ETHIOPIA ~ DAY 5 (Thursday)

DAY 5 in Ethiopia was our "big day".......our.....COURT DATE!!!

As I said last post, Jeff and I prayed together before falling asleep the night before this big day.  And I awakened several times throughout the night, feeling as though I was still praying.  Does anyone else ever do that?  Fall asleep praying and awaken feeling as though your prayers never stopped?  I do.  Quite often, actually.  Especially if something or someone is laid heavy on my heart.

Well this night of restless sleep, our SON was on our heart!  I was fervently praying.  Though I was also beginning to fear that we were not going to pass court.  I began to fear that our MOWCY letter would not be present.  Afterall, this was the pattern as of late.  This was what we were told to expect.

However, I would "thought-block" such thoughts ~ and replace them with verses that built my faith.  Strengthened my ability to continue to BELIEVE.  Believe for a miracle.  From my God who was the creator of the world.  Lover of my soul.  My heavenly source of just such a miracle.

I awakened that morning earlier than any other, so I climbed the flights of stairs to the rooftop, and enjoyed another sweet "rooftop experience" with my Heavenly Father (there is a patio on the roof of our guest house that provided me great one-on-one moments with God, while also providing me a serene and amazing view of Addis Ababa).  I was there alone.  Just me and God.  Taking in the view of my son's birth heritage.  Feeling God's presence.  Feeling Him assure me that no matter what resulted from Court, He still was on the throne.  He was still in control of bringing our son home to us!

I could hardly eat breakfast (though it was as delicious as the previous ones), and I felt almost like I was walking through the morning routine without really being present ~ I was still in my head and heart, in fervent prayer, I guess.

We all climbed the stairwell and walked the long narrow hall to the court room.  We filed into this medium-sized empty square room.  Empty, that is, except for the many others who were there waiting to see the judge as well.  I called it "empty" because there was no court stand or anything grand and court-like in it.  Just a square room with a few chairs lining the walls.  We all entered and, together,  awaited our turn to be called before the judge.  With so many peeps in this room, it actually became quite warm.  

A highlight of the wait was meeting in person, Bridget Sullivan and her family!  She is a precious friend from "early AWAA days" {aka.....the first couple of months of us joining the AWAA yahoo group}.  Bridget and her husband were adopting Eyob when we started this process, and have since brought him home...and were there for a court date for their two older daughters they are now adopting!!!!!  Such a sweet treat to meet them in Ethiopia!  

All five families were called before the judge simultaneously ~ us, the Kleins', Boosalis', Seevers', and the Masons'.  We all sat down before the judge (who sat at a regular-looking desk) and she asked us general questions that we all answered yes/no to as a group.  We were in there less than five  minutes, and she told all of us that "All things look good to me, however, I need the MOWCYA letter for each family.  They are one month behind on their letters.  As soon as I receive those letters, you will have passed."

That was it!  We were done.  Grateful for "passing" according to the judge, we were all celebrating the passing of this step TOGETHER!!!  Now, we all just needed God to move BIG on all of our behalf and bring in those letters before court closures!  This brought us all to our knees, as we knew we only had sixteen days left before the courts closed......and the judge had just told us that MOWCYA was one month behind!

"Nothing is impossible with God!"  Luke 1:37

Court took long enough that we were unable to do the coffee factory tour that AWAA had planned for us to do.  So, we went to lunch at the Amsterdam restaurant.  I was so overjoyed that the judge did not see any issues with ANY of the familie's cases!  Praise God!  However, if I were to be honest, there was also a part of me that was disappointed that we did not pass court.  

He was not yet "officially" OUR SON.

It kind of felt like we had just gone to the hospital, thinking "this is it!"  Thinking that Baby "K" was going to be "delivered" to us today!  And being sent home.........after being told, "It is close to time, but not quite time."......"False alarm".........."These are just Braxton Hicks contractions"..........  

The judge sent us away with her APPROVAL!!!!!  Such GREAT "contractions" to be experiencing!  We were getting so close we could begin to feel the reality of this baby officially becoming our son!

