Today was a good day. Eli was pretty good throughout the day, and behaved for the most part all day. Hilary and I had discussed yesterday that we should try and go shopping today for the rest of our souvenirs and gifts that we wanted to buy. We called Markos at 9:30, hoping that he would be available today for us to go shopping. He called back to say he was available, and we left at just after noon.
First we drove to a place to purchase some coffee, and then some necklaces. This was another time where we have felt a bit overwhelmed. On the street, were lots of vendors trying to sell their stuff. Maps, necklaces, coffee pots, etc. It was crazy. Of course, they all wanted to sell it to us right then, and there seemed to be a bit of a battle for our attention. As "ferengi", I think it is expected that we always come with lots of money, and we'll just be willing to spend money on stuff we don't need. We were able to buy what we needed here, and we kept on getting pestered by one guy who wanted to sell us a map. We have a map, and have no need for another one, and we kept telling him this, but he kept on trying. He tried guilting us into buying it, but we held our ground. Finally, we were able to get out of there, but it was a bit overwhelming to have that much "pressure" to buy something that we have no need for right now...
Then we went to a market where ladies with HIV make necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. It was cool to see how they are working for a living in a situation that is less than ideal in Ethiopia. These ladies were all quite excited to see Eli, and they all got waves from our boy, who was pretty friendly in there.
Finally, we went to another shop where blind people are put to work in making a wide variety of goods. There were lots of kids toys, and we bought a few from there, there were some keychains, some clothing, postcards, and candles. It was a cool store, and I would encourage anyone adopting to head on over there for kids toys. We bought a couple of puzzles, and a few other items there that Eli will (hopefully) appreciate once we get home.
We got back to the guesthouse around 4:00, and I went out to get some other items that we needed (diapers), and some supper. I got back around 5:30, and we had a skype date with another friend. Eli was a little shy today, and our friend had some other things to do, so it didn't last very long, but it was great again to chat with friends from home, and for Eli to see a couple of his future friends.
After supper, Eli had a bath, and headed to bed. He had no nap today, so he was exhausted, and was asleep within minutes. He has not yet moved from his original position, a sure sign that he was quite exhausted already...
We are also very tired, and are headed to bed a bit earlier than normal.
First we drove to a place to purchase some coffee, and then some necklaces. This was another time where we have felt a bit overwhelmed. On the street, were lots of vendors trying to sell their stuff. Maps, necklaces, coffee pots, etc. It was crazy. Of course, they all wanted to sell it to us right then, and there seemed to be a bit of a battle for our attention. As "ferengi", I think it is expected that we always come with lots of money, and we'll just be willing to spend money on stuff we don't need. We were able to buy what we needed here, and we kept on getting pestered by one guy who wanted to sell us a map. We have a map, and have no need for another one, and we kept telling him this, but he kept on trying. He tried guilting us into buying it, but we held our ground. Finally, we were able to get out of there, but it was a bit overwhelming to have that much "pressure" to buy something that we have no need for right now...
Then we went to a market where ladies with HIV make necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. It was cool to see how they are working for a living in a situation that is less than ideal in Ethiopia. These ladies were all quite excited to see Eli, and they all got waves from our boy, who was pretty friendly in there.
Finally, we went to another shop where blind people are put to work in making a wide variety of goods. There were lots of kids toys, and we bought a few from there, there were some keychains, some clothing, postcards, and candles. It was a cool store, and I would encourage anyone adopting to head on over there for kids toys. We bought a couple of puzzles, and a few other items there that Eli will (hopefully) appreciate once we get home.
We got back to the guesthouse around 4:00, and I went out to get some other items that we needed (diapers), and some supper. I got back around 5:30, and we had a skype date with another friend. Eli was a little shy today, and our friend had some other things to do, so it didn't last very long, but it was great again to chat with friends from home, and for Eli to see a couple of his future friends.
After supper, Eli had a bath, and headed to bed. He had no nap today, so he was exhausted, and was asleep within minutes. He has not yet moved from his original position, a sure sign that he was quite exhausted already...
We are also very tired, and are headed to bed a bit earlier than normal.
He wasn't shy - he just didn't want his supper to get cold!! ;) It was great chatting with you guys today. Hope everyone has a good sleep!
ReplyDeleteFrom an attachment perspective, shyness is a wonderful thing...kids SHOULD be shy but our society seems to think they shouldn't be, for some reason. THink of it this way...the fact that he's shy with other people means that he is preferring you to other people. It's kinda like a magnet thing - a magnet has an attraction force and a repelling force in equal measure. When Eli's attached to you, he repels other people. The opposite would also hold true...if he's attracted to other people and repelling you (or indifferent to you), it's also an attachment thing, but in that case something to be cautious about. Celebrate his shyness...it's a great sign that he's attaching and you truly do want this...forget societal norms..they're wrong! Shyness is normal and healthy and attachment-based.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are doing great. I'm a little envious of all of the shops you got to today - made me reminiscent of our days there and the shopping experiences. We, too, had a difficult map guy hounding us...right outside a popular coffee place...drove us a little crazy!
So hoping that this is the last weekend you're waiting for your good news! Praying for you and sending you hugs,
Ruth