We're Baaaaaaaack!

SO, everyone that is reading this blog has probably been wondering where are the updates.

Well, the reason that there have not been updates is because we have been traveling to get back home!!!

When we were able to finalize all of the paperwork for Meti with the U.S. Embassy on this past Thursday, Leigh and I discussed the possibility of flying home early if we could make the arrangements. As we have mentioned in the past, there are only three flights from Addis to the U.S. on Ethiopian Airlines so we were not sure how it would work out. We were scheduled to fly back on the 13th which is the day after the Millennium celebration and we were a bit concerned about the celebration and what might happen. Over the last few days in Addis, we noticed a significantly higher level of chaos on the street. As anyone who has been to a 3rd world city - and Addis has nearly 6 million people - there is always chaos on the streets with people everywhere and the roads congested. But, we could feel the excitement in the air of the pending celebration wherever we went.

That being said, we were able to get our tickets from Addis changed and with the help of Jonni, we were able to get the tickets from D.C. changed. So we headed to the airport for a 10:30 p.m. flight on the 8th. Of course it was delayed and we did not get off the ground until about 12:30 a.m. on the 9th.

But before we left, we were able to visit the National Museum (our last desird site to visit in Addis) which is famous because it is where the ancestor of us all is housed - "Lucy". For those who are not familiar with "Lucy", it is a fossil discovered in Ethiopia by a team of American and Ethiopian anthropologists. When the discovery was made, the Beatle's song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamond" was playing on the radio and thus the name. Now ironically, the actual fossil is touring in the U.S. so we only saw a replica. But it was still pretty cool.

Interestingly, this time of year is considered the rainy season in Ethiopia and though we had some scattered light rain on some afternoons, we never really had any rain until we left the National Museum. After that it started really raining and rained the entire day.

Ryan, Abby, Marta and Enoch (in my last blog I thought his name was Eli) were wonderful enough to stop by the hotel and share lunch with us. that was pretty special and we got to meet Enoch and hear his story in more detail. Enoch had a sever cranium problem when he was born. The front of his cranium was fused and was not growing as his brain grew which forced the back of head to expand to handle the brain growth. At the age of 2 months, having been abandoned, Gladney made arrangements to bring Enoch over to the U.S. and he underwent surgery where his skull was cut open from ear to ear and the front part removed, broken apart and reassembled with mesh to allow for it to expand. He has a big lump on his forehead and this will slowly dissipate as his head grows. After Ryan and Abby met him, they decided to adopt him and 4 months later he was theirs!!

That evening we headed to the airport, tired and exhausted. After 17 hours of flying - during which Meti did remarkably better than either of us - we were back in the States. Our friends, the Rock's, whom you met earlier in the blog, were so kind to pay for a hotel room for us at the Embassy Suites as a welcome home gift and so we went immediately to our hotel and room after clearing immigration, which was even easier with Meti than it had been with Tali. We put Meti down for a nap and both of us collapsed on the bed and slept for four hours. When we awakened to the sound of a crying Meti, we got up showered. Matt and Jocelyn brought Katie Z over to the hotel to meet Meti and then we all journeyed to the promised land of American food - TGIFriday's. It was good to have ice again and to be able to eat a salad without worries.

After enjoying fine companionship, we went back to the hotel intent on getting a good night's sleep before we headed to ATL in the morning to finally see Bella and Tali and enjoy the excitement of our new family coming together. Unfortunatley, someone forgot to tell Meti the plan, or if they did, she never bought into it. She decided it would be best if she cried out and screamed all night. I told Leigh that there were people worst off than us in this situation. She asked whom? And I told her the people that actually paid for the adjacent rooms to ours that had expected to get a good night's rest as well.

In the morning, after a good breakfast, we went to the airport and Meti never cried again until the middile of the next evening when she awakened feeling hungry.

