Merry Christmas, Baby

To our sweet baby, wherever you are, Merry Christmas. We can't wait to spend next Christmas with you. Today I told your big brother, Tatum, that I hoped you were home by Spring Break. He said "No." I said "What?!" He said "TOMORROW!" :) We all love you and can't wait to meet you!

-Kirsta

Just add baby!

This weekend we painted and painted and PAINTED the nursery :)  It's all ready for the baby!!

The "green wall"--dragonfly photo will be framed and hung above crib

The changing table and chair to rock baby to sleep :)

The nursery

My painting helper

Fine art!

Message to the baby--and the color I had to cover up with 5 coats of white!

New light--it glows in the dark :)

The new Lutron dimmer switch! Nice job, Michael the electrician!

Baby showers!

Thanks to friends for 2 amazing baby showers this past week. It was great to talk about adoption, educate people, and get wonderful little baby-things :). It makes it feel even more real. Just wish we could know when we'll get the call.....
Kirsta

We are in circulation!!

The last of our paperwork was received today by Adoption by Shepherd Care! So, beginning tomorrow our profile books will be in circulation to birthmothers looking for an adoptive family for their baby. Woo-hoo!!

Here's hoping for a fast referral that will bring us together with our new daughter or son soon!! Tate is excited to be a big brother and has been talking about what he'll do as a big brother all night :)

Smiles,
Kirsta & Michael

Homestudy is signed!

We signed the new, domestic version of our homestudy today. It will be sent to the State for approval probably Tuesday. So, hopefully everything will be complete and in Florida soon!

I also completed our registries today, so here's hoping there's a baby soon!

Kirsta

One step closer...

Our clearance from the County has been completed and is en route to Florida. Now just waiting to sign our homestudy and have it approved by the state. Then it will be sent to Florida along with our references. Once this is complete, we'll be officially waiting!! Hoping this will happen in less than 2 weeks from now :)

Here's how our agency put it:

"When we receive the above documents your profiles will be eligible to be shown to birthmothers who meet your acceptance factors."


So that sounds pretty real to us! Better get that nursery painted!


Have a great weekend!
Kirsta & Michael

And the nesting begins....

After a fun-filled weekend away from home, we're doing some serious nesting this Labor Day. I've been sorting and washing baby clothes (can't believe Tatum was ever so small!!) and Michael and Tatum have been working on home improvements (new lights in the kids' rooms, fixing the broken mailbox, and replacing a headlight on the van).

I wonder, is this how June Cleaver felt every day of her life?! It's super fun getting everything in its place and ready for baby!

Kirsta & Michael

So, I kissed the mail...

Got your attention, didn't I? On Thursday I mailed off our profile books to Florida, but before I took them in to the post office I gave them a kiss for good luck :) According to USPS tracking, they left a notice at Shepherd Care today, so they should have our profile books and application paperwork by Monday.

Here's the scoop on what we're still waiting for:

• Clearance from the County: I'm taking the form by Monday, and hoping they process quickly
• Homestudy: Our social worker is finalizing it this weekend, sending to her boss to review on Monday, and then to the State for final approval.

We have our fingers crossed that this is all complete and mailed to Florida next week....  Then we only have to wait for a birthmom to select us. Yippee!!

Kirsta & Michael

HUGE NEWS!!

We've been very quiet the last few months, but we've been busy mulling over many facets of our adoption. In the end, we have decided to end our adoption from Ethiopia and begin a domestic adoption through an agency in Florida, Adoption by Shepherd Care. Some dear friends have brought their 2 beautiful daughters home through Shepherd Care.

Now we're through a lot of the paperwork, and have completed our profile books for birthmothers to review. We hope to be officially waiting for the call very soon...

More to come--stay tuned :)

Kirsta & Michael

More movement!!

Even as we wonder what the future of Ethiopian adoption will be, we move up a few spots--survey says....

Baby girl #48
Baby boy #29 (same)
Toddler girl #16 (1st movement since going on this list 2+ months ago!)

Happy weekend!

