Our Journey To Ethiopia Day 7 - Part 3

Something I must say is that I am so happy to have seen the village that Annsleigh was born in. Wenji is a very beautiful quiet village...seemed very peaceful... lots of open spaces...grassy spaces....trees....flowers...kids playing in green fields...sugarcane everywhere. No wonder she is just SOOOO SWEET!!! :) I loved her village & was so glad to see it & get pics of it. I dont care if she never sees Addis Ababa again, in fact, I would rather she not see it....but I do hope that some day she can see her village in person. Most of the civilians from this village though have terribly stained teeth...We found out that it was from excess flouride that the sugarcane factory leatched out into the water....see, too much of a good thing is not good! Anyway, we pulled up to the sugarcane factory long enough to be told this is it....dont take any pics....and drive off. Strange....very strange....on we go! To the hospital...Oh boy! We pull up to the hospital & all get out just so we can sit in the hospital "lobby" on more comfortable benches than in that scrunched cramped van. The couple that was here to meet their birth mom was taken in ahead of us and led up to her room. We sat in the lobby and started diveying up whatever snacks and drink we had as we were all getting pretty hungry at this point....so 8 of us shared turkey jerky, fruit snacks and a little bottled water...Then a man from the hospital comes & says we are to go with him to visit family....we all acted confused....said no.....he said come.....so we all went. I really did not want to walk the halls of this hospital and I am a nurse! Thats the problem, my downfall....I can see the germs everywhere! But, here we go! At this point I got the giggles because this was all so ridiculous....10 adults and none of us ever knew where we were going or doing, just going along with what we are told....But I do know we all should not go in and see this birth mother!!! CHI and the government is so strict about what we can and cant ask a birth mother or give to her and now this guy wants all 10 of us to bombard this poor sick lady's room? Most of us said no & stood outside her door in the hall. The little hospital man asked whe needed to use the toilet? We all quickly said NOPE! No Thank You!!! :) We all were then led down the hall to the nursery. Now, I was glad to see this, being a NICU nurse back home...old metal bar cribs....all empty.... & then he shows us this small white wooden box with a lid made only of screening.....its to keep the malaria away from the premature baby! No extra warmth just netting....with mosquitos buzzing around it...then it dawned on me.....WE ARE IN MALARIA TERRITORY!!!!! WE DIDNT TAKE OUR MALARIA MEDICATIONS!!!! (because we were supposedly not leaving Addis Ababa where there is no malaria!) What can we do now....oh well! Hope for the best! We all were drawn to walk out an a large connecting balcony as all the windows were open. The breeze felt great and we welcomed to breathe fresh fresh air! We then were asked if we wanted to see the HIV floor....why not? At this point? Why not? So...off we go...we all were taken to a very very small doctors office and we filed in and piled up in there. A few chairs....and a doctor in the middle of consulting his patient on taking her medications while we all just stared at them!!!!! What in the world. Talk about uncomfortable for us and them. Although they acted like they didnt see all of us. No HIPPA policies here. But we couldnt understand the language. But still. No privacy!??!! Seemed very awkward like such an invasion of privacy. We left the office when that patient did & we were off to tour the business office. All of us....cram in there, smile & wave and they all were just so sweet and friendly and looked up from their desks, welcomed us, smiled and waved back....unreal.. we were all just slap happy by now...and then we were done...led out the door and into the van. We started the long bumpy ride back to Addis. As if the day wasnt strange enough already....the best was yet to happen....

