Dear Aidan: Day 3

Monday, December 24, 2012

Dear Aidan,

Merry Christmas Eve little one!  I hope you're sleeping well in your bed waiting for Santa to come!  Although the foster home doesn't have a chimney, I'm certain that he'll arrive to bring you and all the other children their presents in the morning!

Today was another fantastic day with you!  Dad and I woke up early again, around 6AM.  We go to bed very early and wake up early!  I think I annoy Dad as I wake up almost every hour to ask him, "What time is it?"  I can't wait for it to be 6AM when we can finally start getting up and moving for the day.  If I wake your Dad up before sunrise, he's not too happy and wants me to go back to sleep, or at least be quiet!  Just like yesterday, we went for a walk this morning around the guest house.  We chose a different route today to explore a bit more, and I'm glad we did!

On our walk, we came across the local well.  There is a man there with a hose who fills up all of the 5-6 gallon water jugs that people carry there.  Once their jug is filled, they load the container on their back and secure it with fabric and ropes like a back pack.  Dad thinks that each container weighs about 30-40 pounds when full!  There was a line of about 30 people waiting for the water.  They walk almost everyday to this well to get their daily water for cooking, drinking and bathing!  Just like yesterday, everyone was so friendly when we walked by and we were able to get some pictures! 

While we were walking past the well, there were two girls about 12-14 years old carrying a jug of water.  They had attached a long stick to their jug and each had an end of the stick that they were carrying.  It was obvious that the jug was extremely heavy and they were trying to walk as fast as they could home, up a steep hill.  Once they stopped to put down the jug to rest, Dad said he wanted to help them.  When he walked up the to girls, he pointed to the jug, then himself before picking up the jug.  The girls immediately started giggling and Dad pointed forward.  The girls led the way to their house, laughing all the way home!  When we arrived at their house a few hundred yards away, their grandma opened their door and was shocked.  She began laughing as well and the 3 ladies kept thanking Dad.  It was evident he made their day and would be their entertainment for days to come!

From the girls' house, we kept walking and made a large loop around the neighborhood.  On the way back, we discovered an elementary school.  It was around 7:30AM and children were just beginning  to walk to school.  They all had uniforms on: dark pants (black or navy blue) with a maroon sweater.  Many of the sweaters were torn on the sleeves.  The children also had backpacks and carried small metal containers that were their lunch boxes!  No school lunches provided at school here!  They were all as cute as can be and had the biggest smiles!  We had brought some pens with us and were able to pass many out to the children on their in to school, which they loved!  I took a peek inside the school and Dad waited outside, out of respect for their parents.  The classrooms were simple- desks and benches with a large chalk board in the front of the room.  There were some things painted on the walls, such as the alphabet or English words.  But that was it!  It's so different than schools in the United States!

Once we returned to the guest house, we got ready for the day.  There was now 12 people staying at the guest house and our shower went from "pretty warm" to "mildly warm."  I learned to take incredibly fast showers, especially seeing that our room was chilled from the cool night before!

At breakfast, we met another family.  Mrs. Lisa and Mr. Shands arrived with their daughter, Zaela.  They had flown in from LA to meet their new daughter, Amari.  Zaela was as excited as could be to meet her baby sister.  She was adopted from Ethiopia when she was a baby and was thrilled to be back!  She definitely kept us all entertained today and livened up the guest house!  Mrs. Lisa and Mr. Shands were great.  Having them there completed the crew that we would have for the next few days.  It was a full house, but made everything feel homey!

That morning, Mrs. Lisa and Mr. Shands met little Ms. Amari.  She is as cute as can be and itty bitty!  She's very young and was very alert to everything going on!  She is the perfect baby sister for Zaela to have and was extremely tolerant and willing of everything!  The foster home visiting room had 5 families in it, so it was FULL!  Each family took a corner for visiting hours.  We loved the conversations and laughs we shared during those 4 hours of visiting.  It was great to see all of the babies slowly come out of their shells and their true personalities show!