Out of the 50s and 30s

There's been some movement on the waiting lists (yea!) and we've moved into the 40s and 20s. Here are our numbers:

#49 baby girl
#29 baby boy
#17 toddler girl

There have been several updates from our agency in the last few weeks:

New Court Process and Requirements

We would like to thank all families for their patience while waiting for this information. We are yet to have an IAN family travel for court so the information we have been given is not based on our personal experience. We have heard from our staff in Ethiopia and know that the following is true regarding the new court process.

1. There will be two separate court dates, one for the birth family/guardian and another for the adoptive family. The birth family will have the first court date. If the biological parent or guardian does not appear, they will be given a 2nd appointment. We do not know if this will delay the adoptive parents scheduled court date. Approximately 20-30 days after the birth parents/guardians court date, the adoptive families will have their court date. The reasoning for having two separate court dates seems to be to keep the birth and adoptive families from meeting. Both parents will be required to travel for court.

2. The following documents are required to open the file to get a court date. 
a. Birth certificate (new)
This has not been a requirement until now. Birth certificates were required after the court approved the case and prior to the embassy interview. The districts/kebeles will issue the birth certificates, which is a new system. Until now, we have received the birth certificates after passing court.b. Photos of birth parents or guardians (new)
This is now going to be required to be attached with the social history of the child when the file is opened at court. Previous to the new regulation, only the child’s photo was required. c. A copy of the families passport (new)
This has not been required in the past. It will now be a part of the families Dossier.d. Translated medical of the child.
e. Translated homestudy.
How will this change the adoption timeline?

We do expect the wait time to increase with these changes and new requirements. The Ethiopian process has changed and it will take time for them to become familiar with these new regulations. We expect some delays in getting the birth certificates and family photos. We also expect an increased wait time because there will be two separate dates for birth and adoptive families.
We hope this is helpful and thank you again for your patience. We will keep you posted as the new process continues to develop.

Court Closure Date

The courts will be closing in Ethiopia from August 9th until the end of September. MOWA and the embassy will be open during this time.

Beginning July 15, 2010 IAN will only be accepting new families into the Ethiopia program who are open to children age two years and older. This new policy will not have any impact on families who are already a part of the program.

As all of you know, the combination fewer infant referrals coming out of Ethiopia and growing interest in the program has resulted in a much longer waiting list and longer wait times.  It is our hope that this limit on new families will be temporary and we will again accept all families when the wait time is more reasonable. 

Meanwhile, three new young boys will be placed on the waiting children list today.  We currently have 10 boys waiting for homes.  If you would like more information on these precious boys, please contact your coordinator. 

Ethiopia Program Update - June 28, 2010

-We have been hearing from many of you that you are concerned about the slow down we've recently been seeing in referrals, especially infants.  We certainly understand your concern, and while it is impossible to predict when things might change or why they are happening, there are a few things that may help clarify: 

• Things have not returned to normal after the elections. From our point of view, the election is over and things should be back to normal, but we don't really understand how things work in a developing country. The children must have paperwork completed in their home regions by the local authorities.  That is one place where the process is stalling right now.  It is not unusual for changes (or in this case a return to normalcy) to take longer in the outlying regions then it does in Addis. 
• The process is going to be permanently longer due to the new regulations after all the shake up last spring. The Ethopian authorities are being a lot more diligent when clarifying orphan status before we even know about the kids in the pipeline over there.
• In the light of the lengthening of the process, we have adjusted the wait times we estimate for the different lists.  Please bear in mind that these are only estimates, and we always hope wait times are shorter than we estimate.  Times given are from the time the family is added to the waiting list.

1. Infant girls:  12-18 months
2. Infant boys:  12-15 months.
3. Toddler girls:  6-12 months
4. Toddler boys:  4-8 months
5. Children over 5 years:  3-6 months
6. Siblings:  We cannot predict, as there is such a wide variety of what families on this list are approved for. 

-We know that many of you are anxiously awaiting information on the new court travel requirements.  Our in-country staff is working diligently on clarifying the details, and we look forward to having our first families complete the process in the near future.  Thanks for bearing with us as we do our best to provide the most accurate information available in a timely manner. 

