YES! We are alive!

Hello everyone!  Yes, the Ducommun's are alive.  We have been trying to get Zamara on a schedule for sleeping and eating...this is not easy task, let me tell you.  She refused to go down for an afternoon nap today and was a stink-butt the whole afternoon and evening because she was tired and cranky.  She is sleeping well now...for the moment...I don't want to jinx things though.

We have the most amazing visa story to share with you tomorrow.  God really worked some miracles while we were in Ethiopia.  It's a long story and too late to share tonight.  I am on baby duty from 3am-9am so I need to get some sleep. 

STINK! I have been trying up upload pictures with no luck.  I will keep  trying...

Laura

We made it home!

Hi All! I just wrote a long post and it got deleted...so, I am too tired to write it again. Here's the gist...

We are back in Flastaff and Zamara is sleeping (although fitfully) in her crib. It was a LONG and difficult trip but we are glad to be back.

We have a TON of video and pictures to go through and will update our blog each day in the next few weeks.

AWAA referral families: we will post our pics on Picasa in the next few days and will give you access.

Blessings,
Laura

Another great photo of Daddy Craig and Baby Zamara and Bathtime!

Craig is REALLY a dad now (and he's actually blogging)

"This is Craig...I think the last time I posted on the blog was the very first post. So....don't expect another post from me for at least another few months. It's Wed at 7:50am according to my computer but here in Ethiopia it's 5:50pm. I think I should be over my jet lag by around Saturday at midnight when we leave Ethiopia and head back to the States. Zamara is still struggling with her chest congestion and we are going to try and get some baby medicine at an Ethiopian pharmacy tonight. We just don't want to be stuck on the plane over the Atlantic and wish we would have gotten the meds when we had the chance.

I cannot really even describe the feelings I have for my daughter. Picking her up and taking her home in the bus yesterday afternoon--the moment she felt like she was really ours--was just a surreal experience. A moment in time Laura and I had been looking forward to for far too long. I have held our daughter and laughed with her and changed diapers and been spit up on more times than I can count and it's only been a little more than a day. Sometimes I can't even look at her without just crying. She is already more than Laura and I could have hoped or dreamed for. I always feared the stickiness, dirtiness and spit up part of being a dad but it is truly amazing that when it is YOUR child you barely even notice those things. I am sitting here typing this wearing my favorite "Canada....fits your budget" T-shirt that currently has slowly rotting baby spit up all over it and I don't really care.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and emotional support! I am going to attach a few new pics that we did not have access to yesterday but Laura mentioned in the blog posting (pooping during bathtime in particular). And that reminds me....please remember that pic the next time you are on vacation and confident your hotel staff has thoroughly cleaned any part of your hotel room. Also, there will be a few pix Laura's mom took of me and baby just a few hours ago around the pool here at the hotel. The T-shirt is starting to really smell so I better go now. Please keep Zamara's health in your prayers. We are especially concerned about her as we travel for 20 plus hours on various planes beginning this Saturday morning."

(This is Angie, Craig's sister, and all I can say is that Craig and Laura are definitely parents now because ONLY parents will take pictures of their kid's poop!)

(Beautiful picture of Mommy and Baby)

The new daddy and his little mocha cub washing their feet

The whole family together!

This was the first moment that Craig and Laura met Zamara

Daddy and Daddy's little girl

"This pic is of Zamara's main nanny. She cried probably 5-6 times over the 2 days we were at the transition home knowing Zamara would be going home with us. She really loved her and cared for her. We are so grateful to her!"

The four babies being adopted today.

Grandma, Momma, and Baby

This is from Craig and Laura:

"Hi Friends and Family! Greetings from Africa.

We are having Craig's sisters update our blog for us. We will blog all about our trip when we get home on Monday So, here is what we have been doing:
We got here on Sunday night around 7pm Ethiopia time (9am AZ time!). We checked into the hotel and promptly went to sleep. On Monday we had orientation with the 3 other adopting families and then we headed over to the Transition Home to meet Zamara. It was the most amazing experience when they brought her out to us. I cannot even begin to describe it to you. We were able to spend about 5 hours with Zamara and the 45 other children at the Transition Home. We had to leave her there over night due to the agency's policy on transitioning kids to their new parents (just meeting us for the first time must have been shocking enough!).
Today (Tuesday) we went back to the Transition Home and picked up our little mocha cub. I am sitting in our hotel room right now with her lightly snoring over my left shoulder. It took her a while to fall asleep, but she has been so great putting up with us new parents. She has allowed us to fuss and fiddle with her. We even gave her a bath in the hotel sink--quite fun except for the 2 (yes, I did say 2) times she poopied in the bath. She is very laid back and is making the transition well...so far. She has a little cold and some congestion, so please keep her in your prayers.
Well that is about it. Thanks so much for checking in. I hope you enjoy the pictures...
Love, Laura and Craig"

Craig and Laura are unable to access their blog in Ethiopia, so if you have comments or want to congratulate them, we're sure they would love to hear from you at craig.ducommun@gmail.com

Getting ready to leave...

Hi everyone!

So this is it!!!! We are making our final preparations for our trip. It has been a stressful week. We have had a lot of trouble with our plane tickets, BUT I think it is worked out now. It seems like it has been one thing after another concerning this trip. Airline seats have been cancelled inexplicably, names have been misspelled, etc..., etc...

In talking with my mom and the other families going to pick up their children in Ethiopia, we all feel like there is some spiritual warfare going on concerning this trip. I am not the kind of person who goes looking for this kind of stuff, but it does seem like there is some opposition to us going to Ethiopia to pick up our daughter. We ask for your continued prayers as we make our final preparations for the trip.

We appreciate all of your support through all of this. WE COULD NOT HAVE MADE IT THROUGH ALL THIS WITHOUT ALL YOUR PRAYERS, LOVE, AND SUPPORT.

We are leaving Flagstaff on Friday morning as we had planned. This will probably be my last post until we reach Ethiopia. Check in on Monday or Tuesday. If we can get a good internet connection, I will post and also put some pictures up (maybe even video?!?).

Love, Laura

WE HAVE PLANE TICKETS!

We officially have our plane tickets. It was a bit stressful this week waiting to hear about our travel plans, but the tickets have been purchased...we are REALLY going to Ethiopia. I am still in shock right now. We've got so much to do in the next week to get ready. It is happy exhaustion though.

It is funny how each step of the way we said, "once our dossier goes to Ethiopia we won't be stressed, " or "once we get our court date we won't be stressed", etc..., etc...I know it must seem like we are always anxious about some part of this adoption. I have come to the realization that each step is stressful. Even now that we have our tickets confirmed, I am now anxious about getting everything packed and ready to go. I am sure once we leave I will be stressed about making the right connections for travel.

My goal over this next week (as well as the week we are in Ethiopia) is to slow down and try to enjoy each moment. This trip is a blessing. The chance to see Zamara's home and to learn about her culture is an unbelievable gift. I really do want to savor every moment. I am asking all of you to help Craig and I be accountable to this!

Ok, so here are all the details...

We will drive down to Phoenix on Friday August 8th and pick up my mom from Sky Harbor Airport. She is flying in from Portland and will be going to Ethiopia with us. We are all staying at a hotel in Phoenix on Friday because our plane to Ethiopia leaves at 7:30am. We have a short lay over in Washington DC then it's on to Ethiopia!!! We will arrive in Ethiopia Sunday evening.

Keep checking the blog because we will post blogs and pictures (and video! if we can get a good enough internet connection) while we are in Ethiopia.