Embassy 11/2

I was planning on going with Brian to Ethiopia on this trip.

At the last minute I broke out in hives (which my mom thought were chickenpox!) and Aram started to seem like he was getting sick (he did and just recovered from it).

Knowing that he is prone to LONG febrile seizures (15 minutes until the paramedics came to stop it) I became so stressed out to leave him for the first time ever without the protection of antibodies from my breastmilk, the stress of not seeing me for days, and the thought of him having a seizure and me being in another country. I’ve NEVER been so stressed before. That is when I broke out in hives and began throwing up uncontrollably. It was clear that I needed to stay home.

So, off Brian went alone. In hindsight it was a blessing that I was here. Being a mother has helped me learn to be more selfless, and by staying with my child everything was completely for him. I wanted to be there for me, even more than for Samuel.

I had traveled to Africa before and fell in love with the continent. By going alone, Brian was able to have the same experience as I did. By going the second time and having to “mother” the child alone he also was able to understand what it is like to be a stay-at-home mom living in an area with no close friends or family. By being there without me, it ended up strengthening our marriage and appreciation for each other. If it weren’t for Brian stepping up to travel we would not have been able to complete the adoption.

Samuel ended up transitioning really poorly in Ethiopia. He threw tantrums daily and we were prepared for the worst. On the second day of the trip Brian called me with some post-adoption panic. He was worried this was going to be more than I could handle while he was at work. The week went by and he sounded tired, but less freaked-out by the whole situation.

Our embassy date finally came and everything went smoothly.  They had to wait two days before visa would be ready. Finally, it came and they were ready to leave November 5th to fly home!