Pictures from Ethiopia

Here are some pictures from our trip. Since we are at the transition house, we are able to take pictures of the kids. All of them have been adopted. They are in very random orders, sorry.

Christmas Card

Christmas Card is complete! Check out our first complete family photo. I will post more pics from our trip soon.

Pop Art Ornaments Christmas

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View the entire collection of cards.

Last Update

Today was a great day. We picked the boys up this morning and took them to the Zoo and out to lunch. It was nice to get them away. Although we love being around all the kids, many of the younger ones are very needy and want all pf  our attention while we are trying to get to know the boys.

The main attraction at the Zoo was the lions. They had multiple cages with lots of lion pairs. You can get lot closer to them here than you can get in the US. It was neat, but said becuase all the animals were in pretty small cages. There were also a few monkeys, birds, a gessel, and a little deer tied to a string.

There was a little amusment park and playground at the Zoo as well. This was Chera and Kenenisa's favorite thing to do. They road a few rides and played on a playground. I can't wait until we take them to an amusment park or the fair. Pretty interesting, a maintinance man was welding metal, right in the middle of the walking path. Justin wanted to take Zoey's stroller off road to go around it and our driver could not figure out why. She told us "No big deal, can't hurt you!" Hopefully he wasn't welding a part for one of the rides the boys were on!

Good bye to the boys was hard, but we know we will see them soon. Hopefully, we will receive an embassy date late January or early February.

 We have to go now, off to the airport. Thanks for all the prayers! 

Donna Brown MM, MT-BC
Louisville Music Therapy, LLC
(502)376-9064
DonnaMT@insightbb.com
www.louisvillemusictherapy.com
www.justinanddonna.blogspot.com

Update

We had another wonderful day today. I brought coloring books, notepads, and crayons to the orphanage. This was a big hit for all the kids. They all enjoyed coloring and drawing. The coloring books were Mickey  Mouse and almost all the kids new exactly who he was!

The boys are getting more and more comfortable with us. Both times we went today there were waiting for us at the courtyard gate with big smiles. Both boys initiated interaction with Hiwot more today. Kenenisa wanted to feed her and Chera wanted to sit with her while he was coloring. Most of you have seen the ergo carrier that I carry Zoey in. Everytime I put it on, Chera wants to help me. Today while he was helping, a toddler(who is kind of a wild kid) ran up and started touching Zoey. Chera protectively put himself between the toddler and Zoey. I know the little boy meant no harm to Zoey at all, but it was sweet to see how protective Chera was of his sister.

It seems that the orphanage has done their best to explain what will be happening. While they were drawing, Chera drew a plane. Justin asked if he wanted to go on a plane to come home with us in a few months and he said yes. Later, he drew a plane and wrote 

 MDCKH(Mommy, Daddy, Chera, Kenenisa, Hiwot) inside of it. Very sweet. I am very happy that they have tried to explain things. I know it will still be scary, but at least they will have some idea of what is going to happen.
Zoey is doing very well. I am proud of how she is handling such a hectic schedule. I am so happy that we brought her. It has made the nannies so happy to see that she is doing good. The first question I get is: Have you taken her to the doctor? They are always very excited when I tell them that she has multiple doctors.

This trip we have both been very aware of the mental health issues and disabilities of people on the streets. We have seen many people with obvious mental impairment and horrible physical disabilities. We have been told that there is very little help for people in this situation.  Its impossible to imagine what it would be like to live here with any special need or what it's like to have a child with special needs. I saw a girl who did not have use of her legs pulling herself with her arms down the street. I couldn't help but think that this could have been Zoey's life if she wasn't given the chance to live in a place with good medical care. I am very grateful that God has brought her into our lives.

Tomorrow is out last day. We will leave late tomorrow night. Tomorrow morning we are going to be able to take Chera and Kenenisa to the Zoo. Afterwards we are going to go to a traditional Ethiopian restaurant. We are pretty excited. It's going to be a lot of fun. Now, off to sleep!

Donna Brown MM, MT-BC
Louisville Music Therapy, LLC
(502)376-9064
DonnaMT@insightbb.com
www.louisvillemusictherapy.com
www.justinanddonna.blogspot.com

We passed!

