Staci has taken over Buck's Blog with today's exciting update. Here's her account of today's events:
Some things are universally fun: SpongeBob, Arm-Wrestling, and Hitting Mom on
the Rear with a Ball When She Bends Over. - Staci Buck
So today, WOW.
1 year ago if someone would have told me I'd be on a plane without my kids from
Indianapolis-Ethiopia to build our family through adoption, I'd have said they
were crazy. Oddly enough, yesterday I looked out of a plane at a vast desert
land and the huge meandering Nile and realized that somehow this seemed
perfectly sane. For whatever reason, God picked us to be a family to a child I
didn't even know, but already loved, and we were no longer going to be separated
by thousands of miles.
I can say I was just as nervous and excited as I was the last 3 times I met our
children. I can say just as the birth of Avery, Jackson, and Anna was a love
story for Jason and me as it made us even more connected, so was this. To land
in Ethiopia and see a sign with our names was surreal. I think I was in shock
from lack of sleep and being 1/2 way around the world from our kids, but it all
came crashing in when I saw that sign. This is REAL. There really is an agency
in another time zone, in another world that knows we are coming; and they have
Sofani. To add to the shock, we had been prepared to "not ask" for more time
than our allotted 3 day 2-3 hour visits. The beautiful sign-holding lady
informed us that we would be staying at a different location due to an
overbooking and it was a 2 bedroom apartment. We would be allowed to pick up
Sofani and keep him with us our entire time in Ethiopia! I could not stop
smiling. (And crying)
I can't say enough about the Ethiopian People. From the first greeting (sign
holding lady), they were incredibly warm. They make direct eye contact, have
huge smiles and grasp your hand or arm. They introduce themselves by saying,
"My name is .... and it means....." For that reason alone, I am glad we will be
changing Sofani's name back when we are in the States to his given name. Names
are powerful here. They are meaningful and people delight in your comments
about them. With a generation of older people being wiped out, I am certain
these traditions with naming and meanings are even more precious. So, after
court tomorrow, Sofani will become Sofani Jason Buck according to the law.
Then, when he arrives in the states with us as a US citizen, we are permitted to
change it back. Sofani Zenebe Gezahegn Buck our fourth Buck.
Alemu, our Ethiopian representative from AAI, picked us up at 2:00pm to take us
to Jane's House, a transition home for children who have been identified and
placed with waiting families. We drove through streets lined with people, a
herd of goats, tiny children walking without adults, and no traffic laws to
speak of. There is a fine layer of dust and dirt everywhere on everything and
everyone. We pulled up outside a gated house and Alemu honked and the gate was
opened. Standing in the courtyard, before I even had time to grab my camera,
was Sofani. He walked up to Jason and hugged him for a long time and kissed his
cheek, he then came to me and hugged me (for a shorter time). He had a huge
smile and was very quiet. His hands were shaking as he held the door for me and
I, of course, was crying. He looked exactly like the pictures we had been sent
from other adoptive families recently, we sat next to each other on a couch and
he reached for Jason's hand and held it on and off all day. He is so loving.
He was speaks quietly and was delighted to show us that he can read English
well. Our new son is a lefty (Grandma Nini and Uncle Pat finally have their
fellow - left hander) and incredibly artistic. He ran to his room to show us a
journal that he had drawn animals, birds, abstract art, and people in. I can't
imagine him having any formal education in art, but he even had a still life
drawing of fuit and a jar on a table that I swear is beyond his age. Proud Mama.
He tells us he wants us to take his drawings back with us to give to the kids.
I asked if he had a picture of his mother because I want to have it framed and
hung in our living room. I don't want to pretend he didn't have loving parents
that were part of his life. He brought out a book with about 7 photos of family
with pages worn. In it were 5 pictures of our family, too. This appeared to be
his only possession. Alemu acted as translator for about 1/2hour and then asked
if we were ready to go to the hotel. Sure!
We took a tour of Jane's house prior to leaving and learned there are 23
children living there including 3 sets of twins. Sofani is the oldest child
ever adopted by our company from Ethiopia, so he obviously is the oldest, and
the youngest is almost 4 weeks old. The nurse invited me in to see the rows of
babies in cribs and I don't know that I've ever seen such beautiful babies.
