Ethiopia Day 4

This was the day we had been looking forward to -- Embassy Day! Friday, April 9th was our appointment with the US Embassy in Addis Ababa. We had to get up very early because the van was arriving at 7 a.m. to pick us up for our 8:30 a.m. appointment. The families with our agency were the first group to meet with US Immigration that day. We had to wait just a short time at the Embassy before our names were called. The interview took about 3-4 minutes. Simon looked so handsome in his 'dress-up' clothes! While we waited for all of the families in our group to be processed, the room continued to fill up with adoptive families and their children. It became rather noisy and lively! I think that the security guard must go home with the funniest stories of what the children and families did to keep themselves entertained while they wait.

We were really happy to have this step behind us. It really isn't something to worry about but it was nice to have that final stamp of approval. When we left the Embassy, Sisay and Abel took us on a short driving tour of Addis Ababa University. They have a John F. Kennedy library on campus, which was neat to see. The grounds and gardens are so beautiful.

From there, we went to lunch at the Addis Ababa Golf Club. It was a very nice country club with beautiful flowers and walking paths. Simon and Ashenafi had fun running around, exploring and playing. Lunch was very good and we were amazed at how inexpensive the food is.

Here is our family photo after our Embassy appointment.

Playing at the Country Club

A view of some of the flowers at the Country Club

Simon had a blast exploring the many paths -- he loved being outdoors!

After lunch, we returned to our respective guest houses for a nap and to relax. Later in the afternoon, we played outside and I blew lots of bubbles for Simon. He loves bubbles! Birtukan and Mimi made a delicious dinner of lamb wat, greenbeans and carrots, pasta, rolls and papaya for dessert.

After dinner, we gave Simon a bath and he had a huge meltdown. It was very clear that he was growing to love and trust Mark but I could hear grieving in his crying. He becomes inconsolable so we just sit with him and let him cry it out. I cried along with him. I wrote in my journal: "We love you so much, Simon Kebebe and would give you the world. We hope that you will love us, too, someday, and understand your story and our love for you. You are such a beautiful little boy! People are drawn to you. You are loved by so many people -- the Bethany staff, your nannies and people you haven't even met yet. You said your name a lot today. You waved and said "hi." You dance whenever you hear music. Your Daddy taught you to 'honk' our noses. You even started blowing kisses today. It was so hard to listen to you cry tonight. Our hope is that each day will get better."