It became evident that each baby was perfect for their new family.  It was almost crazy in how that worked out!  There is a reason each family traveled to Ethiopia to add to or complete their family.  Before meeting you all, something was missing in all of our families.  I know now that you 5 sweet babies have filled the holes in our hearts that we had.  Each one of you were like missing puzzle pieces we all needed!

Our visit with you this morning was fantastic.  It seems that you become more and more lively everyday!  I brought you a cute hat to wear outside to keep the sun out of your eyes, and so we spent much of the morning outside.  I have to say, you're rather handsome in a hat!  Of course, the foster home nannies had you in overalls as well today, which made me melt!  You were incredibly handsome!

Our morning with you flew by.  Like usual, you devoured your bottle.  You then had the "Big Buddha Belly" that you get when you drink your entire bottle!  You're so cute with it.  It seems like your full belly gets in the way sometimes, like when you try to reach forward while sitting, but it makes me happy to see.  I love knowing that you're getting all of the food and nutrition that you need to keep growing so that you're strong and healthy!  By the end of the morning, you had once again fallen asleep in your Dad's arms!  He was 2 for 2 in getting you to fall asleep!  I need practice!!!!

When noon came, it was time for us to leave.  Dad and I ate lunch at the Sheraton today with the Hayes.  We desperately needed Ethiopian birr as we only had Iraqi dinar and Thai baht on us!  One of the only ATMs that accepted MasterCard debit cards was at the Sheraton, which is where the Hayes were staying.  We were able to get money out of the bank there, which was a relief!  We then ate a delicious lunch at the pool-side restaurant.  It was a bright and sunny day and felt wonderful to sit outside!  We loved our time talking to the Hayes and learning about their journey to Harper!  We instantly clicked and had a wonderful time sharing stories and laughs!

When lunch was over, we headed back to the foster home to see you!  You were dressed in an adorable blue sweater outfit that matched!  It was very warm and cozy!  You were a bit tired, but soon woke up and wanted to play!  We loved watching you Army crawl across the floor, play with your rings and look at some books.  We let you open 2 new presents: picture books.  You are definitely more interested in wrapping paper than you are in your actual presents.  We should take note for this for your following Christmas': wrapping paper only, no presents!  Something tells me you'll change when you get a bit older!

Nonetheless, it was great fun watching you explore and play.  

This afternoon, we had three very special treats!  The first was that we were given a tour of the foster home!  We were able to see the kitchen, bathrooms, isolation room and the room where they make your formula.  We the saw the 0-6 month old baby room, where you were for about 2-3 months.  Then, we saw the 6-12 month old baby room, where your bed is now!  It was wonderful seeing your little blue wooden bed- the same one we have been seeing in pictures all this time!  We were able to take pictures of only your bed, not the other children as they have moms and dads!  The other children were all so beautiful!  Dad and I said that we would have taken any one of them home with us in the future (after you're home, that is)!  They were all so happy and healthy!  Each one was bundled up in blankets in their beds.  The small babies had simple toys to play with and it looked like there were 2-3 nannies in the room to play with them and hold them.  It made me so happy knowing you received such good care!

In your room, there were many children on the ground crawling around or sitting up playing!  They were all so cute!  It was amazing to see how much stimulation you receive, even for being in a foster home!  There were lots of toys and 2 nannies in the room.  I know you receive wonderful care!  It makes me happy to know that you'll continue to mature, develop and grow when it's time for us to leave in in a few weeks!  

Behind the foster home is a school.  Here are some pictures of the area around the foster home!

