The Waiting is the Hardest Part...
It's true. We won't hear anything until February and it could be May. If things slow down it could be longer. We have done all that we can and now it is out of our hands. Thankfully it is only a couple of months after that and we will be home with our daughter. I feel stuck and am aware I need to get moving but am having trouble getting going. The uncertainty is wearing on me now.
I'm still working during the day two days a week at my school and subbing at schools on the other weekdays but subbing has become a little less reliable. I am getting lots of half days and sometimes no days more than before.
With the economy the way it is service work has slowed down so I have been really pushing to get more jobs and hours. I'm still hopefully going to do some catering/banquet serving, have started private art lessons with a teacher I work with, am doing some seasonal retail work in the evenings and on the weekends, and recently got another retail job that is permanent. I'm relieved because it's nice to know that I will have more work over the school year through the holiday breaks and over the summers.
It will be a little busy over the next few weeks with Christmas coming and then it will calm down but being busy will be nice I think.
Lisa
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
A time capsule
So wow. This Saturday was Mark's 40th B-day! As we eagerly wait (anywhere from 3 to 8 months now – yes the potential for it to take longer increases as we go along – still many matches are being made at around 6 months - which for us is Feb. – we’ll see) to get our referral great things keep happening here at home. I'm just going to ramble and save this as a little slice of Mom & Dad's world for our daughter to enjoy someday.
We had a great time at Picnic Pizza in Antioch Saturday. Amazingly many of our friends were able to come by and join us in celebrating his B-day. I say amazingly because, due to being sick and starting a new job, I rushed last minute to set something up (and changed it mid way!) to invite people. Mark truly was surprised and it was so great to see everyone that came!!!
Clark (Mark) & Andrea were there and Andrea was trying to help me with baby room color choices. She and I did a great job of diapering Elena, one of our youngest and most beautiful guests, together and she enjoyed holding Elena and walking around with her tremendously. Of course then there were some inquiries into when parenting might come into the picture for those two! They have time but boy she really has the baby loving thing down! Clark and Mark never run out of things to talk about and none of us gets to see each other as much as we'd like. They are going to be some of our daughter’s godparents and we couldn't be happier about that.
Our friend LeeAnn joined us - Mack is out of town performing. They're both musicians and fellow lovers of our once favorite pub Sherlock Holmes. In fact LeeAnn ran across Mark and me on our first official date at Sherlock Holmes and chatted with us for a little while. She's so funny when she talks about that night because, as she puts it, all of a sudden it dawned on her that we weren't just there as coworkers hanging out - it was a date - then she was like "Oh my" I should leave them alone! This, by the way, never occurred to either one of us because we were both enjoying her company, as we always do, and that in sync and open quality that we shared that night is one of the reasons we got married! (Thanks for giving us that insight LeeAnn!) She was THE BEST though and never breathed a word of it to anyone else as we were just starting to feel our way along. I really didn't want any pressure from the folks at the Mad Platter (where we worked together and met) who had all worked with Mark for a while before I started there and, even though he was no longer working there, were big fans of his.
We had some out of town guests - the band the Lost Patrol - that were coincidentally here the same weekend to perform at Cafe Coco, after Mark, the night before. They were here last year around this time but their new lead singer Molly is great and really rocked the show this time. They're friends of Dutch's whom Mark records progressive rock with on a regular basis. Friday night was a fun night too as Mark played Dutch’s original music with him and Lee (lead guitar) Sat. They both came and it was nice to have the music part of Mark's world included on his
b-day. He told me once early on that no matter that he wanted to change from being a musician full time that he was always going to keep playing and recording. I'm always really glad when he works with Dutch because he is really working hard with that music and it feeds him as a creative person. Not to mention that it's fun!
Lots of our friends have kids of varying ages and some of the younger ones that came that night were keeping us all entertained. That'll be us soon!
Henese & Chris & company are always a treat to see - they are usually having us over to their house so it was nice for us to get to invite them somewhere! Latte is now Henese's (teasing) unofficial son! Always one of the youngest at heart are this group! Their kids were little babies and toddlers just yesterday it seems. WOW they need to slow down - this growing up business is happening to fast for me to keep up! Junette is a PRE-TEEN!!! Kaliegh and Autumn are best buds and when Autumn gets off the bus from kindergarten she runs and hugs Kaliegh so hard - and Kaliegh loves it! Then, like out of a story book , they walk hand and hand together down the road towards home together. My brothers and I were always doing the stop touching me, you're on my side of the seat, thing. So different. Wow.
