We are Home!!!

We have been home for a week, and I am just now getting a chance to blog. It has been nonstop around here, and I think it will probably be that way for awhile. I think in all of the adoption paperwork and travel plans, I forgot to plan to bring home a baby, because I forgot how much time and energy they require!

Things are going very good now, but we definitely had it rough last week. Paige and I both got the stomach bug on the flight from Dubai to New York. She recovered quickly and was feeling fine by the time we made it to New York, but I was very sick all the way to San Antonio. I have never been so happy to see my house and my bed. On Sunday, Paige came down with double pink eye, and we both had horrible coughs the entire week. I think the coughs were from all of the pollution in Ethiopia. Mason has a double ear infection and his TB skin test had a reaction. We had to have a chest xray done, but it came back negative. Thank God!! The reaction was probably because he was exposed to it somewhere along the way.

Mason is doing wonderful. He is sleeping about 12-13 hours a night and eating like a champ. He has attached beautifully to me, which is exactly what we prayed for. The only negative is that he wants to be held by me all of the time. Unfortunately, I cannot do that , so there is a lot of crying right now. I think it is just going to take some time for him to learn to trust that I am not going anywhere. I have to remind myself that he has lost so many people in his little life, that he is probably terrified of losing again. It is so tragic.

It is truly amazing watching him change everyday. The first three days we had him, he did not smile one time. He was a very sad little baby. Slowly, he began smiling at me and Paige, and now he is beginning to smile at strangers. He also did not move much the first week, but now he is beginning to crawl on his elbows and knees, and gaining strength in his legs. The doctor in San Antonio thinks he is between 12-14 months old, but we are taking him to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, to their International Adoption Clinic, in two weeks. We should learn a lot more about his age, developmental level, and health at that point.

We could not have asked for a more precious little boy, and are blessed to have him in our lives. We can only hope that we are making him as happy as he is making us .

I will try to blog more about our trip. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime!!

We're Off

The big day has finally arrived. I cannot believe it is here, after waiting for so long. I am filled with a million different emotions! Our trip starts in about 12 hours as we board a plane headed for Houston. We will have a layover for a few hours and then we will be on our way to Dubai where we will spend the weekend before heading to Ethiopia. I will try to blog while I am there, but I cannot make any promises, as the internet there is not reliable. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we travel and meet our little Mason for the first time.

Now, I have to get to bed!!!

It's Confirmed

Our Embassy Date has been confirmed for January 27, 2010. Exactly 6 weeks from today. The Embassy appointment is on a Wednesday, but we will arrive in Ethiopia on the Monday before. This is the day that we will go to the care center to pick up Mason. I can't believe we will be holding him in 40 days. It seems so close, yet so far away. I know it is going to sneak up on me though, with all of the things I have to prepare for between now and then.

I am really excited because we have already booked our room, and we are staying with two, maybe three other families who are traveling at the same time. They are adopting from the same agency as we are, so we have become friends over the past few months. It will be so nice to have the support and company of the other families. I cannot wait!!

We Passed!!

We received a call at about 11:30 that we passed court. Sentayehu is officially ours. We will call him Mason. We are completely elated. We also found out that we could be traveling as early as Jan 13th to go get him, however Jan 27th is more likely. We have a lot of work to do between now and then.

Mason, your mommy, daddy, and little sister Paige love you and are coming to get you baby.

Now, on to celebrating!!!

Fingers Still Crossed

We have had a roller coaster of emotions kind of day. At about 10:45 I got a call from our adoption coordinator telling me that our case was not heard because the Ministry of Women's Affairs did not send their part of the paperwork. From what I understand, three things have to happen to pass. 1. The judge has to hear the case 2. MOWA has to send an approval letter for us to adopt, and 3. His family has to show up to relinquish their rights. As you can probably imagine, I was very disappointed. I thought I had prepared myself for this setback, but I obviously hadn't, because it hit me like a ton of bricks. Then at about 12:30, I received another call from Allison, telling me that our court date has been rescheduled for tonight, and that his family already showed up to sign their part of the paperwork!!! Now, I am excited all over again. We are so blessed to have been assigned such a quick court date, but it is bittersweet, because two other families were rescheduled for the 31st. I know their heart is breaking right now. With that being said, we are continuing to pray for good news tomorrow!

Keeping our Fingers Crossed

It is Tuesday night here,but early Wednesday morning in Ethiopia. In a few hours, a judge will be presented with a file with our little guy's name on it. If all the paperwork is in order and the correct people show up, then we will legally be granted custody. We should know the results by the end of the day tomorrow. While we are praying for a positive outcome, we are also praying for his biological family, because not only must they make a very difficult 200 mile trip to appear in court but they must legally agree to relinquish their rights, I cant imagine what a difficult decision that must be. As we hope to be celebrating tomorrow, we know that this has to be a very difficult time for them.
We will keep all of you updated, but if we pass we are looking to travel late January or early February. If we do not pass, our court date will be rescheduled and it will further delay us getting to bring our little boy home.

Also praying for the several other families who have a court date tonight. Good luck!!!

Thanksgiving

Robbie and I are proud graduates of Texas A&M, and before Paige was born, our family always knew that our Thanksgivings were spent at the Texas A&M vs. University of Texas game. However, since we have had Paige, I have not been to a game, and Robbie has only been to one. This year, since she is the big five, we decided that it was time to take her to her first game. Although the outcome did not turn out as we had hoped, she sure had a good time , and that is what is most important. Here are some pics around campus before the game...

Here she is on Bevo. Notice his horns are "sawed off".

Here she is under the Aggie rings, symbolizing the marriage of two Aggies; like her Mommy and Daddy.

With a Yell Leader. Gig 'em Ags!

And with two senior tuba players in the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band.

And here she is practicing her Yells with the Yell Leaders. We sure are proud of our little Aggie!