Saturday, July 18, 2009

Ethiopia - Chapter 2 - New Parents

I'll let the pictures of our first day together speak for themselves. It was new, fun, wonderful and surreal. It took about a day to grow into this new "parent thing." The first time she got fussy, we tried everything until we realized that she needed to be fed. Yep, its been 10 years since we did the baby thing but we figured it out pretty quickly.

As far as feeling like parents, for Scotty, it took him about .05 seconds before he was entirely smitten and completely dad. For me, I have to admit that it took several days to settle in to being mom and feel like she was all mine. Don't get me wrong, I was totally in love from the moment I held her but it was sort of like I had to get through some of the administrative tasks of the trip like giving to donations to the orphanage and taking pictures of other children and finally settle down before I relaxed and felt like mommy. The stress of the last months of the adoption process had to melt away as I held her and watched her sleep. By about Thursday the mommy in me was fully in the swing of it all.





Monday, July 13, 2009

Ethiopia - Chapter 1 - Meeting Grace


We arrived in Addis late Sunday night and got to our guest house about 10:30 pm.  We waiting for over an hour in the visa "line" and another 30 minutes in the immigration line. A business man near us said he travels there a lot and this wan the longest wait he had ever had. We enjoyed talking to the people around us and it wasn't too bad. You do want to keep your place in line or the merging gets out of control :).

Our awesome driver, Akee (from the Ethiopia Guest Home), loaded up our luggage lifting it up on the the roof of the van and took us to the guest home. They had saved dinner for us (we didn't even ask them to) so we ate with another family who had just arrived and then headed to bed.

Monday morning, we had breakfast (mmmm fresh Mango juice) and waited to hear from our agency facilitator. We soon got a call at the guest house and we told to be ready in a minute - and we'd be going to the care center to meet Grace. This is when it dawned on me to pack a diaper bag :). Sorta forgot how to do that and while the wonderful assistant waited for us, we packed enough for a week. :) I was in a fog trying to grab donations, the list of photos to take for families back home, and stuff for Grace.  I went back to our room at least 6 times for stuff. And I'm usually the organized one.

The Outmans, who already had their boys, came with us to video. It finally hit me in the van - we were going to get Grace!  This was also the first moment that I opened my eyes to see what was all around. We passed fruit stands and busy roads, the goat heard crossing the 4 lane highway and the music store/internet cafe. Lots of corrugated tin and dirt. Lots more blue and white taxi vans. Driving is insane so I vowed just not to look out the front window. They are way better drivers than Americans. And although it consistently looks like a game of chicken to get where you are going, someone always relents and you get through.

We pulled up to the blue gate and they let us in. The first site we see is a blanket full of babies! I was frantically trying to match faces with families and figure out whose children were whose. I admit I was not thinking about getting straight to Grace. The site of these children smiling at the toys Michelle was breaking out was just too precious. I just wanted to sit down and tell each one all about their family coming soon.

Then Scotty hits my arm and says, "Hon, it's Grace." "Huh? Oh, Grace! Are you sure (what a silly question!"  Yep - it was definitely her. Hair and all :). And then, the nurse just put her in my arms. Just like that. In som
eways, it was a bit unceremonious, and yet, she's is our child, there's very little left to do to get her home so a small handoff seemed appropriate too. And so I just held her and looked at her. Then Scotty held her and looked at her.

At this point, several other families arrived to meet their children. I ran around furiously snapping photos. Of course, I had forgotten the list of names and babies and the name cards I made to help remember the children. I also forgot all the questions parents had asked me to find out about their waiting children. I forgot all the questions I wanted to ask the nannies about Grace. I admit that the moment over came me. Not in an emotional way, per se, but there was just so much to take in- our child, the other children, the families meeting their children for the first time, the amazing nannies tearing up as they began to say goodbye to the children, the care center where Grace had been living, her bed, our new family!

After this surreal hour or so, we headed over to Sele Enat ("in place of mother") orphanage. This is where Grace lived from March until early June, before she was transfered our agency's care center.  Someone told me to be the eyes and ears for Grace for when she is older and wants to know about her time in Ethiopia. I was trying so hard to memorize everything. We had a great afternoon meeting more of Grace's caregivers and hanging out with the children at Sele Enat. Again, I was caught up in it all. The children were so sweet and eager to speak the English they knew. The nannies were happy to meet us and show us around. They served us coffee and the children climbed in and out of our laps. I'll leave you with a picture of Grace and one of her amazing caregivers. Tomorrow: Our first moments with Grace and learning to parent a baby again.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Ethiopia - Prologue


Where do I start? How do I begin to explain this trip? It was so surreal. Experiencing a new culture is one thing. Seeing orphans sing to you is another. Meeting a child you have waited 18 months for and who is instantly your daughter, yet another. But to have all those events and more coincide in one trip. It's indescribable. I have written this post time and again in my head but no words seem to convey the sentiments just right.

