Meeting Sam

We arrived in Ethiopia on Monday afternoon and spent a long time in a Visa line and a security line that I can only call suspect. I was surprised by how modern and large the airport was and how many foreigners were traveling there. We were in the visa line with a huge group of Italians and Germans.

We met Travis, the Gladney rep, and Binyam (butchering the spelling), our driver, post security. I will talk a lot about Travis and Binyam in these posts because, quite simply, they both rock. Travis basically told us that we were going to go to our guest home and have about 30 minutes to unpack and get ready before he brought over Sam. Immediately Pete and I started panicking.

We got in our van and started driving. I wish I could explain how Addis Ababa looked and felt. I'll start with the positives: tons of smiling, wonderful, warm people, a vivacious community, and an amazing diverse population. The paradoxes were unbelievable. You'd see women dressed in tube tops and high heels next to women in full burkas with only their eyes showing, next to women in beautiful head scarves and traditional attire. The town was a mixture of 500000 construction projects with big Catepillar machines next to a herd of donkeys next to a rickshaw next to a BMW. The hard stuff to handle: 1) the fumes...they are SO bad. Bad enough that people were having asthma attacks constantly, 2) the poverty...so many kids walking around in groups without parents, people sick on the streets, etc, 3) the traffic...there is SO much traffic and so many people around.

So we get to the beautiful Ayat Guest House, which is an amazing refuge, in this city. I will also talk a lot about the Ayat house in these posts because it was the most incredible place to stay. We rush to unpack (and clean up since we had been traveling for 36 hours). I am in a state of total freakiness. We try and find the cameras and get ready and then we hear Travis downstairs.

It's weird but the thing I remember the most about the first time I saw him was this tremendous sense of calm. I choked on a sob and then just walked over to him and slowly took him in my arms. You'll see from the video that he was very quiet and just checked everything out. No crying, just a bit of terror. Our moms were beyond themselves in the corner of the yard. He attached to me right away. It was the most incredible surreal experience.

We spent the rest of the day laying on the couch. He didn't speak, just checked everything out. He fell asleep on me a few times. That night, after dinner, we put him to sleep and he just conked. Poor guy. I didn't sleep much because I kept waking up to stare at this beautiful boy of mine.

And that was the end of the first day...

Travel Day - Dubai is WILD!!

Starting our journey.....

Here are some pictures of Dubai (we had a 13 hour layover) including the world's tallest building. Dubai is wild because it's basically one insanely tall building after another and it's filled with people from every country in the world. Emirates Air also puts you up in a hotel too as part of your ticket.

Dubai airport - the cleanest most gleaming airport in the world!

No, we were not in first class but Pete took pictures up there. It's INCREDIBLE!

We left on Saturday afternoon and flew from Albuquerque to Houston. In Houston, we met up with Pete's mom and started on Emirates Air. Let me tell you about this airline: it's incredible! The flight attendants are from all different countries and speak multiple languages. They are all handsome and young too. The airline has an incredible entertainment system and really nice seats. The flight was wild because it was going to Dubai so first class was filled with Texas oil tycoons and then the rest of the airplane were Indians, Pakistanis and a few Arabs.

We are home!

So much for having internet in Ethiopia. It's pretty hard to find!

Will be posting the entire story as the day progresses, but here is the first picture of the two of us together. My heart is so filled with love.

He is SUCH a different boy now than in these two pictures. He was so quiet and scared those first 24 hours and now I'm listening to him babble incoherently and crawling around on our floor next to Chewy.

Getting ready...

Will this suitcase close? Doubtful.



Will this bag get through? Probably not.



But will this crib be filled in a little over a week? YES IT WILL!!!!

Countdown!

Dentist - check
Doctor - check
Dermatologist - check
Eye Doctor - check
Hair Cut (something easy to maintain) - check
Adding Sam to insurance - check

Trying to get everything out of the way before we leave on Saturday. I've been getting up at the crack of dawn every morning and falling asleep super early because of all the things on the list. But I think I'm mostly nervous.

I'm nervous that he will despise my presence and want his caregivers back. I'm nervous that I have absolutely no idea what to do. And I'm nervous to have my life completely change. It's like when my husband proposed. I was ecstatic and had NO doubt I wanted to spend my life with him. However, there is a mourning period that women go through that isn't talked about much. The loss of an independent life. It's scary to think that I am fully responsible for a 14 month boy (in addition to our house, our fish, and our dog).

I have no doubt that I will love him more than I love anybody. And that's scary too!

Off to get more charitable items and figure out how to work the system with the airlines...bordering on 4 bags now.

Freaking out Gladney

Yesterday, the first thing I said when I picked up the phone and realized it was Sara was, "I think I'm going to throw up." She laughed politely but sounded a bit scared.

I also think that Sara is convinced I made up my husband. When we got the referral call he was on his big hiking trek so she never talked to him. Then yesterday Pete was at work so I said I would call him to tell him. She kind of laughed, like "SURE you will, faker!"

October 20, 2009 - It's Official!

Introducing Sam Amanuel Shepard!

Here is the first picture we received of him. This is when I fell in love!



What a morning yesterday! After our court date had been messed up twice (october 5 then october 12), I was so nervous. I couldn't focus on anything and as time slipped away, I was absolutely convinced that it was bad news and Sara just was trying to figure out a way to tell me. But no, it was good news!

Pete, Pete's mom, my mom and step-father, and I will head out on Saturday, November 7 to arrive on November 9! We're pretty set on UAE airlines from the positive reviews I've heard but are very confused about where to stay.

Yesterday I went shopping, had a pedicure, had a Dairy Queen blizzard and had an EXTREMELY nice dinner with my husband and drank lots of wine. It felt like the weight of this 4 year saga had been lifted from my shoulders. I feel so blessed.