We were oficially initated as parents as the honeymoon of the perfect baby came to an end at 1AM last night. When we took Noah from the orphanage yesterday we noticed that he was starting to develop some congestion and a runny nose...

Around 1AM he woke up and we couldn’t get him back to sleep until around 4AM.  We finally decided we should use the Kids Benadryl we brought and it worked.  He slept until 9AM when we then had another hour of him being upset as he was even more congested this morning.  He was fairly well throughout the day and we’ve decided that tomorrow morning we will get some decongestion medicine from the doctor here at the Hilton if he has another rough night.   Advice to future parents who adopt is to bring some children decongestant (drowsy and non-drowsy) as many of the kids in the orphanage had this problem.  It’s my understanding the first family that traveled to Ethiopia did also.  Unlike the US they do not sell over the counter drugs so you must either bring it with you or get a prescription from a doctor here in Ethiopia.

This morning we traveled to St. Mary Cathedral which is about 30 minutes outside of Addis Ababa.  It was built about 130 years ago and was one of the first Christian Orthodox churches in the city.  Also on the site is a museum and a palace built by one of Ethiopia’s recent kings in the late 1800s.  It was nice to get outside city for awhile.  We really enjoyed seeing some of the villages and countryside.  One thing I’ve learned on this trip is that my desire and love for Africa transcends countries (where before I thought it may just be fore the Ugandan people.)  When I saw the country side, the people and the children my heart broke.  I hope one day to be able to spend an extended period of time reaching these people for Christ as few other Christians are.

Then we came back and had lunch at a pizzeria.  The food was just OK, but we’ve started noticing how differently we get treated with Noah.  People have always been nice and courteous to us but now other Ethiopians sitting at tables around us always like talking to Noah and getting his attention.  It happened both at lunch and dinner.  At lunch this man even gave Noah a kiss when we left.  This morning at the museum there were schools kids there also and several of them gave Noah a kiss also.  I’ve learned that it is customary for strangers to come up to your baby and show affection by holding their hand or giving them a kiss.  It’s a really cool thing to watch.

While I’m on the topic of affection, it’s also very common to see men holding each other’s hands or showing affection by hugging or walking with their arms around each other.  Unlike in the United States, these actions have no homosexual connotations.  It’s my understanding that many Ethiopians aren’t even aware of homosexuality here and would be offended by the idea of it.  This is also something we saw in Uganda.  I remember several times while in Uganda I’d be working or walking with another guy doing ministry together and he would grab my hand as we walked.  It was always awkward at first but you get used to it.  It’s amazing how small actions can have such different meanings in different cultures.

This afternoon we picked up Noah's passport and visa, came back to the hotel, bought a plane ticket for Noah and tried to sleep for a few hours but only ended up getting about an hour because Noah was having a hard time breathing.  Then we went to dinner with Girmachew and are now back at the hotel. 

It’s hard to believe we only have 24 hours left in Noah’s home country.  I’m confident though that we will make it back here either to adopt again or on a mission trip.  Wouldn't a family of little Ethiopian kids running around be a fun sight in America!

Time to pack.