The family reunion was absolutely one of my most precious moments. Isabella and Talia were so sweet. They had made signs with the help of Jonni and came running to meet Leigh and me as we came up the escalator. They huged Meti and Meti just soaked it all in. We got all of our luggage and Tali wanted to push her new sister in the stroller. The joy in the eyes of Isabella and Tali and Meti was so warm and comforting. God had answered everyone of our prayers - from safe travels to caring for our two daughters while we were away to a bonding spirit between Meti and us to a bonding between all of our children.

When we got to the house, Jonni and the kids had placed gifts for Meti all up and down the stairways and had created a huge calendar to count down the days until our return. In fact, when we told the kids that we might come home early, they told us not to becasue there were still five days left on the calendar. How's that for proof of the power of prayer!

Over the past few days, we have all struggled to adjust to the time changes and besides Leigh and I being ill with flu-like symptoms, Meti has battled a few issues as well. We took her to the doctor's yesterday and she has a head cold, an ear infection, ring worm on her head and is recovering from chicken pox. But, all are treatable and we are so thankful for her presence in our lives, our home and our family. To watch the children play together and dance to the music has literally brought tears to the eyes of Leigh and me. God has been so faithful throughout this entire process.

We, once again, thank you all for your lifted up prayers and all the other support you have given us. We look forward to each of you meeting Meti in person to see what a bundle of joy she is.

We are also talking to Gladney about ways that we can help Ryan and Abby in Ethiopia with the struggles they face in improving the lives of so many other children. There are over 75 million people in Ethiopia and over 5 million are orphans. We will let you know of any opportunities that develop as many of you have e-mailed us expressing a desire to help.

In Him -

Greg & Leigh ("It's good to be home and on a much faster computer connection!!")

Another day of Touring and Shopping

Forgot to mention on the last blog that last evening we went to the hotel called Dreamland outside of Addis. I am sure had we gotten there before the sun went down it would have been beautiful and those that read this blog would have been blessed with marvelous pictures of one of the seven crater lakes outside of Addis. Unfortunately, we left at 5 p.m. for an hour drive outside the city but did not get there until closer to 8. Believe me, the road we took, which is the main road between the Djibouti port and Addis is not a road for a timid driver. From the time we departed the hotel to the time we arrived at Dreamland, it was bumper to bumper with cars passing - making a 2 lane road into 3, 4 and even sometimes 5 lanes. meanwhile the entire way, the road is lined with people walking and standing and selling stuff and crossing (or at least trying to). I asked Belay, who took us to eat at Dreamland, if people were ever killed on this road and he said it is considered the most dangerous highway in Africa. And, having been on it, I would not disagree. Driving back in the pitch dark, you can barely see people as they perform like the old Frogger game trying to get across the road.

Anyhow, today was very enjoyable as we visited Mt. Entoto, shopped in one of the local markets, had lunch at the Sheraton, re-visited the orphanage where Meti spent most of her time and then participated ina coffee ceremony at our friend Seble's mother's home.

We started the morning with drive up to the top of Mt. Entoto. It is the highest point around Addis. Addis has an elevation of nearly 8000 ft at some points, but mostly around 7 to 7500 ft. The top of Mt Entoto is nearly 10,000 feet up. All along the road, people are walking up and down the mountain. Near the top, there are groves and groves of Eucalyptus trees that Emperor Menilik II brought back from Australia. Like kudzu in the south, they hard difficult to contain and have driven many of the indigenous trees out of Ethiopia. Their roots are very deep and they rob water from other trees. They also grow very quickly so the people can cut them down for fire wood or for use in scaffolding and they will grow back in no time.

The main way that the wood gets down from the mountain top to the city center is either by donkey or by women that they call "firewood women". These women make two trips a day to the top and bottom of the mountain, carrying about 50 to 75 pounds of wood on their back for about $12 per week.

