February 6th Update – An Epic Adoption Story
The girls love to play house and pretend cook. They pour their juice or water into water bottle lids or preschool measuring and counting cups. If “Bisquick,” their word for bread or crackers, is available they will crush it up in the water and make a mess. Eating in general is pretty messy so, as long as we have daylight the children eat on the porch. Sometimes they will use their hands to eat stuff you should use a utensil for, and use a utensil for finger foods like to eat a roll, or banana, or sandwich. Lots of stuff ends up in their mouths like the lids of water bottles or toys. They will wipe their hands on anything so you must make napkins available.
Going to the bathroom has also been an adventure. We’ve had to do show and tell on using paper, washing hands, the purpose of the toilet “seat.” I don’t want my Ugandan friends to be embarrassed. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Using the bathroom in a village bathroom was not easy for me the first time. Hitting the hole without hitting me was a challenge. For my American friends information toilet seats are a luxury, and typically an outhouse with a hole is the toilet. It’s neither good or bad, but it just is how it is. We are accompanying them every time now with much better results.
Showers are also a new concept. The children hold their breath when sprayed in the face. Kamri asked specifically that the water come primarily from the faucet this morning. They are used to splashing themselves in order to get wet and rinse off. It’s quite effective, but when bathing outside in a tub.
Personal failures as parents include remembering to put on lotion every day. We bought some Vaseline sold as a skin conditioner and used it for the first time today because we are running out of lotion. Our African American friends are most likely thinking, “I told you so.” We also failed to pack jackets on an overcast and cool day as we went to the zoo. The Mzungus were very comfortable, but the Africans were cold – especially the girls in their sun dresses. Woops.
February 5th Second Update – An Epic Adoption Story
We are trying to get used to the fact that the children often do not answer with words but gestures or facial expressions. We are trying to get them to use words, but communication continues to be our biggest hurdle. We also are having issues with them hiding food in their bags, and sneaking into our closet to get the torch, aka flashlight, or makeup. The girls are the most mischievous. Lucas desires to please us more than anything, and so he is seldom found getting into things and is eager to help.
All three love to be tickled, which is good for Daddy, but bad for bedtime. 🙂 Lilli even asks for it, but she has the loudest laugh on the planet. Seriously, it is ear piercing, but the pain is worth the laughter, except at bedtime. 🙂 Mommy can be a killjoy.
The clothes we brought for the kids all seem to fit perfectly. The pink shoes we brought for the girls became brown on the first day, and will most likely remain that way. Kristi wanted me to try to clean them up, but I convinced her that this was an expectation that needed to be lowered.
When we gave them their bags, with their embroidered names on them you would have thought it was Christmas morning. Things we learned include – colored pencils and crayons are the best. Markers, not so much, because they require lids and the kids are not used to the permanence. We also learned that all of the kids should get the same in regards to crayons or pencils or we should make them community property from the beginning. Sharing is not a concept that they are very familiar with in regards to gifts. They don’t mind sharing food. In fact, the same sucker could be passed back and forth between every child multiple times. Gifts is a whole other world. They know who has what, and when coloring it is a big deal if someone takes your crayon.
Balls, Hot Wheels, sticker books, coloring books, and just plain paper are great. Anything with buttons that controls something is also a fascination. Whether it be light switches, fans, computers, DVD players, cameras, video cameras, or phones if you leave it out then you should expect it in their hands. Lucas loves wearing Daddy’s ball caps, and watch. Brushing teeth is big fun and they tend to brush really hard so we had to have a little lesson on that.
February 5 Update – An Epic Adoption Story
Here’s another update! Our trip to get medical testing at the International Office of Migration (IOM) was anything, but efficient. We arrived at the police check-in at 9:05 am, and ran a little late because our driver wasn’t sure of his destination and the Malaria meds along with the multiple U-turns and pot holes got the best of Tim. We were instructed that we should wait in an outdoor shelter for our names to be called. After sitting for an hour we asked a couple more people about where we should be and both told us we were in the right place. After three hours I finally went hunting for a Doctor or nurse. I arrived and explained who I was and where we had been and they apologized for the confusion. It turns out we could have come straight to medical. So, we only got the children weighed, made payment, and then the very painful TB test. Lucas went first. He was brave, but the pain was too much as he burst into tears. It took a while for Daddy to console him. Kamri is a lot like Shelbi Lynn. When she gets hurt she gets angry. She shed a few tears when she got the TB test done, but was just angry for a while afterward. Shelbi gets mad when she gets hurt too, but at least Shelbi will talk to you. Kamri says nothing. Lilli went last, and began to cry as soon as she realized it was her turn. It was hard to explain why this had to happen, and we felt like we were betraying them in some way. We go back Monday to get the TB tests read and to complete the physicals at 2:00 pm.
All was forgiven by lunch time. We went to Garden City. This is an area of Kampala frequented by foreigners. We went into the Oasis mall that had a Ugandan version of a Super Wal-Mart, an escalator, and a restaurant known for its hamburgers, “The Pizza Connection.” Of course they had pizza, and it looked pretty good, but good hamburgers are hard to find and these were good. The kids had “chicken and chips,” otherwise known as friend chicken breast fillets and French fries. The escalator, as with any kid, was like an amusement ride. As the ladies shopped we had to ride again.
Our last stop of the day was the Friday Market. Along the train tracks vendors set up tarps and lay out their merchandise to sell. The vendors we lay on the ground and try to sleep. They would wake up as soon as you passed by and ask you to shop. One lady stood in a drainage hole peddling her paper beaded jewelry. Items for sale included wood and soap stone carvings including masks, manger scenes, and animals; paper bead necklaces and bracelets; hand woven purses and handmade cards; African dress shirts and dresses; shoes; drums, and more. You ask for a price and then you try to barter. It’s easier to barter if you purchase more than one item. We may go back again in a week without kids. It’s a little rough and keeping an eye on them while trying to make deals was a little exhausting in the heat of the day, and maybe we can give a few hugs as well.
We ended the evening with a game of Uno with Lawrence and Junior. Lawrence predicted winning the whole evening, but, as usual, Kristi dominated winning five hands. Only two others won as many as two hands and I didn’t win a single hand. It is a part of Ugandan culture for the men to express confidence in just about anything.