He SO was already our son in our hearts......nothing a judge would say could alter that!  I just wanted to celebrate the JOY that the Ethiopian courts acknowledged this fact too!  So, the wait continued.......

After lunch, we were able to then go to the Transition House and spend the afternoon with our children!!!  It was so special to go into OUR Baby "K's" infant room, swoop him up into my arms, and snuggle him close ~ knowing that although we did not get all of the good news we had hoped for, we DID get good news!  And we were one HUGE step closer to finalizing this precious adoption!!!!

We had an extra-special day with Baby K that afternoon.  And when it came time to leave, I struggled to place him back into his crib.  Even though he was sound asleep in my arms.  I just loved feeling him breathe.  Watching him sleep.  Feeling his heart beat next to mine.  Holding him close.  We had come so far in this adoption, and I didn't want to lay him down.  Not just yet.  So I didn't.  Until it was absolutely time to go.  The van was leaving.  Then, Jeff and I placed him in his crib and watched him remain deep in his slumber.  Only then were we able to quietly tip-toe out of his room.  Until tomorrow........

After sharing the afternoon with our beautiful babe, we went back to the Transition House.  Boy, were we tired!  The emotions and previous long night with little sleep was catching up with me!  I "took a nap" and woke up with 10 minutes to get ready for our "Ethiopian Traditional Dinner."  

Great food ~ though Jeff's and my tummy was so upset we could hardly eat anything.  We weren't sure if we were actually sick, but our bellies were definitely upset after about day 3 and thereafter.....  The Ethiopian dancing was unlike anything I had ever seen before!  As a physical therapist, I could not kinematically make sense of how these people were moving that way!  Especially the men!  C.R.A.Z.Y!!!  I would post a video, but I hate to ruin the surprise for anyone.  You will be amazed.  Trust me!

What a great night this was!  Here are some photos of that evening.......

 We ate dinner (front row seats!) while they entertained us 

with Ethiopian traditional singing, music and DANCING!

Close-up view of some of their instruments.

 This was my dinner on a Mesob table.

 More dancing ~ love the colorful dresses!

 And men's skirts.

 Okay, so this doesn't quite capture how FAST this woman 

was shaking her head in circles!  I'm talking Crazy amazing!

 David and Abram ~ our drivers who took us everywhere all week!

OH! How this SO doesn't even TOUCH the 

crazy dance moves this guy has!!!!

After this night of FUN, we all went back to the Transition House and pretty much went to bed.

One full day.

One blessed day.

One huge step closer to bringing our son HOME!!!!

THANK YOU, GOD!!!!!

  

ETHIOPIA - DAY 3 (Tuesday)

Okay, tried to post this last night (Tuesday night) but internet was down............

Another great day in ET!

We were in the van by 7am on the way to Embracing Hope daycare center, just outside of Korah.  Korah is the Addis Ababa city dump.....and people live in it. They dig in the trash to find their food for the day! Embracing Hope provides daycare for children of single mothers from Korah who want to work. EH provides so much more than care for the day, they provide meals and medicine when needed, clothing, transportation to doctor appts.....the list goes on! Such an amazing outreach! And here is the kicker!......Jerry used to pastor a Vineyard church!...he and his wife know our pastor! I highly recommend you check out this incredible ministry's website! www.embracinhhopeethiopia.com

 Standing on the top patio of the Day Care Center.

View from the rooftop.  The Outdoor Play Area.

 Having lunch.

Rooftop: Korah in the background.
(hard to see in the fog and pollution)

Jerry, Chritsy and their family.

We were then off to see our sweet babes! We had "K" in our arms by 9:30am! Awesome! Our sweet baby was half asleep when I got him from the crib, and was taking another cat nap in my arms in a matter of minutes. So sweet!!!

We thoroughly enjoyed playing with the older Transition House children, when they came out for their recess (they go to school at the infant Transition House).....as "K" slept in my arms through all the noise.  Guess he's used to sleeping with noise. {grin}  We also enjoyed loving on our friend's children! Some have not yet met their parents, others are waiting for them to return for Embassy - which means they can GO HOME!

After lunch........we went.......SHOPPING!!!!

