Day 4:

Finally, a good night's sleep! We woke up today feeling much more refreshed—I realized that if I go to bed and sleep as long as I can first and then take Tylenol p.m. when I wake up around 2 am, that I can go back to sleep much more easily! The trials of time change!

This morning we went right away after breakfast to visit "G". We found her sitting in a Bumbo seat in the sunshine just relaxing. It has been so much fun as each day she becomes a little more "verbal" for us: meaning we get to hear her sounds more and more. I like to think this is because she's beginning to recognize us: I hope this is true. Today I discovered a silly little game that would make her coo, smile, and giggle like crazy. She is absolutely precious when she laughs. Oh, how I love this little one! We met some of the other special mothers who care for "G" today. Each week at Hannah's Hope, the special mothers switch day and night shifts. So for one week they care for the children during the day, and the next they will care for them at night. It is so much fun to meet these amazing women who love and care for "G." I love to just watch them at work even if I can't converse with them. Their actions truly speak louder than words as I watch them caress the heads of these babies, kiss them repeatedly, massage their backs, sing to them, tickle them, comfort and rock them when they cry…their love is beautiful to watch and makes me incredibly grateful for the care "G" is receiving during this waiting period.

"G" followed her normal routine today, and just as predicted became sleepy. I gave her her bottle and then held her as she slept: her bottle is definitely her cue for naptime. So far, I think the longest she's stayed awake while taking her bottle has been maybe 2 minutes and then she's out! She keeps sucking though while she's sleeping. This seems to be the routine for most of the babies here, as the special mothers patiently hold their bottle while they sleepily suck away until finally the formula's either gone, or the baby is just too deep asleep. I definitely have noticed a cultural difference in cuing the babies that it is time to sleep. While we in the U.S. do everything in our power to keep blankets away from a baby's face, it is not uncommon at all here (at least at Hannah's Hope) for them to cover the baby's head and/or face with a blanket either while they are falling asleep, or even while they're sleeping. One little guy here must be close to giving up his morning nap, because he continually pulls the blanket off himself as the special mothers keep covering up his face. Too funny! The babies seem to like this though, as they settle quickly. This has been a little unsettling though, for this U.S. mommy who probably has done a bit too much reading on SIDS.

I love watching "G" sleep: she gets those little "smiles" from time to time; and her face is a true picture of peace. Beautiful.

While Susie held "G" sleeping, I (Aaron) decided to avoid another thrilling afternoon watching soap operas by going over and spending time with the older children.  The children, between the ages of 5 and 11, just craved individualized attention wanting held, wanting to be watched doing a particular activity they were proud of, and wanting to show me their favorite toy.  I wish I had enough arms to hold them all as they would just cling to my legs, hold on around my neck, and hang from my arms.  The younger ones were particularly sweet being the first to run over asking "up, up, up" with arms outstretched.  No matter what the age they all longed for and treasured affection.

 I had a blast throwing and kicking balls back and forth.  They loved to have their picture taken and look at it on the camera.  They were particularly surprised when they got to watch a video of themselves rather than a picture.  Another favorite was the buttons on my digital watch.  It is amazing how the smallest little thing can peak such interest.  The children would crawl over each other trying to push buttons on my watch to hear it beep.  I set the countdown timer so the children could hear the alarm and was impressed as one of the older children would count down with the timer backward from 10.

The experience gave me an appreciation for why children adopted often will hoard food or other items of value to them.  Although the older children were not unkind to the younger children, there was definitely a pecking order and the little ones relied on getting to things first or waiting until the older children were through in order to play with items.

After our time was done at Hannah's Hope, two of the staff, Wass and Tsigie brought Aaron and I for lunch at a local Italian (yes Italian!) restaurant in Addis. It was nice to order something somewhat familiar, and we had wonderful conversation comparing and contrasting Ethiopian and American culture, weather, and relationships with them. All of the staff here at Hannah's Hope truly are amazing. This particular restaurant is connected to an art gallery, and it was really fun to browse after we ate. Nothing caught my eye however, so we departed. I had shared with Tsigie that I was interested in purchasing some Ethiopian spices so I could pursue some of the culture's cooking, so she took me to a local supermarket and helped me make my first choices. We then headed to a local market area where we were dropped off at a particular stall that Tsigie trusts in terms of price and products. She and Wass had to travel to the U.S. Embassy to drop off some of the other children's documents who were past the court process. I am more of a browser when it comes to shopping, so this was a little out of my comfort zone as I was surrounded by 3 assistants who sat me down on a stool and proceeded to pull things out left and right for me to see. They weren't exactly high pressure, but let's just say very attentive! Very helpful though too, as I was looking for certain things and if they didn't have it, somehow shortly later they would come back with that item. I think that trading amongst the stalls must be a normal occurrence or something! We found a nice selection of items both to give "G" as she grows up, but also things to display in our home to demonstrate the importance of her culture to us. Our plan is to give her many of these other items when she marries. I of course, could shop forever, but I think Aaron is close to his limit after today. We have several more small things in mind that we would like to find for her, but otherwise unfortunately, this part of our journey is mostly finished. Learning about another culture and looking at different types of art, crafts, and clothing is fascinating to me—even if Aaron does think I just enjoy shopping!

By the time we were finished shopping today, it was time to head back to the hotel as Wass and Tsigie's stop at the Embassy took a little longer than expected. We had hoped to visit Bethzatha, the orphanage "G" first was at when she came to Addis, but it was too late for today. This will probably be on the agenda tomorrow or the next day. A part of me doesn't want to see this place, because I know the care is not like it is at Hannah's Hope. But the other part of me needs to see it, because it is part of her story. I was not aware until today, that Bethzatha has several branches in different areas of Ethiopia: one in Addis, one in the Gambella region, and one in the Kembata Zone which is where "G" was born. I had asked Tsigie how "G" arrived in Addis, wondering if her birth mother had travelled the 3-4 hours it takes to get to the city from Kembata. Now I know that "G" was relinquished at the Bethzatha in Kembata, and then eventually was transported to the one in Addis. My feeling is that they probably knew she was too sick to stay in Kembata and needed the medical care that was available in Addis. How I thank God she was brought here. As I looked at a tiny baby at Hannah's Hope today, I can't help but wonder if that's how "G" looked when she first came. It breaks my heart and brings tears to my eyes at how helpless and sometimes hopeless life can be for some of these little ones. I praise God for rescuing "G" and for helping her mother make the decision no mother should have to make in order to save her baby's life. This for her was a decision of love. To save the baby that she named "G" which means "wonderful."

Tomorrow we look forward to more time with "G" of course in the morning. We have a laid back afternoon (maybe!), and then in the evening we have the opportunity to attend a cultural dinner and enjoy traditional Ethiopian food, dancing, and singing. Can't wait!