Life is Really Good...

I am feeling much better now and we are all starting to feel a little bit normal. Kassie is doing absolutely fabulous! I am so proud of her. She is so brave, curious, interested and excited. It is so neat to discover what she likes and dislikes, what she already knows how to do and what she doesn't know or like to do... She absolutely loves to swing. We have been going just about everyday. She says, "Go in the car? Swing?" She laughs and giggles the entire time. She knows the words "push" and (thanks to Daddy teaching her tricks) "No Hands!" While in the car she loves to listen to her music and just drive around looking at the sights. She would do it for hours! One of my favorite things she likes to do is sweep the floors. She has swept our wood floors every morning for the past three days. And, she gets out the dust pan and brush and picks it up too! I never knew Bella (our dog) lost so much hair in one day! Yesterday I bought her a broom her size. Believe me, I am going to encourage this ritual! She and Bella are doing great. Bella has been quite jealous but very gentle with her. I do think Bella is really warming up to her since she likes feeding Bella some of her food. We usually don't give Bella any people food because Alaskan Malamutes have such sensitive stomachs, they get sick from it. Anyway, now Kassie feeds her dog food from her hand instead of letting her eat it out of her dog bowl. We are just so happy that it is going smoothly between them. We were warned that wild dogs were everywhere in Ethiopia and she may be terrified at first sight of her. I can confidently say that Kassie has never had a bad experience with a wild dog. She loves Bella and smiled and laughed from Day one of seeing her. Kassie is still very particular about what she wears. today we went to the farm for a cook out and I changed her into her pajamas before heading home. Her pajamas are shorts and pajama top. On the way home, Kassie had to cover her legs with her dress she was previously wearing because she is nervous about showing her knees and above in public. Women in Ethiopia did not wear anything shorter than mid calf and never wore sleeveless tops. Kassie has worn tank tops no problem but she feels very uncomfortable wearing shorts or short dresses or skirts. I'm sure she will outgrow that or perhaps not remember by the time the summer season comes around again. I made a potato salad for the cookout today and I discovered that Kassie likes hard boiled eggs. She said "Help mommy?" when I was peeling the eggs. I said yes and she took an egg, tapped it on the counter, peeled it and ate it like she had done it a million times before. Then, she helped me peel the rest of them. Each day Jeff and I are learning more and more about her. We keep getting pleasantly surprised at how much she can do. She loves to read books, write and color. Every night before bed she goes to the bathroom, washes her hands, brushes her teeth, gets a cup of water by herself. Then she counts all the bottles of shampoo, cream, tooth paste etc.. laying around in the bathroom. Its become a ritual. So counting in English is coming along as well. She loves putting cream on her body which I do for her every night to help with the bonding. She sings the alphabet repeating lmnop a few times before moving on to the rest. She is also singing, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and tells us everyone who loves her every night. (Mommy loves me, Daddy loves me, Grammie loves me, Bampie loves me etc...) I am so... I am trying to think, I am so everything! I am excited, thrilled, proud, amazed, shocked, overwhelmed, tired, but most of all happy. Jeff and I finally have a child of our own!! And, Kassie has a Mommy and Daddy of her own!! Life is really good!

catching up to me

Today its all catching up to me...I am sick! I am feverish, a bad cold, achy and exhausted. What a bummer. Auntie took Kassie for about 5 hours today so I could sleep. I am so thankful for that! I was nervous about Kassie going off and being afraid she wouldn't see us again but evidently we are over that barrier. She went happily and had a great day. I apologize to all of you who have sent e-mails and I haven't responded yet. I intend to, I am barely getting my blogs out right now. She is keeping me busy!! As soon as I can get rid of this cold I intend to get going with life as normally as possible and will hopefully start being ready for visits. Thanks to you all for your fabulous support and well wishes!

