Friday, Noontime & 3 AM Sat Morning

April 1 and 2, 2010

Today we woke up, had scrambled eggs at the Guest house and walked Mitchel to the Jupiter Hotel, walking distance from our guest house; they have free wi-fi. We are confused as to the name of where we are staying, but it IS the guest house for Toukoul, called YGF. Trying to figure simple things out in a new country is sometimes way more complicated than one would think. Like, why did the gate clerks in Dubai walk around the waiting room taking people’s bags? We got ours back, but it was a bit crazy. Gate check with a difference. Ordering dinner, the same. Any simple thing…the same.

We went and saw Lulu-B this morning. She remembered us, after just one visit, and was quite happy to see us. She gave us several smiles. They brought her wrapped in the blanket we brought her yesterday. Eli had a rousing game of SKY ball with his target sky ball with some of the children in the yard while we waited to see her. Eventually, a little boy got a bit upset and yard politics dictated that the nannies move the children away.

They have a nice room with lots of sofa’s and chairs to meet Lulu. One of the nannies brings her to the room and later they even brought a bottle for us to feed her. She ate it all up. She cooed and Andrea massaged her back. She looks as if she always turns to the right. Her left side is very stiff. We will definitely off to the osteopath when we get to take her home. But she was bright eyed and ready to hang out. I think more relaxed and engaged today than yesterday. Her body is really strong, and she is very alert and holds her head up well. She has a bit of a cold, but it is hard to tell if it is in her chest or just her nose.

She LOVES her big brother Eli. He is a big, big hit. He insisted on going back in the afternoon and he held her. He read her a book and is generally very, very engaged. We agreed that she is going to be a good sister. She really likes Mitchel; he sings her little songs and tells her things. I hog the baby most of the time and tell her sweet nothings. Today, she could look at me in the eye a bit. She really enjoyed her bottle.

Baby details may write boring….I don’t know. But saying goodbye chokes me up every time. The people are all lovely, but there are miles of laundry to do, too many children to caretakers. Each time she has been delivered by a different nanny and picked up by a different one. I remember reading that there were so many nannies. Now, I see what they mean. If one brought presents for four to six nannies; it would be a good start, but not begin to cover the staff.

There is also a beauty to the children playing in the yard. It would be a big cultural shift, to leave as an older child.I think the older kids are still enveloped by typical Ethiopian culture. If they go to the states or Europe, gone may be the hanging out with their peers, which appears to be such a normal part of Ethiopian culture. Just hanging out, playing, being part of things. There is similarity to traditional Latin culture; children are loved, talked to a played with, but they also get a bunch of time to just hang out.

I asked our host about the big kids. I presumed they were all going to adoptive homes, but no….Toukoul 1 and Toukoul 2 are basically what makes up the space where Lulu lives. All the children ask her name when they came in. They do know her name. Most of the older kids are not going to the US.. My heart aches. They are such lovely children.

This afternoon, the greeting room was full of two beautiful babies and their parents to be, so we went and hung out with Lulu-B in the nurse’s station, downstairs in the back. The nurse on duty was lovely. She told me she took care of 6 rooms of children. There are 4 nurses that rotate and each group of children have 4 nannies or babysitters that rotate. Lulu-B has 4 nurses, and then at least 8 nannies, along with all the other children and babies in her group.

Having Eli is like a passport to a different world. The children are small by US standards, I would have guessed closer to seven and eight. Three boys came in a played with Eli. He entertained them for about 15 minutes. They all could say, My name is….one boy was 9, another 10. They had huge smiles and thought Eli was a crack up. Everyone of the big kids wants a balloon.

We have toys to give out, but don’t know the best way. Just some matchbox cars, some super balls, side walk chalk and some thick balloons on a rubber band. I wish we had more. We are supposed to check them into the office, then we maybe, can give them out. I could see that if only a few children got toys, it could be a disaster. Maybe they wait until they have enough for everyone.

The battery is fading, and I should try to get some sleep. So many children here. I know our family can handle one at a time, that is what each child needs, but it is so hard to see the beautiful spirits and to be here for just one.

My heart breaks.