Our dossier has now been in Ethiopia a little over a month. I know we still have months to wait before we will get our referral, but it's so nice to check "one month" off the anticipated waiting time! According to our adoption agency and other ET adoptive parents we know, processes are still moving along in Ethiopia. Each week seems to be different than the next (some slowly moving cases through, while others are faster), but referrals are still being made, court dates are still being assigned, and adoptions are being finalized on a regular basis. What fantastic news! In fact, friends of ours just recently received their court assignment of May 27th! We're SO ecstatic to see their process moving forward and can't wait to hear about their trip and experience. They will be heading to Ethiopia in just about 3 weeks to meet their precious little girl for the first time. It's so hard for me not to tear-up each time I picture them cuddling their daughter for the first time, seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, sootheing her cry. What an incredible time that will be for them. Please keep them in your prayers over the next few weeks as they prepare for their trip, and then continue to pray for them as they return home without her. The return trip home will definitely be the most difficult part of the entire Ethiopian adoption process. Leaving their child at the orphanage to return home while paperwork is being completed will undeniably be painful, emotional, and stressful. Please pray for a quick resolution to the impending process so that they, along with all other adoptive families will be able to return for their child(ren) within a short amount of time.
Our other friends (the couple adopting the F-O-U-R children!) moved their kids in almost 2 weeks ago!! I can't believe how fast the time has gone since they received their call - and how naturally they seem to have slid right into the role of parents. I was able to spend a few hours with them earlier this week and the kids are so sweet! I loved hearing them call our friends "mommy" and "daddy" already. It's like music to the ears, and definitely pulls at your heartstrings. The kids (and the parents) are adjusting well to this new change and like I said before, the new parents seem to filling their new roles very well. :) It was such an overnight change (literally), but they've been 100% committed to this change since they began their process, and it's evident as you watch them interact with their little loves. Watching their story unfold has given me such a huge respect and admiration for them as friends, as a couple and now as parents.
Random excitement for us:
Recently, my Aunt Kim made me aware of was that our fundraising T-Shirt is now kind of famous! She and her family had been selling some of our shirts in their hometown of Bath, NY. One of their friends who is in a Christian Hip Hop group "Press Play" in Los Angeles bought a shirt and recently wore it for one of their photo shoots (see below)!
Pretty cool to get some West Coast love!
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