Taking Off!

We're leaving the house tomorrow morning at 7:30am! A sitter will be here, Julie, who will stay with Prasad until school starts. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like being separated from him for 10 days. He's doing well, hanging in there and is trying so hard to stay positive. He keeps talking about "the adventure" he's going to have with his three babysitters and Grammy Lin. I told him to please keep the house in order, take care of the pets, and help out whenever the sitters need it. He loves feeling as if we left some responsibility in his hands.

Daniel worked 1/2 day yesterday and has today off (he's fielding calls at home). We're scurrying around finishing up last minute details- banking, sitter notes, packing for Liam's 2 visits to his dad's, packing for Sky, etc. Not to mention the last 2 loads of laundry I'm doing so we can come home to drawers full of clean undies!

We'll be attempting to e-mail and phone if/when possible, but communication from Addis is tricky unless we want to spend an arm and a leg.

We heard from another visiting family who met Amelie recently, and we were told:

message 1)
"Amelie is PERFECT! She was happy and well cared for. When she went to get her passport I was there and she did not like having her picture taken."

message 2)
"She looks about the same size as our babies. Ours are 12 and 14lbs, they fit in 3-6 month clothing. The 6 month clothing is a little large on them. I don't know about the hair because they keep them so covered all the time but I do know she had much more than ours. She is truly gorgeous you are so lucky! She seemed happy and well loved. She took the pictures several times [for the passport] but was never fussy. Each chlid had a nanny. They all came over on a big bus together not one child was crying! It was amazing."

This information was so precious, considering we haven't received an update or photos for over two months. It brought huge smiles to our faces. Thanks so much to Ms. Tracy Lowery who recognized her in the orphanage and gave Amelie a kiss on the cheek for us! It means more than we can say. Amelie seems so real in our minds now, not just our hearts. It's starting to feel like she's here with us already. We're ALMOST THERE! Our next post will be filled with pictures of Amelie!