Almaz in her Ethiopian outfit

We're home!

We're home! It was so great to see Alex and to show Almaz around her new home.

Almaz did amazingly well on the flight home! She slept for the first five hours in the bassinet (pictured above) that attached to the bulkhead. The rest of the time traveling she took short catnaps but when she was awake she was super smiley and happy (pictured above!). We kept the bassinet attached even when she wasn't sleeping since it was a great place for her to play.

Alex was excited to meet his sister but it did take a little time to warm up to her. This picture was taken right before Almaz's bedtime. She seems to be a bit overwhelmed with Alex and all the activity around her. Alex was laying on our bed tonight and Almaz was sitting next to me on the bed and then she attacked his head and they both laughed. I think she'll get used to having a big brother very soon.

One very tired little girl.

Grant and I are still pretty wiped out too. Thankfully Grant's parents have been here and have been able to help out with Alex and around the house. Thanks for all your prayers while we have been traveling! It is so nice to be home!

Anna

At the airport

Feeding Almaz for the first time. She eats a lot!

Almaze Zenebe in her home in Asela.

At the Goodbye Ceremony on Weds afternoon.

At the Sheraton on Friday morning.

Bathing Almaz for the first time.
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There is an internet cafe here in the Bolle airport with internet service slower than dial-up!

Almaz is a delight! She is so easy and content. She slept through the night the past two nights and takes two nice long naps. When she is awake she is smiley and has a deep laugh when she is being tickled. The only time she cries is when you put her down. She gives a big pouty lower lip as her warning sign and if either Grant or I don't pick her up right away she starts howling. I have a feeling she's going to be stuck on me the next few months!! Almaz is very close to crawling and can definitely get herself from point A to point B. We'll have to protect the house sooner then we thought!

Grant, Almaz and I spent the morning and early afternoon at the Sheraton Hotel. We both got massages while the other watched Almaz. Almaz took a nice long nap by the pool in the sun. The spa area is beautiful so we both brought our toiletries to take hot showers with lots of pressure (it was SO NICE!). We had a great morning. We spent the afternoon hanging out at the Guest House and packing. We really have had an incredible week and have enjoyed getting to know the other families.

See you all soon! We're excited for you to meet baby Almaz.

Anna

Almaz Update

Things have been going very well since our last post. We had Almaz with us for the entire afternoon on Tuesday when we went to the Embassy. Things began just a little bit rough but she was otherwise perfect for the rest of the afternoon. She seems to have gotten comfortable with us and she was smiling and laughing with us easily all afternoon. After the Embassy appointment, we left Almaz at the care center with the nannies for one more night.

Wednesday was our trip to Asela to visit our sponsored child, Almaze. The day was very hectic as we were under time pressure to make it back by 4 p.m. to participate in the Going Away ceremony at the care center. This is a very special ceremony in which the children are officially turned over to the parents by the agency and by the nannies. Asela is a 3 ½ hour drive from Addis Ababa so we unfortunately were not able to spend very much time with Almaze and her family in Asela. We made it back to Addis in time for the ceremony just a little bit late.

Almaz spent the night with us last night and slept all through the night! We took her shopping with us this morning and she did great. She has a very playful personality and seems to be very content and we’re anticipating a good flight home tomorrow night. This will likely be our last post before we return home Saturday. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Grant and Anna

Trip to Hossana and Durame

Early on Sunday morning, after very little sleep, we left for Hossana. We were able to meet someone who knew Almaz as an infant. This meeting was wonderful and extremely difficult. The information we gained will be invaluable to Almaz when she is older.

We left the rest of the group and we traveled a bumpy 50 miles (taking 2 hours) to Durame, where Alex was born. Through a series of amazing events we found the woman we were looking for 5 miles (25 bumpy minutes) outside of Durame. We were able to update her on Alex Tesfa and we left a photo album of pictures of his first two years with us. She kept kissing the pictures and kissing us. It was, to say the least, a surreal experience.

Sunday night we got 11 hours of necessary sleep at the KMG guest house! We woke up early on Monday morning and traveled north through the Rift Valley. We stopped for breakfast in Awasa and to see a resort on one of the lakes but it was too rainy to get on a boat to go see any wildlife.

We made in back to Addis in time to spend a little time with Almaz. Please pray for all of us that the next few days will go well. She seems to be quite afriad of us and is experiencing stranger anxiety. We need her to start feeling comfortable with us before our 17 hour flight home!

We go to the Embassy this afternoon and then the Crown Hotel for a celebration tonight. It has been wonderful to meet the other families adopting. (Chad - a physics professor from St. Olaf, Jason, is here who knows you!)

Thanks for your prayers!
Anna