Embassy Day

So what craziness could possibly happen today? Well, my husband got really sick, and I wasn't sure we were even going to our Embassy date. We think it might have been the fact that he rinsed his toothbrush under the faucet the first day here... Uggh! Needless to say, the vomiting and diarrhea didn't keep him from this very important appointment.

So first we went to Hope's place to pick up the kids, and to my utter dismay, Maritu was not there as planned. She had been taken to the hospital for her sputum cultures. I was instantly worried about how this day was starting! Then, when we get to the Embassy, Donna couldn't find her passport! She thought she had left it in her driver's car, and he had already left! Lucky for her, she found it about 10 minutes later right where she put it...under her carrier!

Okay, I'm getting to the question on everyone's mind, "What's Maritu's status?" Well, the Embassy guy heard what we had to say, and said to get those sputum cultures by Friday morning, and they'll get her paperwork completed! Now, there can be NO mistakes. The Embassy is only open for a half day on Friday, so it's all-or-nothing!

Can't Catch A Break

This morning on the way to visit our children at the transitional home, we learned from our driver Ayele that we needed to go to the hospital to have Maritu's sputum culture and to have Mamush tested too. That hospital reminded me of military hospitals! Hospitals in Ethiopia are quite different than in the US First, you stand in the reception line. Then you pay! You aren't seen if you don't pay! So, after the kids had received medical exams and x-rays, we went into the cafeteria to get Maritu and Mamush some breakfast because they hadn't had time to eat, not that Maritu will starve or anything! She is the Michelin baby! The doctor told us it would be about 45 minutes for the x-rays. Technology must be very different too, because my husband has his x-rays in 5 minutes! The great thing about the wait, though, was that we got to feed the kids for the first time! Mamush must have been hungry because he normally eats like Sheridan. After our wait, we had to get back in line to see the doctor. Then Kenneth talks to the doctor, and looks at Maritu's medical history. We learn a lot, and are very relieved to find out that it was not necessary to do sputum cultures because her chest x-ray was negative! We can have our Embassy date and bring both kids home!



So, we go back to Hope's place and complete our paperwork with Rahel. Mia and Donna were so exited to learn our news. We also learned that they had gotten a lamb for Hope's place for tomorrow's Ethiopian Christmas feast! I hate that we missed all the fun! After that, it was time to have some fun, so we all went to the Hilton to change money, shop, and eat. We then asked Ayele to take us to Merkato. All I can say is,"Oh my!" I just thought I was amazed by all the people on the streets, but this topped it all! So much so, that it was scary! There was no shopping for us!!! We came. We saw. We got the heck out of dodge!



Then comes the call from Shimeless in the US... We just can't catch a break! He says the Embassy will not see us for Maritu until she has 3 negative sputum cultures! The Embassy is closed Wednesday for Christmas and Thursday for who knows! So, if we could have gotten her cultures started today, we still couldn't have an Embassy apointment until Friday with our documents not being ready until next Monday. We are scheduled to return Saturday... Here we are, after spending the morning at the hospital, on cloud 9 because we found out that Maritu never had a positive TB test. She had pneumonia that didn't get better on only one antibiotic, so they treated her with TB meds. Today at the hospital, the doctor said she didn't know why the attending doctor changed that diagnosis. That's why Maritu didn't have sputum cultures. Technically, a sputum test is not as definitive as the x-ray, and she had a clear x-ray this morning; therefore, she doesn't have active TB and cannot transmit TB. Sputum cultures are performed in the US to clear a patient from the hospital sooner. UGGGGH!!!! We will bring both children to our Embassy appointment and plead Maritu's case? Double ugh!

If she cannot be cleared, then we will have to return home without her. :( Neither Kenneth nor I can stay away from home any longer... So, what do you do when you are at your wit's end? Eat chocolate!!! Lots of it!!! Kenneth and I took off in search of the cure all medicine, and we made it in the process of our hunt because Mia had brought some with her from home! Yes, us two farengi's stuck out like we had neon signs around our neck, and what happens when that happens? The beggars follow you! My goodness! We had one little boy follow us for several blocks when surprisingly a nice Ethiopian man fussed at this kid until he left! Wow!



Hope will make this all good, so no worries... This is just not what we had planned... Bummer!

