a little and a lot

Monday, June 20, 2011

And Just Like That...

I apologize for keeping you in suspense.

Life is like that. It just takes over without even asking. One minute, you have grand plans for the Greatest Blog Post Ever. The next minute, you're on a 14-hour flight to go meet your daughter.

This would be her.
(The daughter.)

And just like that, you're looking into this beautiful little face.
You're introducing yourself as "Mommy."
(Weirdest introduction ever.)
You're letting her chew on your watch, you're feeding her lunch, you're holding her as she falls asleep in your arms.
Just like that.

We had a whirlwind, overwhelming, fantastic, life-changing trip to Ethiopia at the end of May. We spent 2 hours every morning with Rhet, visited museums and markets in the afternoons, and attended our court date on May 27th, when a judge looked us in the eyes and said, "She is yours."

Lucky us! (We are now the legal parents of a very precious little girl.)
Lucky you! (This now begins a lifetime of posted pictures.)

I can't wait to tell you all about my trip.
But as huge life events tend to do, I am quite overwhelmed with the hugeness of what has occurred and what is to come.

I'm traveling back to Ethiopia early, to spend time bonding with Rhet & soaking up some Ethiopian culture before our embassy appointment. Nick will join us for the appointment, which will result in issuing Rhet a visa to be a US citizen, and then we will all head back to Memphis together. The journey to bring Rhet home starts July 3rd, and we're hoping to come back as a family of three by the end of the month.

Until then, I'm taking deep breaths, enjoying my last days in my child-free marriage, and nesting like a mad-woman.

And eventually, I'm telling you about the trip that changed my life.
Until then, check out this little piece of joy:

7 comments:

Cortney said...

I mean... there just are no words. I am speechless, joyful, ecastatic for YOU!!! God is so good, and I am so excited to hear and see more. Love you!!

The Davis Daily said...

jesse i am so.....excited for you and nick. Rhett is one lucky girl! Your are going to be a wonderful mommmy. I can't wait to meet her and hope that her and Lincoln become buddies

Cami said...

Congratulations!! She is beautiful. We also had court date on May 27, and passed. Hoping to hear we are both submitted soon. Best wishes...

Leslie said...

Yay. Yay. YAY! I just love everything about this.

Jane said...

Wow! I am so excited for you and I have been waiting on this post (and will continue waiting for the whole story). Congratulations seems too small to say for all the upcoming changes! But I am so excited for you, over here and that little girl is precious! I also love the new blog look. :)

Jennifer said...

I love her name.

I did the same. I arrived March 5 in Ethiopia, and finally was able to arrive back in the states March 28. Best decision I ever made, and I think transitioning as a single mom to sibling boys was easier because of it. :-)

Katie said...

Jesse, I am just catching up on your blog after a long period of absence from the blog world. How wonderful and exciting!!! I am so happy for you! Can't wait to hear more about it and see more pictures! Congratulations!


Adopting Rhet: Click on the timeline above to read more