Adrienne and Dave came with Elena and Casey - who has decided that Mark is the best and whenever I see her, asks me questions about him. Saturday she wanted to know if where I lived and if I lived with him! Casey is always so quiet when you first see her but once she's settled she chatters and runs around with all of that energy that I am always so jealous of. She's NOT shy either! Evie was happy to see other kids and really liked sitting next to Elena and looking at her. Casey and she also sat next to each other and played - the agreement that Casey could play with her toy was reached and they were buds. Simple. Would that all things with new people were that easy. They got a flat on the way and Dave spent part of the night out in the cold fixing it. Yikes! Can't wait till Elena, who is soooo quite, reaches the talking age to see what goes on in her observant little head.
Gette and Mike's came with Evie and Luke - who we haven't seen since he was born almost a year ago and WOW the kids have both changed so much. Mark used to work with both of them at Dalts restaurant and they go back to the mid 90's together. I've worked at Martha's at the Plantation with Gette before too. It's funny though, even if it has been a while since we've seen them it always feels comfortable, like no time has passed! Evie really took to our waitress (who was jus the best with our group!) and loved watching the pizza guy making the pizza dough spin around. Luke was eager to switch scenery at one point and reached out for Mark to hold him. Mark always looks like a natural when he holds a little kiddo and I always see the calm and caring dad he'll be. I enjoyed holding Lukes hands and helping him walk around at one point too.
One thing that I have always been so appreciative with Mark is how observant he is and how he finds the little things that kids do noteworthy, endearing, and funny. Our daughter is going to be so glad he's her dad. Just think at his next birthday he'll be a new dad!
We'll have to bring our girl to Picnic Pizza for one (or more!) of her birthday's so that she can have pizza & cannolis ( the room and everybody smelled like cannolis after they were all eaten!), enjoy the great people that work there, and, most importantly, celebrate with people that she cares about.
We had a great time at Picnic Pizza in Antioch Saturday. Amazingly many of our friends were able to come by and join us in celebrating his B-day. I say amazingly because, due to being sick and starting a new job, I rushed last minute to set something up (and changed it mid way!) to invite people. Mark truly was surprised and it was so great to see everyone that came!!!
Clark (Mark) & Andrea were there and Andrea was trying to help me with baby room color choices. She and I did a great job of diapering Elena, one of our youngest and most beautiful guests, together and she enjoyed holding Elena and walking around with her tremendously. Of course then there were some inquiries into when parenting might come into the picture for those two! They have time but boy she really has the baby loving thing down! Clark and Mark never run out of things to talk about and none of us gets to see each other as much as we'd like. They are going to be some of our daughter’s godparents and we couldn't be happier about that.
Our friend LeeAnn joined us - Mack is out of town performing. They're both musicians and fellow lovers of our once favorite pub Sherlock Holmes. In fact LeeAnn ran across Mark and me on our first official date at Sherlock Holmes and chatted with us for a little while. She's so funny when she talks about that night because, as she puts it, all of a sudden it dawned on her that we weren't just there as coworkers hanging out - it was a date - then she was like "Oh my" I should leave them alone! This, by the way, never occurred to either one of us because we were both enjoying her company, as we always do, and that in sync and open quality that we shared that night is one of the reasons we got married! (Thanks for giving us that insight LeeAnn!) She was THE BEST though and never breathed a word of it to anyone else as we were just starting to feel our way along. I really didn't want any pressure from the folks at the Mad Platter (where we worked together and met) who had all worked with Mark for a while before I started there and, even though he was no longer working there, were big fans of his.
We had some out of town guests - the band the Lost Patrol - that were coincidentally here the same weekend to perform at Cafe Coco, after Mark, the night before. They were here last year around this time but their new lead singer Molly is great and really rocked the show this time. They're friends of Dutch's whom Mark records progressive rock with on a regular basis. Friday night was a fun night too as Mark played Dutch’s original music with him and Lee (lead guitar) Sat. They both came and it was nice to have the music part of Mark's world included on his
b-day. He told me once early on that no matter that he wanted to change from being a musician full time that he was always going to keep playing and recording. I'm always really glad when he works with Dutch because he is really working hard with that music and it feeds him as a creative person. Not to mention that it's fun!
