[Elsa, on the day she officially became our daughter.]
On Wednesday the 14th of August, I appeared in an Ethiopian court room to finalize the adoption of our sweet Elsa.
I am not an emotional person, but I admit that in the moment the judge stated she was "all [ours]", I was overcome with joy. Tears actually filled my eyes and I was smiling so big that my cheeks hurt.
The trip to Ethiopia was full of extreme emotions. From sorrow at the devastating scenes of the streets, to the pure bliss of becoming a mother again. Indeed, it was a recipe for creating one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
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Elsa's official and full legal name shall be:
Elsa Lelise Christine Sorenson
Elsa is in fact her given name and Lelise was her Ethiopian last name. Sorenson will be her last name now, but we didn't want her to lose Lelise...which is such a big part of her heritage. That's why we decided to make it her legal middle name along with Christine (which is my middle name).
From the moment she was placed with us I was amazed at how close her name was to mine. Both the names Elsa and Lelise are similar to Lisa. And... it has a lot in common with Elisabeth Elva's name, too!
So many similarities.
It was like she was destined to join our family.
[We spent the morning visiting with Elsa.]
[And then off to court!]
[Moments before the judge called us into her chambers to hear her say, "She's all yours!"]
