'd like to announce that as of today - every box is unpacked! All that's left is deciding which of Cale's toys will go in his room, which will go in the toybox on the main floor, and which will remain in the basement living room/guest room/play room. :)
This townhouse is 3 floors with a large set of stairs up to the bedrooms, so I've been walking up and down steps, all day, with boxes in hand for the past 4 days. My muscles are exhausted. And I'm finding that even with sleeping pills, my mind is going a mile-a-minute too!
There are a bunch of little things I want to get done too, just personal, beauty-grooming things, that I'm hoping won't take a back-seat to the rest of the madness that is going on. Those are the kinds of things that de-stress me, but they aren't completely necessary.
But I press on.
Though it might be crazy to try and accomplish EVERYTHING in these last few and next few days, I am very aware that I will most likely NOT accomplish things when I'm home from ET...so I'd like it to be done - NOW.
Well, with all that rambling, I need to get back to work....

ONE WEEK!!

I CAN'T BELIEVE I LEAVE IN ONE WEEK!!

I'm soooooo excited! I can hardly get myself together enough to wrap my head around it. In one week I'll be holding my son. It's MADNESS!
This house looks like a bomb exploded in it! We've got boxes everywhere...
I've been working like a crazy women these past few days trying to unpack as best I can, so I will be able to come home to a house that is not in shambles! (though I guess I may be running that risk leaving it to 2 boys while I'm gone...) ;)

There are so many things to do before I leave. Please pray I can think clearly, and accomplish what I need to!

I got some GREAT photos from a traveling family, and a wonderful update from someone volunteering at Wanna right now.
I'll start with the pictures:
(And again, please remember that I can't post them all because other babies are in them that may or may not have passed court...I'll stick soley to the photos of just Megersa.)Aren't they AWESOME!! :)

So those are some pictures, and now for the report I got from one of my friends in OAEG:

Hi Katie,
I am sorry that it has taken me this long to write to you about Megersa. I have been with him every day that I have been here but it is only now that I can write to you about what a remarkable baby he is. I am sorry that I don’t have answers to all of your specific questions at this time. I hope to have time soon to do an in-depth baby report about all the wonderful questions you wrote.
My days are so full here that I am lucky if I can get a chance to check in on all of our loved ones much less spend any real time playing and loving on them. I have had some parents with immediate and critical concerns that have taken a lot of day and brain-space so I haven’t been able to focus on all the little details that I would have liked to about Megersa.
Oh, Katie! He is so cute and with such a funny personality. He will giggle at the smallest thing and really make this chuckle like you wouldn’t believe. Louder than any of the other babies in his room. Last night he was sitting in the bumbo and I was on the floor beside Tariku. Megersa sneezed. I looked at him in surprise and jumped a little at the sound for dramatics. He gave me that shocked look that is in so many of the photos with his eyes wide. I let him see I was playing by starting to mimic his sneeze. I did a big “AHHH CHHOOO!” He just about fell out of his bumbo with laughter. I could do it again and again and the same response each time.
He is so attentive. I scooted his chair and Deratu’s chair and Tesfaye and Mintenoset so that they could see me and started in on a game of patty-cake with Tariku’s hands. When I would get to “roll them”, I would go around and roll each of their feet and hands. Megersa would watch me so carefully and would anticipate when it was his turn. He would just about squeal in delight at the thought of it being his turn. And then throw back his head and give me just the funniest full-gum view of his mouth as he giggled. So cute.
He seems to sleep very well and is asleep often times when I get there. Yesterday, when he woke up one of his nannies put a little engineer hat on his head. I propped Minty’s mirror in front of him so that he could see. He would raise his eyebrows and feet and hands and just sat like that, totally engaged, for a long time.
He has a little rash on his left cheek. I wonder if it is from drool while he sleeps or if it is from teething. Hard to say. It doesn’t seem to bother him in the slightest.
I am so looking forward to meeting you and your mother in law. The Kings Hotel is not far from here and when I pass it, I think of you coming and get excited. I wish for you a safe journey. Please let me know how I can help make it successful for your family. I am thrilled for both Megersa and yourself that the time is coming soon for him to go home to your loving and fun home.
Much love and good thoughts your way, Morgan

Reading that made me SO happy! I can't wait to experience this all first-hand! And so soon!! YAY!!