Ready to say goodbye to....

One of the challenges of being away from home for so long is that you have to make due with what you have. I mean, you can only fit so much in your suitcase. I need to preface this with the fact that I am very thankful for the things I have here at my disposal--I'm not trying to be a complainer! That begin said, I am ready to say goodbye to....

The Bumbo seat. Bumbo, you have come in handy when it's time to give my little guy some baby food BUT I'm so sick of having to sit on the floor and wrestle Gideon to sit still. Why can't you magically transform yourself into a high chair so I can strap my little guy in and feed him at eye level! While you're at it, can you make high chairs appear at all the restaurants in Kampala. Eating is always better when you can use two hands. Goodbye...boiling bottles EVERYDAY. Bottles, I am sick of you. I know I need you but I'm tired of looking at you. Why are there only 4 of you? Where are all your friends? Why can't there be more of you so I don't have to boil you EVERYDAY? And finally....GOODBYE (hopefully soon) Baby Bjorn. I will not miss the aching back you give me. I will not miss the sweat spot you leave on my shirt. I will not miss the kicks in the crotch. Goodbye and good riddance!

Gross. Not Gross. (part 2)

These are grasshoppers. This is food here in Kampala--not bait, not lizard food, people food. There is actually a street that several guys stand alongside with big buckets full of these cooked grasshoppers for your enjoyment. Gross. My friend Josh bought some and we gave then a try.
Josh actually cooked them again--lightly breaded them, stir fried them, and added salt. The Southern way! I tried them before we cooked them and after we cooked them.

The taste was described to me as a juicy french fry. The description is actually pretty accurate. After we recooked them, they were just crispy like an overcooked french fry. In all honesty, they were not that bad. Not good enough for me to go back for seconds though.

Don't you love the fact that Gideon is checking out what I'm eating! On the same night, my housemates made Mexican food--at least our closest Ugandan approximation. NOT Gross! Somebody had even found some tortilla chips at one of the grocery stores. It was quite the feast.

Still praying that I will get my passport tomorrow so I can head home on Friday.

Muyenga Baptist.

Gideon and I were able to worship again today at Muyenga Baptist Church. The church is just about a 15 minute walk from our guest house--a short but hilly walk!
I think I mentioned before that the church is on the side of one of the hills here. From the doors and windows you have a great 180 degree view over the surrounding area. This little guy is playing one of the drums used for worship.

It's funny...African men do NOT take care of children. So I often have African women trying to take Gideon and care for him. They're just trying to help. Even the kids try to lend a hand. The girl with the white earrings is Grace. She is the pastor's daughter. She has sat by me for the past two Sundays. She really likes Gideon. She is very sweet.

Here she is dancing with Gideon after the service. Isn't he big stuff.

Here I am with my new friend Edson. He is a college student. He lives and helps out at the BMU where I am staying. He goes to this church and has been my host for these past two weeks. I've really enjoyed getting to know him. He's a great guy....helps me stay connected to college students!!

Pray that I would be able to get Gideon's passport by Tuesday. This is the vital step to insure that I will be able to leave on Friday. Otherwise, I'll have to wait another week.

More Gideon pix.

Yeah, he's a cutie!

Welcome to the family!

While we still have the adoption process to finalize in the US, as of today, we have legal guardianship of our Gideon. He is officially a part of our family! Now we can post all the pictures we want of the little guy...thought I would start at the beginning. This is a picture of the very first time we met Gideon at the Babies Home. Mary me him first and he was a bit apprehensive with both of us. He kept checking us out...looking us up and down.
I looked a bit rough. We arrived only a few hours earlier after a 30-something hour trip to Uganda. BUT we were so excited to meet this little guy that we couldn't wait.

This was a few days later when we were out and about...only 1/2 of the family. Looking forward to reuniting with the other half.

We still have some things that have to be done before we get home but these things are not "if" things but "when" things. Hopeful that everything will fall into place and I will be on a flight next Friday. We'll keep you posted. Wonderful day!