We're Halfway Through and Having Fun

Monday Morning August 20 to Tuesday evening August 21, 2007

Monday turned out to be a very long day. Our embassy appointment was scheduled for 3 PM. We left our hotel late in the morning and headed over to the orphanage. We all loaded up in the van and headed over to the Sheraton to finish our paperwork and have some lunch. The Sheraton is pretty much a palace/fortress in Addis. We all grouped together in a lounge area off the main lobby and finished up our paperwork for the impending embassy appointment. We ate lunch at the hotel buffet and then headed out for the US embassy. We parked across the street and left anything unnecessary behind since we had to get through multiple security checkpoints to get in. Once we were inside each family waited until they were called up to turn in their final documents, swear under oath that everything they signed and submitted was true and sign a few final signatures. Once this was completed each family received the court decree, Ethiopian birth certificate and other documents for their child. We all congratulated each other as each family completed their appointment. Actually, after all we went through to get to this point it was a rather anti-climatic clerical finish, but it was the last important step to get the children back to the US. The actual Visa and Ethiopian passport would be issued the next day (Tuesday). After leaving the embassy we headed to Enat Alem which is one of the government run orphanages that children come from to Hannah’s Hope. We visited with the children there and were treated to an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. By now it was quite late in day and we headed back to the Hotel after dropping one family off at the Sheraton. Traffic was incredibly bad and we got to point were we couldn’t get anywhere, so we backtracked and went around the other side of town. By the time we got back to the hotel (way past dinner time) everyone was burnt out by the long day and diesel fumes from traffic. Suzi went up to bed with Grace and I went down and had a late dinner with the other families. Grace had a good night and fed at 1 AM and then not again until 6 AM. Tuesday morning We slept in and it was probably the best night of sleep yet. We were scheduled to meet with Grace’s birth mother later in the day. It was a late running morning and we went to the orphanage and hung out until we could go to lunch. We stopped by the Sheraton to pick up a family at 1 PM and then went to lunch while Almaz went back to the embassy to get all the final Visa documents. We ended up staying at the restaurant for several hours as Almaz was delayed at the embassy. By the time she arrived back we were late for the meeting with Grace’s birth mother, so she arranged an alternate meeting location. Meeting Grace’s birth mother was difficult to do and she wept when she saw Grace again. Almaz translated for us and she received a letter and photo album from us. As difficult as this was we knew it was important for us, Grace and her mother. We were able to take some picture with her as well. After the meeting we all headed back to the hotel. Today was the first day we didn’t feel run down by jet lag. We gathered with the other 2 families staying here and we shared dinner at the hotel. Grace apparently has a gift for projectile vomiting and she has exercised it several times now. The most recent required a tablecloth replacement by the staff here at the hotel. We’re experimenting with different formula and are now trying the local brand call “Nan”. She is doing well and smiles a lot now even in her sleep. This is a change even from Sunday when we first picked her up. It is looking fairly certain that we will not come home early on Wednesday, but stick with our current booking to fly back on Friday. We’ll also be staying at the Union Hotel and not moving to the Sheraton, so internet access will continue to be a challenge. We had a huge rain/thunder/lighting/wind storm roll over us tonight. The rain was blowing sideways and the thunder and lightening were intense and loud. Tomorrow is a very light day of shopping and a pool party at the Sheraton. We are also visiting a local hospital. Technically we have completed everything necessary for the adoption and entrance for Grace back into the US. The lack of available flights means we will be hanging out in Ethiopia until our scheduled flight on Friday. God is good and we look forward to seeing everyone when we get back.

The Redman’s