Can't upload pictures - too bad, because just when I thought she couldn't get any cuter, her eyelashes started growing - and curling. Alemitu smiles at everyone, and is really endearing, especially because she looks like a 5 month old, but acts like a 10 month old.

I must be a mom now, I can talk poop, and I use the royal WE (as in, "we are convinced we don't need a morning nap anymore, but in fact, we desperately do.") We are settling in to the new building after a week of "camping" at a building with no water, kitchen, internet, or often electricity. I didn't realize it was so bad, because I was so focused on Ali - but the new place is much better. Settling in for the long-haul - at least 24 more days. We mostly hang out here, although yesterday we went to a 4 hour rural pentacostal church service. The experience was both moving and eternally sad. Ali sat quietly through the whole thing - sleeping or just looking around. Her two nannies from the orphanage were there, and they hugged and kissed her. I now realize that 1970s Toyota Corolla hatchbacks can do anything (when they don't run out of gas, which we almost did) - yesterday carried 7 people through crazy potholed, muddy, steep roads in a flooded monsoon rain like I've never seen - most people in US wouldn't try it in a 4WD SUV. In the guest house currently are Ali and I, a woman with 4 kids (3 bio, one from Ethiopia) and a husband at home, here adopting their 5th - a sweet, adorable 4 year old boy with HIV and TB (being treated for both), a Danish couple adopting a 5 month old little boy (their first and they say he'll be an only child), and a couple and their 18 year old daughter (and there are 3 other siblings at home), adopting 13 month old twin boys and their 11 year old sister. One thing that is tough about staying so long is seeing a number of families come and go - they are under the old rules of only traveling for the Embassy date and have come to take their children/child home (they stay about 5 days). Up-side is that I get to go to many going-away coffee ceremonies - GREAT coffee (and I'm not a coffee drinker) and popcorn (one of my favorite foods).