Did anyone see the movie "What To Expect When You're Expecting"? Remember the scene where Jennifer Lopez's character walks into a care center in Ethiopia to meet her son? There is a processional and she carries a candle, and a line of Ethiopian women in traditional clothes carry the babies and stand opposite the parents. The parents swear an oath to love the child and keep the Ethiopian traditions alive, and then the child is placed lovingly in the arms of the adoptive parents. It is a beautiful scene, and I cried the big ugly tears when I watched it in the movie theater.
Yeah, picking up Wynray was nothing like that.
On Friday January 18th we arrived through the gates of the IAN care center in a van after having traveled 30 hours. Familiar faces appeared smiling. We hugged some older children and staff, but there was no time for small talk. We needed to get Wynray. We walked into the nursery as Beti, his nanny, was finishing getting him dressed. She sat him in the floor and he greeted us with his trademark grin. I got down on all fours and touched his feet to give him a few seconds to take in our faces. And then we scooped him up...
Once we had him in our arms there was just joy. Pure joy.
We carried him around the care center as we visited with the staff and the children. We had packages to deliver, donations to drop off, hugs to give, pictures to take, and some babies to snuggle. Wynray was happy to be a part of the action and just seemed like a natural extension of us. He just fit.
Before we left the care center we changed him into his own clothes. Yes, his onesie say's "919 y'all"
We were then eager to take him back to the guest house and spend alone time with him. He was the delightful bundle of energy we expected. We played and snuggled, we gave him a bath, and fed him. He crawled around the room exploring while keeping track of where we were at all times.
He was happy. We were happy. It was simple and wonderful, and just right.
Our reunion and the days following have been a true reflection of Wynray's personality: uncomplicated, happy, and joyful. We feel so lucky to be Wynray's family.
We'll go back to the care center on Thursday before we head home for a traditional coffee ceremony and lunch. It will give us and Wynray a chance to say goodbye to the staff, his nannies, and all the sweet children and babies we've grown to love.
In the meantime, we're soaking up every minute with Wynray.
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