We crossed the “security line” that only passengers were allowed passed, and were mobbed. I got down on my knees and just hugged and kissed the kids as they came to us. In the first 30 second I was told about a lost tooth, a 100% on a reading test, an injured toe and a shopping trip! I just smiled and cried and hugged them and kissed them.

There is no better feeling for a mom then to have all of her kids together in one place.

Belane was very shy and shell-shocked, but I had warned them that she was timid and would take some time to warm up to everybody.

Josh was there with all of the kids, as were Josh’s mom, brother and sister, two friends and the women working on... more

As we settled into our seats AGAIN, I was really surprised that Belane was smiling. An airplane seat was the last place I wanted to be at that point, but she was great. She checked out her new set of headphones, we made a trip to the bathroom the second the seatbelt lights went off, and we ordered a bunch of snackboxes from the “pay to eat” service on United.

After that she collapsed in my lap, and slept soundly for the last two hours of the flight (for her it was the middle of the night on Ethiopia time). When we landed I kept waiting for the noise and commotion to wake her up, but it didn’t, and I carried her limp body off the plane with the rest of our stuff while she continued... more

It took FOREVER to get off of the plane, but we did…we got on to a shuttle bus, and got on line for immigration. The kids all wanted to run around because they were finally FREE from the airplane seats, and they were a weird mixed of extremely tired and hyper.

Our flight landed late in DC, and we only had three hours until our connecting flight…by the time we were on line in immigration, we were down to two hours. The other adoptive families, who were all ahead of us in line, insisted that Belane and I cut to the front, and I really appreciated the gesture. Truth is, that it was difficult handling everything by myself, and I was sorely missing Josh! Not just emotionally, but for how... more

We got downstairs to check out, and it was sheer chaos in the lobby of the Hilton. Apparently a large percentage of the hotel population was checking out that evening, and there were many adoptive families that were all on our flight. The lobby was just buzzing with people and excitement, and little kids running around everywhere.

I waited in line (and waited and waited) to check out, and our friend and driver Selamneh came in and helped entertain Belane while I got the checking out accomplished. I won’t tell you what our grand total at the Hilton was, but IKES…it was a lot. (We got a great rate, but it still added up. We loved our stay there though, and I would highly recommend it... more

We went back to the Hilton and played on the play ground and did some shopping…ate lunch for one last time at our favorite little place by the pool, and then walked over to the little grocery store to get some fresh snacks for the trip home. We waited around out front of the Hilton, talking with our two favorite doormen, and waiting for Sidisse, the director of AHOPE, who was supposed to come and meet us.

Once she was a full half hour late, (and so was Belane’s nap), I decided to take Belane upstairs for her nap and figured Sidisse would... more

Our last day in Addis was a busy one. I went to bed the night before with the satisfaction of knowing that the waiver had been delivered and signed for at the Embassy…that the waiver was THERE, which meant that the visa would be done in the morning, and there would be no agonizing waiting around to see if it arrived or not.

I spent Thursday afternoon over at the CHS guesthouse, visiting with my friends, Keely and Josh and their sweet baby girl, and some of the familiar CHS employees, who we recognized from Ben’s adoption. When we got back... more

I wanted to put up a quick post tonight to say that we got home as scheduled, and things are going really well.

I am absolutely exhausted…I am not sure if it is because the trip was so long, or because it was so stressful or what, but I am really, truly wiped out in a way I don’t ever remember being before. I am dizzy and don’t have an appetite and am SO dang tired… so the real “write-up” of our homecoming is going to have to wait another day or two.

But, in a nutshell…the trip was long and grueling (as expected). Belane did really, really well. We just barely made one of the connections, but got home as scheduled to a very excited waiting family. The documentary ladies were... more

Note-I wrote this before I left and post dated it to post today on the blog. I will update once we are really home how everything is going. :)

I also wanted to share a post on my reflections of just being in Africa again.

Even though I had been in a third world country, my trip to Addis in February hit me hard…it really made me reflect on my life and my priorities and all that I have been blessed with.

This time I was prepared for what we’d see…the poverty, the suffering, the complete lack of almost everything…the pollution, the traffic, the crowds, the begging…the beautiful people, the amazing sites, the heart breaking scenes…

And yet I was still caught off... more

While I am still here in Ethiopia, and everything is fresh in my mind and I am not being pulled away from writing by laundry or dishes or the other things I “should” do once the kids are in bed for the night, I want to share some of my feelings from this trip.

Do you know when you have a long wait for something…and you imagine it and build it up in your mind over and over…and then it finally happens and you realize that “reality” didn’t live up to what you had conjured up in your head?

Well, that didn’t happen for me.

I had eight long months from the day I met Belane until I held her in my arms again…eight months to think about her, imagine our reunion and be amazed... more

I AM HOLDING BELANE'S PASSPORT AND VISA!!!!!!!!!!

I can finally relax and be excited and BELIEVE that we are GOING HOME. :)

Is there a better word in all the world?

The waiver arrived late in the day yesterday...we got a call early this morning, and Belane and I just got back from the Embassy where we got her visa and immigration papers. I cried when she handed them to me, it was such a relief. I can bring my sweet girl home.

And even better news...Belane got an IR-3 visa, which means the second that plane lands in Washington D.C., she will officially be a U.S. citizen. She got that type of visa because we submitted proof that we met her in February, and spent... more