Back Home Again in Indiana

Good morning from the good old USA everyone!!! The journey from the guest house to our home took a grueling 31 hours to complete. Isaac slept through almost all of the time in the air. He only cried a little bit (unlike the dozens of other babies on the flight) when he was hungry and then once fed went right back to sleep. Leigha and I were able to get a little sleep on the flights but were exhausted when we got home. We had a wonderful greeting at the airport--especially from Owen, Abe & Sam. They are still bouncing off the walls with excitement over their new brother. I need to go spend some time with the boys, but I promise more posts (and more importantly more pics!) when things settle down a little (warning: this my be a while)!!!

Ben

Signing off from Ethiopia

Hello all for the last time from Ethiopia! We will head for the airport in about an hour and (if all goes well) be at our house for supper Saturday night. We are tired and ready to get home. We took a tour of a coffee factory today & it was great fun. We walked right through the cleaning, sorting, grading, and roasting operations.

I took a quick afternoon outing with one of our in-country guides to buy a pair of soccer shoes for one of the boys involved in our guide's ministry for street children. It was fun to see the excitement when he got to pick out the pair he wanted. He only owned a pair of crocs and lives on the street, but because of the financial support and guidance he gets from our guide he is enrolled in school and supports himself by selling gum to tourists.

Isaac is still grumpy today, I think mostly because he is exhausted from crying about all last night. Hopefully he will crash for the long trip home.

Leigha and I really want to thank everyone who has followed along on our little blog and sent us notes of encouragement--it really makes a big difference when we're so far from home. I hope to see lots of you at the airport, but if not there we'll see you at home!

Ben

the 3rd day

We had a rough night last night. Isaac didn't not want to sleep alone. Ben or I pretty much held him all night. I'm hoping this isn't a pattern. I think he'd needed some extra comfort, until last night he had only got up once each night to eat and then went back to sleep. With Abe and Sam they both seemed to have melt downs on the third day and this was Isaac's third night with us. It seems to take them that long to understand this is really changing and I'm not sure I like it.

We spent the morning at a coffee factory getting a tour and then sampleing the coffee in the shop. Ben really enjoyed the seeing the process.

We start the journey home tonight. Please pray for us as we travel. It's been a good trip, but we ready to be home.

The Meeting

Note: I received two posts from Ben & Leigha, so be sure to check out the first post as well...


Hello all! This has been one of the most challenging days of our lives. As we loaded up to visit Kid's Care Orphanage (where Sammy lived for 7 months) we were told that we would be meeting Isaac's birth mother this afternoon. We traveled to ET a few days early in hopes of meeting her, but now that it was really going to happen. Neither Leigha nor I was 100% sure we wanted to. But first thing's first...

Our trip to the orphanage this morning was awesome! It hadn't changed much in the last 2 years. It was still home to way to many children and the most amazing women who love them more than I can describe. Even in the frenzied excitement of our visit, there was a feeling of peace and serentiy that was palpable. The kids were so happy to get some candy and other treats from some of the families, and to have their pictures taken (and them to look at themselves on the screens of digital cameras). I pulled out the camcorder and one of the older boys broke into a sweet dance routine! The attention I paid to him prompted other kids to come show me their moves. I wish Abe could have been here to show them how it's done! The best part of the orphanage visit, though, was seeing a 7 year old girl in our group reunited with her friends and nannies in the orphanage. All of the kids in the orphanage were so obviously and genuinely happy that she had finally reached her family. It was also great to see some of Sam's nannies that we met 2 years ago. They all still remembered "Mickey, Mickey, Mickey," and we gave them some photos of Sam that we brought along.

From the orphanage we went to lunch and then back to the Guest House to meet Isaac's birth mother. We went up to our room and watched out the window for her arrival. When she came Leigha went down & I stayed behind in the room with Isaac. We wanted to make sure that she wanted to see him (which of course she did) before we brought him down. I won't share much of her story here, because her story belongs to her and to Isaac. Communication with her was very difficult because she barely speaks Amharic (the prodominant language in ET) and we were speaking through a translator who speaks English and Amharic. Leigha and I both felt so stupid because, under the crushing weight of the emotion of the encounter, we couldn't think of to say or ask. She was very shy and had difficulty looking us in the eye. She held Isaac for most of the encounter, but then after a little while she told us she was ready to hand him to us. She was obviously extremely sad, but when we asked her how she felt at this moment she said "happy."

