The Date

Well, we have a court date. The email came on December 30th (a date I had been repeatedly praying for without knowing why... I remember feeling frustrated when I realized we weren't going to be scheduled for a court date on this date. Then the email came.)

On January 15th, 2010, while we sleep soundly in our beds, halfway around the world our little girl's case will be heard in an Ethiopian court. By noon, we'll have received a phone call either way. Yes, she's ours. Or no, the case was rescheduled due to a paperwork issue, a legality, or any other ill-prepared detail that might rear it's head. We have a 50% chance of "yes".

For those that don't know, the actual court case has almost nothing to do with our family. Instead, the judge, the orphanage director, the police officer who found her, and I believe a representative from the Ministry of Women's Affairs will meet to determine if she is in fact an orphan, and if so, has her status been appropriated documented on the local and national levels. Is adoption truly the best option for her? And if it is, we just happen to be the family ready to take her in. In that case, we will be given legal custody... she will become our daughter, in Ethiopia's eyes.

For the most part, I am trying not to think about it. My stomach drops out every time someone asks questions or tells me they will be praying. The amount of butterflies is out of control - I am intensely nervous. And excited.

One way or the other, in about 36 hours, my phone will ring.