Sunday, October 24th....Out of Africa

we are home....jeff is snoring softly in our own bed again, and i'm sitting here, not sure how it is that i still feel wound and awake.  barely slept since we left on Sunday evening, yet here i sit.  my heart is so full....the flights were great (love Emirates!!!) and uneventful.  we came home to squeeze our kids, and that was wonderful.  missed them lots, and they looked bigger to me than when we left.  must be both grandma's good cooking.  hudson especially looked like he'd grown, and he seemed darker than i'd remembered!  layla and adam seemed fairer than i'd remembered! :)  all three were just as sweet however.

leaving africa was tough.  apart from missing our family, all four of us would have loved to stay longer.  i didn't have any major tears, but more just a heavy feeling of wishing we could start off together now, rather than later...not wanting to leave our little guy behind, and almost feeling guilty to be finishing the wait in the comforts of this amazing country we live in, while he continues on there in Ethiopia.  i know Alemayehu doesn't realize what he's missing, and for that i am grateful, but these children without forever families are lacking so much of the crucial security a family unit provides.  being in a transition home, orphanage, or institution isn't the same as having a family of your own....but this is a whole other post.  i have a hard time biting my tongue when i hear organizations insisting the best place for children is always their country of origin, even if it means growing up through childhood without a forever family to be loved and nurtured by....anyway, off on a little tangent there.....deep breath....

our last visit with Alemayehu was precious.  sunday morning we were picked up by the Imagine driver, a dear man named Solomon (another Solomon, common name i guess) and Hanna (the Imagine nurse).  two lovely people with such an obvious connection and love for the kids at the transition home.  Alemayehu was brought to us in a comfortable sitting room.  he was cautious, and somewhat reserved initially, but after a short time he was giggling again and smiling. 

he allowed us to touch him (so i stole lots of kisses and rubbed his back and head when i could....just wanted to touch him and scoop him up and soak it all in), but was reluctant to let us hold him yet.  we played with him for almost two hours, while the Imagine staff so graciously facilitated this time together.  Hanna (the nurse) initially stayed in the room with us until Alemayehu was comfortable, and then she quietly slipped away to give us family time.  we gave him a soccer ball (from the stash we brought from SEMC donations), some stickers, a battery operated toothbrush and a few other things, but the biggest hit was the soccer ball.  all the stickers went on the ball, he sat on the ball, bounced it to us, rolled it, etc...

Even when jeff was throwing him up in the air (jeff's trademark initiation of our children.  at least A.Z. wasn't a small baby like the others....) the ball was in his hand.  he loved the bubbles as well.  it was so special. 

at one point, near the end, he leaned into me with his arms out, and i didn't miss a beat and picked him up and he sat on my lap for about 10 seconds.  i got a few kisses and was grateful for the moment.  he made good eye contact throughout the visit, and seemed much more engaged with us as well.  all good signs.  hanna told us it was time for his lunch and we needed to say good-bye.  he was getting tired, and started to cry a bit when we left, probably much more a result of fatigue and an empty stomach than anything, but it was still hard to see his sad face.  we left and drove back to the KVI guesthouse, which was strange because i had no idea that we were less than five minutes away from him.  seemed weird, and sad, but okay. 

later that day we fit in one more excursion with the other family we'd traveled with and enjoyed so much.....I'm sooo hoping our second trip coincides with hers and that we can pick up our kids together. 

back at the guesthouse we took part in one last coffee ceremony, a most hospitable Ethiopian tradition, lovingly prepared by the wonderful staff at KVI.  it was memorable and felt very "full circle", as we'd sat on the same couches exactly one week prior when we arrived, full of wonder and anticipation of what we'd experience during our week in Africa...the guesthouse receptionists, cooks, gatekeeper and manager were so gracious and warm to us, and we can't wait to see them again when we return to Ethiopia. 

well, i better get some sleep, or try at least.  somehow i need to transition back into "school mode" tomorrow, and life as we know it here, and i have a feeling some sleep will help with that. 
so thankful for those who prayed for our family.  we sure felt completed "carried" through this step of the journey to Zake.....or Alemayehu, or A.J., or Alex...... :)
we'll keep you posted!
S.