We passed court this morning! We went to the courthouse this morning and waited in a large room with all the other couples. There were quite a few families from our orphanage there. We have gotten to know all of them through hanging out at the transisition house with our kids. They called us back one by one to the hearing room to aswer a few questions. It really only took 5 minutes. It was basically for them to establish that you knew that these would be your children and you were responsible for them. They asked a few questions about Zoey and that was it. At the end she said: "They are yours." After all we have been through waiting and fearing that we would not even be able to adopt them, hearing that was the most wonderful thing we had ever heard. It would have been nice if they boys had been there with us, but I doubt they would have understood any of it and we may have scared them with our crying.

After court we went shopping.  This was a fabulous shopping trip. Our driver Ayni took us. It was great to have her their to transate and let us know where was the best place to buy things. We got some really cute traditional outfits for the boys, some decor for home, gifts, and a necklace for Zoey when she gets older. In Ethiopia, the Orthadox Christians and many Protestant Christans wear wooden Coptic crosses. Chera had mentioned he liked crosses so we bought a few for all the older kids in the transition house(only about 11). It was amazing to see how excited all these kids got for these tiny little inexpensive neclaces. Everytime we have brought anything for them; bubbles, stickers, suckers, it's like they hit the lottery. As I have mentioned before, all the kids want to make sure that everyone got one. It is sweet to see how they look out for one another.

We had a good day with the boys. We played some soccer, passed the ball and spinned the boys around. Our close friend Haley made the boys a book with pictures of her and her brother, our house, church, us, Zoey and soccer. I thought they would like it, but I had no idea how much they would like it! All the kids gathered around and watched as Justin read it to them and Anyi translated. We read it a few more times and Chera has it memorized now! Haley-thank you so much for making the book for the boys. I took pictures and I have a video of them saying thank you to you and Nathan!

After hanging out at the orphanage we came back to the hotel for some dinner. Justin  went ahead to get us a table at the restaurant and Zoey and I were going to meet him there after we changed his diaper. We were comming down the elevator to the restaurant when it jarred and went completely dark. I knew this was just a power outage becuase it happens all the time. Thankfully our hotel has a generator so it does not last long. Zoey started screaming and I couldnt see which button to press to call for help. I just hit every button that was on the wall. I started banging on the door and yelling for help. I heard someone bang back at me and casually say in an Ethiopian accent: Don't sweat, its alright" For those of you who have been to Ethiopia, you know that nothing  to big of a deal big deal. It only lasted for a few minutes, but its hard not to sweat when you are in a pitch black elevator with a screaming baby! At least it is an interesting story for us to tell.

Better go now, we all need to get some rest. Thank you so much for all the prayers regarding our courtdate. God has definitely worked throughout this process.
----- Original Message -----
From: Donna B Brown <donnamt@insightbb.com>
Date: Sunday, December 5, 2010 10:36
Subject: Update!
To: donaldparker@vzw.blackberry.net,lesleys@ariseforchildren.com>, susank.ariseforchildren@gmail.com,susancallander@gmail.com>, ronda.cosby@jefferson.kyschools.us,lupitacross@hotmail.com, rebecca.edney@yahoo.com,jessicanaber@yahoo.com, brittneyj.armstrong@gmail.com,<kdozier@sobmlegal.com>
Cc: drae48@insightbb.com>,donnamt.ethiopia@blogger.com,coram deo abf <coramdeoabf@yahoogroups.com

