Last Day in Rwanda

Today was devoted to seeing and experiencing more of Rwandan life before we have to depart for Addis tomorrow. We enjoyed driving out to a lake/park area and having a PB and Jelly picnic we the Himes and Limmers, the other adoptive families and good friends (we've done everything together thus far!) The scenery feels as though is hasn't ever changed. Ryan and I were talking about how seeing dirt huts and barefoot children on the side of the road didn't feel sad at all, just that life is different but no less whole. Nyanga, our guide, invited us to her son's birthday party tonight in her mother's home. Her mom wanted to cook for us and it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable evenings and definately the best food we've had! All of us (17) were welcomed into a warm family gathering with tons of kids and food. The children grabbed Molly and Blake for tag and soccer, and both kids had a blast. When it was time to eat, the kids ate off of two giant dishes on the floor. With their hands, just like on the travel channel! We'll have pics, of course. During dinner, Molly told me that she felt like the Little Mermaid-interpret how you may. And every time I checked on Blake, another little Rwandan was rubbing his mop of hair. I know that the two of them will probably remember this night for a long time. We worked today on not carrying Etienne everywhere because he is SO heavy. Didn't go so well. I find it so hard because I know that in his little life, he hasn't ever received much TLC and that right now we have to focus on bonding and trust. HOWEVER, despite what the experts say, we can already see him getting a tiny bit naughty about the whole thing and want to be consistent with rules for all 4 kids. Wish us luck! We didn't sleep much last night because Zeke woke up frequently, but tonight they both went down like pros. Yippee! Tomorrow we say goodbye to the orphanage and then head to Addis. We're told that the temps there are much cooler-looking forward to that.

TGIF

Today was supposed to be a pleasant visit to the US Consulate office to process our visas. We arrived at 10a and did not leave until after 4p. In between that time we ran (literally, down a street with our babies) twice to the passport office, did a whole lot of begging, bargaining and praying, and were blessed by some miracles in the shape of Rwandan passport workers. At the end of the day, Etienne has a new birthday (11/24), Moses has his second passport in a day, and all 5 kids have their visa papers for next week. Whew! I won't go into any more details other than to say that the US needs to reconstruct the whole international adoption process and I am very grateful for the generosity of Rwandans. The kids were (are) awesome and behaved so well in a borinig office all day. We are learning that Etienne needs a lot of TLC and is so, so physically strong. And Zeke said his first English word today-No! Isn't that typical of an 18 month old?! Sleep update: Much better last night and tonight the newest Higgins boys are already asleep. I did have to physically hold Etienne again, but it took a lot less time for him to calm down. It has only been a couple days, no worries. Molly had ice cream twice today and Blake had a PB and honey sandwich custom made, so their bellies are full. Just another Friday for the Higgins'

passports and such

Today we had to go get the boys passports-with all the kids. Picture a crowded room with no AC and lots of kids. We waited and waited; they called our number and as soon as we got to the window they informed us that all the kids pictures needed to be in front of a white wall, not a white curtain! Really! So our driver raised us, literally, like the Fast and the Furious, to some hallway with a girl and a camera. Poof! Less then 5 minutes and all 5 kids had new pictures taken. We hopped (sorta) back in our van and our guide told us she'd meet us after developing the pics. By the time we'd unloaded back at the passport office, she came speeding up on the back of a motorcycle with the finished pics! No kidding, it was like a movie! Today was long, and no child here wanted to nap, which made it longer. We were able to drive outside Kigali today to see the countryside. It is breathtaking and timeless, but difficult to look at the scenary without being haunted by the stories and pictures of the genocide. We have noticed so many people with major, major physical scars (machetes were the primary weapon of the genocide) and I can't imagine their emotional scars. Tomorrow, file our I600s and receive the passports. Note to future Rwandan adoptive parents, eating out is never, ever less then a 2 hr affair. Bring your crayons, race cars and patience.

6 in the bed....

...and the little one said, roll over, roll over. We are all sleeping together tonight and as I type this I can see Etienne's bright eyes watching me from his daddy's arms. Blake has met his match! Etienne and Zeke both began smiling and showing us their true colors today-it couldn't have been bettter. Blake and Etienne rolled cars across the table, back and forth tonight and Molly taught Zeke how to kiss. She also rubbed his back as he fell asleep.

We were able to get our travel letters today from the ministry and tomorrow we'll get their passports.

I don't think we'll be able to put all 4 kids to bed at the same time...reading stories was insane, with all kids talking and pointing at pictures in 3 different languages (French, English and baby jabber).

Also, Zeke refuses anything but baby food and Etienne literally eats whatever we hand him!

Just the 6 of Us

The internet speed isn't fast enough to cover all the details of today....Ryan and I headed to the HOH first thing this morning and I was allowed down into the dorms. As soon as Zeke saw me, I got a smile and a grab! Etienne was another story. He was still eating his meal (being forced mouthfuls, really) when I arrived and soon all 38 kids in his room were surrounding me, calling me "Mama, Mama," while Etienne cried. I couldn't even carry him out of the building, but when he saw Ryan he clung to him and fell asleep. Quickly, I found a way to his heart: through his tummy! We LOVED pizza and we cut him off after 2 pieces. Also found the word potty, and he did go. By the end of the day, I was able to hold all three boys on my lap while Molly danced for them. Tomorrow will be the day we bring them back forever with us. Leaving them tonigth was again emotional; this time for the Zeke and Blake. Etienne is like a celebrity when he arrives. All the kids cheer his name! He also found cars and he and Bkake played cars together on the floor. Zeke snuggled up on Molly. We are a family.

Our Boys

Today was the day we’d been anticipating and praying for. After two full days of travel, some flight delays and some lost luggage, we arrived safely here in Kigali. The city and the people are welcoming and friendly, and after dropping off our belongings, we headed to the orphanage. House of Hope is located around an incredibly steep and curvy hill, with high walls and blue gates. Beyond the gates, the orphanage has lush green gardens, is clean and open. A few of the Sisters and Nganja, our guide, brought out our boys. I knew Zeke instantly and when they handed him to me, he initially cried, but then wrapped himself around me. Etienne when right into Ryan’s arms and pressed his cheek to Ryan’s. Blake and Molly gave lots of hugs and Blake demonstrated how to jump (he’s been saying for months that he is going to teach his brothers how to jump high!). We were able to snuggle the boys and play for awhile, and when either Ryan or I tried to pump either of them down, they would cry immediately to be held. It was our dream come true! Etienne looks exactly like his picture, very serious and his eyelashes are beautiful. Zeke has a sweet, round babyface and is very snuggly. When it was time for us to say goodbye, he cried and cried and reached for me. Of course, this was heartbreaking but also encouraging that maybe he just knows we are his family. Tomorrow we will be able to spend the day with the boys again. Goodnight and thanks for the prayers. Pray that my luggage arrives tomorrow!

2 Days Until Blastoff!!!

Our bedroom has been taken over by everything 4 kids and 2 parents need to survive in a developing country for a week. We are happy to learn that we'll go from the airport to the orphanage to our babies! And we'll be updating the blog from the hotel to keep all of our loved withs informed with pictures and experiences. Stay tuned.