Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

I know it has been a while since we posted. We were not able to access our blog from Ethiopia...and now with two little ones at home, I have been trying to play catch-up. :) The irony of this post...is that it started typing in Hindi...so I guess somewhere along the way...it was trying to let me update. Oh well...here we go.

This trip was very very different from our trip with Henri. Good and bad. We decided to stay in a hotel vs. a guesthouse. At first, we were going to be the only family from our agency traveling, so we would not have missed out on getting to know other families. Also...with our last bouts of sickness we decided to have a bit more of a vacation vs. guesthouse experience. The hotel was great...it was so nice to have a place where you could walk around, shop, eat great food, feel very comfortable and at home. The bad news...there were two other families that traveled, and we would have loved to spent more time with them. Maybe next time...if there is a next time. :)

Here is the view from our room...it really was so peaceful to be surrounded by all of the green...especially in a city as busy and bustling as Addis.

My favorite part of the hotel...was the natural hot spring pool. Apparently, years and years ago when the Queen of Sheeba ruled Ethiopia, she lived in the mountains outside of Addis and saw what she thought was smoke rising. They explored the smoke and discovered it was steam rising from the hot springs. She then moved to Addis...to utilize the natural water. So did the Hilton...in the form of their five pools. Very relaxing. :)



Last time we were in Addis...we landed, unloaded our bags, and went right to the transition house for Henri. This time...we landed, and spent the first night in the hotel (watching the World Cup). The next morning, we woke up, and left early to meet Lili. This worked out so much better...we weren't rushed, the staff wasn't rushed, and we could really enjoy time with the children and everyone at the transition home. Again, on our way...we bought fresh fruit for the children. Here is the roadside stand we stopped at:

We didn't leave the hotel much this trip...so we don't have the city photos like we did before. But...here is a glimpse of what parts of outside the city is like...while we are waiting for our fruit to be bagged up. :)

Henri absolutely loves to read a certain farm book. I swear I have read that book to him 500 times. The funny part...is the first page talks about going to the farm and meeting a goat with long ears, who says Maa Maa...maybe this is Henri's connection to Ethiopia...goats walking down the street!

Arriving at the transition home to meet our sweet little Miss Lili:

Here she is...and just like her brother...she is holding her arms out...waiting for us to come and pick her up!

Holding her for the first time...

The best nanny in the whole world. Hewitt, who also cared for Henri...telling us all about Miss Lili and her eating and sleeping habits.

The view from the Transition home. Lots of children = lots of clothes to wash and dry...

Our first family picture with Lili....

We so enjoyed spending time at the transition home this time. There were great kids...all waiting for their parents to come and pick them up! :)

Our sweet Lilja on the drive back to the hotel.

Lili is napping...so while she catches some zzz's...I'm going to try and update the rest of our trip. Here we go....