Elias

Elias, Elias, Elias...what a precious little babe he is. His presence in our home has been so wonderful. In fact, we can't remember what it was like not having him around(ok, we do remember getting more sleep, but you know what I mean). He has settled into our lives and into our hearts so easily. His transition has been remarkable, and he has bonded with us well.

If you've met him, you know he has a quick smile and such a sweet spirit. If you haven't met him yet, you are in for a real treat when you do. He is outgoing, loving, curious, curious, curious..(did I say curious?)STRONG and hasn't met many foods he doesn't like.

The last time he was weighed, he was a little over 23 lbs. That was about a month ago, so I'm pretty sure he has hit the 24 mark by now. At his 9 month check up, he was 28 3/4", so I'll be axious to see at his 12 month check up how much he has grown.

He has been pulling up and standing since he was 7 months, and now he can cruise around furniture, walls etc. He can stand without holding onto anything for long periods of time, but if he tries to take a step, he gets a close up of the floor :-) I don't think it will be long, though, before he walks. Last night, he learned that if he raised his leg while leaning forward on the chair, he could climb...great. I'm pretty sure he was practicing that new trick when he fell out of his crib this morning at 3:00 AM. Talk about having a stroke. I don't think Brian has ever run as fast as he did when we heard him fall. He loves that little man so much, by the way.

Since I'm returning to work on Monday (BOOOOOO), we've started sending Elias to school for half days. He is doing really well. I think he thinks it's just church. He's in the same room that he's in for Sunday School, so at least it's familiar. I think he'll be fine, and I'm sure I'm worrying WAY more than I need to.

Here are a few pictures from around the house:

On the way home a few weeks ago, Ella and Elias were both giggling non stop. That old VISA commercial (I think that's what it was, anyway) came to mind. I thought about all we'd been through financially and mentally to bring these precious children home, our children. This is how I'd end the commercial: "Hearing my two children laugh together...priceless."

Ella goes to kindergarten!

Ella started school, and we are so very proud of her. This has been a hard summer for her, full of changes and new things. We have been worried about how all of this has impacted her. However, she has hung right in there and has been a champ through it all.

She loves her new school and has handled the transition well. Neither she nor mama cried on the first day; however, there were some tears shed the day before :-) I'm actually really grateful that we were able to share the emotion and feelings that we did the day before. After we both sobbed, hugged and prayed together, I think she felt much more confident. The next day, she went right into her class, hugged us and then joined with the other students.

I'll never forget the look of excitement on her face as we walked down the hall to her class. She is such a precious little girl, and I'll forever have her expression stamped on my brain. As I drove away that day, I thanked God for the gift of her and asked Him to watch over her as she grows. She is such a little survivor and is the bravest little girl I know. Here are a few pictures of her first week:

Swim Lessons

Ella has become a master swimmer...seriously. I'm amazed at her athletic ability and her focus when learning something new. Here are a few pictures from the end of session program:

Journey to Ethiopia (Part II)

When I posted earlier about my journey to Ethiopia, I left out many of the details from my trip. This was intentional; it's not that I don't want to share those very precious memories, it's just that they are VERY precious and will be saved for Elias' ears some day. I do, however, want to share a little about the people whom I met while in Addis Ababa and also share a little about the city. I mentioned that we went on a tour of the city the first day that we were there. I was stunned by the poverty and intrigued by the efficiency of the people who lived there. Most of the families lived in very small "shack like" dwellings that consisted of not much more than four walls and a tin or bamboo roof. These dwellings dotted the city. It was clear that most survived without electricity and running water, and those who did have electricity...well, it usually goes out 2-4 times a week. However, in the midst of all of this, I saw laughter, hugging, commraderie and much more. Of course there were some who were so destitute that they appeared to have lost all hope, and it's for them that I continue to pray for. But there were many, many people who moved forward each day trying their best to make a better way.

