April Showers (killing my flowers)

This is what we woke up to Thursday morning. Big sloppy snowflakes. You have GOT to be kidding me. Thank God sanity reigns and schools ran on time. By Saturday the sun was shining again and I had two little boys frolicking in their finery before heading off to the African Caribbean Club (ACC) Culture Night at WWU. We actually had outfits for all the boys, but Christian opted for the shirt and tie look (no complaints from me, that's one handsome boy I didn't photograph). As usual, that kid is just a rockstar at the ACC. He was really turning on the charm too. Giving Salome kisses on both cheeks, getting all kinds of lovin' from every lady in the room, and high fives from the young men. He gets more "that child is so handsome"s in three hours, than through the rest of the year. And if I had a nickel for every hair compliment, I could pay for his products! Ashi just soaks it all up, he's in heaven! Oh boy was he excited! He was telling us all day long how he was GOING TO DANCE ON THE STAGE! He was going to dance with Mulu (who cooks Ethiopian at the market). And when will it be MY turn to dance!?! Once the show started the chatter only amped up. A: "WHEN can I dance?" Me: You have to wait, everyone is taking turns. You can dance when the Ethiopians have their turn. A: Why do we have to take turns? Me: The stage can only hold so many people, there are too many to all dance together. A: No we can all dance. Look, the stage is really WIDE. When the time finally came, and as Ashi calls it the "Dance Party" started. All the Ethiopians come spilling out of the audience onto the stage. Some young adults come off the stage and scoop up Ashi, who suddenly is not so sure about it. He had the deer in the headlights look on his face the whole time. When he came back to me I asked him why he got so shy when it was his turn to dance. And he set me straight. "I didn't WANT to dance with the girls, I want to dance with THE DADS! (the men). Poor kid. Too many ladies, he better get used to it.

Today was Easter Eggs.

And soccer. These bad boys won 8 zip today, wahoo! They don't usually play on Sunday, it was a make-up for flooded fields last week.

Meanwhile the Littles went Dumpster Diving. Ahh, the things that fascinate three-year-olds Then just as things were winding down before bed, we heard the sickening thud of Springtime. A bird against glass. What do I find as I peer out the front window. These two fighting to the death. I couldn't pull the kids away. One of those suckers was MEAN too (he won BTW). Ashi was sure he was going to rip the head off his victim. Christian was banging on the window and throwing sticks trying to stop them. And I was dry heaving. It was awful! Now the kids are hatching plans for all the things they will do to that mean bird when they see him again. There will be water guns I am told.

Happiness is...

Yummy!

These Faces...

Oh I enjoyed seeing these faces together last weekend at the AGCI picnic. There were more, mostly much littler ones, but I squelched my inner paparazzi urges and left the little guys alone. Ashi and sweet Betty. I didn't get any that really show how beautiful this little lady is, so I'll include one from Ethiopia.

Those eyes!!

Betty melted me into a puddle. When her family arrived I called out hello to her, and she ran across the lawn to give me a big hug. I couldn't believe how well she remembered me and that she would be so happy to see us again (the feeling was totally mutual)! She told me she had brothers now, just like Ashi has a brother now. It was the sweetest thing ever.

Oh man... I just about jumped out of my skin when I saw this face! I didn't think I'd ever see it again, let alone right here! Ahhh, I was so happy to see him!

Together at Hannah's Hope.Rolling down the hill.

What's this? Ashi has located a stray shoe... It must be returned to it's rightful owner.And sealed with a kiss! I had my lousy point and shoot camera, so I totally missed the money shot. But that's Betty beaming right after Ashi planted a smooch right on her lips!

Bubbles!And a very fun spray park.

Ethiopia Part 4: The Final Leg

Friday

Since the rest of our travel group had slipped out Thursday evening, by Friday morning the hotel was almost eerily quiet. There was only one other couple in the whole hotel, a couple adopting through Holt. Yet the entire hotel staff was still there, only working a little less-hard. They work very long shifts, many 24hrs. So there are nap rooms where they can sleep when things are slow. When we came down for breakfast the cook had to be woken up (talk about feeling guilty!).

After breakfast we went to pick up Ashenafi. He had a hard time with the changes, after just getting settled at Hannah's Hope again, so we really couldn't stay and hang around. We went back to the hotel to play and basically kill time. After being sick, hauling Ashenafi up three flights of stairs was a killer. I had to stop at each half-flight to catch my breath (the altitude didn't help).