TIA

Thanks Lee for my new coined phrase...TIA (This is Africa!)! Yes, I have been having a TIA experience, but I did have hot water this morning! Maybe there's no hot water in the evening? Who knows? Anyway, we enjoyed another wonderful breakfast this morning. I just love Ethiopian food. Kenneth said that he could live here. I mean where else in the world can you see goats being herded across a freeway or donkeys carrying large bags of teff? Okay, yes, I know there are other places in the world, but not the USA. I am amazed by the amount of people that are just everywhere on the streets...everywhere! I know Addis is heavily populated, but even in Houston, there just aren't people all over the place. I love the simplicity of life. Maybe one day we will live here or travel here more.



Well, I know I haven't said too much about Maritu and Mamush, and I bet some of you are wondering if we have them yet. The answer is "no". We actually planned on visiting for a few days first, but we have been dealing unexpectantly with TB. Actually, I'm glad I didn't finish this post sooner because I wouldn't want to worry anyone. Evidently, Maritu had primary TB, was quarintined, and has been receiving treatment for a month. She has a clear chest x-ray, but now has to go to the hospital M,Tand W for sputum cultures. If negative on all three days, then we will have our Embassy date on Thursday, and hopefully get the kid's Visas on Friday. Scary, huh? I will tell you that Hope has been very helpful since finding out. No, they had no idea, or we would have put off traveling until this was taken care of, but this is another TIA event. You see, this is very common in Africa... Shimeless ensured us that he is making every effort to let his staff know that this is something that we parents need to know. TB is different here in the US. It's not like a cold, but don't think I'm worried at all. I believe everything will be fine! If this was going to happen to anyone, it's better to have happened to me. I don't think you can truly understand how hard communication is here in Ethiopia, so it's no wonder! The phone system is horrible even if one knows the language!

The Good, Bad and Ugly

What a day! We originally woke up at 6 am, but I decided to go back to sleep, but I finally started moving aroound 10am. I'm usually a morning person, but I will say that the time change is not compatible with me! Oh, and before I forget, if anyone travels that is not from a place with a high altitude....beware! Listen up and take all the advice you are given. Definitely drink lots of water, and stay away from caffeine. My nose started bleeding on our first flight segment, and it is just now getting back to normal. Sorry to get side-tracked, but I just had to throw that in. Anyway, breakfast at Bole Rock is great! We had omelets and toast.

Next, we called Ayele to drive us to Hope's transitional home which is not far from the guest house and airport. So what did I do as soon as our car pulled into the fenced area? Of course, I was bawling! I soon cleared up because Hope's nurse greeted us and led us to the room with the babies. Oh my goodness! I was snapping pictures and making those babies smile! One just had the biggest grin and cooed at me the entire time. I need to write that Hope person and tell them who! Some were so tiny! I took some picures holding their fingers, so the mom's will see how tiny!

Then came the toddlers...they were napping. Yes, I looked for my kids first, but they weren't there! I thought maybe they were saving the best for last. I took many pictures of them too, and Jaclyn, "Teddy" (as they call him) hated me! He cried everytime I looked at him!

Then came the older kids who were also napping, but they cracked the door, and I exclaimed, "There they are!" Maritu and Mamush were sitting on the floor with Wubitu, K&D, Mame and Mekdes. I immediately looked at the older girls and called them by name. I think they were surprised that I knew their names. It went downhill from there. Maritu let out a wail! Definitely not what I dreamed of... Oh and let me tell you how fat she is! She looks 9 monthes pregnant! No, she never stopped crying when I was around...

I stayed with M&M for awhile while they were being fed. We actually lost our driver for a time when he had to make an emergency trip, but that gave me plenty of time to play with all the kids. One of the older girls sat outside by me and played with my ponytail. Oh, I don't know who she belongs to yet, but she's a doll!

Later, Ayele took us to find soccer jerseys and to dinner. It was fanastic! What a roller coaster day. It didn't end well though because I had to deliver some bad news, and then something happened to my microphone on my headset, so I cold only text my family. I so needed to hear their voices...

Finally In Ethiopia!

So we finally made it to Ethiopia! Here are some of my thoughts about the flight... First, I was surprised that KLM's largest plane that we flew on to Amsterdam did not have individual entertainment screens in the headrests. I didn't bring anything to read, so that made for a LONG 8 1/2 hour flight! We found it easy, however, to find our way through the airport to make our connecting flight. I did feel like everyone was staring at me for some reason, and I have to remember to pick up some cow-painted Dutch clogs on our way back for my cow crazed daughter. Getting on our flight to Sudan was madness! The flight was packed, and we had to go through screening again. It just so happens that I got selected for a "pat down". I felt horribly violated! That's just disgusting to have a stranger put their hands all over you, and without going into graphic details, I mean all over you! The last segment of the flight was nice. We did have individual screens that had lots of movies, games, and music. Why not sleep instead? I just can't do it! Also, I forgot to mention that the food was good, but I still think if you can, fly Emirates!