Communication Barrier

Sunday we spent around the house just the three of us. It was a long day the day before and Kassie seemed tired all day and just a little off again. We were planning to visit the Duhaimes and see their new house but we just felt she needed to be home after her big day on Saturday. We played blocks, dress up, ball and much more between small tantrums all day. Of course she wouldn't take a nap even though she was so tired. In the early evening she was out on the deck blowing bubbles and our dog Bella was chasing them. They were having a great time until Kassie spilled her bottle of bubbles. Jeff washed all the bubbles off the deck with my watering jug and Kassie started freaking out again. This time much harder and much louder. We made her come inside so she didn't disrupt the neighbors although I bet they could all still hear her. She was stomping her feet, punching the couch, kicking her legs in the air and Jeff and I kept trying to ask her to show us what she needed. Then we would walk away because we didn't want to feed into it. After a few minutes when one or the other couldn't take it anymore we'd try to pick her up or try and console her and she would kick and scream louder. I ended up leaving the room and bursting into tears. It is such a helpless feeling when your child needs something and you can't even understand the language she is speaking. I imagined all sorts of things going through her little head. I felt like she was just angry at us for taking her from Ethiopia, mad at her family for leaving her and all sorts of other issues. She kept yelling the same thing over and over. After a few minutes I pulled myself together and went back into the living room where she was still hysterically crying and squirming all over the couch and floor. I firmly told her it was OK and that she needed to show me what she needed. I moved my arms out in a big circle like I was just not knowing what it could be. And suddenly she stopped crying, took my hand and walked me upstairs to her bedroom and got her pink crocs. And then she was off... Fine, no more crying, it was done and over. It felt completely ridiculous, we spent the last hour and half in such drama and all she wanted were her crocs. I do think she is set off much easier because she has been through so many scary things lately but oh my gosh... If I had only known she just wanted her shoes. Her feet probably got wet from the bubbles spilling on the deck and wanted her shoes. How simple. Each day we are learning more and more how to communicate and bond. I love her more and more each minute that goes by. I know she loves us more and more too. That night when we put Kassie to bed, we were all laying on our bed after doing her tubby and reading books (the one thing I couldn't wait to do with her), and she took Jeff's hand and pushed all his fingers in to make a fist and then she did the same to mine and put mine and Jeff's fists against each others. Then she did her own and put it with ours. It was strange because then she pointed to Jeff's mouth and her fist and made a gulp sound, she did the same to me and pointed to Jeff's fist and made a gulping sound and then she started doing it to my fist almost like we were all pretending to eat off each others fists that were still touching each other. It was quite strange. Possibly a game? I don't know but whatever she was having us do was very serious and emotional to her. I want to learn, learn, learn about the Sidami culture!

A Day of Firsts...

Saturday we went to the farm and had a really good day. We did a lot of things for the first time. I really don't know if she had been swimming before she was brought to the Horizon House. I think it was her first time with us on Saturday. She did great! Slow at first and then she wanted to do more and more by herself. By the end of the day she jumped off the diving board (On her bottom) to Uncle Don. She really likes to try and do what everyone else is doing. She had watched her cousins jump off the diving board all day. Auntie Di painted her toe and fingernails for the first time. She absolutely loved that! I'm not surprised since it seems like we have a girly girl on our hands. She really loved holding the new kittens! She kept disappearing into the workshop looking for them. We had to keep running after her and help her find the kittens. She carried them around as long as they would let her. She went for a golf cart ride up the back field, sat in Uncle Don's tractor for a little bit and even had her first toasted marshmallow over a fire with Daddy. The only complaint I have is that I didn't get very much of her time that day but, it warms my heart watching my family bonding with her and her with them. She still doesn't talk in front of any of the adults. She talks a mile a minute to Jeff and I. She also talks to the kids when there are no adults there. That is what the nannies said happened at horizon House. I guess she did say something in Sidami to Auntie once which is good news. Grammie and Bampie arrived home at the farm late from a few days away. I was glad that they got to see her and although she was completely exhausted Grammie got to hold her for a good 15-20 minutes. What a great day, especially after the frustrating one the day before!

The Inside of Kassie's Family House

We have been asked a lot if we were able to go inside Kassie's hut. Yes we did and here are pictures. Jeff and I felt a little bit ridiculous for asking to see the inside because when we walked in it was completely pitch black. We forgot... No Electricity!! I got pictures because of the flash on my camera. It surprised me when I was looking through the camera to see cows in there. Jeff didn't know there were cows in there with us until he saw these pictures. The bed in the picture is the only bed and they all share it. We really have it made here in the USA. I will remember what I saw in Ethiopia for the rest of my life. I will try and remember the images I have in my head from this trip whenever I start to feel frustrated about my life in anyway...

