Selamnesh's Story: June 2009

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Selamnesh's 1st Baseball Game

We had a Blast at Selamnesh's first Timber Rattlers game!! We went to this game with OURS Through Adoption. What a great group of families with adopted children!!! To see families that like us last year were waiting for a referral, and now have a beautiful baby!! To families that have had their children for years. It was a great game!!! We won!!!

Selamnesh loved cotton Candy!!!

Selamnesh loved the Fireworks after the game!! She would giggle and laugh every time they exploded!!

The Farm

We took Grandma to The Farm. We fed baby pigs, sheep and goats. Selamnesh loved the animals but had a nerveous giggle. She loved throwing corn in the long horn steers mouth!! Lots of walking.........

We took Grandma to The Farm. We fed the baby sheep, goats, and pigs.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Tristan 09'-10' Student Council President

Tristan was elected by the students of his school as the Student Council President. I am SO proud of him!!! Tristan is a sweet, nice kid!! He isn't the most popular, he's not the most athletic, but his is definitely the nicest kid!!! I'm sure he got every girls vote in the entire school and then topped it off with a handful of guy votes............Of course he would win!!! Tristan treats girls with respect, and it wouldn't surprise me if he went to prom with 4 girls!!! Not because he is a player, but because his best friends are girls, and they know he is respectful of them. I'm so proud of you Tristan!!!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Journey to Selamnesh

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Why Selamnesh?? Why not Sahara??

So often we go into a situation with our minds made up. We did!! We chose the name Sahara in a Walmart store. Lauren came up with it months before we ever sent in our first application. She was going to be Sahara!!

And she was Sahara...... until we met her, her nannies and her beloved birthmother Bizunesh. I could barely pronounce her name Selamnesh. But after hearing everyone call her by her birth name. How could we change it?? How selfesh would that be?? Her name is the only thing her birthmother can give her, how could I be so cruel as to take that away from her??

Bizunesh and I sat for 30 minutes with 2 translators exchanging our dreams for her beloved baby girl. I could only understand 1 word she would speak.......Selamnesh. The way she said it will ring in my ears for the rest of my life. God changed my heart that day on the bus ride home.

A legal name is just that. How many Henry's, Richard's, Barbra's or Catherine's do you know that use their legal names?? My daughter's name is Selamnesh. Most of the time I call her sweatheart.

About the process

They tell us that the process to adopt a child from Ethiopia is about a year. A referral is when they match you to a child. They get a grouping of children, and then try to match a family to the child's needs and the families requests. They take a lot of care in this process. What a wonderful blessing they are giving both us as families and to the children. The dossier is the file that you collect information and recommendations about your family and submit them to the agency. The time frame from submitting the dossier to referral is about 6-9 months. Our process took 5 months. Then you wait for a court date. Then you wait for a birth certificate. Then after the birth certificate comes in correctly, you get a travel date. With our agency, you stay a week. They show you around the area, possibly meet the birth parent or relative. And spend time getting to know your child. You stay at a guest house with a full time cook, and driver. I couldn't ask for a more wonderful agency. Alexa, I owe you so much thanks!

Selamnesh's Story

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Selamnesh's 1st Baseball Game

The Farm

Monday, June 8, 2009

Tristan 09'-10' Student Council President

Monday, June 1, 2009

Journey to Selamnesh

The Family

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Why Selamnesh?? Why not Sahara??

Journey to Selamnesh

Ethiopian time

Our Adoption Agency

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About the process

The process

Jacques

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