Day #??? I lost count!

Day - ??? I lost count!Right now, I (Erin) am sitting on the couch in our suite, drinking an Ethiopian beer (Hey, when in Rome…) and smiling as I watch Joel and Eli play soccer with a balloon. What a soccer player Eli is! WOW, the kid has a leg! We have discovered that Dum Dum suckers and balloons are a MUST while traveling to adopt. Being somewhat “stuck” in our hotel room gets long with a three year old. Burning some energy while playing kick, punch, throw, head and slam the balloon goes a LONG way in passing the time!

We just returned from the US Embassy (an experience in itself) where we completed more paperwork and applied for Eli’s Visa to the US. All went well and we will pick up his Visa on Wednesday. The highlight of the Embassy trip (other than getting his court documents) was meeting a number of other families from the US with their adopted Ethiopian children! What a surprise! There were about 11 families and 10 of them are on our flight home! HAH! Those poor flight attendants!!!! What a relief to us, though. One family lives in Bothell and is on both of our flights. They adopted a five-year-old girl and have three biological children at home as well! Very cool. We exchanged names and emails and parted saying, “See you Thursday!” Should be a flight to remember!

We thought we were going to the market this morning, but that was a miscommunication. So, we spent some time playing in the room (we are not allowed to leave the hotel with the children). Eli, let’s just say, came out of his shell today. Whoa. He was a wild man! It could be that we are cooped up or that he is testing his boundaries (wouldn’t you with people who gave you a sucker every 5 minutes?) or a combination of both. He definitely has good energy and will fit in well at home. I think we’ll be signing him up for soccer as soon as possible! Luckily, he did nap for about an hour this afternoon!On the way home from the Embassy, our car was approached by people begging in the streets (as happens every time we leave the hotel). Eli was sitting near the window. He looked at the poor, old woman and then at Joel and then back at the woman. It was very sad. We wondered what he was thinking. As I sit hear listening to Eli SQUEAL with laughter and joy as Daddy hits the balloon to him, I am so happy that he is our son and that can enjoy a happy and healthy life full of love (and squeals of laughter).