A Family is Complete!

We're home!  I apologize about the delay but I did not have the energy to even log on when we got home yesterday.   On Tuesday night we went to Bole Airport in Addis Ababa to go home.  It is always with a heavy heart and mixed emotions when I leave there.  For one I am excited to get home and see my daughter Josina and friends and family and am also abler to show off Sophie. One the other hand there are so many people that we started to get to know in Addis.  Also the weight of knowing that we are taking a little girl from her home country and people is difficult even thought we are bringing her to a better life that she was chosen for.

On the flight from Addis to Frankfurt we were fortunate enough  to have a seat with a bassonette for Sophie.  She was great and slept a good part of the trip. I did sleep a couple of hours but Tammy did not. The flight attendant on Lufthansa was originally from Ethiopia and was a big help. She is also trying to match Sophie up with her year old boy.  The flight was on time and we arrived in Frankfurt about 5:30 AM local time.  That airport is confusion, makes Heathrow look easy, and the staff there are not particularly helpful in contrast to Lufthansa in plane staff who are the best I have ever seen.  We could not get seats with a bassonette for the Frankfurt Calgary trip.  We were in a three seat row and the flight attendants once again were great and moved the the guy in our row.  This way Sophie could sleep in the seat between us.  Before we took off she was been silly and was making the loudest raspberry noises.  For about 4 rows behind us everyone was laughing out loud.  She was great.  She did take a couple of naps and I did take her on a few walks around the plane.  Only on the final descent did she get upset and was really screaming for about 15 minutes. Customs and immigration was a breeze.  In fact the guy at immigration did not understand that Sophie who was traveling with an Ethiopian passport could be a Canadian citizen and that the visa said so.  We could have told him anything and he would have believed us.  Then we had a fantastic welcoming group waiting for us at the airport.  Grandparents, aunts, friends etc were all cheering.  The bet of all was seeing Josina and was she excited to see baby sister "rophie".  Lots of hugs, kisses and tears.  Sophie really seems to like Josina.  She has also had a pretty good night with a period of about 5 hours straight sleep.

Now our family is complete.  We never thought that we would ever see this day.  Now2 we are hoping to have a more "normal" and "boring" life without talk of paperwork, slow downs and adoption.  I am ready to be just a daddy to my girls and and hubby to my wife.  I could not have done any of this without the hard work from Tammy.  She kept to process on track and me too and for this I am forever thankful!

Josina seems to have had a great time with her Oma's, Opa's, Tante, Uncles and especially her Auntie Karen.  We can't thank all of you enough for what you have done so that we could travel without worrying about Josina.  For the next couple of days my girls get to enjoy their 'Bamma from BC. Over the next week or two we will sift through video and pictures and get them posted here.

It was also comforting to know that people from all over the world were following our travels here and supporting us with their prayers and thoughts etc.

The stretch run in Addis.....

We have had a really good day. This morning Solomon from Kids Link picked us up to bring us to Abenezer orphanage where Sophie used to live.  This was Tammy's first visit there.  When we arrived the staff that take care of the babies and who used to take care of Sophie were all waving and calling her name.  They had a coffee ceremony for us and also fed us traditional food for lunch. Yummy. Many of the children swarmed me because they remember my other visits there in May.  That was pretty cool.I told the director Elizabeth that we were there to buy a clothes washing machine for them like I had promised, then we found out that the only washing machine that they had for 30 children had broken down. Talk about timing.  Elizabeth and I took a cab, 1976 Toyota Corolla and I took her to a store that I knew about and bought it there.  We strapped it to the top of the cab and away it went.

The cook at the orphanage calls me her angel because ever since I took the donations there in May and bought groceries many other families have done the same and has taken a lot of stress away from them.  So anyone reading this who is adopting internationally from any orphanage keep this in mind.  Our US/Canadian dollars have quite a bit of buying power here.You can't change the world but you can change one child's world.

This afternoon Markos took us to a factory outlet for scarfs. It was interesting watching them being made.  This factory is a project to get women working in a sustainable way who used to gather firewood and sell it.  Some incredible stories to hear. Finally we meet some adoption friends for some dinner in the Piazzia.  A good time was had by all.