At the HOH #2, we had a cook, a guard and three lovely women who cleaned. These precious people were some of the most gracious and caring people I have ever met. Our meals were delicious and prepared with such love. The day after we arrived, we were summoned to breakfast. The table was set so eloquently, and the variety of food was overwhelming. Oh, and the coffee!!! So delicious!! We were never served dessert, just coffee at the end of the meal. We were well taken care of, and I'll never forget how welcomed and appreciated I felt while I was there.

We had a driver for the week, and his name was Tesfu. I regret not getting a picture of him because I would love for Elias to see him someday. He was an amazing young man who took care of Sherry and me better than any big brother could have. He stayed with us wherever we went and always made sure we were safe. The day before we left, he knew how distraught we were about Elias being sick. We were worried that we wouldn't get his Visa in time to go home...well, you read the story. Anyway, Tesfu looked me right in the eye and said, "I will get his Visa. Do not worry." That day, he had on a t-shirt that had a cross on it and on the cross, it said, "Jesus Saves!". I told him I liked his shirt, and he said, "I love Jesus." It was that simple..."I love Jesus." We were surrounded by sweet souls like Tesfu and it's not that I didn't expect that, it's just that God was SO present there. I met person after person who didn't hold back how he or she felt about Jesus. It was so incredibly refreshing. I felt so revived when I left there. In fact, my SIL and I talk about life after Africa quite a bit. We have such a different perspective now.

New Pictures

Sweet Boy!

Playing in his room.

The best big sister EVER!

Little swimmer!


They really DO adore each other!

Journey to Ethiopia (Part I)

I've been home almost 4 weeks, so I thought it was time I got back to blogging. I had every intention of blogging while in Ethiopia, but nothing worked out quite like I thought it would (with the exception of bringing my sweet boy home). When I realized I couldn't blog or even have regular access to internet service, I thought I'd just email Brian and he could blog my comments for me...but that didn't quite work out either. Here's what did work out in Ethiopia: I met and brought home the most precious baby boy, my son. He is a beautiful and precious gift from God, and I have been so incredibly humbled by the blessing of him. Here's my trip in a nutshell (I'll save all of the little details for Elias some day.)

Day 1 Leaving for Ethiopia: Our families took Sherry and me to the airport and after a long goodbye full of hugs, kisses and tears, we went through our first security check. After lots of sweat and rearranging clothes etc., we made it to the area where we would board our plane headed for DC only to learn that our flight would be delayed for maintenance....great. Once we were able to board our VERY TINY plane to DC, we felt like we were finally Ethiopia bound. God and my SIL got me through that scary flight from Nashville to DC (ok, and a little tiny anxiety pill; I won't lie). Once we made it to DC, we boarded our plane to Ethiopia. WOW! Ethiopia Air rocked!! It was such a nice flight...long, but nice.

Day 2 Landing in Ethiopia: After a very long 19 hour flight, we finally landed in Elias' birth country.
I distinctly remember how it felt landing in China, too; knowing that I was in the same country where my son was born was very overwhelming. Sherry and I were terrified getting off that plane, but thankfully we'd met a very nice family from Nashville who stayed with us the entire time. I honestly don't know how we would have survived without them. Once we got our Visas, found all of our luggage (YES!!!!) and exchanged our money, it was time to go through security again and find our ride to the House of Hope. We walked out of the security area and were met by a sea of people holding signs, looking for loved ones etc. We saw all kind of signs, but not a single one had our agency's name or our names. The sweet family would not leave us, and for that we will be eternally grateful. We were able to contact the director, and he said he could be there in 30 minutes. So, we waited. Did I mention is was 10:00 at night when we were waiting??? Eventually, our driver came and took us on one of the most memorable rides to the place where Elias was. I wasn't expecting this because we weren't staying there; I wasn't supposed to meet him until the next day. As I climbed those stairs to the room where he was, I can recall every emotion I felt.
We entered the room, and there he was asleep in his bed. The nanny picked him up and handed him to me. He woke up, and those beautiful eyes looked right at me. God is so good!! When it was time to put him down (oh yeah, the hardest thing I've ever done), he held onto my shirt. Heart wrenching!!!!! I promised him that was the last time I'd ever leave him. Our driver then took us to HOH #2 where there was no power, an armed guard, and where Sherry and I were the only occupants. Oh, and there were lots of wild dogs barking in the distance.