This is the view from the stairs. The women washing clothes in the yard of neighboring homes.

We were really feeling sad about missing out on the Ethiopian cultural dinner (Wednesday evening), because it was the only activity planned all week. Usually travel groups visit the golf course for lunch, the Italian restaurant (where the paintings are sold) and/or Kaldi's Coffee during the week. We had such a large group, and Almaz really is way to busy to play tour guide for us all week, that none of those outings occurred. So for lunch Friday Almaz had one of the guys drive us to Kaldi's (it is within walking distance, but we didn't want to walk around with Ashenafi). So for a late lunch we headed over there, hoping for some burgers I'd heard so much about.

Well Kaldi's really is the "Ethiopian Starbucks", it totally looks like a knock-off (and run-down) version. Unfortunately we only found pastries, gelato and coffee on the menu, so we settled for some lighter fare. Ashenafi was really good, eating the food we brought him and just hanging out. That is, until I had to use the bathroom. He was not happy about being left with Grandma, and as is the norm in Ethiopia, was quickly scooped up by the staff until I came back (after using the bucket o'water in the bathroom to flush the toilet).

After eating, Mom went to the supermarket across the street to buy some baby food for the trip home and I hung out in the shade with Ashenafi. Outside I noticed all the lovely burgers and fries everyone was ordering (and started feeling dumb for not just asking when we ordered- apparently there's an insiders menu). It seems like all the ex-pats, foreigners and wealthier English speaking Ethiopians frequent Kaldi's (which has a guard and gate at the entrance), we got talking to a nice man with a six-month old baby named Christian, who works for KLM airlines (the airline we were re-booked on). He told me Ashenafi was a lucky baby. I told him his son was the lucky baby, he realized I was right.

When Mom got back from the store she went inside and bought several kilos of cookies to take back to Hannah's Hope. When we brought the cookies back the little ones were inside sleeping and the really big kids were off at school, so it was a really quiet time. Almaz had us distribute the cookies around to the different groups and told us, "Everyone is happy now, that makes my life so easy." This woman is so amazing, it was such a joy to do anything that would make her life easier, she works supernaturally hard.

Back at the hotel for dinner we were able to get the kitchen staff to bring us injera and shiro (which is not on the menu) for Ashenafi. The employees all eat this for their meals (just like at Hannah's Hope), I think it is basically equivalent to bread and butter for us. It's the freebie "soup kitchen" meal in Ethiopia. But it was such a huge help! Ashenafi was super happy and ate well, but they wouldn't charge us for it.

That night as I listened to all the cars driving, dogs barking, roosters crowing (yes, even at night) and calls to prayer (starting at 4am and going continuously thereafter) I thought about how quiet it will be at home and worried how Ashenafi would be able to sleep. In Addis it is never quiet, and the buildings are really wide open to let the noise right in. I wish someone would record the night sounds in Addis on a ten-hour CD we could play for the kids at home. That would be gold!

Saturday
Our last day we were the only people in the hotel. The staff told us there wouldn't be any guests until the following Sunday, yet they would all be coming to work just the same! We basically lazed around, enjoying tea in our room and meals (after waking up the cook) where the staff entertained Ashenafi while we ate. It was really strange being alone in the hotel with all those people waiting on us (and napping). And then they wouldn't even let up pay for our last night's stay. When we settled the bill, our incidental charges (all our meals, a $22 phone call, and laundry every day) came to only $134 for the week! We left a good tip, the hotel staff was so nice and helpful.

We went over the Hannah's Hope to say goodbye after breakfast. Unfortunately it was Genet's day off and she wasn't there. I was so sad to not say goodbye to her, but we left Almaz with cash for the entire staff. When it was time to go, I went into the dayroom to say goodbye to all the kids. They were having their bible study time, but when I bent down with Ashenafi every single child came over and kissed him and told him goodbye. He LOVED it, but it was also so sad. Now that we're home I keep hearing from other families with older kids from Hannah's Hope that their kids love Ashenafi, it is so special how much these kids love each other. I wish we all lived closer together.

We had an early dinner (Travel tip #4019- the "cheeseburger" at the Union is actually a grilled cheese sandwich. Which is why they look at you funny when you ask for it to be well cooked, no pink) and headed to the airport at 7pm on Saturday night for our 11:30pm flight on KLM.