-IAN has a representative, Tomas Bayou, currently in Addis Ababa.  Not only will Tomas be escorting children home, but he will be providing a great source of communication between the Ethiopia and US offices of IAN.

First wait list movement for us!!

We moved up on the waiting list for the first time since going on the list May 12. Yippee!!! Progress is good :)

New numbers:
#51 baby girl
#32 baby boy
#17 toddler girl

Appointment for fingerprinting!

We got our letters yesterday from the USCIS with our fingerprinting appointment. However, we'll be on vacation the date of our appointment. So, we'll have to reschedule.

A few interesting observations.... Though we're still likely months away from a referral, I am stressed that we have to push back our appointment. We have plenty of time to get this done, but I still hate to hold up the process in any way. Secondly, I find it humorous that we have to reschedule this appointment by mail. In other words, we have to send the form back marked "reschedule" and wait to receive a new form with a new date. Really? Can you imagine if you had to do this to reschedule a doctor's appointment or lunch with a friend?....

Anyway, it will be fine, and one day just a tiny bump in the road I probably won't even remember. Until then, we'll anxiously wait for our next appointment to be scheduled.....
Kirsta

Dossier en route to Ethiopia!

Our dossier has been authenticated in DC, and left for Ethiopia yesterday! It should arrive by the end of next week, where it will wait to get to the top of the list and be translated. 

No movement on the waitlist, but at least our paperwork is one step closer to being complete!! :)

I-600A submitted, update on Ethiopia

We mailed our I-600A yesterday, which is the "Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition". This is the first step in getting a visa to bring home our child! Once the USCIS approves it, they'll send us the I-171H, the "Notice of Favorable Determination Concerning Application for Advanced Processing of Orphan Petition" and tell us when we can go get our fingerprinting done (again) :).

Here's an update from our agency regarding the upcoming Ethiopian Election and its impact on adoptions. Hopefully more referrals coming soon (see #2, below)!!
Kirsta


As many of you know, Ethiopia is preparing to hold elections on May 23. Results of this election will be announced on June 21. We anticipate that this election will effect IAN families in two ways:

1.) Travel: The state department has issued a travel advisory for citizens traveling to Ethiopia between May 23 and July 1, 2010. After the last elections Ethiopia held in 2005, there was an outbreak of violence. While measures are in place to prevent this occurance, it is possible, and IAN advises families to take the following measures:
a. Avoid large crowds, public gatherings, and try to avoid being out and about after dark.
b. Do NOT travel outside of Addis Ababa during this time, especially to the southern regions.
c. Register with the US embassy in Addis before you go.
d. Monitor local media and internet while in Addis to stay aware of any dangers.
e. Consider purchasing oversees travel insurance.


IAN is in constant contact with our Ethiopian staff, and we all still feels that travel is reasonably safe if these precautions are taken, but will have an additional waiver for families to sign if they are traveling during this time.

For more information on travel advisories please visit travel.state.gov or ethiopia.usembassy.gov.

2.) Processing referrals: During this time, court officials are extremely preoccupied with election business and are not available to process paperwork that allows children from outlying regions to be transported to Addis and become available for adoption. This has been a large part of why referrals have slowed down recently, and we look forward to things picking up again after May 23, although it may take a few weeks for things to return to normal.

If you have any questions, please contact your coordinator. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

ON THE WAITING LIST!!!

What a wonderful day! This afternoon I received a call from our agency that our homestudy has been approved!!! That meant we could go on the wait lists!!

Here are the details:
We are #52 on the infant girl list (<2 years old)
We are #33 on the infant boy list (<2 years old)
We are #17 on the toddler girl list (<5 years old)

We are SO happy to be on the list. Yes, we'll have to wait some months for a referral, but now we're back on track and  making progress. Yippee!!!!! Here's to Tatum's sister or brother!

Kirsta & Michael

Thanks for all the support!

Thanks to everyone who posted a comment or sent me a note of support. It really does help knowing there are other families out there waiting...and waiting...and waiting.... I realize now that having a number IS great, but so is watching your number go down!! Here's hoping for all of us that our children find us soon!
Kirsta

One more week...

