And the adventure left off here...click here, read it and catch up! We are sharing God's miracles as we traveled to Ethiopia to adopt our son!
Just like all the You Tube Gotcha Day videos I had watched, this was our moment that the gates to the orphanage would open and we would finally meet our son! Unlike the ever so perfect You Tube videos, in the rush, I forgot my camera back at the Guest House. Sigh.
No worries, we had met another adopting family at the airport in D.C. They were on the same flight as we were and I recognized their adoption T-shirts from a fundraiser our agency parents had held. The couple were already at the orphanage visiting their son and they graciously offered to video and take pictures for us. A real blessing! Could you imagine this moment not being caught on camera?
Dreams coming true, we pulled up to the gates, the gates opened and we saw for the first time, the home where our son was staying. The courtyard was full of children laughing and playing with other adoptive parents who were visiting. A birthday party was going on in the far right corner with cake and soda for the kids.
The driver told one of the nanny's who we were and she went to change Tarik's clothes and get him ready. We waited and soaked in the surroundings. Several children came over to us and we hugged them and smiled. They so wanted the attention, but I must say it was obvious they were happy and in a very caring and safe place. This was normal, everyday life for them.
In our arms at last!
I'm showing Tarik a toy car. In between cries he said "beep.beep" and clenched onto it.
And just as he was settling down, a nanny came out to give him a jacket and the tears came again.
So we stayed like this for a long while. He was watching the other children play.
Those tear filled eyes. Bless his heart. I whispered to him in his language that we loved him and that we take good care of him for all the days of his life as he grows. I told him "ah-tah-frah" and "ah-tah-seb" which mean, "don't be afraid" and "don't worry."
We moved into a small building that was the visitation room in hopes that we could interact with him a little more and have a more peaceful environment from all that was going on outside. Daddy got to hold his boy! And his big Sissy too.
A nanny came into the visitation room to see how things were going and to help Tarik feel more comfortable with us. She helped him to play a game of roll the ball to daddy.
Tarik was more than happy to go back to his living space with his nanny as we said goodbye to him after a short visitation hours were over. Since we had already cleared court, we could have taken Tarik out of the foster home/orphanage but we decided to allow him to warm up to us gradually during more visitation times before signing him out. Tonight he would be more peaceful sleeping in his own bed and tomorrow we would see him again for one morning visitation and one afternoon time.
There were several steps that needed to be followed next to get Tarik's paperwork ready so he could enter the US. We were uncertain how the timeline would proceed with this and were unsure if we could get things complete before our scheduled flight home. Todd had to get home in two weeks time for work purposes, but our daughter and I were willing to stay a little longer until things were completed. This was all uncertain, so we would wait and see how the paperwork progressed before removing Tarik from the foster home as well.
The driver's car came into the foster home gates. We said our goodbyes to Tarik and headed back to the Guest House. There were other families there who had been a few stages ahead of us in their process. Each family had already passed court days ago and had their taken custody of their children out of the foster home. The Guest House was set up more like we know as a Bed and Breakfast. There is a common living room space, kitchen, and dinning area then every family had their own rooms and bathroom. When we arrived dinner was being prepared. We introduced ourselves, told brief bits of our stories, and honestly, I was so tired and overwhelmed with excitement over the last 48 hours of events, that it is all a fog to me what was said at the dinner table. I know we all prayed together. I ate potatoes and yeh, it's a blur.
No worries about jet lag, it was evening time, our bodies were exhausted and ready to sleep!
Just like all the You Tube Gotcha Day videos I had watched, this was our moment that the gates to the orphanage would open and we would finally meet our son! Unlike the ever so perfect You Tube videos, in the rush, I forgot my camera back at the Guest House. Sigh.
No worries, we had met another adopting family at the airport in D.C. They were on the same flight as we were and I recognized their adoption T-shirts from a fundraiser our agency parents had held. The couple were already at the orphanage visiting their son and they graciously offered to video and take pictures for us. A real blessing! Could you imagine this moment not being caught on camera?
Dreams coming true, we pulled up to the gates, the gates opened and we saw for the first time, the home where our son was staying. The courtyard was full of children laughing and playing with other adoptive parents who were visiting. A birthday party was going on in the far right corner with cake and soda for the kids.
The driver told one of the nanny's who we were and she went to change Tarik's clothes and get him ready. We waited and soaked in the surroundings. Several children came over to us and we hugged them and smiled. They so wanted the attention, but I must say it was obvious they were happy and in a very caring and safe place. This was normal, everyday life for them.
The moment we'd been waiting for! A nanny came out carrying Tarik. My first thoughts? "He is still small!" We had seen him grow in pictures for nearly one year. To see him in person was amazing! The pictures will speak more than I can explain, so I'll fill you up! A beautiful moment for us and a time of uncertainty for Tarik.
The very first time we saw him!
Trying to coax him in with a toy distraction from meeting us as strangers.
There were several steps that needed to be followed next to get Tarik's paperwork ready so he could enter the US. We were uncertain how the timeline would proceed with this and were unsure if we could get things complete before our scheduled flight home. Todd had to get home in two weeks time for work purposes, but our daughter and I were willing to stay a little longer until things were completed. This was all uncertain, so we would wait and see how the paperwork progressed before removing Tarik from the foster home as well.
The driver's car came into the foster home gates. We said our goodbyes to Tarik and headed back to the Guest House. There were other families there who had been a few stages ahead of us in their process. Each family had already passed court days ago and had their taken custody of their children out of the foster home. The Guest House was set up more like we know as a Bed and Breakfast. There is a common living room space, kitchen, and dinning area then every family had their own rooms and bathroom. When we arrived dinner was being prepared. We introduced ourselves, told brief bits of our stories, and honestly, I was so tired and overwhelmed with excitement over the last 48 hours of events, that it is all a fog to me what was said at the dinner table. I know we all prayed together. I ate potatoes and yeh, it's a blur.
No worries about jet lag, it was evening time, our bodies were exhausted and ready to sleep!
We prayed before bedtime and praised the Lord for getting us this far. A first huge step and now many more to follow to be able to bring Tarik into the U.S. home with us.
Psalms 107:1-2 "Say "Thank you" to the Lord for being so good, for always being so loving and kind. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has saved you from your enemies."
Read more about our trip by visiting the next post here!
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