Going to the airport was actually a really cool drive, Saturday night in Addis Ababa is quite the sight. It looked like downtown Seattle when a sporting event gets out, people walking everywhere. Too many people to fit on the sidewalk. They were all out on the town, dressed up (a lot of Western clothing), neon and fluorescent lights, traffic, really happy relaxed people. It was totally different from all the other times we'd been out driving.

At the airport we ran into our friend from Kaldi's and went through check-in and security (twice actually) with plenty of time to burn. We explored the airport which had a lot of nice shops and was pretty interesting, we bought Ashenafi a second (third?) traditional outfit- much like the one Genet gave him. He fell asleep in the Ergo around 9:30.

On the plane they for some reason decided to feed us dinner at midnight. This really irritated me because I really wanted to sleep while Ashenafi slept, but they kept the lights on. We flew to Amsterdam, and Ashenafi slept all but the last two hours or so. He woke up to eat all of our eggs for breakfast and play a little.

Sunday

In Amsterdam we had a 7 hour layover. Unfortunately cousin Pauline couldn't come through security to visit with us (and Ashi's didn't have an entry visa to exit security). Luckily there was good food, a drugstore to buy more baby ibuprofen (that's' when we noticed the freshly cut molars), and great baby and kid amenities. After lunch, we settled into the "Baby Care lounge", where Ashenafi took a good nap and we had a lovely rest in one of the "Baby Pods".

This was so nice! A little crib in a private circular seating area, in a darkened room playing soft music. There were even changing tables, a baby washing sink and a microwave.

This put Ashenafi is a good mood for the last leg of the trip. We had a nice bulkhead seat (next to a neurotic Bulgarian/American family with another toddler) and after playing, eating and watching some movie I managed to get Ashenafi to sleep again for about 4-5 hours. He was such a good traveler until about the last 2 hours of our 23 hour trip. By then he started crying and was just plain ready to be done.

We landed in Seattle around 2:30pm on Sunday and had to be in the long-slow line for immigration. Ashenafi and I were the last ones out of immigration, where I was informed that inside the envelope (which I wasn't allowed to open- it was sealed at the embassy in Addis) there was no cover sheet- like it was my fault or something. I thought that was funny, since it was done at the embassy and I couldn't touch it. But then when you're that tired, strange things can seem funny.

We picked up our bags, went through customs quickly and took the tram to baggage claim ( to pick up our bags again). Coming up the escalator to baggage claim I saw Belinda with the camera, but not Christian. He was waiting at the top of the escalator, and sort of shyly gave me and Ashenafi a hug. I was SO HAPPY to see him! He was so cute, quietly looking at Ashenafi and gently touching his arm. It was precious. And Ashi started crying.

When we got to the car I figured Ashenafi would have a fit about being strapped in. But he took right to the car seat and enjoyed the scenery all the way home (with a stop to buy diapers).

Ethiopia Part 3: the good, the bad and the yucky.

Tuesday

We had our embassy appointment on Tuesday because Monday was a Muslim holiday (I want that job, they are closed for all American, Christian and Muslim holidays). We had to leave for our appointment at 2pm, so in the morning we went over first thing to visit and play. We stayed until lunchtime and went back to the hotel to eat. Ashenafi went down for his nap a little early so he could get a good rest. At 1:30 I went back over to pick him up. He was playing with 2 other kids and 3 caregivers in the dayroom. He had a good nap and was all dressed and ready to go.

Usually you have to bring clothing to change you child into when you pick them up, everything they have on them stays for the next child who will take their place. But Genet had very specially dressed Ashenafi in this Ethiopian outfit (complete with a long sleeved undershirt!) and was very clear that he needed to take it to America. Only his shoes stayed behind (she was disappointed I only brought Robeez, not tennis shoes, but I really didn't know what size to bring. I promised her he had tennis shoes in America, and then it was okay).

Most surprising of all, was that when Genet helped me strap Ashenafi into the Ergo to walk to the hotel he didn't even peep. We walked away pretty unceremoniously five minutes after I got there. We walked to the hotel and pretty soon we were all loading up into the vans. Ashenafi was quiet and just taking everything in. He stayed in the Ergo for the van ride and really enjoyed looking out the window the whole way.

Getting out of the vans at the embassy was uncomfortable. We were this parade of white people walking down the street with little Ethiopian children in tow. I think everyone in our group felt somewhat uncomfortable at that point, and very much under scrutiny. When we lined up to enter the embassy, I thought it was humorous how all of us were just these wide-eyed scared little people, and Almaz, the one non-American was having to coax us into our own embassy. You go through metal detectors and passport checks twice to enter, and they confiscate your cell phones, cameras and anything that might have a battery (why?? no idea) Apparently a matchbox car looks very intimidating, and they confiscated that too.

