Ryan was able to accomplish getting the necessary paperwork in Julia’s hometown today. However, it took all day and it was dark by the time they were finished. The road is not safe at night so they are leaving very early in morning to head back to Addis Ababa. There is a slim possibility that they could get everything done and we could make our flight tomorrow night. Good Friday is a national holiday in Ethiopia and many government offices are closing early tomorrow and won’t re-open until Tuesday. So if there is a hang up tomorrow we will be here for several more days. So if we get her visa tomorrow, it would truly be a miracle. Our God does miracles.
Archive for March, 2010
I really have no concrete news tonight, other than Ryan making the trip to Julia’s hometown today. The last thing I was able to find out late this evening was that they were able to locate the birthmother and she had begun the process for relinquishment at the local tribal counsel when I last spoke to Ryan. That should be completed first thing in the morning, followed by a local court process and then drive back to Addis. There is then a process in Addis before heading the the US Embassy to apply for her visa. Bethany is working very hard to make this as quick as an ordeal for us as possible. There are many gracious people here praying and being very caring towards us, and I so very much appreciate all of your well wishes and prayers.
On the brighter side, our Julia Joy is a wonderful little girl! She is so happy and content, crying only for her bottle and when she is sleepy. When she smiles, her whole face lights up. She loves snuggles and kisses from me and is especially fond of her Daddy. She loves to watch the older kids play and loves it whenever they show her attention. I can’t wait to get her home to her big sisters! She seems to be on track developmentally – sitting up, rolling over, blowing bubbles, and is eating and sleeping well.
Cross posted from ryanjhale.com
It started with what seemed like being called to the principal’s office. We were at the Shalom orphanage in Addis Ababa with the rest of our group watching the other families meet their children for the first time, having picked up Julia the day before. We were enjoying the sunshine and then walked over to the Bethany office where it was explained that there has been a change in the circumstances of our adoption. Turns out that when the life book video for our adoption was being prepared, the videographer found out the real identities of the people who found Julia when she had been abandoned. By asking a few questions, she then found the grandmother and even her mother. Thankfully, she was able to get the mother on video tape recording her saying that she knew that she was going to be abandoned and that she wasn’t able to care for the child either at the time or in the future. It was clear that Julia was a child that should be available for adoption.
This morning, we went to the US embassy to determine whether or not they would give us a visa given these new circumstances. They told us that we would need to have the adoption amended based on the facts of the case that are now understood. We also met with an Ethiopian attorney who explained what would need to be done and the process that we would need to go through. I’m headed (Ryan) to Awasa tomorrow with the Ethiopian Director for Bethany in the hope that we will be able to bring back the paperwork that is needed to complete the adoption. If the mother is willing to sign the documents, we’ll then have them handled through the legal process in Awasa and then bring them back to Addis the next day. I’m told it is about a five hour drive one way, so we’ll staying overnight on Tuesday night, returning on Wednesday.
If this all works out with the mother, then we need to go through the court process and make everything official with the new facts. From there, we would then be able to get a visa and be able to return back home.
So, now we’re just trying to get our feet underneath us and begin thinking about the changes that will be necessary. Obviously, we’ll need to manage expectations with my work, the girls will be all set with my parents (thanks Mom and Dad!), we’ll change the flights, and we’ll need to figure out where we will stay and for how long. We’re hoping that we’ll only be about an additional week, but at this point, we’re just not sure how long things will take. Easter is a bit of a wild card in that things shut down earlier in the week with Good Friday and potentially earlier on Thursday as well and then Monday is evidently a day that people often take off as well. Given that there are several steps that we need to go through, I think we’re anticipating that this might take an additional week or two, even if all goes well and by plan.
Of course, despite my attempt above to just lay out the facts of what is happening, this is a bit of an emotional time for us. Clearly, this wasn’t anyone’s intention and we’re glad that we’re working toward a resolution. We’re just going to walk this forward one step at a time and see how this can be worked out. We’re sure that it will go well, but it will take time and quite a bit of work yet. We’re thankful for all of the help we’re receiving.
We hadn’t expected that Julia would be going to sleep on Gina’s shoulder tonight. We thought that we were going to be hanging out in the guest house and anxiously awaiting to go get Julia from the transition home in the morning. I think our guide saw it on Gina’s face though because as soon as we got off the plane and into the car, he asked if we wanted to go get her…or if we wanted to go get lunch. Dummy me (Ryan), I thought he was trying to get us to go get lunch, so I said, “Sure, lunch is fine.” Gina says I was just being polite, but it was pretty clear that she was ready to cut to the chase, so we changed course and went to the Shalom House and saw Julia right away. We couldn’t have been in Addis more than an hour before Gina was picking her up out of the bouncer that they had her in, complete with white dress and bonnet for her big day! She is a pretty little girl and we’re sorry that we can’t post those pictures yet, but we will as soon as we can.
We’re the first family to arrive, so we’re back in the Morning Coffee Guest House with our hosts who have now fixed us lunch and some awesome soup for dinner. The other families are scheduled to arrive in the next few hours and then we will all head back to the home to pick up their children in the morning.
Julia has been great. She didn’t cry at all when we picked her up today. She just seemed curious to understand what was going on. She seemed to like getting her hands into my beard and snuggling in with Mom. She can sit up for a little while but eventually falls forward onto her arms. When she lays on her belly, she gets herself propped up on her arms and even started getting to her knees and revving the engine, sort of in the pre-crawl stage. Her appetite had evidently waned when she came up to Addis but the ladies at the home said that she has been eating well since and that seems to be proven out this evening with a couple of bottles and a dinner of cereal, soup, and sweet potatoes.