Getting Settled

This past week getting settled has been overall very good. Today was definitely our hardest day yet. Kassie has been whiny and cranky all day. She had a few immunizations yesterday and I am sure that is why. looking back on the day I probably should have given her some Tylenol but the doctor told me to give her some if she kept touching her arms where she had the shots. She wasn't touching them at all so I didn't give her any. We have had 2 doctors appointments this week and had labs and an x-ray. We were required to see a doctor as soon as we get home so we went to Partners in Pediatrics in Nashua. Our social worker recommended Dr. Kaupp to us because she specializes in treating International adoptees. We had actually met her before we officially accepted the match with Kasech to have her look over her medical records from WHFC and look at her pictures. We were a bit concerned with Kassie's swollen belly although it is common in Ethiopia due to malnutrition. Dr. Kaupp warned us that 9 out of 10 children who come from Ethiopia have Giardia. Giardia is a parasite from drinking dirty water. While in Ethiopia we found out that Kasech had arrived with ascariosis (worm) and was treated and free of it. Her belly doesn't seem as swollen as in her referral pictures and were told by the nurse at Horizon House in Ethiopia that her belly had gone down since extracting the worm. She said she thought that her belly was still slightly swollen from malnutrition. So, we thought we were free and clear of the Giardia. But we found out today that Kassie does in fact have Giardia. But I guess it really isn't that big of a deal. Meds 3 times a day for 5 days and it should be gone. We are still waiting for some labs to come back but most have already and everything has been negative so far. It is a relief to us even though we were told she was healthy and saw lab results from Ethiopia. Its just nice to have them confirmed through trusted medical practices. The one big surprise was Kassie's x-ray on her hand and wrist. We had this done to somewhat accurately predict her age. The way I understand it is that her bone density can predict an age within 6 months of either side of the age given. Her result was 4.8!! Her age was listed as 21/2 but we thought she was 31/2 to maybe 4. When Jeff and I first saw her we were surprised at how big she was. But this x-ray result tells us she is at least 4+. I think we are going to make her birthday in May, not sure yet though. We need to find out more about the procedure for creating a Birth date. Anyway, enough medical stuff... Jeff and I are adjusting well. The only real concern of mine is when Kassie is having temper tantrums. They really make me nervous because I feel like I don't know what to do. She'll do things like punch Jeff and then look at him for a reaction. Then she will take her shoe off and throw it. Look at us for a reaction. Or when she gets herself so worked up she is crying and practically screaming in her language. I don't really feel confident in what to do because right now we are supposed to be bonding. She is supposed to be learning to trust me. I feel like if I handle it wrong we are going to be back at square one. I don't know... It really is all going fine. It was just a really overwhelming afternoon today. But I have to remember that everyday we make more and more strides. Even with all the drama today she is giving us kisses on the cheek now. She would not give us kisses on her own before today. She also says Hi, Hello, Thank You, Excuse me, How are you?, and I Love You. Also, all the names of people in our family. She loves to talk on the phone and that seems to be her big means of learning these words. It certainly is different having a girl around! We have been playing tea party and baby all week. Quite different than having the boys over!!

Home at Last!

Finally Home and fast asleep! The flight home was long and tiring but Kassie did great! Just a couple of meltdowns but not bad for 24 hours of flying. Mom and Dad, Deidre, Len & boys, Don & Di, and friends; The Shaw's, The Place's and The Biss' were all at the airport to meet us. We were so happy to see familiar faces! Kassie was great giving hugs and hellos to everyone. All it took was Duncan to burp for her to get giggling. Oh boy, here we go! She held hands and walked with all the kids, it was very sweet. We went home and all our family came too. Kasech was so excited when she saw her play room and her bedroom. She played ball with Uncle Don, Duncan and Doug for a little bit and roamed around checking out the house. After everyone left she looked around her play room and touched everything. I can't imagine what she was thinking. I think she understood this was all her stuff. I don't know. When we brought her upstairs to go to bed, she pointed at her new bed so, we put her in it and she was out in 5 seconds. The next day was a sleep marathon. She woke up at about 9:00 AM had some water and went to the bathroom , then back asleep. She woke up at 11:00 AM and I gave her some Cheerios and a banana, then back asleep. After that, she didn't wake up until we woke her up at 5:00 PM!! I didn't know if it was good or bad to let her sleep but after talking to mom on the phone, decided to let her until 5:00. We kept her up after that until about 10:00PM and she went right to sleep easily again. We thought few, great she is going to sleep tonight... That is until 3:20 AM... Kassie woke up and started looking in her closets and drawers etc... She was wide awake. So at about 3:45 AM she started going through all her clothes and started putting her favorite ones on the bed just like she did in the hotel. Then we had to try on every outfit until she had the one she was going to wear for the day. And I do mean for the day. She was up, wide awake and ready to go. She picked out a dress with flowers and ladybugs on it and her lady bug rain boots. Yes she wore the rain boots all day too. Jeff and I played with her until about 6:30 Am and then I went back to sleep for a little bit. But Jeff thankfully stayed up with her right through. Auntie brought Duncan over to spend the day and sleep over. Jeff and I missed him so much! He was gone to camp the week before we left and then we left before he came home! Two weeks without seeing Duncan was quite rough. Plus, Duncan was very excited to spend time with Kassie. Poor Douglas, I just couldn't take him overnight too. I'm just not ready for 3 overnight yet. Yikes!! I don't know how the rest of you do it. I guess we'll find our way. Anyway, Auntie got good snuggles because Kassie fell asleep on her lap.

