The Chinese are pouring a lot of money into ET.  So there is a lot of road construction making traffic even more crazy.

 Goats are a common site along the road.  Today I saw a man carrying a goat in a net on his back.  This guy in pic above is walking his goat down the road.

 Donkeys packing things through the city is also a common site.

 FUMES

Cyrus and his water bottle.

a bit more about et and cyrus

So if you go for a walk on the streets of Addis Ababa, you better bring you hiking shoes or your mud boots and be ready to dodge traffic all the while keeping an eye on your feet because it is crazy out there.  The man holes are "covered" by three long stones some of which are no longer there so be careful you don't fall in because it is a very real possiblity. Walking on the street is also cyrus 's favorite pastime.  He squeals with delight waving his hands at everyone passing by, trying to grab anything and everything within his reach.

A water bottle is one of Cyrus's favorite toys.

Daddy and Cyrus on the couch in our room.

Cyrus

Cyrus has had some diarrhea yesterday and today. He seems a little better today.  He becomes a little stronger and more alert everyday.  He is so intent on seeing the world around him that he can hardly stand to go to sleep.  He loves to go on walks in the carrier facing outward, of course, waving to everyone passing by, smiling and charming them all.  He reminds me of Abe he did the same thing when we got him in Colombia.  We are falling a little more in love with him each day can't wait for you all to meet him.  Leigha

a few pics

On the top picture we we are at kaldis or ET Starbucks we had some great mocha ice cream and Cyrus is gumming on a french Fri.
And the bottom pic is of Cyrus's first bath.

more on ET

6. We are here at the beginning of the rainy season, so it rains almost every afternoon and most evenings, it cools everything off and washes the air clean.  It is winter here but it is usually about 70 degrees, so not the winter we are used to.
7. People are always sweeping here sidewalks, patios, porches, and courtyards.., but they throw their trash down where ever they are.  We can't really figure it out.  They have way less disposable trash so its not as bad as it would be in the US.
8.  Shopping is an adventure here. No Walmart and there isn't anything similar.  Their stores are more the size of gas station, with a fraction of the choices.  Makes me realize how spoiled we are.

We will go to the transition home again today to visit Cyrus and hope our letter gets written.
Leigha

Ethiopia

Here are a few things you might find when you come to ET.
1 traffic is like a huge game of frogger, people and vehicles dodging each other with great skill, if its your first time you will find yourself white knuckled and gasping, oh and if you get car sick, forget it, oh and don't forget the fumes enough to make you choke.
2  They have a saying in ET: Americans have the watches but we have the time. So true and good in some ways but not so great when trying g to complete paperwork quickly.
3. The people are quieter here.  The street can be completely full and people all around and yet it still isn't loud.
4. Shoe shine boys are everywhere.  Your shoes can look like new for 30 cents.
5. its common to see herds of goats running down a four lane street.

I will post some more later as I think of them.  Please pray we get our letter today and get to take Cyrus with us.
Thanks Leigha

We haven't been posting as much because we've been spending all of our time at the transition home with our little guy.   Nothing else matters very much.  If the paper work goes as expected we will have legal custody on tuesday & will then be able to take him out of the transition home & keep him with us full time.  Until then we are basically just passing time.  Once he is legally ours we have to get a passport, pass a medical exam, and then get a visa to bring him into the US.  This should take 2 or 3 weeks, but who knows.  Little man needs to be home sooner than later, so this is all incredibly frustrating.  Please pray that the paperwork would go quickly so that we can bring our son home. Thanks!

BEN