The Much Anticipated Post!

So here it is! I'm going to narrarate some but mostly let the pictures speak themselves. We got the definitive email for our Embassy date at 1:30 Am the morning that we had to leave for Ethiopia. For those outside the Ethiopia adoption world, it wasn't a total surprise. We submitted 3 dates and the Embassy tries to get the one you want according to their availablity. We also had to get to ET by Thurs to do the birth family meeting if we chose to b/c these only happen over the weekend for Bethany Christian Services families. My father-in-law came with me and Joey stayed back with the girls. I wanted him home with me our first week home and we decided this was also the best situation for our girls. My mother-in-law stayed, too, and watched the girls during the day.

So we traveled over ocean, time zones and even fueled in Sudan (scary) and made it into ET at 9:30ish PM on Thurs. We didn't even know what guest house we were in until we got off the plane and saw our BCS staffer, Abel (best guide ever!), and he took us and 2 other families to our first choice, Morning Coffee Guest House!

On Friday we went to Shalom Transitional Home to see JP again. He was a totally different child from the last visit. He came to me with open arms and hugged my neck. We played and laughed and he had fun playing with Doug aka Elba (grandpa name. I know it's awful but what can you do?)

I'll let the pics take over...

Seating and playing with mom!

The glasses always do the trick! He was obessesed with them the last visit and we are not above bribery at this point and it worked!

Peek-a-boo with the glasses? Reeling him in...!


Ring-around the Rosies was a favorite too.

We stayed all morning and had to leave. We wouldn't pick him up until Monday. But I felt good about our meeting and it was an answer to prayer.

Our trip to Awassa (southern region of ET) would include seeing Shalom Orphanage and meeting JP's Birthfamily. It's a 5 hr trip and we stopped for lunch at Lake Langano. As you can see it's beautiful and dry. Very desertisque.

We got to Awassa and rested for a white. Awassa was a beautiful city. A college town. Very clean and had lots of hotels. There were large crowds for a marathon on Saturday. We anxiously waited>

Finally we head to the orphanage and take a tour. I get to meet the special nanny that JP loved very much and that she had a special love for him. It was sad b/c all the children in this facility don't have families yet. They were charming and sweet and there was also LOTS of babies here.

Interesting to see that Shalom was given funds to open by Angelina Jolie's organization.

After the tour we all (3 families) go to meet the birth family. They called JP's name last so through the process of elimination and my own educated guess I lock eyes with his Great Aunt. We hug and cry and she does the traditional cheek to cheek kiss. I choose not to post a more clear picture of her out of respect. But we just clicked. Our interview/conversation lasted about 45 min and we had 2 translators. She spoke Sidaminga? and then it was translated to Amharic and then to English. My translators were great and I had Doug video the meeting. It was a priceless gift that is beyond value.

This was one of my translated. She was taken with Doug. She kept stroking his hair and marveled at his age. She also couldn't believe he had all his real teeth! I told him that if he started acting up I was leaving him with her! He straightened up.

The next day we left Awassa and saw the marathoners. Pretty cool, we saw the leaders pack and several had bare feet.

Monday rolls around and it's time to get the kiddos! There were two of us with boys at Shalom. We went to their room to get them b/c it was during rest/nap time. We brought a change of clothes. The boys in his room oooohwed and awwwed over his shoes. He was real proud of them and I had to hide them for the plane ride home so that he would wear the crocs.

A nanny giving him the traditional kiss.

Us leaving. Note the glasses.

Sweet guy with the glassesJP with one of his Shalom buddies at Morning Coffee. It really helped with the transition to have 4 kids at the guest house all from Shalom. They had been together for so long and made them feel a little more secure.

Embassy day! JP and his friend all spiffy for their Embassy appointments! What cuties.

This is on the balcony at MCGH. Beautiful view for a joyous day!

The next day we took a little hike and played outside.

Hiking around with Mom

Ethiopia's dish: Injera. JP loves it and we can't wait to take him to a wonderful Ethiopian restaurant in Memphis.

This was JP's social worker, Blen. We cherished her reports each month and loved that she loved him so much. A sweet girl who is awaiting her visa for the US to join her husband in TX. I hope to see her again.

He's home now and doing surprisingly well. We have our issues and most is typical two yr old stuff but he's doing sooooo good. The girls have just acted like he's always been here. I play referee A LOT. But I guess that's life with 3 kids four and under.

Do I not have the cutest kids on the earth?

These two are buddies! Becoming the best of friends.