On Our Way to Ethiopia!!!

I can’t believe we are leaving for Ethiopia in less than 10 hours.  After an amazing week of vacation with our family in Stone Harbor, NJ, we “circled up (as my Grandma used to call it)” for prayer, stopped one last time at Springers, our favorite ice cream shop, and said a tearful goodbye to our family.  This time the tears were not of heartache or hurting, but of excitement, anticipation, and indescribable joy.  Side note…our family cheered as we walked away from them.  I seriously felt like we were leaving our wedding ceremony and heading off on our honeymoon.  I guess this honeymoon will have to include a lot of stinky diapers, a lot of baby learning, and a reunion with the cutest baby in the world…our son Biruk.

We have no idea what the next two weeks will look like.  We have been imagining the day for what seems like forever and it almost seems surreal that it has finally come.  We have no idea what to expect, but I think that’s ok.  I have spent the past week playing with my nieces, watching my two sisters love on their own kids, changing diapers (only the pee ones of my cute 2 year old niece, Quinn.  Boy…I am in for it when I have to change the first “real” one), building sand castles at the beach, having snot shot onto my leg (I will not reveal which niece that was, but I thought I was going to hurl!), laughing, singing, reading, watching my husband teach my oldest niece to ride a bike, riding waves in the ocean, and living life to the fullest with my family, and I can honestly say, “WE CAN’T WAIT TO BRING OUR SON HOME AND BE PARENTS!”

So while I don’t know what the days will bring, I know that God has brought us this far and the adventure has already been beyond amazing.  Every time I think about all that we have experienced in the past several years, it brings tears to my eyes, because the whole thing has been the ultimate blessing in our life.


By the way…our son’s full name is going to be Biruk Nathan Sawtelle.  Do you know what Biruk means?  BLESSING!   As soon as we heard that he had been given that name by his birth mom, and then we learned the meaning, we knew there was no going back.  His name is what our journey has been and will continue to be…the ultimate BLESSING.

Comments

  1. rebeccaJuly 17, 2013 at 7:56 PM

    The way you describe your relationship with your family is so much like mine. Family is the best. I'm am so happy for you, Andrea. I'm so grateful to have found you again, and that I can watch as you find your greatest BLESSING. I can't wait for more!!!

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