Day 7 Part 2

On the way to Wenji

So...the road is getting worse as the terrain is getting drier & drier. There were cactus and deep dry gulches. As we went further along, closer to Wenji, we notice more use of horses....horse drawn carriages (with truck tires) and horse pulled plows. It felt like Amish country! Except, here were some horses just standing in the middle of the road, in the middle of a 2 lane road....we are told that is what they do with the old horses that are of no use to anyone anymore...they put them out there hoping they would just get hit....that is too sad to me....Anyway, we kept on & on & finally began to see the sugarcane. Wenji's sole survival revolves around the sugarcane plantations & the sugarcane production that season for the factory...no rain...no sugarcane...no jobs....abundant rain...abundant crops...lots of jobs...Rumor had it we were to tour the factory. We all voiced that we thought we should see birth families first...we've kept them waiting long enough. We finally got to Wenji & the van stops at this place that had a rose garden. After we picked up one man, another man came up to the van door and shook most everyones hand. It wasnt until much much later that we figured out who these 2 guys were. The first was from the sugarcane factory, the other was the orphanage director. At first we had them confused....but it didnt really matter....we were clueless the whole trip thus far anyway.... The orphanage director said it was so much (dont remember how much) to get the sugarcane factory tour. Somehow, the Harrris' ended up paying for everyone....we go in this building I dont know what it was....like a community center...some people were sitting at tables having drinks...some were watching a movie on a screen...We all made a BEE line for the bathroom....a stinky 1 seater in the pitch black...I dropped my sunglasses on the floor in there and left them....we all shared our TP and hand sanitizer... We kind of then wandered out the back door when I first heard word that the birth families were here!?!? What? What in the world? Was this the orphanage? Where were we anyway? We get outside nervous, anxious and emotional. Slowly but surely each couple was hooking up with their birth families. We found out that one family's birth mother was not here because she was sick in the hospital. It was not Annsleigh's birth mother? We asked about Tihunes (Annsleigh ) mother? Tesfu asks the orphanage director and he said something back...Tesfu tells us Tihunes mother is not coming, but the orphanage director acted like he didnt know she was supposed to be here. Anyway, we just stood around with the other couple whose birth mother was sick and took some time to take pictures of the grounds for they were pretty. The other couple was told that they were going to get to go to the hospital to visit the birth mother. I thought that was great & we wondered where the hospital was. We tried to pass the time but man, this was a sad emotional moment for me....not getting to meet Annsleighs birth mother. Anyway, finally the other families all took their pics and said their goodbyes & hugs & we were told we were going to the factory now. The one family needing to visit their birth family in the hospital said, "No, visit birth family first!" They were told "No, hospital not near here..." So..... we were all herded along to walk thru the rose garden. We took a group pic there & then we were all told to get in the van so we can get to the hospital so this family can visit their birth mom....OK.....here we all go....Just as the van was pulling away... the orphanage director took whatever donations we had and left...that was the only way we knew he was the orphanage director. As we left I asked..."What about the orphanage?" No answer.... Then it seemed to all of us that "Did we really just pay for families to visit birth mothers?" Alot of this just really didnt feel right....strange.....just very very strange....the day goes on and gets even more strange...

Our Trip To Ethiopia Day 7 - Friday Part 1

The Flat Tire

Donkeys walking by

The children are responsible for the herd

