Happy 1st Birthday Caleb!

Our sweet man is turning one today. It is still difficult when I think about having missed so much of his first year...and I imagine it is a sorrow that will always be with me on some level. His birth mother is also on my mind today. What a difficult time this must be for her - although I suspect that she doesn't need an anniversary to remind her that they are not together.

Caleb is a delight and he is doing the things of any one year old. He is babbling, mimicking, into everything and almost walking...and his smile is infectious. We are so blessed to have him and we are grateful to have brought him home in time to celebrate this special birthday.

Happy Birthday Caleb Alemayehu.

Re-Adoption Day!

Today we had our re-adoption hearing. It is the day that Caleb's adoption was made official in the U.S. He will have U.S. citizenship, a U.S. birth certificate and he will have access to all of the rights and privileges given to any child born in this country. We were blessed that a law firm run by a member of our church has dedicated a specific attorney to do pro bono re-adoption cases. In a process that, at times, seemed endless...as of today, the adoption is complete and we are finished.

And now, the real work begins...