We finally did it!

Created a blog, that is. We should have done it long ago, because we wanted an easy way for our friends and family to follow our adoption journey. As most of you know, we accepted the referral for 14 month old Fekadu on June 27th. We are now oh-so-patiently waiting for our travel date. (That is only half true...I am miserable waiting, Adam is always calm).

We are using Children's Home Society and Family Services as our agency. They have been awesome every step of the way. The world of adoption is so complex...I know we have both learned so much in the last 10 months. Through this process, we have become friends with some amazing people, and I know that these relationships will be prominent in our son's life here. The process has been hard at times, emotional, wonderful, and sometimes even painful. There are delays, and disappointments...but all those feelings went away the moment we heard the magic words..."Is now a good time?...We have a little boy to talk to you about!"...Since that day, we have been getting ready for baby! Adam and I have decided to give him the name Charlie, after my dad, and keep Fekadu as his middle name. Fekadu means "His will". I have to admit it was comforting when I heard that. I have so much respect and love for his birth parents, and we want to honor them as much as possible. There is so much tragedy and so much joy at the same time in situations like these.

I cannot post Fekadu's photo online until we make it through court (PLEASE next week!) But those of you who have seen him, know why all I want to do is stare into those brown eyes until it is time to go. :)

Our agency has told us to tentatively prepare to travel on August 24th, but more likely on the 31st. This will be a long 5 weeks, but we do have a lot to do. The best part is that we will be a family of 3 just in time to attend my sister, Marlena's wedding on September 22nd. I can't wait to see her walk down the aisle (sand) and the fact that her nephew will be there to see it makes me so happy.

Our friends and family have been so supportive throughout this process as well. We never expected anything less, but it made it so much easier to deal with all the hard stuff. And of course, we have heard our share of all those things you just don't want to hear....EX..."Oh, honeeeeey, you can't have BAY-bies?? That is terrible!" To which I reply, "Um I AM having a baby, that's what I just told you." Or people want to really get into the anatomy conversation. Like, some people I don't know well seriously feel that it is okay to inquire about my reproductive organs. Ummm, no. ( By the way...we will have bio kids if it happens, but adoption has always been in our plan). I know though, that I have learned so much, that unless you have been through the process, some people don't realize that they are being offensive. I know that I will have to stop being so thin-skinned in order to protect our son. Nothing is more important to us that instilling a sense of pride in him, for where he came from, for his beautiful culture, and for the person he is and will become.

Adam and I have also spent time these last few months learning about Ethiopia. The first time we tried the food, at a restaurant in Atlanta, we were so excited because it is DELISH. We try to have it a couple times a month, and hope to learn to cook it as well. Adam is good at making injera, which is SO tough to do. When you learn about Ethiopia, it is impossible to miss the beauty of the country and it's people. It's also impossible to miss the tragedy. There are an estimated 4.3 million orphans in Ethiopia alone. By adopting Fekadu. we are not trying to save the world, or be heroes, or make a political statement. We want to be parents. Fekadu needs parents that are able to care for him. For him, and for us, it is the right choice for our family.

Maybe I should tell a little about Adam and I. Well, chances are, you know us, so you guys can skip this part. If not....We were friends long before it got romantic, but when it did....we were engaged soon after, and got married October 22, 2005. I can't believe it has been almost 2 years! We are really happy together. Of course we have our moments, but I truly know that we are both so lucky to have ended up with the right person. Adam is amazing, and I could not ask for anything more. I can't wait to see him become a daddy. :)

Okay, enough mush. We are both 27. Adam installs computer systems for Chic-fil-A, so he travels all over the country. Sometimes I can go with him! I own and operate a photography studio. It is a dream come true, and I love it! We both love hanging out with our awesome families, seeing movies, watching TV shows....good ones! We love games, trivia, camping, traveling, music....Adam is WAY into football, and I try, I really do, but it tends to annoy me. I'll try again this season, I'm sure. (Charlie will be a little DAWGS fan, or my dad will lose it.) Yes, I went against the family code and married a Tech fan.

That's enough for now. I am so excited about keeping this blog updated. I can't wait to post all the details of our trip, and to tell the story of the day we meet our sweet son!

My sister, Marlena, my best friend Jess, and my amazing mother (yes I know you helped) threw me SUCH a fun baby shower on Sunday. It was exactly what we wanted, and I had a blast. Plus we got a TON of great stuff for Fekadu. I can't wait to see him in his little outfits and playing with his toys! :)

Here are some pics!

*Disclaimer* Jayme-from-the-forum, if you are reading this, it's confession time. I saw your shower cake on your blog and fell in love with it, so my sis had it made for our shower! Hope you don't mind! :)

Thanks to Catherine for the beautiful photos.

Okay. so I wanted to put the photos here at the bottom of this post. Obviously, I have yet to figure out this blog thing. Oh, well.

More later!

Heather