Last day...

The last day in Ethiopia we took Kasech to get her hair done at a salon. I'm disappointed because we were running late and I forgot our camera at the hotel room. Anyway, she loved it! She sat very patiently and watched intently what the stylist was doing. She evidently loves braiding. Her My Pretty Pony and her Polly Pocket doll are now braided. She does these amazingly teeny tiny braids. Not perfect but very cute! Then we went back to our hotel to pack. Jeff and I were so excited to go home! There are parts of Ethiopia that are very beautiful. But one of the women on our trip said it best, "No one would truly understand the experience unless the pictures were scratch and sniff". And I personally felt heartbreak every time I left our hotel. There are disfigured, poor, drunk and just sad people everywhere.

Its indescribable!

Anyway, after we packed, we headed back to The Horizon Guest House (see picture above) for the goodbye ceremony. The guest house is only a few years old and looks amazingly modern for the country. The ceremony was really neat and really beautiful.. The nannies and the rest of the children who were not leaving came to the guest house and sang and danced for us. They sang a good bye song to each of the kids who were leaving. They made a traditional Holiday bread and had a ceremonial coffee. It was quite emotional for all of us. The nannies were crying but, were very supportive and thankful for the children getting new homes. We stayed and had dinner at The Guest House with the other families and then left for the airport.

Picking up Kasech Forever

We were able to convince our driver, (along with the other 2 women who were with us on the trip to Sidama), to drive back on the same day. We never slept over in Awassa. We decided to fore go the drive through the National Park the next day and head straight back to Addis Ababa. We got back late and just went to bed. The next morning we went to pick up Kassie FOREVER! We were there for about 45 minutes. Had our meeting with the nurse, dressed Kassie in clothes we brought so we could leave the clothes she was wearing with Horizon House. We took her to a toy store and she picked out a car and a spiderman phone. Then Yonas, our driver took us to get some CD's of Ethiopian music that she listens to at the Horizon House. Then we brought her back to the hotel and just played. She was so excited to be at the hotel again! We called Grammie and Bampie and Kassie talked to them both. Mostly just giggling to Grammie but she did say Hello MaMa which is Grandmother in Amharic. She was mad when I took the phone back. Then she talked to Bampie, she said Hello Ababa which is Grandfather in Amharic. I'm not quite sure what happened from there but I think she was repeating what Bampie was saying back to him. It was a great but too quick of a phone call. The day was great until it was time to put her in her jammies. She completely freaked out. She was crying and kicking her legs so I couldn't get them on. Jeff and I finally figured out that the last time we dropped her off at The Horizon House we had gotten her in her jammies at The Hotel and then brought her back to put her to bed. So we let her sleep in her sweatshirt and pull up. Once we didn't make her put on her pajamas she was happy and smiley. Today we have gone to the playground and played and played. Its another thunderstorm this afternoon and Kassie is napping. We are hoping the rain will stop and it will warm up to go swimming we'll see. We gave her a bath this afternoon and she played in it for a long time. We've been hoping she likes water and to swim. There is some hope after seeing her in the tub today! We Fly home tomorrow night Yahoo! We can't wait to get home!!

