Finally the moment arrived to meet "Yohannes"! We met him about a half hour after we arrived at House of Hope. It was crazy to see them bring us this little boy! We had looked at his pictures for so long that we felt like we knew him but to hold him was amazing! He was so sweet-- no crying but just so little and unsure-- clutching a handful of popcorn.
After we took him up to the room we were staying in, we gave him his little backpack with toys and played with him for a while. We also brought him the hat which he wore all the time :)
I rocked him to sleep that afternoon for his nap and never wanted to put him down! I still feel like that when I rock him before his nap! It is so magical to rub his soft arms and cheeks! We were so glad that he immediately let us hold and cuddle him... the struggles came later :)
After naps we went with the other families to go to the Hilton to exchange money and to see a little bit of the city. Here is one picture-- it is hard to even totally capture the energy level and amount of things going on as you drive down the streets. Our drivers were great so I felt safe but the lack of organized lanes and the fact there there are basically NO stop signs is a little disconcerting.
Here is a picture of the great group that we spent the week with! They were so fun and it totally made the week! We all piled in to this van! The Hilton was gorgeous! I'm not sure about the rooms but the pool area and restaurant were great.
5 comments:
Wow! Can't wait to see/hear more!
Number one: I need to talk to you sometime to get your take on flights, accomodations, etc! So glad that I trust your judgement & that you were there.
Number two: I cannot believe you were there at the same time as Rebekah & her Bek.. she is one of my fav. bloggers & we discuss running. I am jealous you were able to meet her.. I will be writing the same thing on her blog ;).
Number three: Love the pics of you guys holding Taye.
Love, J
So fun to hear about... thanks for sharing!
I wondered if you knew who J Gutwein was since I read both of your blogs and I often wondered about the same last name! I hope you don't care that I copied and saved the group picture from your blog. I didn't take one and was glad to see that you did get that one! It makes me miss Ethiopia reading about your trip. Hope all is well with you. We are finally starting to get into somewhat of a routine!
Hoping we'll get to see the rest of your pics and stories the weekend of the 5th...this is a great start. In the excitement of Taye, it's easy for others to forget the experience you've had...but for sure it's not something you guys are forgetting anytime soon.
Post a Comment