12/6/2006 1:19 PM

Internet was down yesterday, so let me catch you up.

Yesterday was a quiet day. I walked Isayas to school in the morning and that was a lot of fun. The rest of the day was spent holding Molla when he was awake, as he is sick now. We found out yesterday after visiting the doctor at the clinic that he has an ear infection. He also is having diarrhea, so we have been trying to push pedialyte.

Em and I managed a 1 hour nap in mid-afternoon, and then hungout at the guest house until I had to pickup Isayas at school at 4:00pm. Everyone else at the house was at the U.S. Embassy, finalizing their adoption in Ethiopia. They didn’t get back until 7:00 or so…..they had a very long day. We get to look forward to that next week!

Today was a fun day. I again walked Isayas to school in the morning, we dropped Molla off at the clinic for the day so he could be observed by the doctors and nannies, and then we headed out with the rest of the parents for SHOPPING! While Ethiopia has the largest open-air market in the world called the Markato (we drove through it, but did not stop), we went to much safer and less-hectic shops in Addis Ababa. Em, of course, dove first into the clothes shop, picking our dress-ware for the entire family, plus she got her beloved gabbi, and traditional Ethiopian fabric that has many uses, including blanket, shawl, table cloth, and pan degreaser. We also bought some gifts for the family, so expect some nice Christmas presents when we get back!

When we got back, we had a formal tour of the different locations of Children’s Home Society and Family Services here in Addis. They are doing a wonderful thing here, and they are so well organized for being only 3 years into the project. And the vision for CHSFS extends beyond adoption, with clean water solutions for remote villages, free education for those in financial need, purchasing land for new care centers, etc. Please let me know if you are interested in giving a donation…we have seen with our own eyes that nearly every penny gets redirected to those in need in Addis Ababa.

Tonight went well. Many of the parents now have their kids here at the guest house, so it has gotten quite loud! Isayas had some of his friends and classmates here, so they played well for a while. Isayas is still learning how to share, so we had a few “incidents” tonight, that we had to wait out and show him who loved him and who was in charge of him now.

All the kids are down to bed now. We are resting, trying to wind down for the day.

Praise God that Em and I are through courts now! Tomorrow we head to the Embassy for immigration paperwork, and then we do the official “Embassy visit” next week with the rest of the new parents coming in this weekend.

We are still doing well, getting used to Ethiopia and beginning to really love it! I even bought some of the most wonderful Ethiopian shoes today (think Jellies, from the late 80’s!) that are amazing! I don’t even feel the rocks on the side of the street when I walk now!

Tomorrow, we see Lucy. Until then….adios!