Meeting Kasech's Family

We left Addis Ababa at 6:30 AM on Tuesday morning. Our driver, Fetsum, drove so fast! We were going 120 km per hour weaving through people, donkeys, cows and goats. We actually hit a Donkey on the head on our way back. I was thankful to get there and back safe and sound. It took only 4 hours to get there. We were told it was a 5 or 6 hour ride!! Anyway we drove into Chuko, which is a town in the Sidama region. (Southern Region of Ethiopia) We picked up A local guy in town and he showed us how to get to Kasech's family. That was rough terrain for about 10 to 15 minutes. It felt like riding in a tractor over hardened mud tire indents the entire time. I was so sick to my stomach from that and I was so nervous on top of it! Anyway we get there and the Uncle comes right up to us and gives us hugs. Some people set up benches under a big tree in their yard for the meeting to take place. We were brought over to sit with the local man who brought us there, who we found out later is the adoption contact for the Sidama Region, and The Social Worker/Translator that we picked up in Awassa on our way. (About 1 hour before reaching Sidama). We were just sitting there looking around as more and more people walked into their yard from every direction, through the fields, the trees and the drive up. I think their entire little village showed up. In the end I bet there were 50 people watching the meeting. The translator told us that we were waiting for the Uncle to get the children, Kasech's brothers and Sisters from the field. It was a pretty tense and quiet moment. The people were all staring at us intently. Except for one boy who was playing with a ball made out of cow hide. He was playing with it like "Hacky Sack". So, Jeff gets up and starts playing with him. He was trying to do the tricks that the boy was doing, and all the people started laughing really hard. That is one of the things I love about Jeff is his ability to lighten moods and make people laugh. It lightened the whole feel of the moment. Until the brothers and sisters and grandmother arrived for the meeting. The Grandmother was teary but, gave us really tight handshakes with both her hands and bowed her heads as if she were thankful for us taking Kasech. Her brothers and sisters looked Sad and scared to death. From that moment on I couldn't stop tearing. If I could have I would have taken all of them. The oldest brother, Dawit and the Oldest Sister, Azalu were teary and looked devastated. The middle brother Esrael was the curious one, very interested in us and I think the youngest brother was shy and didn't understand what was happening. The social worker read our letter to them and translated it. Then we asked our questions. We really didn't get any information that we didn't already know except that Kasech's mother died 3 months after she was born and her father died before she was born. The calendar in Ethiopia and the time is so different that to communicate dates and times is impossible in Sidama where nothing is recorded on paper. We laughed when we asked them what Kasech's favorite thing to do was. They said JUMP and dance and run. Kasech jumps all the time. She jumps down the hall in our hotel to get to the bathroom, she jumps to get to her bed, if she isn't jumping she is running to get there as fast as she can. We showed them the photo album we brought for them. They smiled and gasped at the picture of our house and the picture of Kimball school. They are nothing like anything they have seen before. They have probably never left Sidama. They told us that they thanked god for us and to please let Kasech know that they love her and that they are good protestant faithful hard working family. I felt like I was in a movie. It was really surreal. Jeff leaned over to me in the middle of all of it and whispered "Can you believe we are here"? And the answer was no and its still no. I can't believe this entire experience on so many levels. I'm still in shock that we have a daughter, and this entire week has been experiences of a lifetime on a daily basis.

Trip to Sidama

Hi All, We are back from Sidama and had an Amazing time! I am so exhausted tonight that I am going to have to write about it tomorrow. But, Here are 2 pictures for you to see. Kasech's House and her family. From Left to right: The 2 girls in front are Kasech's cousins and I can't remember their names. The young boy in front is her brother, Muse Shonde. In the back: Brother, Esrael Shonde; Grandmother, Salanu Argiso; Uncle, Kefiyalew Addisu; Sister, Azalu Shonde; Brother, Dawit Shonde. One sister was at a neighbors: Abebech Shonde. I will fill in details tomorrow.....

A Really Big Day!

Today was a very important day. We had our appointment at the Embassy. She is now legally ours. Hooray!! And she is legal to leave the country. It was a really hard visit at the Embassy. Jeff and I slept in some this morning and then went to get Kassie and go to the Guest house at WHFC. We filled out paperwork for our appointments and all the families and their children had lunch together. Kassie ate so much!! We couldn't believe it. At the kids house they have injera everyday with some sort of stew. She got to eat pasta, rice and french fries today. What a carb filled meal. Anyway then we all went in a van to the Embassy. We had to go through gate after gate with security checks and rechecks. As soon as we got there Kassie started getting really nervous and crying. She was scared. We later found out that she had been there 2 weeks before for an HIV test in order to process her Visa application. Luckily we were the first ones called up for our interview. It took maybe 5 minutes and she was ours!! We decided to go back to the van with the driver and wait there for everyone else because she wouldn't calm down. Everyone was trying to help us but what we really needed to do was get her out of that building. As soon as we got to the van she was OK. We waited in the van for 1 and 1/2 hours for everyone to finish.

