Anna Here I Come!!!!!

We are on our way to get Anna. I thought it took forever to get to Addis. We had something like a 5 hour lay over in DC and then a flight that seemed like forever on Ethiopian Airlines. I will not be using them again. Later on you will see why. Any we stunk by the time we got to Addis. Hair matted, narley teeth. Yuk. Yuk. Yuk. We get off the plane unsure of what we were to do. We got off the plane on the tarmak (sp) and had to take a bus to the airport. Anyway, then we got into a line for a Visa. If you are going to Ethiopia, get your Visa there it was super easy. Getting our luggage scanned was another thing. It reminded me of cattle being hearded into a barn. Pushed and prodded. I must confess, I got cranky. When I get cranky I get snooty. They probably thought I was nuts when I said, NO MORE, to the people butting infront of me.

Any way after a bit of a snit, we head out to meet my driver Gananew. He is a younger brother of the director of my agency. Shaved head, big smile, lanky like most Ethiopians. Full of personality and joy. Dady to a little girl himself. Anyway, he meets us with a sign. He was right up front. He had to push through a lot of people to be up front. It was late, he hustles us to the car and drives us to the guest house. I ask him if we can go get Anna. I say if she is asleep, I will be very quiet and just watch her until she wakes up. He laughs and dirves us to the guest house. We are in the second guest house. We must of been one of the first guests. Anyway, Kim and I are exhausted. We settle in for the night. We need to sleep but we have school supplies and treats to pack. Once done we settle into our rickety bamboo bed. It is creaking like crazy. A little prayer that it will hold it through the nite. The next morning we are up bright and early. We eat breakfast and I tape a little message to Anna. Then we wait for the driver.

Ok now we are going to get Anna right? Nope. Now we go exchange money. Now Anna? Nope? She needs formula. Now Anna? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Off we go. We get off the main road to a gravel road to an even more rustic road with lots of pot holes. People are traveling on a horse and buggy. Another right turn, then a left I believe and There is the guest house. I knew it. I had seen photos of it, I had memorized it. They open the gate, and we are surrounded by children. I vividly remember Jackson and Logan being there. All so excited. Wanting to hug and be hugged. To have us take photos of them and them take photos of us. I want to run to Anna so bad, but how can I begrudge these children a few moments of my time. Of a few minutes of love and attention. You just can't. So you hug each one. Take some photos.

Then Gananew tells them to go play and he escourts me up three flights of stairs. Nervously I walk. Kim is ahead of me b/c she is to video tape everything. I cannot wait to see it. We will watch it on her first Gotcha anniversary. To relive those moments and cry. I walk into this big room lined with cribs.

I turn to the left and there is a care giver holding my girl. My Anna. I think I froze for a moment and just looked. A few seconds later she was in my arms. I hugged her and kissed her. I even sniffed her hair. She was ao Beautiful! She was mine. This was what I had been waiting for. This moment. I wasn't just I a mom. I was Anna's mom. I was Home!!!!!