Sharing The News

Well... it has been about six months since we started working on our adoption. It has been much longer that we have been thinking, talking, and praying about it. We have enjoyed the fact that no one knew what we were up to. It was a special little secret that we would share with our family and friends when the "time was right." We decided that since we have submitted all of our paperwork and are at the point of waiting for a referral, we better start sharing our news. We had a great weekend- our daughter had a dance show and all of the grandparent were over for dinner following the show. The kids were so excited to finally be able to talk about our their new little sibling!!! The kids grabbed a bottle of non-alcoholic champage and made the announcement... "We are going to be getting a little sister!!!" I think we could have knocked all four grandparents over with a feather. It was silent for a few seconds before the questions came and the excitement surfaced. I have to admit that we were nervous about what their reactions would be. These are people that haven't learned what we have about Ethiopia. They grew up in a different era. My mom has even been known to innocently say the word "colored" about people of a different race (I have since convinced her that the word "colored" is not used anymore... I used to say, "really? What color were they, purple?") My mom called me the next day and assured me that she is truly excited about our adoption. She went to the movie The Blind Side the following day and said it touched her even more knowing that we were going to be adopting. It means the world to me that she is understanding and excited about it. All in all it was wonderful to make the announcement and gain their support and encouragement. We are blessed to have family that realizes that we are going to all grow in love and be blessed beyond measure by the new addition to our family. The most wonderful commment of the night came from my father-in-law. He was getting his coat on and appeared to be deep in thought...this is a man who was raised in the south before the Civil Rights era...he looked at us and said, "If I was a little girl, I would want to be a part of this family." It was so touching! We are so lucky to have such a wonderful, supportive family!!!