Our Jouney Is Complete; We Are Parents!!

We have just completed our adoption journey and are now proud parents of two amazing boys, Eli Dagim and Ethan Muse. Those of you who know us know what a long process this has been. We have had many challenges and struggles to become parents, but we have no doubts whatsoever that it was all worth it. We just got back to America two days ago. We are a bit tired and haven't slept much, but the adrenaline is keeping us going. That and two beautiful faces looking up to us.

Eli Dagim (Dagim was his name given at birth) is 10 months old and is a very active boy, who loves to smile and have fun. Everyone at the orphanage said they would miss him the most. He definitely has a personality and it will be fun to watch him take center stage.

Ethan Muse (Muse was his name given at birth) is two months old and is very beautiful. He is gentle and we are looking forward to seeing how he develops.

Both of boys are healthy and eating well. Eli weighs 24 lbs. and Ethan is 11 lbs. We are currently trying to switch everyone's clocks from African time to our time. We haven't slept much, but wouldn't trade this for the world. We are blessed to have both grandparents here now, helping us in the house and getting a routine going. Steve's parents (Dick and Linda) drove up from Florida and will be here for a few weeks. Jodi's parents (Don and Jan) live twenty minutes away, so all is good.

We have our first of five showers in a couple of days. We have already been shown extreme generosity from many people, so if you're one of those people reading this......THANK YOU. We know this is a cliche, but words can't express what we feel. We have been overwhelmed by love from other people and have both grown closer to God and each other as a result of the recent weeks.

Ethan is a typical 2-month-old. He eats, sleeps, fills his diapers, cries and makes precious facial expressions. Eli does this too, but he is a very active boy and may be walking soon (before crawling). He has been experiencing America and is very curious. He has a laugh that is contagious. He loves to bounce up and down and even loved the turbulance on the plane. Jan ("grandma") took both of the boys for their first stroller ride today, which they enjoyed.

We finally get to post pictures of the boys, as they are legally our children. We will have one final court hearing here in Minnesota, which will complete their citizenship in the U.S.

We will be posting about our experiences in Ethiopia in the coming days. All we can say for know is that it was extremely meaningful on many levels. We had the beginning of our parenthood, as well as significant cross-cultural experiences happening at the same time. We made many friends and felt unconditional love from some very special people through our adoption agency.
We have both grown a lot and are now ready for the next journey: parenthood.
Until our next post, God Bless and Ameseginallo ("thank you for everything")


Love,

Steve and Jodi

Next stop: Ethiopia!

Tomorrow the last phase of our journey begins. We leave for Ethiopia! We will be flying to D.C. then to Rome and finally Addis Ababa. In 36 hours we will be holding our sons! We are packed and ready to go. The last few weeks have been crazy for us, but now we are seeing the fruits of our labor. We have not been alone. We have had family and friends help us get our house in order. The babies room is ready!

We will be spending a week there. During that time we will be going to the U.S. Embassy to get our visas for our boys and also going to our court hearing to finalize the adoption. We also have a day trip planned for Lake Tana and the Blue Nile Falls.

We are fortunate to be going during the most significant week in Ethiopia's calendar; Fasika (Easter). We feel honored to be a part of it. We ask that everyone pray for the rest of our process to go smoothly. Soon we will have much more to write about! Until then, God Bless!

Steve and Jodi