July Un-Date

Updating is a bit over-rated in the adoption process because there is so little to say. After a very brief camping vacation in Arkansas, we came home to find our pre-approval letter for an orphan visa (the document by which our child comes home). This is truly the last "approval" step for us as future parents.

The rest of the process involves documenting our future child - who they are, from where they came, how they came to need a family. We expect to wait until sometime in September or October for any new information. We can check in monthly with our agency (and have already done so once), but until they get closer to you on the list, they only give vague information.

One bit of rumor is that the Ethiopian courts will not be closing this year. Typically, the court system closes from August through the beginning of October. During this time, families can receive referrals (our next step - picture and information on a specific child), but no adoptions can be completed. This slows down all adoptions, as the courts are flooded with backed-up cases once they re-open. We can only hope that rumor is truth and that the courts will remain open this year. This gives us a much higher chance of actually seeing the completion of our adoption before the end of the year.

Next Steps:

1. Wait for referral of a child with information and a picture! - Likely 4-5 months from our DTE (dossier to Ethiopia) date of 5-18-2009.
2. Wait for document submission to Ethiopian court. - A few weeks to a couple of months from referral acceptance.
3. Wait for our adoption to finalize in court. (Some people end up having multiple court dates. Finalization is NOT guaranteed on the first round). - Could go very fast, could take 6 months or more!
4. TRAVEL! - Approx. 3-6 weeks after our adoption is finalized.

The list is getting shorter!!! Just can't wait until we get that baby information!!! :)

On a much more personal note, I am definately ready to be a mom. I know it will be hard and present challenges we haven't even thought to think of...but if 18 and 19 year old single girls can figure it out, I am confident Ryan and I can make it work!

Waiting - But not TOO anxiously
Rebecca