Almaz's Birth Certificate

We received Almaz's birth certificate today! This is only the third picture we've seen of Almaz. It is so good to see that she appears to be putting on weight! In just over a week we'll see her face-to-face!

The tradition in Ethiopian naming is to receive a first name upon birth and then to take the father's first name as your last name. Women also don't change their name to their husband's name when they marry. For instance I would have been born "Anna Lisa Carl" and would remain "Anna Lisa Carl" during my entire life. Because of this the Ethiopian government chooses the adoptive father's first name as the baby's middle name. No worries...she won't stay "Almaz Grant" forever. We still haven't decided on a middle name yet but we're working on it!

You may also notice the year "1999" on her birth certificate. Ethiopia has 13 months and they are also 7 years behind us on their calendar. Ethiopia is getting ready to have their millennium celebration this coming September!

Huge praises that our travel while we are in Ethiopia is all coming together really well. God blessed us tremendously during our first trip and we are excited to see what He has in store for us during this trip!