Ethiopia Adoption Time-Line

• December 2006 - Apply to Christian World Adoption (CWA) Ethiopia Program
• January 2007 - Begin Homestudy with Associated Catholic Charities
• January 2007 - Apply for USCIS approval (I-600A)
• January 2007 - Begin gathering Documents for Dossier
• March, 23 2007 - Homestudy Complete
• March, 23 2007 - USCIS fingerprints
• April, 1, 2007 - Dossier complete and Sent to CWA
• April 5, 2007 - Dossier sent to Washington D.C. for authentication
• April 17, 2007 - Dossier sent to Ethiopia
• May 1, 2007 - Dossier received in Ethiopia
• May 1, 2007 - Received USCIS approval (I-171)
• July 17, 2007 - Referral received (first medicals done)
• July 18, 2007 - Referral accepted
• September 24, 2007 - Child moved to the Care Center
• October 8, 2007 - Documents submitted to Court
• November 1, 2007 - COURT DATE!
• November 24, 2007 - Travel to Ethiopia
• November 27, 2007 - Embassy Appointment
• November 30, 2007 - HOMECOMING!

Home Coming

The guys are on their way home! They departed Addis Ababa late Thursday and will be arriving in Cincinnati this afternoon. Burke Zerihun is coming home!!!! Our family will be heading back to Tennessee this evening - we are anxious to get our son home and be a family of five.

Mike and Amy's dad have had (from all reports) a wonderful and amazing time in Ethiopia. They have been busy - visiting markets, museums, orphanages, churches and experiencing Ethiopian culture. Burke Zerihun has been an angel - very loving, cuddly and fun. They warn "he will melt your heart". What an amazing opportunity and experience...what a blessing is Burke Zerihun!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for all of your prayers!

Update from Addis Ababa

Mike and Amy's dad picked up Burke Zerihun Monday morning...today was their Embassy appointment.

They say Burke is amazing - very happy, healthy, and full of snuggles. When they first saw Burke Zerihun, he was decked out in a fancy pink floral outfit...yes, he is a boy - very cute. Mike reports Burke is a good eater, giggles and babbles alot: "abababa" (abaye is is "father" in amharic).

While at the Care Center Monday, they were able to spend time with the children - apparently dad's harmonica and magic tricks were a big hit with the children! They will be visiting Gelgela orphanage and AHOPE Wednesday (they have bins of donations to deliver).

They also made a trip to the market for some shopping...and plan to venture up Entoto Mountain later this week. Then, Friday, they will be HOME!!!!!

A Celebration

Amy's mom hosted a small family "Celebration Party" this evening - celebrating our growing family...Burke coming home and the baby-in-the-belly. It was so nice to celebrate our blessings with family. We were showered with thoughtful gifts, decorated onesies for Burke, and enjoyed pizza and cake. It was so fitting to have a party as Mike and Amy's dad (Ted) are on the airplane traveling to Ethiopia.
*It is pretty neat to have Mike and Grandpa "deliver" Burke into our family - Amy has "delivered" the others.

...and They're Off!

Mike and Amy's dad (Ted) left for today for Ethiopia! The whole family came for a send-off at the airport. It is wild to think that in less than 24 hours, they will be in Ethiopia...and, Monday morning, they will pick up our son! Hendrick cried as they left to walk to their gate: "I want to go to Ethiopia!"

Please pray for Mike, Ted, and Burke - pray for safe travels, pray for health, pray for the bonding process with Burke to begin, pray that they will have an amazing week in Ethiopia, and pray that God will use this trip to his Glory.

Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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We have so much for which to be thankful - God has truly blessed our family.

We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with Amy's family in Cincinnati.

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Mike and Amy's dad are almost all packed and ready to go to Ethiopia...in TWO days! We cannot wait to have our precious son home!

Almost There...Bears

Things are really coming together...it is almost time for Mike to travel to Ethiopia to bring our precious son home! Our family will be going to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving (Amy and the boys will stay there with family for the week) - then Mike and Amy's dad will fly to Ethiopia Saturday -

4 Days away! We are so excited!

We have been busy with paperwork, packing and preparing our home (cleaning, setting-up beds, toys and clothes, etc.). There is so much to do to get ready...but we are so ready. God has blessed us with peace - we trust Him - He will lead us through this transition.

We are so thankful for all He has done for us...and we are so thankful for all of your support and prayers!

One thing we are taking to Ethiopia...BEARS! Amy has been knitting bears for children at the orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Attachment

Dos & Don'ts for Family & Friends of Adoptive Parents regarding attachment:
(taken and adapted from http://www.a4everfamily.org/)

Do:
1. Offer household help (running errands, preparing meals that can go right from the freezer to the oven, etc.) so the mother and father can spend more time holding the children.
2. Accept that attachment issues are sometimes difficult for anyone outside of the mother and father to see and understand.
3. Be supportive even if you think everything looks fine to you.
4. Allow the parents to be the center of the children's world.
5. As hard as it may be for you, abide by the requests of the parents. Something as simple as passing the baby from one person to another or simply offering food to older children can make the attachment process that much longer and harder.
6. Accept that parenting children who are at-risk for attachment issues often goes against traditional parenting methods and beliefs.
7. Remember that there is often a honeymoon period after the child arrives. If the parents are taking precautions, they are smart and should be commended and supported!
8. Offer to help with other biological children need's.

Don’t:
1. Assume an infant is too young to suffer from emotional issues related to attachment. Babies are not immune. And children will not always "bounce back" or be "resilient".
2. Judge the mother’s parenting abilities. What looks like spoiling or coddling may be exactly what the child needs to avoid a serious attachment disorder.
3. Take it personally if asked not to hold the baby for more than a minute or maybe not at all depending on the situation. This is not meant to hurt you. It is meant to help prove to the baby who her mommy and daddy are and help him to form a positive attachment with him. Some babies have had many many caregivers in their lifetime so this is very important. The most important issue is that the children properly attach, not the novelty of holding the new baby. The parents are to attend to the children's every need.
4. Put your own time frames on how long attachment should take. Every child is different.
5. Offer traditional parenting advice. Some well-meaning family members will tell a new mother not to pick the baby up every time he cries because it will spoil him. A child who is at-risk from attachment issues must be picked up every single time he cries. He needs consistent reinforcement that mommy will always take care of him and always keep him safe.

Most Importantly...PRAY for them!

Our main objective is to see this child attaches to us properly. There will be plenty of opportunities for family and friends to care for and love on our boy in the future...He will be with his "forever family!"

One Week!

Mike and Amy's dad are leaving for Ethiopia in ONE WEEK!!!

They will be flying to Ethiopia just after Thanksgiving - leaving Saturday, November 24th and returning with our son Friday, November 30th! We are so excited.

We have so much to be thankful for.

Embassy Date!

We have been assigned an Embassy Date - November 27th!

Mike and Amy's dad will be leaving for Ethiopia in about 10 days - we're busy getting the flight schedule, hotel accommodations and packing!

Our Son will be home by December 1st! PRAISE GOD!!!

Birth Certificate!

We just received an email from our Ethiopia Case Manager containing Burke Zerihun's Ethiopian birth certificate!

We are now one step closer to traveling to bring our son home - up next, his Ethiopian passport...then the Embassy date - YAY!!!!

Tool Men

We were so pleased to have Mike's dad in town for a weekend visit. The boys had so much fun playing with Grandpa. We enjoyed trips to the Memphis Zoo and to Abyssinia (our favorite Ethiopian Restaurant). Mike and Amy even got out for a few dinner dates - what a treat! And...we put everyone to work - getting the new kids' closet set for four children. It's nice having a household of tool men!

Behind the Scenes

Burke Zerihun is legally our son...and we hope to bring him home in the next 3-4 weeks. Why the wait?
After our court hearing, a lot happens behind the scenes to help us bring him home:

• The final court decision is submitted to the Ministry of Women's Affairs for a recommendation letter for a birth certificate and passport
• Apply for birth certificate - once received, birth certificate is authenticated
• Apply for passport at the office of Immigration.
• Physical exam at the US Embassy
• All documents submitted to US Embassy and appointment is set.
• We receive word of exact travel dates.

When Mike travels to Ethiopia, he will have an appointment at the US Embassy with Burke to obtain his travel Visa - then they are coming home!

Please pray this process goes smoothly and quickly.

The Happy Brothers

Can you believe Davis is now a big brother? Hard to imagine after him being our baby for 18 months.

Introducing...our Son

We are thrilled to introduce our son,

Burke Zerihun Atnafu

Our Ethiopian Adoption Court Hearing today was a success - he is officially our son! Praise God

Mike and Amy's Dad will be traveling to Ethiopia to bring Burke home sometime in the next 3-5 weeks. We cannot wait to have him in our arms.

Burke (Mike's mother's maiden name), Zerihun (given name "wish for the continuation of the family with health"), Atnafu (birth father's name "until the end of the world").

Burke is between 7 and 11 months old. He weighs 15 1/2 pounds and is 26 inches long.

Thank you so much for all of your Support and Prayers!