Travelogue - Day Three

It's Saturday morning in Ethiopia. The plan for the day is to visit a museum in the morning and then spend the afternoon with the boys.

We head out in two 15 passenger vans to The National Museum of Ethiopia. I knew my interest was limited but I thought John would enjoy this adventure. Throughout this adoption process, I poured over paperwork and read books about attachment and bonding while John read biographies and accounts of Ethiopian history.

The admission to the museum was around 24 birr ($2) a piece. We definitely got our money's worth. :)

Lucy (read about her here)

If John were writing this blog he'd have a lot more interesting facts about this part of our trip. But he's not - I am. So moving onto lunch...

If you've ever traveled with more than 10 people you know how long it takes to get anywhere. You can plan on eating lunch at noon but if you're with a large group that actually means you'll eat around 1:30.

We ate at a gimmicky restaurant near the museum. We ate inside a huge hut made to look like a traditional Ethiopian home in the country. John and I split a cheese pizza and a coke.

We finally finished lunch around 2:30 and headed to the Care Center. They brought Seth and Colin down to meet us and we spent the afternoon playing. Looking back now, I imagine Seth and Colin thought that that was how it was going to be all the time. Every encounter they had with us up that point, was great fun. We played whatever they wanted to play. We made a huge deal out of all the little things they did. I don't regret that time. We wanted them to know how excited we were about becoming their parents.

John later described this part of the adjustment as the time when you get to be "fun dad" and "fun mom". The time would come, not soon after, when - for at least a moment - we had to stop being "fun dad" and "fun mom".

For now though, we played hard. We hugged their little necks and kissed their little cheeks. We took pictures and they quickly learned they could see themselves on the camera screen. Seth would giggle every time. He has a great laugh.

The Care Center had given us a copy of their schedules and menus so that we could attempt to be consistent in their transition to our care. We were there during snack time so around 4:00, one of the nannies came downstairs with two cups on a silver tray - one for Seth and one for Colin. It was avocado juice (and smelled like it). The boys immediately stopped what they were doing and guzzled it down. When they were done, the nanny took the cups back on the tray. Serving their snacks on a silver platter will not be one of the things we attempt to keep consistent. Sorry boys - that type of service is just a memory now. Remember it fondly.

John and I headed back to the hotel for dinner. It was always fun to gather with the other families and tell stories about what your kid did during the visit. No one else would tolerate this kind of dinner conversation but we were all in the same boat and loved to share our experiences.

Coming up on day four - Our trip to the country.