Ashleigh and Ben should be arriving any minute now.  Hopefully we can spend some time with them tomorrow. So this is our last night and will begin our trek home late Tuesday evening.  Again I will be leaving with mixed emotions, but I can't wait to show Sophie her new home and family and also to see Josina.  we miss her so much.

Ramblings…….

Yesterday, Saturday was a good day.  In the morning we walked to La Parisiene Cafe for croissants and coffee/tea.  The staff once again could not get enough of Sophie. Next we went to the mall across the street to get some smaller socks for Sophie.  Finally we walked to a supermarket to buy some provisions.  On the way back a man who did not appear to be all there either naturally or by drugs or both i don't know, started talking to me about Sophie, then he demanded 100 birr.  I told him to get lost, then it got scarier as he said give me 100 birr or I take your baby and I will kill her.  A number of people on the street tried to slow his progress down and keep him away but he followed for 2 blocks.  Finally a street cleaner ushered him down a side road away from us. People figured that he was not mentally stable and he was probably stoned on Khat.


 
We had a quiet afternoon hanging around our room. In the evening we met up with some friends for dinner, Shirley, Marion and Kyle.  Good times and great Indian food. On the way back, on the busiest road in Addis, Bole, we saw a teenager lying on the sidewalk having seizures.  Shirley stayed with him and Tammy and got our cab and tried to get medical help.  When we got back to kid had come to and Shirley said some other kids had given him some kind of drug and he had a bad reaction.  They sent him home in a cab.  So it was an eventful day.


 
Today we went to To.Mo.Ca to buy more coffee beans mmmmm.  Then to the Ghion Hotel for lunch.  This hotel has huge grounds, probably 300 acres of lush gardens. Two weddings were going on there, wow was that stunning.  We had some good lunch there and then went back to the grounds.  It was amazing, one wedding was Protestant and the other was Muslim.  Their guests all gathered around them and were chanting and signing and dancing to God/Allah to bless the marriages.  It was an amazing sight that we will never forget.  Back at the hotel, the girls are sleeping and the thunder is going crazy.


Two more thing that I forgot. After we found the kid on the street we went to a clinic to get medical help but leaving Markos car wouldn't start again because he had been using the headlights.  So a guard and myself had to get it push started in a space of about 15 feet. 


Then today on the ways to lunch a guy on a bike ran into a car in front of us.  What next?

Sleep...wonderful sleep....

It 7: and the Muslim guy calling to prayers, 30 AM and all is quite, except for the bird who is trying to eat our window, the roosters and the odd crazy person selling stuff on the street.  Sophie and Tammy are still asleep.  Sophie went to bed at about 10 last night, then a feeding at 1:45 and another at around 4 and that's it.  She's still sleeping.  So happy she must have been tired and even more important is probably feeling better, I know that I am. It's going to be a good day.

I really miss my other daughter Josina, I hope to Skype with her Saturday morning. Breakfast should be here in a few minutes.  I guess that mean I have to pant up, oops too much info, nobody needs to know I blog without pants on.

Better Day

Thanks for the support after a tough night and morning.  Solomon from MoT picked us up at 2:00 to go shopping and to go to the foot of a mountain.  Sophie was till asleep so we woke her and she was fantastic all afternoon, 2 hours.  We went to a shop that sells goods made by the blind and handicapped.  The stuff wqas great and we bought lots.  Wicked storm when we went to the Post Office area market but it ended quick enough.  This evening we went out for dinner with Solomon and another couple from New Brunswick who just got their 4 year old daughter. Great food and entertainment.  I have to confess that I am a little drunk though.  You know that Tej (honey wine) has a kick but you never believe.  Also the St George beer and brandy primer. Sophie even fell asleep at the restaurant and Tammy just put her down.  Here's hopping for a better night.

Tough night

Well we only had a few hours sleep thanks to Sophie.  It is so difficult to admit especially after all the years of praying and waiting but I guess its like having any other kid.  Please go the #$%# to sleep.  We think she is probably a bit scared when she stirs in the night and is someplace unfamiliar.  No amount of rocking could get her back to sleep.  Very frustrating.  On top of it all Tammy has some serious sinus issues right now too.  At about 6:00 AM we gave up, we'd been up since 4:00 AM.  I took a shower and we packed up Sophie in the carrier and at 6:40 I was off for a walk.  Tammy stayed back to get some rest/sleep.  We walked with Sophie strapped to my chest for about 2km to Kaldi's, the Starbucks ripoff, for a coffee and some french toast.  I was the first customer there. Then we had to go to a market to get formula.

