Monday

Today we had to hit the ground running for our trip to the US Embassy to finalize things from the US side. Our appointment was at 10, but the Buckner folks wanted us there early to perhaps get things moving along. After two security screenings we turned the corner into a waiting room packed with about 20 families with (mostly crying) Ethiopian babies. Since we had the only toddler, we had the little play area in the corner to ourselves as we settled in for our long wait. We alternated eating snacks and playing with the broken toys provided. We did get to meet some great families at a special point in their lives. One by one, the other families were called until we literally were the only ones left in the waiting room! After a two hour wait, we had our five minute appointment with the nice lady on the other side of the glass.  

After lunch we went to another appointment, one which was in some ways more intimidating than the embassy. We met Bereket’s birth mother. A friend made the comment that the decision to relinquish a child is made when there are no choices left. In that conversation our joy at this wonderful blessing in our lives was met with the pain of a mother saying goodbye. It is a tragic irony that love lay behind a mother’s release of a child. The conversation was every bit as wrenching as we expected, though it will be important for our son’s understanding of his life and his past.

We returned to the guest home where another family had picked up two boys, age 8 and 2, today. We played in the yard with them, and Mark and the older boy (without the benefit of a common language) defeated their dads by a healthy margin. Bereket was a delight, chasing Darcie around the yard and laughing with abandon. After dinner, Bereket started to wander around the room, and one of the workers (who is very sweet) picked him up to talk to him. After a few seconds he gave her the arched back treatment and ran back to us. Later she tried to tell him goodbye, and he pushed her toward the door! She seemed a little offended, but to us this was a great indication that he’s bonding well with us and has a proper orientation toward strangers.

We’ve noticed that his strong preference is for tables cleared of all items. I guess there weren’t a lot of knick-knacks at the Baby Home, or maybe its just his sense of modern design. He’s making strides at recognizing what he’s allowed to move and what he’s not, but near bedtime that breaks down a little as he works on “cleaning” with gusto!

We’re seeing our serious little boy of a few days ago change into a funny and even joyful toddler.