Wednesday, February 24, 2010

DAY 1...

2/13/10
We arrived in Ethiopia at 10 pm and stayed the night in a Hotel.
2/14/10 "Sweetest Valentine's Day EVER!"
We woke this morning at 7 am and began calling Tsegay to find out when they would be coming to get us. Finally, around 830 am we made contact to find out they had been at the airport waiting for us the night before and had no idea we were at this Hotel. **A minor lack of communication!** When Donald talked to Tsegay he told him the we would get Elijah right away! We were overjoyed!! Our driver arrived around 9 and we were taken to the HOH2 and told Almaz would bring Elijah to us at around 10.
Our room at HOH2 is small but cozy. The bathroom is right outside the door so no big deal there. We decided to unpack and get organized before his arrival. With all of that done we laid down and waited. Then we heard a honk and knew is was him arriving. We were standing upstairs looking out the windows as Almaz took him out of the car. Three years we waited for this moment...We couldn't wait so we met her on the landing of the stairs! I took my precious boy into my arms and I was overwhelmed with such a love and peace that we had finally made it to this point!
He just looked at us not sure what was going on but he did not cry at all. He is not as big as we thought but still looks very healthy. Almaz gave us directions on his care and we thanked her several times and hugged her tightly and thanked her some more for our special gift. Then we headed upstairs to enjoy him.
Once upstairs we decided to take more photos and hold and cuddle him. Then I changed his clothes. He is a small guy so I am glad I brought 6-9 months. His feet are tiny!
We played with him some more and then he stuck his thumb in his mouth. So we decided to try a pacifier. He took it and is now sleeping soundly with Daddy.
It is hard to put into words how I am feeling right now. He is finally in our arms and I am so happy. He has the most beautiful eyelashes I have ever seen. They are so long that they curl up and those heart lips~ He is beautiful! Our precious gift from God!
We went down for lunch. It was not bad, although I did not eat the meat. Don did and enjoyed it. Neither of us cared for the injera. Elijah ate all of his cereal and was eyeing everyone else's food. Almaz joined us for lunch and we enjoyed getting to know her better. I think she will always hold a special place in my heart because she handed me my boy!
After lunch we came back to our room. I put Elijah down on the bed and he got up on his knees and crawled away. We were both speechless! We have since discovered our boy has 2 teeth, can crawl, and pull up to standing. We played for about 30 minutes before he crashed again but this time I got to rock him to sleep. It was wonderful! We all slept for about 1.5 hrs then got up and fed him a bottle. He is already showing his happy personality that we had seen in his pics. His smile just melts my heart!
Mommy and Elijah meet.
Daddy and Elijah
Looking a little unsure...
Praising God every minute for this gift!
Blessings,
Tina






3 comments:

Breann said...

I am so glad you are home and the first day went smoothly. I can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip. Thanks again for the photos of my kiddos. Your kind words were just what this momma needed to hear.

Missy said...

SO glad you didn't have to wait to get him!!! Once you are in Ethiopia, there is no way you can wait another second!!!

Sam's mom said...

Tears Tina, tears. He is so gloriously beautiful. so much better than the pictures before ... WOW. My heart is overflowing for you. You have waited so long. I don't know what else to say.