At the top of the mountain, there was an Ethiopian military outpost - for the obvious reason that you can see 360 degrees all around Addis. It is now used as a national police outpost. Still strange to me to see so many automatic weapons being carried by military personnel as well as the police and the private guards that are hired by all the major hotels and retail outlets. We had a nice family picture taken by an artist that has a little studio at the top and showed us the city from above pinting out the various landmarks. We also bought a few of his paintings.

From Entoto, we went back down the mountain and stopped at one of the big shopping areas along the way to get the girls each a traditional Ethiopian dress. After Leigh went to about 60 maybe 95 different little shops, we managed to find the 3 we were looking for. All around these shopping areas are children begging and wanting to wash your shoes or whatever for a few cents. The government really discourages people from giving to these begging children as they are trying to get them off the street. Giving to them enables them and keeps them on the street begging instead of being in school. But, it is soooooo difficult as many look soooo needy ad we have so much. There were 2 little boys that came over while we were getting in the car and they kept saying, "Please sir, just one birr. I will pray for you for life." So I handed them each a birr (about $.11) and they were so happy. And I do not know how word got out so faast, but next thing you know - before I could even get into the car, we were swarmed by tens of boys asking for money.

We then met Ryan for lunch at the Sheraton - supposedly the most elegant hotel in all of Africa. Not having been to all of Africa, it would be difficult for me to disagree. It is very, very beautiful. Much like the hotels in Vegas. So out of place here though it seemed. We ate by the pool and as you can see, so that you do not have to see the poverty surrounding the hotel, they have built a tall wall and painted a mural all around the pool area.

We took advantage of the surroundings and pulled a couple of chairs together and made a lovely bed for Meti where whe was able to nap for a bit.

After leaving the hotel, we went back to the orphanage where Meti spent most of her time to show her to the director as we had promised. All of the care givers were so excited to see her and how she had grown.

Then our friend, Seble, invited us to her mother's home where we had a coffee celebration. Since coffee originated here and is a major export, many things revolve around it. The celebration involves starting with raw coffee beans and roasting, grinding and making fresh coffee all by hand. I don't drink coffee, but Leigh said it was absolutely delicious.

Then it was back to the hotel for a light dinner and a long effort get Meti to bed. She had been going to bed so well the first two nights but not last night - 1 1/2 hours of pleasant screaming in our ears. She did go down eventually and still awakened for her 2 a.m. feeding. Today she is a bundle of giggles.

Love to all, especially our dear Isabella and Talia. It was so nice to hear your voices last night!!

Enjoying time with Meti!

Finally I am back on the blog site! We have been trying for two days to get on and have not been successful. Being over here really makes you realize all the things we take for granted back home.

Yesterday, Leigh went to the Alert Hospital while I stayed at the hotel with Meti. Leigh's experience was quite moving. The Alert Hospital is the only hospital in all of Africa that specializes and treats people with leprosy. Doctors come from all over the world to study this tragic disease. It is a disease of the nerve endings and is very painful and leads to awful disfigurements in many cases. At the hospital, the patients do a lot of craft work to raise money for the care they receive. They specialize in cotton items as they receive raw cotton and hand spin it and then weave it all by hand.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (or in this case, the hotel), Meti and I were just hanging out. We went down to the pool and sat and ate a nice healthy breakfast of strained sweet potatoes and croissants with a little pineapple juice to wash it down.

After walking around the hotel grounds, we adjourned back to teh room where we were able to watch a bit of the Federer vs Roddick match at the U.S. Open. Meti really seems to enjoy watching sports (at least I am really hoping she does - I need some reason to tell Leigh why I am in the den with the TV on and telling her that Meti insisted, seems like it might work). Of course, I still do not know who won, but ...

When Leigh returned, she was with Ryan and his new daughter Marta.

Marta is eleven and is the second child that Ryan and Abby have adopted. They adopted her in May. They also adopted a little boy who is 15 months old now. His name is Eli and was taken to the States shortly after he was borm pre-maturely. (We are not sure who took him or why) He was only 5 pounds at 2 months old. While Ryan and Abby were living in Texas before they came to serve here in Ethiopia, they adopted Eli. Marta is a beautiful young girl with a mischievious spirit and and enjoyable laugh.

