J Cooper Photography

WE PASSED COURT!  Daniel is OFFICIALLY our son and we are SO in love with him!

{heading out to court}

It is killing me not to be able to show you his adorable pictures…I have SO many of them!  Our court appointment was very uneventful.  We waited for about an hour in a busy, crowded room.  When they called our names we went into another room with Halle (our caseworker) and sat down in front of a small desk.  The judge was a young woman who was very soft spoken.  She asked us 5 questions and then said “Daniel is yours.”  No emotion.  No fanfare.  But rest assured my heart was leaping out of my chest!!!

After court we did some shopping in one of the market for souvenirs.  I was completely overwhelmed and was SO thankful that the Burianis came along with us (they had already been out shopping once) to help guide us.  We bought quite a few toys and outfits for our kids as well as some other gifts.  I’m a terrible barterer so we likely paid too much for everything we purchased but I’m happy to help support these families who are trying to earn a living!

We spent the afternoon at Hannah’s Hope with our ADORABLE SON.  Just as we got there he had a MAJOR blowout..lucky us…that meant bath time!  The special mothers have gradually let us take over more and more of his care giving.  Many of them speak no English or have a very limited command of the language so it is difficult for them to give orders or provide help.  They have very specific systems in place and run a tight ship.  Can you imagine taking care of that many infants?  Amazing women!!!  Daniel has one special mother who seems to just especially adore him.  Her name is Anat.  She calls him with this big voice…”Dan…Dan…Dan!!”  Today she allowed me to give him his bath from start to finish….lotion him up…and get him dressed in his pjs.  Then she snatched him from my hands and motioned for Paul to get out his camera.  It was SO sweet!  I got a beautiful picture of them together that I plan to bring back as a gift.  We also recorded her voice talking to him…such a precious memory!

{Daniel’s room at Hannah’s Hope}

{Daniel’s first bath with Mommy}

{Anat showing me the ropes…never mind that I have 3 other children…HA!}

The Burianis had to say good-bye to their beautiful kids this afternoon.  It was torture to see them getting final hugs and kissing and watching the children blowing them kisses through the gate.  We are praying for a fast Embassy date and that we will get to travel together again in December!

I know this is getting very long but I wanted to re-cap also some fun things we did over the past few nights that I have not  blogged.  The first was an amazing city tour with a local cabbie named Solomon.  He was recommended by a friend and we hired him to take us on a tour of the city.  He took us to the National Museum where they have 17th century paintings just leaning unprotected against the wall and ancient manuscripts hanging with thumb tacks.  Then he invited us over to his house for a traditional coffee ceremony with his family.  This was an amazing experience and one we will never forget.  Solomon is working class yet lives in a mud hut with one lightbulb and no indoor plumbing.  He pays for his children to attend school and has little else.  They have one small tv and a small refrigerator.  Complete culture shock.  Something I will NEVER forget.

{Solomon with his family}

{Solomon’s neighbors}

{hair braiding rituals}

Last night we attended the cultural dinner with the Burianis and Wass.  The food was amazing and the dancing was spectacular.  Wass works for AGCI as a driver and guide.  He is an amazing man and he made the evening so much fun by trying to teach us the different dances and telling us all about the regions that are children are from.  He is a wealth of knowledge and has given us so much insight into the Ethiopian culture.  I had heard that each region had its own cross.  So while shopping a few days ago I asked the store keeper what cross represented Jimma (where Daniel is from).  He sold me a simple little cross insisting it was from Jimma.  When I asked Wass he just laughed and laughed saying “There is no cross for Jimma…everyone is Muslim”.  I guess I was sucker….where is Wass when you need him?

Tomorrow is our last day at Hannah’s Hope and then we will have to say goodbye to Daniel for a few weeks.  I am not looking forward to that last hug.  My arms are going to feel VERY empty on that plane ride  home!  I am SO eager to see the other kids though and cannot wait to hear more about their adventures with Mimi and Baboo!!