Shopping-Embassy: June 9

We had Dawit - now we had to make it official with a visit to the U.S. embassy. But first we went shopping with Birtukan and Emane. We steered clear of the Mercato, Ethiopia's largest open air market because Emane said "there are bad boys there." Instead we went to shops that lined the road. Shadley, Lindsey and the Mooneys went too and they racked up. I didn't do so well. Sometimes I just can't decide what to buy, so I don't buy anything. That's pretty much what I did, although I did get some traditional Ethiopia clothes for Dawit and Caroline. Birtukan was a kick-butt negotiator. Occasionally, when she didn't think the prices were good enough, she would say, "let's go." And we went.

I also bought a traditional Ethiopian stool that is often used for coffee ceremonies. It is carved from a single piece of wood and now sits next to Dawit's pack 'n play so I can pat, pat, pat him to sleep. (By the way, it's 5:30a. He's been asleep since 7:45p last night, and here I am awake -- since 4a. Guess I'm gonna need a coffee ceremony soon!)

We dashed back to the guesthouse for a quick lunch of wat and injera (D likes injera), then headed to the embassy. It was a serious understatement. We had to leave our cameras in the vehicle. We all, with our kids strapped to our tummies, trooped across the street to a canopy outside a building under which 20 or 30 people sat on rows of benches. It was hot and I wondered how long D would hold out. I figured if he wigged we might be bumped to the front. It appeared we were in for a long wait, but they actually moved us to the front and within 5 minutes we proceeded into the building. As we stood in line waiting to pass through security, a commotion commenced. People started yelling and guards started dashing all around us. All the Ethiopians in line with us were told to leave the building. No one seemed concerned about us. I assumed an "about to hit the floor" stance, but things settled down pretty quickly. We learned later that a man in line had fainted, creating the stir.

We proceeded through security into another waiting room, where we filled out our I-600s. Wait! No, WE didn't, because WE brought an I-600A form. That little "A" almost spelled disaster for our appointment. After packing and hauling across two continents a ream of paper consisting of our entire dossier, all our referral paperwork and various update documents, none of which anyone cared about or asked to see, the one form I bring that is necessary for us to bring Dawit home is WRONG. I managed to borrow an extra I-600 from Shadley and Dan -- without letting on to Spence, who was busy fiddling with D, about my mistake. I told him later and he rolled his eyes.

We waited about 30 minutes then headed upstairs to another waiting room lined with bank-teller-type windows. Ten minutes later, D was asleep and we were called to one of the windows to answer a series of questions that would give us final clearance to bring D home. The guy at the window stamped our form and unceremoniously announced, "Congratulations." We left the embassy one family member richer.

We headed back to the guesthouse to rest, eat dinner and visit with Nesibu and Birtukan. It was a good day. Tomorrow we visit Gelgela.

Sidebar: A taste of America

Soon after we set off for Awassa, a six-hour drive, Kate brought out a bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies and brownies. Throughout the day we raided the bag, and what wasn't eaten was smashed to crumbs as the bag bounced around in the back of the truck with our luggage.

So on the return trip, Spence and I pulled out our snack bag. We passed the bag up to Sisay and Asserat, who sampled -- and made judgments on -- ALL of our American treats. Beef jerky: boo! Trail mix: I don't think so. Reese's snackster 100-calorie pack: not bad. Rice Krispie treats: now that's good!

It was hilarious watching these tough Ethiopian guys digging through the treat bag, turning up their noses at this and that, and finally finding something they liked.

This is Asserat, our driver. He was an expert in dodging goats and donkeys, weaving between cows, and zipping around slow-moving cars and buses even in the face of oncoming traffic. And nope, he's never been to California.

Getting to Addis - June 3

On our way to the airport this morning, I got an email on my Blackberry from the NVC saying our reprint approval was cabled to Ethiopia. Whew! It was a good feeling knowing all hurdles had been cleared.

We flew to JFK and waited 4 hours to leave for Dubai. We were very glad we chose Emirates. The service was great and they fed us constantly. We arrived in Dubai and were shuttled to our hotel, where they gave us dinner vouchers that we had no intent of using. Full from airline food, which was mostly Indian fare, all we wanted to do was sleep. Because in true Inman fashion, neither of us slept on the plane. Because we left NY at 11p flying east, basically chasing the sun, they made us keep all windows lowered so people could sleep through the daylight. We arrived in Dubai at dusk. It was all very weird. Our Dubai experience consisted of a 30-second walk from the shuttle to the hotel where we gasped at the ~100 degree humid temp.

The next morning we made the 3-hour hop to Addis. After studying my travel tips carefully and following some nondescript, handmade signage, we got our visa and exchanged $100 for 1,124 in birr. It's a good thing we did because a very assertive porter immediately pounced on us and held us hostage while he retrieved our bags. Our travel agent said to refuse this service if we wished, but let me tell you there was no refusing. He wasn't asking. And now, after 8 days in Addis and watching Ethiopians negotiate, I have no doubt we were taken ripped off. But, birr goes a long way and the pushy porter turned out to be helpful as we could not locate our agency rep outside of baggage claim. He called Nesibu and they arranged a taxi to bring us to the guesthouse (thank God I had Nesibu's number!) And because we didn't arrange the taxi fee before the ride, we were introduced to Birtukan and Nesibu over some very spirited negotiation with the taxi driver.