Lots of our friends have kids of varying ages and some of the younger ones that came that night were keeping us all entertained. That'll be us soon!
Henese & Chris & company are always a treat to see - they are usually having us over to their house so it was nice for us to get to invite them somewhere! Latte is now Henese's (teasing) unofficial son! Always one of the youngest at heart are this group! Their kids were little babies and toddlers just yesterday it seems. WOW they need to slow down - this growing up business is happening to fast for me to keep up! Junette is a PRE-TEEN!!! Kaliegh and Autumn are best buds and when Autumn gets off the bus from kindergarten she runs and hugs Kaliegh so hard - and Kaliegh loves it! Then, like out of a story book , they walk hand and hand together down the road towards home together. My brothers and I were always doing the stop touching me, you're on my side of the seat, thing. So different. Wow.
Adrienne and Dave came with Elena and Casey - who has decided that Mark is the best and whenever I see her, asks me questions about him. Saturday she wanted to know if where I lived and if I lived with him! Casey is always so quiet when you first see her but once she's settled she chatters and runs around with all of that energy that I am always so jealous of. She's NOT shy either! Evie was happy to see other kids and really liked sitting next to Elena and looking at her. Casey and she also sat next to each other and played - the agreement that Casey could play with her toy was reached and they were buds. Simple. Would that all things with new people were that easy. They got a flat on the way and Dave spent part of the night out in the cold fixing it. Yikes! Can't wait till Elena, who is soooo quite, reaches the talking age to see what goes on in her observant little head.
Gette and Mike's came with Evie and Luke - who we haven't seen since he was born almost a year ago and WOW the kids have both changed so much. Mark used to work with both of them at Dalts restaurant and they go back to the mid 90's together. I've worked at Martha's at the Plantation with Gette before too. It's funny though, even if it has been a while since we've seen them it always feels comfortable, like no time has passed! Evie really took to our waitress (who was jus the best with our group!) and loved watching the pizza guy making the pizza dough spin around. Luke was eager to switch scenery at one point and reached out for Mark to hold him. Mark always looks like a natural when he holds a little kiddo and I always see the calm and caring dad he'll be. I enjoyed holding Lukes hands and helping him walk around at one point too.
One thing that I have always been so appreciative with Mark is how observant he is and how he finds the little things that kids do noteworthy, endearing, and funny. Our daughter is going to be so glad he's her dad. Just think at his next birthday he'll be a new dad!
We'll have to bring our girl to Picnic Pizza for one (or more!) of her birthday's so that she can have pizza & cannolis ( the room and everybody smelled like cannolis after they were all eaten!), enjoy the great people that work there, and, most importantly, celebrate with people that she cares about.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Creating a local Ethiopian adoptive community
We would like to help develop a strong Ethiopian adoptive community here in the Nashville area to support our children and create a community of people that they can relate to on so many levels as they grow up. There is a really strong Chinese adoptive community here that has regular get togethers for those adopting from China and those in the process as well as events and activities. We are starting to spread the idea around and adding names of those that would be interested to an email list. If you, or anyone that you know, is or has adopted from Ethiopia and lives in the Nashville/Middle Tennessee Area - heck anywhere in Tennessee - please reply to our blog and we'll get connected!
Checking more steps off of the list!
YEA! We have found a pediatrician for our adoption and after. He has lots of experience with international adoption and the special medical eyes to see things others might miss and to put them in context. He also comes with rave reviews from adoptive and non-adoptive families. We really have to thank our local branch agency for having an adoption class where he came and spoke to us about the health and travel needs of internationally adopted children. He has room in his practice to take us on so YEA! He will also make sure that we have all of the medicines we will need for her while we are there. We are really happy to have the ball rolling on that end.
The CDC information for adult immunizations and vaccinations has been sent to our doctor and he will be able to get Mark and I ready to travel. We'll set up an appointment as soon as he has everything he needs for Ethiopia.
We have figured out that we will be getting a changeable ticket and using Emirates Airlines to travel. They have a stopover where they will put us in a hotel on the way there and that will give us a chance to get some good sleep before we arrive and take over caring for our baby. On the way back they have a faster flight that is great for traveling with her. Also their stopover is in Dubai and they do not require additional visas for our baby like other countries do. We have also learned that we will just buy her ticket home at a hotel once we are in Addis Ababa.
I've also figured out that we are going to apply for our one time entry visas at the airport in Bola, Ethiopia. I am working on getting the paperwork for that and all of our travel needs ready.