After the Embassy we took her back to our hotel with us. We really didn't want to drop her off at Horizon House yet after such a traumatic afternoon. It was so sweet when we walked in the hotel she started to walk like she was a model. Very dainty and excited. When we got into our room she couldn't stop giggling. It was nice to she that she was comfortable in a new environment. We had a great time with her. She looked around and explored for about 15 minutes. Then she found the drawer with all of her clothes in it. She started to laugh, and proceeded to look at every piece of clothing. She then went through them again and picked out her favorite ones and was putting them on the bed. She started ripping her clothes off and started trying all of them on. We would try on one outfit, then she would run to the mirror and look at herself. Then she ran back to the bed and ripped that outfit off as quick as she could to try the next outfit on. Then she folded all the cloths back into the drawer in a neat pile. We were shocked at how well she folded her clothes! She walked around for a minute in her new outfit and then ran back to the drawer and started trying to stuff one of the skirts in her pocket. I think she was afraid she wouldn't be able to keep them. We kept saying Kasech's clothes and pointing to them and then to her and I think she finally understood. It was so funny watching her with the clothes. She was literally squealing with delight.

She and Jeff were playing for a long time on the floor, she loved the bathroom and brushed her teeth about 3 times. She washed her hands and face a ton of times too. I think she probably has never been anywhere this nice and with a big mirror to watch herself. But the best part about this visit with her at the hotel is that she called me mommy for the first time! It was such a huge exciting moment for me. I didn't think it would happen so soon. It happened when I was out on the balcony of our hotel room. She came out with me and got nervous and went back in she was trying to shut the doors and was yelling for me to come in. She was very worried about me. It was so cute!! It was a nightmare changing her into her pajamas before we brought her back to Wide Horizons. She did not want to take any of her new clothes off.

We got picked up at 7:30 to go out to dinner with all the families to celebrate the finalization of everything. Mulat took us to an Ethiopian restaurant with dancing shows from each region. Our favorite one coincidentally was the dance from Sidama. We had a great time. Jeff absolutely loved the food. I didn't eat too much of it. But I did try everything. There were a couple of things I did like a lot. But, too spicy! The dinner was really neat to experience and it will be a nice thing for Kasech.

Lots of love to you all and we do love reading your comments. We are leaving for Sidama tomorrow morning at 6:30 AM. We won't be able to blog at all until we get home on Wednesday. Enjoy your day!

Day Two

Today when we drove in through the gate the kids were outside playing everywhere. We spotted Kasech right away. She was smiling ear to ear when she saw it was us. Never mind that all the kids were yelling to Kasech that we were there. After Jeff & Kasech had their usual 45 minute playtime of Hide-n-Seek, Throwing Kasech in the air, Riding on his shoulders and jumping they finally came outside and we played ball for the rest of the morning. She really does well throwing, catching and kicking the ball. We are working through the communication barrier fairly well. Kasech would stop from throwing the ball and show me how she wanted me to hold my hands. And she would not throw the ball until I had my hands cupped and together in order to catch the ball. When we were done playing ball we went in the house, Kasech was suddenly very tired and I got about 1/2 hour of snuggle time before lunch. The nanny came into our room twice to tell me that it was time for Kasech's lunch. I really didn't want to give her up so finally the nanny came in and took her from me. We said goodbye to her. She was upset we were leaving. It is very hard to leave her but we are trying to be careful to not be there all day since we have to go to Sidama to meet her birth family all day Tuesday and half day Wednesday. It is going to be hard to leave her but I know the trip to Sidama is important and required. Our driver, Yonas, was there and he took us to the market to do a little bit of shopping. He knew right where to take us. We were able to buy some jewelry and a few other goodies to put away for Kasech for special holidays over the years.