Day 3 Elias comes to HOH #2: After a night of no sleep (remember, no electricity, wild dogs, etc), Sherry and I hear a knock on our door. We look out to see the director's wife holding my sweet boy, Elias.
He came to me instantly and didn't cry a single time. Those big brown eyes that I'd memorized during the past several months were finally looking right at me. I'm not sure what labor feels like, but I'm thinking traveling 19 hours, living through no electricity and surviving packs of wild dogs has to be pretty close. AND, I know that having your son handed to you for the very first time HAS to feel the same no matter what you go through to get there. I'd explain more, but I'm sure the picture says it all.
After we got Elias cleaned up, it was time for us to tour the city. Addis Ababa is such an interesting place. I'll never forget the people I saw there or the way my heart ached when I saw the living conditions of many of the people. The average life expectancy is 46 and the government owns everything. We are very blessed to live in America.

Day 4 The lion Zoo: The next day, we learned that we'd be visiting the Lion Zoo. This is one of the attractions that Addis is very proud of. The lions were huge and beautiful.
Elias enjoyed looking at the animals, and the whole time I was there, I kept thinking how much Ella would have loved it (minus all of the strange bugs that were EVERYWHERE...GEEZ!) We stayed there for a while and then went to the Hilton for internet service and to confirm our flights home.

Day 5 Visa Appointment and HOH #1 Visit:
We went to the HOH #1 to visit the nannies and the other children waiting for their forever families. This was a very emotional time for us all since this was where our children had been waiting. It was immaculate!! The conditions were wonderful, and the children were VERY loved. The nanny/child ratio was very low, and each baby had his/her own bed. The older children had a play area and had a room for learning. The saddest part was when the 3 and 4 year olds ran up to us and said, "Mommy?" They are waiting, and any of us could have been their forever family. Precious, precious children. I cried a lot while I was there, and I cried when I left. I cried while I was there because I was so grateful for the care they gave Elias and for the care they continue to give the other children.
I cried when I left because I was taking Elias away from the only real home he had known. I prayed as we drove away that God would help me to always remember those amazing women and that I could share with Elias what I felt there that day. Next, we headed to our Visa Appointment. This was a little stressful because the American Embassy lost an important document of mine. It was the one that Brian signed giving me power of attorney to sign all legal documents and to bring Elias home. This was a very important piece of paperwork. Only by the grace of God did they accept a copy. It's unheard of for them to do this, but they did. I decided to make copies the day before I left (thank you, Sharon). When they told me to go sit down because I didn't have the necessary paperwork, I told God that I couldn't leave without my son and asked Him to please help me figure this out. Shortly thereafter, our director came to me, bent down to my ear and asked quietly if I had a copy. Oh, yes, I DID have a copy. Yeah, GOD!!!!!!

Day 6 Elias gets sick: The next day, Elias started getting sick. He had terrible diarrhea (we found out when we got home it was just a formula issue). Sherry and I were so distraught about this and felt like we just needed to get him home. He started running a fever and was digging in his right ear pretty regularly. We decided we should leave the next day instead of waiting until Sunday. This all depended on whether or not we could get Elias' visa the next day and whether or not we could get our flights changed. I called Brian (it was 2:00 AM in Nashville) and told him our situation. I told him that we felt like we needed to get Elias home and that it was scary there at night. That last part was one of those comments that just comes out when you are crying, exhausted and don't really know what you are saying. Needless to say, Brian got the flights changed for us, and God took care of the Visa. Sherry and I prayed that Elias would make it on the 19 hour flight without getting dehydrated.

