Monday May 18th

This morning about 3:30 I woke up and just couldn’t sleep! I knew today was the day we would finally meet our son. So Jason and I watched movies, got up early, read books trying to pass the time until we could go eat breakfast with the other families and meet Almaz, the orphanage director. I also had a few moments in the dark with God including tears…what if this was a mistake? What if he doesn’t really like us? What if we can’t even touch him and show him physical touch - holding hands, kiss on the cheek, rub his back? So I cried and prayed the one scripture that came to my mind about not being anxious, Do Not let your hearts he troubled….. and I gave God the fear, picked up Angels and Demons and started reading.
Around 7am we just went downstairs to get some coffee and a few other families dealing with nervousness were already down in the lobby. We chatted, ate some breakfast, drank some really strong but good coffee and paced for Almaz to show up.
When Almaz came up the steps I just wigged out (on the inside…ok now we’re close). Oh before she came a family took us up the the 2nd floor and showed us how close we were to Hannah’s Hope where our son has been for the last 10 months. Wow, sooooo close!

We filled out our paperwork correctly, had Almaz review it and then we took off with a soccer ball and cameras to finally lay eyes on our long awaited son. Since being in Dulles getting on the Ethiopian Air flight we have made some friends also adopting who were so great to take video for us as we meet our boy. There aren’t word to describe the feelings that took place next. Because we are the only family of this travel group picking up an older child we got to meet him first and all the other families watched us as the gate opened.





We would like to introduce you to the newest member of the family. This is Henok Johnston. Isn’t he a doll??


He came bounding around the corner and grabbed me hugged me and went for Jason. Of course we’re both BAWLING and Jas scoops him up and he kisses his cheek and says “Daddy.” One of the best moments of my life. This day with 3 other days will be the most profoundly humbling and exhilarating days of my life. March 13,2002 Faith entered my life and made it better. December 1,2003 Hop entered and spiced it up even more. March 26,2007 Mikey arrived and we have been blessed to have him in our family. And now May 18th, 2009 Henok became a part of our family for ever and all I can say is this will be quite an adventure.
We played soccer with him for a good half an hour, took a picture of his bed, got pictures with his special mothers and met some of the other families children. We went back to the hotel to get what we would need at the Embassy and then went back to Hannah’s Hope to take Henok with us. When I got there he was eating injera for lunch with shiro wat I’m pretty sure. So the special mothers sat me down and fed me lunch also while I waited for him. Spicy but GOOD! Then Henok came over and I showed him his new clothes and shoes, he PEELED his other clothes off and got ready with a HUGE smile on his face. And we were off. Henok sat on my lap the whole way there and back from the Embassy which was so sweet. While at the Embassy he was our pure entertainment, and I told him he was ‘funny,funny” so that’s all we’ve been hearing since. “funny funny” mama funny funny! He also almost ate us out of house and home. We brought what we THOUGHT were enough snacks for the trip and plane ride back to America. Um… he’s gonna have to slow down or we’ll have to get some fruit to keep here(which is on the agenda tomorrow anyway) just to keep our stash from depleating for when he’s gonna need it on the plane!! He ate a cashew peanut granola bar, 2 lollipops, a pack of oreos ( the travel size one people not the whole container!), and started in on the goldfish. I have mixed feelings about food consumption cause I’m not so much thinking he was like starving as much as trying it all out and seeing if we will give it ot him. And honestly with some rationing so he won’t get a tummy ache I don’t really care what he eats. But we now know what will work in a pickle when we get home.
So after the embassy appointment we came back to the hotel and just hung out. We showed him his bag and I’ve got 6 whole minutes of him taking it all out kissing it, stacking it up, putting it in his Spiderman backpack. Then he started putting it all on. So he’d take out a pair of socks” Mama, casi” and he’d put them on , then “mama, pajamas” and I’d say “Yay Henok” and he smile put it all on with Jason’s Mariners baseball cap and he was off to wander the room then back to the bag to check out more goodies. I had more fun watching him check out all his new things he was just having a ball!

We went down for dinner and thank goodness the workers can communicate with him, so he ordered Macaroni and a Coke. And for today, you better believe he got it.!When we get home Coke won’t be happening like at all maybe some rootbeer or sprite but I’m sure he’ll but just fine.
Then he ate some of my food, Jason’s tbone steak and his macaroni. HA! I thought he was a bottomless pit until when we got him to finally lay down after a shower and brushing teeth which he LOVED both! He was rubbing his tummy so I asked him in Ahmaric “Ya-Mal?” which means “That hurt?” and pointed to his tummy and he said yes! Bummer dude, bad marks for mommy and daddy letting him shove his face full of food. It was a learning lesson though, we will just ration how much he intakes and maybe give more variety if we can but lessen the amount he consumes.
All in all this day was 100% more than I prayed for! At Hannah’s Hope all the people tell us Henok special. And he sure is. I can’t wait to bring him home!!

Blessings,
Kala