First Time Bloggers...Adoption Journey Begins

Yes...we are first time bloggers. We have decided to create this blog to chronicle our family adventures and to allow our friends and family follow our adoption journey. We have many hurdles to cross on this road, but the Lord has been faithful to us along the way.

We are the Cottongim Family. Andy is 34 and has just begun working for Renesas. It has been an adjustment since his office is now in the home. However, it does allow us to see him a little more. He enjoys camping, boating, hiking, hunting, and being with the family. Laura is 33 and a stay at home mom. She also teaches preschool to 3 and 4 year olds two mornings a week. She enjoys reading, camping, hiking, gardening, and being a homemaker. Andrea is 7 and in the first grade. She is a wonderful child who enjoys camping, playing outside, school, and much more. Noah is 5 and is a blast. He stays busy playing with his toys and outside. Nathan is almost 3 and is a fun loving kid. He LOVES to play outside and loves cars.

WHY ARE WE ADOPTING FROM ETHIOPIA?

Here are some statistics to really think about:
132 million children in the entire world have lost either one or both parents.
43.4 million of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa.
The poverty level in Ethiopia is 44 percent.
An average yearly income for a family is commonly $282-$1,440.
Only 36 percent of children attend a primary or secondary school.
Only 18 percent of all children reach grade 5.
77 out of every 1,000 neonatal births end in a fatality.
1 in 4 women will die in childbirth due to lack of medical care.
20 percent of Ethiopian children receive basic childhood immunizations.
80 percent do not.
One out of ten Ethiopian children will die before their first birthday.
One out of six Ethiopian children will die before their fifth birthday.

We are thrilled to begin this process. We sent our application in on March 22, 2009 to Families Thru International Adoption (FTIA). They are based in Evansville, IN. We have our first homestudy visit this weekend. So far, the process has been going very smoothly and relatively quickly. Even though we wish it were all done, we know it will be worth the effort when we have our little girl home.