Our past 3 days in Ethiopia.....

You have probably been wondering why we haven't posted anything on our blog, it's not because we haven't tried, it is because the internet has been less than reliable.  We haven't until now been able to access our blog and only occasionally our email. We are paying for internet at the Sheraton and it is excellent! So I'm going to try to recap our last three days for you and they have been incredible!  We arrived Friday night around 9pm, the flight was great!

Day 1: Sunday May 8 (Mother's Day!) We got picked up at 10am by the transition house driver and he took us to go see Isaac.  We went with another couple, John and Alicia, who were also visiting their son. We were so thrilled to finally be able to see Isaac again and for me it was even more special to have my son in my arms on Mother's Day. Isaac was shy at first but he came around very quickly.  He really enjoyed swinging on the swing and it didn't take him long to fall asleep.  We spent about 2 1/2 hrs with him and it was a really great visit. It was hard to leave but Isaac needs to adjust to us before we take him and we were also waiting for his visa to arrive. 

We then had lunch at Lucy's and ate on the beautiful patio.  We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Sheraton just relaxing and swimming. Later that evening we went to a traditional Ethiopian cultural resaurant with our new friends John and Alicia.  There was live Ethiopian dancing and the food was very good!  It was a great first Mother's day being a mom!!

Day 2:  Monday May 9: We were expecting Isaac's visa today but unfortunately the Canadian Embassy Visa Section in Ethiopia was closed so the adoption agency representative was unable to pick them up.  We were disappointed but we had confidence that they were there and would be picked up on Tuesday.  We got picked up today at 10am again to go see Isaac.  Again he played a bit strange when he saw us but came around quickly. He loved the swing again and he fell asleep in my arms.  He is a very cuddly little boy and loves to be held. We fed him lunch which was basically spaghetti with meat sauce pureed, he loved it!  Once he got to feel comfortable with us he gave out lots of smiles!

After our visit, we went to the Merkato market again which is the largest open air market in Africa. Our favourite cab driver Markos was again our tour guide (he's the best!) We bought Isaac a little traditional Ethiopian outfit which he is going to look so cute in.  We also bought a few other souvenirs, we had a great time.  We then headed over to Tomoca coffee where James bought 15 kilos of Ethiopia's best coffee and the three us enjoyed Addis' best machiato! Later that evening we decided to go to one of the best Italian restaurant in the city to celebrate (hopefully) our last night as just the two of us.  The Italians once occupied Ethiopia so Italian food is quite common in the city.  The restaurant was very nice and has been frequented many celebrities and world leaders. The food was good and the price came to a whopping $35 with tax and tip.  Ethiopia is extremely cheap which is good for us!

Day 3: Tuesday May 10 (Gotcha Day!) The visa is in! We were so excited because we get to pick up Isaac today!  We were picked up at 3pm by Solomon (the transition house driver).  He took us to the grocery store to pick up some supplies we needed for Isaac such as formula, cereal, baby food etc.  We then went to the agency office where we met Marta (the agency representative).  We received Isaac's passport with his visa, his birth cerificate, and original adoption documents from court. We then headed over to the transition house to pick up Isaac.  When we saw him this time he didn't act strange at all so he was more than willing to come with us.  We couldn't believe this day had finally come and the whole thing seemed a little surreal.  The caregivers said good bye to him which was hard for them because they became attached to him.  We placed him in the baby bjorn carrier for his ride home and he really liked it.  In the van on the way back to the hotel, he was so busy taking everything in around him.  He was so cute! When we got back to the hotel, he was just a happy baby.  He spent a lot of time playing and exploring his new environment. He adjusted very well and we had a great time with him.  We gave him a bath and he absolutely loved it! He had no problem going to sleep at   8pm but he did wake up 3 times in the night but I was able to get him back to sleep quite quickly.  Overall, our first night as parents was great and not too difficult but he just might be easing us in.