Next comes getting off the plane... That was easy, just time consuming. You are directed where to get a Visa, so no problems there. Then comes customs. That was uneventful too. Of course getting our luggage was crazy, but having brightly colored tags that I purchased from Books-A-Million helped, and we didn't lose a bag! So, all's great, huh? Well, no, not exactly. For some reason our hotel driver decided to leave because we were supposedly late, and we finally took the advice of a guy and took a cab to the hotel for $25! What choice did we have? None! We didn't have a cell phone that worked in country, nor anyone's phone numbers. What a rip off! I hope Bole Rock Guest House makes it right by discounting our room for that amount.

So what's the guest house like? Well, of course, it's not home, but I do suggest bringing a pillow! I'll be much better if I can find one today. Just a warning- there's NO hot water at night. The food is great though, so I'll take what I can get!

Here We Go!

So, I'm sitting at the airport in Houston, Texas waiting on our plane. I brought my daughter's laptop so I could play on the internet during our wait. I thought that airports had free Wi-Fi, but I was wrong-well, not technically! There is free internet access if you are an elite member of one of the airlines, but I'm just a peon... Thank goodness for my smooth husband because I just found something good about him-no matter what other people say! (I'm just joking!) He did sweet talk a lady in the airport lounge into giving us a password for the British Airways access. So, this is why I'm posting right now. I should be napping, instead of playing on the computer, since I was up packing until 1am! But I only had to rearrange stuff a couple of times, and I only have two regrets:

1. That I had to leave some donations home
2. I didn't get a package I was expecting, so I won't have the Ergo. (I should have just bought one.)

Anyway, I'll manage.... I can't wait to see my children! I also can't wait to travel to one of the newer orphanages. Kenneth said I'll be confined to the car if I dare start having thoughts of another child! lol! Not really! At least he hasn't said that anyway.

Another "must" is finding Sarsina for a fellow Hope family. This family has been through a lot, and I hope I can give them a much-needed lift... I'll post more later...

I Didn't Fall Into A Black Hole!

I really am alive! You just wouldn't believe how crazy it's been for the last two weeks! So leave me alone Miranda! lol! First, I get this email from our coordinator (Miranda's mother) that our court date has been moved up because of all the Ethiopian and American holidays, but she did say that we could put it off a couple of weeks if we neeeded too. Yeah right! Like I'm not going to hop on the next plane! So, I was then frantically searching for airline tickets where I didn't feel like I needed to rob a bank to pay for them. That's not easy to do! I had gotten a reservation with Tsegaye at Adam Travel, but our return flight was wait-listed. I have heard numerous good things about Tsegaye, but I just didn't want to take the chance of getting stuck in Ethiopia. We do have a business to run! So, we went with a KLM flight through Amsterdam with Golden Rule Travel. Tsegaye was more than willing to help me, but all of this was so last minute. I hated not using him, but if anyone needs his contact info, then email me!

I guess this doesn't sound so crazy, but then I needed to get our travel documents together:

1. I-600 for each child

2. I-864 for each child-notarized

3. DS-230 for each child

4. 3 years of taxes

5. Notarized home study


Then there is Christmas shopping to do! The only one that I hadn't shopped for was my 13 year-old. She said, "Momma, I have everything I need." True, but I had no time to be creative. I didn't want to use my brain! Did I mention I had a birthday too? I really do try to forget those, especially after turning 30!

Then, I had a death in my family... It's not that I was close to the person, but that it brought back memories of my grandparents that I dearly miss! It is still hard to go to my grandparents grave site and it's been 12 years. Lucky for me, I am blessed with a wonderful mother that routinely places flowers on their grave for me for special occasions. However, amidst all this sadness, I received the most wonderful update about Maritu and Mamush from Tammie, a fellow Hope parent:

Holly and Ken Wilgers - Mamush-shoe size between 4-5. Clothing - 12 months. Mamush is very calm and easy-going. He seems very easily entertained with himself....didn't require much, if any, soothing from others. He's got a charming smile and a soft spirit about him. Maritu wears size 6 shoes and size 12-18 months clothing. Maritu is an extremely outgoing child. She's not afraid to let you know with her facial expressions exactly what she's feeling. Her facial expressions are absolutely hilarious at times, while at others it's very, very clear that she's not a happy camper. You'll have no problems at all in telling what she's feeling....it'll be written all over her face. Neither Mamush nor Maritu are walking. Mamush seems quite content to let things and/or people come to him, while Maritu is all about going to get what she wants when she wants it....and letting you know all about it. She's quite the character! :)

Merry Christmas!

