Sorry for the paucity of posts. If that is the correct usage of paucity. We are back in the U.S. of A. We arrived at our house about two hours ago. The boys fell asleep in the stretch limo -- yeah, interesting intro to this crazy country, no? We put them into their new beds for a "nap," a misnomer because it is way past their bedtime in Ethiopia. We'll be waking them up in a bit for exploration of the new house, dinner, baths, fun and games, and maybe going to bed for the night...
I didn't post after the last one in Ethiopia for a couple of reasons. One, the computer at the guest house was in high demand. Two, the connection there is spotty, and I would write them in Word first, then copy and paste. Even then, I felt like I was in an episode of 24 or something, rushing, heart pumping, mind racing as I tried to cut and paste before I was kicked off the internet yet again.
Thirdly, Alex and I were X-hausted. We were talking and both agreed that each day something more intense would happen than the day before. I did a lot of journal writing, as did Al, so I intend to post from said journal over the next few days, weeks, whatever. I'm going to talk about the visit to the boys' family, too, but that will take a lot of time to process. I'm currently dreaming about it, so that should tell you how intensely that experience is living in my psyche. My ability to write depends on the boys. And that brings me to my fourthly reason for not posting. We've got ourselves some spirited little guys.
Alex is rethinking the setup of the house as if we are strategizing for a sneak attack. Which isn't so far off. These guys are around the ages they were said to be -- 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 or so. They are at the age of tantrumming, testing, persistence and let us not forget incredible cuteness. Add to that a huge language barrier, so communication is difficult, and some very expected confusion, anger, grief... Everything we've just done -- taking them onto an airplane, waiting in ridiculous lines, hanging out in Frankfurt, taking them onto another airplane and expecting them to want to hang there for another 8 hours -- has no reference, even when explained by patient nannies couldn't have prepared them for the experience. They did really well, until the last leg. Somewhere between Frankfurt and NY, Maybe 3 hours in. We became the least popular passengers on board, though, by far the most famous. We had our fans, those elderly people who petted and softly spoke to the boys, eliciting killer smiles and eyelash-batting. Also a couple of the flight attendants, who unfortunately added fuel to the fire by plying the boys with German Gummy creatures, revving the sugar high way up and leading to a series of ugly meltdowns. Fortunately, the worst one happened as we walked off the plane. Al and I had to lift H up by his arms to lead him out of the tunnel, as Al carried two ginormous carry-ons and I carried L and their little backpacks. Great fun. As the boys don't know what we are talking about yet, we let loose with the "what the hell have we done?" talk, giving indulgence to our most yucky thoughts.
Please don't get me wrong, and please, no guilt or flames. It was rough. This was on top of a 2 hour meltdown at the guest house in Ethiopia, after the coffee ceremony, right before we needed to load onto a van to go to the airport with all of the other families. We are being tested, we know. And we're doing pretty well, I'd say. But a little fear of the unknown exists, and I must say, is natural.
Back to butterflies and sunbeams... When we got to our home, and the boys' new home (their first, most truest home will most likely always be Ethiopia -- more on that in another post, if I can remember), both Alex and I became tearful. The boys were sleeping, we were (are) exhausted, and it was so G-d@##ed beautiful. When we left, only the forsythia had bloomed, that and the daffodils. There were no leaves on the trees yet. Now the apple trees are in bloom, the trees are leafing, and a few flowers are popping up. It is a glorious day, and we are so happy to be on familiar territory. Of course, now the boys are at a disadvantage, off of their home turf. I will let you know how it goes. I hear a whimper now, in fact. They were fast asleep when we arrived, so they will be waking up in a strange bedroom. Where the -- is Alex? By the way, you probably noticed that I stopped using Alex's psuedonym, Beckmann. Mostly because it's harder to type than Alex, but also because it didn't feel authentic. Add the fact that I don't want my family to read my blog, so I was copying and pasting posts not only here but into email messages to them, it explains the Alex over Beckmann decision.
I feel like I've been ramblin' on here, maybe not making a lot of sense, but I'm not going to edit. Too tired. Plus I've got to start thinking about starting up the rice cooker. Until the next post.