Ethiopia Day 2

Our first night in Ethiopia with Simon went really well. He slept for 11 hours straight without waking up once! We couldn't believe it. We had hoped for a good sleeper but this was more than we ever dared to hope for! Looking back now, we know that he must have been mentally and emotionally exhausted from the transition that day because his sleeping habits have not been that good since.

Two more families had arrived on Tuesday evening and we were invited to return to the orphanage with them to meet their children. Both were infant girls. We were looking forward to returning so that we could look around a little bit more and learn more about Simon's life at the orphanage. We had also promised to take photos for two families who were waiting to travel to bring home their children. So off we went in the van back to the orphanage.

When we arrived and got out of the van, one of Simon's nannies came over to us and held out her arms to hold him. We knew that it would have been rude not to let her hold him so we did. She clearly loved him and was glad to see him one more time. When she handed Simon back to us, he had a huge meltdown. He was extremely upset and became inconsolable. I think that the whole experience confused him. I think that we had over estimated how attached he had become to us in such a short time. From following our agency's forum, we knew that others returned to the orphanage with their children to visit, for a good-bye ceremony, etc. so we really didn't hesitate to say that we would return with the other families.

Simon cried for about 30-40 minutes. We got back into the van so that we wouldn't continue to disrupt the flow of activities in the orphanage courtyard. Probably pointless because his screaming could be heard 3 blocks away, I'm sure. He was so upset with us that he even tried to get away from us by rolling under the van seats. Eventually, we caught his attention with cheerios, of all things. That cereal saved the day. It was an experience I hope to never repeat. All three of us were miserable -- two of us because we couldn't console our son and Simon because his world had been turned upside down.

Here are a few photos of the orphanage. This is the outside/courtyard area.


You can see that the women are using plastic swimming pools to do the laundry. I can't imagine how much laundry an orphanage of 75+ children produces each day!

And here's some of the laundry hanging on the line. Makes me appreciate my washer and dryer very much!

After our experience with returning to the orphanage, we spent the rest of the day at the guest house, playing and taking a nap. Simon calmed down quite a bit but took a long nap. The youngest son of our guest house hostess is a lively 3 year old. He started to teach us some words in Amharic, such as how to say "don't bite," "don't hit," "don't touch," and "good boy." All very helpful!

Later in the evening, after dinner, we traveled up the hill a ways to see a house that was for rent. Birtukan and Nesibu, our guest house owners, were considering renting it to open it as a new guest house. Their four children are growing an getting older and they would like to have more space for them by moving back into their home which was serving as the current guest house. The new location is quieter in terms of street traffic but we've since heard that the animal noise is greater. Right before we left Ethiopia, we learned that they did indeed decide to rent the new space and were working quickly to prepare it for families to stay there. The photo below shows a view of Mount Entoto, the highest point in Ethiopia, from the balcony of the new guest house.

Here is my e-mail to family and friends about our second day in Ethiopia:

Well, today has been tougher. We went back to the orphanage with some of the other families to meet their children and one of the nannies got excited to see Kebebe and took him from our arms. When we took him back from her, he had a meltdown for about 30-40 minutes -- he was really grieving. He's been more challenging today with pinching, hitting and biting, but he's also teething. Tonight, he only wants Mark. He is still eating like crazy -- I didn't know a child could open their mouth so wide.
It's an interesting country -- the people are warm and friendly. There are as many cars on the road as there are people walking. And goats! Oh my -- lots of goats and donkeys too.
Tomorrow, we meet with Kebebe's nurse and social worker. The last family just arrived and we are enjoying getting to know them.
OK -- must sign off while I can before I get cut off.
We're doing well and realizing how our busy toddler is going to get us into shape -- he keeps us moving!
Love, Wendi, Mark and Simon Kebebe