Day 7 The flight home: About an hour before we were supposed to leave for the airport, Elias started getting sick again. Sherry and I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. She called a pediatrician she works with and she advised us to get on the plane and bring him home. We took a huge leap of faith and trusted that God would get us home. Right before we left the HOH, the cook came up to tell us goodbye. She could see how visibly shaken we were. I started to cry when I told her about Elias. I asked her to pray for him, and she started praying right then and there. Now I've heard lots of people pray, but I've only heard a few people really talk to God. This women TALKED to God and she did it in her native language, Amharic. I don't think I've ever experienced anything like that in my entire life. She layed her hands on my son and she looked up to Heaven and cried out to our Heavenly Father. How do I know she looked up to Heaven?? I watched her. My eyes were closed for most of it, but I've got to tell you that I HAD to open my eyes. I had to see this precious woman praying for my son. God lives in the hearts of ALL those who seek him. I witnessed that in Ethiopia. Elias made it all the way home without diarrhea!!


Day 8 Arriving Home: We made it to Nashville without any major problems. We were thrilled to see our families; the emotion was so raw. Elias went to Brian very easily, and it warmed my heart to see Brian holding his son. I travled a very long way to see that moment, and I'd do it all a million times again. God has blessed us with two beautiful children, and our hearts are very full. We haven't felt the kind of peace that we feel now. Our children are home...forever.

Today!

Home at last!

It has been a whirlwind of a week for me and I am glad to report that it has come to a wonderful ending. Ella and I ran around today trying to make sure everything was ready to go when Lorri and Elias walked in the door. Lorri's mom and dad have been a great help to me this week! They came over today and helped me get the house in order as I finished putting the finishing touches on Eli's room. The flight was to arrive at 5:15pm so Ella and I left extra early to make sure that we were there on time. The anticipation killed us as we sat at the airport and waited for the airplane to arrive. We checked the flight board and it said that the airplane had landed so Ella and I ran over as close as we could get to the security point and waited for Lorri, Eli and Sherry to get off of the airplane. Several people got off and there was a lady that came up to me that just got off of the plane and said, "Elias is beautiful!" Here we go again with this "beautiful" stuff! I asked her if he by chance had a baseball in his hand on the flight home....just kidding! After a few more minutes, Lorri, Eli and Sherry came walking around the corner and...WOW...He is BEAUTIFUL! After a long hug with Lorri, Ella and Eli, I took a quick moment to thank God for bringing us together as a family and giving me two amazing children from China and Ethiopia. Thank you so much for following our journey to Elias. It has been a wonderful journey and I truly can't believe he is asleep upstairs RIGHT NOW...I just hope he is dreaming of baseballs and pin stripes. Here are a few pictures that Lorri took while she was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Eli is on his way and Ella is a Pre-K Grad!

Lorri called me a few mornings ago (2am) and said that they had completed all of the paperwork and since Elias was not feeling well (ear infection she thinks) she thought that it may be best if they came back a couple of days early. I told Lorri that I thought it was a great idea and that it would have been even better had she told me at an hour when I could comprehend what she was telling me. I took some quick notes and contacted the travel agency and had her return flights changed. So with that being said, Lorri, Eli and Sherry are in the air as I type and should be in Nashville tomorrow evening. Ella was so happy to hear that Lorri, Eli and Aunt Sherry would be back two days early. She can't wait to meet her brother and snuggle with mama.

Other major events...Ella graduated today from her preschool! It was a beautiful ceremony and Ella was so cute in her cap and gown. I can't believe that she is going to kindergarten next year!

I will update the blog probably one more time once Lorri returns and then I will hand the blogging back over to her. It has been fun blogging...I love to take pictures of Ella and now I will have Eli to take pictures of, so I may be creating my own blog...stay tuned.

