sisters

my sister was here all last week, she's the best sister that ever lived. Here she is meeting Saida for the first time.

She smooched and loved on our girls the whole time she was here - when she wasn't busy being our personal slave! Seriously, if it had a surface, she cleaned it. We didn't have to lift a finger all week and it was glorious. She did dishes and made bottles and changed poopy diapers and walked the increasingly embittered Hound and most importantly indulged all my pregnancy cravings including making me hashbrown casserole. it was a such a great week we even had a few outings...
the girls on their way to atlantic center (brooklyn's "mall")

and we went out for Italian in the west village at one of our favorite little places...
In the last few weeks Hilina and Saida have really started recognizing each other and looking for each other. they even had a little fight when Hilina poked Saida in the eye and Saida pulled Hilina's hair. Watching them laugh at each each other, at their sister, with my sister, was such a gift. If her daughters had been here to watch it with us, it would have been perfect. I guess being cooped up in the apartment, I've had more time to think than I thought I would. And I've been thinking about what I really want for our pancakes. And all I really hope for them is that they are happy and they love their sister as much as I love mine. And they make enough money to buy us a beach house with a dishwasher.

the happiest baby ever. no - seriously she is.

hilina smiling at daddy when he got home from work


looking pleased with herself


her crooked smile which eerily reminds me of the photo of cheney we saw at the embassy in addis...

the tokester

who me?


we've been trying to get this smile on "film" for days but she quits every time the camera comes out. but we got it finally...

hilina or e.t.?

since so many of you are wondering how hound dog is adjusting ...

saida


hilina's new hat from maba


babies are delicious


sike!

more photos from the cozy place

we had the wonderful pleasure of meeting Christine and Betty whom we quickly dubbed the Belgian Grandmothers. They doted and loved on our babies (and were life-savers while we were sick and recovering even holding the water up to our mouths to make us drink). Today they forwarded us some of their pictures.Christine's daughter has been working at S.O.S EE Arba Minch where Saida is from - it's such a small world.
ben and hilina

grandma betty and saida

in the big room

grandma christine

ethiopian firsts

first family meeting - Christmas Day 2007

first time saida tells her dad what's up (this is the first minutes of their first meeting)

first time sunning with hilina at toukoul

first time feeding saida (BOO! she always looks like that in pics!)

first time sleeping together (our bed was six inches away, yeah, it was great)

saida's first bath (i told you she always photographs like that)

hilina's first bath

first time snuggling with hound (the only one who isn't jet-lagged- this photo was taken at 3am)

home again home again annabelle lee

we are home. they were great on the plane - i mean all that worrying for nothing. they are sleeping and soon we will be too. will upload photos tomorrow and start telling the stories tomorrow because it has taken me 40 minutes to type this - must sleep.