Some of them smiled up at us, and some look shocked - probably because we don't
look Ethiopian- but I feigned mild interest. I did not want Sofani to think for
a minute that we were in love with these babies. He was OUR baby and even
though we couldn't communicate that through language yet, I was determined to
communicate it through body language. Alemu suddenly ushered us out as he had
blocked a street with his car and we needed to go NOW! We hurriedly said
goodbye to Sofani's friends, Meskereem and Hawi, two beautiful little girls
going to a home less than 2 hours from us in Ohio, and we were off! Sofani
beamed from ear to ear as we walked out of the gates and got into Alemu's car.
I gave him my phone full of video and pics of the kids and house and he poured
over these quietly, smiling all the while. We soon learned that we didn't need
Alemu. We were going to do just fine communicating. He has this adorable way
of inhaling suddenly when in agreement with you and smiling - almost like a
gasp. We arrived in the hotel and he took his first ride on an elevator, we
presume, and we were able to explain through facial expressions that Avery is
terrified of elevators. He thought that was hysterical. We showed him his
room and knelt on the floor beside the bed as he examined new clothes, a US
wooden puzzle, and legos. He immediately put the new clothes on and I saw that
the bag he brought had PJ's and one other outfit, which we had mailed months
before. His tennis shoes had someone else's name on the bottom. This hit me
hard. This child - OUR child - was wearing shoes cast off by some American
cleaning her closet. They, well-meaningly, had ended up here, far away from
their home on an Ethiopian boy who had NOTHING to his name.
The staff greeted Sofani warmly. This country is so very young and they love
children. Everyone gave him attention and one even spoke his native dialect,
which was a big help! The staff insisted he see the pool, as they are very
proud of it and he immmediately wanted to swim. Some of the staff peeked out
of the rooms they were cleaning giggling at us and murmurring, "Lucky, Lucky,"
as we walked down the hallway.
After swimming, a dinner in an authentic Ethiopian restuarant, where we had
Sofani order for us, 2 games of UNO, a Tom and Jerry and Spongebob episode on
the computer, some WWE, which he loves, a taxi ride, room service, a lego
project, a lesson on the World and US maps about his new home, explanantions of
everything from a shower to hand sanitizer, arm wrestling, push-up contests, and
hitting me on the rear with a soccer ball as I bent to get into a suitcase, I'd
say this little boy reminds me so much of Jackson and other boys. Some things
are universal.
One of those universal things is LOVE and we will make certain he feels it and
knows it as we say prayers with our son tonight. Thank you God for Avery,
Jackson, Anna and Sofani.
Some things are universally fun: SpongeBob, Arm-Wrestling, and Hitting Mom on
the Rear with a Ball When She Bends Over. - Staci Buck
So today, WOW.
1 year ago if someone would have told me I'd be on a plane without my kids from
Indianapolis-Ethiopia to build our family through adoption, I'd have said they
were crazy. Oddly enough, yesterday I looked out of a plane at a vast desert
land and the huge meandering Nile and realized that somehow this seemed
perfectly sane. For whatever reason, God picked us to be a family to a child I
didn't even know, but already loved, and we were no longer going to be separated
by thousands of miles.
I can say I was just as nervous and excited as I was the last 3 times I met our
children. I can say just as the birth of Avery, Jackson, and Anna was a love
story for Jason and me as it made us even more connected, so was this. To land
in Ethiopia and see a sign with our names was surreal. I think I was in shock
from lack of sleep and being 1/2 way around the world from our kids, but it all
came crashing in when I saw that sign. This is REAL. There really is an agency
in another time zone, in another world that knows we are coming; and they have
Sofani. To add to the shock, we had been prepared to "not ask" for more time
than our allotted 3 day 2-3 hour visits. The beautiful sign-holding lady
informed us that we would be staying at a different location due to an
overbooking and it was a 2 bedroom apartment. We would be allowed to pick up
Sofani and keep him with us our entire time in Ethiopia! I could not stop
smiling. (And crying)
I can't say enough about the Ethiopian People. From the first greeting (sign
holding lady), they were incredibly warm. They make direct eye contact, have
huge smiles and grasp your hand or arm. They introduce themselves by saying,
"My name is .... and it means....." For that reason alone, I am glad we will be
changing Sofani's name back when we are in the States to his given name. Names
are powerful here. They are meaningful and people delight in your comments
about them. With a generation of older people being wiped out, I am certain
these traditions with naming and meanings are even more precious. So, after
court tomorrow, Sofani will become Sofani Jason Buck according to the law.
Then, when he arrives in the states with us as a US citizen, we are permitted to
change it back. Sofani Zenebe Gezahegn Buck our fourth Buck.