Well, our homestudy didn't get sent to the State after all last week--some final edits were needed by the agency. It was supposed to be mailed today and I somehow resisted the urge to email and ask..."So, did it get mailed??" (I actually wrote the email but deleted it) :)

 I'm sure all will work out as it is supposed to, but right now I'm a little deflated. In late March, we thought we would be on the wait list by early April, and now it's almost the middle of May, and we're still not on the list... And the list is growing longer and longer. When we first signed on with the agency, there were 20-something families on the infant girl list....now it's in the 50s. It's just hard because I remember this frustration from our first adoption...the waiting, the not knowing...it's the hardest.

But, I also know that the first time around it was all worth it. Every excruciating second, because our son is so amazing and we are the luckiest family in the world to have him. And there are now 3 times as many orphanages that our agency is working with compared to when we signed on, which will no doubt speed up referrals. It's just hard knowing your child is out there (or soon will be) and you can't be with her....

So, here's to patience. During our first adoption, a dear friend told me that maybe patience is the lesson I was supposed to be learn through it all. Of course, my brother-in-law says patience (patients) are people in hospitals! Ha!

Fingers crossed that we'll be on the wait list next week :)
Kirsta

Finally FBI!!

Our clearance from the FBI came back last week, so our social worker was able to complete our homestudy! The homestudy should be sent to the State on Tuesday, and usually approval comes in a week or so (assuming they don't have any questions).

When that happens, we'll be on the waiting list! Yahoo!!

Kirsta & Michael (trying to wait patiently)

Interesting information on Ethiopia

While surfing the web, I came across a website that hosts photography/cultural safaris in Ethiopia (www.ethiopianriftvalleysafaris.com/). On the introductory page, I thought there was some cool information about Ethiopia:
It is with great pride that we present Ethiopia - an ancient land of history and nature, and land of unusual contrasts. With a legacy going back as far as 60 centuries, Ethiopia is a land of mystery with regions yet unexplored.


As a tribute to this legacy, the UN Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added 7 Ethiopian entries to its "World Heritage Sites" declaration. Among these sites: Hadar, the "Cradle of Mankind" and more specifically of 3.5 million year-old hominid "Lucy;" the spectacularly rugged Simien Mountains; and the unequaled architecture of the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela.

Perhaps unparalleled in its variations, experts recognize Ethiopia to have as many as 16 different agro-climatic zones and rank it as one of the top 12 countries known for having richest bio-diversity.


Splendidly lush Afro-Alpine moorland peaks rise to 4620 mts while not far away lies a contrasting sulfuric inferno, the dazzling Dallol Depression with one of the lowest points on earth at 100 meters below sea level.

Lying in the tropics and with an area of over 1 million square kms most of the country consists of an elevated airy tableland dissected by deep river gorges and bordered all round by arid lowlands.

The most remarkable valley on the planet, the Great Rift Valley cuts across Ethiopia creating a string of 7 lakes, rich in all life forms.

Ethiopia's 9 national parks and 4 sanctuaries are known as much for their unique animal and bird life as for fabulous nature. An impressive array of fauna includes many endemic species: 31 of 277 mammal; 16 of 861 bird; 24 of 63 amphibian; 9 of 210 reptile; and 4 of 150 fish. The flora count is equally interesting in that at least 1000 of the 7000 plant species are restricted to Ethiopia. For entomology enthusiasts, 324 butterflies are recognized of which 7 are said to be endemic.

Rich too in cultural heritage, more than 88 language groups endow this ancient land. Nearing 60 million inhabitants, Ethiopia is Africa's third most populous nation, so it follows that there exists a bounty of exotic costumes, colorful ceremonies and celebrations, arts, crafts, music and dance that liken Ethiopia to an "Africa miniaturized" …each ethnic group with distinct tradition and fascinating character.

Added pleasure can always be found in Ethiopia's mild climate and claim to fame that boasts "13 Months of Sunshine." In rain or shine, with all its varied and dramatic contrasts, Ethiopia is certain to create fulfilling memories not only for the Adventure Traveler but for anyone with a spirit thirsty for an enchanting new experience. Taste the waters of Ethiopia…and vow to return to her again one day.

