Comfort in Numbers

While we are still trying to wrap our heads and hearts around the news about Sitota's adoption, we are finding that we are NOT alone in this journey. We have found so much support and love from family and friends, even those people we have never actually met! It is amazing to have such support and we are truly blessed! We also recently learned there is another family in the area going through the same situation...and they are not even using the same agency! They were told they passed court on November 2nd, only to find out on the 11th that they had not passed and instead had a new court date of December 1st. They too are waiting on paperwork from MOWA (the department that oversees adoptions in Ethiopia). There are several people from their agency in the same situation. Though I am sadden to see anyone go through this, it does kind of give me some comfort that we are not alone...also renewed hope in our agency, since this problem is not with them and instead is something out of their control. So, we wait...and pray that all goes well on December 10th and our princess is in our arms FOREVER soon!!! Melissa

Meet Our Princess!!!(revised 11/16/2009)

Today we got a upsetting call from our agency. It appears that Sitota did NOT pass court last week as they had thought. They got word today that they are still waiting on something from MOWA and we have now been issued a new court date of December 10th. This means we will not be traveling for an Embassy date of December 17th and it is very likely that we will not get to travel until mid-January to bring her home. We are still processing all of our thoughts, but needless to say we are frustrated, confused, disappointed, sad, scared....yet we are also HOPEFUL!!! Pray for things to go well on the 10th!!! Melissa

PINK

One of the best things about adoption are the wonderful families you meet along the way. There were several BFAS families that recently traveled to be united with their kiddos and they were kind enough to LOVE on Sitota for us. They brought her care packages and got us some GREAT pictures. She looks so HAPPY, I can not wait to bring her home!! She told one of the families that her favorite color is pink...AWESOME!! We are told that she is a very loving and happy little girl. From the pictures that we have seen, that seems to be an accurate description!
We have been talking to Micah a lot about Sitota and how he is now a little brother. He loves to go in her room and makes sure her Barbies have cute dresses on and shoes...they MUST have shoes. He said that he wants to cook pizza and pancakes with her :)
It will be amazing to watch their relationship grow! Melissa

We passed....well sort of

We had court in Ethiopia for Sitota yesterday and our agency called to tell us we did pass. However, there was an error in our paperwork, so they will not issue our adoption decree until next week when the corrected paperwork is handed in. This means that our adoption DID go through and we are now the parents of a little Ethiopian princess...but, you will have to wait to see any pictures of her until we get the adoption decree :) So hold tight for another week and then I promise we will post TONS of pics of our beautiful little girl. This also means that we now know our travel dates: We will travel December 12-19 and have her embassy appointment on December 17th! Another GREAT Christmas present!!!! Melissa