WE ARE BRINGING OUR DAUGHTER HOME! Please read to the bottom...

I finally get to write this and scream it out loud! We are leaving the morning after Christmas, headed to DC, then leaving DC airport December 27th for Addis Ababa Ethiopia!!! We are going to get to hold our daughter in our arms again! I am screaming inside!!!

I want to tell you all the nitty gritty crud that we have gone through, or really I should write, that a governmental agency has put us through, and believe me I WILL. But, I am going to wait until our daughter is safe and sound in her crib asleep (or not asleep as I have read may very well be the case since she is 15 months old and in a new place!).

But, for now please pray:

1. That we officially receive clearance from USCIS by this Friday, Dec. 23!
2. That we have safe travels to Ethiopia.
3.  That our 3 young children left at home are sweet, loving, clean up after themselves, and are polite, respectful little darlings to their grandparents while we are gone.
4.  That a certain governmental agency does not try to mess with us and GIVES US OUR DAUGHTER'S (BEAVER) DAM VISA!
5.  There were initially 65 families that got caught in this political mess. Of those 65 cases, 15 children were left without clearance or visas. Our daughter was one of them and so is the son of our dear friends, the Reeves. I have made friends with most of the other families that found themselves in this group. Please pray for the Reeves and the other families. Please pray that they each will bring their children home very soon. All of these children are dear to us.

We are so excited to meet you at the airport when we return home! I will have to keep you updated on that date since it depends on what date we get her visa, but I will post that on FB from Ethiopia as soon as we know. In the meantime, I would ask that any of our friends and family that live in our area read the following for what to expect from us and our daughter "after the airport".

Dear friends and family,

We are so thankful for the outpouring of love and support through this long and arduous adoption journey. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that all the paperwork, trials and waiting will have been the easy part in comparison to actually parenting our little girl! As international adoption is not that common of an occurrence we thought it would be helpful to give you some information on what the next several months will look like for our family.

If you can put yourself in Evelyn Bultu's little shoes for a minute you can imagine how difficult this transition will be for her. She is going with strange people to a new place with different smells, unknown foods, an unrecognizable language and a whole host of stimuli that she has never experienced before. She will be dealing with the pain and uncertainly of being taken from her biological beginnings/nannies/caregivers for the forth time in her short life. We will be doing everything we can to ease this transition. This includes "cocooning" for several weeks after she arrives home. This means you won’t see us at church. We won’t be having people over or going out. Time for phone calls and other communication may be limited (although we will read all emails even if we can’t respond right away!) Our other kids will still be going to school and we will provide them opportunities to play at friend’s houses but we will try to keep things very low-key at home. If you come by to drop off a meal or for another reason please leave the kiddos at home or in the car. I know personally that this can be an inconvenience for families but it is important for Evelyn and we really appreciate it.

Todd and I will be the only ones who hold or feed Evelyn for the first several weeks. Children who have spent time in an institutional/orphanage setting often learn that any adult might be able to meet their needs. With so many different people who have cared for her, Evelyn has no framework to connect to us as her mommy and daddy. Frankly, she doesn’t really even know what that kind of relationship looks like. By having Todd and I be the sole ‘need-meeters’ she will begin to see that we are different than the many other caretakers who have come and gone in her life. Please know that we mean no offense if we ask you to refrain from holding or hugging her or giving her a snack. These limitations are an important step in helping her to bond to us.

We have always been blessed by the love and kindness that our friends and family have shown to our children. There is, of course, a natural drawing of attention to any new child who joins a family. This is amplified in Evelyn’s case. After almost a year and a half of praying, waiting, and working to bring her home, people’s hearts are invested in this little girl! We want to be careful, however, that Will, Owen, and Naomi do not feel an overwhelming displacement by Evelyn’s arrival. To this end we would encourage you to continue to show the same interest in them as you have in the past. They would surely appreciate conversations that don’t center around Evelyn as they are individuals with their own interests, thoughts and feelings. We know that with your help they will continue to feel loved and secure during this transition.

It is our desire to "share" Evelyn with you and hope to provide pictures and updates on facebook and our blog as we have time. We appreciate your prayers and thoughts for our family as we make this very dramatic transition. We know that God has led us this far and trust that He will see us through any difficulties that lie ahead.

In Christ,

Todd and Becky