Three years old

Two years ago, we woke up to a beautiful Ethiopia morning.  My heart was filled with joy because not only was it the day we would meet our second daughter, but it was also her first birthday! 

 

When we accepted Addie's referral, I began to hope that we might be able to see her for her birthday.  I had been following the timelines of others in process and it seemed that might be a real possibility.  However, the judge in Ethiopia requested some additional documentation in Addie's case that took longer than we had hoped.  As each day passed without word of a court date, I realized that, most likely, we would be celebrating Addie from afar - just as we had done with Sena.

Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call early in the morning on January 19 from our case manager telling me that we had better start packing!  We had just six days to make travel arrangements and we would, indeed, be in Ethiopia for Addie's birthday.  That made this mama's heart so happy.  Our case manager also told me that the judge was going to assign us a date at the end of February, but that our agency representative pleaded with her to set it earlier since we had been waiting several weeks already and she agreed. Woo hoo!

We left O'Hare on January 25 - the same day that I had arrived back at O'Hare the previous year without John and Sena.  It was surreal!

When we arrived at the transition home on January 27, we waited in the courtyard for a bit and then, suddenly, there she was!  My heart just melted.

Love at first sight!

 

I couldn't stand it any longer - Mama had to hold her girl!

Addie, on the other hand, wasn't quite as thrilled.

 

 

Daddy did some sweet talking...

 

 

...and she was SOLD!  She decided she rather liked that guy.

This is what happened when he tried to sit her down for a minute.  She wasn't having that nonsense.  If she had a Daddy, she was going to have full access to him. 

Birthday party - Ethiopian style

 

Singing Melkam Lidet to the birthday girl.  One memorable moment was when they handed Addie a HUGE knife to make a ceremonial cut to the cake.   

Another highlight was these sweet boys in their pink party hats. 

 

Cutie pants

 

Addie has changed a whole lot in two years!

 

Happy Birthday to the most joyful member of our household!  She can brighten even the sour moods of the teenagers who reside here.  We love you Addie!