I get a lot of different reactions on the street when carrying Sophie.  In Ethiopia doing this is woman's work so the young hang abouts on the street, I am sure are mocking me.  I get a little negative sneers from the lower educated type people. I guess that I will also get negative looks and comments back home too so this will be good training.  This morning was also very good and encouraging.  I was walking past the Dembel mall and felt someone looking at us.  There was a 30 something, well dressed couple who stopped entering the building just to look at us pass by.  I looked back and they both had huge smiles, nodding with approval and she gave us two thumbs up.  It brought tears to my eyes. Later a company bus bring people to work passed and the occupants were smiling, waving, giving thumbs up and even applauding us.  Even here you get both horrible and great responses.  I actually just prefer to walk down the road without any reaction.

This afternoon Solomon will take us out shopping, to Entoto Mountain and later for a traditional dinner.

Claire, you should ask for this.  Also the MoT does not keep you occupied.  We can give you pointers on what to do and how to get around.  Maybe when we get back we can get on the phone with you.  we have a great driver, Marcos,  he will take you anywhere and he usually does not charge enough.

I think we are feeling a little guilty being upset about the lack of sleep and being frustrated because Sophie was so hard to get.  She is our daughter just like any of you have and we feel and go through the same things, good and bad.  Please don't take this the wrong way but it has been an incredible few days but also extremely difficult and we need a few minutes to vent.

Feeling Better Now and Adjusting

We've had Sophie for two complete days now and have determined that she is a real Mommy's girl.  The first night, Tuesday, was tough she barely slept for 2 hours at a time before waking for a feeding.  The next day Tammy and I awoke and were both quite ill, traveller's stomach thing (figure it out).  We did not go anywhere, couldn't really go anywhere or eat.  Between being sick and Sophie teething it was a trying day for all. On top of it all we had quite a few power outages, therefore no internet, facebook or blogging or Skype.  I am glad that I had a book.  Last night, Wednesday, was a little better, Sophie was up 3 times but she is sleeping longer between naps. Yeah!

Today we woke feeling better but still at maybe only 75%.  We hired Marcos to take us to Lufthansa so we could get a ticket for Sophie but their internet was down.  On Monday Tammy had seen a sign about Wheat grass juice and how one shot is the equivalent of 1kg of vegetables.  So we went back to the Limetree Cafe in the Boston Partners Building on Bole near the airport and has this juice plus fruit purees.  Yummy and healthy.  Then back to the hotel, and hoping that Sophie would nap but she didn't really.  At lunch we walked the 1.5 km to La Parisienne Cafe.  The waitresses there just love Sophie.  It is customary in Ethiopian restaurants that if you have a little baby the staff will hold and care for the baby while you dine.  It was a bit freaky but wee kept our eyes on her.  Sophie loves it when daddy has her in the carrier close to daddy's chest.  She loves to look around and take it all in.She fell asleep in it before we got back to the hotel.  Later in the PM Mommy wanted to put our tired girl down for a nap so she could sleep too.  I went out for a walk, for a coffee and to the bank but when I got back Sophie had only slept for 15 minutes. 

Around dinner time we Skyped with Josina and her Auntie at home for a few minutes.  We really miss Josina, that is really tough even though she is in great hands and having fun.  We can`t wait to she her and give her squishy hugs. This evening we went for dinner and Sophie seems to love it when we go out. She was wailing in the room for no apparent reason but as soon as «i crossed the threshold of the room she was instantly happy.  At the Restaurant, Cloud 9, she was also great although very tired.  As soon as we got back Tammy gave her a bottle and she went right down.  Let`s hope she has a good night.

Tomorrow, Solomon, from the agency will take us out for some sight seeing, shopping and in the evening for a traditional Ethiopian dinner.  Can`t wait.

Weather for the last two days has been about 20, cloudy (mostly), humid and lots of storms with lightening, thunder and a fair amount of rain.

