One month down and a lifetime to go!

Three weeks after passing court, we were cleared by embassy....It is hard to believe that was just ONE month ago!  The morning of August 24th, Christian and I boarded an early flight leaving Ethiopia, headed to America!  

For those of you that do not know his age, Christian is 6 1/2 months.  Sometimes I still look at him in complete awe....and I think to myself, God chose us for him.  We have done a lot during his first month in the US.  He has had a ton of "firsts"!  He has attended his first US church service, first trip to the park, first time in a swing, first blowout (he could have kept this one! :-)) First time eating baby food, first time eating American food, first time meeting grandparents, family and friends.  First tooth, first time sitting up, rolling over, holding his bottle, Skyping and the list goes on, but I think you get the picture!  

When Dion and I boarded the plane from Atlanta to head to Ethiopia, we didn't know what to expect when we arrived.  We did not know if he would be afraid of us or if he just wouldn't like us. To our surprise, when we arrived at the foster home and met him for the first time, he smiled.  The look on his face said "What took you so long!?".  I hugged and kissed him for the first time...he was no longer a packet of information (our dossier), he was no longer a picture (our referral), HE WAS OUR SON! 

We spent a few hours with him each day leading up to our court hearing, and each day he would greet us with that same adorable smile and he never cried.  The day we passed court, we went and picked up our son!  He was no longer an orphan, he was our son.  Typically, you do not get custody of your child after passing court.  However, because we decided that I would stay in Ethiopia with him until we cleared embassy, they allowed it because he was legally our child.  A few days after passing court, Dion had to head back to the US, and I stayed behind with Christian.  Little did we know, God was already putting everything and everyone in motion to get us through embassy in record time.  Just 15 days after passing court, we were cleared to go home!  (you can check my timeline for dates)

I can't get enough of this little boy.  Sure, there are days when I am tired or exhausted, but seeing his smile makes each day much brighter.  He has brought so much joy to our family and it feels like he has been with us since birth.  He has had no issues with attachment and I credit some of that to staying in Ethiopia with him prior to bringing him around family and friends.  It was a major sacrifice to stay there, and I had planned on being there for at least 2 months!  But it was so worth it and I would do it all over again.  People have asked me how could you stay in a foreign country, alone without any family or friends.  Can someone pass me the EASY button?  EASY!  I could stay because he is my son!  Everyone does not have the ability or flexibility to stay, and I can totally understand that.  But God made a way so I could stay, so I stayed.  

He is healthy, happy and he sleeps through the night and he eats like there is no tomorrow.  :-) 

He is perfect!  So many people have remarked on how much he looks like myself and my husband and it warms our hearts each time we hear it.  This little boy has impacted and blessed our lives more than he will ever know!  People have said that we saved him.  That is a false statement.  God called us to adopt and we answered; we prayed and God answered.  We didn't save Christian, Christian saved us!

One month down and a lifetime to go!  I love you son!