Elias is a MAST!!!

Sorry that I have not posted in a few days. I have not had much information to post. Lorri emailed me and said that she is having trouble with her phone service so she was able to email me and let me know that they are doing well. She said that it was also very difficult to send pictures because of how long it takes to send them. She said that she tried and it was taking forever and she did not have much time to wait. She is going to make another attempt tomorrow.

Lorri called me today while I was in a seminar at Lipscomb University and told me that Elias was a Mast! She said that the visa appointment was wonderful and Elias is a very precious baby. She says that he is responding to his name and is very happy. She is in LOVE! I could hear him squealing when I was talking to her on the phone...it was music to my ears. Elias has a runny nose and is a little congested but does not appear to have a problem eating since he is eating about every three hours. She told me to get ready to take over when she gets home...for some odd reason I think she is referring to the night shift.

Lorri and Sherry ventured out some the other day and did a tour of the city of Addis Ababa and went to the Lion Zoo. She said that the lions were HUGE! They have been eating wonderful food and drinking the most amazing coffee every morning.

That is about all of the information that she gave me today so I will post pictures when she sends them or at least update when she emails or calls.

They made it to Ethiopia.

I went to bed last night knowing that my wife was somewhere over the ocean and still had a long flight ahead of her. After I tossed and turned most of the night, Ella woke up at 5:50am and at that exact moment was ready to mark the day off of the calendar that Lorri left for her. She was also itching to find the first of 8 days of hidden gifts that Lorri left for her. I made an unsuccessful attempt to get her to go back to sleep and then I remembered that I set the coffee timer in case of an early riser.

Ella and I went to church and after church Ella decided it was a Chinese buffet kind of a day so I took her up on her desire. I didn't think that I would hear from Lorri until well after lunch because her flight was not set to arrive in Ethiopia until 7pm Ethiopian time (12pm our time). We were walking out of the restaurant and my cell phone went off. It was Lorri calling me at 12:10pm and I could tell by her voice that something was not so good. She said that their driver was not at the airport. I told her to say put and I would make some phone calls and call her back (so glad I put the international plan on our cell phones). I tried every number I had and realized that it was a Sunday on Memorial Day weekend, and I was wasting my time. Lorri called me back and said that she was with several other families and her ride was on the way. She called me back about an hour later and said that they made it to the House of Hope and the director took her straight to Elias. Lorri said that Elias was asleep when she first saw him and the director picked him up and handed him to her. She said that he opened his beautiful eyes and stared at her for a few moments and then wrapped his little hand and arms around her and would not let her go. She said that he is beautiful! I quickly asked her if she could change her terminology around my son...and she again said that he was just beautiful. I asked her if she would just throw in a few words like, baseball, fastball, slider, homerun, and maybe even toss a baseball into his crib so he can begin working on his finger placements. Of course I am kidding ( not about the baseball comments, though)...I am sure he is very beautiful! Lorri said that all of the children and people at the HOH were so precious and kind. She said that she was greeted with hugs from everyone and was so excited to finally be in Ethiopia. We were not able to talk long but she did say that she was able to take a few pictures during her first visit with Eli and hoped to have them sent tomorrow. I will continue to update as I get information and pictures. Please continue to pray for Lorri, Sherry and Eli.

We miss mama already!!!

Oh what a day! It has been about 10 hours since Lorri flew out of Nashville International bound for Ethiopia (more on that later) and Ella and I already miss her terribly. Here are just a few of my top reasons for missing her thus far:

1) I am now in charge of updating this "blog" thing. Lorri gave me a crash course late last night and told me to keep it updated. I had to remind her that I could create a lovely Excel spreadsheet but had no earthly idea how to even sign in to a blog let alone create, update and upload to it.

2) Ella has informed me time after time today that, "Mama does that better than you or if mama were here..." The latest time was when I was reading her a book before we said our prayers; Mama reads books better than you, dad. I could not argue at all with that because Lorri can bring any book to life and at any hour of the day. I guess that is why she is a fabulous teacher!

