Sunday, January 4 - Meeting Ella

We arrived in Addis Ababa late Saturday night, so we knew we probably wouldn't meet our baby until the next morning. Chip was incredibly bummed, but I went into hyper-Mama mode and appreciated the opportunity to prepare our room in the Bejoe Guest House for the arrival of an infant. I put away diapers and clothes and set up a bottle-making station. I even made sure to put my water-proof mascara on the counter in the bathroom because I knew I'd need it when we met Baby Sister. Neither of us slept much that night.

We had been told that someone from Gladney would call around 10 a.m. Sunday morning, but instead of a phone call, our driver showed up and announced that we were headed (right that minute) for the infant care center to meet our baby. I hadn't packed a bag, or prepared a bottle. I didn't know what to expect. Should we bring our humanitarian aid? Our gift for the caregivers? Who would be there? Did our baby need clothes? We were the first family in our group to check in at the guest house, so there was no one there to ask. Apparently there was some mix-up, because Belay was waiting for us at the infant care center, but Ryan was planning to meet us there later in the afternoon. Ultimately, I realized that all of my worrying and questioning was unnecessary. I discovered that no schedule or procedure was needed. All that really mattered was meeting our baby. If there is one piece of advice that I have for families about to travel, this is it: surrender control and go with the flow.

When we arrived at the care center, we met Belay and headed for the living area. We waited a couple of minutes, and then Baby Sister was brought in by one of the caregivers. Chip and I both knew at that moment that the name we'd picked for her was perfect - Ella Serena. I expected to cry the minute I saw Ella, but instead I just felt profound joy and excitement. It wasn't until I saw her caregiver - her "special mommy" - begin to cry that I lost it. The love and attachment this woman had for our daughter was overwhelming. Chip and I had resigned ourselves to the fact that we'd never meet Ella's birth mother, but in that moment, I realized I was being given the opportunity to meet someone even more important. This was the woman who had cared for my baby when I couldn't. She was there when Ella was sick and had to go to the hospital. She was there when Ella first smiled and laughed. She was there when Ella first rolled over and sat up. This woman was important. Chip and I both boo-hooed when she handed Ella to us. I even handed the baby back to her at one point. After all, I get to love on this child for the rest of my life. I didn't mind sharing her for a few more moments.



We discovered that Ella was much smaller than she looked in her photos. She always looked different from update to update, but somehow I had pictured her bigger. We had only known Ella from a few photos and one video snippet (thanks, Grace). This 3-D baby was even more beautiful and animated and funny than we'd expected. Meeting Ella and holding her in our arms after all the paperwork and waiting was incredibly rewarding. The only thing that would have made it even more perfect was if I'd remembered to actually use the water-proof mascara that morning.