Nose to Nose Hugs

Well, we are home! This is my first post to our blog, and I probably shouldn’t be attempting it right now, as I’m still exhausted! However, I’m even more excited than exhausted, so I’ll give it a go. When we left Addis Ababa with Anteneh, we arrived at the airport for our departing flight at 7 PM on Sunday night, which was 10 AM Sunday morning here in Evansville. We flew through the night, refueled in Rome, and watched the onboard flight info screen as we passed over the United Kingdom and headed for the USA. We reluctantly watched Little Miss Sunshine about 13 times. The sun eventually caught us, and soon we landed in Washington-Dulles Airport around 8:30 AM. After two more flights and a couple hours of driving, we pulled into our driveway at 6:30 PM on Monday night, 32 and a half hours after we began. It is so good to be home…it’s true, there is no place like it! We really didn’t sleep much at all, even though Brooke had made sure we took those U-shaped travel pillows for the plane. I’m tempted to go on and on about how frustrating it was to change into the Ethiopian Airlines-provided socks, put on the sleeping mask, insert our earplugs, and try to go to sleep, only to grow more and more uncomfortable and sweaty (why do they let it get so hot on those plane rides?)
Anyway, enough about that stuff. Since we didn’t fly into Evansville, only my parents met us at the airport. When we finally arrived at our house, our families were here anxiously waiting to meet Anteneh in person, but he was asleep! Our entrance was pretty anti-climactic. It did work out really well in that we got to hug Grace and Luke and introduce Anteneh after we’d spent some time with them.
Anteneh woke up and met his cousins, and after spending some time together, the extended family graciously left so we could spend some time together and crash. Brooke was exhausted and not feeling well so she went on to bed. This was the moment that I felt it…What have we done? What have we done to our kids? Anteneh is great, but Luke is such a sensitive boy. Brooke and I are convinced that adopting is the right thing to do, but Luke and Grace didn’t sign up for this. How is this going to affect them?

This day has been such an encouragement to me. I realize that this is just day one, and things can change, but I have such a peace about this new addition to our family. One thing that has surprised me is how affectionate Luke is! Since the moment I carried Anteneh in, Luke hasn’t stopped patting him, hugging him and kissing him. Luke is a lover, but he’s also a daddy’s boy and I wasn’t so sure that he was going to be willing to share his daddy. Luke and Grace have been so loving to Anty, as Luke calls him.
Here are a some more highlights:
· Last night, after meeting, I watched a true display of testosterone. Luke was in character as Superman and Anteneh was playing like a lion. They were showing one another how fierce they each were and finally came chest to chest, Luke blowing his super-breath and Anteneh scowling. Here were two males establishing their territory and pecking order, it seemed. I honestly was gripped by fear because I expected Anteneh to do something unpredictable to Luke – well, he did do something unpredictable…he gave Luke a great big hug. The two of them stood, there, embracing for a long time. I said a prayer of thanks to Jesus.
· This morning, Luke didn’t wake up at 7:30 as usual. I went in to check on him a little before 8, and he wasn’t in his bed. He startled me as he said, “Anty isn’t here!” The first thing he did in the morning was to get up and climb into Anteneh’s bunk to look for him!
· Luke, Anteneh and Grace played so well today! One time Luke and Anteneh came into the kitchen, each wearing safety goggles and their socks on their hands. I think they were getting ready to box. Later they were working on their bunk bed with a plastic hammer.
· Later I heard them laughing in the bathroom. I looked in to find them both standing there, peeing together. Grace just looked at me and shook her head.
· One time Anteneh took the pair of goggles that Luke had had. Luke protested, so I took them from Anteneh, and he cried as I gave them back to Luke. Luke looked at Anty, walked over and gave them back to Anty. Anty immediately quit crying, and looked at Luke’s sad face. He handed the goggles back to Luke and they both smiled and hugged again.
· Anteneh seems like he knows that he is in a safe place, a place where he is going to be loved and cared for.

Like I said before, I’m sure that soon the two will be fighting like brothers, but this time right now has been so encouraging! The Lord is gracious to us and I am thankful!