Ibssa's Birthday

Hello again - Sept 18th We started out the day by going shopping for Ibssa's birthday . Candy and Heather came along as well. They were shopping for last minute things before they go home. Ibssa wanted to come with us rather than stay with Dave. I think it was because he wanted to see Markos. Our first stop was a toy store. It was way cheaper than the one the other day. I bought a knapsack full of plastic groceries and dishes and two types of Thomas the train toys. I did notice that they had a lot of wheels and I would find out later why. I spent just under $50. Candy bought him a toy motorcycle which he spotted in the store. He instantly fell in love with it. I told him it was for Markos. We then went to the blind market. I picked up a lot of toys and different thing there that I should have bought before. It is very cheap. I am going to decorate his room in a jungle theme so I picked up a few stuffies. After that we went to the sole rebel shoe store. Apparently it is known for being 100% fair trade material. The soles of the shoes are made of recycled tires. I ended up purchasing a pair for Jake. They are completely leather for $50. Christmas present I think. We then went to a shoe factory. They were literally making shoes in front of us. Heather was the only one who bought some for her daughter. However, we found one pair were two left feet. Lol. I returned them for her today and ordered a pair for myself. It was then time to take Ibssa and Candy home for a nap. Heather and I then went to the traditional market for jerseys. I found a set of shorts and a jersey for Ibssa bit nothing for Paul yet. It was a bust for Heather because her husband is an extra large Canadian size which is pretty much non existent in Ethiopia. We then went to a grocery store where I purchased a fair bit since I will be staying for a while longer. They didn't have chickens this time. Bugger. When we got back Ibssa was still sleeping. The guesthouse had totally decorated the dining and living room. They are just so good to us. Ibssa awoke so I showed him the decorations. He was crying because he wanted the motorcycle that he had seen in the morning. I cheered him up somewhat by pulling out the decorations I had brought. I really don't think he knew what a birthday was. I ordered six small pizzas for supper and I put frosting on my cake. I pulled out some nuts and candy that I had left in my stash. Tigi brought Ibssa up a gift and popcorn and cookies compliments of the guesthouse. Man oh man they are good here. Our friends started to arrive and Dave picked up the pizzas. Ashee came up as well. The party went really well. It turns out the trains I bought are the kind that hit a wall and flip over and go again. He was so excited. We saved the motorcycle for last. He was so happy. The kids played for a long time and then it was bedtime. What a great day. However still no news about our letter. I am starting to get depressed again. After the 29th we have to change to a small room because the guesthouse is fully booked. Sept 19th This morning was busy again. Markos picked is up at around 8 so I could go to a ticket office and get my flight changed. About halfway there I realized I had forgotten my reservation paper. Back we went. This is very tough in morning traffic but Markos wanted to get there early because the line up gets long and we had to go back to the doctor at 10. We had to wait awhile but I made my change to October 9. This as free of charge but hopefully I won't have to change it again. If I do it will cost $200. Still cheaper than buying a new ticket. I took Ibssa back to the doctor. He decided he needed a chest X-ray and if that is normal than I am to give him steroids. He gave me the medicine in the office. Honestly I think Ibssa,Paul and I all have the same miserable cold. We then tricked off to go get an X-ray. Dr Alan said I would get the results right away but we have to wait until 4. Markos was my angel today. He stayed with Ibssa in the X-ray room to calm him. He can speak Amharic and I can't. After that we went looking for Heathers coffee set. No luck. We then went to take back her shoes with two left feet and exchange them for another pair. It was now lunch time so we headed back to the guest house. Ashee immediately took him for his Injera lunch. At 1 I told him it was time for a nap. He was up at 5:30 this morning. This has given me the the time to write but the nap was short lived because there are too many toys to play with. I am sure I will have to do another battery run shortly. Chow for now Karen