(This is continued from earlier posts...to see them all, click on the category "Belane's adoption" to the right and scroll down, as earlier posts are at the bottom of the page)

I felt guilty that I was thinking so much about all of this but had not yet even discussed it with Josh. But I had promised him that I would not “ask” about any more children and that I would be happy and content with a complete family once Benjamin was home (which I really had the best of intentions of doing).

Josh was on board with Benjamin’s adoption from the beginning, but swore up and down that he was DONE after that. We have family that disapproves of us having so many children, and it is difficult... more

(This is continued from earlier posts...to see them all, click on the category "Belane's adoption" to the right and scroll down, as earlier posts are at the bottom of the page)

Later in the day we headed back to Ben’s orphanage for his Farewell Ceremony, and we got to the “intersection” where we could turn and go to AHOPE, and I wanted so badly to go back and see Belen again. We turned the other way and my eyes filled yet again.

And late that night as our adventure in Addis came to a close, she was on my mind still. We had showered and eaten and packed. Ben was SO excited that we were finally on our way to America. All of the families were excited to finally be heading home... more

(This is continued from earlier posts...click on the category "Belane's adoption" to the right and scroll down, as earlier posts are at the bottom of the page)

I figured I had met hundreds of children at that point in our trip, and they were all beautiful and they were all sweet and they were all in need. I loved all of them, but until this day, not one had felt like “mine”. I couldn’t even explain how I felt at that moment, but I knew that I had felt a connection with that little girl that was unlike any experience I have ever had, and I knew it felt horribly wrong to be driving away from her.

I did my best to compose myself and when we got to the home for the older children,... more

This is continued from earlier posts...click here for Part One and here for Part Two.

We got to AHOPE and things were very quiet. There were two buildings, and we were ushered into a smaller one on the right hand side where there was an office. We were told that this was the younger children’s compound, and the wonderful woman that we met (she has the best smile and personality!) apologized that Sidisse was not there, but once she understood why we were there she quickly made us comfortable. She introduced us... more

(continued from previous posts...Click here for Part one)

Wednesday, February 15, 2006, was our third full day in Addis. We were really in a “groove”. Ben had fit right in with us and we were having so much fun getting to know him. We were comfortable and familiar with our surroundings and not feeling quite so “lost” as we were the first day or two. The morning started with a phone call from home from my best friend Bethany, and it was great to hear that all of the kids were doing fine. After I got off of the phone we went to the park at our hotel, the Ghion, and played soccer with Ben. Dan came out... more

Deciding to adopt Belane was not an easy process. For one, we already had nine kids, which is more than enough for most people, and truth be told, I am (probably too) sensitive and worry a lot about what other people think about me and my family. Add to that the fact that Belane is HIV+ and it was a huge decision. I've decided to share an edited version of my journal with you, so you can really see how it all came to be.

Part One...

I first came to hear about AHOPE on the Yahoo EthiopiaAdopt email list. A woman named Susan sent a post to the list in early January, asking if anyone who was traveling to Ethiopia soon would be willing to visit AHOPE, an orphanage for HIV+ children,... more

Ok, so you all want details. Let’s see. Her name is Blen, which is an Ethiopian name pronounced “Blaine” that means “My window to the world” or “the window through which I see”, like the “iris” of your eye. Isn’t that beautiful? After emailing back and forth with a wonderful Ethiopian woman, we have learned that there are quite a few “correct” Ethiopian spellings of this name, including Blen, Belen, Bilen, Belane, Belain, etc. We have chosen Belane. I have always wanted to use the name Anna (Josh blames that on “The King and I”) and my aunt Aileen is one of my favorite people... more

It’s confession time my dear readers. I have been keeping a secret from you, and it’s pretty big one. If you first started following my ramblings on my first blog, “Nine is Enough”, you should find this announcement a bit ironic. :)

Yes, we are adding to our family once again. We will be “even-ing things up” around here, making for five girls and five boys. (Right now the boys are ahead by one). We honestly felt that our family would be complete once we brought Benjamin Bekalu home, but while we were in Addis, a little girl stole my heart. I thought that we would... more

I am writing today to spread the word that adopting children who are HIV+ is now very possible. It used to be that the U.S. did not allow children with HIV to enter the country, and that other countries that allow international adoption, did not allow HIV+ children to be adopted.

However, with the rapid improvements in medications and expectations for a person with HIV, things are changing. Did you know that HIV is not even considered a terminal illness in the United States anymore? It is considered a chronic, yet manageable disease. People with HIV require daily medication and quarterly check-ups (including blood tests), but beyond that, many people with HIV who receive the proper... more