This day is very long & will be hard to describe to anyone who wasnt there to truly feel the emotion and confusion and exhaustion we all had by the end of the day. This is the day we are to visit the orphanage where the birth parent meeting will take place....or so we thought.... It starts off with us getting picked up at approximately 8:15AM. This excursion is supposedly 8AM - 12PM. I distinctly remember our caseworker telling us that Holy Savior Orphanage "Is right there in Addis....so its close..." We based our immunizations on this....we did not take the malaria meds because we were staying in Addis....a higher elevations with no malaria.....wrong! We ask Zeyedeh from the Melkam how far it is to Wenji, the village Annsleigh is from where the orphanage is.....he says...."Um...... lets see.....you go about 10km then take a left.....and then about 100km & turns into such & such & then another 200km you do this and that..." He lost me! Clearly it is far, supposedly 2 1/2 hour ride 1 way. We took our nondrowsy dramamine & off we went. First, the van collected all the families that were adopting chihldren from Holy Savior... 5 of us couples...Once all collected all the families were taken to the HOH to drop the children off so the nannys could watch them...cannot take the children with you when you visit birth families...Going back again and again to the HOH I did not think was such a good idea. When we got there, we stood around for sometime just waiting for one more couple to get dropped off. This was too long of a wait especially for the older kids. The longer we hung around the more behavior issues were coming out of shear confusion on a childs part not quite sure why again they have to go to this HOH. I cant help but wonder if they think...are they leaving me here? Are they going to come back? Alot of the older kids were just really ready to board the plane & go home. Our Annsleigh....well she went nicely to her nurse & her took her as she smiled, clapped and cooed....her nurse said "Oh, shes changed so much already!!! She is sooo happy!" That made Brad and I feel sooooo good! :) We stood around the HOH for some time just waiting & waiting for another couple to arrive. This was too long of a wait especially for the older kids. The longer we hung around the more behavior issues were coming out of sheer confusion on a childs part not quite sure why again they have to go to the HOH again. Alot of the older kids were reallly just ready to board the plane & go home. Well.... finally the other couple is dropped off & we all pile into the van. Off we go......little did we know we would not be back to our little one until dark (7PMish!!!) We bounce along the road & take pics right & left. The further we went the more beautiful it became. Mountains, open plaines, streams, fresher air...After quite some time now, we started passing dramamine around the van for some folks...then the van pulled over onto the shoulder & someone said we had a flat tire....we all got out of the van to stretch our legs while the driver & Tesfu changed the tire. We took some pics of the surroundings & a herd of donkeys walking across the road. After a while the spare tire was on & we continued on. ...we drove & drove & drove & made a pit stop at a restaurant because, get this, THE MEN HAD TO GO PEE!!!!!! HeHeHe! Then we drove on & on & then the van pulled over again, this time at a tire shop. We thought we were just going to drop the tire off & pick it up on the way back...instead we waited on it to be fixed because we were told from this point on the road gets very very bad & we wont want to be stuck without a spare...ok sounds good to me....we better wait...We all got out of the van again to strectch our legs... Tesfu's cell phone rings. Its the orphanage director wondering where we are because he has the birth families waiting? Tesfu tells him what is going on.... beggars start coming around....we are getting better at saying no.....finally we get the tire fixed & we all get back in the van and we are on our way once again...and they were right....the road got worse & worse...