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come outof the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

This week, I found out. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England werenot permitted to practice their faith openly. Someoneduring that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Eachelement in the carol has a code word for a religious realitywhich the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments. -The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.'

Look How Far They've Come!

But here are two of them!

Introducing Maritu and Mamush...

Twas the Night Before...

Twas the night before our court date,

when all through the abode,

only one creature was stirring,

and she was cleaning the commode!



The children were all sleepy,

all snug in their beds,

while visions of Wii and cell phones

danced in their heads.



Kenneth was snoring,

all cozy like lead.

Those sounds he was making,

shook the whole bed.



So only I heard

when the phone call came,

which made me sigh,

"I'll never be the same!"



With the toilet brush

still clutched in my hand,

I descended the stairs

and shook my old man.



He was covered in spit,

which fell with a shrug.

"Oh great," I muttered,

now I have to clean the rug!"



"Ho-ho-ho," cried Grace.

"I'm glad you're awake."

"What," I shouted,

and "for goodness sake."



I said, "Why are you calling

and at this time of day?"

Grace said, "I have news for you

that I can't keep at bay."



I learned very quickly

what this call was all about.

Now I can do nothing

but scream and shout!



"Dear Grace,

oh what do my tired ears hear?"

"You mean they're mine?

I started to cheer!



For you see...

Ethiopia blessed us today,

with two more beautiful children.

Now what else can I say?



Thank you Rahel...

Grace, Shim and all,

for these two precious children,

and the early phone call.



Hope, you are amazing,

and just plain outta sight!

Merry Chistmas to all,

and to all a great night!

Let it Snow!

Today was the easiest day to get the kids out of bed because it snowed! The last time it snowed here was in February of 1988. All the neighborhood kids were outside enjoying themselves at 5 AM! Of course, we Southerners have no clue how to drive in this mess, so all area schools were delayed 2 hours to let the ice melt. As soon as the sun started rising, the snow started melting. My husband said, "Maybe I need to teach Skylar to write his name in the snow..." Just like a man! He got his chance to act manly not longer after that comment when we found a frozen water moccasin on our back porch. I thought, "Oh good. It's dead." But Kenneth told me that it would be revived as soon as the weather warmed up, so we smashed his head. Ewww!

Ups and Downs

Adoption has many ups and downs. Take for instance, today one of my fellow "Hopesters" found out her new referral Meklit had passed away. How absolutely heart breaking! Kristine, we will lift you and little Zoe Meklit up in prayer...

Then on the flip side, another "Hopester" recently returned from Ethiopia and brought us all pictures of our soon-to-be children. Maritu was half-sleeping in one pic while eating what looked like FirFir which is eggs and injera. Yum! No wonder she is bigger than Mamush. She even eats sleeping! In another picture she's sitting on a potty chair. My favorite was one of her holding her name board. She has huge cheeks! Mamush looked great too. I almost didn't recognize him because he has a "high and tight" cut. Him and one of my fellow Texan's referral Theo were playing in a crib beside Maritu and Agnoti. Maritu was peeking at the boys through a hole in the crib. The look on her face made me think that she is going to be Ms. Personality. Well, all of these kids are gorgeous! I'd bring them all into my home if I could, but hopefully in 3 days, I'll be planning on bringing home two!

What Does This Mean?

"There is nothing like a dream to create the future." -Victor Hugo


I had a strange dream last night. I always wonder if the ones that seem real have some reason or meaning behind them. I dreamt that my husband and I were in another country visiting two girls about 6 years of age in an orphanage. They both spoke English and another language that I don't recall. I also dreamt that I had gotten attached to them, and they to me. They were expecting me to bring them into our family, but for some reason I only brought home one. I was disdraught wondering if the other child was going to be okay when she found out her friend left with us, but she didn't. I don't remember why the second girl didn't come home with us. This has been weighing hard on my heart all day. I guess I better stay away from orphanages!

Countdown!

