In Ethiopia and meeting K.

Well we made it to Ethiopia at about 9:00 last night. And of course, we had to have something eventful happen. Our flight makes a stop in the Sudan to drop off and pick up passengers. As we were landing, X. began crying saying he didn't feel well (those of you who either know him or follow our blog know how this story is going to end). We got the bag and poor X. is crying and begging for the plane to land and of course- the inevitable happened and he missed the bag. So I spent the landing trying to calm him down and the "layover" trying to clean up X., his clothes, the seat, etc. He has done fine on all the other flights after the "China Incident" but apparently if it is a little bumpier than normal he gets motion sick. The flight from Sudan to Ethiopia had to detour twice due to storms but at least no one needed changed when that flight ended. D. has decided that she isn't going to sit in her seat for landing and had made sure to end each flight with 30 minutes of screaming, much to the delight of everyone around her.

One interesting thing is that with the kids we have been taken to the front of most lines. We got to the front of the security line, the front of the visa line and the front of the baggage screening line. And our bags all made it from Amsterdam so that was a relief, especially since there was no meal service on the last leg of the flight due to the weather and the kids were starving when we finally got to the hotel.

For those of you traveling with Holt, the hotel is nice, but definitely not the Hilton. The staff is very attentive and they are doting on the kids, which is making them behave badly since when I try to discipline them, I get told "it's okay." Bring extra layers- it is cold in the hotel rooms and even during the days it is only probably in the 60's and raining off and on. Also, if you are a light sleeper bring earplugs as it is pretty noisy outside the hotel- between the cars and the dogs and the rooster- sleeping can be challenging. However- it is next to the care center so this morning we were able to walk over and meet the children.

K. was in her crib along with several other babies. When we walked in they said "which on do you think she is?" No pressure there! The kids started to walk to one bed when I saw her in her bed. She is still very small and definitely has some motor delays (so Julie M-if you are reading this, I'll be seeing you soon.) I think she found her brothers and sisters a bit overwhelming, but in her defense, I find them overwhelming sometimes too.
We spent about 2 hours at the care center and then left for lunch and a brief driving tour of the area. Then B. brought the kids to the hotel for a nap and I went back to the care center with the other families to spend about 2 more hours with the kids. The care center is a beautiful old house. It is bright and spacious and the nannies seem to dote and love on all the children. They all appear to be doing so well. We were able to play with several of them while we were there and we tickled and talked to all the babies. I was able to get her to laugh and smile so I think so far our transition is going pretty well. We will visit with her again tomorrow for a couple of hours and then we think we will be able to take custody on Monday. We are being told though that we should not have the children out with us unless we have a good reason so I suspect we will have to sign her back into the care center when we go out into the city. After we said goodnight to the children, we went for pizza -Not brave I know, but for this trip I think the familiar is better than anything for the kids.

Hopefully we will have pictures later today.