Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Birth certificate!
Last week, on our 9 year wedding anniversary, we received Bedilu's birth certificate which was both in Amharic and English for each item listed. It was truly amazing to see our names officially printed as his parents and it's an exciting step towards bringing him home. Next is issuing him an Ethiopian passport and then the birth certificate and passport are submitted to the U.S. embassy in Addis Ababa for review. Things are moving along!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
More about the trip
I've come to the blog at least 20 times since being back home and find myself staring at the screen, unable to write. In part it's just taken awhile to recover from the jetlag, as it's a very long journey and a 10 hr time difference, but also it was such an intense experience - it's hard to put into words.
Meeting Bedilu was thrilling and surreal. He fell into our arms without hesitation or protest and it felt natural and meant to be. We were with one other adoptive family in the same room and they were meeting their 10 month old girl. The said they thought Bedilu really looked like a combination of Chaat and I! We were happy that he's filled out so much and doesn't seem underweight anymore. We talked to him, tried to tickle him, and stared into his beautiful eyes for the 90 min we had with him. Towards the end of our visit Chaat was holding him and sang "Hold Me Tight"by the Beatles, but balladized it. While he was singing I was looking at Bedilu, holding on to his feet, and we maintained really great eye contact for quite awhile. It was a precious moment with the three of us. Then we had to say goodbye, which of course came way too fast, and yet it wasn't quite as difficult as I expected. I think I've learned to protect my heart so many times in this process that I was actually prepared for having to leave him. Not all was rosy in meeting Bedilu; it's really difficult meeting your child in an orphanage in the 3rd world, and as much as you read about it or imagine it, there's nothing like the reality of seeing it. Conditions are extremely tough and there were some issues, but none I really want to talk about, as at this point in the homestretch it's important to stay positive.
The rest of the time in Ethiopia was spent meeting and bonding with other adoptive families (so helpful!), going on some cultural outings, seeing Lucy at the National History Museum, taking care of business with our agency, and going to court. Then we trekked in the mountains up north for a few days, stayed with locals in huts, saw some absolutely phenomenal historical sites, and really got familiar with Ethiopian culture and customs. The scenery was breathtaking and we were deeply moved by the whole experience. Ethiopia is a fascinating country and despite how incomprehensible and tragic the poverty often feels, there's a very peaceful, elegant energy that pervades the country. I felt incredibly humbled the whole time I was there and also lucky that Bedilu brought me to an amazing country that I probably would've never known otherwise.
Meeting Bedilu was thrilling and surreal. He fell into our arms without hesitation or protest and it felt natural and meant to be. We were with one other adoptive family in the same room and they were meeting their 10 month old girl. The said they thought Bedilu really looked like a combination of Chaat and I! We were happy that he's filled out so much and doesn't seem underweight anymore. We talked to him, tried to tickle him, and stared into his beautiful eyes for the 90 min we had with him. Towards the end of our visit Chaat was holding him and sang "Hold Me Tight"by the Beatles, but balladized it. While he was singing I was looking at Bedilu, holding on to his feet, and we maintained really great eye contact for quite awhile. It was a precious moment with the three of us. Then we had to say goodbye, which of course came way too fast, and yet it wasn't quite as difficult as I expected. I think I've learned to protect my heart so many times in this process that I was actually prepared for having to leave him. Not all was rosy in meeting Bedilu; it's really difficult meeting your child in an orphanage in the 3rd world, and as much as you read about it or imagine it, there's nothing like the reality of seeing it. Conditions are extremely tough and there were some issues, but none I really want to talk about, as at this point in the homestretch it's important to stay positive.
The rest of the time in Ethiopia was spent meeting and bonding with other adoptive families (so helpful!), going on some cultural outings, seeing Lucy at the National History Museum, taking care of business with our agency, and going to court. Then we trekked in the mountains up north for a few days, stayed with locals in huts, saw some absolutely phenomenal historical sites, and really got familiar with Ethiopian culture and customs. The scenery was breathtaking and we were deeply moved by the whole experience. Ethiopia is a fascinating country and despite how incomprehensible and tragic the poverty often feels, there's a very peaceful, elegant energy that pervades the country. I felt incredibly humbled the whole time I was there and also lucky that Bedilu brought me to an amazing country that I probably would've never known otherwise.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The First Family Photos
Welcome to the family, Bedilu!
We know you've all been itching to see this. Here are a few photos to whet your appetite. But please respect our privacy and do not share or forward. Also, please refrain from making comments or references on Facebook until we "come out" with it. We've been on the DL as we decompress and process the whole experience. We'll let the world know when we're ready.
We know you've all been itching to see this. Here are a few photos to whet your appetite. But please respect our privacy and do not share or forward. Also, please refrain from making comments or references on Facebook until we "come out" with it. We've been on the DL as we decompress and process the whole experience. We'll let the world know when we're ready.
Monday, May 2, 2011
"Your contract has been approved. He is yours."
Those are the words the judge spoke at our court hearing on April 20th. Bedilu is ours!
Just a quick note to let you all know that we passed our court date. It was unexpected, as we tried to prepare for the worst and expected more delays. In December, 16 families from our agency appeared for their court date and only one passed on the first try. So we were thrilled to get through on the first pass. Now we wait for our Embassy date, when we will return to bring him home. Not sure what that timeline will be, but it could be late summer.
Bekah and I returned to California on Friday after a whirlwind two weeks in Ethiopia. The first week was dedicated to "business." We arrived on a Saturday, were given our week's itinerary and learned that we would be meeting Bedilu on Sunday. Our court date was that Wednesday. The whole experience has been rather intense, and we'll get into more of all that in another post. For now, I just wanted to give the quick update with the good news.
The second week of our trip was spent traveling around the north of Ethiopia, visiting a couple of sites on the "historical circuit." We also did a few days trekking across the highlands near Lalibela, where we got to see how most people outside of the major cities live. We've got a ton of photos and we'll share a few after we get a chance to pick the best of the hundreds we took.
We love Ethiopia and are thrilled to have had the opportunity to get to know its people, culture, landscape, and history while we were there. That said, it is SOOOO good to be back home! We missed our home, our cats, our bed, the great food, fresh produce, dairy products, the weather, my bike, and of course our friends and family.
Thanks again to everyone for your interest and support!
Just a quick note to let you all know that we passed our court date. It was unexpected, as we tried to prepare for the worst and expected more delays. In December, 16 families from our agency appeared for their court date and only one passed on the first try. So we were thrilled to get through on the first pass. Now we wait for our Embassy date, when we will return to bring him home. Not sure what that timeline will be, but it could be late summer.
Bekah and I returned to California on Friday after a whirlwind two weeks in Ethiopia. The first week was dedicated to "business." We arrived on a Saturday, were given our week's itinerary and learned that we would be meeting Bedilu on Sunday. Our court date was that Wednesday. The whole experience has been rather intense, and we'll get into more of all that in another post. For now, I just wanted to give the quick update with the good news.
The second week of our trip was spent traveling around the north of Ethiopia, visiting a couple of sites on the "historical circuit." We also did a few days trekking across the highlands near Lalibela, where we got to see how most people outside of the major cities live. We've got a ton of photos and we'll share a few after we get a chance to pick the best of the hundreds we took.
We love Ethiopia and are thrilled to have had the opportunity to get to know its people, culture, landscape, and history while we were there. That said, it is SOOOO good to be back home! We missed our home, our cats, our bed, the great food, fresh produce, dairy products, the weather, my bike, and of course our friends and family.
Thanks again to everyone for your interest and support!
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