22 Months!

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season.  It has been nice to see some movement again in the adoption world and although I am still many months away it gives much hope to see people get referrals, visa's and travel to pick up their little ones.  This Christmas season was a difficult one for sure, who would have thought when I started that I would not even had a referral by now.  However I was surrounded by friends and family which made for a wonderful time.  Hopefully by this time next year I will have a picture of my little one - I can only hope s/he will be in my arms :)

May the New Year continue to bring much good news!

21 Months!

21 months!!! Boy I never imagined when I started this process that I would still be waiting to see the face of my little one.  I had gone in expecting a long wait...but not quite this long!  I have to say however that my coordinator has been wonderful throughout this.  I called in at the beginning of this month to ensure they received all of my updated dossier (has to be updated after two years) and thought I would just check in re: time lines.  I knew they could not give me a real picture of how much longer until a referral due to all of the factors involved but they were wonderful on the phone and seemed to understand the difficulty of waiting.  It looks like it could be up to another year before I receive a referral however given I have not specified a gender this may be less time than others. That news was disappointing for sure -- but at least it helped me to adjust my mind frame a bit and I hope it makes this part of the wait a bit easier. 

This past week has brought good news of travel visas for many little ones!  May the next couple weeks be filled with more good news of visas, referrals and court dates!

20 Months

I am a little late posting as I was away on the 28th.  I have to say the last couple months since I posted have been difficult to say the least but they seem to be looking up more now.  The last two months have been filled with very little new referrals and visa news for families; this to say the least was disappointing and made the end point feel unreachable.  With that being said the last week there has been some movement and I am hoping this means good things for the next while.  Families have been waiting a LONG time for referrals and to bring their children home. 

My thanks goes out to the support of another adoptive mom who has brought her daughter home.  She was able to listen to my vent and offer some hope :)  This makes me value the adoption community more than ever.  To be able to talk to someone who has been there, done that, is so helpful! 

Hitting 20 months feels like a big achievement - I don't know how much longer the wait will be, or what other changes may occur in the meantime but I have been restored with some hope that it will happen :)  Here is hoping the good news continues and the movement in the program remains steady. 

Happy Ethiopian New Years!

Happy Ethiopian new years to all!  I hope everyone enjoys their own way of celebrating the holiday today!   May the next year bring good news to many!

18 Months!

1.5 years since my dossier landed in Ethiopia and just over two years since I began this crazy journey!  I have to say that I still love hearing people's good news however this also comes with bad - longer wait times in all areas of the journey that continue to get longer.  A part of me is trying to prepare for not having my baby home until 2012 but the other part of me finds this much more of a wait incredibly long!   I will try to keep a positive attitude and belief that the baby that is meant for me will come in due time :) 

This post will be kept short a sweet as to remain positive :)  Hoping that everyone recieves good news regarding visa's and referrals that have been waiting SO long!

16 Months!

16 months of waiting today.  I have also just started updating the mounds of paper work that will expire come September!  I can not believe that it has almost been two years since I signed my first piece of paperwork and began this crazy journey!  I have to say the journey thus far has been filled with many ups and downs.  I believe someone once referred to this process as a roller coaster ride - I have to say this is very accurate (even though I have never been on a real roller coaster I can imagine :) ). 

People have been asking me a lot recently about time lines - and I give them the most honest answer "I have no idea" or "that is the million dollar question".  I think the wavering and ever increasing time lines have made me realize that this is not going to happen anytime soon.  At first I still was trying to be optimistic but then realized that was simply making the wait much longer.  I have decided to expect no referral until 2011 (lets hope within that year!!) which has made the waiting somewhat easier (some days :) ).  I fine renewed hope when I hear about others referrals and steps through court, visa's issued, etc.  - this is what makes it continue to feel like it will happen one day!

15 Months!

Today marks 15 months since my file landed in Ethiopia.  I have to say this month flew by and part of me is wondering where May went!  Each week was so busy that I didn't have time to sit and think much about the adoption (although always in the back of my mind) - part of this is a blessing because with the increasing time lines the wait is hard. With that being said there have been many referrals this month for little baby boys and hearing others stories about referrals always brings a smile to my face as well as makes the process feel more "real" and that it will happen.   Being the planner that I am the unknown is proving to be difficult at times :)  I suspect that the summer will go by fast as it seems to already be filled with fun and company!

14 Months!

This month was a busy one for me.  I moved into a new job this week so have spent this month trying to wrap up as much stuff at the old one as possible (in both jobs for a short time).  I am excited about the change and hope that it will help make time fly as I wait :)  My new work place is well aware of my adoption plans and 100% supportive which is great! 

This month my cousin and her two children (4 months and 2.5 years) were in town for almost three weeks.  It was lots of fun and nice to be around the little ones so much!  I look forward to the day that my child can meet them all! 

Not much else to report at this milestone - I am hoping that referrals continue to come and wait times stabilize or speed up!

This week my coordinator sent out March's update.  Many people have been asking them to send a list of when dossiers landed in Ethiopia and up until this update they had decided to not share this information for numerous reasons.  As a part of Marchs update they sent a list of months and how many dossiers landed (not age requests or specifics but just numbers).  I have to say part of me wishes that they had not done this.  With simply numbers it looks like it will be FOREVER before my file is at the top of the pile and because the number of referrals per month is also unpertictable there is no way of knowing timelines at this point.  I am trying hard to see the positives and most days am able to. My worry is that I will still be waiting at the two year mark like many people are right now.  There is no way to perdict this of course. 