Our Trip To Ethiopia Day 6 - Thursday

Tired of riding

No car seat & in the front seat?!?!?

Love this picture of the Ethiopian flag

Addis Ababa from Entoto Mountain

The market place at the base of the mountain

Tsegay and Annsleigh

Annsleigh and her nurse

This day was one excursion we wouldnt miss. We got picked up at the Melkam Guest House at approximately 9AM for a ride up to Entoto mountain. This was an absolutely beautiful short ride. At the base of the mountain was the open markets where we are to shop on Saturday. Masses of people everywhere. Then as you work your way up the mountain the mood completely changed. Everything became more beautiful....the air cooled and cleared & it felt soooooo good to breath fresh air. We all enjoyed taking some deep breaths. There was still mud sided houses & shacks with mud roofs to live in but they dotted the hillside with grassy spaces in between. These children can play in the grass! Still had lots of women carrying heavy loads of sticks or water buckets, or bushels up the mountain.....and lots and lots of little donkeys trotting along with similar loads. They looked like they were doing it effortlessly. We stopped near the top for great pictures. Funny that from far away, Addis Ababa looks orderly & quaint. At the top we also visited a couple of very old Christain/Catholic churces and the old emperor and emperess castle. That was something to see....except the beggars outside the church. Did not expect that...and our tour guide scolded them for bothering us. From here on ...we were discouraged from handing out to the beggars because once you do, you will be hounded and harassed. Its hard to not give give give, but we started to get used to saying no. Well, the whole time Annsleigh of course slept in the sling. Thank God for the sling! When we came back down the mountain we were the only ones that needed to go to the Melkam so 1/2 way back our van stops and we are told to get out and get in this other van with someone we have no idea who and off we go....and everytime you go somewhere, it doesnt matter if you've been there before or not, they always go a different way. So, we drove along felt like forever and we began to wonder why we would trust someone to tell us get out here and go in there...in a strange country....when lo and behold, we finally pull up to the Melkam....just very strange how we never really knew who we were with or where we were going....but we made it. Anyway, back at the Melkam just in time for a much needed nap which we didnt get because Annsleigh was now wide awake.....and again soaked thru her diaper, outfit and sling. We got picked back up at about 2PM so we could go back to the HOH to take pictures of 2 babys for some waiting families back home and to take our donations there. We get close to the HOH and our van cannot get closer to the HOH because there are big fuel trucks parked all in that road and one truck just parked in the middle of it all. We sat in the van for awhile and finally we are told to just get out and walk. By now, civilians have congregated around the van. So we get out and have to walk about 1/2 block & Im shielding my baby from the coughing people around there. The stench was horrible too...When we got to the HOH Annsleigh was asleep in her sling again which I was grateful for because I thought at least none of the nanny's would be able to take her from me. Well, we asked to see the crib she slept in & the nannys prepared the crib next to it so she could lay down. After they went thru all that trouble, I hated to not oblige so I reluctantly laid her down. She stayed asleep & we left the room. We went a few doors down and took pics and videos of both babys. I knew how precious these pics and videos would be for the 2 families back home. That was all we lived for when we were in their shoes. When we were done taking pics, we went out the door onto the walkway upstairs and there Annsleigh was....in her nurses arms, all dressed up in a little traditional Ethiopian dress complete with head wrap. How precious was that? And I asked her to show me how to do the wrap. Now I felt bad for not letting Annsleigh's nurse just hold her as much as she wanted. I have the rest of my life with Annsleigh. and she had to let go....well, this time Annsleigh did not really cry when she left the nurse to come to me. We then were ready to go, but we were told our ride was still out down the street corner so the driver walked us to the corner. I did not like walking out there with my baby....too many people loitering, coughing, hacking, peeing....I would try to walk around & away from the crowd. We get to the corner & our van is not there, but bouncing up the road to the corner...full of the other families who are going to the HOH also for some reason.....so...we go walk back to the HOH & everyone gets out of the van & we just have to wait around until everyone is ready to leave....Kinda confusing....kinda tiring....Anway finally we leave and on the way back to the Melkam the van stopped at a grocery store for more formula & cereal so we can replace what the HOH gave us. By the way on the very first day you pick up your baby, the van can take you to the corner grocery for formula/diapers/bottled water. And if you stay at the Melkam, it is in what they say is a good neighborhood although you wouldnt know it by looking, and one day Brad & a couple of dads walked to the grocery around the corner from the Melkam to get more water and formula. Brad said it was fine...he felt very safe...no one harassed them (beggars) & the grocery store folks were very helpful. We got back to the Melkam once again exhausted and once again Annsleigh soaked thru those Ethiopian disposable diapers. Tonight we had to try everything to get her to sleep, even dancing. Sucking on the empty bottle worked. We slelpt wrestless again....End of day 6

