Trip to Durame and meeting Bejigo's birthmom

Sunday May 15, 2011

We left Addis early in the morning and headed south towards Durame.  We were driving there to meet Bejigo's birthmother.  We took the same route down as we did on our last trip, although the ride was a lot more comfortable with a van that worked.  The closer that we got the more nervous I became.  I could not stop thinking about his birthmother and how our meeting was going to go.  I can't even imagine how she was feeling.  

A traditional house

Yep that is a naked man washing his motorcycle and another one washing the truck

On the way down, we stopped by the side of the road.  A Holt social worker was standing there on the road waiting on us with a Grandmother of one of the adopted children.  An adoptive family that we had met on out first trip had sent a picture album for the Grandmother and we were delivering it to her.  It again was very emotional.  She held the book and kissed the pictures.  As we got closer to Durame, we stopped at the Holt hospital.  There was new construction there that we toured.  While we were there, we also delivered pictures to a birthfather who’s wife had died during childbirth and just absolutely loved seeing the pictures of his child.  One more drop off of a picture book occurred.  The whole village came out to the road to see the pictures.  They were all so excited!!!!  You could tell how much the pictures meant to them. 

We arrived in Durame and ate lunch at the hotel.  Spaghetti with tomato sauce for everyone.  We enjoyed talking to our social worker traveling with us, Mulu.  We then left the hotel and arrived just around the corner from the care center.  As before, some of the local children were waiting there to greet our van.  

After a brief orientation with the interpreter, we were led to a small room where our meeting would take place.  I am not sure I was ever so nervous in my life.  We had a very good meeting and she answered all of our questions to share with Bejigo some day.  What a beautiful woman, very petite, soft spoken, and her eyes sparkled when she looked at Bejigo's pictures.  I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet her, hug her, kiss her and try to reassure her that we would love and take great care of our sweet boy that we both love so much.  She presented us with grass that she had prepared for us that symbolized a very big responsibility and promise of taking care of Bejigo.  We took pictures together, exchanged hugs and then parted ways.  

We walked around the corner and visited the first care center where Bejigo first lived after being relinquished.  

The care center in Durame

The window outside Bejigo's first room

Greg and I standing at the gate of the care center

The nannies remembered us and asked how Bejigo was doing.  We got to see his room again and tour the care center.  We left the care center and drove for several hours to Awassa to stay the night.  The hotel was very nice, but upon arriving to Awassa, I felt like we were driving through a tornado.  There was very large hail and torrential rain.  After the power came back on, (yep, I forgot to pack any flashlights, left those in Addis) we had dinner at the hotel and crashed for the night following a very emotional day.  

Our precious ballerina

Kate had her 2nd dance recital today!  She did a beautiful job and has improved so much from last year.  We are so proud of her and she looked so beautiful!  Great job Kate!!

Kate and our gorgeous niece Taylor

My sweet boy's 1st Birthday

On Saturday, we celebrated Bejigo's 1st Birthday!!  We had a great party with family and friends who showered him with love and great gifts!  It is hard to believe that we've only been together for less than a month and already celebrating a birthday!  Makes this momma a little sad that I missed most of the first year of his life, but hopefully will get to celebrate many, many more birthday's together.  He did just as I had expected with his birthday cake.  Not so excited about eating the cake, but loved to make a mess and rub the cake and icing in his hair.  

After a taste of icing

And finally our attempts at a good family picture...

a not so happy Drew

(not so happy daddy)

Only 2 people looking at the camera
Oh well, maybe next year!

Bejigo's progress and signs of attachment

Just wanted to give an update of Bejigo's progress and how he is doing.  All in all he is doing wonderful.  I took him to the Columbus International Children's clinic last week and he was seen by an international pediatrician, nutritionist, physical therapist, speech therapist, audiologist, clinical psychologist (to discuss his attachment with us).  It was a wonderful visit.  He is transitioning well with food.  So far there is nothing that this boy won't eat.  At first, not so much of a fan of yogurt, but likes it now.  He is so different from Kate and Drew since he actually eats!  It's fun to feed a baby who just sits there with his mouth wide open waiting for the next bite!!!  He is growing well, 23 lbs, and in the 75% for height and weight.

Developmentally, from a physical therapy stand point, he is a little delayed.  He is crawling and pulls himself up to kneeling but not to standing yet.  He does not initiate any steps when you hold his hands.  But I have already seen great progress in him since we first saw him at the care center in Addis.  Then, he would crawl a few steps and then stop.  He did not want to put much weight through his legs.  Now he likes to stand holding onto the furniture.  So, I have no doubts that he will catch up with some love and practice.

He is only babbling right now, probably talking fluent in Amharic and I just don't know it....  But saying da da, which we were told was crawl in Amharic, (his native language.)

He loves Kate and Drew and they are loving him as well.  They love to help and Drew even basically changed Bejigo's wet diaper yesterday with some assist.  This week I have seen some good signs of attachment.  He has actually cried for me and reached for me when someone else was holding him.  In terms of attachment this was very good.  When he first came home from Ethiopia, he was so used to having multiple caregivers and did not seem overly attached to anyone, but would happily go to everyone.  This is in reality not good.  You want him to be soothed by Mommy and Daddy and know when someone other than Mommy and Daddy are holding him.  So we are making progress.

As for sleeping, he was sleeping most of the night after first coming home, but now he is working on cutting some teeth so has been waking up more often with a painful cry.  Thank God for Tylenol.
So this is one of my favorite things about him.  When I am putting him to sleep, I lay him down in his own bed on his belly and rub his back, like the nannies at the care center did.  If you even stop for a second before he is asleep, he looks up at you with those big brown eyes to see if you are still there, smiles a big smile at you, lays his head back down and tightly closes his eyes as if pretending to go to sleep.  Then we rub his back again.  This happens probably 25 times over and over before he actually falls asleep.  It's s game we play.  he is just making sure Mommy and Daddy are still there.  Again a good thing!

Getting ready to swim!!!