Mark researched Amharic tapes and books and ordered us one. It's nice because we can work on the basics and expand our learning as much as we can after that. We'll let you know how it's going!
If you have any names that you like send them our way. So far we have Amari, Nia, Shayla, Liana, Amani, and Nikki (after Nikki Giovanni - a fabulous African American female poet). These names all have good meanings too!
The CDC information for adult immunizations and vaccinations has been sent to our doctor and he will be able to get Mark and I ready to travel. We'll set up an appointment as soon as he has everything he needs for Ethiopia.
We have figured out that we will be getting a changeable ticket and using Emirates Airlines to travel. They have a stopover where they will put us in a hotel on the way there and that will give us a chance to get some good sleep before we arrive and take over caring for our baby. On the way back they have a faster flight that is great for traveling with her. Also their stopover is in Dubai and they do not require additional visas for our baby like other countries do. We have also learned that we will just buy her ticket home at a hotel once we are in Addis Ababa.
I've also figured out that we are going to apply for our one time entry visas at the airport in Bola, Ethiopia. I am working on getting the paperwork for that and all of our travel needs ready.
Mark researched Amharic tapes and books and ordered us one. It's nice because we can work on the basics and expand our learning as much as we can after that. We'll let you know how it's going!
If you have any names that you like send them our way. So far we have Amari, Nia, Shayla, Liana, Amani, and Nikki (after Nikki Giovanni - a fabulous African American female poet). These names all have good meanings too!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
We are on the list!!!!
Hi there,
So our latest news is that YEA! our dossier is in Ethiopia!!!!!!!!!!
Today the local agency office for Children's Hope had a reception for Mr. Tsegay Fesseha. He is the full-time bi-lingual representative in Ethiopia for Children's Hope in Addis Ababa and at the House of Hope. Kids there call him a version of papa, as we learned from a family that is just back with their children - three beautiful siblings! He is a lovely and caring man and we enjoyed talking with him about his hopes to grow the Ethiopian adoption program to help connect more families to their children.
He also took a look at our last name and told us he had our file safe in his office at the House of Hope!!!
The reception was another great way to get together with other families that have adopted or are in the process of adopting. It's also so exciting to see the happy children (3 months to 9 years) from Ethiopia. Alongside their brothers and sisters, some of whom are also adopted, these children and the adults at this reception created a mini United Nations!
If you are curious and want more info on CHI or the House of Hope follow this link.
http://adopt.childrenshope.net/programs/ethiopia/travel/
So our latest news is that YEA! our dossier is in Ethiopia!!!!!!!!!!
Today the local agency office for Children's Hope had a reception for Mr. Tsegay Fesseha. He is the full-time bi-lingual representative in Ethiopia for Children's Hope in Addis Ababa and at the House of Hope. Kids there call him a version of papa, as we learned from a family that is just back with their children - three beautiful siblings! He is a lovely and caring man and we enjoyed talking with him about his hopes to grow the Ethiopian adoption program to help connect more families to their children.
He also took a look at our last name and told us he had our file safe in his office at the House of Hope!!!
The reception was another great way to get together with other families that have adopted or are in the process of adopting. It's also so exciting to see the happy children (3 months to 9 years) from Ethiopia. Alongside their brothers and sisters, some of whom are also adopted, these children and the adults at this reception created a mini United Nations!
If you are curious and want more info on CHI or the House of Hope follow this link.
http://adopt.childrenshope.net/programs/ethiopia/travel/
So for all those who are wondering where we are and when we will be home with our baby girl the answer is we will get our referral sometime from February to May. We will travel and be home about two months following that. So sometime April to August we'll be home.
We have lots to do while we wait...