We went back to see Kasech at 5:30 PM. Once again the kids were all outside playing. When we got out of the car we were surrounded by all the kids wanting hugs and to be picked up. It is so amazing how warm and affectionate all these kids are. They love to hold your hand or be next to you and be held all the time. Beside getting Kasech, this is one of our favorite things about visiting Horizon House. What a warm welcome we get every time. We hugged them all while scanning the play area for Kasech but she wasn't there. The nanny said she was inside. We went in the house and were looking all around for her. When walking down the hallway towards a small living room we could hear her giggling really hard. She was hiding on us. She is so funny. Her Hide-n-Seek game is more like Hide-n-Go-Seek The Giggle. After hugs and kisses we showed her the picture book we brought to show her birth family. She giggled really hard when she saw Duncan and Douglas pictures. I think she is excited to meet them. She took the picture book and ran outside to show all of the kids and the nannies. It seemed like she was worried about when we were going to leave and was very clingy all night. Jeff was rubbing her leg while she was sitting on his lap. When Jeff stopped she grabbed his hand and started moving it back & forth. She didn't want him to stop. She was either on our laps or we held her all the way until dinnertime. (See dinnertime post and pictures). After dinner she was really acting sad and tired. After getting cleaned up in the bathroom with Jeff she walked into the guest room where I was and I held her until we left. She was actually falling asleep in my arms. How Awesome! It was a moment I have been waiting for many years. I got to sing a lullaby and rock her until she fell asleep.

It's Dinnertime!

At dinnertime, we sat next to Kasech and she keeps feeding us while she eats. Oh Boy was their food spicy!! Jeff was laughing at me because I was choking down these fire balls without anything to drink and I wouldn't say no to Kasech. I was sweating and these kids just eat it without having drinks until their food is gone. Jeff absolutely loves the food and could eat it everyday. There are 25 kids total eating at the same time with 3 nannies making and serving the food. The nannies have unbelievable patience! But these kids are so well behaved.

A Dream Comes True!

When arriving at Horizon House this morning we were driven down this long thin muddy road that was right in the middle of the city. The driver beeped his horn at a big metal gate that we couldn't see through. A guard peeked out through the door, shut it quickly and opened the gate. As we drove in, their were children and nannies everywhere. It was a tarred area with tall bricked walls and the house. We got out of the car and a nanny walked up with Kasech immediately. She gave me a big hug and had a huge smile! I picked her up and gave her a hug and she smiled and laughed. I gave her to Jeff and they hugged and Jeff not surprisingly started jumping around with her in his arms and she laughed so hard. They kept doing that for about 5 or 10 minutes. She kept looking over at me and smiling. Jeff handed her back to me and she started touching my face all over. Almost like it was her way of getting to know me. She touched my cheeks, forehead, eyes and lips. Then she grabbed my nose and pinched it tight and started shaking it. She started laughing so hard with a sparkle in her eye. It was such a perfect meeting after all the warning we received that it could be hard and frustrating. We played with her for a few more minutes and then it was potty time. The kids all sat in their potty chairs lined up in a row. Kassie actually went into the "Big Girl" bathroom and I followed her to help. She did great so maybe she is ready for the big potties. We were told she was not potty trained on her paperwork that we got with her referral. So we were happy later in the day when she rubbed her belly and we asked her if she had to go potty and she nodded yes and Jeff took her and she did great. That is good news! After potty time we went in and all the kids ate lunch. After her lunch we brought her to the guest house with us while we ate lunch. We ate with a few other families. Jeff and I took turns eating and playing with Kassie on the floor. We discovered that she really likes playing catch and kicking balls. We played with her for a few more hours indoors. There was a huge thunderstorm all afternoon. In fact it has been raining since we got here. And its supposed to rain until we leave. Kassie is very curious and looked through our bag and my pocket book. She found my sunglasses, put them on her eyes and then slid them up on top of her head just like I had my regular glasses on. She was mimicking our actions all afternoon. When we finally brought her back to the bigger kids home and said goodbye she got sad and upset! She didn't want us to leave. She kept grabbing our hands and clinging to us. So, we had a difficult time leaving. We eventually did after saying goodbye to her 3 or 4 times. We went back to the hotel to take a nap. We were out within 10 minutes of getting back since we still only got about 4 hours of sleep last night.

We went back to visit Kassie at 6:30PM. We caught the tale end of their dinner. The kids were eating the exact same meal they had for lunch. We are wondering if that happens everyday? We'll see tomorrow. Anyway, after dinner we played in a private living room just the 3 of us for quite awhile. We played catch with her "Angelina Ballerina" that we brought for her. She kept begging Jeff to lift her up, dance with her and jump around. Of course he happily obliged. Another little boy came in the room and kept asking Jeff and I to tickle him. So we did. Then Kassie layed on her back while pushing the child out of the way so we would only tickle her. She was already possessive but we did end up playing with both of them for awhile. Before we knew it all of the kids were in bed and we had kept Kassie up but the nanny's said not a problem. She knew it was bedtime and started getting sad. So we brought her into her room and she climbed in bed. The room is for the older kids. There were 3 sets of bunk beds and one crib. There were 2 kids in each twin bed. Although, Kassie did have her own bed. We both layed with her for awhile. I think she is going to be a snuggler! Hooray! When she finally started getting sleepy and rolled over, we knew she was ready to sleep. This was a really nice moment for us. We got to put her to bed and snuggle in bed. We left and said "Chow" to each of the kids in the room. It was a lot of fun! What a beautiful day!

