The Explanation...

Friday, January 14

John and I bid farewell to our boys and headed to his parents' house near O'Hare airport.  This was especially difficult for me this time because we did not know when we would be returning.  We were heading to Ethiopia without embassy confirmation, but with the understanding that everything the embassy had requested was in order.  We were prepared for me to stay three weeks until the next embassy date, if necessary. We spent the night and woke at 3am to get ready for a 6am flight to Washington D.C. 

Saturday, January 15

We met our friends, the Streitmatters, at the departure gate.  They had adopted a little girl who was very close in age to Sena and who was from the same orphanage.  It was so nice to have them on this journey - figuratively and now literally!  We met up with Shelly, another YWAM Mama, in Washington D.C.  We ate breakfast and waited for our noon flight on Ethiopian Air.  Before we knew it, it was time to board the plane. 

Waiting at Dulles with Sara and Shelly

Sunday, January 16

After 12.5 hours, we landed in Addis Ababa and found a beautiful, 70 degree sunny day waiting for us.  I was so excited to back in the city where our daughter was.  Our driver was waiting for us and drove us to the guest house.  Addis Guest House is a wonderful place to be!  We stayed in a suite (only $60.00/night) that had a bedroom, bathroom, small kitchen area, living room/dining area, and balcony.  The staff is so helpful and accommodating.  There is a restaurant on the premises where you can eat or they will bring food to the room.  Breakfast is provided and their french toast rocks.  I ate a lot of it while we were there.  They do laundry for free - when you are staying there for a while, that feature is quite handy.  We spent the day Sunday resting and settling in because we knew Monday would be a BIG day for us.  We went to dinner with some other adopting families and I had pancakes of all things.  They were yummy, though!!

Monday, January 17

The driver picked us up around 10:30 for our trip to the transition home.  When we got there, there were children playing in the courtyard.  We had seen several of them on our previous trip and it was fun to see them again.  After what seemed an eternity, Sena was brought out to us.  She was not a happy camper and may have cried when her Mama took her from the nanny.  I totally knew she would and I also knew she would settle down quickly and that is exactly what happened.  She was in shut down mode for the rest of the day.  We headed to our agency's offices to fill out paperwork and Sena pretty much snuggled in and sucked her thumb for the rest of the afternoon. We found out some news concerning our case that indicated our stay in Ethiopia might be longer than we thought.  After our paperwork was completed, we headed back to the guest house for our first night with Sena.  Around 7pm, she started to act unsettled so we put her to bed. She fussed for just a minute and then went to sleep.  All night.  We couldn't believe it!

I was so thankful to have her in my arms after so long!

 



Daddy gets his turn

Putting Sena in a DRESS for the first time!!

Loaded up and ready to GO!

Tuesday, January 18



Around 7am, Sena started to stir in her crib.  We hadn't heard a peep out of her all night.  She opened her eyes and looked rather confused.  I picked her up and she wanted me to put her back down.  That made me so sad, but I understood how confusing this must be - a different place with faces that look nothing like the faces that usually greet her in the morning.  I got a bottle ready for her and by then she was ready for me to pick her up and feed her.  We spent the day hanging out in our room mostly.  We had been told that traffic would be very heavy in the afternoon because Epiphany was the next day so venturing out didn't seem like a good idea.  Later that evening, we heard singing and clapping outside our window.  We looked out and a large group of people was walking down the street doing exactly that.  It was rather awesome. 

She has mastered the pouty face!

She might have a bit of a dramatic flair.

  To be continued...