We're Here!

Just a quick note to say that we've arrived intact, including our luggage.  We landed at the airport around 10 pm last night and were at our guesthouse shortly before midnight.  We were exhausted, but otherwise ok.  Matthew is such a little trouper, I can hardly believe it. He faithfully lugged his own little carry-on suitcase, was cheerful and helpful, and was simply resilient to everything happening around him.  He's worked through quite a lot of anxiety in the past couple of months since we passed court and I suppose I was expecting a different sort of reaction from him during our travels.

When we were finally ready to depart from Frankfurt on the last leg of our journey, the airport herded all of us passengers into a shuttle bus, to take us directly to the tarmac where the plane was waiting for us.  About halfway through our five-minute shuttle ride, Matthew suddenly said that his tummy wasn't feeling all that great.  No more than about five seconds later, he vomited...on himself, on me, on the floor in front of him.  And then again.  And again.  Great.  I knew I was a seasoned mom, though, when I didn't panic about it all, but just said that I guessed he really did have something going on his tummy, and then I asked Geoff to find the wipes.  I did the best I could to clean the two of us up, but I'm afraid we got onto the plane reeking of vomit.  We barely made it to our seats before he vomited again, this time into a vomit bag from the plane.  Our entire seven-hour ride to Addis could be characterized by two things for Matthew: sleeping; and vomiting.  We went through most of the vomit bags in our section of the aircraft, and people pretty much stayed away from us!  I robbed business class seats of their vomit bags as we exited the plane, not knowing how much more we were in for.

Well, turns out that he had only one more small vomit after leaving the plane and he made it through the visa and immigration line-ups, the baggage collection, the ride to the guesthouse, and getting settled in with only a stomach ache remaining.  Makes me wonder if he had a bit of food poisoning from somewhere.  The good news is that he seems to be 100% today.

Sadly, I woke this morning to a double case of pink eye.  I think it's fairly mild, so it's irritating more than anything.  But how annoying.  I'll probably make a trip to a pharmacy tomorrow to see if I can find something for it.

There are not many other adoptive families staying here right now (we're at the Weygoss Guesthouse), likely due to the slowdown in adoptions in recent months.  But there are a few, and one or two who it's great to finally meet and put faces to.

The best part of my day so far was the incredible double macchiato I had at lunch time.  It was every bit as incredible as I'd been remembering those little gems to be.  I could practically live on those things, and fear that I am again going to be a little obsessed by them.  I determine that I will have a minimum of one per day while we are here.

I confess that I'm already ready to go home.  Though I've been looking forward to being back for almost four months, since our first trip, I honestly just want to be home already.  Similar to the first day of our first trip, I find myself today just wishing I could stay in our room all day.  Unlike Matthew, I don't feel particularly resilient and I had a very hard time, internally, when we were walking back after lunch and were persistently followed and harassed by a group of four teens wanting money.  I just wanted to hibernate in our room until it's time to get the kids.  I'm sure I'll be ok by tomorrow, but today finds me a little homesick and longing for the comfort and familiarity of my own home.  I'll need to absorb some of Matthew's energy and enthusiasm, I think, 'cause he's ready to go!

Homesickness aside, I'm so thankful to be on this final phase of our journey to bring our kids home.  I can hardly wait to see them, and wonder continuously how it's going to be, to parent children that I don't know.  Today is Sunday, and we will meet them on Thursday, and take custody of them on Friday.  Tomorrow's agenda is visiting with the seven-year-old boy we sponsor through Compassion Canada (who has been awesome to deal with, by the way, in setting up this visit), and then meeting up in time for dinner with my Dad, who's been traveling in Northern Ethiopia since last weekend.  It'll be good to have his familiar face around.

OK, more to come soon!