The Post Office Area is known for its shopping.  Outdoor tents holding many Ethiopia memoirs.  We were able to find a genuine ET outfit for baby "K," a top for Daddy and a dress for me!  We also bought three nickel (or are they sterling silver?) crosses that we will use as Christmas ornaments, though Jeff wants to wear one as a necklace and then we will give it to "K" at some point.  We also got a coffee pot with cute tiny coffee cups that they use in their coffee ceremonies.  A scarf, zebra and giraffe pull toys, and a few ET decor were also part of the excursion.  All that in like 50 minutes of shopping!  Okay, so maybe it became 60 minutes.......everyone was kind enough to wait for Jeff and me to finish up.  {I can hear my dad chuckling now}

The wonderful day was ended with a trip to the Boston Day Spa.  Wow.  That's all I can say.  Definitely NOT something you picture finding in ET.  The owner created a spa in Boston and then returned to his homeland of ET to employ his native peeps.  POSH!!!!  This was set up by our wonderful agency AWAA, and let me tell you every one of us was so appreciative!  I went for the massage and manicure.  SO relaxing and the french manicure looks great!  THANK YOU AWAA!!!!!  I will admit it is a bit crazy how inexpensive this wonderful treatment was.......a different world over here......

The rest of the night was spent at the Guest House gabbing with the wonderful peeps we are bonding with during this amazing chapter of our journey!

Jonas and David ~ AWAA coordinator and driver...
 and new friends of ours!

We then went up to our room, hearts full of LOVE for our Heavenly Father and son, baby K; JOY for the friendships we are forming with fellow AWAA families; and GRATITUDE for our agency and the incredible coordinators and drivers that are making our stay I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.E!!!!!

ETHIOPIA - DAY 2 (Monday)

Wow.  What an incredible day.

Woke up and went to the Transition House (TH) after another big breakfast ~ Thank you, David!  We were behind the clock when we got to the TH, so the family packages and photos that we were going to do for other AWAA families got detained until tomorrow.  Sorry, families!  We will love on your babes tomorrow, k!?!?  {so looking forward to meeting all of your kiddos!}

Our time with baby "K" was so special again today.  We got to go right into the baby room and pick him up out of his crib!  Just like we were his parents!  {grin}  We got to feed him another bottle today and then we got to help change a dirty diaper.  He's breaking us in!  Ha!  We laughed some more with him {LOVE his sweet smile and giggle!!!}, prayed over him, cuddled and kissed {just couldn't get enough of him!}....and we even got to comfort him when he was getting cranky from being tired.  Sweet boy fell asleep in my arms almost instantly!  He slept like a sweet angel!!!  Our sweet angel from our Heavenly Father.  I so hated to put him down!!!!

Before we came to Ethiopia, Jeff and I had been sleeping with a crib mattress sheet {so it would smell like us and help "K" become familiar with our scent}.  It had yellow doggies on it, so our doodles, Fischer and Kastle, are part of all this too!  The nanny put the sheet on his mattress while I held my sleeping angel.  Okay, so it was twice the size it should be because the cribs are so much smaller here, but the nanny tucked it tightly under the mattress and I laid our son on the sheet in his crib.  Hoping it helps him become familiar with and remember our scent......and maybe even dream of us.  As a family.

My heart was heavy to leave our sweet baby boy, yet it was full knowing that we, his parents, were able to meet his needs and help cradle him to sleep!

I cried after we left the TH today, as we watched a family take their last photos together.  The biological mother came to Addis for Court today, to give away her final rights to her two sons.  The bitter part of adoption.  The boys tried to stand so strong and stoic, and the biological mother struggled to fight back her tears.  I, on the other hand, did not do so well.  I sobbed, in fact.  Trying to imagine what the boys are thinking and feeling.  And trying to imagine what the bio momma was going through.  Loving her sons enough to allow someone else to raise them.  In another country no less!  True unconditional love!

There is a sweet ending to this story, in that the boys do have an adoptive family and they are coming later this week to go to court.  Praise God!

Ugh. The epitomy of both the bitterness and the sweetness of adoption.

We did bring the donations for all the orphanages today ~ and every single one of you who contributed to the donations or helped financially in getting them here, need to KNOW that you blessed many many children abundantly!!!!  THANK YOU for allowing us the privilege of helping you love on these sweet children in Ethiopia!