So now she’s out. I’ve been coughing a bit so that keep stirring her, but we’ll take care of that with the Tylenol PM tonight and we’ll all sleep well…let’s hope. She’s a tiny one and we’re glad she’s ours!
Cross-posted from Ryan’s Blog:
We’re on our way to Addis! We have been pretty lucky so far. Our flights have all been pretty on time and uneventful… Well, except the part where I lost my wallet. Still am not sure what happened there but the last time I saw it was on the flight from Denver to JFK. Spent a good part of the layover trying to figure that out, but to no avail. Thankfully there wasn’t anything in there that would stop the trip.
So now we’re in Dubai having just had eight hours of rest at the Dubai International Hotel here in the airport. Pricey, but after 24 hours of traveling and almost 17 hours on the plane, well worth it.
Only four more hours of flying to go until we touch down in Addis! We’re coming for you Julia! See you tomorrow!
In the meantime, here we are hanging out in Dubai:
Hannah and Ellie, Mommy and Daddy love you! Have fun with Grandma and Grandpa!
on the ‘Journey to Julia’ has begun. Grandma and Grandpa are staying in Tampa tonight in order to catch a flight to Denver very early in the morning. We’ll get to spend a couple of – whirlwind – days visiting with them before we head out on Tuesday morning. The girls were beside themselves at bedtime in eagerness for their arrival tomorrow.
I wish Ellie understood the passage of time better – she wants to know how many more days until….but she doesn’t quite have this concept down. I am going to set her up with a calendar to help mark the days of our trip. Hannah loves that sort of thing and will do it with her every day. I do feel sort of bad, though, Ryan and I get to have Julia more than a whole week sooner than they do.
Please pray for our good health – we all have a little touch of a cold that I would just as well prefer not to have to deal with, especially leaving the girls or traveling without feeling 100%.
It was 60 degrees for the last several days. Now the ground is covered with at least 4 inches of snow – and it isn’t supposed to stop until late tonight. The great thing about the recent nice weather is that it doesn’t seem to be sticking on the roads, according to 9News that is. Hmmm…
Hannah was supposed to go to her Enrichment School today, but I decided to keep her home and stay in today. I think we are all enjoying the down day. Curiously enough, the forecast calls for low 50′s by Monday. ”This is March in Colorado,” is the comment repeatedly used by newscasters today.
One suitcase is packed with donations and various items. Three to go – This afternoon I am going to get down to making decisions about what size of clothing to pack for Julia. I don’t have an updated weight. They sent me her height this week, but it is suspiciously short for her age even though by her pictures she looks pretty lanky.
Ellie has been asking everyday this week if Grandma and Grandpa are coming in two days. I was happy to report to her this morning that it is now two days until they get here. About 10 minutes later, she asked if they are coming in 1 day. I guess she is excited!
Ryan has always told Hannah whenever we have left her with grandparents over the years that if she ever feels lonely for Mommy and Daddy to go climb into a lap and get some hugs. I started doling out that advice to Ellie today when she said, “what if I miss you?” That will be my consistent message over the next few days. I asked Hannah if she was worried about Mom and Dad being gone or if she had enough experience. She proudly gave a wave her hand stating, “Oh, I’ll be fine. I’ve had lots of experience.”
…because I was screaming so loudly that my kids covered their ears…
We are leaving for Ethiopia next Tuesday!
I have been praying for the March 30 Embassy Date, but was prepared to accept the realities that it could still be a few more weeks before travel.
We will get custody of Julia Joy next Friday and will return to Littleton on Good Friday, April 2. Grandma and Grandpa are coming into town on Sunday and will take care of the girls while we are gone. So for this week, there are a thousand things to anticipate and execute. It will be a long and probably hard trip for me with my growing-by-the-day-belly, but so very worth it!
We’ll try to post about our trip while we are gone, but I hear that electricity and good internet connections are pretty hard to come by.
One year ago today, we drove across a couple of states, our green machine loaded to the hilt with a mom and a dad, two kids, two little dogs, cleaning and sleeping apparatus for a couple of nights, and a variety of houseplants stuffed into the final crevices. Not exactly like frontiersmen moving west in their Conestoga wagons, but we were no less excited.
It has been a good year for the Hale family in Colorado. We have done a lot of biking, skiing, hiking, and snow-playing. We have made new friends, played on many playgrounds, and fallen in love the clear, blue Colorado sky. We love our little house on W. Elmhurst, but Ellie mentions how her old playroom carpet was much “cushi-er”. I learned that mosquitos and flies don’t live at this altitude, but also that AC is not a standard when looking at homes. I guess my kids like that because I didn’t spend all last summer shouting, “Shut that door!”, or chasing them with bug spray as they headed out doors for a walk with Dad after dinner. I did spend a lot of time opening a closing windows and adjusting blinds trying to avoid the scorching sun.
It has been a good year of school, watching our girls grow and learn, and also of learning how our family will be growing to 6 soon. It is nice to sit on this Saturday morning and reflect all the goodness and blessings that have been given to us. I tell the girls all the time that “every good and perfect gift is from above” and it is God’s way of showing His love for us. My gifts are currently sitting on the couch watching Cyberchase and will soon eat some pancakes, clean their room, and then head outside to enjoy that beautiful sunshine.
Happy Saturday to you!
…it is hard to wait.
Just sayin’…
