You really don’t realize when you first head into the world of adoption what a rollercoaster ride you just got in line for. You can’t imagine the heights, twists and gut wrenching drops that the journey will take. You’re sitting in a little car wondering why the seat belt looks like something an astronaut might need and off you go. Buckle up and hold on. Our twisty loopy journey led us to our beautiful Ethiopian son Mikael and on it continues as we travel together learning how to be an Ethiopian/Canadian Family.
In Addis Ababa almost 2 years ago my husband Michael and I met our eight month old son for the first time. Sitting in a room surrounded by the scent of fresh roasted coffee, we waited patiently to see the baby whose picture we had fallen in love with over the past 6 months. The door opened, the nurse came through and suddenly the most enchanting being I had ever seen was in my arms. Mikael was all smiles and gurgles and just such a happy little guy. We were mesmerized. A short while later he calmly put his thumb in his mouth and fell asleep in my arms, the first of hundreds of times I would rock my child to sleep. I remember so clearly being unable to take my eyes off of his peaceful sleeping face wondering how it was that I got to be so lucky to be mama to this beautiful boy.
Watching Mikael grow and learn from baby to toddler to little boy has been such a joyful experience. Everyday we wake up to a happy, healthy boy ready to go out into the world, thrilled at every new thing he sees, teaching me how to be a better person and a better parent. Our Family is now so much more and we love it. Embracing Ethiopian culture through food and music, language and books and our wonderful supportive Ethiopian Community who can provide what we simply cannot has been such a fantastic experience. Getting together with other families like ours is a very big part of our lives. Spending the day cooking an Ethiopian meal together or just going to the park to ride bikes, it’s all about connecting and sharing the experience of being an adoptive family.
Now we are in the early stages of planning our next big journey, a trip back to Ethiopia. The first of many we would like to take as Mikael grows up and we all grow together.
www.choicesadoption.ca