Updates on process

We should have big news soon, but for now, here's an update from our agency: :-)

New court travel requirements
-Families must be present for their court appointment
-One parent will be allowed to represent the family at either court or embassy appointments. It will not need to be the same parent.
-The in-country time needed for the court appointment will be less than 24 hours.
-Parents will be required to visit their child before going to their court appointment.

And Now Some GOOD News:
-IAN has reached agreements with two new orphanages to place children with families! We hope to begin finding families for these kids in the next few weeks.
-IAN’s care home will be moving in the next few weeks. We have already outgrown our current location, so the new home will have eight rooms, and will house 10-20 more children.
-The new care home will allow kids 2 1/2 years and up to attend preschool classes at the care home.

Hopefully by tripling the number of orphanages, our referral will come sooner than we thought!! Our families are hoping to shave 4 months off the process so we can bring little sister home before Christmas!!
Kirsta & Michael

Homestudy ALMOST complete

The only clearances we're still waiting on are from the FBI. Our social worker has our homestudy report (18 pages long!) complete except for that date. Michael & I will review and sign the homestudy this Sunday. As soon as the FBI clearances are in, the report will go to our adoption agency and then the State for approval.

Once this is all complete, we'll go on the wait list!

Kirsta

Update on 2 trips

Just got this update from our agency regarding travel--we will be making 2 trips to Ethiopia. :)

The Department of State posted an update about the new travel policy.  This will begin on May 9th, 2010.  Every family with a court date after May 9th will be effected by this new rule and should plan on traveling twice.  One parent can travel with a POA to the court date.  If your family chooses to do this, you will receive an IR-4 visa instead of the IR-3 visa.  This means that your child will not become a citizen upon entry to the US.  The list of orphanages that had their licenses revolked are listed.  IAN is not affiliated with any of these orphanages.  You can read the update at http://adoption.state.gov/news/ethiopia.html.

 

Kirsta & Michael

Still waiting....and the form!

Our homestudy is taking a bit longer to finalize than expected. We are also still waiting on our background checks to come back to our agency. We did send in our Dossier and IAN received it last week.

Tonight we are filling out the "Child Placement Request" form for IAN--we asked to be added to the 0-1 and 1-2 year old girl lists once everything is in place!

Kirsta & Michael

Dossier COMPLETE!!!

We are having a big celebration here--we received our final piece of documentation today in the mail to complete our portion of the dossier. The dossier (French for "file") is what goes to the Ethiopian government.

Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, here's an outline of where we go from here:

1. Tomorrow make copies of our dossier and mail to IAN (our adoption agency)
2. Wait for CBI/FBI/etc background checks to be sent to IAN (expected very soon)
3. Once background checks are complete, our homestudy can be completed (hopefully in the next couple of weeks)
4. Homestudy is added to the dossier and sent to Ethiopia. At this point we're officially on the wait list for our daughter!! Woo-hoo!!
5. Complete USCIS paperwork, fingerprints, etc while waiting
6. Wait some more (hopefully not more than 8 months, which is the longest anyone has waited with our agency to date--but, you never know with international adoption!)
7. Get a referral (a picture and info on our daughter!)
8. Travel for court appearance in Ethiopia (about 2 months after referral)
9. Travel to Ethiopia to bring our daughter home (about 2 months after court)

Stay tuned--we'll post when we officially go on the wait list!!

A very happy Kirsta & Michael

Great news on Adoption Tax Credit

This is great news for us! It helps offset the adoption fees.

Kirsta & Michael

Please see the following announcement from the Joint Council on International Children's Services on the Adoption Tax Credit:
Joint Council is pleased to confirm that the Adoption Tax Credit (ATC), which was scheduled to expire in 2010, was extended for one-year (through December 31, 2011). The highlights of the ATC are;

The maximum credit was increased from $12,150 to $13,170,

The ATC is now retroactive to January 1, 2009. This represents a potential increase of $1,000 for adoptive families.

