10 Questions with Anne and Tom
1. Tell us a little bit about your family and how you came to adopt from Ethiopia.
Our names are Anne and Tom. We were married in 2006 and started talking about having kids right away. I also mentioned to Tom that I wanted to adopt from Ethiopia at some point (It had been something that I’ve wanted to do ever since I was a little girl). He said he was OK with that, but little did we know that it would be sooner rather than later! In the beginning of 2008, I started to look into adoption agencies and began to learn a little more about Ethiopia. We talked it over and knew that it was the right time to adopt. All of our paperwork was done in August and we were officially waiting. Menderina came home to us in March of 2010.
2. What intimidated you most about preparing your dossier?
All the paperwork of course. And then all the notarizing. I remember stressing about making 3 copies of all of the sheets of paper and adjusting the ink many times so the notary stamp would be visible on the copy….
3. What did you do to help fund your adoption?
We had a lot of help from family. We also held a yard sale. Another thing that we did was try to cut back on our spending.
4. What did you do to pass the time while you waited for court and travel?
We spent a lot of time together, just the two of us. Our library has passes to museums, zoos, gardens, etc so we were able to save money that way too! We went to an Ethiopian Restaurant to experience the food. Also, I did a lot of shopping to help the time pass (which made the answer in the previous question difficult to do)!
5. What were your impressions of the country? What surprised you most?
Ethiopia is such a beautiful country with beautiful culture. Everyone was incredibly nice and helpful to us. The food was delicious! I think what surprised me the most was how sad I was leaving the country my daughter was born in. I didn’t know that I would feel that way.
6. What was your favorite thing about your time in Ethiopia?
Besides meeting Menderina, my favorite thing was visiting the village she was born in and her birth family. I just wish I could have spent more time with them. Another fun thing we did was feeding monkeys and seeing a hippo!
7. Tell us how you met your child and what it was like.
It wasn’t like the videos that I had watched in blogland. There was no big entrance where someone brought her to us. We were one of the last families to arrive and all of the other families had met their children. It was late and we weren’t sure if Menderina was already sleeping. We walked into the baby room and the nanny was holding her and it was like she was waiting up for us! We both held her for a moment or two and then it was bedtime for her so we had to leave her.
8. What was your experience at the Embassy appointment?
I was pretty nervous before our Embassy appointment. Lining up, going through the metal detectors, waiting for our name to be called overhead on the speaker, and being packed in the hot room was pretty overwhelming and intimidating. But when we walked upstairs to go to the interview, it was pretty basic and easy. They asked us questions that we could answer in our sleep. It only took about 2 minutes and we were done.
9. What’s been the best thing about your new family?
Menderina is fitting right in with the family. She has been doing really well. She seems to know that we are Mom and 
Dad. Whenever anyone else is holding her, she will make sure one of us is around. Also, when she is upset she wants only us. She seems to be attached to us and has adjusted well to our life and that gives us a great feeling.
10. What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting the process or considering an adoption from Ethiopia?
If they were considering, I would say, “Stop thinking about it, and do it!” For those who have started the process, I would say: Be patient. And then, be patient. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions. Recognize them and know that it is healthy to feel that way. The waiting for a referral seems to go by quite slow, but as soon as you see that little baby or child, the time will most likely fly by!
One Response to “10 Questions with Anne and Tom”
I love reading these stories!
Congrats to this sweet family!