Our trip to Ethiopia was amazing. It felt so brief because we had almost two full days of travel there and back, so we were only in Ethiopia for five days. Much of that time seemed like a dream as we were feeling the combined effects of jet-lag and the overwhelming emotions associated with meeting a new child for the first time. I wish we would have had a few days early in the trip to do some sight-seeing and culture-absorbing. To have made the effort to travel so far to a country with such history...it would have been great to have some time to soak it in.Even still, I have never been so ready to come home. I missed my two little ones terribly...my heart was aching for them. The 20+ hour plane road home with a baby was challenging. There was only minimal sleep as we took turns trying to keep him happy or sleeping or eating...anything other than screaming. We had a long lay-over in Amsterdam and we decided to stay at one of those in-airport hotels designed for exactly such a thing. It was a tiny little room, but the beds were clean and fluffy and it was so quiet...and we all slept and it felt like heaven. It was a delightful respite before our last long flight home. I glanced outside the airplane as we touched down in Atlanta only to find...snow! I couldn't believe it. We hadn't checked the weather and had no idea we were going to be coming home in the middle of a sizable snow-storm (by Atlanta standards). It was beautiful and it just seemed such a peaceful and fitting way to end our trip. The ground was white and quiet...and we were home - our hearts overflowing with gratitude for God's hand of protection.
It took quite a bit of time to get through customs and begin to track down our bags. All of our suitcases were lost and we did not get them until almost a week after we'd been home. If you look at our pictures above, you'll notice that there are no photos of just the six of us - because Patrick was standing in the "lost baggage" line for much of the night. Still, it was a joyful reunion and our little kids were so thrilled to see Bailey and to meet their new little brother.
Home sweet home.
3 comments:
Tiff,
Your photos are amazing, beautiful, and filled with love. You are truly a super momma and should be so proud!! Would love to "catch up" with you after things settle down for you guys! Many prayers and much love to you and your growing family! God bless you guys.
I'm going to call you soon and say HI. Our transition has been very intense and partially overwhelming. I haven't even looked through our photos and my email is out of control. Things are slowly progressing and I would love to catch up. Reading about your trip brought a smile to my face. The photos were great!!!
Hi,
We are another CWA family adopting from Ethiopia. Our court hearing is coming up in about a week, so we're starting to think about our trip to pick up our baby. We traveled to Ethiopia about a year and a half ago to adopt our son, but since things have changed quite a bit since then (and we'll be traveling with a two year old this time!), I was wondering if you have any tips for me, particularly about traveling through Amsterdam (that's most likely what we'll be doing), and the guest house where you stayed in Ethiopia. I'm sure life is crazy for you right now, adjusting to life with four, but if you get a chance to email me that would be great. My email is aseromik[at]umich[dot]edu. I've enjoyed reading your posts about your trip- makes me especially excited to travel soon! Thanks!
Ani
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