We all went to lunch to get the ol' standby - pizza. It was very good and then we went and did some shopping which Leigh enjoyed very much and me not so much.

As you drive around Addis, there are blue and white mini vans everywhere. Our drivers call them "Blue Donkeys" because they weave in and out of traffic without any care of where they are or what is around them. Apparently anyone can get a license to operate these privately operated bussing service. The cost is only about $12 for the license but of course you have to buy the minivan and cars over here are very expensive. One of our drivers is so excited because he is getting a new Maxima. Well, new to him is 2001 version and there probably are not many cars newer than that on the road. Anyhow, the "Blue Donkeys" operate on a set path and charge about $.20 to $.60 to ride on them and they are just packed full with people. There is a driver and an assistant that sits in the front passenger seat and leans all the way out the window and yells what route they are on so people can stop them as they approach.

Also, as we drove around the city, we saw many signs of the preparations for the Millenium celebrations that will take place next Wednesday evening.

For those of us that do not understand the Ethiopian calendar, it is quite simple. They have 13 months - 12 months of 30 days and 1 month of 5 days or 6 days on leap year. So, if you ever take a job in Ethiopia and they offer you a month's vacation time, better check what month. The new year starts on September 11th or 12th this year because it is a leap year.

All continues to go well as Meti seems to be accepting of us both. Occasionally she lets out a scream as one of us approaches - usually me - but when I pick her up and hold her she calms down and has even laughed a few times. She continues to sleep well through the night with only the 2:00 a.m. feeding of a nice warm bottle of milk interrupting her rest until about 8. We are blessed and very thankful.

Here she is!

As I write this, Meti is sleeping in our hotel room! What a long but glorious day. I have been trying since about noon back home to post her pictures but I have not been able to get to the blog site.

We had a wonderful day. Leigh is feeling better and so we met our friend, Seble, and her brother for breakfast. It was a traditional Ethiopian breakfast and it was delicious. Leigh is enjoying the coffee very much since it is one of Ethiopia's main export products - it actually started here and was taken to South America.

After a relaxing breakfast, our driver, Tefasse, picked us up and drove us to the Gladney foster home. It was about 30 to 45 minutes away on the outskirts of Addis. Sort of like driving to Duluth. Once we got away from the central city area, the roads really open up and there are construction sites everywhere. What used to be countryside is being engulfed in the spreading out of Addis. And there are people everywhere along the roads - some with stands set up to sell small trinkets, others selling food items - tomatoes, corn or potatoes, others selling wood, and still others just wandering around. Like China, the roadside is the bathroom as well.

When we (Seble joined us as well!) arrived at Meti's foster home - Gladney just opened a 2nd one for children over the age of 1, but they kept Meti in the younger home since she had been moved so often already in her young life - we were escorted inside along with our 3 big suitcases of clothes for the orphans and diapers and formula and wipes and the one filled with stuffed animals and gifts for the caretakers. We, along with belay, sat in the living room area - the house looks like all of the other homes along this street - and Ryan brought Meti downstairs to meet us. At first she was very tentative and cried, but Ryan put her down and he and Belay left us alone with her and she eventually stopped drying - I think the toy phone that Isabella and Talia sent for her to play with helped. We showed her pictures of her sisters and talked about how much they were looking forward to meeting her and having her live with us forever as a family. She held the pictures and would not give them back. We stayed at the house for about an hour to an hour and a half before we left to have lunch. We did get to tour the house and meet several of the wonderful caretakers and see many of the other babies that will soon have a home.

We left the foster home and drove to a restaurant that overlooks the city's east side with all of its new growth. Meti ate some of Leigh's lasagna along with some pineapple juice. We then drove to the U.S. Embassy and finalized all of the paperwork - or at least we hope so. we pick it up tomorrow for you, later today for us.

