Day 6
I spent the whole day with Micah. As soon as I got there, we took a soccer ball and one of the older boys and just played out in the sunshine.
Micah is good, and he loves to be the goalie. Being deaf makes you more visually aware of things, and he is a fantastic keeper. The day I see him and Levi on the same team at home, I will probably die. :) The two most beautiful and talented boys on the field will be MINE.
Last summer I wrote about visiting Micah, and I mentioned two other special needs children (http://helpabeandmarissaadopt.blogspot.com/2014/06/bet-you-never-saw-this-coming.html?m=1). In my original post, I didn't talk much about them. It was too hard to write about what I saw. But yesterday, I saw them. One is a little boy whose body is deformed and twisted. He can speak a little Amharic but it is very difficult for him, and his voice is garbled. Last year, he was lying on a pallet in a dark room. When he saw me he started babbling and began rolling across the floor to get to me. I burst into tears and scooped him up in my arms. I've thought about him ever since.
Yesterday, I saw him. He was tied into a wheelchair (he cannot sit by himself) and he was alone. Micah and I grabbed him and wheeled him outside so he could watch us play soccer. Then we took turns pushing him and hitting the soccer ball with his wheelchair so that he could play. This little boy has the most amazing attitude and the greatest smile. He laughed and yelled the whole time. He saw me kiss Micah's head and he made a lonely sound so I kissed the air near his cheek. He screamed "Yes yes YESSSSS!!!" and tried to pump his fist in the air. I laughed with him......he's a regular boy, just wanting a girl to kiss him hahaha!!!
Between Saturday and Sunday, Micah learned FIFTY-TWO new signs!!! He reads me a book now and uses all the signs. I am so proud of him!!!! He's been laughing a lot too, which is the best sound ever!
The nannies and staff there have been amazing to me. They are SO kind and they always tell me how happy they are that I am Micah's mother.
Natalie may be my twin, but I swear Micah is Abe's. He is so gentle, careful, thorough, and orderly. He is quiet, kind, and loving. He likes doing everything in order and knowing each part of whatever he is doing. I brought him Legos and he built a plane following the directions. He LOVED it. I think he will be a technician, an engineer, or an artist. (His drawing is fantastic.) I taught him to make a paper crane yesterday and he thought it was the coolest thing.
While we sit and play and draw, the other kids crowd around too. The big boys sit near me and quiz me on my Amharic and the littles fight over my lap. I love them all. They laugh at me when I try to make a certain Amharic letter sound, like Ka, Ku, Ki, Ka, Kk, Kih, Ko. Or anything with "tse". My new comeback to that is to have them try and say, "She sells seashells by the sea shore." It usually ends up with "She sells she sells she shores!!!!" and all of us in a heap on the ground from laughing so hard.
I have the Amharic word for "brave" or "warrior" drawn on my wrist (I want to get it tattooed but of course I am dealing with my allergies and have had huge allergic reactions and rashes since arriving in ET). I've been drawing it on almost every day for a year because I love it. Everyone here is crazy about it, and it's become my new name. No one calls me Marissa now. Just "Jegna". I love it. :)
My driver is teaching me tons of Amharic and it's amazing. I can now order food at a restaurant and have basic convos completely in Amharic. Nothing makes me happier than being able to communicate for myself, and to understand what's happening around me. I think I know maybe 200 words and thirty phrases? It's so fun!!!!
I am also Jamberry-ing everyone in sight. :) I had an errand to run and a girl at the desk called a friend and woke her up to come take me. The girl came right over and then we ran the errand (which took almost 3 hours total) and came back, and she was so sweet about it! She gave up half her day for me, a complete stranger, without a second thought. So I invited her over to get a Jamicure. So she made me dinner. Fir fir and tabu (injera, berbere, and more injera hahaha and loaf bread)! Hahahah I love her. :) And now she's sporting some awesome nails. :)
Waiting on paperwork. The weekend means that's on hold for now. Thank you for your prayers!!!!
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