My glass of brandy calls me now.  Until the next time....

Pictures

Fleabag, asylum hotel in Harar, Sophie's birthplace. We stayed here 2 nights, cockroaches and all...thanks for killing them Tammy.

With our Harar guide Abdul 

A typically marketplace in Harar.  A picture does not tell the story of the heat, noise, crowd and the aroma's of the food, spices and pollution.

Yes those are really wild hyenas that we feeding!

Our new friends from New York, he is originally from Ethiopia.

SOPHIE!

Mommy meets Sophie

What an incredible day, I was able to witness Tammy meet our daughter Sophie for the very first time.  That was awesome, amazing and humbling.  Uploading pictures on the blog is really difficult so I will try to Facebook them. If you are not a FB friend please request. Sophie has grown so much in the last six weeks and she is so cute. She really likes her mommy. Shortly after getting there Tammy was bottle feeding Sophie and then Sophie fell asleep in her arms, mommy has till got it. It was amazing how she recognized my voice and was always trying to see where it was coming from. She can also crawl a little bit now. Apparently in her crib she pulls herself up to stand as well. Before we went to the transition home Tammy and decided that we were not going to take her that day, rather we would wait until the next day. We felt that this way Sophie would recognize both of us when we take her away. Also it was pretty emotional for us as well and this way we could digest things as well. They had a coffee ceremony for us and Tammy even drank a cup, in 13 years I have never seen Tammy drink a coffee. She said she liked it too, I asked them not to make it so strong and put a bit of sugar in it too.

 

We arrived back at Afroland at noon. By about 1:00 we ventured out for lunch to a place that was recommended call the Limetree. It was further than we thought and took about 40 minutes to walk there. The sandwiches were worth the wait, yummy. On the main floor there was a western style spa where we thought we would get pampered. Tammy got a manicure and I got a massage. Twice during Tammy's manicure the power went out and they completed the work by candlelight. I got brought into the basement which they designed like caves, very cool. A woman came in to wash my feet then Davi came in. My first mansage. He was quite good. The bill for both of us was about $20.

 

After leaving there we went to the supermarket to purchase Sophie's food for while we are here. They transition home showed us exactly what she has been eating so we could buy the same brands and stuff. We bought a couple of bags of cereal, some pasta and formula for Sophie, chips and chocolate for Tammy and a bottle of Brandy for me.

 

When we went for dinner last night the power went out again but that's normal here. At the hotel the backup generator powers the lights but not the plugs. Went to bed and now here we are trying to wait for the internet again.

 

We did a little shopping at Inga Supermarket to buy diapers for the transition home and mineral oil for Sophie's hair. It looks like the net is back up so I will try to post this.

 

This morning, Tuesday we will pick up Sophie and she will be with us permanently. Yeah!

Last Night as a Family of Three

Just got back from Harar this evening.  We left on Friday and flew to Dire Dawa, a very hot city in the valley near Harar.  We took a shared cab, a minivan with about 15 passengers, to Harar. It took an hour but the driving is crazy, pass whenever and where ever you like, just watch out for goats and donkeys.  We were booked in the Ras Hotel, biggest dump I have ever been in.  Tammy killed a cockroach everyday.  We only had water from 6:00AM -8:00 AM and then from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM.   It was fairly dirty.  Yuch.  Lonely Planet described it as a cross between a dorm and an insane asylum, more towards the asylum in my opinion.  But we sucked it up and stayed for two nights.  The morning shower was just a trickle of water.  The only good thing was we discovered a new breakfast, a large fried pancake that is sorta like puffed pastry served with the best honey I have ever tasted.  Harar is an amazing place but very dirty.  The old walled city is one square km but has more than 80 mosques and a couple of churches.  We hired a guide for 300 birr for the day, his name is Abdul and his number is: 091-574-0864.  It was very hot so start early, then take the afternoon off before resuming.  The last place he took us was to the wild hyena feeding station.  Tammy and I both feed these hyenas.  It was pretty scary but we would have regretted not trying it.  Today our flight was cancelled from Dire Dawa to Addis Ababa  but they put us on a flight 3 hours later.  We had to hang out in an unairconditioned hotel lobby.  The cooler indoor temp was 34 Celsius.  Now we back in a nice clean hotel in Addis, Afroland.  I think we will be Sleepless in Ababa tonight.  Solomon will pick us up tomorrow at 10:00 local time (1:00 Mountain time) so Tammy can meet our daughter Sophie and then we will be able to take her for good!  Yeah......one of the last steps of many.  We can't wait.  Then we get about a week of solo bonding time with Sophie here in Addis before we bring her home for good.