We have to:
1. keep working on the house so that there's less to do in the first few years
2. keep working on the babyroom
3. get our travel visas
4. figure out travel stuff - what airline/route we will use and if need be get another visa for our
baby (some countries require for a layover)
5. keep saving our pennies for the adoption (travel keeps going up up up)
6. get our travel immunizations and medicines
7. establish who our pediatrician will be and get set up to send the medical information we get at
referral to there - we have one we like that specializes in adoption
8. get medicines (ex. powdered antibiotics) and skin care items that we will need for our baby while we are there
9. get donations of medicines and care items for House of Hope
10. put together a list of what we will need for our trip like those really cool travel baby bottles with the storage tops for powdered formula
10. get on to the CHI Ethiopian group chat site and other blogs to pick up tips and keep up with
whats going on the Ethiopian adoption community
11. get all of our paperwork printed out and ready for travel
12. work on learning basic Ahmaric - language book and casset are on the way now
13. get all of our 3 month post adoption visit paperwork made/formatted and fill out as much as
possible before we are so busy with our new baby
14. same with the US adoption and citizenship paperwork that we will need to file for her when we get back
15. connect or keep connections going with the families that we have met through this process so hopefully we can develop some regular activities and events for the Ethiopian community here
in the Southeast, especially here in middle Tennessee
16. keep reading and learning about adoptive parenting, transracial parenting, and Ethiopia
This all should hopefully keep us busy enough that the time goes by with less impatience...but really, right now, after seeing all the children today we are so wishing it could be now!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
The end of the paperwork chase!
Last Monday I got everything in our dossier paperwork stamped up and officiated at the county and state level and then rushed to the post office and overnighted it to St. Louis where our caseworker for this part of our process is located. She looked everthing over one last time and said it was all good!!! SO our dossier was ready in time to send in at the end of the week with a package to DC! It will be about two weeks before it is sent to on Ethiopia. We can't wait for word that its there! Once it's there they will put us in line to match us with the child there who will become our daughter. Wow.
Then we'll be just waiting and from what I hear...you know how that song goes...it's the hardest part. The wait has increased since we started our adoption. Now, from the time they get our dossier, it is a minimum of six months for a referral. They say the window is about 6 to 10 months now. We had been hoping to fall in to the average of 5 months before so we'll have to learn a level of patience that we don't have. I'm looking at it as good preparation for being a parent.
We've been working on the house a lot over the summer, especialy as I haven't been able to get much filler work during that time before the school year starts. I guess we've been nesting because it's gone from tackling the kitchen ceiling (boy did Mark and Brian sweat up a storm with that became a monster of a project)to sanding oil painted walls, trim, cabinets, then it was on to our hardwood floors (yes I did! and refinished them too!), and when it cools off we'll sandblast the front porch! I've learned a little mudding and have been applying that around the house and then of course, sanding it! All of this work and sanding in order to repaint and refinsh before our family grows, when we expect that we'll have neither the energy or time! It's AMAZING how galvinizing knowing we're going to be parent's is.
The school year is about to start and I'm getting ready for that at as a teacher and a substitute again this year. I am looking forwrd to seeing my students again and am enjoying putting their curriculum together for the year. Mark is busy at work facing what many of us realize is the growing work load that a slowing economy has generated in a lot of people's jobs while companies try to keep costs way down and profits up. We both feel fortunate to have jobs that are at all in our fields and provide us with healthcare etc.
As we go into the fall we are going to keep working on the house and plan to get more involved in the adoptive community, especially the Ethiopian adoptive communities, here and across the country. We are also going to find out more about the Ethiopian community here in Nashville. We are going to need to get involved with our neighborhood association and help with improving our local schools too. The latter may be a little further out though. We have a whole other checklist of things going in order to be ready for our referral and travel to do first. It never ends! And that is, as we steadily not only know in our heads but feel the understanding of in our hearts, our role as parents.
Then we'll be just waiting and from what I hear...you know how that song goes...it's the hardest part. The wait has increased since we started our adoption. Now, from the time they get our dossier, it is a minimum of six months for a referral. They say the window is about 6 to 10 months now. We had been hoping to fall in to the average of 5 months before so we'll have to learn a level of patience that we don't have. I'm looking at it as good preparation for being a parent.
We've been working on the house a lot over the summer, especialy as I haven't been able to get much filler work during that time before the school year starts. I guess we've been nesting because it's gone from tackling the kitchen ceiling (boy did Mark and Brian sweat up a storm with that became a monster of a project)to sanding oil painted walls, trim, cabinets, then it was on to our hardwood floors (yes I did! and refinished them too!), and when it cools off we'll sandblast the front porch! I've learned a little mudding and have been applying that around the house and then of course, sanding it! All of this work and sanding in order to repaint and refinsh before our family grows, when we expect that we'll have neither the energy or time! It's AMAZING how galvinizing knowing we're going to be parent's is.
