Trip Highlights

Ok..so I was going to write about each day of our trip this week after the kids went to bed.

Well…I fell asleep on the couch each night by 8pm so that didn’t work so well.

Jet lag + 4 kids + re-entry = tiredness

Before I begin..quote of the week: Caleb holding Maleah says, “she is so warm..she’s hot”. Micah says, “of course she’s hot, she just came from Africa”

Alright, here goes:

Packing..that’s where I left off, I believe. Packing was overwhelming for me. Probably because I believe packing also means cleaning your house from top to bottom before I go. I’m sure that adds a itsy-bitsy amount of stress to the ordeal. However, packing was not just normal packing. I had to pack for a child I had never seen, didn’t know how big or little she was, what bottles she would take, formula, baby food, and other odds and ends we would need for her. I would totally pack differently if I went again. I would take baby spoons, baby bowls with lids, disposable bibs,  rice cereal, baby food veggies & fruit (they start them on solids earlier than we do…you can slowly wean them down to more formula) liquid detergent..that’s all I can think of right now.

 

So, we left on Wednesday morning. Our friend took us to the airport and I kept thinking, “I can’t believe I’m actually going to the airport to fly to Africa”. It was very surreal. I think I will use that word much more in the next few posts. Surreal is still how it feels. I am still shocked to be home and see her playing in our house…surreal.

I am a nervous fly-er. Ever since we had kids I am more than happy NOT to fly. I have horrible visions of terrible things happening and my kids being all alone. Not rational, I know, but real to me, none the less.  So, to say I was nervous to fly to Ethiopia would be an understatement. I did fine until we were actually up in the air. Then it hit me…I was ACTUALLY in the air, 40,000 feet up in the air, and since I was up in the air that meant that I had to go and keep going all the way to Ethiopia.

 

We met up with another couple Mark & Sarah in Amsterdam. To say that it’s odd we haven’t met before would be putting in mildly. We have so many connections and crossed paths -  it in crazy.  They have become treasured friends and we hope to see them on a regular basis. (I’ll gush more about the rest of the travel group…who we would love to have all move next door to us…seriously…all of them).

But..after a 24 hour travel day, one that included a stop in Amsterdam, a brief stop in Khartoum, Sudan, we were FINALLY there!! ETHIOPIA. We were SO close to our baby girl. After waiting FOREVER (that’s totally for you Mark & Sarah) for our travel buddies to make it through with their luggage issues we headed to the Union Hotel. We were going to sleep literally right next door to where our daughter was sleeping. SURREAL.

That’s where I’m signing off for tonight. Tomorrow…meeting our baby girl!!!