More Pictures of Jake

Pictures help to capture what we know about him at this point.

Introducing Jacob Dwight!

Here is our son, Jacob Melkamu Tamene Dwight! He is an active, happy 2 year old who waits for us in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Isn't he adorable?!! The care givers say that he is smart and learning quickly. The many pictures in his social report show us how active he is as he plays with toys and interacts with other children and adults. They say that he loves hugs and wants a lot of attention. We are ready to shower him with lots of love.

Now we wait to hear when we will travel. Our agency says to figure up to 8 weeks from the court date. It may be sooner, but shouldn't be any longer. We have some final papers to collect that will go with us on the trip. May the weeks ahead fly by!!

We Are His Parents!!!!

YES!!! We passed court today. What an awesome feeling. We are finally parents after years of waiting and dreaming. Tonight, Jim and I celebrated by walking to our favorite restaurant after contacting family and friends.

I am trying to figure out how to post his picture, to introduce him to you all. Please stay tuned....

What Wednesday Means

On Wednesday, October 21st, our case comes before a judge in Ethiopia. If all of the paperwork is in order, and the schedule isn't too full, we will officially become Melkamu's parents. Shortly after that, they will issue a birth certificate and assign our travel date.


The date will always be special. It is special for another reason; Nathan Byers, my sweet nephew was born on that date. He was the first niece or nephew in my family and always held a special place in so many hearts. Jim and I were blessed to share our home with him for a year. I will treasure our dinners together and late nights when I talked with him in his bedroom. Sadly, he passed away in March 2009. Passing court on that date will mean that our son shares a connection with his cousin already in heaven. Nathan will celebrate with us from his vantage point. I miss you!

The Social Report

On Thursday night we received the much awaited social report for Melkamu. It is 13 pages of amazing pictures and information about our son. He looks so happy! Just in the three months since our referral, he has changed a lot. I wish I was able to post some of the pictures, but we have to wait until we pass court on October 21st. Then, you will see how his eyes sparkle and how intensely he plays. He has beautiful big brown eyes set off by dark eyebrows.

The report tells us more about him. One of the statements that is repeated is how much he likes attention. :) We will be ready to shower him with lots of our attention. Also, it says that he is smart and understands his second language already. He recognizes people he has met once and likes to be held and kissed. Yeah!!

Thanks to our agency, CHSFS, that produced this social report for us. It will help us transition him into our lives.

Focus on the Blessing!

We have a lot to be thankful for. We have benefited from the generosity of my brother, Mike, his wife, Bernadette, and my adorable nephew, Joshua. They have passed many items to us that Jake will use. Here is a list of just some of their donations.

• two car seats


• jogging stroller


• toddler bed (to come)


• clothing


• winter boots/coat/snow pants


• tricycle with a handle


• toys

I hope Jake and Joshua will form a fast friendship and have lots of overnights and fun experiences together. They will be the closest cousins in age. Also, Mike and I share such a wonderful friendship, that our children should benefit. We are already planning some beach and skiing vacations together.