Wednesday, September 14, 2011

In Ethiopia!

Hi friends!
 
Well, we made it.  To Ethiopia.
 
Took custody of our girls on Tuesday.
 
Embassy appointment yesterday.
 
Best.chocolate.mousse.ever. at an Italian restaurant last night.
 
We arrive back in Denver Sunday night.
 
And, in a nutshell, Tigist and Mekdes are awesome.  :)
 
Super, super mellow. 
 
There has never been a happier 2-year-old that smiles more than Tigist.  She is always happy, and always smiling.  Cracks.me.up.  The girl is hilarious.  And she knows it.
 
Mekdes talks a lot.  (But in Amharic, so I don't know what she's saying!)  She likes to direct traffic while riding in the backseat of the car (no small feat in Addis--if you've seen the driving here, you know what I mean.)  And her rendition of the ABC song is all kinds of awesome.  She loves to blow kisses and keeps calling us "Mama" and "Papa."
 
The hardest part of being here is, honestly, missing my kids at home so very badly.  Things here are going quite well--the girls are super easy overall, we're staying healthy, they sleep and nap super well, but I just miss my other little ones soooooo much. 
 
I'm also anxious to get our girls home for medical appointments--Tigist has a rash and Mekdes does indeed have some heart problems (discovered during the embassy physical, and not at all surprising.  Roughly 40% of children with Down syndrome are born with a heart defect, plus she is SO small.  I just had a feeling.)  Also challenging is the fact that Mekdes is terrified of the toilet, but is potty trained (she uses a little potty seat at the orphanage, but we don't have one here at the guesthouse, and even if we did, we won't have one on the plane.)  Thus she holds it until she falls asleep and involuntarily pees in her diaper.  Suffice it to say she's not feeling the best on account of it.  (Also suffice it to say, she is one stubborn girl.  Which I really kind of love.)
 
Anyway, I just wanted to give you all an update and say that our daughters are beautiful, smart, funny, and we can't wait to get them home.  It's time now for a coffee ceremony, and then some shopping.  Thank you all so much for your prayers!  Life is good and we are so, so blessed!  I do love Ethiopia.
 
 
 

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