It many ways, it was just what I expected. I have read a million blogs of families who have traveled to Ethiopia to pick up their children, and the experience is a common one. The scenery was familiar, the faces of the people were familiar. The food had been described and all the videos or meeting children for the first time have a similar feel. Obviously it was a much richer and fuller experience in person, but nonetheless not too much was brand new to our eyes. 

One the other hand, it was an overwhelming experience to see it all first hand and then experience meeting OUR child. It was REAL. The sights and people in the photographs are REAL. The orphanage workers tear up as they kiss your children goodbye. The children living in the orphanage laugh when you break out the bubbles and cry when they think there isn't any candy left for them in your bag. They hug you when you have just met. They thank you ten times for a blow up beach ball from the dollar store.  You cough at all the diesel fumes while driving around town. You tear up at the beggars on the street when you have handed them your last granola bar or Birr.

By the end of the week we were both ready to go home and yet sad to be leaving. The language was becoming a bit familiar and we actually used several words in our vocabulary. We became instant friends with the 2 other adoptive families who shared the guest house with us. We made friends with the 8 year old girl who ran the "convenience store" just outside our guest house. She stopped charging us the "ferengi" (foreigner) rate on the deposits for our coke bottles. The children who lived next door to the guest house invited us over and shouted "I love you" when we stood on our balcony. We kinda knew the way from the guest house to the orphanage (not that we'd ever be brave enough to drive it!). We saw the town where Grace was born and met the woman who named her (much more on that later). As ready to come home as we were, I felt this strange sadness myself and for Grace at leaving her homeland.   Oh the irony of boarding the plane in Ethiopia on the 4th of July - the ache of leaving and the butterflies to bring our new little American home to meet everyone.  

Tomorrow: Ethiopia, Part 1


Monday, July 6, 2009

Home Sweet Home

We're back! We arrived yesterday happy, sad, fulfilled, content, sleepy and overwhelmed. What an amazing trip and a very sweet little girl. I'll blog about the trip later but this should tide you over :)








Wednesday, June 24, 2009

24 hours!

It's really more like 29 hours, but who's counting!!!!!!

Here is a basic itinerary of our travels:
Ethiopia is currently 7 hours ahead of EST
  • Thursday 6/25 - 2:20 pm fly out of Greenville - 10 PM EST: Flight leaves from D.C. for Ethiopia
  • Friday 6/26 - Sunday 6/28: Scotty and I enjoy two days in Dubai before flying to Ethiopia
  • Sunday 6/28 8 PM: Arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  • Monday 6/29: Pick up our Sweetness!!!!
  • Wednesday 7/1:  Embassy Appointment
  • Friday 7/3: receive her travel visa
  • Saturday, July 4th: fly to Dubai
  • Sunday 7/5 12:10 am (Dubai time) board plane for DC
  • Sunday 7/5 9:42 AM arrive home in Greenville, SC
This trip is so wildly crazy, overwhelming, and emotional.  It's also an amazing privilege. We are so honored that the Lord has led us down this road. We'd love to have you prayers over the next 10 days! Here are a few things you can pray for:
  • logistics of travel (flights on time, luggage at right weight, no luggage lost, seats on planes, etc.)
  • safety during travel
  • physical health before and during travel
  • physical health while in Ethiopia
  • Clay and Avery at home with Kerry's mom
  • our initial bonding with Grace
  • and anything else the Lord leads you to pray for!!!
We cherish and rely on your prayers more than you know.  

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Test blog post for Travel

I'm testing posting to our blog via email because in just 4.5 days WE
WILL BE LEAVING!

That's right folks - we got confirmation today that we can leave on
Thursday, June 25th to go get Grace! We cannot access blogger while
in country but if the internet server is up then hopefully we can post
to the blog via email. We won't see any comments but we'll read them
all when we get home.

Sooo...testing 1, 2....

Scotty & Kerry Anderson
scottyandkerry@gmail.com

Friday, June 19, 2009

She's really an Anderson

Yesterday I opened up an email with paperwork attached that I expected to be administrative and instead it opened up my tears! We received Grace's birth certificate and adoption decree. It caught me off guard how amazing it would be to see her last name as Anderson and our names listed as mother and father. Its also very cool to see everything in both Amharic and English. 

We have one issue to clear up however since both our middle names were spelled incorrectly on the birth certificate. We're praying today that it won't delay anything and that we will be given the green light to get on a plane next week!