So since finding out about our court date it has been plan, plan, plan. We have tentatively made our travel plans!! In two months, Matt and I will be on a plane to Ethiopia or hopefully in Ethiopia. Ahh I can't believe it. I am ready to hold and love on our baby boy. We will do the scheduled Gladney events and when Gladney is finished hosting us we plan to travel to Awassa where Solomon is from and visit his birthplace. We get to travel with another Gladney family...who I can't wait to meet in person!
Once we get back from Awassa we plan to take placement of Solomon immediately and begin being parents. Matt will stay for another couple of days to be with Solomon and then he will go back to the USA. I will stay in Ethiopia with Solomon until we get our US Embassy appointment in Ethiopia. This appointment will be 3-6 weeks after our court date (once we go to this appointment we may leave Ethiopia with Solomon). But I will not be alone the same family who is going to Awassa with us will also be staying (the mom and her new baby that is)!!! We plan to stay at the same guesthouse as we remain in Ethiopia awaiting our embassy appointments. My mom and mother in law will come over the last week I am in Ethiopia to help me on the plane ride home with Solomon.
I know this will be an emotional and life changing trip on so many levels but I can't wait. The hardest part is that although these are my plans..it doesn't really matter. It all depends on if things go smoothly on our first court date on October 7th. (the one we don't go to) If things go well then we get to travel as planned, if things don't go well then our travel plans could be pushed back to another date. All of this unknown is stressful, but I feel as though I have planned for what I can. I have to keep telling myself that God is in control of all of this.
To get ready for this trip I have been re-reading lots of families blogs who have previously traveled making notes of places to visit and eat at while we have free time. I am still trying to figure out which guesthouse to stay at. I want to stay in the city where we can walk to things and really see what Addis Ababa is all about. I am also trying to figure out airlines and what will be best on the way back home with a one year old...doing several layovers or one really really long flight. I am hoping to get tickets soon. There are so many little questions to figure out such as how many diapers do I bring since I really don't know my return date, what will Solomon be eating, what will I be eating, will he be on a bottle or do I bring sippy cups, etc. I know all of these questions will be figured out and slowly things are coming together as we have gotten more tentative plans. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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