Two years...

As I was laying in bed last night, it occurred to me that two years ago, on June 10, we received the call that kicked our adoption process into high gear.  We had been matched with our sweet Sena for almost three months at that point, but we had to wait on one final sign-off from MoWA before our case could move forward.  Those three months were SOOO LONGGGG!  It is hard to explain the joy that filled my heart when that call finally came.  Our journey to Sena had some amazing high points and some really low points and it was, in every sense, a roller coaster.  And she was worth every single twist and turn! 

This is the face that was etched on my heart - I'm pretty sure I knew she was ours the first time I saw those big brown eyes looking back at me from the WC list.  I would tell people that her eyes spoke to me.  They still do.

I was just looking back through some emails from March through May of that year and I was reminded how difficult that period was.  Shortly after we were matched, it was discovered that Sena had a medical issue that had the potential to have a signficant impact on her life.  In May, she had some testing done in Addis that revealed a lesser problem than originally thought.  She would likely require surgery, but, at that point, surgery seemed like no big deal.  I remember the huge relief I felt when the doctor's report came back with positive news.  When she came home, there was an even bigger sense of relief when our doctor told us that she was COMPLETELY FINE!  The issue she had was an issue no longer. 

When our referral finally arrived in my inbox on June 14, there were also some new pictures that came along with it.  She took my breath away...

...and made me long for her even more.  If I had known then that she would not be home for another 8 months, I don't think my heart could have taken it.  Fortunately, we had movement, followed by no movement, followed by movement...you get the idea.  The bad news came in small doses and we really celebrated when good news came our way.  When she finally came home in February of the following year, I felt I could breathe again. The past 16 months with Sena have been such a blessing.  I love being her Mommy. 

These eyes drew me in from day one.