December 8, 2009
Honestly, the past two days have been a bit of a blur thanks to jet-lag and getting used to having two energetic monsters (we mean that in the adorable muppet kind of monster way) tearing around the house. Slowly but surely every single boundary is being tested, and we are trying our best not to laugh out loud each time they do something hilarious yet unacceptable. Dave is much better at this than Emily, who collapsed laughing at the breakfast table when the boys turned their placemats into a demolition derby arena. Dave was not amused. Amare and Zenebe, of course, were. Add to the confusion that we must communicate everything simply with tone of voice, since our mutual vocabulary is still limited to essentials like: poop, pee, snack, come, let go, dog, and good job!
Then there is the issue of food in general. Zene meticulously picked every kernel of corn out of his rice at dinner. We tried to convince him to eat by telling him there are starving children in Africa, but, well, that argument didn't get us very far. Peanut butter, thankfully, has been approved as an acceptable source of protein in their rigid diets. Too bad it means there is already a veneer of PB on every surface at child-height between the breakfast table and sink. Happily, it has not been difficult to master cooking the orphanage fare -- simply cook any version of starch (macaroni/rice/potato), add a little red berbere spice and butter and -- voila! -- palatable food. Slip in a candy-flavored multi-vitamin on the side and we all feel better about nutrition!
December 7, 2009
Our first day at home!!! This day was filled with so many firsts for the boys:
petting dogs
SNOW!!!
Grandma's cookies (for breakfast!)
washing machine spin cycle
stepstools
squirrels!
rainboots
squash soup - yum!
zinger tea - yuck!
electrical outlets
garbage truck
kitchen cabinet doors
Fortunately (for us, anyway) the overnight snow/ice slick forced Grandma and Grandpa Sprowls to spend the morning with us. We played in the snow and the boys got to display their true charms. It also meant that sleep-deprived mommy and still-sick daddy got to ease into our day in a house that Em's mom had left cleaner than ever, stashed with groceries and frozen meals, and important little things like duck bath towels and booster seats (thank you Darlene!!!).
Despite the agony and disappointment of the night before, Amare awoke as his usual grinning self. We spent the day just handing out and playing at the orphanage, trying to tire out the boys for the long flights ahead without exhausting Dave and his cold. We got to meet a new set of adoptive families arriving for the next week, and we all got a chance to say a heartfelt "Ciao!" to all the dear nannies. One gave both boys little wooden cross necklaces -- so sweet!
Our flight left Addis at almost midnight, so the boys were already up hours past their bedtime as we loaded up the van with our luggage. However, the excitement of riding through the city, then the enormity and bustle of the airport, riding on the luggage cart, and the sight off all the "jets, mommy!!!"certainly kept them awake till we boarded the plane. And then there were the little TV sets in the seats, and the seatbelts, and the magazines, and the headphones, and the flight attendant call buttons (certainly no parent of a toddler moved the location of those buttons from the ceiling to the armrest!!!) to keep everybody up, up, up!!! Eventually, exhaustion set in and there were a few hours of sleep before we had to find ways to keep them from climbing over the seat behind them, shouting at Finding Nemo on the TV, slamming the tray table, etc., etc. Food arrived and we discovered how the limited orphanage diet has turned Zenebe into quite a picky eater. Neither boy would even look twice at chocolate ice cream!!! That was the first flight to Amsterdam. The second flight to Detroit went pretty much the same way, but with a new set of toys and puzzles and fortunately nobody seated in the seats directly in front of their little kicking legs. The boys were incredibly patient during the long wait at immigration upon arrival in Detroit, especially since there were very tempting luggage carts just beyond the end of the line. Our layover was tight, so there wasn't much time to wheel around on the carts before we zipped upstairs, frantically changed clothes/used the bathroom and dashed (using, of course, the thrilling moving walkways) to our gate.
Twenty-four hours after we departed from Addis, we landed in Indianapolis with two fast asleep little boys. So they were complete zombies upon meeting their ecstatic grandparents and our friend Cecile. Nevertheless, Grandma was not daunted by their sleepy eyes and glassy stares, and donned two adorable winter hats on their heads and pressed awesome crank flashlights into their hands. The joy from these gifts was not evident until after almost 12 hours of sleep for all -- but boy were those flashlights fun when jet-lag had us all up at 4:00 am the next morning!