Another part of the update was confirmation that adoptive parents will need to attend court in Ethiopia.  We all knew that this was something that was in the works but it has been confirmed.  What still is not clear is whther or not two trips is going to be required.  My assumption would be yes however the update indicted that the court date would be about 6 weeks after the first court date where the child is relinquished by parents, etc.  This leaves much wondering as to whether much of the immigration stuff can be done ahead of time therefore making it possible for just a longer trip??  Many questions left unanswered but since I am far from that point I will wait and see what other people experience.

13 Months!!

Today marks 13 months of waiting for a referral.  I have a bit of mixed feelings around this.  First off I am so happy to be at 13 months as it just brings me that much closer.  I am hopeful that I am past the half way mark of my wait however a little cautious all the same as wait times have been increasingly creaping up.  When I started they told me it was 8-14 months waiting for a referral; at that time I was counting on at least 18 months.  Now the wait times they are saying is 18-24 months however many people are at the 24 month mark and still waiting! I think as much as I understand the process and expected the ups and downs it does not make it any easier.  With that being said I am trying to remain positive and I know in my heart that the wait will bring me to the right child for my family.

Okay so finally I have some time to sit down and figure out how to add a picture on here to show the first blanket that I have made for baby. This was a very simple one but I fell in love with the material so had to get it :)   I haven't decided what I will make next - right now I am working on a adult quilt for my mom...almost finished it but at the slow part so will be awhile before I post that. 

 

 

                                                                                

Today I say good by the my 20's and hello to a new decade of my life.  I have to say the last 10 years have been filled with ups and downs.  I finished all my schooling, bought my own home, and started into a career that I love!  In this time I have met many life long friends - people who mean the world to me and have supported me in more ways than I can ever have imagined.  The end of this decade also was the start of the adoption process!  As I enter into my 30's I look forward to continuing on my adoption journey, seeing the beautiful face of my baby and becoming a mom! 

12 Months!

One year of waiting for a referral! I have been thinking about this post for the past few days - what do you really say. I am more than happy to have one year of waiting behind me, I am reminded of this as my ticker baby starts again - not over but onto year two of waiting. I am ready to be a mom! I look forward to this year and finding out if my baby will be a boy or a girl and seeing my baby's face for the first time (hopefully this year!).

This process of waiting is hard! I have to say that it has many ups and downs. It does not matter how much you prepare yourself for this there are moments when it seems overwhelming and as if it will never happen. Thankfully this is countered by following others through the journey who recieve referrals, pass court and travel to pick up their children. These moments give hope and excitment.

Here is to the next year bringing much good news!!!

On a side note - I finally completed the first of hopefully many quilts for my baby!  This was was pretty simple but I fell in love with the material. I hope to get a picture up of it soon. 

I wanted to send out a congrats to Hazel and Ramona who recieved word today that their travel visas are in!! After 9 months of waiting since their referrals they will get to see their beautiful children next week!!! Happy travelling :)

Happy Valentines!

Happy Valentines to everyone!

Today I was thinking about how I want to make this day special when my baby comes home. When I was little my parents always did something little each Valentines to let us know how special we are to them and I want to do something similar. Although this is not my favorite holiday (a bit "halmark" for me), I want to make it special for my child.

I hope everyone has a great Valentines with their family! and that the week to come brings good news for so many of you who continue to wait way too long!!

Thoughts

I have been off work sick the last few days which has lead to much thinking about the adoption and all that it brings. I have been trying to make a list and think of all the things that I need to get before baby comes home. My thought was if I start picking up some of the items that I need slowly it won't be such a mad rush after the referral. That way I can save that time for clothes and gender specific things. I thought I would put the question out there to others as to what people found most helpful or anything that you did not think of that would be important to get. I have to say these days off have been good in a sense but also find that all I think about is the adoption (not that I haven't most days), and I have been reading a lot of blogs....with all that being said it makes the wait feel like forever away! With that being said I look forward to all of the people I have met (in person and through blogs) picking up their littles ones soon and recieving referals.

11 Months!

Today I hit 11 months of waiting however at the way that things are moving now it seems as though it is going to be possibly another year or more until I hear anything. I am trying to stay hopeful that I will hear something in the fall however not sure if this is a good idea due to the lengthing time lines. I suppose sometimes optimism is much better then realism right ;) Last year when my file landed in Ethiopia the wait times were much shorter and the possiblity of my file being "close" to a referral at this time was good. With increasing time lines, delays in process and the unperdictability of international adoption these time lines have doubled.

Much of the news recently in the adoption world has been that of frustration and a lot of "no news". I am hoping the next month bring much good news to those waiting for referrals, court dates and those of you who have waited way too long to pick up your little ones!

This month so far has been a busy one however. I was able to celebrate two friends 30th birthdays as well as 1st Biset's birthday (see last post). It was nice to see everyone at these parties!

Happy Birthday Biset!

I just wanted to send out a Happy Birthday wish to Hazel's daughter Biset. I had the privillage of celebrating Biset's first birthday today with Hazel's friends and family. We went for Ethiopian food and Hazel made pink cupcakes to celebrate. Biset is waiting to travel home to be with her mom so that they can celebrate her belated birthday together!

Melkam Genna!

Today is Christmas in Ethiopia. I wanted just to post and wish everyone a Merry Christmas!!