My court date for Maritu and Mamush is a week from today! I'm excited and nervous all rolled up inside. Not just about passing court. I feel at peace about that, but I'm nervous about the long plane flight with two children that don't have the ability to communicate their feelings and understand what will be happening. I, a stranger, will be taking these two darling children away from everything they have known for the last year. How scary is that? Am I prepared for attachment issues? I think I am. Can I properly care for their hair/skin? I've studied this issue so much. I hope I won't have other AA parents chastising me. I always welcome helpful comments. Will I recognize and be able to advert potential racial problems? I sure hope I'm able to. My faith helps me, and I hope to instill that in these children. Will I be everything to my kids, as they will be to me? I guess time will tell...

Accessory Navicular Problems

Well, it looks like my children have inherited the genes I didn't want them to get. They could have inherited my brains or determination, but instead, Curran has foot issues. Throughout this soccer season she has complained about her foot hurting, so last week I took her to our podiatrist, and he said she has Accessory Navicular Syndrome. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it will definitely cause her some down time. All it is is an extra bone in the foot. Most people that have that problem never have any symptoms, but Curran does because of the sport she plays and the training involved. So, it looks like Curran's Christmas present will be surgery...

She's not happy because this week she started training with our high school soccer team. The coach wanted Curran to show her lazy girls what an 11 year-old can do, and she's been doing just that! This child has been out running over half the older girls during sprints. The Varsity girls asked that Curran practice with them, instead of the Junior Varsity. Does she feel important, or what?!!?

Okay, I did use the plural form of "child" at the beginning of the post, so now on to the other child. Cullen is having some knee issues. Again, it is just like her mother... Yikes! Sorry girls!

Charlie Schultz Philosophy

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.

You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them.
Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.



How did you do?


The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies..
Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.


Easier?

The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life, are not the ones with the most credentials...the most money...or the most awards.
They simply are the ones who care the most.

It was clear, Kenneth, right from the start...

that you and me would never part!

I guess the roles reversed now though...



Thank you for the many wonderful years together!

Cyclic Vomiting

Otherwise known as an abdominal migraine. This is the diagnosis my 2 year-old received from the pediatric gastroenterologist. We actually had that diagnosis a year ago from our pediatrician. I guess he can now say, "I told you so!" You see, Sheridan vomits around 3 AM about every two weeks for a few nights at a time. This is why her bed is in our room! Supposedly, researchers think that there is a link between mother's that have migraines during pregnancy and children that have this diagnosis. Sheridan just happens to be the only one of the children I did not have a migraine with during my 3rd trimester. Go figure!

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cvs/index.htm

Something Smells Fishy!

So, we thought our soccer season was over because only the first place team in our bracket advanced to district. We had three games Saturday, but it wouldn't matter if we won or lost. Then, Monday night we received a text from our coach that we had a play-off game Tuesday for 2nd place which also gets to advance. Great, right? No!!! We were in 2nd place. There should not have been a play-off game! We were tied with the 3rd place team in points, but everyone thought we were going by the tie-breaker rules for round-robin play that was listed on the web site which are:

1. Winner of the head-to-head competition
2. Goal differential
3. Goals against
4. Penalty Kicks

This last week, however, we noticed that the web site had changed and it now stated that goals allowed would be the tie-breaker. So, you are thinking we allowed more goals during our games, right? Wrong again! We were still in second place. Somehow our coach learns about a meeting of the board (and 3 of the board members happen to be from the same city as the 3rd place team)and shows up to learn that they decided that the 2nd and 3rd place teams should play a play-off game! Very fishy!!! Especially if I throw in the fact that the other team's coach had an inkling that this was going to happen, but it was kept "hush-hush". If we'd have known, we could have forfeited our first game Saturday which didn't count anyway because it was agains a U-13 team and post-poned our 2nd game, so we could be well rested when we played this team in question! That's what they did. We thought it didn't matter anyway.

It's so hard when you are playing a team with girls and parents that you know. There were two girls on this team that were on Curran's team last year. I'm very vocal at games, but never have said anything against any of these girls. But tonight, I would have stooped to the level of one of those mothers. She yelled a not-so-kind remark about my child, and if I could have thought of something to yell, I admit I would've done the wrong thing in retaliation!

"So, the outcome of the play-off game was a 0-0 tie as all the other times we had played them. We then played 2- ten minute halves to a 0-0 tie, so it came down to PKs. I would have bet my house that we'd have won. We have an awesome keeper, but she missed one...