Day Two -Meeting Addie

The next morning, CHI sent a tiny car to pick us up. I packed a diaper bag the best I could. It took us about 15 minutes of wild driving to arrive at the House of Hope. We were beginning to see the poverty. Once again we pulled up to the walled in compound, the driver honked, and a guard opened the gates. The House of Hope is very simple but very colorful. We saw smiling faces of children peeking out of every window. The director of the HOH, Tsegay, met us and took us into a dining room/ living room area. He sat us down and said that one of the nannies would be bringing her shortly. I can honestly say that those few minutes waiting for them to bring her were the longest in my life. After an eternity I spotted a lady carrying a small child to the door of the room. I jumped up pretty quickly. Addie was wearing a red corduroy outfit and her hair was in four cute ponytails. The nanny was just going to hand her to me, but I hesitated because I thought should we be scared. I think my Mom said, “Take her Stef!” When I picked her up, she immediately dropped her head on my shoulder and wrapped her little hands around my neck. I patted her for a minute and turned to Ben. She actually reached for him and hugged him around the neck. The HOH staff all clapped. I couldn’t believe she was so receptive to us! I think she was as overwhelmed as we were, because she began to cry. However, she clung tight to Ben and I both. She just cried and cried and eventually fell asleep on Ben. He handed her to me (since both of them were sweating so much.) She slept for about an hour. When she woke up, she turned into little miss sunshine and really showed us her awesome personality. She laughed and giggled and cooed and played like you wouldn’t believe. By this time, two other families had come in for lunch. She definitely stoled the show. Tsegay’s wife, Almaz, told us that her caretakers at her original orphanage would say, “Lidya, Za Qua Lay!” Granted this is a phonetic spelling. I’m not really sure how it is actually spelled. Anyway, it means, “Lidya my daughter.” I learned to say it. Now, if she is being fussy, I can use the phrase and she breaks out into a big toothless smile!