We visited Abenezer and KVI orphanages aside from the Transition House today.  We visited two of the other orphanages today after a morning with our babe and a lunch with an a.m.a.z.i.n.g pizza!!!   One of the nannies at Abenezer held a traditional coffee ceremony for all of us.  It was awesome!  She showed us how she grinds the coffee, made us some in a coffee pot over hot coals, and served it to us along with a sweet tasting popcorn and some sort of seeds.

 The orphanages are filled with such sweet children!!!  We brought fun play things for the kiddos ~ blow horns, suckers, fruit roll-ups, bubbles, etc ~ and we are amazed at how excited and grateful each child was for something so little.  And simple.

It breaks my heart to see the conditions in which these kiddos live.  Each orphanage does the best they can with what they have, but no child should ever have to live the orphanage life!  Today made us want to bring every single child home with us and donate every single dollar we make to all the orphanages!!!

A smile.  Eye contact.  A hug.  Holding their hand.  That's all they really wanted.  The candy and toys?  Sure, they loved it all, but it was our love and attention that they craved the most.  Remarkable.

My heart ached for the children.  My heart thanked God for providing them an orphanage, since they don't have a family.  I couldn't help but imagine our son and the life he may have had if he had to continue to live the orphanage life.  Tears. my. heart. apart.

THANK YOU, LORD, for allowing us the privilege of raising baby "K."  THANK YOU for all you have done to bring us together as a forever family.  THANK YOU, Lord, for blessing us so abundantly with our son.  He is a miracle.  He is a precious gift.

WE ARE IN LOVE!

WE MADE IT!

WE ARE HERE IN ETHIOPIA!!!  WOO HOO!!!  

It is Saturday night about midnight, here in Addis.  Thank you for the prayers for safe travels!  All went well.  We left Friday afternoon ~ first flight was delayed a few hours.  We didn't mind because we were going to have to wait four hours in Denver anyway.   We then flew 9 1/2 hrs to Frankfurt; then almost 7 hours Frankfurt to Ethiopia......we welcomed the 2 hour layover to walk around and stretch our legs!  Oh, yes, and the fruit smoothie helped wake us up a bit too!  {smile}  My legs didn't swell like they did when we went to Italy for our honeymoon!  I was MUCH better at getting up and walking around/stretching! 

Can't believe we are HERE!  Our son is sleeping just a few miles away from where we will rest our own heads tonight!  UNbelievable!!!  TOMORROW!!!  We get to meet "K" tomorrow!!!!  We will all go to church ~ which I hear is an amazing spiritual experience! ~ then lunch, THEN we finally will be holding our baby boy!  I confess, I kind of threw a little girl whine when I learned we would not be meeting "K" until the afternoon.  However, when I thought about it for two seconds.................

........what better way to start out our week in Addis than to be PRAISING OUR HEAVENLY FATHER!!!!!!!!  I got chills just typing that!!!  I have been such an emotional girl since getting to the airport yesterday to begin this chapter of our family story.  My friend, Caycee, says it is Labor Pains!  Ha!  I can' t imagine how I will be at church, praising God IN ET!!!!!  Ufdah!  Will be incredible, I'm sure!


It was such a treat to meet Justin and Nicki Klein from AWAA who were on our flight to Addis ~ we share the same court date, and they are here to meet their daughter!  They were so patient as we all had to wait for customs to go through all but one of our bins of donations!  Ugh!


We met Jonas and Abrahm tonight, our ever-kind drivers to the Guest House.  Yes, Caycee and Allison, I already greeted them for you guys!!!  Will do the same with Job and David when we meet them!  I KNOW we are in for an incredible treat-of-a-week!

So, now that my sweet husband has organized our things while I posted this, we will be hitting the hay {to the tune of barking dogs}, dreaming of holding our son.  TOMORROW!!!!  Also excited to meet The Seevers, Boosalis, and Autry families, who all share our Court Date!  And we get to hang out all week with Anna Dreyfus and her husband, who are here to PICK UP baby Cooper!!!

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!