Our first week home

Where does the time go? It feels like the days go so quickly sometimes. The girls are doing so well and yet it's been a bit of a challenge adjusting to our new lives. We're learning more and more about eachother every day.

The girls literally had no meltdowns in Ethiopia - I believe they call that the honeymoon period. They ate anything put in front of them. They went to sleep when we put them to bed (of course, we were in the same room). They did well on outings to a restaurant or two and a soccer match. They laughed, played, enjoyed their new clothes and toys, etc. I was thrilled as I had prepared myself for rejection and uneasiness on their part. They were very warm and loving. They close-to-equally attached to Daddy and Mommy.

On the trip home, which was by anyone's standards, grueling, they did fabulously. Jetu had two meltdowns on the plane - one when we landed in Rome to refuel and one when we were landing in DC. She was inconsolable - she doesn't do sleepy well. She is one of those pitiful wimpering, gagging cryers who can and will make herself throw up for effect. That was fun with the well-meaning Ethiopian passengers on board. At one point, I stood up with her and had an Ethiopian man on either side of me pulling her from my arms in an effort to assist. It doesn't feel like help when you're in the middle of it. It's also easier to tolerate and not take personally when you haven't been awake for 36 hours straight or something like that. In the end, we all survived. Of the 20 hours enroute, I really cannot complain about two 30-40 minute periods of meltdown by one child. Nebyat met a friend who was her age and wanted for us all to live together when we got to the States. She saved her meltdown for the Perkins Pancake House where we stopped to eat on the way home. She was upset because Mommy insisted she sit on the same side of the booth as Papa instead of on the side with Mommy. She put her head down, cried through the whole meal and had to be carried to the car where she was put into the carseat and cried for 15 more minutes before falling asleep for several hours.

Since our return home, we've had some, truly few, meltdowns, and they've let up again - it is clear things go better when everyone is properly rested. Sleep has been on again off again. A couple days ago the girls awoke at 4am and proceeded with the day, not taking a nap until 8 hours later. We've had middle of the night wake-ups and most of the time those have ended with one or more children in our bed or me in their bed. I am trying hard to keep them in their bed and going to them as necessary. They're only in their own room for the first time tonight as their beds had not come in until after we travelled to Ethiopia. They were in Wondemish's room in a queen bed the rest of the week. Wondemish is the ET word for brother and Wondemish was not here until today. Their meeting went pretty darn well; Jetu's a little leary of the big'un but Nebyat seems to appreciate his somewhat clumsy hugging and attention more.

Yesterday was a pretty hard day with the girls' first doctor appointment (4 HOURS!) - thank God Mommy and Daddy (or Apapa as the girls affectionately refer to him) could both attend. Things went fabulously with the meeting and exam; it was those pesky needles that did Nebyat in. I shouldn't have done it, but I didn't insist on someone else holding her down while they stabbed her in the legs 4 times with a multitude of vaccines. She took it very personally and would not let me touch her or comfort her for nearly an hour. She goes somewhere in those dark times and it scares me - I believe they call it detaching. It nearly broke me. She finally came around even as I was dreading what I knew was still to come - the horrible blood draw - they took at least 8 vials from each of my babies. Amazingly, she didn't even flinch when they stuck her for the blood draw - she seemed to be more interested than upset - the wonderful phlebotomist had a lot to do with that. She was very proud of herself for not crying, especially because Jetu didn't do as well. Jetu's veins were not as easily accessed and they had to go in at the top of the hand. She recovered from both the 3 vaccine shots and the blood draw much more quickly than Neb had from the shots. She actually laughed when they did the TB test and put the needle under her skin and administered the necessary liquid. Her feelings were clear later at bedtime though when she told me in Amharic that "Tomorrow, Mommy, no car trips..." We all had lunch at Chick-Fil-A which was a big hit all the way around with good doro (chicken), milkshakes, and a play area.

Another issue with Nebyat has been the lack of Injera (the primary sour pancake-like bread staple of Ethiopia). I ordered some online when I realized how important it was, but she was disappointed daily as I told her tomorrow or the day after. It finally arrived and it meant alot to her. The funniest thing was the Injera arrived and the beds were delivered at about the same time. She knew we had the Injera. She saw and pointed to one of the big boxes for the beds and asked Daddy, with huge eyes, "Daddy, Injera?" Believe me we have tons of Injera, but a box the size of a bed? A girl can dream, I guess.

I must close and hit the proverbial hay! Nights are the only things that seem to go faster than the days. Just one cute photo from the trip - the girls and their little "sisters" at the coffee ceremony on our last day in ET.