Back to Ethiopia - Part 2

So, the first day we had Abe he was really, really sick. Runny nose, chest cough, glassy eyes...we took his temperature and found he had a 101.5 fever, so we immediately began dosing him with children's Tylenol and Benadryl. This all explained his overall lack of personality. Of course he was a little scared and having to get used to being with just us in a totally new place, but he really wasn't expressing much of anything that first day. However, after having the medicine in him for a good 24 hours, everything changed!

The first night we had him we tried to feed him and he wouldn't take anything from us. We were getting a little bit worried...especially knowing that we had a few more days before we would be home and he was sick. That night he slept super soundly - although his breathing was really labored. He slept in his crib for most of the night, but we put him in bed with us finally because we were worried about him. It took me awhile to go to sleep - jetlag, and I'm a super light sleeper - so I spent a long time praying over him that night. I cannot tell you the closeness Ben and I have both felt to the Lord and to each other since getting Abe. Something about raising and caring for a child that draws you to the Father and to your spouse. I love it. We've said this was the hardest week of our lives but with the best results - our son, and closeness. Abe slept really well and we could tell he was feeling better the next day.

He ate from us on Thursday! Total turn-around. He still didn't have tons of personality, but as soon as I opened the curtains in our hotel room he pointed outside and began to chatter away in his little language. That was so good to see! We found that he really loved some of the toys we brought him, so at least we could tell he was settling in and was happy. He had his first poopy diaper this morning too. I include this bit of information for those of you who know me and my INCREDIBLY SENSITIVE GAG REFLEX well. All I can say is praise the Lord for my husband! He had to take the reins while I held out wipes and the odor masking bag (HA!) to wrap his diaper in. The minute he opened that dirty diaper I began to gag in about 3-4 second intervals. It was so hilarious to me that I began to laugh uncontrollably at the same time, which then caused tears. Ben was also CRACKING UP! Poor Abe...he had no idea what was going on! We finally got through it though. That boy has some STINKY DIAPERS!!!

This was the day of our Embassy interview, so we had a little bit more of a schedule that morning. After playtime and breakfast, we all started to get ready. We changed Abe, and put him in a red polo and some khaki pants and we were all packed and ready to go. Then....he completely wet his diaper and soaked his pants. Really? (I know, I know, many of you parents out there are just laughing...this is only the beginning.) Thankfully I had packed 1 extra pair of "nice" pants. Whew.

Off to the Embassy. We were a little later than we had hoped to be because of that last minute diaper change and needing to print something off in the business center, but we still arrived about 15 minutes early. They give pretty much everyone a 1pm appointment time. The earlier you get there, the lower your number is and the sooner you actually have your appointment. We got to the front of the US Embassy and there was a security guard there asking for our passports. So, no big deal, our passports are always right where we keep them. Uh....not this time. I could NOT find my passport and was FREAKING OUT! This caused quite a bit of stress over the next few hours as we were leaving for the US the next day!!! Thank goodness we were at the US Embassy! The guard accepted my Drivers License instead - praise Jesus!!! We got in, got our #, and sat down to wait. The Embassy basically has a big waiting room and these little booths with windows all lined out across the front of the room. Kind of like what you might see at a DMV or something. They had Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz on the TV...ha. America. We sat and waited for awhile and saw a couple of the other families from our Frankfurt to Addis flight come in with their brand new kids. So neat! Then we smelled it....oh, can this boy poop! It was Mommy's turn to change his diaper - and my first time all by myself. And if you read about our first experience earlier, you can imagine my FEAR AND DREAD. We did pretty well though. Mommy has learned to take big breaths and hold them while changing Abe's diapers. Whatever works, people.

A couple of minutes after we changed Abe, our name was called. We walked up to our booth and were SO happy to see Americans and hear their wonderful accents!!! :) They were really nice, and the whole process was super easy and smooth. They basically have you raise your right hand and swear that the information you've provided is true. Then they ask you a few questions and give you information about your case. We found out we should have received some pertinent information after our court date...we'll be discussing this with our agency. :/ They explained a little of why our case was delayed - inconsistencies in the mom's testimony at court and at the Embassy (she's super young). They still had some qualms, but not enough to keep our case from proceeding...and there's no way to reverse an Ethiopian court decision anyway. So, they said we should receive all of these documents that we were missing a couple of weeks after we arrive home. And those will help us understand a little more of why things took so long. We should get some more of Abe's history as well.

It was so good to be done with everything! Abe was finally and officially ours! We got back to the hotel room and FOUND MY PASSPORT! (It was in my coat pocket.) Then we took Abe for his first stroller ride around the grounds of our hotel. He didn't really perk up at all and was getting pretty cranky...we had started to see his "2 year old" come out this day. We were both kind of struggling through this - we just didn't expect him to feel comfortable enough with us this first week to hit and throw. That wasn't his personality back in July. He would just shut down when he was scared or upset. The whole thing was becoming very real and we both just needed to be honest with each other, allow ourselves to feel & process this whole thing. Everyone has since told us this is very natural for new parents no matter the situation, and that it's a good thing. So, there you have it. We were pretty discouraged heading back up to our hotel room - we just couldn't seem to get him to perk up. When we got back we thought we'd log on to Skype and see if our families were up. Ben just happened to put Abe in his lap and turn on some music, and that was all it took. Almost immediately his personality came out - he smiled really big, began talking, and bobbing his head to the music. The rest of the night was super fun! We played and laughed...it was really good. So, we found the key to unlocking him! MUSIC!


We were so thankful to the Lord for providing for us on Thursday - finding my passport, clearing us at the US Embassy, and bringing Abe out of his funk. We truly have seen Him go before us through this entire process. He is such a good God.