Our Trip To Ethiopia Day 5 - Wednesday

• On the grounds of the Ethnic Museum
  Outside the Ethnic Museum
  
  
  
  Annsleighs favorite spot.....asleep in the sling :)
  
  

  
  Annsleighs favorite spot when awake.... caught digging in the food suitcase :)
  
  
  

  We got up this AM in our best dressed clothes for our Visa appointment. Brad wore Khakis and a nice button up shirt and I wore a long black and white skirt and black sweater. White sandals. We were still exhausted but adrenaline kept us going. We rode the bumpy van but it wasnt too long of a ride. The Embassy is a very unimpressive building. We were prodded along to all sit outside on rows of benches under a canopy. I remember thinking that I never read about this....maybe we dont have to sit in the hot stuffy room I had read about. They were taking in a few families at a time to go thru a security check point. Ahhhh! Thats what this line is about.....just to get in the building. It didnt take long for our turn and really all of our agency peoples turns to get security checked. You have to leave your cell phone there and any cameras. We went thru that area and did not know where we were going after that....they just pointed like we should know....we came to the end of that hall where there was an open door to the outside....& finally saw a very small arrow pointing to another little building.....so....you have to walk outside across a small area to the next building. Ok, this is where the long wait is... I recognized it by the descriptions reading other family's blogs...Not enough seats for everyone....dimly lit...hot room....We waited for about 1 1/2 hours. Annsleigh was a very good girl as she was making friends with everyone we sat around once a seat opened up. A little social butterfly! It really did not seem too long a wait as we talked with other families. Then they started the CHI agency group. Almost seemed like our large group skipped line...but finally our name was called. We went up the stairs to the window which is where you conduct your appointment. The lady in the window sounded and looked American. Was friendly enough. The entire time, CHI agency folk was right behind us to help answer any questions we stumbled over. But they prepared us well the day before, I must say..all was well as she thumbed thru the papers. She asked us all the questions we were prepared to answer....then the big hiccup!!! She looks at the papers and shuffles them around and says. "Oh wait just one minute!......." as she is flipping thru all the papers. Brad & I are sick to our stomachs....."Hold on...hold on..." she says... WHAT DOES SHE MEAN HOLD ON WAIT A MINUTE...EVERYTHING SHOULD BE IN ORDER!!!!!! NOW WHAT?!?! She says..."When was this child referred to you?" March 30 we said.... So she starts counting up on her fingers then says...."Oh thank God! I first read your request as for a child 0 - 6 years. Then saw it said 0 - 6 months and thought she was surely out of the range for age of child you requested. But she made it just by a biscuit!" I said yes, she was 5 1/2 months old when we got her referral. SHEW! That was a nervous moment. But all was well. And I dont know what would have happened if they did find some loophole....this was the baby we were taking home and thats all there was to that! After a BIG sigh of relief, we were free to go. Her passport should be ready by Friday AM. We went outside to get some fresh air because everyone has to wait for the entire group to be done before we all leave. We thought this was a perfect chance to change a very soggy diaper. But the only spot we saw was outside on this shelf like thing and another baby was getting changed. So we waited....then all of a sudden no time for that! Everyone in the group was finished with their appointments so it was time to leave and leave quickly for some reason. We were once again correlled along the way into the crowded van with one very soggy diaper. On the way back to the Melkam we made a pit stop off at the HOH (not sure why). Annsleigh's nurse comes up to the van and sees Annsleigh. She comes up to the van with a care package for her.....another beautiful traditional Ethiopian dress and wrap....and her name and email address.....that was so sweet. How touching. This nurse really does love our baby....I must find a way to send her pics of our Annsleigh in this dress.....Anyway, then off we go....to the Melkam. Got there with another soaked thru outfit on Annsleigh. As soon as we got there and chaged her we went to the kitchen to make lunch. I should have known better, but I carried Annsleigh down to the kitchen in a diaper only.They had the back door open and it felt so good. Not cold, not hot. Well, the sweet lady that cooks and cleans at the Melkam very very kindly looked at Annsleigh, rubbed her arm smiled at me and nodded and said..."It is cold..." I had read about how they do like to bundle their babys and I really should have know. So, I respectfully marched right back up the stairs and put some clothes on Annsleigh and went back down. Then we emailed our travel agent to try to change our return flight tickets so we can come home earlier!!! YAY!!! Cannot wait to see our 6 year old boy at home!....Cannot wait to get all settled at home!....We have to wait on a response....At about 2:30PM we got picked up at the Melkam so we could visit the Ethnic Museum. It is very beautiful...This was the only time during our entire trip where the electicity was out. But not for long. It soon came back on and we saw the entire museum. We thought we were then headed back to the Melkam but instead headed to the Hilton so some folks could use the internet cafe there. By the way, internet is free at the Melkam....it is dial up...but it was sufficient. We got to the Hilton....it is gorgeous. Wish we could stay there and have our baby stay with us. We are not allowed to stay in the public hotels with our newly adopted babys because the towns people do not like seeing "their babies" being adopted out, supposedly. Anyway, probably too expensive anyway. We went ahead and paid to use the internet at the Hilton and never even got on...we got a rain check to use the next time we came...but we never went back....and no one else needed it. So...finally back to the Melkam...Once again Annsleigh fell asleep in the sling in the van so when we got back to the room we learned that Annsleigh fights sleep when over tired and then gets just plain hyper. We also began to believe that all the excursions and pick up times were babys nap times. Made it for really messed up days and we were beyond exhausted. Again, when bedtime came we quickly fell asleep when she did, but for some reason after 3 hours Brad and I could not sleep. Still tired, but unable to sleep. What in the world? Then, laying long enough we finally fall back asleep just in time for the rooster to crow....end of day 5......
  
  

Our Trip To Ethiopia Day 4 - Tuesday

This sling was perfect for us!

Little miss busy body

Just pure sweetness..

