I am all curled up getting ready for bed thinking back over our day. We have been on a roll of really great, fun experiences. We woke this morning and ate breakfast at the guesthouse. While eating, a gentleman staying here came in and began asking us about why we were here. He and his wife are in year 5 of their adoption. He came to advocate for their son and to fight to try to get necessary approvals that have been LONG delayed. It was a sober start to the day, just reminding me of the weight of the wait. There is nothing that can prepare a family for this process. But, we were encouraged by their commitment to not stop fighting. And we are committed to praying for them while they continue to face opposition.
After breakfast, we loaded up in the van with Mengistu and went about an hour away to tour a small museum, church, and home of Ethiopia's first king. We learned a lot of history about the country and its relations with other nations. It was up on top of a mountain and, therefore, at a higher elevation (Addis Ababa is 7,000 feet above sea level). The 10,000 feet above sea level tour was a much cooler climate and gave us pristine views overlooking Addis Ababa. The road up was winding and the traffic in town had been stop and go. Regan got car sick once on the way up, but after we got out of the car for a few minutes, she perked up and didn't have any problems the rest of the day.
We had plans to go shopping for soccer jerseys (for the boys) and traditional dresses (for Regan and me). But, traffic made our tour trip take longer than expected. So, we ate lunch at a really great restaurant so we could head on over to visit Tyson. Regan and I had tilapia, rice, and vegetables while Brycen had chicken in a gravy sauce with veggies and Mark had a steak with rice. And, Regan had her heart set on french fries (called "chips" here) so we ordered a side of those to share. The restaurant was called "Lucy's" and if anyone is visiting Ethiopia, it would be worth a stop... and it's close to the US Embassy!
After lunch we went straight to the orphanage because WE DID NOT WANT TO BE LATE (duh). On the hour long trip back to see Tyson, we discussed with Mengistu about changing Tyson's name from his Ethiopian name to Tyson. We were so encouraged by his telling us that he thinks that is a good idea. For us, the primary reason for changing his name is because in English, his Ethiopian name does not translate well. Secondly, because our biological kids names all end in "n," we did not want him to feel more different by having a name that didn't end in "n." Thirdly, many times when someone in scripture had a profound life-changing event, God changed his/her name (Paul to Saul, Sarai to Sarah, Abram to Abraham, etc). It is a very biblical concept and one we want to navigate well. This topic brought up Tyson's nickname at the orphanage. His nickname is Akuye (pronounced Ah-ku-yay). Mengistu told us this is a term of endearment and evidence that he is loved. He said, "No one calls him [Ethiopian name] except in formal settings like school. Everyone calls him Akuye." This was just so tender to me on so many levels. One of our prayers for 6 years has been that our child would be socially protected and in a place where he felt loved. None of the other kids (that we know of) have a nickname. It was also tender to me because, as many of you know, Tyson has an eye condition called congenital bilateral horizontal nystagmus. Basically, this means his eyeballs move horizontally/jump all the time. It's a condition he was born with (he has had clear MRI's to rule out brain trauma/tumors). To know that his nickname was one of love and his being well-liked made me so grateful. In an environment where the kids aren't always nice, I know he could've been made fun of or laughed at. Instead, he's Akuye and he's loved.
We finally arrived at the orphanage and Regan was greeted with the first hug today. She smiled from ear-to-ear. We immediately began playing soccer and were quickly interrupted by one of the children and a water gun. Thirty kids. One water gun. You do the math. It was a mad house. All the children wanted to shoot all the other children with water, including Tyson. He shot all of us about 100 times with water and laughed and laughed. Then, he began using the soccer ball as a basketball and went to Mark and said, "Dad, up!" pointing to the goal. So, Mark picked him up and he was able to give us a slam dunk, just giddy with giggles the entire time. Of course we all stood back clapping saying, "gobez" which means "good job" in Amharic like he had just won the National Championship. And then he did it about 42 more times. We kept saying, "Gobez! Gobez!" As we finished up basketball, we asked him if he preferred being called by his Ethiopian name or Akuye. He didn't hesitate, "Akuye." DONE.
Regan just told me, as I am typing, that when she was playing with him and said, "I love you," he immediately responded to her with "I love you." These are the things that prayers are made of. Asking God for years to help Tyson to sense he is loved and to know it from the very beginning. There were a couple of times he did not do what we asked and he would come over and say, "sorry." I melted and gladly accepted his apology. Brycen and Regan have now made friends with the older children at the orphanage. It brought me such joy to see some of the younger kids run to them immediately for hugs and for the older kids to come out to play ball with them. Regan and some of the girls turned the soccer ball into a volleyball and Brycen played soccer and played chase with the water gun and everyone had fun. We did more sidewalk chalk. It was hilarious... Tyson drew a person and then said, "That is me." Then, we asked him to draw Mark. He said, "ok." and then he drew a person with short spikey hair. Pretty much he IS a genius. One of the older girls (she's 12) has her family coming to see her for the first time next Tuesday. I have been in contact with her family and she couldn't wait to show me her family photo book that her family made for her about them. We looked over each page and she just beamed. Then, Tyson looked at me and said, "I will show you my photo album." We acted like we hadn't see it before...even though we made it for him last year and we looked at it together Wednesday. Just then it began to sprinkle so we sat on the porch and looked through his book. IT WAS SO SWEET. He pointed to the picture of the front of our house and said, "My house." Then, he turned the page and pointed to each of us, saying our names. Mark got it on video. It will forever be etched in my mind because of all the days, weeks, and months we so longed for him to know us. To see him now, knowing our names and showing us affection, it is still surreal in many ways. We were able to ask him what he is most excited about coming to America. He said, "playing with matchbox cars and swimming." MatchBox cars. We just burst out laughing. We told him we had him some cars he could play with once he comes back here on Tuesday. He seemed really happy about that!
The smallest details are coming out as we watch him play and see his patterns emerge. He does not like his hands to be dirty, so anytime they have chalk on them at all, he goes to the outdoor water station and washes his hands as quickly as possible. Today I went with him to wash his hands and while we were there he said, "Mom" and pointed for me to put my hands under the water. Then, he washed my hands for me. I think I will just take him home and keep him forever!
Right about the time we were leaving it was time for his dinner. As we were going he said to Mengistu, "I get to go with them Tuesday?" Mengistu said, "Yes." Tyson replied, "I prefer going with them today." WE PREFER THAT TOO, AKUYE, WE PREFER THAT, TOO!
We assured him we would return tomorrow. I already can't wait. Another day awaits with our sweet
AKUYE.
until he's home,
carrie
LOOOOVE!!!!! :) :) TOO PRECIOUS!!!
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