Lepers made our comforter

Today Margo made our bed with the comforter we bought in Ethiopia. It came from the A.L.E.R.T. hospital, and was hand-made by some patients who had leprosy. They say smell is the strongest sense, that it carries memories attached to them for the longest. Margo could smell Ethiopia on the comforter...I'm not sure exactly what it was she smelled. Maybe incense or something. I had trouble smelling it. I was kinda scared that it may have some kind of microscopic bed bug living in it that we carried back with us. But I think we'll be ok. We're used to a big down comforter, so we'll see how cold we get tonight.

On a famous note, the last video we posted of Deacon playing has nearly 2,500 views on YouTube. Now, it is not uncommon for a popular video to be viewed over 1 million times, so we're small potatoes compared to that. But I still think it's not bad for only being up 2 days. Half of those views are probably our parents.

Ethiopia - Day 9, coffee ceremony

We met at the Gladney care center this morning for a coffee ceremony. One of the care-givers prepared some coffee for us...roasted the beans, and brewed it up.



















We also got to see the music school that Deacon was found outside.

Ethiopia - Day 8, conclusion

We finished our day at an authentic Ethiopian restaurant [Fasika] with live Ethiopian music and dancing. You can also see some of the entertainment. I would describe traditional Ethiopian dancing as trying to unhinge every joint in your body simultaneously. And the food. I think this was what messed me up the most during our time there. Yes, I know what it looks like. You grab a piece of the bread [injera], and scoop up some of the meat/sauce/veggie stuff and eat it. Not the most tasty stuff, but we tried it. This led to the consumption of pepto later.

Ethiopia - headed home

I'm blogging from the business center at the Hilton in Addis Ababa. This is just a quick post to say we'll be on our way home soon. Our flight leaves at 10:30 pm tonight [Thursday] and we'll be back in DFW around 6 pm Friday.

I'll be sure to post some pics from the last couple of days events. We have had a great time, and appreciate each of your comments and participation in the blog. Having this blog has made the whole adoption experience even richer, and connected us with many people who are/have gone down the same road.

Ethiopia - Day 8, entoto

It is hard to believe our trip is almost over. It has really flown by. Tomorrow we head to the U.S. Embassy for the last time to do our final interview. And Thursday we will be leaving.

This morning we traveled up Entoto mountain, all 10,000 feet of it. It was a little chilly up there, but the view of all Addis Ababa was incredible. Here is a pic of the family at the top.

This evening we are going to a traditional Ethiopian dinner that includes some dancing.

Ethiopia - Day 7, lucy & alert hospital

This morning we went to the National Museum of Ethiopia that contains "Lucy" and many other important archeological/anthropological finds. The museum also has Ethiopian art on display. It was a great way to learn more about the culture which Deacon is from.

In the afternoon we traveled to the Alert Hospital. This is the only hospital/center in Africa for the treatment of leprosy. If caught early enough, the doctors have a very successful way of treating it. The lepers work full time creating hand-made goods, which we are taking home as souvenirs. One of the things we got is a bed spread that they made. We actually got to observe them working at the looms.

As usual, Deacon is a hit wherever he goes. All the local people love to wave and talk to him. Even people in the cars passing by wave at him. Everyone likes to kiss his hands and make him smile. And he has no problem with all the attention.

Ethiopia - Day 6, church & crater lake

Today Deacon experienced his very first church service! It was very cool that it got to be in Addis Ababa. We went to a small Ethiopian Church of Christ service. The singing was lively and the preaching was good. Everything was said/sung in both Amharic & English. This is a pic of Deacon with the preacher. We were welcomed very warmly and we could tell everyone enjoyed having us there.

It was also Mother's Day [Margo's first]. So we took some Mother's Day pics for Margo:

This evening we went to the restaurant Dream Land at Crater Lake. It is a lake created by a volcano explosion a long time ago. It was very beautiful:

There really is no need to explain this last picture:

Ethiopia - Day 5, shopping

Today we hit all the major tourist spots to buy souvenirs. We spent a good deal of money and got some really neat stuff to take home. One of the things we did was buy some extra toys for Deacon that we will save and give to him on future birthdays. So for the next few years, he'll get a present from his homeland.

Tomorrow we plan to attend an Ethiopian church service. Here are some more pics of Deacon:

Ethiopia - Day 4, orphanages

Deacon slept much better the 2nd night. We fed him more during the day, and wore him out keeping him busy. He only woke up once at around 4 am to be fed. It turns out the Gladney home had already been feeding Deacon some rice cereal. But all we brought was formula, so his stomach probably feels a little emptier than usual.

