Good News from Ethiopia!
That was the subject line on an email message I got at 11:22 this morning.
Yes, it's what you think it is!
"We are thrilled to be able to share with your family that your case has been approved in court! With the approval from the Ethiopian courts, this means that your adoption is full and final in Ethiopia and you are now the legal parents of your child. This is quite a milestone in your adoption journey. We encourage you to take a moment to celebrate this good news!!"
A moment? I think it deserves more than a moment! This is such a huge thing that I am breaking my vow of Wednesday Wordlessness to tell you all about it!
I can't believe that it happened so fast - just over two months after I got the referral call - especially since I went on such a rant about it yesterday. Though come to think of it, the referral call came the day after a particularly bleak point too, so maybe the secret to getting what you want is to rant about it...hmm...
It's been hard holding on to the belief that this was really going to happen for me, harder and harder as the weeks went by and all I had to go on was a couple of pictures and three little words. I haven't written about this on the blog before, but one of my deep beliefs about life is that other people can get what they want, but I can't. Intellectually I know that it's not at all true, and I know that I lead a privileged life in many, many ways, but it's just one of those irrational feelings we all have that are hard to shake even after all evidence to the contrary. Even after the referral, I've been holding my breath because I wasn't sure that it was safe to really believe I could have this one thing that I want - to be a parent. It just seemed like something could still go wrong and it would all fall apart.
But now! Now it's really, really real! I will be traveling to Ethiopia soon! I don't know exactly when yet - will find out in the next few days - but more than likely ET and I will celebrate our first Christmas together as a family this year!
And the best part of it is that I might just get to meet Evelyn in Ethiopia too!
(PS - I know a lot of you are expecting a picture now, but I guess there have been some changes to what's acceptable and not acceptable, and Wide Horizons is recommending that pictures not be posted yet. I know it will be hard for you to wait to see her lovely face, but I promise you it will be worth it!)






