Friday, March 7, 2008

Packing to go

Officially tired with little creative energy today. This picture of Abe is pretty much how Ted and I feel right now. Lots of going up and down 76 stairs to the house from the street, usually carrying a lot of stuff, and last night the timing was perfect for twisting my ankle. Colorful bruising is in my immediate future. Our to-do lists are growing by the hour.

I went today to this randomly chosen optometrist in Glendale to get a back-up pair of glasses for the trip. It was a tiny little shop with a sweet Armenian woman working behind the counter who reminded me so much of the women I used to teach in my ESL classes down here. She treated me like family as I picked out my frames, and eventually the optometrist came out from the back to talk to me. When I was explaining why I need the glasses asap, his face lit up and he told me that he was born in Ethiopia!

He then took me to his desk and pulled out his old photo album from his childhood in Addis Ababa. His grandparents, as part of the diaspora after the Armenian genocide, emigrated to Ethiopia. His parents were born there, and then he was born there. He lived there until his late teens. What stories people have if we take the time to listen.

In the afternoon, look who came to visit:I made Zoe cry by making a 'zrbt' on her tummy. She'd warned me that the screams were coming by giving me a classic furrowed eyebrow frown but I made the mistake of thinking that she was just suprised. All babies love the 'zrbt' right? Wrong.

The above photo was taken after the zrbt trauma, so I'm assuming she forgave me. She was more interested in Ted the whole time anyway. She thought pretty much anything he did was pretty cool.Can you believe the cheeks and eyelashes on that girl? What a beauty!

Last night,
Samantha popped by too and dropped by the cutest all organic onesie with a guitar on the front for Abe. It was so great to meet her and her daughter. I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again: this blogging community is really something. I don't know what I'd do without everyone. I had no idea when I started this blog that I would end up making so many life-long friends. Wonderful thing.

Tomorrow is our official bag-packing day, at least for all the donations and gifts for the Gladney caregivers. Oh, and the hundreds of diapers and wipes, plus all the powdered formula as well. Two expert packers, Carolee and Pattie, are coming to help me, so I think our chances are good of staying under our weight allowance. We'll see.

6 comments:

Melissa said...

I have NEVER been the first to comment on one of your posts. Man do I feel special!
Anyhow, it sounds like you've got your work cut out for you. Your minds must be in a constant whirlwind. Thank God you have so many supportive friends wherever you are to keep you grounded and sane! You know what's completely crazy is that I just realized that the next time I see you, you'll have Abe with you. That's insane. I wish I had had the chance to give you a hug before you left. I can't wait to see you again!!

cassie said...

hi i have't had a chance to say how happy i am for you. i have been reading you blog for a while.

Meredith said...

I am so so excited that you guys are in the packing stage and almost there! The blog world LOVES some Rooneys.

The Ravenstahls said...

My family has been following your journey for a while and we are just too thrilled for words that things are moving for you!
he is a beautiful babe.
Congratulations!
If you fly through Dulles and need a thing, we live 2 miles from the airport. you can reach us at nia (dot) Fonow (at) fcps (dot) edu
Best of luck on your travels!!

Courtney Rose said...

May God bless and watch over you as your journey over the ocean begins. You will be in MANY people's thoughts and prayers. I can't wait to see that first family picture. Awww....

DrewCareyShow said...

Drew and I were just talking about your trip, and I thought I'd pop on your blog -- and voila! There we are! It was so much fun seeing you guys, and yes, Zoe was quite taken with Ted. My sister just emailed me that Abe reminds her of our baby brother when he was just a little guy -- which is a great compliment, since we all thought he was the cutest little person who ever existed =) If it's any consolation to the zrbt (wasn't it the Cosby Show that gave it its official name?), Zoe remained out of sorts on Friday and through yesterday. She's a funny little one. Can't wait for our first little play date when you guys get home! We'll come over and play with Abe for a few hours while you guys take a nap =) Have a WONDERFUL trip! We'll be checking in like crazy...