3) I looked at my watch and noticed that it was 6:30pm and Ella asked me if we were going to eat dinner...ooops! I quickly ran into the kitchen and whipped up a delicious meal consisting of noodles. Before I gave Ella her plate of noodles, I began feeling like Lorri was somehow watching me so I got creative and cooked a bag of frozen orange chicken stir-fry. Ella came running in the kitchen and said that something smelled really good! Wheew...only 8 more days!

As I said before, we took Lorri and Sherry (sister-in-law) to the airport today at 10:30am and checked all of their luggage and then came the hard part of telling Lorri that we would see her in 8 days. Lorri has only been away from Ella 1 night since she was placed in our arms in Guangzhou, China over 4 years ago. This was a very emotional time for all of us!

Lorri called from Dulles Airport (Washington D.C.)and said that the first leg of her trip almost didn't happen. The first reason was because the airplane had to be fixed before they could leave and the second reason was because she nearly had an anxiety attack from the plane being extremely small, filled to capacity and had no air conditioning. Did I mention she was assigned the back seat? She said that after she knocked her head on the ceiling a few times from the turbulance, she was fine. After their layover in DC, they departed for Rome. After a stop in Rome, they will be headed for Ethiopia.

As I type this, Lorri is several thousand miles over the water heading toward a little 6 month old boy from Ethiopia that has no clue how lucky he is to have a mama like Lorri a few short hours away from...forever!

It's Official!

Yesterday, we learned that we had been approved in court and that Elias was officially our son. Thanks so much to all of you who were praying for us. Your prayers were heard and were answered. God continues to bless our family, and we are so humbled by His grace and mercy.

So, a little about what happened: Our actual court date was May 8, but I was a little unsure of what that actually meant in regard to ET time. They are ahead of us, so I wasn't sure if we'd hear something yesterday or would have to wait until Monday. I got to school and had no air in my room. By third period, it was almost unbearable. My students were cranky, I was on pins and needles, and my computer was SLOW. Every free second I had during each class period, I would refresh my email to see if anything had come through. Most of the other families were at "normal" jobs where they could sit at their desks and check regularly. Oh, to have one of those jobs yesterday :-) After 3 periods of checking email, checking my phone, checking email again, I got a text from Brian...and I missed it!!! I got a voicemail from our ET program director....and I missed it!!!!! Needless to say, our director called Brian since she couldn't get in touch with me, and Brian texted me to tell me that we had been approved!!!!!!! Were were in the middle of class change when both messages came through. There was nothing normal about yesterday, but it ended up being one of the most wonderful days of my life. Wow! A son!! I've waited a very long time to say that. This is the first picture we received of him at 2 months: This picture was taken by my friend Angie who recently traveled to pick up her son. He's a few days shy of 6 months in this picture: We are waiting to find out when we travel. It could be as soon as two weeks from today which is slightly frightening since I'm NOT packed. But believe me, if they say go, I'll go. I can't wait to get my hands on that precious baby. I'll try to continue to post regularly for those of you who are following our journey. Please keep us in your prayers!!

Tomorrow is the DAY!!

Tomorrow is our court date in Ethiopia. Our representative will be there for us and will hopefully be able to deliver good news. If all goes well, Elias will be officially ours tomorrow. I'll be able to finally post a picture of him for all of you to see. WOW! I've waited so long to do that.

Yesterday, I received the best gift. I opened up my email around lunch time to find a video of Elias. I cannot even begin to tell you how it felt to see him in "real time" for the very first time. I was floored when I realized what it was. What a precious, precious child he is. He's changed quite a bit since his 2 month pictures, and he appears to have gained quite a bit of weight. Oh, and his little smile...it took my breath away. We all gathered around the computer last night and watched it over, and over, and over. He was on his belly and kicked his feet and propped himself up like he was superman instead of a 6 month old. What a cutie!! We are SO in love with him already. Ella is over the moon and can't wait for him to be home.

