Ethiopia trip, Part II

So the plane ride... let's just say I'm amazed we came away in one piece. I'm not going to go through all the nitty gritty details on here because it'd sound like I wasn't happy and I didn't like my kids. But I am, and I do. ANY child who can endure a 36 hour travel regimen involving 4 legs and being belted in when they aren't used to it and made to sit next to two people for the whole time who they just barely knew, without having a grand-mal meltdown or two... well, I'd argue against their human-being status.

So... after the long, hellish trip, we came home to our wooooonderful wonderful wonderful family in Missouri and fell deeply asleep for a day or so and then woke up and looked at the world anew and found it amazing and dewy and full of technicolor flowers and everything disney and fairy-tale like.

I am not kidding. Our kids are AMAZING!!!! Sooo adorable with adorable personalities to go along with it. And they are already attaching. MayMay especially looooves to be held and picked up and paid attention to and rocked. She's warming up to Skywalker more slowly.

Bella is less needy about the touchy feely still, though she doesn't mind some lap sitting and some hugging and kissing. the first day we met, after about an hour and a half she took my hand, gave me a shy smile, and raised it to her mouth and kissed it. Teary moment. I restrained myself though and smiled at her and kissed her hand in return. She's so active, it's amazing. Crazy trampoline jumper, game-player, social butterfly, adventurer.... nothing phases this girl. Bella really likes Skywalker, and will hold hands just as readily with him, and allow him to stroke her arm or back (that is signature Skywalker) though she's still not sure about being picked up and held. These girls really have no idea what to do with him! They know what a dad is; every magazine on the plane, they went through the pictures and every woman was pronounced, "Mama" and every man, "Baba or Papa." So they know, they just don't really know, yet.

More pics:


Saying goodbye:


The amazing staff at the guest house. Will never forget any of them. I'll do some more detailed posts about our experience and tell you about all of the people in this picture, and add some more fun ones, too.




The girls are pictured here where they have slept for the last 9 months. They love the staff, and it is obvious they were well loved here, but every time we went back they clammed up and were serious. It was obvious they were ready to move on, and be a part of a family instead of an institution. Even the best institution cannot substitute for a family.




In the airport, waiting for our first plane. This is about 2 1/2 hours past the girls' bedtime. They slept... oh, maybe a total of 4 hours or so for the entire plane ride, until the last few hours of the flight when they were basically comatose so that we had to carry them through the airport. Skywalker found a wheelchair and put both girls in my lap, hung all our bags from the handles, and pushed me to the last gate. It was very embarrassing and we got some stares, but it did the job and I won't see any of those mean unhelpful people again (except perhaps at the judgment day.) (Sorry... I said I wouldn't complain but that was perhaps one of the worst experiences of my life. The gate attendant was very rude to us and acted like we were being attention seeking or something. I was like, Lady! Please... I don't need your attitude. These girls have been flying for 30 hours, I've been peed on and thrown up on and flailed at and kicked and watered with tears and if you think your 'tude is gonna throw me you'd better get to know the toughness that is Nosurfdom.)






In the USA. Our family now:






MayMay smiles but she loves to be coaxed to do it. Lol.