Here We Go!!!

The purpose of this blog will be to chronicle our process of adopting from Ethiopia. We are so thrilled to be finally beginning the journey after years of waiting! I have known that I wanted to adopt since I was a teenager. Erik and I have been discussing it for over a decade. We cannot wait to meet the next member of our seemingly ever-expanding family.


Why Ethiopia? I will someday soon write a bit about the amazingly rich culture of Ethiopia and its history. For now I will answer this question on a personal level. There are some practical reasons---the length of time required to stay is shorter than many other countries' programs, the fee's are more reasonable than other programs, the children are not generally exposed to prenatal substance abuse, the level of care they receive in our agency's care center is high (although it is still institutional living in a Third World country). Ethiopian children rarely have attachment issues because children are so highly regarded in their culture. What this means is that most often they have been loved and have loved. And children who have loved and been loved, can love and accept love once again.

Most of it I feel in my heart though. After deciding years ago on Ethiopia, I forced myself to consider adopting domestically. Then other countries---India? What about Guatemala? But my heart kept leading me back to Ethiopia until finally it became impossible to ignore. I even said out loud on more than one occasion, " If we don't do it from there, I can't see doing it at all." My mind literally couldn't create the image of another path. The truth is the best answer I have to "Why Ethiopia?" is this one that I read from another adoptive mama---Because that is where my children are.