Ethiopia Day 3

Our second night in Ethiopia with Simon did not go as well as our first night. About 3 to 4 hours after we put Simon down for the night, he woke up screaming. We tried to calm him down by picking him up, hugging him, consoling him ... everything our instincts told us to do. We assumed that he was probably scared because he woke up and didn't recognize where he was. But the more we tried to calm him down, the louder he screamed and the more he tried to get away from us. This went on for about 45 minutes to an hour. What we didn't know at the time was that he has night terrors so he wasn't even really awake and we were doing everything wrong! We learned after we returned to the US and could do some reading online, that with night terrors, you have to just let children cry it out by standing back, making sure they're safe (Simon rolled around, thrashed his arms, kicked his legs and arched his back.) It's a horrible thing to watch! This happened every night we were in Ethiopia and we kept trying to console him, hold him, etc. If only we had known then what we know now! (There's a lot of things we could say that about now that we're parents! It's like a veil has been lifted ... )

So we dealt with night terrors every night we were there, a few times since coming home. They are much shorter now that we know how to avoid them and can help Simon better when he does have one. But enough about that ... let's talk about the more fun parts of our trip.

Mark returned to the orphanage for a third trip with the final family who had arrived to meet their son. I stayed at the guest house with Simon. Mark was able to take photos for the waiting families and also helped with photos for the Else family. Simon was VERY excited to see Mark when he returned! He was becoming a Daddy's boy and loved to have Mark hold him. (still does!)

After they returned from the orphanage, we all went to our agency's Ethiopian headquarters. It was so nice to be able to see the place we had thought about so often. And, to finally put faces with the names we saw on our paperwork. During this visit to Bethany's offices, we paid our visa fee and got to meet with Simon's social worker and nurse. We were surprised to learn that everyone --all of the staff! -- knew Simon's name, Kebebe. It was amazing. I wrote in my journal that day, "Everyone knows your name and loves you! You are quite the charmer. We also realized that you can say your own name and do so often -- we just didn't realize it! You continue to delight us and entertain us. Kebebe, you are so smart and a good problem solver."

We had a nice visit with Simon's social worker and nurse. All of the staff, actually! We learned from your social worker Mahlet that had a nickname among the nannies and social workers: Sumoni, which means "little coin." A sumoni is a 25 cent birr coin. They told us that it is a term of endearment because you are such a tiny, loveable little boy. It was clear to us that Simon is loved by many in Ethiopia!

While at the Bethany offices, we were also able to shop for traditional clothing and other fabric products. Bethany supports a women's training program, helping local women learn how to sew and create the fabric products to sell so that they can help to support their families. We bought several outfits for Simon and a few gifts, too.

Two photos that I like of Simon while we were in the van driving to the Bethany office:

After each of the four families in our travel group had the opportunity to visit with the Bethany staff, we went to the Top View Restaurant for lunch. It has some of the best views of Addis Ababa. We ate lunch on an open air patio and it was lovely. Simon devoured a plate of rice and veggies. We could not believe how much he ate! Simon's eating patterns have improved a lot since we're home -- he had become more picky which is a good sign. This means that he trusts us to keep providing meals for him and he doesn't have to eat now in case there's not anything later. While we were in Ethiopia, he was out-eating me and Mark. We were beginning to think he had a hollow leg!

We spent a lot of time in the van that day ... there were just four families in our group but we were staying at three different guest houses. Not ideal but what we had to do to get around. We later returned to the guest house for the rest of the day/evening and just hung out. Simon really only wanted Mark to hold him on this day ... and that remained the same for the rest of the trip. You can kind of tell in this photo that the clothing we took for Simon was mostly too big. Poor guy! He could walk right out of those shorts.

And I just had to include this cute sunglasses photo. Do you see a pattern yet? Simon loves sunglasses. So far this summer, he has lost a pair and broken a pair and put countless fingerprints on the sunglasses we still have. : )

I wasn't able to be online much on Day 3 but I did get to respond with a short note to my parents.

Today, he wanted Mark only! He said his first word, Hi, and he dances to music. He also is learning eyes, ears, nose, hair, etc. He's doing really well for us. We also learned a few more words in Amharic and he listens to us better, too. He really is a sweetheart and you are going to love him! He sounds like Mason when he laughs. (Mason is our youngest nephew.)

So that's a re-cap of Day 3! I should also note that Mark and I were struggling with jet lag in addition to Simon keeping us awake with his night terrors. We were waking up for 2-3 hours, unable to sleep. It was so frustrating! But we continued to enjoy meeting many wonderful people and soaking up Ethiopia. Stay tuned for more!