Friday, 27 March 2009

• It's official! Happy Adoption Day, Aliyah!

  Yesterday we had the privilege of officially adopting Aliyah into our family.  Her name has changed twice now!  She went from "Child Kalkidan" to "Kalkidan Michael Kostura" at the court hearing in Ethiopia a month before we arrived to bring her home.  (Weird that they used Mike's name as her middle name, huh. -- something about using the name of the primary adoptive parent when the adoption is approved). Yesterday she finally officially became Aliyah Naomi Kostura.  She is an amazing blessing and we are so glad to call her our daughter!

  While we were waiting outside the courtroom, we met another Adoptee from Ethiopia.  She's a sweet 8 year old girl named Tess who lost both her parents to illness.  I think she could tell that Aliyah was also Ethiopian, and so came up and asked to hold her.  Her English is GREAT for only having been here for 6 months.

  

  And here are the girls with Tess's mom

  

  Being sworn in...Aliyah solemnly swears to tell the whole truth too.

  

  

  For the occasion, Tiana and Aliyah wore their new spring dresses, hand-made by Ba

   

  In preparation for Aliyah's big day ...and because she was starting to get some stubborn matted dreadlocks on the back of her head along with some serious Krusty-the-Clown syndrome... I gave Aliyah her first haircut!

  Here's the "before" shot.  I teased out her 'fro a bit for effect.

  

  Going... going...

  

  gone.  "Yes, sir.  Yes, sir.  Three bags full!"

  

  And some "after" shots...

  

  

  As you can see, Aliyah is sitting on her own (finally!)

  And Tiana is still enjoying being a big sis.

  

  Here's my mom with all three of her granddaughters.  A friend of my Mom's knitted beanies for her and the girls.

   

   

   

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