First day back in ADD

After a long day and a half of travel, we arrived last night at the hotel Weygoss at 11:30.  It wasn't quite what we were expecting.  I am sure it is fine but the room was much smaller than advertised, had to pay for wireless and they sent a cab to pick us up from the airport and that cost a lot.  Afroland does pickup and drop off at no charge.  This morning at 7:00 AM we walked to Afroland and negotiated a room here.  It does feel like home. Smiles and hugs from many of the staff.  I even saw my driver and friend Marcos washing his car this morning.  Now I have to buy some airtime for my cell, and then go to the travel agent to buy tickets to Harar, Sophie's hometown, where we want to go to tomorrow. I also have to buy a jacket as I think I left mine on the plane when we got to Frankfurt yesterday.

I apologize to those friends that I should have called to tell that we were going to Addis but we simply did not have the time.  I will have a coffee ceremony with traditionally brewed Ethiopian coffee for you when we return.

This afternoon Tammy napped for about three hours and I went with Marcos to the shops at the stadium and got a replacement jacket.  Then we bought a baby bathtub for when Sophie comes to live with us at the hotel. I could sue a nap too but I want to sleep well tonight.

Beginning of the Final leg of an Extremely Long Journey

It's 5:30 in the morning, and I guess 4 hours of sleep is enough.  Yesterday at about 9:00 AM we found out that Sophie now has her travel visa.  This means that we can bring her home at last.  By 11:00 AM yesterday I had booked our flights to go to Ethiopia today at 1:00 PM.  I am so glad that Tammy is so organized that she made sure that almost everything was packed and ready to go, with the exception of our clothing.  A huge thanks goes out to our family who have really stepped up.  Josina's Opa, Oma and Tante for agreeing to drive to Calgary today to take care of her on short notice for a couple of days.  Also to my sister and parents who will drive in from the coast to take Josina for the balance of the trip.  Also to Tammy's Mom who behind, and not so behind the scenes, has been tirelessly working on Sophie's behalf.

The list:
Tickets: check
Medications: check-legal medications that we need for Africa silly
Passports: Check...got them last week
Childcare for Josina: check
Hotel reservation: check..I think...the language barrier can be tough over the phone.  I think we have a room and someone to pick us up at Bole airport?
Cat care: check...big thanks Karen..I hear you are even going to clean the litter!
Lawn care:  check.....the neighbor Winston, his owner will do this, thanks Adrian.  Winston is the neighbors boxer...they're great.

All I have to remember now is to take the suitcase and may sure that i have pants on.  Oh come on we all forget to wear pants once in awhile!

Tomorrow night we will be in Addis Abeba.  I can't wait to see Tammy's expression when she first sets foot on African soil and then when she first lays her eyes on little Sophie.  Yesterday was completely crazy trying to get everything together but the late evening was relaxing.  My good friend Marv called and came over for a glass of wine.  About an hour after he came, his wife, who was out and did not know he was over, just popped in too.  That was great, they have been a great support to us through our entire journey in building our family, it was so fitting that Lee and Marv sent us off with a prayer.

Infertility and adoption have consumed our lives for almost 9 years and finally it will come to an end when Sophie comes home.  I can't wait to have a boring, uneventful life with two girls under the age of three.  Let the drama end....yeah right...a guy can dream.  No seriously no more deadlines, no more forms to fill out that other parents don't have to get completed, no more required physicals, no more waiting for emails or phone calls, no more questions about when she will come home.

Now come all the inappropriate questions because unlike Josina, Sophie looks a little different and is quite obviously adopted.  I hope I can tactfully answer...

