At Last

Hello dear friends and family!   It is now the 15th of October, the day we officially travel to pick up our adopted son, Benjamin Barata, from Ethiopia and bring him back to his "forever home" with us here in Birmingham.   It is also our 16th wedding anniversary.   What a happy day! 

Here's a run down of the next 7 days for us: 

Friday, 2pm, depart The Heart of Dixie and travel 37 hours half way around the globe to Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia.  God willing, we arrive late Saturday evening.  We'll be staying at the Ethiopia Guest Home.  Yes, you saw that right - each adoptive parent gets a massage during their stay. 

Sunday we lounge around and otherwise enjoy our last day of solitude as a couple till Benjamin is 18. 

Monday we travel to Acacia Village, the orphan care center our adoption agency is building just outside Addis Ababa.  There we'll meet with Benjamin's nurses, caregivers and others who know his schedule, temperament, likes/dislikes, etc.  And then, they hand him over to us and we take him back to the guest home.  We're not entirely sure what happens next, but everyone keeps saying we'll figure it out.

Tuesday afternoon at 3pm (~5am CDT), we go to the US Embassy in Addis Ababa and get Benjamin's Ethiopian passport (we get to be in his picture with him!), get his US Visa and fill out a mountain of paperwork with the other families from our agency, Christian World Adoption. 

Wednesday - more lounging on the grounds of the guest home and bonding while the embassy completes his paperwork.  Blanket on the lawn (check out the weather here), blocks, Goodnight Moon, Runaway Bunny, peek-a-boo, nap time.  Ahhh....

Thursday we wait for the paperwork to be completed and delivered to us.  Our flight leaves at 10:50 p.m. with a quick touch down in Amsterdam at 5am.  We have extra earplugs and cash on hand to buy our fellow passengers drinks if he cries the whole time.  With luck, prayer and Benadryl (pediatrician approved!) , we should arrive back in good ol' Birmingham at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, October 22nd.  We'll be the ones with bags under our eyes and smiles from ear to ear carrying the cutest little boy ever. 

The days following our journey home, we're advised to seclude ourselves in our house somewhat and to hold Benjamin as much as we can.  He needs to understand we're his parents and that he lives in a house with us, two cats and two tiny dogs.  Yes, we've tried to prepare the dogs for the new change, but I'm not sure it's sunk in yet.  We'll start making public appearances around Halloween weekend.  Alabama gets to rest its pluck and grit that weekend with a much needed bye so we might actually get to have a conversation with friends that doesn't center around the warm glow of the TV screen.

So that's the life-changing seven days we face when we get up in the morning.  Stay tuned for more but in the mean time, enjoy some pictures.   

Peace,
Mandy & Paul