growing, growing, growing...

I'll start off with the things that will make you smile.
We got 2 new pictures of Megersa recently! One was of someone holding him, so we got to see what his size was in comparison to an adult. :) A very nice gift. The other was just plain adorable - good thing he's manly enough to sport the pick & green hoodie he's wearing!
We also got some new stats on his growth, and since I don't think I've ever posted his original stats, I'll just do them all:
Oct 5, 2009 - 8.9 lbs...21.7 in
Oct 13, 2009 - 9.1 lbs...22 in
Oct 19, 2009 - 9.2 lbs...22.4 in
Oct 26, 2009 - 9.4 lbs...22.4 in
Nov 9, 2009 - 9.7 lbs...23.2 in
Nov 18, 2009 - 10.3lbs...23.2 in
Dec 7, 2009 - 11.2 lbs...23.6 in
Dec 14, 2009 - 11.4 lbs...23.6 in

Observations of Megersa on 10/29/09:
He follows objects with his eyes.
He feeds well and sleeps a lot.
He is gaining weight through time.
He moves his arms and kicks his legs independently of each other.

Observations of Megersa on 12/18/09:
He can raise his head and he can hold an object in each hand.
He turns his head, moves arms, and kicks his legs independently of each other.
He smiles when you play with him.
He feeds well and sleeps a lot.

The updates are just wonderful to get, and they make me crave more! I have a friend from our small yahoo group (OAEG) who is there in Ethiopia now for the holidays, and she was able to tell me this about Megersa:
Katie - Megersa is a sweetie, and loves to cuddle. Both of my kids held him and he gave us some sweet smiles.

It was wonderful to see that he is smiling for people! I hope I can see him smile in some new pictures!

So, that is all the wonderful news I have!

Despite the beauty of all that information, I still can't shake the feeling that even in the holiday busyness (and we are SO busy here in PA visiting family)...that something is wrong. This is Megersa's first Christmas, and he's not here. :(
I SOOOOOOO long to hold him, and have him home. This journey has been very long already, and I'm ready for it to be over.
But...the wait for court filing continues. Our agency director said that there will be more cases submitted to court before the end of the month, but I haven't heard anything...and the end of the month is coming up very quickly.
I am praying for God's peace throughout the last leg of this journey...it has gotten very difficult.