Introducing.....

Elliot Shimeles Tegene Briola!!!



Yes, that's right, we passed court today! It came as a complete surprise, as we didn't pass yesterday when we had our scheduled court date. But our agency, International Adoption Net, is AWESOME, and the Ethiopian staff worked tirelessly to get the missing paperwork from the Ethiopian government into the right hands, and get our case heard. We are so very thankful for them, and are anxious to thank them in person, which brings us to....

Travel! Our travel plans are not firm, as our embassy date (which determines when you travel) will not be confirmed for several weeks yet, but January 27th is looking really good and is very likely.

Needless to say, we are overwhelmed, thankful, and beyond excited. It is mixed with sadness for his birth mother who, as I've posted before, has made the ultimate sacrifice. We are forever indebted to her, and consider her family, although we've never met. I promise to her that we will love Shimeles beyond measure and give him the best life possible. And that we will never let him forget her. Whoever you are, wherever you are, we love you. And we love our son!