Dance

Happy Tuesday!  I know it just so happens to be Election day in the States, but here in Addis it was a day that was crisp.  It finally felt like fall!

We had a great day full of running around.  The other family that is here had their cultural training this morning, so we (along with Mengistu) rode with them to Bethany.  While there, I asked for copies of a few documents that we needed in order to fill out insurance information as well as complete a form online that is needed for Tyson's visa.  THE PAPERWORK IS crazy COMING TO AN END.  Just today I joked with Mark that I don't know what I will do with all the hours I have spent on filling out paperwork, having things notarized, authenticated, sealed, updated, fingerprinted, etc.  Then it occurred to me.  I WILL SPEND THAT TIME LOVING ON THE SWEET THING ALL THAT WORK WAS FOR!!!  Good grief, I love him. 

Anyway... after Superman  Tesfahun copied all the necessary documents for us, we realized our court decree had some things misspelled (namely, names).  My name and his birth mom's name were both spelled wrong.  Turns out it could be a big deal when we get to the Embassy, so I am glad we said something.  Here's the thing, translation offices here don't have an easy job!  There are over 200 letters in the Ethiopian alphabet (can you imagine THAT alphabet song!).  Not to mention, the calendar is 13 months, each with 30 days in it... not one with 28, some with 30, and some with 31.  Therefore, in Ethiopia it is only 2007.  Let your mind wrap around that for a second... IT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT YEAR HERE.  To further complicate things, they don't begin their day in regards to telling time until 6am.  So, 6am is 1 and 7am is 2 and so on.  Shew.  Sometimes it makes my brain hurt.  Then, when you throw in an 8 hour time difference, it's often more than my brain can handle.  All of that to say that when Ethiopians have to translate information from Amharic to English, it isn't as simple as just translating it directly or verbatim.  They have to calculate, for instance, dates... lots of math is involved and don't even get me started on how they translate our alphabet.  Somehow they are able to use 26 letters to do the same job as over 200 letters.  Suffice it to say, the translators have a crazy tough job, especially on documents where accuracy is vital.  At some point either today or tomorrow, Superman was going back to have the misspellings corrected. 

After dropping the other family off for training we headed (with Mengistu)to find Tyson an Ethiopian soccer jersey.  We had looked on our previous shopping day, but no one at that market seemed to have his size (a small).  Today, Mengistu took us to the soccer stadium to a few sports stores and we found a size small!  We would've preferred getting one a bit bigger, but he was adamant he wouldn't wear it if it was ONE BIT too big.  Brycen and Regan also found a few things to spend their remaining money on. Next, we headed to a compound where they make Ethiopian textiles on site.  We learned about (and saw) silk worms, their eggs, and how they spin silk just before they die.  This is a new trade in Ethiopia and one that is slowly growing.  We were able to see the newly dried silk being spun into thread.  Next, we walked to another building where men were at huge looms HANDMAKING beautiful scarves, napkins, placemats, etc.  It is traditional for women to spin the thread and for men to use the looms.  I walked away realizing either WE ARE UNBELIEVABLY LAZY AS AMERICANS OR HOW BLESSED WE ARE BY MODERN MACHINERY THAT ALLOWS US TO MASS PRODUCE.  Either way, the skill and uniqueness and time and number of people it takes to produce ONE product was overwhelming and something I had never spent so much time thinking about.  As we were leaving there, Mengistu reminded us of a volunteer at Tyson's orphanage who had contacted him to try to tell Tyson good-bye.  She had missed seeing him before he left.  It has been overwhelming (in a good way) to have all the calls and inquiries from so many people about him.  Today, we were able to meet this volunteer, whose name is Tizita (WHICH IS MY NIECES NAME). She was kind and gracious and when the van door opened and Tyson saw her, he smiled so big and gave her a huge hug.  I took a picture of them, right there on the side of the road.  She thanked us for being his family and we, as always, were quick to let her know he is our blessing.  

Then, it was time for buna.  So, we headed back to our regular coffee house that great coffee shop just beside Bethany.  Tyson and Regan ordered hot chocolate.  It was Tyson's first time to have it.  There is a saying in Ethiopia that Americans eat sugar, Ethiopians drink sugar.  Their food has virtually no sugar, but they POUR ON THE sugar when it comes to chai and buna.  Tyson's first taste of the hot chocolate wasn't awesome.  But,  a spoonful or twelve of sugar and he was happy as could be, licking his lips.  