Today was mostly spent visiting 3 different orphanages in Addis Ababa. According to Ryan there are 18 U.S. adoption agencies working in Ethiopia, and 40 total [including other countries]. There were a lot of kids at the first orphanage, and one of the Gladney families was picking up there son there today. He was about 7 years old, and was excited about joining a family in the U.S. All the kids went crazy when the digital cameras came out.

The second one we visited was where Silas Bottomly lived for a short time. There were fewer kids at this one. They were all very well behaved and enjoyed having us as visitors.

After lunch we went to the orphanage where Deacon stayed from about 1 month to 6 months of age. There were a lot of kids at this one, and some older kids as well. Deacon was quite the ladies man when he was there, and all of them remembered him. One young lady picked him up and carried him around the whole time we were there.

For dinner we ate at a neat art gallery called "Kamush." By far, the highlight of the day occured there. Margo had dressed Deacon in a shirt that said "Automatic Sprinkler." That shirt came true at dinner. Margo was changing him at the table before the food came [which is cool in Ethiopia], and sure enough, he sprung a leak on her leg. It's her own fault for putting him in that shirt.

48 hours with Deacon

After a little over 48 hours living with Deacon, here is what we have learned about him so far:

• he is a laid-back, happy baby


• he giggles more for Margo than me


• he likes to put EVERYTHING in his mouth [place mats, our fingers, his hands, his feet, his toys, etc.]


• he likes to kick his feet when he is having a good time


• he likes to talk/make noise, but only cries when he wants to be held/fed/changed


• he likes to be in the baby bjorn

UPDATED

• the poor little guy was sick the previous week and had been to the doctor and was taking some medicine. He actually has no problem drinking his medicine from the little cup [no dropper needed!]

Ethiopia - Day 3, top view

The first night with Deacon was not too bad. We put him down at 8 pm. He woke up at midnight and we fed him. He woke up again at 4 am and I put him back to sleep. I think he was a little scared the first night. And we think we didn't feed him enough. He was up again at 6:30 ish for another bottle.

So after a restless night, we weren't in the best frame of mind to start the day. Today started with going to the clinic for Deacon's last check up. The doc gave him a look and said everything looked good.

Next we went to the US Embassy to turn in some final paperwork and get a blood sample drawn for Deacon [one last HIV test I think?]. The poor guy. They stuck him real good, and he could be heard throughout the building screaming. He got over it after a bottle though.

Once all that was done we went to Top View Restaurant for lunch. It is on the side of a mountain, hence the name, and you can get a great view of the whole city from there. Here are a few of the pics:

meeting deacon video

Ethiopia - Day 2, meeting Deacon

We were on our way to the orphanage to meet Deacon at 9:00 am this morning. Here was our first encounter:








































After that we had lunch with the Bottomlys and the Browns [our first dining with child experience] and now we're back at the Hilton resting.

Deacon is a very relaxed and chilled out baby. He has done a minimal amount of fussing and already had a bottle and a nap. I think he's going to be a very good fit for us.

Ethiopia, Day 1 - Travel

We're here! We made it, finally. It is currently about 10:30 pm in Addis Ababa, and we are getting ready to turn in. Tomorrow we meet our son! We'll be leaving to meet him at about 9:00 am.

This was a long day. We left DFW around 11:30 am. Got to DC about 3 hours later. Then we killed some time while we waited for our flight to leave at 8:00 pm.

Then we were on a plane. Forever. That has been the worst part so far, that long flight. I still can feel/hear the roar of the jet in my body, and it also still feels like I'm going very fast at a very high alltitude.

We ate 3 meals on the plane. Dinner after we left DC. Breakfast before we landed in Rome, Italy to refuel. Then lunch as we were crossing northern Africa on our way to here. The flight was about 8 hours from DC to Rome, then an hour lay over, then another 5 hours to Ethiopia. I was feeling like yuck after all that.

But we got off the plane quickly, got our Visa in about 20 minutes, then got our bags and met our guide. And now we're at the Hilton. We got room service, because Margo had missed that previous lunch on the plane [she was sleeping]. Toasted Ham & Cheese with Fries:















Now all I have to remember is not to drink the water. I kept my mouth closed during my shower, but when I brushed my teeth, I didn't even think of it. Just to be safe, I rinsed my mouth out with Coke after brushing.