October 20, 2009 was a day Blake and I won’t soon forget. It was on this day – around 5pm that we saw the first photos of our boys. Just thinking about it makes me well up with tears. That day was so special for us. From the time we began our adoption journey to that first photo felt like a lifetime. The anticipation and ups and downs of the adoption journey were hard on our hearts, but soon that pain was melted away as we received the phone call from Aneata, our coordinator….It’s twin boys! I raced down to Battle Creek to be with Blake as we opened those photos for the first time. I couldn’t get to a store fast enough to print out TONS of copies of the same photo. We had these first photos all over the house and handed them out to all the people who were praying for you. After looking at the photos with dad he was off to a marching band party. I stopped by and we told the students about you and as all proud parents do showed off your pictures!! I then raced home to meet all of our neighbors, friends and family to show them your photo. We celebrated for quite a while that night.
We finally had a picture of you boys….now the real waiting began and the motherly panic about who was kissing you good night and taking care of you while I couldn’t be there. My heart broke until about three months later when I held them in my arms for the first time.
Our lives have never been the same since we saw these beautiful faces looking at us in the photos!
For three months we watched you grow up in pictures...time moved slowly. Here is a look down memory lane of those long three months.
Oh the memories....
The wait was almost over...we were number one on the baby boy, toddler girl, and sibling list! What would it be?? Well, on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 we found out...it was twin four month old boys!
In Blake's office seeing David and Thomas for the first time....before we even had the names David and Thomas picked out! Back then we only knew them as Asaye and Amare.
On a funny note..yesterday, on our one year referral anniversarym Blake (not knowing he did this) wore the exact same outfit to school! Crazy coincidence!!
Celebrating seeing your pictures for the first time!
The first photo we saw of Thomas Amare. Our first thought was...one scared boy. All we wanted to do was go to Ethiopia and scoop him up and snuggle him. We thought the wait before had been long, but we were in for an even longer wait.
Thomas' three month photo..taken just days after he came to
Sele Enat by another adoptive parent.
As our long wait began other parents who were traveling to pick up their children would send us snap shots of the boys. We anxiously awaited each of these photos and the smallest mention about their personalities.
This photo of Thomas broke my heart. I wanted to be there
to swipe the fly off his sweet head! But the smile he has
in the photo was priceless.
This was the first photo we saw on October 20, 2009. Sweet David...mommy cried when she looked at this photo. Then we opened the next email and saw Thomas. Our sweet boys! To look at these now is crazy. They have changed so much in the last year.
David's first photo in the orphanage. 3 Months old and sweet as can be!
David hanging out with another adoptive parent....while mommy and daddy anxiously awaited a court date to make you officially ours.
Through grandma and grandpa Driver we were connected with missionaries in Ethiopia who went to visit the boys. This was the most information we had received from anyone and made our day! Thanks Travis and Andrea for the precious gift you gave us in these amazing photos and videos...and for loving on our boys for us!
One month before mommy and daddy came!
David had his head shaved due to head lice.
One happy boy!
Check me out...I can hold my own name card!
Our first "together" photo of the boys!
It is culturally very common in Ethiopia for men to hold hands...
our boys loved to hold hand when they were near each other.
Thomas and Andrea...thanks for loving on our boy for us.
Another together shot!
David and one of his favorite nannies!
Looking back on all these photos makes me happy and sad. These were the only photos we had of our boys for three months. We anxiously awaited court dates, embassy dates, tidbits of information from traveling families and any and all photo that were sent our way. It was a LONG three months (and we are so thankful that is all it was) not being able to hold our boys, watch them grow and change, feed them, care for them and love on them. All that has now changed, but thinking back to those days I sometimes wonder how we concentrated and got things done...these boys were all we could think about. It was so hard not knowing what was happening on the other side of the world to our boys.
Thank you Jesus for protecting them and bringing them home to us safely! We have been blessed by David and Thomas in ways that we could never imagine!
That post made me cry. It's amazing how awsome out God is and how he works in out life
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