> Two seperate updates. I tried to send  the first one this
> morning but the internet wasn't working.
>
> Update 1
> We made it to our hotel last night at around 3:30 am. This was
> about 6 hours later than we expected. All of the flights except
> our flight from Louisville to Detroit had delays. One for snow,
> one for mechanical reasons, and one  becuase of another
> passengers medical needs. The snow was so bad in Amsterdam that
> the airport was shut down. Once it opened back up there was only
> one runway. We sat in the plane for around 3 hours waiting. The
> KLM staff were wonderful though. There was plenty to eat, drink,
> and lots of movies to watch. Zoey was great. she didn't sleep
> much, but was pretty happy most of the way. The only time she
> got cranky was after our stop in Sudan. It was only an hour trip
> from Sudan to Ethiopia, so it wasn't too bad.
>
> We only got around 5 hours of sleep so I am sure we will sleep
> good tonight. In a half hour we are going to go visit the boys!
> I am very nervous and excited. I just wonder how much they
> understand and what they will be thinking when they see us.
> Justin is ready to play some soccer with them. We even brought a
> ball with us.
>
> Please keep us in your prayers. I really want us all to stay
> healthy. Also, our court date is tomorrow afternoon. Which will
> be early in the morning your time.
>
> Brittney-Justin gave Jared your gifts. He liked them very much.
> We also gave him some paper and a pen so he can write a letter
> to you. We will take a little video of him as well.
>
> Haley-I will probably give the boys your book on Tuesday after
> we know how the court date went! I know they are going to love
> it!
>
> Update 2
> We spent a lot of time with the boys today! They have already
> been moved to the transition house. This is where all the kids
> that are close to coming home go. When we got there, they were
> both napping. It took them a little while to warm up to us since
> they had just woke up from a nap, but that changed quickly. We
> were having fun and were covered in stickers in no time! 
> Both said they remembered us from our previous trip
> Words can't describe how beautiful these boys are! Its just so
> amazing to actually get to know them after only looking at
> pictures for so long. Justin took his football(soccer for you
> Americans!) and played with all the kids. Suprisingly they also
> like basketball. Not sure if they have played with an actual
> basket, but they like to dribble and pass. Justin had such a
> great time coaching them, it was fun to watch. I video taped
> them with our flip and both boys cracked up watching themselves.
> I have  a feeling we will be doing that a lot!
> We brought dum-dums for all the kids. Big Hit! I learned today
> that it makes the caretakers happy to get the candy as well.
> They were very appreciative to get some candy. Chera wanted to
> make sure everyone got a sucker. He asked for extras and took
> them to staff who hadn't gotten any yet. I was very proud of
> him. There are many negative behaviors that come from living in
> the orphanage, but I think there are just as many if not more
> positive behaviors. All the kids are looking out for each other
> and love to share with others.
> Zoey did great. The response when the nannies saw her was worth
> any trouble that it took to get her here. They were so happy to
> see her doing well. When we walked in the gates we heard many
> high pitched exclamations that "Hiwot is here"!
>
> Going to eat dinner now. Ready for some Ethiopian food! Then, a
> lot of sleep! 
>
>
>
>  
>
>  Donna Brown MM, MT-BC
> Louisville Music Therapy, LLC
> (502)376-9064
> DonnaMT@insightbb.com
> www.louisvillemusictherapy.com
> www.justinanddonna.blogspot.com
>

Donna Brown MM, MT-BC
Louisville Music Therapy, LLC
(502)376-9064
DonnaMT@insightbb.com
www.louisvillemusictherapy.com
www.justinanddonna.blogspot.com

Re: Update

We were reminded this morning that with Ethiopia, nothing is definite and the details are not so important. Apparently, the orphanage in Ethiopia told our agency the wrong day! Not to big of a deal though, it's tomorrow.

As I have mentioned to most of you, I was worried about the birth-parent court date.Their  family lives about 9 hours away, so I was worried that it would be hard for them to come to Addis. . I thought this was supposed to happen on the same day as our court date. Apparently that rule has not been enacted yet and it took place a month ago and everything went great! Tomorrow's court date is just a formality.

We also found out a lot more about Chera and Kenenisa's story and about the area they are from. Most of their story is quite different than we thought. We will share more details once we learn a little more ourselves.

We had a great day hanging out at the transition house. I brought bubbles and all the kids had a great time. A lot of the kids thought they would make their bubbles last longer by adding some water. This led to no more bubbles.

All the kids at the transition house are so wonderful. We are particularly impressed by the older girls. They have such a maturity and sweet spirit. I could talk to them all day. Since they are at the transition house, this means they will all go home soon. Everytime I get to know another one of the kids I just think about how blessed their new families are going to be.

