February 2008

Closer. . .

Submitted by admin on Tue, 02/26/2008 - 10:08pm

We're quite close to being done with paperwork. We just need the department of immigration to mail us an approval form (171-H) and get our life insurance finalized and we'll be set to have everything notarized, certified, and authenticated. So, pray that these two last pieces come quickly, as they are out of our control as far as speed goes. The 171-H takes anywhere from 2 weeks to two months to get delivered. We'd like the former.

Choosing an Agency

Submitted by admin on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 10:20pm

I'm not very motivated to write about things we've already done with adoption, especially this part because it was annoying. When choosing an agency, we looked around online at websites, yahoo groups, and talked with people about Ethiopia adoption programs. We considered how long they've been working in Ethiopia, how long their process is, how much their program costs, how professional they are, and what their reputation is with people who have adopted through them.

Paperchase

Submitted by admin on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 10:31pm

This is often referred to as the morning sickness of adoption. While it usually doesn't make you physically ill, the tediousness and length of it do sap your energy and your enthusiasm, so you begin to wonder why you got yourself into this in the first place. But, you just have to remind yourself that you are doing this for a baby.

Ethiopia is Awesome

Submitted by admin on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 3:47pm

Not only is Ethiopian food about the most delicious thing we've tasted (except for the raw meat dish), and the original source of coffee, but the history is fascinating. Ethiopia is one of the few countries to not be colonized by Europeans, which gives it a very distinct, proud, and ancient culture. They still follow the Julian Calendar, they have Tolkienish names for places (Gondar, Axum, Lalibela, Semien Mountains), and we've also found it rich with conspiracy theory potential, which makes history oh so much more interesting.

Deciding to adopt

Submitted by admin on Tue, 02/12/2008 - 10:43pm

Deciding to adopt was a bit intimidating for us, mostly because we knew it was a process that is aggravating, tedious, long and heartwrenching. Once we got over that, it just became a really annoying means to a fabulous end. When we think of the end result (our nephew Josiah is usually a great reminder of why we are doing this), we know it is all worth it. After talking with Heather and Archie and Kim Johnson, who have gone through international adoption, the whole process began to sound a bit more doable.

Adoption Process

Submitted by admin on Tue, 02/12/2008 - 10:39pm

The process of adoption can take anywhere from a few months to a few years, but pretty much everybody who adopts goes through the following stages:

  1. Decide to adopt
  2. Choose an agency
  3. Acceptance by agency

Introduction

Submitted by admin on Tue, 02/12/2008 - 3:29am

There are any number of things I could say in this first post, but I want to let you know briefly what is going on. Heidi and I are adopting from Ethiopia. We began the process in September of 2007. We are currently in the "paper chase." We are gathering a whole bunch of official documents and once we have them all, our dossier will be complete. Then we wait. And wait. And wait for a referral—a picture and complete medical records and all known information of a baby (or babies).