And now we wait....

This must be the most difficult time in the adoption process- waiting.  Up until this point, although there was a lot of waiting, there were still lots to be done- more paperwork, more forms, more e-mails, more research, etc.  If those were done, there was always a follow-up e-mail to be sent, a "pretty please" phone call to be made or clarification on what was being done.

But now that our paperwork is done, and we've been referred Aidan (in record timing, according to Ron: 3.5 months from application to referral), we now wait.  We've been told that every week, we'll get a new report on Aidan- growth, weight, length and progress, as well as a picture or two.  In this way, we'll be able to keep track our of little man's progress and development from afar!

The next step of this process is being assigned a court date.  The Ethiopian government and court system are on their annual holiday, and won't reopen for another 2-4 weeks.  When that is exactly, we don't know.  This means that we won't be given a court date until the courts reopen.  Once the courts are open again, we'll be assigned a court date, which is essentially our travel date.

We'll travel to Ethiopia about 7 days before our court date to spend with Aidan and see his beautiful country.  Then, we'll go to Ethiopian court to appeal to legally adopt our son.  Once we pass court, he'll be ours to love forever :)

So now we wait.  At first, I thought this would be the most difficult aspect of the journey- knowing we have a son but we just can see/hold him yet.  However, I've learned that staying super busy helps.  Yesterday, Ron and I reviewed his development report that explained his ability to "coo," grasp fingers, lie on his stomach holding his head up, etc.  Initially, I became really sad as I thought, "I'm missing all of this."  But then I stopped myself.

Ron and I knew all along that we would "miss" a lot- the first "coo," the first time our baby tracks an object, recognizes a voice, smiles, etc.  That's part of the deal.  I then reminded myself of why we're really doing this- it's not so Ron and I can watch our son smile for the first time or first recognize a voice.  That's not it at all.

We're doing this, the adoption, for Aidan.  We're doing this so Aidan can actually smile for the first time and have so many things to smile and laugh about!  We're doing this so Aidan can be in a stable environment to actually be able to recognize voices.  We're doing this so Aidan can get proper nutrition so he can grow and be able to walk/run/play like a normal child.  Never have we been in this for us- it's about Aidan.

All along, we've wanted to adopt a child in need to help that child.  We've wanted to give children a chance at life they may never have had.  We want to make them happy, have them feel love, be endlessly supported, go to school and grow to be caring adults.

So now when I read Aidan's reports and updates, I smile.  I'm proud that my son is able to do those things and continue to develop and grow to do even more.  I'm so thankful the police found him abandoned on the side of a road before others did- animals, disease, etc.  I'm grateful for adoption agencies that have funding to hospitalize orphans and nurse them back to heal.  I'm thankful for nannies at orphanages/foster homes to care for all those babies and give them the attention they need.  I'm truly thankful that our son is alive, well and healthy.

So for the next 2-3 months as we wait to travel to Ethiopia to meet Aidan, I'm going to be proud and thankful.  I'll be proud of my son for doing what he's able to and thankful that there are so many people along the way caring for him and helping him grow.  I'll try not to think about what we're "missing," but rather, what Aidan is able to do and what we're giving!  Our little boy will go from having everything about his family and past being "abandoned" and "unknown" to having a sense of belonging, a family, and endless love!!!!!

And in the meantime, we'll just keep researching Ethiopia, the state/district Aidan was found (which is mountainous with only 2-3 roads and very small villages), and flights :)