A 10 second power nap

This morning we went back to the HOH, the agency run place Annsleigh has been living at for the last 6 months. We went there so we could review important paperwork for our visa appointment which had been moved up a day! YAY! I put Annsleigh in her sprout pouch sling for the first time. She loves it & falls asleep in it. I have got to recommend some kind of sling or pouch to hold the little ones. It is so much easier to hold onto her in the bumpy brakeslamming van rides. One time, out of the sling, her little head bumped into the railing in front of us when in the first row of van seats, even as I tried my best to hold tight to her. The slings as also great for the excursions and museum trips later. They do like to be held and with it, both of my arms were free to pull up and climb into the vans and squeeze into them, as well as get out of them with a baby. My muscles were sore by the time we came home from this exercise. Anyway, when we got to the HOH, Annsleighs nurse came up to her again....Annsleigh reached for her but this time I did not let her hold her. I felt like it really confused Annsleigh, plus made me sad...Once again, as soon as we got out of the van at the HOH all the older children come up smiling and giving hugs and kisses. I cannot wait for all of them to go to their new homes...HOH is wonderful, dont get me wrong....they do love the children and all the adults know all the childrens names and likes and dislikes and personalities, but it is still an orphanage.....older ones especially look like they are in ragged clothes. The older kids just stand around outside. There is a heap of bikes piled up in the corner....one of the parents ask if they can ride them. They say yes.....we pull them out and all the kids start playing. Just seemed like the workers there dont try to engage the kids in any kind of play or even encourage it. Those bikes were piled up for a while. Anyway, all this observance occurred while all us parents just stood around wondering what to do. Then we were led upstairs so we could sit or whatever until it was our turn to go over paperwork....finally our turn comes. We reviewed our I-600 and I-864 papers and income tax forms. We are told how to fill in the sections that pertained to Annsleigh and did so. Then we were told verbatum how to answer questions that would come up tomorrow at the visa appointment. 1. What happened to birth parents.....mother relenquished due to no income...father unknown.....2. Was this the child referred to you?.....yes.......3. Have you had any personal contact with this child prior to this trip?...no....4. Do you plan on visiting birth parents?....yes....then we will be told we can have no further contact with birth parents and no gifts given. Thats it! Ok....easy enough. Everyone gets asked the same thing...Cool.... After this, Brad and I were exhausted and went back to the Melkam Guest House and rested as Annsleigh would have it.:) She fell asleep in the sling again while in the van..We skipped the excursion to the National Museum as it looked like we all could get in a good nap....or so it seemed. Annsleigh woke up wired and bouncing off the walls! She takes like 10 min power naps ready and raring to go go go!!!! She unpacked all our bags and tried to tear down the headboards as Brad and I were zombies laying around the room....We discovered she likes those little banana puffs I happened to bring along despite hearing from other families that these kids this age dont know what to do with little cheerio bites....YAY! Glad I brought them. She wanted to take them herself (she has a pincer grasp.....YAY!) but I took over and told her to let momma do it now. She also likes to hold her own bottle...but the same thing....I told her to let momma do it now. She is non stop eating these banana puffs. Hilarious! Sticks her tongue way out to catch one off my finger....She is extremely busy when she is awake...never still & silly too. When she poots, she smiles and scrunches her nose! She finally fell asleep when it was too late for a nap 7:00PMish. Its very hard to learn what your toddler like baby wants and needs to go to sleep. She fights it and fights it. The HOH staff do not tell you anything about your baby and her likes/dislikes or routine at all. Does she like to rock? Pat the back? Go to bed with a bottle? Just lay down? Seems like they could give a little info on the routine. This was very hard for us. We fell asleep also when she did and knew it was gonna be hard when she woke back up. And she did...up at 11:00PM. She is quite cute when she wakes up.....she sits straight up with eyes clothes and swaggers back and forth and flops back over a few times before she actually wakes up. She always wakes up smiling...which is fabulous :) But it was very very difficult now to get her back down. We gave her a bottle and she sucked it dry. The only way we could get her down this time was with her laying down on the bed while we held the bottle and she sucked it empty.... something we really wish we brought but didnt because supposedly these kids dont use pacifiers, dont have pacifiers and dont know what to do with pacifiers...was A PACIFIER!!! And they dont sell them here. We just had to take the nipple off the bottle and let her suck on the plain nipple.....BAD BAD BAD! As far as all American standards go and my better nursing judgement.... but we had no choice. Finally after much fretting and rubbing her eyes and ears....she went out....and so did we....end of day 4. Whew!

Our Trip To Ethiopia Day 3 Part 2

Court yard/driveway at HOH where kids play

View from second floor HOH

My first pic with Annsleigh

Brad's first pic with Annsleigh

Finally! A nap in our room!

