Court Date Explained

There seems to be a bit of confusion about what the court date actually does...we will not be traveling over Christmas. The court date is done in Ethiopia and a Bethany representative (an Ethiopian man named Milkiyas) goes to court on our behalf and accepts the parental custody of the child for us. That is, if everyone shows up and the court runs as it should. Just like in the States, sometimes government appointments don't always happen as scheduled for various reasons. So, December 24th Milkiyas will go to the court appointment for us and hopefully that day Esias will become Esias Grimes! After that, we wait again (I know, more waiting) for our appointment at the Embassy. Once we hear about that date, we can book our tickets and get ready to go. There is typically about a month or so between court date and Embassy date, though that is a rough estimate. Embassy appointments are always on a Tuesday. We will have a one or two week notice to travel. Clear as mud?