My First Official Post

I am sooo excited---this is my first official post on my very own blog!! I had no intention of starting a blog but after seeing other ones and how fun they looked, I couldn't resist. For those family and friends I don't talk to often I thought it would be a good way to keep you informed of the adoption happenings. I also figured it would be yet another way to help pass the time while "waiting."

Speaking of "waiting"--I learned yesterday that we are now #8 on the wait list! Of course this could mean a referral in the next month or two or it could be 4 or 5 months. That has been the hardest part of this process is that you just don't know. Sometimes you don't know much of anything! When we started the process it was a 4-6 month wait for a referral of an infant boy---then it increased to 6-8 months---then 10 months---now it is at about a year. It is definitely a rollercoaster ride.

The latest news out of Ethiopia is a proposed change to the travel part of the process whereby they want to have both parents travel for the court hearing. Currently, only one parent has to travel for the Embassy date to get the child's Visa and bring the child home. Now they are proposing that both parents meet the child prior to the court hearing and then appear before the judge. One parent would then have to return 3-8 weeks later for the Embassy appointment and bring the child home. This is proposed due to some adoption agencies passing off special needs children to parents who wanted a "healthy" child and the parents aren't aware of it until they go to pick up the child and it is too late--the child has passed court and is already theirs. Some parents then end up leaving the child there.

Of course we aren't too happy about this proposed change as Troy did not want us to both go over due to already having children and the risk involved, not to mention the unforseen added expenses. Our agency said it has not been finalized yet but we have been hearing rumors that it WILL start May 9, 2010.

What was I saying about a rollercoaster ride?