Finally we get to the HOH. It is not in a good area...and the picture in the CHI booklet is very very deceiving.... there are no signs up front to let you know you are there.... there are big trucks parked all along this small road. And if you want to call it a road....it is dirt and holes. Very very bumpy. Men urinating freely outside the gates of the HOH. Well, the gates open and in we go..... When you drive in there is baby laundry drying on the lines above the concrete driveway. That is also the only place the older children play. A concrete courtyard so to speak. There is a metal merrygoround type of playground toy on the right but it always has laundry drying on it. As soon as you get out of the van the older children come up to you smiling and hugging you and they just dont want to let go. I just want to bring them all home, except for the fact that fortunately I am sure all these children have waiting families or will soon. They are precious. One little boy about 2 was playing with a yoyo and doing tricks like walk the dog with it. He taught me how to do that! He must play with that thing all day long. Anyway.... We are led to the stairway and Almaz, a familiar face from the CHI booklet, stands at the top of the stairs. I hug her. She leads us up to the upstairs room on the left corner & tells us she will go get Tihune. I am emotional & nervous. Will we recognize her? ( In some of her pics other families took for us it did not really look like her so you cant help but wonder this)...Will she cry? Will she like us? When we get into the room where you wait to receive your baby there are already 2 families in there united with their babies. Jorga and Clint have baby Ruths sitting on a blanket on the floor playing with her. So glad to see her sitting up!!! Rachel and David have Jacob and he is glued to his new momma. How precious! Then we see Almaz pass by the window carrying a baby!!! Is that Annsleigh???? As soon as she walked in with her that was all she wrote! There is no doubt that precious buttercup was our Annsleigh! They had her all dolled up in a bright buttercup yellow jumper dress and even a yellow headband!.....Boy, she is GORGEOUS!!!!! Brad did grab her first simply because he is taller than me and could reach her......but he kissed her cheek and had her just long enough to hand her to me.......we both held her and teared up....she didnt even cry....but we did...She is not crying!!! We were told she is very serious and leary to go to others. We dont see that. We spent the next 1 1/2 hours in that room playing with her...amazed at her abilities.....this child being in an orphanage that long and she is not the least developmentally delayed...This is what we learned about Annsleigh in the first hour together......random.....She is amazing! She smiles alot! She scrunches her nose up somethimes when she does a silly smile! She giggled for us! She can crawl! She can stand all by herself! She has 2 teeth! She pooped and I changed her! She needs to hold on to something while we change because she is busy!!! She is perfectly normal "down there". (No FGM thank God). She babbles alot! She is so animated! She is busy....active like a toddler...Then Almaz gave us a can of Promil formula and a box of wheat/milk cereal and a box of honey/wheat cereal. All the instruction we got was feed a bottle every 3 hours and cereal at 9 AM/ cereal at 6 PM. Thats it?!?!? For an 11 month old!!!???!!? Wow!She has some eating to catch up on!!! We just missed her 3PM bottle :( Oh well, by this time, there was another family there united with their 2 beautiful new daughters aged about 7 and 10 maybe. We were all given the choice of leaving to go on a city tour. One family went...the rest of us stayed so we could bond with our babies.. We couldnt keep our eyes off of Annsleigh. She is sooooo healthy. We kiss those cheeks and lips! Annsleighs nurse came up to her and reached for her. Annsleigh cried for her and went to her. Her nurse hugged her and hugged her and cried holding her. When I reached for Annsleigh she did not want me. This was hard to take. I took her anyway and the nurse let go.... I saw how much they loved each other, but now it was my turn....her nurse asked if we would be back tomorrow... I said yes.... and she left. As soon as the city tour returned with the folks that went, we loaded up in the van to take Annsleigh with us to the Melkam. Unbelieveable....no crying....and she fell asleep on my shoulder on the way. I teared up holding her as there were beggars coming up to the van windows, some already familiar to us....When we got back to the room I carried Annsleigh upstairs....my heart was racing and I was winded....oh....that was the altitude change I read about. I laid her down on the bed & she napped. I took pics of her and watched her sleep & we phoned home with the good news that she was in our arms safe & sound & healthy! She she woke, we bathed her, fed her and us and went to bed. She felt asleep very easy this first night with a bottle.....Now.....at night.....Addis sounds like any big city....car alarms....sirens...bar music from 10:30PM - 1:30AM, dogs barking, cats fighting....airplanes over head....this was the noise at night at the Melkam....then....before daybreak....rooster crows and prayerful chanting....Annsleigh awakes....but that is the beginning of day 4!