Blog Entry
Posted by Kristen Alldrin on December 21, 2009 to Adoption blog
(click any image to enlarge) Paperwork Party We fill out government forms in what may have been the dullest party in history. Our First Embrace We were all so happy, and several tears were shed. An Amazing Three Minutes The greeting time happens fast, but that makes it no less special. Samuel warmed up to us in no time. We started our day at our "paperwork party" at the Hilton. We filled out all of our embassy paperwork to get the kids' visas. We had a nice lunch when we were finished and then headed off to the transition home to meet our children. The older kids (like ours) were all waiting on the couches on the front porch, so there was no real surprise moment. They were waving at us and we were waving at them. We were the first family to meet our kids, since our name starts with "A". The girls seemed very happy to see us and gave us lots of hugs and kisses. As I expected, Biruk did not want to come to me and clung to his nanny and cried. I had to pry him away from her and he was sad. The good news is that he got over it fairly quickly and never cried again. He even gave us a few cute smiles. At one point when I was holding him, he saw Loren and reached out his arms to him. That was pretty sweet. They don't get to see very many men there, so I'm sure he was happy to have some attention from Daddy. We played with the kids and met with the transition home doctor and psychologist to learn a little bit more about their history. Our program coorinator suggested that we bring the four older kids in our group to the traditional Ethiopian dinner and dancing tonight. Loren got to bring our kids back to the guest house while all the women went to the spa for some pampering for an hour. I had my very first (and probably last) massage. I think I might have been the worst client ever, since I'm quite ticklish and apparently very sensitive. She was hurting me! The girls did great with their "Daddy time" and when I got back they were already meeting Grandma and Grandpa Alldrin on Skype! He had a blast with the girls, taking them up on the fifth floor balcony, playing ball and blowing bubbles. He said they were very sweet girls. We had a good time at dinner, but several of us are experiencing some tummy issues, so we all ate lightly. The girls ate tons of food and we finally had to tell them "no more". We were afraid they would get sick. The best news of the day is that Yodit's TB test came back all clear, and we should have no trouble at the embassy with getting her visa! We are so thankful to know that she does not have it, but we're even more thankful that we won't have to stay here any longer and will be home as scheduled on Christmas Day! It was a wonderful day filled with blessings, and we are thankful! We have many other pictures we had planned to post, but computer problems are making that impossible. Watch for more pictures soon. Back to: Adoption blog The Lord gave us several blessings today, and I don't just mean the three kids.
