We're Home!

It was a great homecoming (well, aside from the fact that our other two luggage bags did not arrive- it made unpacking very easy!) Many of our friends and church family were there to greet us and meet Elijah. Suzi and Mike had driven our car with the car seat in it to the airport for us. So we drove home, and just as I was dreading going into our cold home that we had bumped down to 64 degrees before leaving, we walked in to a warm home that Suzi had stocked with fruit and frozen lasagna, and a crockpot of Chili that April left cooking for us! What a blessing!

Eli seems to have slipped right into west coast time...He slept from 9pm until 3am. Then he ate and had a diaper change, and went back to bed until 8am. I took him to the clinic today and he has the beginnings of a double ear infection. I'm not suprised, he's been yanking his ears for a couple days now. Ear infection or not, he's still charming. He had everyone at the clinic oohing and aaahing. The hard part was seeing their faces when they asked how old he was and my response was "10 months." But the doctor did not act shocked, which the important part. She said to feed him on demand, start introducing rice cereal with some veggies, and that he'd catch up in no time.

As Chrissie put it, we had an "eventful" trip, but it was obviously worth it. The court delays were hard, but I can see now how we were blessed by traveling with the Sparrs and Tennants. The Sparrs adopted an absolutely adorable 5 year old girl, and the Tennants a handsome 2 year old boy. Even though we were adopting such different children, we marveled at the fact that we each had been prepared with items that the others needed (Unfortunately, Candy was given the task of acquring the flu before leaving so that she would have that magic pill to give me so I didn't end up in a third world hospital). The Sparrs have two other children at home so they were able to guide us in taking care of an infant, and the Tennants have adopted previously so their tips on attachment were priceless. It was also such an amazing experience to see how well the older children attached to their parents and immediately blended into the family. I am already stalking their blogs to see how the kids like their new brothers and sisters!

This is getting long, so I'll end by saying that the AWAA staff in Ethiopia is amazing! We didn't get to meet Rachel (boo!) because she was in Italy, vacationing I assume. But we were impressed with the doctors, nurses, and nannies. And most impressed with Robel. He makes a great guide (though he is much more than just that)as he never seems to grow tired of sharing about the history and culture of Ethiopia. And he has an amazing heart for the children of Ethiopia. AWAA families- take advantage of your time with him and ask lots of questions. He's kind of humble, but if you ask questions his testimony will come out and you'll be amazed.