Today we tried to include Zoey in our interactions with Chera and Kenenisa. When we walked through the gates today Chera ran up to us and patted Zoey on the head and said "sister." Later Justin tried to teach Chera how to say Zoey. He would point at her and say "Zoey." Chera looked at him like he was crazy and said "thats Hiwot"!

We had fun playing soccer, passing and dribbling. The sun was very bright, but it wasn't too hot. I think all the hard playing and the sun made the boys really tired. Chera fell asleep in Justin's lap and Kenenisa was exhausted.

We are off to dinner now. All of us are pretty hungry. Hopefully we will have good news to report tomorrow! Thanks for all the prayers!

----- Original Message -----
From: Donna B Brown <donnamt@insightbb.com>
Date: Sunday, December 5, 2010 10:36
Subject: Update!
To: donaldparker@vzw.blackberry.net,lesleys@ariseforchildren.com>, susank.ariseforchildren@gmail.com,susancallander@gmail.com>, ronda.cosby@jefferson.kyschools.us,lupitacross@hotmail.com, rebecca.edney@yahoo.com,jessicanaber@yahoo.com, brittneyj.armstrong@gmail.com,<kdozier@sobmlegal.com>
Cc: drae48@insightbb.com>,donnamt.ethiopia@blogger.com,coram deo abf <coramdeoabf@yahoogroups.com

> Two seperate updates. I tried to send  the first one this
> morning but the internet wasn't working.
>
> Update 1
> We made it to our hotel last night at around 3:30 am. This was
> about 6 hours later than we expected. All of the flights except
> our flight from Louisville to Detroit had delays. One for snow,
> one for mechanical reasons, and one  becuase of another
> passengers medical needs. The snow was so bad in Amsterdam that
> the airport was shut down. Once it opened back up there was only
> one runway. We sat in the plane for around 3 hours waiting. The
> KLM staff were wonderful though. There was plenty to eat, drink,
> and lots of movies to watch. Zoey was great. she didn't sleep
> much, but was pretty happy most of the way. The only time she
> got cranky was after our stop in Sudan. It was only an hour trip
> from Sudan to Ethiopia, so it wasn't too bad.
>
> We only got around 5 hours of sleep so I am sure we will sleep
> good tonight. In a half hour we are going to go visit the boys!
> I am very nervous and excited. I just wonder how much they
> understand and what they will be thinking when they see us.
> Justin is ready to play some soccer with them. We even brought a
> ball with us.
>
> Please keep us in your prayers. I really want us all to stay
> healthy. Also, our court date is tomorrow afternoon. Which will
> be early in the morning your time.
>
> Brittney-Justin gave Jared your gifts. He liked them very much.
> We also gave him some paper and a pen so he can write a letter
> to you. We will take a little video of him as well.
>
> Haley-I will probably give the boys your book on Tuesday after
> we know how the court date went! I know they are going to love
> it!
>
> Update 2
> We spent a lot of time with the boys today! They have already
> been moved to the transition house. This is where all the kids
> that are close to coming home go. When we got there, they were
> both napping. It took them a little while to warm up to us since
> they had just woke up from a nap, but that changed quickly. We
> were having fun and were covered in stickers in no time! 
> Both said they remembered us from our previous trip
> Words can't describe how beautiful these boys are! Its just so
> amazing to actually get to know them after only looking at
> pictures for so long. Justin took his football(soccer for you
> Americans!) and played with all the kids. Suprisingly they also
> like basketball. Not sure if they have played with an actual
> basket, but they like to dribble and pass. Justin had such a
> great time coaching them, it was fun to watch. I video taped
> them with our flip and both boys cracked up watching themselves.
> I have  a feeling we will be doing that a lot!
> We brought dum-dums for all the kids. Big Hit! I learned today
> that it makes the caretakers happy to get the candy as well.
> They were very appreciative to get some candy. Chera wanted to
> make sure everyone got a sucker. He asked for extras and took
> them to staff who hadn't gotten any yet. I was very proud of
> him. There are many negative behaviors that come from living in
> the orphanage, but I think there are just as many if not more
> positive behaviors. All the kids are looking out for each other
> and love to share with others.
> Zoey did great. The response when the nannies saw her was worth
> any trouble that it took to get her here. They were so happy to
> see her doing well. When we walked in the gates we heard many
> high pitched exclamations that "Hiwot is here"!
>
> Going to eat dinner now. Ready for some Ethiopian food! Then, a
> lot of sleep! 
>
>
>
>  
>
>  Donna Brown MM, MT-BC
> Louisville Music Therapy, LLC
> (502)376-9064
> DonnaMT@insightbb.com
> www.louisvillemusictherapy.com
> www.justinanddonna.blogspot.com
>