In the waiting room there is this really scuzzy looking play area where we sat with the older kids and rolled the ball around (sure would have been nice to have our little car too) for a while. But pretty soon Ashenafi had reached his limit and began screaming! It was just too much for him. My mom was sitting with Sunday, holding Elyse because Sunday was so sick. Casey was sitting outside, bothered by the altitude and feeling quite queasy. And I was pacing Ashenafi in and out, feeling quite sorry for everyone who had to listen to him scream, knowing screaming children don't help settle your stomach.

When our name was called to go upstairs Almaz took Ashenafi while I went to the window to complete the interview. The first question, "was this the child you were expecting?" Ha! Very funny embassy guy, yes I was completely expecting that screaming, purple faced, toddler. So there! And I'm taking him home with me. Nine of us went through without incident, but one family was unable to complete their paperwork. So we all loaded into the vans (and Ashenafi conked right out, nothing like a good scream to put you to sleep) and Almaz got right to work straightening out the last case- which was resolved quickly the following day, thank the Lord!

The rest of us went to the Union to eat dinner and call it a night. Ashenafi had spicy sauce on rice and veggies for dinner, and eat without incident. We went up to our room to play for a while and at 7pm I strapped him into the Ergo (offered a bottle of formula with NO success) and we went for a little stroll. The magic spot for us was hanging out downstairs by the lobby sinks. There's no sleeping guests to disturb and a big mirror to stand in front of and "rock" (standing up of course). About 5-10 minutes and he was out.

The little bed provided for him was way too small, so the little bed hog slept mostly with us. That first night he really only slept on top of me, so I didn't sleep much. And when he wasn't on my chest, he didn't leave much room for anyone else.

Wednesday

Wednesday was shopping day for about half our group and birth family meetings for the three older kids. Our meeting was at 11am, so we really took it easy all morning. We had a great time playing in the hotel room, looking out the windows (he's a big fan) and eating breakfast before heading over to play before our meeting. When we got there, Ashenafi had a little snack while his buddies had their "potty time" (can you see who's a little spoiled?). They were all lined up "doing their time" and he was sitting right in front of them getting fed on Genet's lap. "Suckers!"

Almaz wasn't very confident his dad would come to the meeting, so we were prepared for that. We pushed kids on the swings and were very popular! Then Ashenafi's dad arrived, and we went to the office to meet. Ashenafi didn't want to hang out with us, so he played with the kids until it was time to take some photos. Above you can see him with his "transition object", that Gertie ball was a lifesaver during our trip. It is about the only thing he was interested in. The other kids loved the toys I brought, Ashenafi only had eyes for his "quas".

We had a very nice meeting, and found out some very good information about Ashenafi and his family. We also got some photos and there is a chance we may be able to get a photo of his mother from the extended family. I am so glad AGCI works hard to have birth family meetings, I really think Ashenafi will be glad we have the information we do.

This is Ashenafi's bedroom window at Hannah's Hope.

Then we headed back to the hotel for lunch, a big plate of cooked carrots, potatoes and spinach (big mistake- cooked spinach should only be seen once) . That's when I got sick, Ashenafi started running a 104 degree fever (and cutting his top molars- to be discovered later). At one point my mom was out of the room, I was barfing in the bathroom and Ashenafi was screaming his head off on the bed when Sunday popped in to see how we were doing. Ashenafi didn't stop screaming for several hours (and Tylenol and Motrin) and finally I asked Mom to take him back to Genet because I couldn't even sit up (except to puke).

Thursday
The next 24 hours were filled with violent retching. I'll spare you the details, it wasn't pretty. Ashenafi spent Wednesday and Thursday nights at Hannah's Hope and I really don't think they believed us that he'd had a fever, because of course it was gone by then (we put him on antibiotics right away, the pediatrician suspected bronchitis). All of the babies came with what we lovingly called "orphanage cough", even the Holt babies at our hotel. So I really don't know what he had, but he still has a cough (three weeks later).

By Thursday afternoon all the other families were getting ready to fly home. Almaz came to the hotel to go over our immigration paperwork to say goodbye. At that point we wanted to go home so bad, but knew we couldn't travel home, let alone with a toddler to keep busy. We had our return trip changed to Saturday evening and laid low Thursday night.

