Beautiful Boy. Beautiful Country.

We are on day number five of eleven in this amazing country and day number four with our son. I have completely fallen in love with both. Both are beautiful inside and out.

All that we have experienced in the past several days is slowly, very slowly, sinking in...

Our son is absolutely beautiful and amazing.

He seems to be coming out of his shell more and more every day, and I am becoming more and more comfortable being his mother.

The first time we saw his personality in full swing was at four o'clock the morning the night we brought him home; He had a bottle and then decided it was time to party. Full of laughter, smiles, and trust falls on to Dave's and my bodies he showed us just a glimpse of the joy he will bring. Until this little "party" he had been very serious and very clingy. The first time he saw us in the care center, he cried, great big tears. We caught him in a dirty diaper right before nap time and strange faces were not what he was looking for. After a 1.5 hour nap, during which we spent time loving on all the other kids, he was placed in our arms for the first time. Much to my surprise, I did not bawl. I just gave him a great big smile and kiss on the cheek. The bawling waited until later that night when we were all lying in bed and he was sleeping on my chest. Both Dave and I gushed over how wonderful he is and how lucky we are to have this amazing boy in our lives and, cried tears of disbelief of how in love we are with him.

I was told several times throughout the process that all of the pain of waiting goes away when they're in your arms and as much as that didn't help during "the wait", it is 100% true.

The next morning my mom and Dave left on their 5 day trip to see the region of Ethiopia where Bikila is from. Bikila was asleep when they left and I think he was very sad when he woke up and Dave wasn't here... Sort of along the lines of, "I thought last night may have been a little too good to be true." I'll be anxious to see how he responds when they get back tomorrow.

Speaking of they, my mom and Dave get back tomorrow. I've talked to Dave every day so far and it sounds like they're having an amazing trip. I've only be able to get a few details here it there, so I can't wait to see hear all of the details when they get back.

In regards to this country, I've only seen a VERY small bit of it and its people and I'm in love. They are so warm and friendly and beautiful. Without the manager at the guesthouse, who is a young man in his early twenties, and the ladies who cook and take care of other household chores, I'm not sure I would have survived these 4 days without my mom and Dave. They've taken such good care of Bikila and me. As if we were family.

This is just a glimpse of our first several days here. As time passes, I'm sure I'll better be able to articulate my experience and just how amazing it has been. Due to the slow internet connection, I won't be able to post pictures until we return, but trust me, they'll be worth the wait.