Then there is the issue of food in general. Zene meticulously picked every kernel of corn out of his rice at dinner. We tried to convince him to eat by telling him there are starving children in Africa, but, well, that argument didn't get us very far. Peanut butter, thankfully, has been approved as an acceptable source of protein in their rigid diets. Too bad it means there is already a veneer of PB on every surface at child-height between the breakfast table and sink. Happily, it has not been difficult to master cooking the orphanage fare -- simply cook any version of starch (macaroni/rice/potato), add a little red berbere spice and butter and -- voila! -- palatable food. Slip in a candy-flavored multi-vitamin on the side and we all feel better about nutrition!
December 7, 2009
Our first day at home!!! This day was filled with so many firsts for the boys:
petting dogs
SNOW!!!
Grandma's cookies (for breakfast!)
washing machine spin cycle
stepstools
squirrels!
rainboots
squash soup - yum!
zinger tea - yuck!
electrical outlets
garbage truck
kitchen cabinet doors
Fortunately (for us, anyway) the overnight snow/ice slick forced Grandma and Grandpa Sprowls to spend the morning with us. We played in the snow and the boys got to display their true charms. It also meant that sleep-deprived mommy and still-sick daddy got to ease into our day in a house that Em's mom had left cleaner than ever, stashed with groceries and frozen meals, and important little things like duck bath towels and booster seats (thank you Darlene!!!).
December 5-6, 2009
Despite the agony and disappointment of the night before, Amare awoke as his usual grinning self. We spent the day just handing out and playing at the orphanage, trying to tire out the boys for the long flights ahead without exhausting Dave and his cold. We got to meet a new set of adoptive families arriving for the next week, and we all got a chance to say a heartfelt "Ciao!" to all the dear nannies. One gave both boys little wooden cross necklaces -- so sweet!
Our flight left Addis at almost midnight, so the boys were already up hours past their bedtime as we loaded up the van with our luggage. However, the excitement of riding through the city, then the enormity and bustle of the airport, riding on the luggage cart, and the sight off all the "jets, mommy!!!"certainly kept them awake till we boarded the plane. And then there were the little TV sets in the seats, and the seatbelts, and the magazines, and the headphones, and the flight attendant call buttons (certainly no parent of a toddler moved the location of those buttons from the ceiling to the armrest!!!) to keep everybody up, up, up!!! Eventually, exhaustion set in and there were a few hours of sleep before we had to find ways to keep them from climbing over the seat behind them, shouting at Finding Nemo on the TV, slamming the tray table, etc., etc. Food arrived and we discovered how the limited orphanage diet has turned Zenebe into quite a picky eater. Neither boy would even look twice at chocolate ice cream!!! That was the first flight to Amsterdam. The second flight to Detroit went pretty much the same way, but with a new set of toys and puzzles and fortunately nobody seated in the seats directly in front of their little kicking legs. The boys were incredibly patient during the long wait at immigration upon arrival in Detroit, especially since there were very tempting luggage carts just beyond the end of the line. Our layover was tight, so there wasn't much time to wheel around on the carts before we zipped upstairs, frantically changed clothes/used the bathroom and dashed (using, of course, the thrilling moving walkways) to our gate.Twenty-four hours after we departed from Addis, we landed in Indianapolis with two fast asleep little boys. So they were complete zombies upon meeting their ecstatic grandparents and our friend Cecile. Nevertheless, Grandma was not daunted by their sleepy eyes and glassy stares, and donned two adorable winter hats on their heads and pressed awesome crank flashlights into their hands. The joy from these gifts was not evident until after almost 12 hours of sleep for all -- but boy were those flashlights fun when jet-lag had us all up at 4:00 am the next morning!
Thanks again for your detailed posts! Made me cry. I like the crank-flashlight thing...those boys must have the best grandma ever. Frederick has a crank flashlight, too.
ReplyDeleteBut I have some news for you: the placemat thing has nothing to do with cultural difference or language barriers...but maybe you'll be able to train yours better than mine are trained...they want to drive vehicles or have stuffed animals at every meal, and Harry makes art with oatmeal directly on the table. ;D