The school year is about to start and I'm getting ready for that at as a teacher and a substitute again this year. I am looking forwrd to seeing my students again and am enjoying putting their curriculum together for the year. Mark is busy at work facing what many of us realize is the growing work load that a slowing economy has generated in a lot of people's jobs while companies try to keep costs way down and profits up. We both feel fortunate to have jobs that are at all in our fields and provide us with healthcare etc.
As we go into the fall we are going to keep working on the house and plan to get more involved in the adoptive community, especially the Ethiopian adoptive communities, here and across the country. We are also going to find out more about the Ethiopian community here in Nashville. We are going to need to get involved with our neighborhood association and help with improving our local schools too. The latter may be a little further out though. We have a whole other checklist of things going in order to be ready for our referral and travel to do first. It never ends! And that is, as we steadily not only know in our heads but feel the understanding of in our hearts, our role as parents.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
ONE MORE STAGE DONE!
WE GOT OUR APPROVAL TODAY FOR OUR HOME STUDY FROM CITIZENS AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES!!! SUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRR!
This has been taking over two months for most people and lately some people have had to add more (no real clear reson why given to anyone) paperwork to theirs after submitting it. Ours was back in just 5 weeks!
See below for the other steps we are working on - but we are almost done with all of the paperwork.
The room is slowly coming along - pictures when closer!
Some friends have asked about throwing a babyshower and more will be coming about that. Regardless though, for anyone looking for ideas for the baby this is a link to an online wishlist http://www.thethingsiwant.com/ Chose search for someone elses list and put in Mingrone.
This has books and music on it that have been picked out because they are about Ethiopia, adoption, or will work for us as a transracial family. If anyone choses something for us off the list please feel free to listen to or read it first if you like. We're also comfortable with garage sale things and the like! Really and truely it's all GREAT!
TODAY IS SUCH A GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!! YEA YEA YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This has been taking over two months for most people and lately some people have had to add more (no real clear reson why given to anyone) paperwork to theirs after submitting it. Ours was back in just 5 weeks!
See below for the other steps we are working on - but we are almost done with all of the paperwork.
The room is slowly coming along - pictures when closer!
Some friends have asked about throwing a babyshower and more will be coming about that. Regardless though, for anyone looking for ideas for the baby this is a link to an online wishlist http://www.thethingsiwant.com/ Chose search for someone elses list and put in Mingrone.
This has books and music on it that have been picked out because they are about Ethiopia, adoption, or will work for us as a transracial family. If anyone choses something for us off the list please feel free to listen to or read it first if you like. We're also comfortable with garage sale things and the like! Really and truely it's all GREAT!
TODAY IS SUCH A GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!! YEA YEA YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Past the first round
Past the first round
WOW! So much has happened since the last blog and we still haven't even made this public yet!
A quick run down:
1. We applied to adopt a baby girl from Ethiopia through Children's Hope International at the end of January 2008. Our application was accepted by the agency at the end of February!
http://adopt.childrenshope.net/locations/southeast/index.php
2. We worked on and finished our home study (lots of paperwork, a few classes, plus interviews and home visit) thanks to all of our reference writers, all of those folks that provided needed paperwork, and our social worker.
3. It was submitted to Citizens and Immigration Services in June (!!!! YEA!!!)- they'll have it for a couple of months or so.
4. We are now working on our dossier (paperwork that goes to Ethiopia, our education requirements, and will be going to more classes.
The time line as we can guess it right now is this:
We'll hopefully have all of our paperwork done and submitted to our international agency representative by the end of July or the first week of August. Hopefully we won't need to fix or re-do anything at that point.
We'll get all of the paperwork that needs county level certification notarized after that.
We'll hopefully get our CIS approval for our home study by mid-August but could be as late as the end of August.
We'll take of our paperwork to get State apostilled (people use a courier too - hmmm) and then submit a hard copy to our agency representative by the end of August first week in September. Again, hopefully we won't need to fix anything.
Our agency representative gives our dossier another once over then submits it to the agencies D.C. office. They check it, get it transcribed into Amharic (the official language of Ethiopia), get it Federally certified, then send it to Addis Ababa the capitol of Ethiopia) - hopefully by mid-September at the latest but could be the end of September
Whew, THEN we WAIT.
They say its 3-9 months until you get your referral (matched with a child) but it usually doesn't go longer than 5 months. So hopefully, now, no later than mid-January. That's a big day, we learn about who our daughter might be and get her medical information and a picture of her.
At that point it will get a little wild I think.
