The Doddsunturn Family: Thoughts and more images from Ethiopia (first trip)

We've been home with baby B for 3 weeks now and are having so much fun with him. We're finally over the jetlag and now just exhausted from the sleep deprivation that comes with parenthood! We've had some wonderful help from dear friends and family with a few meals, which has been a godsend (I don't think we would've eaten otherwise) and it's been great introducing Bedilu to family and friends. He's gorgeous, happy, open, healthy, and LOVES people. We feel very blessed and there's no doubt amongst any of us (though I can't quite speak for Bedilu) that we were destined to be together, that this is our family and was always meant to be. My heart has never felt so full before.

All the difficult waiting, paperwork, unknowns, and hoops now seem like a distant past, and yet, I will NEVER forget all that we went through to be united with our boy. I think it really deserves much more expression than this blog has given it, but it wasn't an easy thing to write about and I think it will become more approachable with some space. I do intend to write much more about it someday, ideally in book form.

I'm feeling very moved to help all other people I encounter that are trying to adopt; adoptive parents have so few rights and support that I feel we need to advocate for each other. I randomly met a woman in a store the other day who had a failed fost-adopt situation after having the foster child in her home with her and her husband from the child's birth to 9 mos old. The birth mother, a drug addict and on her 8th child that has gone through the foster care system, regained custody of her daughter and needless to say, this woman was devastated. My heart was breaking for her. I got her email and sent her a bunch of info in hopes that she doesn't give up. Perseverance has paid off for us in a huge way, so I want to encourage others to keep trying if it's something they really want.

Anyway, I know you're probably surprised that I'm not goo-goo, ga-ga-ing over Bedilu in this post and telling you more about what he's like, what the experience having him home has been like so far, and posting pictures of him, but this is just what ended up coming out tonight. We have a whole lifetime ahead of us to tell you about him, right?

I can't seem to get these beautiful images out of my mind from our first trip, so just wanted to share a few more pictures. These are from our trek in the mountains and we stayed in these tukuls (huts) in small villages.