Pretty soon, we'll be a family of four. Can't wait!

Feeling Blessed

Ok, so two posts in 24 hours...shocking, I know! Last night as I was washing the covers for all of the little things that 7 month old babies need, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I could hear Ella in the bath tub talking to Brian and as I sat in the middle of what will be little Eli's room, I was reminded of just how awesome our God is. Our children were born worlds apart from each other and from us and by God's grace, their little lives met up with Brian and me. Wow! That can only be because of God. I believe that God calls us ALL to different things, and we respond accordingly. I feel so humbled and so honored to belong to Ella and Elias.

Something random before I sign out...Ella has become quite the little photographer. Here's a pic she took of Brian and me on Easter Sunday.

Birthday, Sea World...and a BROTHER!

I know, I know, it's been a little while since I've posted. How embarrassing :-) We've been slightly busy around the Mast house. Someone turned five, we took a birthday trip to Sea World, and oh, we found out we have a son/brother. So, there's been just a FEW things going on.

We cannot believe that Ella is FIVE! All of those things you "older" people told us about the time flying by, well, you were right. Where in the world did it all go? We celebrated in style, or should I say "bouncy" style, at the Jump U. This was Ella's choice, so we were happy to oblige. It was really a ton of fun. The kids had a blast, and it was good to be with all of the parents, too. Her cake was a castle that she saw in a book. We gave the picture to a lady who makes cakes at Ella's preschool, and boy did she do a fantastic job. Here's a picture:

Also for Ella's birthday, we took her to Sea World. We saved our change and had enough to go during spring break. It was really tons of fun. I think she may have enjoyed it even more than Disney. Ella loves animals, and this was really an amazing experience for her. Here she is with daddy waiting to feed the dolphins:

We also went to the beach and a spring training game to watch the Mets vs. the Braves. Wow! That was really a lot of fun for daddy...not so much for Ella, though. She enjoyed it for a while but once the cotton candy, peanuts and coke wore off, well, you can imagine.
The beach was incredible, and we actually got to spend two days there.

Most of you know we are adopting again. On January 20, 2009, we learned that we have a son waiting for us in Ethiopia. He is the sweetest thing you've ever seen! We can't wait to share his picture with everyone. Our court date is coming up this week, so if all goes well and we are approved, we'll be able to post pictures. Stay tuned!! My sister-in-law, Sherry, will be traveling with me. We will have to spend about 6 days in country, so the whole trip will be about 8 days. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel. We'll be posting on our blog from Ethiopia, so be sure to check back. Thanks for your prayers.

Happy Gotcha Day!

We celebrated our 4th "Gotcha Day" with Ella on Sunday, January 11. Gotcha Day or Forever Family Day is known in the adoption community as the day that a child becomes a part of his or her forever family. This is such a special day, and it's sometimes even more celebrated than birthdays. Ella loves to hear her "birth" story, so we spent much of Sunday telling and retelling how we met. It was such a special day. She had a fever most of the weekend but still had enough energy to join the festivities (which is usually the case for children when presents are involved). She gets to pick where we eat, and then she always gets a special present from a collection that we purchased while in China as well as something else that she's maybe wanted for a while. This year, we gave her the chop we had made for her while in China. It's a beautiful piece of carved marble, with her name in both English and Chinese carved into the bottom. There's also a ladybug and dragonfly carved on both sides of her name. It's a stamp that she can use on envelopes etc. It came in a very special box with an ink well, also. We've waited a long time to give it to her. When she opened it, she took in a deep breath and said, "Oh, mama!" It was very sweet. Of course the breath was much deeper when she opened the DS that she's wanted for a while :-) We enjoyed being together, as always, and will continue to treasure these celebrations. Here are a few pics from the day: