The 1st meeting!!!

Hello everyone,

Greetings from Addis Ababa!!!

I'll try and keep this short as the connection is dial-up and we share the computer with 3 buildings.

Today we arrived early at the CHSFS offices, just after noon.  So all of the families from last week were still here, that was great, we got meet them and get lots of advice for the week ahead.

Alright enough about that, after hanging out at the guest house for a few hours we were taken to the care center where we met Musse(Kai) for the first time!!!  We are so speechless at how beautiful he is, he's amazing.  He didn't cry at all, laughed many times, and he finally fell asleep as I(Ben) was holding him...so precious!  We cannot wait to see him tomorrow! You are not going to beleive how gorgeous his eyes are.....my gosh!!!  He's perfect!

Can you tell we are in love?

 

The trip before we got to CHSFS was amazing, everyone has been sooooo nice, and willing to do anything for you.

 

No pictures for now, we're working on it though.

We'll post again soon, maybe tomorrow.........

 

Love to all,

Ben and Gin

We're here!

Hello friends and family,
Just a quick note to you all to let you know we have arrived here in Addis Ababa safe and sound.
I'm writing from the guest house we are staying at through Wed. night.  Then we will move to our agency's guest house on Thursday. The people here are wonderful, so nice and have been excellent hosts.
That's all for now, getting ready for our guide to come pick us up.
 
Hope to have pictures in the days to come.
 
Love to you all,
Ben and Virginia

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Climb to the top of the charts! Play the word scramble challenge with star power. Play now!

Just about Finished Packing

I can't believe that I pretty much packed myself for almost 2 weeks in a carry-on!  We had a little room left in Kai's suitcase for a few extras and then put the Bjorn in as the final touch.. I can't wait to use it, and yes, I've been practicing :)

We also got a HUGE update on Kai yesterday!  He is just beautiful and looks so happy and healthy.  He is up to 12.5 lbs, has great chubby thighs and eyes that draw attention.  The report details his day, what he is eating, some milestones, his adjustment and how he interacts with the nannies and other babies in his room.  I keep reading it over and over and will probably start highlighting on the plane! :)  

We'll try to update asap.. probably no computer access until Thursday/Friday though..

Love to all, and thanks so much to those of you who called to wish us well.. you warmed our hearts!

I've been showered!

My wonderful neighbor Kelly & sister-in-law Soraya, generously threw me a shower last weekend and it was perfect. We collected so many donations that they would not all fit in our 3 suitcases! over 150lbs! The rest will go over with a friend traveling at the end of the month.

My Mom sent a card and donation so special to me that when I opened it I was just overwhelmed. She has been so supportive in this whole adventure, and is almost as excited as we are to meet Kai. Ben & I are so fortunate to have the parents we do.. The four of them are consistently some of the biggest blessings in our lives.

We're On and Packing!

We did get the final word yesterday that we are traveling this weekend! So we booked our tickets, hotel for the first few days and I am finalizing the tour company itinerary today. You really can plan a trip to Ethiopia in less than a week!

Thanks to all for the wonderful donations, this is just some of much we have to bring over.

This is Crazy!

Well, we are still hoping to travel this weekend, but unfortunately, we are still tentative and won't have confirmation until tomorrow.. Tuesday.. and we would be leaving 4 days later! That is the CRAZY part. So, I am going to book our tickets today b/c the hold expires today and hope that it all works out. I know that our agency is trying their best get us an Embassy appointment, but as of now, we don't have one, which is why we can't know for sure.

What a roller coaster!

VA