Donna Brown MM, MT-BC
Louisville Music Therapy, LLC
(502)376-9064
DonnaMT@insightbb.com
www.louisvillemusictherapy.com
www.justinanddonna.blogspot.com

Update!

Two seperate updates. I tried to send  the first one this morning but the internet wasn't working.

 

Update 1

We made it to our hotel last night at around 3:30 am. This was about 6 hours later than we expected. All of the flights except our flight from Louisville to Detroit had delays. One for snow, one for mechanical reasons, and one  becuase of another passengers medical needs. The snow was so bad in Amsterdam that the airport was shut down. Once it opened back up there was only one runway. We sat in the plane for around 3 hours waiting. The KLM staff were wonderful though. There was plenty to eat, drink, and lots of movies to watch. Zoey was great. she didn't sleep much, but was pretty happy most of the way. The only time she got cranky was after our stop in Sudan. It was only an hour trip from Sudan to Ethiopia, so it wasn't too bad.

 

We only got around 5 hours of sleep so I am sure we will sleep good tonight. In a half hour we are going to go visit the boys! I am very nervous and excited. I just wonder how much they understand and what they will be thinking when they see us. Justin is ready to play some soccer with them. We even brought a ball with us.

 

Please keep us in your prayers. I really want us all to stay healthy. Also, our court date is tomorrow afternoon. Which will be early in the morning your time.

 

Brittney-Justin gave Jared your gifts. He liked them very much. We also gave him some paper and a pen so he can write a letter to you. We will take a little video of him as well.

 

Haley-I will probably give the boys your book on Tuesday after we know how the court date went! I know they are going to love it!

 

Update 2

We spent a lot of time with the boys today! They have already been moved to the transition house. This is where all the kids that are close to coming home go. When we got there, they were both napping. It took them a little while to warm up to us since they had just woke up from a nap, but that changed quickly. We were having fun and were covered in stickers in no time!  Both said they remembered us from our previous trip

Words can't describe how beautiful these boys are! Its just so amazing to actually get to know them after only looking at pictures for so long. Justin took his football(soccer for you Americans!) and played with all the kids. Suprisingly they also like basketball. Not sure if they have played with an actual basket, but they like to dribble and pass. Justin had such a great time coaching them, it was fun to watch. I video taped them with our flip and both boys cracked up watching themselves. I have  a feeling we will be doing that a lot!

We brought dum-dums for all the kids. Big Hit! I learned today that it makes the caretakers happy to get the candy as well. They were very appreciative to get some candy. Chera wanted to make sure everyone got a sucker. He asked for extras and took them to staff who hadn't gotten any yet. I was very proud of him. There are many negative behaviors that come from living in the orphanage, but I think there are just as many if not more positive behaviors. All the kids are looking out for each other and love to share with others.

Zoey did great. The response when the nannies saw her was worth any trouble that it took to get her here. They were so happy to see her doing well. When we walked in the gates we heard many high pitched exclamations that "Hiwot is here"!

 

Going to eat dinner now. Ready for some Ethiopian food! Then, a lot of sleep!  

 

 

 

Donna Brown MM, MT-BC
Louisville Music Therapy, LLC
(502)376-9064
DonnaMT@insightbb.com
www.louisvillemusictherapy.com
www.justinanddonna.blogspot.com

Test email

Just sending out a test email/blog for updates during our trip. We are leaving today and should arrive Saturday night.  Our court date is on Monday so keep us in your prayers. 

Thanks!

Justin and Donna