We had been trying to prepare ourselves for the time change, and thankfully, arriving late at night worked out perfectly. By the time we reached our accommodations, we were more than ready for bed. We slept through the night and woke up the next morning feeling surprisingly normal.
Well, almost.
Eli had gotten up around 3:00 a.m. to use the bathroom and noticed that the power was out. When we woke up at 6:30, it was STILL out. Naturally, I assumed that meant we wouldn't have any hot water, so I washed my hair in the ice-cold sink, washed up with a few damp cloths, put my makeup on in the dark, and let my hair air-dry.
As I stood there trying to get ready, I couldn't help laughing about our trip to Congo. Remember the morning we were supposed to meet Addy, when I realized I'd forgotten my shampoo and then managed to blow up my blow dryer?! Apparently, getting ready to meet our children in Africa was destined to be an adventure in itself!
But I quickly reminded myself that none of it mattered. Not one bit. It didn't matter what my hair looked like or whether I smelled like I'd just spent 32 hours traveling. Because THIS was the day we had been waiting for.
The day we would FINALLY meet our boys!
We were about to drive across Addis Ababa to a small orphanage where our boys had been living for far too long. A place that had been such an important part of their lives and was about to become a very special part of ours. It would be the place where we received our first hugs, had our first conversations, and played our first game of cards. And believe me, that card game was VERY important!
We were fortunate enough to travel to the orphanage with another sweet couple who had already been in Ethiopia for a few days. They graciously offered to take pictures and videos of our first moments together, which was such a blessing. I had been praying that I wouldn't completely lose it and terrify the boys with their crazy, emotional new mom the very second they met me!
But despite being a crier, I barely had time to think about my emotions once we arrived.
The moment our van pulled up, we spotted the boys through the window. And as soon as we climbed out of the vehicle, they were right there to greet us!
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| The first hugs we'll never forget! |
I was SO nervous. I had no idea how they would react, what they would think of us, or whether they would be comfortable showing affection right away.
But there they were.
All smiles. Arms wide open.
Ready to greet us.
Those first moments happened so quickly that they hardly seemed real. I'm crying now just thinking back on them, but at the time, I was simply overwhelmed with happiness. I FINALLY had my BIG BOYS in my arms, and I couldn't wait to get to know them!
The rest of the day was absolutely wonderful. Within minutes of our arrival, the boys were playing soccer with Eli. Before long, they were running off and motioning for us to follow them as they eagerly began showing us around the orphanage.
Our first stop was the baby house, and OH MY, do those boys LOVE the babies! They ran around picking up as many little ones as they could, placing them in our arms and giggling with delight. There were so many precious little faces! From there, they took us to the toddler room, the schoolroom, and finally, their bedroom. They were clearly excited to show us every part of the place they knew so well.
Watching the bond develop between the boys and Eli was absolutely incredible. They wanted their new brother beside them every second and even fought over who got to spend time with him! The three of them played catch, enjoyed games together, and made their way around the orphanage so the boys could proudly introduce Eli to all their friends.
I was honestly surprised by just how outgoing D and N were with us. Before arriving, we had no idea what to expect. Would they be shy? Would it take time before they felt comfortable? Would they want to interact with us right away?
Well, those worries disappeared pretty quickly!
The boys were ready to play, talk, laugh, and show us everything. We played more soccer, visited an area behind the orphanage where women received training in hairstyling, weaving, and beadmaking, looked through hundreds of pictures and videos, played cards, chewed LOTS of gum, and asked one another what seemed like hundreds of questions.
They especially loved watching the videos I had brought on my phone. They couldn't get enough of Addy laughing hysterically, Eli sledding, or Ayla and Owen singing. It was so sweet to watch their faces light up as they saw their brothers and sisters back home. They already knew each sibling by name from the pictures we had sent and were clearly SO excited to meet them in person.
After about ten minutes, I quietly slipped into the schoolroom and found a chair near the back. I had been sitting there for only a couple of minutes when D glanced over his shoulder and noticed me.
Without a word, he stood up, made his way through the room, grabbed another chair, and pulled it up right beside mine. Then he put his arm around me and simply smiled.
Oh, my sweetness!
That was it. The tears started flowing like CRAZY!
It was such a simple moment, but I will never forget it. I had spent so much time dreaming about meeting our boys and wondering what those first interactions would be like. And there I was, sitting beside my son, with his arm around me and the sweetest smile on his face.
My heart could hardly contain it!
We were also able to share a special note from their "Auntie" Rachel, and a video from "Uncle" Ben. Their faces absolutely lit up when we told them we had met these special people in their lives and that Auntie Rachel had even stayed at our house—in their future bedroom!
It was especially precious to listen as each boy read the note Auntie Rachel had written to them. They carefully sounded out the words, and I loved seeing how much joy the message brought them.
And as though meeting our boys wasn't enough excitement for one day, I also ate my first injera (which I LOVED and Eli HATED!), picked my first coffee bean, and had my first Amharic lesson, courtesy of D!
What an incredible first day in Ethiopia. I can hardly wait to see what the rest of our time here will bring.
Up tomorrow...church and MORE time with our boys!!!!
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention something. Apparently, the hot water DOES work when the power is out. Bobby discovered this when he took a perfectly warm shower later that morning.
Needless to say, he got a pretty good laugh out of my ice-cold hair-washing adventure!
P.S. A little travel advice: Don't buy a brand-new computer and bring it all the way to Ethiopia, assuming it has a built-in microphone so you can Skype with your loved ones back home. You may find yourself even more out of luck than the woman who thought she had to take a cold shower!
This is simply amazing. I cannot wait for the next post!
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