Birtukan helped us get settled in our room, announcing that we were not guests but family. Then we hung out waiting to hear from Bethany about when we could see Dawit.

One step closer

We received word that our reprint approval was sent to the National Visa Center on Friday. I'm not sure how they do that - hopefully not by snail mail - but I estimate they'll receive it by Tuesday. Once the NVC receives it, they'll cable it to ET. I'm also not sure what cabling means, but they tell me it's electronic, so that's good. It sounds old fashioned, like a telegram. My social worker and many blog friends think we're in good shape to travel as scheduled, with an Embassy date of June 9.

IF all that happens, we will board a plane on June 2nd (my 40th birthday) or 3rd so we have time for an overnight trip to Awassa before picking up our little boy, who is now 6-1/2 months old. That's a week from tomorrow! Oh my, why am I sitting at a computer?

We have movement

I just received notice from USCIS that our reprint approval was mailed to us yesterday and will be sent to the National Visa Center today, which means they'll have it by Tuesday. Now, NVC just needs to add their stamp of approval and send it to Ethiopia. Technically, that gives NVC two weeks to get it to the Embassy (our appointment is on the 9th). Piece of cake, right?

Not exactly. My underground sources say NVC is not the most efficient piece of machinery. And we really need to know the approval is on its way before we get on a plane -- June 2 or 3. Why don't we just take our copy of the approval when we go? Because that ain't allowed -- it must come from NVC, I'm told.

So now we begin our next phase of begging and pleading and praying. Anyone care to wager a bet on whether it gets there? As for me, hopes high, expectations low. It's a good place to be.

Travel call!

We got our travel call today. Our Embassy appointment is June 9, and we are supposed to be in Addis by June 4 or 5. I'm writing this using many fewer exclamation points than I imagined I would when this day came. That is because we have a potential glitch that could delay our travel.

Our fingerprints expire on May 29, and they must be current in order to travel. We got reprinted yesterday, but there is a good chance they won't make it through the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, National Visa Center and to Ethiopia before our Embassy date. In that case, we'll have to travel later. But hopefully only two weeks later.

Instead of kicking myself for my role in this snafu or analyzing the silliness of this rule or the slowness of government agencies, I'm choosing to take it in stride. We'll hope for a little miracle. But sooner or (a little) later we'll get there for our little boy.

He smiles!

I got an update on D today. Granted, the update was from way back in February, so the only difference between it and our original referral was the fact that HE SMILES at his nannies. That may seem like no big deal to all y'all. But it's monumental to us. Babies don't smile if they're not happy, right?

We also learned that he has been transferred from the orphanage to the transition house in Addis. This is where babies go while waiting for their new parents to pick them up. He's been there since mid-April, which explains why the families who went to Awassa didn't see him. Now I'm hoping those same families saw him at the transition house -- even though they didn't know who he was -- and took some pictures they can share with me.

There are still a few paperwork hurdles that have to be cleared before we can get an Embassy date, but we're hoping to travel the first week in June.

Mama sang grace, Daddy sang do-dah

Tonight as Caroline and I sat down to rock before bed, I asked her what she wanted me to sing -- fully knowing the answer. As usual, she said, "Grace," which is her name for Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. I sang this to her totally on a whim one night because it's one of my favorite hymns, and now it's her favorite too.

So then I asked her what Daddy sings. She paused a second (I love that pause because I know the wheels are turning), then said, "Daddy sings Do dah day." In other words, Camptown Races.

It cracks me up that she has clearly separate expectations of Mama and Daddy. She never asks asks Daddy to sing Grace, and if I dare venture into Daddy's repertoire, I get severely reprimanded with a "Daddy sings that!"

-----

If you're following the adoption journeys of any of my blog buddies, check out these blogs for some updates: Beth is home with her son. Holly and family are still in Ethiopia and come home Saturday.

Girls' weekend

Caroline and I are spending the weekend in Nashville. Last night we did a slide marathon at a neighborhood park, then met CC (CiCi?) for pizza at CiCi's Pizza. It was terrible, but Caroline got her "kids eat free" money's worth.

This morning we went to the Nashville Zoo. We arrived at 9a when they opened and beat the crowd that was flocking in as we were leaving. Last week, I laughed at my mom when she said Caroline could run faster than she could. Today, in the fish house, I wasn't laughing as she slalomed around people's legs as fast as her 12-inch-long legs would take her. Add about 200 people during peak visiting hours and you would have found me on television standing alongside John Walsh. I thought I was scared of the possibility of adding a boy to our family, but testosterone had nothing on this girl. (To my forum buddies walking to Ethiopia, I think chasing a toddler should rank double miles!)

We're still anxiously awaiting news -- referral news, travel dates for Kelli and Mark, but most of all news from the families in Ethiopia picking up their children. Holly and Beth have been there since Friday, but no blog updates yet. We know Holly would update if there's a working internet connection within 25 miles, so we suspect there's not. We just hope they're having a wonderful time bonding with their new kids.

Gotta run and feed Caroline a late lunch. She's asking for tuffs (puffs) and teething tablets. She's a cheap date!