We walked around the corner and down the street to Bethany to meet up with Samuel L. Jackson  our van driver and the other family so we could head to lunch.  We opted for Lime Tree again today... it's a restaurant we have visited 4 times already.  Each day they have a special (i.e: Mondays and Wednesday it's shwarma, Tuesday's it live wok, etc).  We were all excited for live wok and it didn't disappoint.  While we were eating Brycen and Tyson started trying to whistle with their glass bottles (again).  Oh the giggles when Tyson finally got a loud one!  Between lunch and our next stop we had a dance party in the van.... we danced to Whitney ("I wanna dance with somebody") and Michael ("Man in the mirror") and then we slowed things down with John Legend ( "All of me").  

On our way back to the guesthouse we stopped by the market where Brycen had his shoes shined the other day.  He had spotted a keepsake he wanted to buy for his room while we were there, but wanted to see if he had enough money left to get it.  The other family did some shopping as well.  Tyson fell asleep on Mark during the shopping (because he couldn't quite NOT touch EVERYTHING IN EVERY STORE and he had to be held).  So, the entire ride back to the guesthouse I had a sleeping boy on my leg.  I didn't complain one second about the drool puddle on my leg when we finally arrived back to the guesthouse.  Once we were back at the guesthouse I sat with Tyson on his bed looking through pictures of family and friends in America.  He is getting so good at recognizing names and faces.  One or two faces and names he only heard once and has never forgotten (here's looking at you Olivia Bruce!).  Then, I cracked open the laptop and began working on what could be OUR LAST ADOPTION PAPERWORK (it's just all so surreal).  It's a form online that should require a master's degree or higher to complete, but I muddled through and hopefully, I answered everything the right way (PS-how do uneducated people get anything done that requires completing paperwork given by our government?  those forms are CRAZINESS).  We did our normal post-dinner, run-around-like-crazy-children-playing-indoor-soccer to get your energy out and then it was time for Tyson to come up and take a shower.  About 7pm, we started heading upstairs. We have our system and routine fairly worked out... I start his water, he grabs pajamas and we meet in the bathroom.  Until tonight it has been exactly the same.... the two of us were in the bathroom with the door closed and during his shower the shower door MUST REMAIN OPEN.  Basically, I might as well shower at the same time, but water just isn't a big deal, so BRING IT.  But, tonight, it started the same until he had finished washing off his body.  Then, he closed the shower door and looked at me through it smiling SO BIG, like he was so proud of himself.  He started dancing in there and playing in the water.  Finally, he called for Mark to come into the bathroom (and close the door. And the bathroom isn't that big. But, we did it!).  He was just giddy playing and full on dancing in the shower.  Mark put him on some real dance music and he just lit up.  He giggled and spun and jumped.  Every few minutes he would crack open the shower doors (it's two large, curved glass doors that meet in the middle... it's a small corner shower) and stick his face out smiling at us saying, "Mommy.  Daddy."  We just had the best time watching him and being silly with him.  I kept thinking, "Dance, baby, dance.  Your ours now."  It's like a new freedom came over him tonight.  Showers aren't rigid anymore where it has to be fast and to the point so that 24 other kids can get a turn.  It was like he understood that he could be a kid and dance and play in there if he wanted to.  I was so glad he did!

I have had all kinds of feels today. You know the Lord has outdone Himself in so many ways on our trip and in our meeting Tyson.  He really has.  But, as I stood and thought tonight (while washing a few things by hand in our sink), it occurred to me that tomorrow marks the 6 year anniversary of when we submitted our first paper to Bethany for this adoption. SIX YEARS. TOMORROW.  And, the plan is for tomorrow to be the last step in our process until Embassy. An Embassy appointment is the last thing we will do before coming home.  So, tomorrow we will do the final piece to Tyson's medical exam for his visa and then the hospital will submit that information to the Embassy where it will catch up with the master's degree required paperwork I submitted earlier.  Then, after everything is reviewed for accuracy we will be given an Embassy appointment.  Once that is complete, they will file for his visa to be printed and then we will be HEADING HOME.  Here's the deal though... with Veteran's Day being Friday, the US Embassy is closed.  So, we aren't sure what the timing will be for all of these final pieces to get finished, but we are trusting the Lord with it.  Either way, the latest we will be coming home is one week from tonight.  

We just FaceTimed Corbin and Hudson (thanks, Dana!) and when we were discussing possible coming home date scenarios, Corbin started moonwalking... NOT KIDDING.  It was a day full of dancing and for that we are grateful.  

We can't wait to see you all and hug you SO SOON.  

Until WE'RE home,

carrie