The ATC was made refundable. If a family has no tax liability, the IRS will refund the amount due.

The extension of the ATC through 2011, was passed as part of the health care reform bill which was signed into law by President Obama on Monday, March 22, 2010. There was some concern that the ATC would be included in the reconciliation process, however we have confirmed that it is not part of reconciliation. This means that the ATC is law until December 31, 2011.

Joint Council along with many other advocates and adoptive families have long advocated for making the ATC permanent. We applaud Congress and the Obama administration for the extension and continue to call for a permanent tax credit.

The ATC is a critically important element in finding permanent families for children in the U.S. foster care system and the children of our world, who live without permanent parental care. The ATC makes adoption a viable option for many families who may otherwise be unable to afford to adopt. We again applaud the extension and improvements to the Adoption Tax Credit.

More progress!

We received our Dossier packet March 15 and have been making good progress--getting employment letters, requesting (more!!) police clearances, and editing documents with our details to be notarized.

We are going to meet our contact person, Allison, at the adoption agency on Monday, as well as have some documents notarized and certified by the Secretary of State in Denver. We plan to have all documents compiled and mailed a week from tomorrow. :-)

Rollin' along....

Last homestudy visit complete; paperwork milestone

We just finished our last homestudy visit this morning!! Yesterday we sent a big packet of paperwork to the adoption agency with all of our supporting homestudy documents.

Next step is for our social worker to write the homestudy report (still waiting for background check info from the State and a couple of reference letters). Hopefully within a month that will all be finished and approved by the State.

Next week we'll start working on documents for the dossier (needed for Ethiopia).  Once that's complete we'll be on the wait list for our daughter!

New changes: 2 trips required to Ethiopia

Wow--we've only been on this journey for 3 weeks, and there's another big change. One thing you can always count on with international adoption--change! Here's the update from our agency:

ll adoptive families must now travel to Addis Ababa to be present for their court appointment.  There have been rumors of this change for several weeks now, and the change is a direct result of the dramatic increase of "revocation" cases - cases in which the adoptive parents decline to bring their children home after they have passed court.   This will mean families will make two trips to Ethiopia to complete their adoptions, which will certainly increase the time and money required for adoption. 

 

On a positive note, if parents see their child before the court appointment, the child will be eligible for an IR-3 visa, thus making the child a US citizen immediately upon arrival in the United States. 

Great news!

Update from our agency (IAN) yesterday: We have heard definitively from the US Embassy in Addis Ababa that the current changes in Ethiopia will NOT affect IAN at this time. 


Great news for us!

Change in process and wait time in Ethiopia

Just saw this post on our agency's blog. Trying not to stress or assume the worst, but not the kind of news I wanted to see so early in the process.....  http://adoption.state.gov/news/ethiopia.html

Fingers crossed that this will simply ensure ethical adoptions, and not slow down our journey to our little girl.

Doctor's appts: 2 down, 1 to go

Tate & I have received official clean bills of health for our adoption. After Michael's appointment next week (and assuming we can find our tax returns from the last 3 years this weekend), the first of 2 rounds of paperwork will be complete!

Second homestudy visit completed

We just finished our second homestudy visit with our social worker (who is great!). We have one, maybe two, more visits and we'll be finished with this step. We've gathered most of our paperwork (still have to unearth tax returns and go to the doctor to show that we have no communicable diseases--seriously?!). Need a new fire extinguisher and some additional smoke detectors. Then it will be on to the dossier, the file we have to complete for Ethiopia. (Homestudy stuff is mainly for the state & US).

Glad to be this far into the process and ready to wrap up this phase.

Beginning the journey

My husband, Michael, & I just began the process to adopt our daughter from Ethiopia. We were officially accepted by our agency (www.adoptioninternational.net) on February 15. We've had our first homestudy visit and are making good progress on collecting our documentation. The entire process should take 12-18 months, so fingers crossed for this time next year!

We have a 5-year-old son, Tatum, who we adopted from Guatemala, so we are hoping to add a little girl to our family.

Here's to the journey! (for her!)