Alemu, our Ethiopian representative from AAI, picked us up at 2:00pm to take us
to Jane's House, a transition home for children who have been identified and
placed with waiting families. We drove through streets lined with people, a
herd of goats, tiny children walking without adults, and no traffic laws to
speak of. There is a fine layer of dust and dirt everywhere on everything and
everyone. We pulled up outside a gated house and Alemu honked and the gate was
opened. Standing in the courtyard, before I even had time to grab my camera,
was Sofani. He walked up to Jason and hugged him for a long time and kissed his
cheek, he then came to me and hugged me (for a shorter time). He had a huge
smile and was very quiet. His hands were shaking as he held the door for me and
I, of course, was crying. He looked exactly like the pictures we had been sent
from other adoptive families recently, we sat next to each other on a couch and
he reached for Jason's hand and held it on and off all day. He is so loving.
He was speaks quietly and was delighted to show us that he can read English
well. Our new son is a lefty (Grandma Nini and Uncle Pat finally have their
fellow - left hander) and incredibly artistic. He ran to his room to show us a
journal that he had drawn animals, birds, abstract art, and people in. I can't
imagine him having any formal education in art, but he even had a still life
drawing of fuit and a jar on a table that I swear is beyond his age. Proud Mama.
He tells us he wants us to take his drawings back with us to give to the kids.
I asked if he had a picture of his mother because I want to have it framed and
hung in our living room. I don't want to pretend he didn't have loving parents
that were part of his life. He brought out a book with about 7 photos of family
with pages worn. In it were 5 pictures of our family, too. This appeared to be
his only possession. Alemu acted as translator for about 1/2hour and then asked
if we were ready to go to the hotel. Sure!
We took a tour of Jane's house prior to leaving and learned there are 23
children living there including 3 sets of twins. Sofani is the oldest child
ever adopted by our company from Ethiopia, so he obviously is the oldest, and
the youngest is almost 4 weeks old. The nurse invited me in to see the rows of
babies in cribs and I don't know that I've ever seen such beautiful babies.
Some of them smiled up at us, and some look shocked - probably because we don't
look Ethiopian- but I feigned mild interest. I did not want Sofani to think for
a minute that we were in love with these babies. He was OUR baby and even
though we couldn't communicate that through language yet, I was determined to
communicate it through body language. Alemu suddenly ushered us out as he had
blocked a street with his car and we needed to go NOW! We hurriedly said
goodbye to Sofani's friends, Meskereem and Hawi, two beautiful little girls
going to a home less than 2 hours from us in Ohio, and we were off! Sofani
beamed from ear to ear as we walked out of the gates and got into Alemu's car.
I gave him my phone full of video and pics of the kids and house and he poured
over these quietly, smiling all the while. We soon learned that we didn't need
Alemu. We were going to do just fine communicating. He has this adorable way
of inhaling suddenly when in agreement with you and smiling - almost like a
gasp. We arrived in the hotel and he took his first ride on an elevator, we
presume, and we were able to explain through facial expressions that Avery is
terrified of elevators. He thought that was hysterical. We showed him his
room and knelt on the floor beside the bed as he examined new clothes, a US
wooden puzzle, and legos. He immediately put the new clothes on and I saw that
the bag he brought had PJ's and one other outfit, which we had mailed months
before. His tennis shoes had someone else's name on the bottom. This hit me
hard. This child - OUR child - was wearing shoes cast off by some American
cleaning her closet. They, well-meaningly, had ended up here, far away from
their home on an Ethiopian boy who had NOTHING to his name.
The staff greeted Sofani warmly. This country is so very young and they love
children. Everyone gave him attention and one even spoke his native dialect,
which was a big help! The staff insisted he see the pool, as they are very
proud of it and he immmediately wanted to swim. Some of the staff peeked out
of the rooms they were cleaning giggling at us and murmurring, "Lucky, Lucky,"
as we walked down the hallway.
After swimming, a dinner in an authentic Ethiopian restuarant, where we had
Sofani order for us, 2 games of UNO, a Tom and Jerry and Spongebob episode on
the computer, some WWE, which he loves, a taxi ride, room service, a lego
project, a lesson on the World and US maps about his new home, explanantions of
everything from a shower to hand sanitizer, arm wrestling, push-up contests, and
hitting me on the rear with a soccer ball as I bent to get into a suitcase, I'd
say this little boy reminds me so much of Jackson and other boys. Some things
are universal.
One of those universal things is LOVE and we will make certain he feels it and
knows it as we say prayers with our son tonight. Thank you God for Avery,
Jackson, Anna and Sofani.
God is so good!!!!
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