An Ethiopian Update

I know so many of you are waiting on pins and needles to learn of Tamara and Kai's progress. I am her sister and have been put in charge of updating her blogworld of their progress and experiences.

I just received a phone call from Tamara in Ethiopia. They had originally set their courtdate for July 14, then it was moved to July 15, now it is back to July 14. Yep, tomorrow guys!!! It's showtime....She is suppose to call me tomorrow, following court, to give me the news. They will be meeting with the attorney at 9 am tomorrow, followed by court at 10 am (Ethiopian time). They will find out tomorrow if they pass. Because we are all very positive thinkers and envision lollipops, rainbows, and gumdrops....She will be calling to tell me they passed, along with their return date to pick HIM up. (do you see the emphasis HE already has in this family!!!)

Now, onto the best news!!!!! They met HIM today. She was so excited. She started crying just describing him to me. They were able to video their time with him. Their visit was an hour long, well, unfortunately for HIM, their hour visit went into HIS naptime. Apparently, dude digs his naps!!!! He was a little upset over missing some much needed shut-eye, but he hung in there like a trooper and spent some much needed time with Tamara and Kai. She described him as big, bouncy, alert, wonderful, and the BEST!!!!! He really took to Kai and warmed up to him more than Tamara. She said she walked with HIM for a short distance and her elbows began shaking because HE is rather.......healthy!!!!!

When they arrived in the room, the social worker was with them. That is standard because everything they do is to protect the children. Also in the room upon their arrival, was the physical therapist and occupational therapist. They were really glad to see these experts in the room with the children. These professionals are available to all the children in the room as they are needed.

Tamara said the one thing they were not prepared for was the drain your body takes after the visit. She said she couldn't sleep last night. She was so nervous, excited, anxious, her hands were shaking, etc. They had waited their whole lives for this moment, and it was finally here!!!! The adrenaline was pumping through their body so much. When the visit concluded and they went back to their house, they both crashed. She said they both took a nap before lunch. The emotional toll was not something either of them had prepared for. When I spoke with her, it was post nap, she sounded great....she was on cloud nine.

They will get to visit with HIM 1 hour on Thursday and 1 one on Friday. HE will not be in court due to his age. With these new laws, they are beginning to enforce some changes. Toddlers are allowed to be present in court, however, babies are not. They are also going to be limiting the visitation based on ages. Toddlers will likely have a more limited visitation than the babies.

She raved about their driver. She said they would be lost without him. I am looking forward to her phone call tomorrow.....I will keep all of you updated as I hear from Tamara. Thanks for reading. I know my verbage isn't as exciting as my sister's. She got the talent in the family!!!!

On a side note: I wanted to wish all of you the best of luck with your adoptions. I have never seen anything like what my sister has gone through. It has truly been a roller coaster ride for everyone. My heart goes out to each and every one of you. I performed natural childbirth with twins that had a combined weight of over 13 pounds....I can tell you.....That was nothing compared to what you guys go through on these adoption adventures. Best of luck to you all, hang in there....One day your family will be blogging for you while you are visiting with your child.