Update from Ethiopia

Sorry we haven't blogged in a couple of days!  We got to bring Jonas back to the hotel with us on Tuesday and things have been a bit hectic, but good.  I'll try to sum up what we've been up to.  Tuesday afternoon we spent another couple of hours at the Transition Home.  It was much harder for me to leave the Transition Home than I expected it to be.  I didn't realize that Jonas had a special nanny, but he did, and she was there on Tuesday.  I could tell that she was happy for Jonas that he was being adopted, but very sad that he would be leaving.  I tried to let her have time with him, but she was also trying to let me have time with him.  I caught her watching him a few times when he was with me.  She was keeping tabs on him and making sure that he was OK.  When it was time to go I took him back to his crib to change him into the clothes we'd be taking him home in and she came and stood in the room with us.  We thanked her and hugged and she started to cry and walked away as quickly as she could.  I, of course, started to cry too.  I was touched by how much she loved Jonas when we couldn't be there with him, and sad for her that she wouldn't be seeing him again.  I know that Jonas was very bonded to her too, and it made me sad for him also.    Our first night with Jonas went pretty well.  It took him awhile to settle down to sleep, but he slept from 10pm to 4:30am, took a bottle, and slept again until 7:30am.  Yesterday was our embassy appointment to get Jonas' VISA.  It went well, and we got all the official court paperwork declaring us his parents, and his Ethiopian birth certificate with us listed as his parents.  He's totally and completely our son.  It was a great feeling.  The day was a little rough for Jonas though.  We had to wake him up from his morning nap to make it to the appointment, and then they took us shopping afterwards.  He slept a couple of times in the van, but kept getting woken up by different things.  By the time we got back to the hotel he was overstimulated and so tired that he wouldn't take his bottle, which made him hungry, which made him mad, etc.  He also wasn't feeling very well.  When we left the Transition Home on Tuesday the head nurse let us know that he started having diarrhea last week and she gave us an antibiotic and some electrolyte solution to give him.  He had a few completely liquid blow-out diapers while we were out and about (sorry if that's TMI!).  So anyway, it took us an hour or so to get him settled down enough to eat and fall asleep.  He fell asleep at 6:30pm, woke twice during the night to eat, and slept until 8am this morning.  He was a tired little boy!    Today has been much better.  He's getting better from the diarrhea, and we're learning to understand his cues to better meet his needs.  We went to Kids Care Orphanage today, where the police brought Jonas after he was found.  He spent about a month there before he was moved to the Transition Home.  I was surprised and pleased that all the nannies there remembered Ekra (Jonas).  They were thrilled to see him and took him out of my arms to hug and kiss him.  He started to cry and reached for me after they took him.  That thrilled me. J  He really seems to be bonding to us, and he is such a sweet little boy.  When he's mad, he definitely lets us know.  J  But he also loves to smile and babble.  He's enthralled with his hands, which we actually suspected from some of the pictures we had of him.  He's always looking at his hands, clapping them, and waving them.  He waves them like an adult would wave hello, and he also waves them like a baby waves bye-bye.     I'm giving up on posting pictures until we get home..  I'm trying to attach some right now, but it's been working on it for almost an hour.  A couple of people from our travel group were able to get pictures sent, but one of them came down to the lobby at 3am to get a good internet connection.  Usually once we get Jonas to sleep after a bottle we crash in bed too.  So I doubt we'll be coming down here at that hour!     Tomorrow is a free day, and then we leave for the airport to come home at 6pm.  We've enjoyed our time in this country.  Ethiopians are so hospitable and kind.  But we're definitely ready to come home.  I might post again tomorrow, but if not, look for our pictures a few days after we get home.  Pray for our trip!  I'm not looking forward to the plane ride.  I really hope Jonas is feeling a lot better by then, or it might be a rough trip for him (and us)!