Introductions

{You can read the background on our adoption journey here.}



Friends, I'm so incredibly beyond excited to tell you that...

finally...

after so very many delays, hang-ups, and mishaps...

after a trip to the other side of the world...

after coming back to even more roadblocks and delays...

we.have.passed.court.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And see this cute baby girl?

She's our daughter!

Tigist.

Her name means "patience".

She's social as all-get-out and a total kick in the pants.

And do you see this beautiful young lady?

She's our daughter!

Mekdes.

She's sweet and self-assured and sharp.as.a .tack.  And she loves to blow kisses.

It's more than a little surreal, after a long year-plus of paperchasing, praying, and wondering if we'd ever bring these sweet girls home, to be able to announce that Mekdes and Tigist are our DAUGHTERS!  My other kids' siblings.  Mekdes and Tigist Heldt. 

We do still have a potentially long road ahead.  It can take eight to twelve weeks to get an appointment at the US Embassy to obtain the girls' visas...and that's if there aren't any more bumps in the road.

Still, we're another step closer.  These dear, precious little girls, who have waited so-very-long for a family, have a mommy and a daddy now!  And five siblings (not counting each other.)  And grandmas and grandpas and aunts and an uncle and cousins too. 

As I've mentioned before, both Mekdes and Tigist were born with an extra chromosome.  They have Down syndrome.  And yet when we met them in April, I looked at Kevin and told him that nothing is keeping these girlies back in life.  They are determined, sweet, and  happy.  I have a feeling they are going to succeed at whatever they do.  Best of all though, they're awesome.  Really, really awesome.


Need some proof?

Tigist LOVES to laugh.  And not just giggle, but really LAUGH.  Love this girl!!!

Mekdes gets SO EXCITED about things.  This is the face she makes, and this is what she does with her hands, when she gets excited.  So, so precious!


My mind is SWIMMING with all of the things I need to do before Tigist and Mekdes come home.  Rearranging bedrooms, getting closets stocked and beds set up, doing some additional organizing.  But first I'm trying to really drink up the moment and rest in knowing that Mekdes and Tigist are our little girls now, that there really is a light at the end of this crazy-tunnel.


And, how awesome is it that I can use ther names and share their photos on my blog now??!!


Anyway, these are our girls.  I'll be sharing more about our trip to meet them back in April in the coming days, now that I can show you photos.  Thank you, sweet readers, for your prayers and your support during this process.  I'll keep you updated!

And in the meantime, I'm simply happy to say that Tigist and Mekdes have a mom and a dad, and we are them, and we are blessed.