Update from Nicky

Hello everybody! from Ethiopia.  We’re just finishing up our third week in Addis - and Mum is off tonight on the plane.  She’s been a wonderful help - it’s been hard for her to be hands off with the kids (although I see her sneaking a kiss now and then!) but she’s been a trouper - always gophering stuff for me, and holding the backpack - and of course, playing with the kids and giving me a moment’s break. We will miss her.  The girls really enjoy brushing her hair - the two of them stand on the bed behind her and “braid ” it (sharuba!) which is rerally just twisting the hair.  
 
Twins are a handful - or rather! two handfuls!  Good thing I have two arms.  When we go out about 1/3 of the time I end up carrying one in each arm (that’s 60 lbs people!!) I don’t remember exactly what I have written about them… but I’all repeat if necessary.
 
Sugar and Spice each have a little of each element.  Sugar actually has been throwing tantrums several times a day… they are both strong-willed girls.  They obviously never got “no” at the transition home.  I wouldn’t say they were spoiled… but I would say indulged!  So at first, for the first week, they were sad… now they seem to have recovered completely.  (But when we visited the orphanage, it wasn’t so good.. tell you about that in a minute.  )  The second week we were defining boundaries… when one is sad, the other starts to cry … but if one is angry, the other doesn’t get sucked into it.  There were some mega tantrum days - I mean, kicking, screaming, running away from me… the whole bit… But near the end of the second week there was a difference.. they were screaming in my arms and calling for me when the tantrum started. 
 
About attachment: well, they are pretty much velcroed to me.  One night we went to an Indian restaurant with friends and they were enthralled with our male friend and sat on his lap for supper - but mostly they only want me, which is really good.
 
Their teacher thought that they are about 3 1/2 - although they are really tiny, they are definetly that old.. and bright.  They carry on entire conversaions with each other - and we three understand each other perfectly in our mix of Amharic, English and sign language.  They are bright - they probably understand 40+ words of English… maybe more, and speak 25+, I would say.  Everything from shoes to wet to rain to no to photo to puppy. 
 
And what do we do all day?  Well, mostly we try to go out in the morning… since about a week ago I have reinstated the nap in the afternoon after lunch.  Yesterday we wnent to this park - Bihere Tsige recreation centre - outside of Addis with a friend from Ghana and her little one.  It was really nice - well, the park was totally different than we would expect in Canada or Ghana - they trim the grass with mini sithes and hand clippers, and then cart it off to feed the cows.  But the girls got to run and run - probably for the first time in their lives… and they just loved it. (Remember, they spent a year in a courtyard, and then before that they were really too young to make miles.)
 
I’m so looking forward to getting out of Addis when JRock arrives.  We took a one day trip to Adama (Nazareth) and it was so awesome to breath fresh air and see the countryside. We went to visit Faya Orphanage… that’s what the girls had a hard time with.  They just wouldn’t stop crying.  Too confusing, I think, since it is a bit like the transition home.  But the kids there are lovely and the lady who runs it, M, and her brother S are just great.
 
The folks in Canada raised a bunch of money for  KidsLink / Imagine in Ethiopia - but then the gold company bailed it out.  So Jenny and co. asked around what they wanted to do with it, and they donated the $2000?? (I think) to Faya online, and then I have $1000 US here.  So our new friend S is taking us shopping the day before we leave Addis (for Lake Langano) and then we’re taking a bus load of cribs, bunkbeds, pasta, cleaning supplies, etc. (M’s list) to the Faya orphanage on the way down (we go past Adama.  That should be great.)
 
By the way, S has become our friend - he took three ladies and three babies shopping for traditional outfits last Sunday - now there’s a man!- and will be travelling a bit with Jrock and I as well later on.. A wonderful guy.
 
Anyway, the girls have been playing nicely around the hotel (it’s a small hotel) for a good 45 minutes (takes a long time to type on this keyboard) so I’d better go.  Sorry for all the disjointed info, but that’s the way it goes.
 
Can’t wait to see what all this looks like one the blog when I get back! ha ha
 
Jrock is arriving Friday - yipee!!! I miss him so much and It will be so great for him to meet the girls… and they are looking forward to it.  They always talk to him on the phone and point him out in all the photos.  So cute.
 
Ciao!
Nicky

In addition to having this email in my inbox today, I also had some photos from the very kind J. Welcome back, hope your baby is well. Thanks so much for forwarding these to Jrock. ~Ena