Then we visited and toured the Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is actually part of the Russian Orthodox branch. This particular church is located near the Ethiopian Gov't Bldg where Hallie Sellassie ruled. He also attended this church and when his remains were discovered, they buried him and his wife in this church. Hallie Sellassie was the last king from the line of Judah. It is said that when the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon that she was so beautiful that Solomon wished to sleep with her. She refused but Solomon said that if she took anything of his, then he could take anything of hers. After feeding her a feast fit for a Queen, but with a lot of spices mixed it, Queen Sheba went to bed. She awakened thirsty and went out into the courtyard and drew water from a well. Solomon was nearby and pointed out that she had taken something from him and now he wanted something from her. Nine months later, back in Ethiopia, she gave birth to a young boy who became the first Solomonic King of Ethiopia - Menelik I. It is also believed that as a gift to his son, Solomon gave him the Ark of the Covenant to hold in Ethiopia where Ethiopians still believe it lies in the City of Kings - Aksum.

Semegn, Meti's primary care taker travelled with us to the U.S. Embassy and to the church and she gave Meti a little traditional outfit and head wrap. She also wrote her a beautiful note that we shall cherish and place in Meti's keepsake box.

After this, we went back to the hotel where we relaxed and then went to dinner - I had long pants on so we were able to get in. Meti ate extremely well - a trait it appears she learned before considering how healthy she looks. She ate watemelon and cantaloupe, caulifower and pasta, and of course rice. It will be interesting to see who eats more between Talia and Meti. We gave her a bath and rocked her in our arms and now she rests.

We cannot tell you how grateful for all of your prayers for her accepting us. They have been answered so much. Meti has been comfortable being held by both Leigh and me.

Since I began this, Meti has awakened a few times. She sort of screams out like she is having a bad dream but when we rub her back and speak softly to her, she rolls over and goes back to sleep.

Thank for the words of support and encouragement that so many of you have posted. We cannot read the blogs but Jonni has been cutting and pasting them to us in e-mails. Believe me, your prayers are carrying us.

I did get to speak briefly with Isabella and Talia tonight. They sound so happy and are having so much fun with Nonni and now Aunt Lynne and Uncle Vann. Thank you guys for being there with them and giving us such a peace of mind with being half way around the world away.

Bella and Tali, we are missing you so much and waving the love sign and blowing you kisses everyday. It is 3:45 a.m. and Daddy's going to bed. Loving you.

Today is the day!!

Well, the the day we have been anticipating for nearly a year has arrived. Today we will meet our new daughter!

There is not much to report about yesterday. We met Ryan and his 11 year old adopted daughter from Ethiopia for pastries and coffee in the morning but while at the pastry shop, Leigh was not feeling well and had a blackout spell. So, we decided to lay low and rest in the hotel all day. We tried to eat at the restaurant lobby restaurant, but they have a dress code of "No Shorts". Apparently shorts are not worn over here. Who knew? We did get the water back in the hotel and were able to enjoy warm showers which was awesome. We also had an opportunity to talk with several families from another adoption agency that are staying at our hotel and had just received thier children. All of the babies were from 3 to 5 months old and just precious.

Last evening, we joined Belay for dinner at a cultural restaurant, eating local foods and enjoying some traditional music and dancing (by others, not us). I had purchased a baseball hat during the day that I wore to dinner, but as you can see by the sign below - it, too, was not allowed.

Today, our friend Seble, who lives in ATL but is back home in Addis to help take care of her brother and mother, will meet us for breakfast and then we will all go to the foster home to meet Meti. We will hang out with her for a few hours before we have our appointment with the U.S. embassy to finalize all of the paperwork.

We continue to pray for an immediate bonding experience and that Meti will be as excited for us to be her parents as we are to have her for our daughter.

It was great to talk briefly with our daughters - Isabella and Talia - last evening and hear the happiness in their voices from celebrating Tali's "Gotcha Day". It is hard to believe that two years have passed since we first held her!