So Monday finally arrived. We didn't get much sleep due to the eight hour time difference and our built up anticipation. We were dressed and ready to meet up with the other couples, eight in all, downstairs in the lobby. The plan was to meet Almaz, Hannah's Hope director, at about noon. We were excited and nervous along with the other couples. This was crazy. I was about to meet Derartu in just a few moments. Almaz arrived and took us to the hotel's banquet room to go over paperwork for the embassy. The clock was ticking and we waited patiently as Almaz took us through the paperwork and explained what to expect during our embassy visit. I can't speak for the other couples but I don't know that I was really paying any attention to her. I waited for her to say, "Okay, let's go." After about an hour or so we gathered up our things and headed out the hotel. Hannah's Hope was only a few miles away. We piled up into two vans and sat there with nervous anticipation. My stomach was going nuts and Steve already had tears welling up in his eyes. He may have had his sunglasses on, but I knew. After sixteen years of marriage, you just know.

Many things started running through my mind. What would she look like? Would she look like the little girl I've been staring at on my refrigerator door? Would she understand what was going on? Would she resist us? Would I get the right photos to document the moment? Am I the only one out of breath at this moment (at 8,000 feet elevation, Mother Nature gets greedy with oxygen). I couldn't believe that the moment had finally arrived. Even though our process was quick (about six months), we still waited a year and a half preparing for this day. It was finally here. Really, here. I was here, in Ethiopia, just a few miles away from our new daughter.

We bounced about as we drove through some rocky terrain. The vehicle was slowing and my stomach tightened even more. We were close. We all knew we were close. Someone said, "There's the gates." Okay, I'm tearing up right now remembering that moment. The gates to Hannah's Hope were right there in front of us. I gripped onto the baby doll I brought for Derartu. The baby doll I had bought about a year and a half ago. The driver honked the van horn and we waited. We could hear the gate unlock and it swung open. The van crept up the shallow driveway and we all climbed out. We waited quietly, almost whispering. Cameras and video recorders were taken from their cases waiting anxiously for "the moment". One couple was called and we waited some more. I knew we would be next because we were told older children first and then babies. "Where are Derartu's parents?" I heard. Almaz peered around the corner and motioned us to follow her. We neared an open doorway and saw special mothers moving around inside. All the sudden a little girl appeared at the doorway with her hand grasped by a special mother. She slowly walked out into the open. She looked so tiny. She looked confused. Almaz said something to her in Amharic and Derartu smiled. I handed her the baby doll I had been holding for dear life. With an outreached hand she took it from me, looked at me and smiled. I touched her soft skin before pulling her into my arms. This was the moment I had been dreaming about. It almost seemed as though she felt the same. We had no words to say. Nothing that we thought she would understand. All we could utter was, "Hi, hi, hi." I kissed her a few times and was surprised that she didn't seem to mind. It might have been the baby doll. She noticed that the hood was removable and she began to do just that, remove it from the baby doll's head.
We found a corner where we sat and just watched her through our teary eyes. A special mother came forward with a bag of Derartu's belongings: the photo album we sent to her, immunization records and a CD with photos of her and her birth father. She couldn't get the photo album open quick enough. We looked through the photos and named each one of us. I had a recent photo of Alexa that I brought with me and I handed it to her. She recognized Alexa from the other photos and just stared at it wearing the most precious smile.
We had a few minutes and took a tour of Hannah's Hope. We took several photos and had Derartu show us her room and bed. She slept on the bottom bunk of one set of bunk beds. I have to say that it was an emotional moment for me. To know that the many nights I dreamed of her when we accepted her referral, she laid here, in this bed. I couldn't wait to show her her new room and new bed! I couldn't wait to show her all her toys and all her clothes. I couldn't wait to take her to the many parks in my town. I couldn't wait to read books to her. I couldn't wait to share every upcoming holiday with her. I just couldn't wait to take her home. The meeting with Derartu was close to perfect.


This is a sneak peek of some photos of our "Gotcha Day." You can't see our expressions in these photos. That was on purpose. The better ones are yet to come. As I mentioned before, more photos will be shared once I collect more pictures of her here in the States.