Unless you have been in such a meeting, you cannot imagine the unspeakable bravery and strength it takes for a woman to make the decision she made. For a long time I have had a heart for orphans, but honestly it's pretty easy to "feel" for them. Today I learned the hard lesson that behind most of these orphans there is a birth mother who had to make a decision a thousand times harder than any decision that any of us will ever face. Sometimes people comment on what a wonderful thing it is that we adopt, or how noble the financial and emotional sacrifices that we make in the process. I have always said that for us adoption is a strictly selfish act because the joy and blessing that we get from our kids so far greatly outweighs the minor inconveniences we experience in the process that the notion of us doing something noble "for those poor kids" is laughable. Today I learned that the hard and noble part of adoption comes long before we even enter the picture. It is simply tragic that conditions in the world are such that the best (or only) option for millions of women is to give their precious babies to an under-resourced institutional orphanage in hopes that their childrent might simply stay alive, and if their broken hearts can still manage to dream, that their children might someday live happy lives in happy homes. It is difficult to imagine that many women are even capable of such dreams given the utter sadness and struggle of their own existences. As the meeting with the birth mother drew to a close she told us that she was happy that Isaac would have a good home and asked if it was OK to hug us. A friend of ours took a few pictures of Leigha, Isaac and me with the birth mother, and then she walked through the gate and we will never see her (and she will never see Isacc) again.

On a happier note, we are now headed to Gelgela (the orphanage where Isaac lived for a couple of months). We have never been to this one, so I'm REALLY excited to go check it out and to tell the nannies thanks for the amazing care they have given Isaac and all of the other kids who come there.

We are all ready to come home, and are excited to start that journey tomorrow evening. You all are going to love Isaac, and we can't wait to see Owen, Abe & Sam and introduce their new baby brother!

Ben

Embassy - check

Hey everyone, all our paper work went through today at the embassy. We're on track to come home on Sat. as planned. Ben has been very sick today, he thinks it was something he ate. He is better now, but please pray his strengh returns quickly. Isaac is still doing well. He is wanting held quite a bit, I'm sure he's needing some extra comfort to get through all the transitions. Better go he isn't sleeping so well tonight.

They've got him!

Gotcha Day has been amazing! He's cooing on the bed right be side me. It's so unbelievable and yet very real all at the same time. This is my son whom I am well pleased. Adoption is such a gift from God and it's amazing. I can't count the number of times people have said, "oh your doing such a wonderful thing" but the blessing is always on us. Yes he gets all the riches and blessings of a christian home but the blessing our children bring to us is so much more.

So far he has been very happy and easy going--let's hope it continues. He's had a bottle, a bath, and some cereal. Soon we'll be off to bed. He is still a little congested and coughing some, but he seems to feel good.

Barbara sent me an email of the boys reaction to seeing the pics sent yesterday, here it is:
Sam was first. When he saw Leigha, his face lit up like a Christmas tree and he said my Mommy. He liked the ones of Isaac taking a bottle and then sleeping. He says he wants to hold the new baby and make him laugh.

Owen came through the room next and sounded very adult when he simply cooed "Aaww" at each picture of Isaac. He noticed that it must be warm by how you were dressed.

Abe was next. He climbed on my lap and studied each picture carefully as he grinned from ear to ear. He wanted me
to keep scrolling down so he could see more. At the end he said "My eyes are wet."

Love you all, can't wait to bring him home!

Today is the Big Day

Today is Gotcha Day and I can't wait to get my hands on that little guy again. He seems very laid back and went to us easily. We were able to get him to smile and play a little too. It was such an awesome experience. Sammy's favorite nanny brought Isaac out to us and we had quite a reunion with her and several other nannies telling them about Sammy and showing them pictures of him and describing his fasination with cowboys.

Last night we went to a traditional ET dinner with music and dance. Ben loves all things Ethiopian--ate alot of injera (ET bread). Last night Ben said, I should have been born in ET, I love the food, slobbering on babies, and running. Ethiopians are very affectionate. The nannies from last time greeted Ben and I with a kiss on each cheek. The men often hold hands walking down the street and it means nothing other than they are friends. This cultural difference is great for the children at the transitional home. The children are very well loved. Being a nanny here is a difficult job, because they truly love the children for on average of three months and then they let them go and do it all over again each time and new child comes from the oraphanage.

Owen, Abe, and Sam your going to like your new little brother. He likes to wrestle gently. Can't wait to see everyone.

Leigha