• Why did her mother give her up for adoption?  Only one answer: Because she loves Sophie.
• Why did you choose to adopt internationally/from Ethiopia? Look at Sophie, she is who God intended to be our daughter
• Are you going to adopt again?  This is like asking anyone else are you going to have more kids..why or why not?
• Comment or stares of people who disapprove of adoption or international adoption or mixed race families.  May God give us the wisdom to respond tactfully, gracefully and not to lower our selves to get angry.

Tammy is up now, maybe I should shower, won't get to do that for a few days.  I will try to blog regularly over the next two weeks, provided we have power and Internet.  Thanks to everyone who has supported us prayerfully, emotionally and financially and also with your time!

New Video and Pictures of Sophie

My wife's friend Laura was just in Addis to bring her son home and she took the time to take a few pictures and videos of Selam.  Enjoy.

Tammy got her passport today and I found out that mine was sent by Purolator today.  Now all we need is the call.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rmOuFIHg6M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK0I--uc64E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQKUQHMRbMo

Waiting.......(and some pictures)

It has been a couple of weeks and a couple of thousand miles sionce I last blogged.  I amde it home okay but the jet alg was horrible for about 4 days.  As soon as I had recovered we went to edmonton for a couple of days to see U2.  fantastic show.  Worek has been very bust since returning and that has helped keep me from obsessing about the next trip to Ethiopia to bring Sophie home.  Does anyone know about the potential for an Air Canada strike...this might impact travel options.  Also if anyone knows about visa implications about changing planes in Brussels, Paris or Rome please contact me.  It looks like we can get to Addis using Luftansa or KLM from Calgary but price might be a real factor.  Again if anyone has any suggestions for getting good prices for airline tickets when purchasing at the last minute again please let us know. 

For those of you who have not been to Addis before here are some family pictures and some general Addis pics. By the way I found Addis to be safer at night than Calgary during the day. I also did not find a dirty restaraunt, the were very clean. As far a public washrooms go...I don`t know because I don`t think I used one the entire time in Addis.

Entertainment in an Ethiopian restaraunt.

 Theview from my room at Afroland

 On the front step of Afroland looking down one block towards the main road of Meskel Flower.  The road might be made of dirt or clay but it is probably cleaner than a comprable street in Canada

 The hotle guards.  If you go out for a meal and you have leftovers, these guys really like the food.

Looking up the alley road from Meskel Flower to Afroland.

  The front gate of Abanezer orphange. It`s in a ggood neighborhood and quite secure.

Shopping with Elizabeth for food for the orphange.  This is where your donations were spent.  We did not spend it all and when we return we will buy more supplies.

The store room before we went shopping. Some supplies were just about finished.

Your clothing and shoe donations.  When I returned the next day almost all of the clothing was already being used.  And the kids loved it!  I miss those kids.....They are so happy and fun.  It makes me smile just picturing their faces!

Stacking up the supplies outside that we bought with your donations.

The store room after we restocked the shelves.  Your small or large donations really make a difference. We will be asking everyone again who is able to, make a donation when we retrun to Addis to pick up Sophie.

 My driver and now my friend Marcos at To.Mo.Ca cafe, where you can buy the best coffee in the for about $1.45 per kilo.

 Marcos classic car...1978 Datsun 1210

 Handmade coffee ceremny pots and cups and roasters

Lunch with Marcos.

 Going to court the first time...the judges baby was sick so we had to return the next day.

10 minutes after Sophie became a legal memeber of our family.  The first complete Vlieg family picture.

I will post more pictures of Abanezer and Sophie in the next couple of days.

On the way home

I will try to respond to the various comments on FB  and here when I get home, particularly to those parents whose children I met.  I also want to connect with people who will be traveling soon to brief you on the needs at Abanezer, there are many, lets work together for our current and impending children.  It was so strange that I had to leave "home" to go back home.  I truly feel that Ethiopia is my home as well as Canada.

Thank you to everyone for your support, prayers, financial assistance to us and the orphanage etc.  It meant so much to me to see that in less than 2 weeks this blog had over 2000 hits from Canada, US, Middle East, Africa, Germany, Honk Kong, even Australia.

Africa has many stories to tell and I hope to relay a few of them over the next couple of weeks.

Pictures!

Sid has been unable to get an internet connection to send new pictures but he finally was able to today.  Enjoy!