In a two short months we will get her medical information reviewed at the adoption clinic at Vanderbilt, hopefully accept our referral, book our travel, and our adoption will be going to court in Ethiopia where our Ethiopian agency representative (will have power of attorney) and the family will go through officially making us the parents in the eyes of Ethiopia. Hopefully there won't be too many delays and our match will convert to an adoption and she will become our daughter!
We will go to Ethiopia, meet our daughter for the first time (!!!!), get her visa, take her to the doctor, have Vanderbilt help us with anything we need, learn as much as we can about her family and medical history (possibly even meet her family to learn more), and learn as much as we can about what Ethiopia is like first hand so that we can have this as a gift for her as she grows up.
THEN we come home and readopt her here as a US Citizen - we will be her parents in the eyes of the US then.
Are you worn out yet? Then we get all the joy along sleepless nights!
AND WE CAN'T WAIT!!!
Here's what our friend Rebecca said that has kept the way clear through every step.
"Any day could be her birthday." So with that in mind it could be today! YEA!
More later on the baby room PLUS ideas for books and music that will help all of us and our daughter connect with her Ethiopian heritage, being a transracial family, and parenting an adopted child. That throws over so much of what I know, what we all think we know, about taking care of kids - we all have a lot to learn - good thing she'll be there to teach us!
WOW! So much has happened since the last blog and we still haven't even made this public yet!
A quick run down:
1. We applied to adopt a baby girl from Ethiopia through Children's Hope International at the end of January 2008. Our application was accepted by the agency at the end of February!
http://adopt.childrenshope.net/locations/southeast/index.php
2. We worked on and finished our home study (lots of paperwork, a few classes, plus interviews and home visit) thanks to all of our reference writers, all of those folks that provided needed paperwork, and our social worker.
3. It was submitted to Citizens and Immigration Services in June (!!!! YEA!!!)- they'll have it for a couple of months or so.
4. We are now working on our dossier (paperwork that goes to Ethiopia, our education requirements, and will be going to more classes.
The time line as we can guess it right now is this:
We'll hopefully have all of our paperwork done and submitted to our international agency representative by the end of July or the first week of August. Hopefully we won't need to fix or re-do anything at that point.
We'll get all of the paperwork that needs county level certification notarized after that.
We'll hopefully get our CIS approval for our home study by mid-August but could be as late as the end of August.
We'll take of our paperwork to get State apostilled (people use a courier too - hmmm) and then submit a hard copy to our agency representative by the end of August first week in September. Again, hopefully we won't need to fix anything.
Our agency representative gives our dossier another once over then submits it to the agencies D.C. office. They check it, get it transcribed into Amharic (the official language of Ethiopia), get it Federally certified, then send it to Addis Ababa the capitol of Ethiopia) - hopefully by mid-September at the latest but could be the end of September
Whew, THEN we WAIT.
They say its 3-9 months until you get your referral (matched with a child) but it usually doesn't go longer than 5 months. So hopefully, now, no later than mid-January. That's a big day, we learn about who our daughter might be and get her medical information and a picture of her.
At that point it will get a little wild I think.
In a two short months we will get her medical information reviewed at the adoption clinic at Vanderbilt, hopefully accept our referral, book our travel, and our adoption will be going to court in Ethiopia where our Ethiopian agency representative (will have power of attorney) and the family will go through officially making us the parents in the eyes of Ethiopia. Hopefully there won't be too many delays and our match will convert to an adoption and she will become our daughter!
We will go to Ethiopia, meet our daughter for the first time (!!!!), get her visa, take her to the doctor, have Vanderbilt help us with anything we need, learn as much as we can about her family and medical history (possibly even meet her family to learn more), and learn as much as we can about what Ethiopia is like first hand so that we can have this as a gift for her as she grows up.
THEN we come home and readopt her here as a US Citizen - we will be her parents in the eyes of the US then.
Are you worn out yet? Then we get all the joy along sleepless nights!
AND WE CAN'T WAIT!!!
Here's what our friend Rebecca said that has kept the way clear through every step.
"Any day could be her birthday." So with that in mind it could be today! YEA!
More later on the baby room PLUS ideas for books and music that will help all of us and our daughter connect with her Ethiopian heritage, being a transracial family, and parenting an adopted child. That throws over so much of what I know, what we all think we know, about taking care of kids - we all have a lot to learn - good thing she'll be there to teach us!
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