What's cookin'

What is it about toddlers and "helping" in the kitchen? Ashi LOVES opening the cupboards and putting things away where he thinks they should go (which doesn't quite match where I think they should go). And of course he likes to "cook", it looks like stewed car keys today.

The most common question it seems everyone asks me lately is "what does he eat?" Well, that's an interesting question. THIS

is what he WANTS to eat. I've been making LOTS of shiro. Basically its a whole bunch of onions and tomatoes, jalapeno, shiro powder (spices and powdered red lentils), and berbere (a dark red mix of cayenne and other spices). I throw in more lentils (yellow and brown) for texture. Then we mush it up with injera or rice. Since coming home I've been mixing in about half/half shiro with other baby foods like meat/veggie dinners, sweet potatoes or green beans. At Hannah's Hope they usually ate this for lunch and dinner, with potatoes and injera mixed in.

His breakfast in Ethiopia was eggs blended with potatoes and carrots. Sometimes they had eggs with onions, tomatoes and berbere. They also ate bananas and oatmeal. For snacks they had bowls of milk with bread chunks in it between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner. And everytime they ate they ate a lot! I am totally underfeeding Ashenafi, he's probably eating about half as much right now. That will get better as he gets used to American food, but he's pretty reluctant.

Here he is enjoying some good 'ol American macaroni and cheese! He feeds himself pretty well, they let the kids self feed at the orphanage, but they also had to be fed because they really wanted to get a lot of food in them. We're doing pretty well with pasta at home, tomato or cheese sauces are going down good. Meat is a little trickier. He is not accustomed to the texture, but loves breakfast sausage (who doesn't?). Yesterday he had some rotisserie chicken, so we're getting there.
Fruits and veggies are not happening. He eats bananas like a mad man, but spits out applesauce, peach or pear chunks, and veggie pieces (but will teethe on a raw carrot). I'm mixing baby fruits into his morning oatmeal (a huge bowl of oatmeal), and baby veggies into his shiro, but we're no where near our five-a-day (unless you count all the tomatoes and onions). Thank God for Poly-vi-sol! He gets Ethiopian food at least once a day (usually lunch), and has to suffer through American grub the rest of the time. If it really doesn't seem like he ate enough, I mix rice cereal in his bedtime bottle and a squirt of vitamins.

Ethiopia Part 2: Meeting Ashenafi

Sunday

At 2pm on Sunday Almaz cam to our hotel to meet up with the three families that had already arrived. We had a very brief chat, and she told us that the only child that couldn't come back to the hotel today was Ashenafi (the other two were babies), but neither of the other families really had much enthusiasm about bringing their kids back (they had JUST gotten in, and it's a bit of a long trip, ya know?). So we headed over to meet the kids. Hannah's Hope is surprisingly close, like two blocks away. We rounded a corner and suddenly we were at THE GATE.
This picture pretty much sums up the first two days I spent with Ashenafi. That is Almaz putting candy in his mouth, while he cries at the site of me. The little boy you can see in the background was picked up by his parents the next day, it's pretty hard to find photos that aren't filled with kids I can't post, so just to be clear, that little guy is home already.

When we all arrived at Hannah's Hope, Almaz wanted Ashenafi to be brought out first. I don't know why exactly, maybe so the other parents would feel really good about their meetings with their kids... One of his special mothers brought him out, Saba, then proceeded to hold him and try to keep him from crying while I sat nearby.

After a little while I gave him a break and followed Sunday into the baby room to meet her little girl. Then we headed back to the hotel to pick up the toys we'd brought for the big kids, hoping Ashi would get more comfortable if he could just watch me for a while and not have to interact with me himself.

The big kids were so much fun. Over the week we spent almost the entire time with the bigger children, the toddlers are often with the older children, but never around the babies. They absolutely LOVED the Stomp Rockets and went crazy with them until they had to be put in "time out" on the roof of the guard shed. Mom and I sat near the toddlers and had our laps filled with little girls and tried to keep track of Ashenafi's car which kept walking off with sweet little boys. I was joking with Mom that there were 66 kids at Hannah's Hope, and 65 of them liked me :) The little girls were so cute, and it was impossible to give them enough attention, they all wanted to be picked up, hugged, kissed and swung around.

