Love Her

I was hoping to blog about our trip while we were there, but with limited internet connection and a very busy schedule our time was somewhat limited. So here is a quick run through of our time in Ethiopia.

We boarded our plane a few minutes after 10 on Thursday. I had never been on this long a flight. The seats were tight. We settled into our spots for the next 14 hours. We got off the plane early Friday morning Ethiopia time. We stood in line for visas, exchanged some money, got our bags and made it through customs. We followed the instructions given to us on where to wait for our guide. We were early so we waited about 45 minutes. I was getting a little nervous because we had no cell phones and no real way to contact anyone. Eventually, we were found. We hopped in a van and headed to the guest house we'd be staying at.

We checked in and got our 250lbs in luggage to our room on the fifth floor. The climb up all those stairs was extra fun with the altitude. Our room was great. It was bigger than my first apartment. It had a great view of the city as well. We quickly changed and freshened up. Then it was time to head over to the transition home to meet our daughter!

The van ride over was full of anticipation. We were so excited and maybe a little nervous. As soon as we got there our guide went in and brought her out to meet us. Our sweet girl was confused and scared. She was brave and kept from crying as these strange people kissed her and hugged her and spoke a language to her she didn't know.

We brought few small things to play with her the first day. She slowly relaxed and let us read to her and snuggle her. She was still very hesitant of us.

The next morning we went and explored Entoto mountain. We got to check out some of the oldest churches in Ethiopia. It was very cool to experience some of the history of our little girl's birth country. The view was amazing. The country side is gorgeous.

After lunch we got to go back to spend some time with our girl. This time she was a little more warmed up to us. We played the afternoon away. She loved doing puzzles and blowing bubbles. She was still a little shy, but she was starting to let her guard down. She also called me mama that afternoon. Of course, my heart melted.

Our trip fell over Easter. We were able to worship at a service in Ethiopia. It was such a blessing to celebrate our risen Savior with brothers and sisters in Christ from the other side of our world. After service we got to go to the transition home. We brought an Easter dress to put Little Miss in. She looked beautiful in it. We are so smitten.

The rest of our days were filled mostly with getting to know our newest family member. Each day when we got to her she was more and more happy. Running to us with outstretched arms. Showing us more smiles. Giving us a little bit of sass. Letting us snuggle her. The last few days she cried when we left. That broke my heart.

On Wednesday we went to court. We were there with two other families from our agency. We all passed. No sweeter words could be heard than "She is yours". Legally Amelia is our daughter! Praise the Lord.

We had to leave the next evening. We made the best of the time we had. We snuggled and sang and played. Leaving was so hard! She cried as we dropped her back off to her nannies. We boarded our plane that night already missing our sweet girl.

Now we are home. Waiting again. Praying that the next few weeks go quickly. Hopefully, there will be more news to update on very soon. Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. We are so blessed.