Two years ago we met Melkamu Tamene for the first time. The moments are still so clear in my memory. After months and months of waiting, we drove up to the gate of his care center. The children were playing outside and each of us craned our necks to "find" our child in the crowd. I was sure I spotted him and excitedly pointed him out to Jim. Before we could see him clearly, the nannies whisked them inside the building. They wanted to set up our first meeting and record it for us on video. The minutes that we took off our shoes, entered the building and waited our turn, seemed like eternity.
Then, they called our names and we mounted the steps, crying and smiling at the same time. At the top of the steps we entered a room full of children. There was our son, playing with the other children being told by the nannies that we were there for him. He came right over and I scooped him into my lap. We played with him showing him books and toys. I kissed his head and held him tight. The other children tried to climb on us too and immediately Melkamu became possessive of us, pushing the others away. While my heart ached for the other children, I knew their parents would soon be there for them.
We moved from that room to a more private setting outside. I remember the sunshine and his charming antics. He laughed and charmed us right away.
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| Melkamu Tamene - 2 years old |
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| Jacob Melkamu Tamene Dwight- 4 years old |