After a while I tracked down the toddlers, who had gone into the dayroom to play for a little while before dinner. At this point I think the other families had gone back to the hotel to rest. As you can see, Ashenafi is on the verge of tears in the photo below. He couldn't understand why his special mothers kept making him play with me instead of them, and putting him next to me. He wanted nothing to do with it. The other toddlers kept climbing in my lap and playing with me, but the special mothers would shoo them away. Usually when they got scolded I would scoop them up and give them a hug anyway. They just wanted some attention and I couldn't stand to see them scolded for it.



Soon it was time to eat, and the table was set for the 2-4 year-olds first. This is all their plates of injera, shiro and sauerkraut type potatoes. If you are adopting a toddler or older kid I HIGHLY RECOMMEND cooking up a BIG pot of shiro to have in the freezer for when you get home. They eat this meal twice a day! I have made a LOT of shiro in the last week!

The toddlers eat the exact same thing, just mushed up and in HUGE quantities. About 2-3 measuring cups full each meal. And it's a bit spicy for my palate. On Tuesday the cook brought my mom and me a plate each since we'd been there so long, it made you a bit thirsty! I tried to feed Ashenafi, but he would just shake his head at me. Mostly the toddlers are fed by the special mothers, who feed several kids at once, each with their own bowl and spoon. They also feed themselves a bit while they are waiting. These ladies stuff so much food into the kids, it's no wonder they all fatten up so quickly! Another little guy, T would eat the food off my plate, right out of my hand. Ashenafi watched very closely, but only when I "wasn't looking" at him.

Later we went to see Ashenafi's room, he shares it with 5 other children. Above are his two special mothers, Saba and Genet. They were so incredibly helpful and took wonderful care of Ashenafi. They really love the kids so much. Genet actually lives at Hannah's Hope and is available 24 hours a day if one of her kids is sick or needs her. It's really amazing.

The orphanage has many small bedrooms, so that probably makes it a bit quieter for the little kids to sleep. Ashenai's crib was in the corner, and the blankets and snuglies I had sent him were nowhere to be found. I have a feeling once those things hit the wash, it really doesn't matter if they are labeled.

By the end of Sunday, Ashenafi would tolerate me holding him, as long as he was facing away from me. His special mothers were so persistent to push him out of his comfort zone and would not "rescue him" from me unless I made them (which I did, I had no interest in hearing him scream at me).

Monday

Monday was hard. The remaining 7 families from our travel group were all up and raring to go in the morning. They were so anxious to meet their kids, I felt kind of guilty to have already spent a day at Hannah's Hope. The three families that had already visited hung back for a half hour so the larger group could go meet their kids. When we arrived Genet brought Ashenafi out of the day room to come play with us.

As you can see, it was pretty much more of the same, candy and crying. The reason why it was harder on Monday was that there were now 9 other families, including another toddler (the one in most of Ashenafi's pictures) that were all pretty much doing great. It was hard to be at the hotel after Monday afternoon and hang out with all the happy families with their kids, wondering if Ashenafi would ever stop being afraid of me.

We stayed for lunch, where I was able to feed Ashenafi a few bites of his lunch (mostly because his special mother made a point of putting another child on his lap and ignoring him) and then left after Ashenafi fell asleep for his nap.

It was also decided that the three families with Birth Family meetings on Wednesday (the three bigger kids, Ashenafi, Yonas and Kaleab) would have our shopping day Monday afternoon. So after Ashenafi went to sleep, we headed off for our very rushed shopping experience. We only had an hour, so I'm very glad I had a list.

I think the most exciting part of our shopping trip was the van ride. There were literally times we drove head on at other vehicles in the same lane. Everyone is honking their horns and the people just dart in front of the vehicles. I can only imagine how many traffic incidents they have every day, it was hilarious and scary at the same time.

After shopping we had a quick snack and went back to the orphanage. At this point Ashenafi was the only child being picked up that was still there. We played with the kids and joined the little ones for dinner. After dinner I videotaped Ashenafi getting his bath, and put some lotion on him (with much protesting). Then he got his jammies on and we tried to play some more. At one point they pretty much quarantined him with me in the covered area, but to no avail. Almaz assured me he would be fine if I just took him to the hotel, but I had promised Genet she could have him for one more night.

Instead we got all the bigger kids together and gave them each a Spiderman tattoo. Oh the craziness! They were really good, but I think one or two still managed to come back for seconds! We put on tattoos until it got dark, then moved into the playroom and finished all the kids up. By then the toddlers and the 3s and 4s were in bed asleep, and all the big kids (which is mostly boys) gave us hugs and kisses goodnight.