We Are Here!

Well, we are in Africa! What a long couple of days we have had. Jeff and I have been up for 33 hours straight except for a few cat naps here and there on the plane. The flights were uneventful except for almost having a delayed arrival to catch our connector to Frankfurt. Somehow The Pilot got us there on time even leaving 45 min late. We are all checked into the Sheraton. It is a beautiful hotel! The ride to the Sheraton was anything but beautiful. We have driven (rode) in Ethiopia for a 15 minute ride and we saw tons of people begging in the streets. A Family pushing their car on the road?? Not to the side, but down the road. Two different people banging on the windows of our taxi to the Sheraton begging for money. A women holding her baby standing at the traffic light begging for money. Yikes. We were relieved to drive into the Sheraton and see the huge wall surrounding the grounds and a guard at the entrance. I also felt a bit guilty driving in to this beautiful place and all the people we saw tonight look so sad and broken. But, on a lighter note, We get to meet our daughter tomorrow morning! We absolutely can't wait! It is 11:41 PM here so we are going to try and finally get some sleep.

A Taste of Whats To Come

We have been crazy busy getting ready to go. Between getting Kassie's room ready, making reservations, organizing the amazing amount of orphanage donations and all else in between, we haven't had much time to stop, process and take time out to enjoy what we are doing. But, on Saturday night we were able to "Have A Taste of whats to Come". Becky & Dave invited us, Deidre & Len and the boys over for an Ethiopian dinner. It was absolutely fabulous! Honestly I was shocked that I loved it. I really don't like spicy food but this was different spicy. Maybe I just don't like Mexican food??
Anyway, Becky made Injera which is the pancake you lay out on your plate and put dollops of your food on. You also take one or two other Injeras and roll them up on the side of your plate. You rip pieces off and use this instead of utensils. Becky also made Doro Wat (Chicken) Wat = Hot, Zil Zil Alecha (Beef) Alecha = Mild, Atakilt (Ethiopian vegetable Bowl), and Yesmir (Lentils). It was really nice to learn about and experience while we are counting down the days before we go. It was especially nice to take a moment and appreciate where we are going, what we are actually doing, and get our hands dirty!
Jeff and I have been overwhelmed with everyone's well wishes and kind gifts, donations to the orphanage and support. It has been a really long haul to get to this point. A lot of sad moments over the last 13 years but we both believe things happen for a reason. And for whatever reason, we feel like Kassie was meant to be our daughter. Its shocking that we are finally at this point. About to go pick up our daughter and we truly feel we wouldn't want it any other way. We are so excited to get to know her. Jeff is really excited to play with her. He of course is hoping she will want to play hockey. I just can't wait to give her a bath, get her in her jammies, read books and of course, snuggle! Lets hope for these things to be able to happen sooner rather than later. It could be a tough first few weeks.

Getting ready to go...

We are getting really excited to go and finally pick up Kassie. I can't even imagine what its going to be like when we first meet her. I keep trying to envision it but I don't know if she will be happy to have a new family, or if she will be upset she is being taken from what she knows AGAIN! It is 6 more days to go until we leave. So much packing to do... I'm trying to figure out what to bring for Kassie to keep her entertained on the plane ride home for 20 hours. Hopefully she will sleep. I have been warned that she will probably be scared and cry a lot of the way. I'm happy our flight home is overnight. Maybe she will sleep??? We are going to keep up on blogging as much as we can while we are in Ethiopia. Enjoy! We'll also try and post some pictures as we go. We leave on Thursday July 26 from Manchester at 2:30 PM and arrive in Addis Ababa at 8:30 PM on Friday July 27th. We are staying at The Sheraton in Addis Ababa until Friday Aug. 3, when we fly out at 10:30 PM and arrive back in Manchester at 7:30 PM on Saturday, Aug. 4.