The second surprise was that we received a happy ending to part of your story!  When you were first referred to us, you came with the name, "Kimaya."  Your orphanage had accidentally sent the wrong paperwork with your file.  As such, you were sent with "Kimaya's" papers.  For 2 months, we received updates and believed your name to be "Kimaya."  The area you were born and your age were also different.  But then in November, we were told of the mistake and that your real name is "Bedassa" and that you have a different story.  The mistake was realized when "Kimaya" was referred a family but didn't have paperwork.  Your orphanage is very well-run, but without an electronic computer system, mix-ups like this can easily happen.  Kimaya is a little girl, believe it or not!  Well, we talked to the staff at the foster home and they said we could see Kimaya!  Little Kimaya, who is about your age, was sitting on the floor playing!  I know you two must be playmates!  It made me so happy that this little girl has a loving family who is also adopting a baby boy!  So Kimaya has a brother, too!  Seeing her play, holding you in my arms, and hearing the whole story wrapped up the loose ends to part of your story!  We are so grateful that you are Bedassa.  We love who you are and where you are from!  We wouldn't change any part of your story or our adoption journey for the world!  But I'm glad you, Bedassa, AND Kimaya, both have happy endings!

I was holding you throughout the tour and by the end of it....wait for it....wait....wait....YOU WERE ASLEEP in my arms!  Yep!  I was finally able to rock to you to sleep and let you rest!  I was a very, very, very proud Mama!  Putting you to bed is in incredibly important skill to have and I learned how to do it!  I can't stay still OR sit down.  I have to be standing, gently rocking you.  When I lay you down in my arms, you have to be facing outward first, and then I can slowly rotate you!  If you're facing me and I try to lay you down, you fuss and fuss!  After 3 days, I finally learned!  I really, truly felt like your Mom today!

When you sleep, you sometimes snore!  You're still very congested, so it's understandable why!  But it's still very cute!  You also don't suck your thumb, but your index finger!  You need to fall asleep sucking your finger!  And sometimes, you're sucking so hard that your mouth makes clicking sounds!  Dad and I laugh to ourselves hearing and watching you!  But when you sleep, you are a precious angel!  I love watching you sleep as I know you're comfortable with us and that sleep helps you grow and maintain your health!

The last surprise was that we were able to meet with Adoption Avenues social worker at the end of the day!  She had part of your file and was able to go through everything with us!  We saw your regional MOWA letter and our adoption decrees!  Your picture and our names were on everything!  You also seemed very interested as you kept trying to grab the papers!  It was very cute!  We were told we would learn even more about your history and past as we approached our court date!  We hoped so!  But the social worker is amazing!  She is kind, gentle and has a genuine heart.  She is yet another employee at Adoption Avenues who touched our hearts!

When 5PM came, it was time for us to say good-bye!  We kissed you good-night and wished you a very Merry Christmas and hoped that Santa would come!  Back at the guest house, dinner was ready for us when we arrived!  The food was always delicious, but we could tell the chef was a bit strained cooking for all 14 people at once!  I don't blame her!  After dinner, we sat around the table and laughed and told stories.  The Wilcox's and Milams had their court date the next day, and they were busy getting all of their paperwork ready to submit to Embassy!  Dad and I took careful notes for what we would have to do when our day finally came!  We had a delicious dessert of Snickers candy bars that hit the spot!  Before long, we all retired to our rooms to go to bed!

Tomorrow is Christmas and I cannot wait to spend your very FIRST Christmas with you!  Your Dad and I wouldn't have missed this day for the entire world!  That's why we chose to fly to Ethiopia to meet you early, even without having a court date!  We knew that we may need to come back 2 more times instead of just 1, but that was something we were more than willing to do.  We really wanted to spend your first Christmas with you to make it extra special.  When we realized your court date wouldn't match up, we decided to come to Ethiopia anyways to FINALLY be a family!

I hope you sleep well, my little elf! Above everything else, Santa brought you an early Christmas present this year- your Mom and Dad.  More importantly, Santa gave Dad and I the present of a lifetime- YOU!  I cannot wait for tomorrow and another amazing day with you in my arms!

I love you!!!!

XOXO-

Mom