First of all, Rome was unbelievable! I could go on and on and on . . . It was a blessing to have Adam as our "personal tour guide" because we were able to see most of Rome in a whirlwind of four days. We saw many major sites including; The Pantheon, The Colliseum, St. Peters Basilica, The Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and many, many gorgeous churches. We went to the Vatican museum and sat in awe of the Sistene Chapel for about forty-five minutes. The highlight of the trip was our private tour by Adam of the Papal Palace. We saw things only ambassadors and dignitaries get to see and even went out on a balcony just several hundred feet from the Papal apartment. It was truly amazing. We would definitely like to return someday and see more of Rome, as well as other areas of Italy.
From Rome we went to Ethiopia and to another world entirely. We found Ethiopian Airlines to be top notch and were impressed with the airport as well. When one thinks of Africa one thinks of grass huts, wild animals, and people in native clothing. Well, Addis Ababa is nothing like that and it made it difficult to believe we were in Africa. It is a huge city with paved roads, cars, hotels, restaurants, and people in jeans and t-shirts walking everywhere. Looking closer however, one see's the extreme poverty, mules and sheep being led down the road, and garbage along the streets. There were beggars sitting along the sidewalks and buses crammed to the ceiling with people. Despite the hardships there, the Ethiopian people are very friendly, welcoming, and always smiling. We felt very safe there, even on our fifteen minute walks from the hotel to AAI everyday.
We were able to see Emmanuel the first day we got there, after we checked into the hotel and got a hold of the care centers director, Gail. She picked us up on her way to the care center as she was going there for a "goodbye party" for two children that were leaving with their new parents that day. He was sleeping when we got there so we walked around, took pictures, and joined the party. When we went back later, he was up and the nanny was changing his clothes. I could not believe I was actually seeing in person the child I had only seen up until then in pictures. He was absolutely adorable! She handed him to me and he just completely studied my face as if saying, "who are you?" It was an amazing moment that I will never forget. Troy held him shortly after and he did the same thing with him.
Over the course of the four days we were there we spent time at the care center getting to know our little guy. We were there usually for several hours in the morning and again in the afternoon or early evening. The rest of the time the agency had little trips planned for us to see more of Ethiopia. We went up to Entoto Mountain, Sabahar silk factory, a cultural museum, shopping on Churchill Street, and several restaurants including an authentic Ethiopian restaurant. It was a wonderful experience as we learned more about the place from where our future son was born.
And speaking of our future son, I don't think we could have gotten luckier. He is PERFECT! He has beautiful skin, huge dark brown eyes, soft fuzzy hair, and a smile that would make you melt. He is very smart and developmentally right on track. He is crawling as well as pulling to stand and cruising along furniture. I am so hoping we get him home before his first steps. He seems to be quite close with several of the nannies and they to him. Anytime he hears them call his name or sing he gets a huge smile on his face. He did take to us fairly well, me more than Troy as we think he is somewhat apprehensive of men as all of the nannies are women. On the second day we were there he was crawling on the floor and I sat down and got his attention. He turned and looked at me, smiled after a few seconds, and crawled into my lap. It totally warmed my heart and was nearly the same feeling I got when they placed my girls in my arms after their birth. I knew then that this child was meant for us.
He however, was not meant to be officially ours this trip. You may notice I have been writing "future son." Unfortunately, we did not pass court. Our court day started off terrible as I woke up that morning not feeling well and threw up shortly after; only to be sick about five more times that day. I was also quite emotional as it was our last day there and I was missing Emmanuel already. We went to court with another couple, The Wilkins, who were amazing. We all went into the court room together and sat in front of the judge. We answered in unison about five or six questions she asked. She then told The Wilkins that they passed. She then asked who was there for Emmanuel and told us the biological mother failed to make her appearance, therefore we did not pass. I was heartbroken, especially since I had questioned the whereabouts of the mother to several people at the agency months earlier. I was told it would be taken care of and not to worry. I guess I should have worried. The judge scheduled another court date for us with the court liason for May 3, 2011. Our agency told us that they and the orphanage he was initally taken to would investigate the mothers whereabouts and if she could not be found all they needed to do was get a letter from her local government office confirming her disappearance. They said it would not be a problem. We, of course, are praying that we pass on the third and we will be able to move on to the final step.
I will post a few pictures from Ethiopia but I am unable to post any of Emmanuel until we pass court. These photos may give you a feel for the country in which our son was born.
Sheep being led down the street
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