She Likes Rice and Spaghetti; He Likes Injera

On Friday evening, Geoff and I got a small report from the Transition Home in Addis, telling us a few things about the kids.  Though it was pretty generic, and even vague at times, it was still awesome to hear something about their lives pre-Canada.

So...what do we know about Seth Asrat now that we didn't know before?

• His favourite food is injera (the sour crepe-like bread that is a staple in Ethiopia), though he likes pretty much everything he's offered food-wise.
• His favourite activity is swinging and playing ball.
• His favourite toys are his "mobile cars" (perhaps the hot wheel cars we gave him??).
• When he is upset, he likes to be hugged, and comforted with words (oh, how I long to be the one to do the comforting).
• When another child has upset him, he tells the caregivers what happened and is then easily able to make things right with the other child, and move on. (hmm, I'm more than a little suspicious about this one - he's five and easily able to make things right with a child he's upset with??  Doesn't sound like many five-year-olds that I know).
• He is toilet-trained.  Whew...though we will be taking some pull-ups along with us, because many kids regress in this area for a while after coming home.
• He goes to school in the Transition House...not to learn to read or write, but to colour!  How adorable.  Apparently he has also been learning about the seasons in Canada, and about family relationships, etc etc.

And how about little Lizzie Senait?  Well, here's what we now know:

• Her favourite foods are rice and spaghetti.
• Her favourite activity is playing with toys.
• Her favourite toy is a doll (would it be too much to think that it might be the little doll that we left for her??).
• When she is upset, she likes to be hugged.  Again, I sigh inside, waiting for the day that it's me doing the hugging.
• When another child takes a toy from her, she throws herself on the floor and cries (now that sounds like something a three-year-old would do!).
• She is toilet-trained.  Another yay.
• She also attends school in the Transition House...and is learning to colour!

It's not much, but when you know nothing, it's awesome to hear even a little bit.  An online friend who is in Ethiopia right now picking up her child, saw our little Lizzie Senait a few days ago and said that she was happy and laughing with a little friend there...apparently she waved at my friend.  That, too, was like music to my ears.

Geoff and I were talking about how our visas may well come in the next two weeks, and we contemplated the idea that, if this materializes, we may well have three kids sleeping in their beds down the hall, just one month from now. Now that's surreal!