Change in plans

We've been planning and preparing for me to leave for Ethiopia this Wednesday to meet Hudson and bring him home. We got a phone call yesterday that he was very sick and in the hospital. My uncle (who lives in Addis) was able to check on him and it turns out that it is just a severe cold and he is back at the orphanage. Colds aren't too big of a deal, but when you add that to a child with a heart condition and a weak immune system, its not a good combination. After much thought and prayer, Paul and I have decided that I should get to Ethiopia as soon as possible to be with Hudson. We really couldn't think of any reason why I shouldn't try to go early, and there are plenty more reasons why I should.

So I'm leaving Sunday night and will arrive in Ethiopia on Tuesday morning. Hudson will be in my arms that afternoon. My parents will join me in Ethiopia on Thursday, as we had originally planned our flights. We'll return home with Hudson on December 5.

We'd appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers:

-For Hudson to stay healthy and strong
-For smooth travel
-For Hudson's transition and attachment to us
-For Paul and Belachew while I am gone

My cry for the day

I'm full of emotions these days, as I approach leaving for Ethiopia and meeting our newest son, whose face we first saw in February, who we have prayed and hoped and longed to have in our arms ever since then. I just watched this video, and it filled my heart with joy and my eyes with tears. I can't wait for that moment that Hudson and I walk off the airplane, meet family and friends, and officially begin our lives together as a family of four. Grab a kleenax and watch it.

http://teamalexander.blogspot.com/2009/11/o-praise-him.html

Countdown to Ethiopia

I am leaving for Ethiopia on November 25 and am counting down the days!  I've got my plane tickets, and now am just working on packing and crossing things off my "to-do" list.  I'll try my best to post some blog updates from Ethiopia, but internet access can be unreliable there.  

Belachew will be staying home with Paul, and I will be traveling with my mom and dad.  This is the longest I've left Belachew and I asked him the other day if he was sad that I'll be gone for a while.  He thought for a moment and said, "No, just hurry up and bring my brother home."  He is so excited to be a big brother.  I know Belachew will have some hard moments will all of the changes that are coming, but I am confident that he will be an awesome brother.   

What I watched tonight

Paul and I were invited to a screening of this movie tonight. Amazing. We loved it. And I hope that you go and see it.

One of my favorite lines in the movie is when Mrs. Touhys, the adoptive mother, is praised by another woman, “You’re changing that boy’s life.” Touhys shakes her head with a smile and simply says, “No, he’s changing mine.” It is so true. As Jed Medefind shared on his blog, "When we open our lives to an orphan, the transformation most always happens in both directions. Certainly, orphans do need us. We may need them even more."

We passed court!

We passed court yesterday in Ethiopia! We are so excited and thankful! We are not sure of travel dates, but will hopefully travel by mid-November.

Introducing our newest family member, Hudson Muse. Muse is his Ethiopian name, which means Moses, and Hudson is a name we have chosen for him.

Chosing to hope

I haven't posted much about our adoption lately, but yes, we are still moving forward with our adoption. We've faced many delays and obstacles this time around. I haven't wanted to go into too much detail on our blog and honestly its been hard to talk about. Although the process has been different than we had expected, I know once we have our baby in our arms, the wait will have been well worth it.

Our baby is now 14 months old and his health is stable, although he will need immediate medical attention after arriving home with us.

We have a court date tomorrow (Oct. 30) in Ethiopia. At this time, if the judge approves our adoption, our baby would officially become part of our family and we could hopefully travel a few weeks later to bring him home with us. Of course, there are cases that don't get approved the first time in court. We are prayerful and hopeful, and ultimately want to trust in God's plan and timing. If you think of it, we'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

We hope to have good news to share soon!

Fall days

We've been enjoying this fall together! Belachew started preschool two mornings a week and loves it. We've been enjoying time outdoors and went apple picking this week. Belachew liked picking apples, but enjoyed climbing trees and eating candy corn even more.