Our taxi stops at a busy intersection in Addis, and a little boy selling tissues sends me scrambling for the granola bars to which I’d rubber-banded a few birr, and upon getting the treat he gives a whoop and starts to leave but then comes back to ask for the tissues back, and this show of chutzpah provokes a grin from both me and a respectable-looking lady walking by, and he waves whooping across the street at friends and suddenly the window (open a foot) seems open way too wide because within seconds there are half a dozen hands reaching in and I give out my last two granola bars and hold my hands apart to show I have no more, but a keen-eyed dirty-faced urchin sees the corner of more birr... more

As our new 11-year-old carried her 2-year-old sister proudly off to find our other new daughter, I was overjoyed to see she seemed so glad to have a little sister. We soon arrived at the right classroom, and upon our older daughter's call, out came our other daughter. She was even tinier-- 58 lbs at age 9, fitting perfectly into size 7 slim clothing.

She came for a hug with a shy but radiant smile, and curved her body responsively into mine at my tearful hug. Then she moved around to greet our 5 and 2 year olds joyfully, and then get a hug from dad. Her smile shone, and as we walked off to see their bedrooms, I walked between them to be touching them both. It was surreal to be... more

At 5 am the chanting from the mosque woke us up. Our 2 year old said, "I don't like that man. He's mean." We tried to convince her it was okay, but she didn't think any reason was good enough to talk that loud that early in the morning. Daddy agreed.

We were so awake that we decided to just get baths and breakfast and dress. Our agency's guesthouse provides breakfast fixings, so we made scrambled eggs and rolls for breakfast, and got everyone dressed. By 8 AM both the 2 and 5 year olds were melting down, and I was wondering how on earth they would ever be ok when it was time to meet our new girls. I laid them both back down to sleep some more.

At 9:00 Nate, our... more

We made it to Ethiopia!!! The trip began in our airport at home with our two year old whining and refusing to walk or cooperate or even ride in the stroller. All she wanted was mom to carry her. John and I kept looking at each other shaking our heads and wondering what we were getting into. She shaped up after a trip to McDonald’s for some breakfast food. I think the two strawberries she ate for breakfast at home just didn’t cut it! The flight to San Francisco was blessedly short. The girls were both entertained by looking out the window and getting snacks and playing with the goodies in their fanny packs. The girls' fanny packs were perhaps the best things we packed for... more