We just heard that two more families were referred children this week. One family received a sibling referral and a second received an 8 month old baby boy. Ironically, the family that received the baby boy was one I was emailing with just this last Friday lamenting on how long they had been on the list. They waited since July of last year! Just over 11 months . . . they are thrilled and so are the rest of the waiting families on their behalf!
No more news on the abandonment cases other than a rumor that we should hear something by July 2nd. Also, no new information on the status of court closure. Again, just rumors and rumors and more rumors!
Either way, with the referrals this week, we're just bounced up two spots on the list! Little yippees everyone!! :o)
As we hear more, you'll hear it too!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Crib Blanket & Wall Hanging
As mentioned in my post (below), here's the wall quilt I just finished. It's hand-appliqued wool and will be a wall-hanging in the nursery.
And here's the crib blanket I just got done quilting (it's cotton with flannel backing):
And here's the crib blanket I just got done quilting (it's cotton with flannel backing):
Where Does The Time Go?
I could have sworn I just posted an update until a friend asked me today why I haven't posted anything lately . . . can I blame the gorgeous weather we've been having?? For those readers not from the Pacific Northwest: we are having amazing summer-like weather here which we typically don't get to enjoy until after July 4th!!
On the adoption front (what you're all here to read about, eh?):
1. No referrals this week; although 2 twin girls were placed last week.
2. On the court ban issue: our agency reports that the investigation has been completed but the ban has not been lifted yet. Rumors abound as to when that will happen, but nothing official. If I was a betting person, I'd say before the end of the month. Fingers crossed for all the waiting families living in limbo on when they get to travel to get their babies/children!!! And the good news is that the reported problems of falsified abandonment paperwork appears to concern only a small group of individuals and is not as wide-spread as was the worry.
3. Our agency director is traveling to Ethiopia today and will be there until the end of the month. We're hoping she'll be able to get some good information while she's there.
4. Ethiopian courts are still due to close end of July through September for the rainy season, but I'm sending out positive energy that they'll decide to stay in session at least long enough to hear the cases of all those families waiting to travel. Wouldn't that be awesome??
5. We are officially inside of month 7 of waiting (6 months + 18 days to be exact) . . . wait times are running about 10 1/2 months right now for baby boys so we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
6. I finished the crib blanket and wall hanging for the nursery. I'll post some photos soon. Wall paint color has been chosen. Not painted, but chosen. I might start the full-on decorating process in August or so. Don't want to do it too soon. I know that seems silly, but I don't want to stare at an empty nursery for month on end.
Well, I think that's about it. Hopefully we'll continue to get positive information and what we get, I'll share! Have a great weekend all.
On the adoption front (what you're all here to read about, eh?):
1. No referrals this week; although 2 twin girls were placed last week.
2. On the court ban issue: our agency reports that the investigation has been completed but the ban has not been lifted yet. Rumors abound as to when that will happen, but nothing official. If I was a betting person, I'd say before the end of the month. Fingers crossed for all the waiting families living in limbo on when they get to travel to get their babies/children!!! And the good news is that the reported problems of falsified abandonment paperwork appears to concern only a small group of individuals and is not as wide-spread as was the worry.
3. Our agency director is traveling to Ethiopia today and will be there until the end of the month. We're hoping she'll be able to get some good information while she's there.
4. Ethiopian courts are still due to close end of July through September for the rainy season, but I'm sending out positive energy that they'll decide to stay in session at least long enough to hear the cases of all those families waiting to travel. Wouldn't that be awesome??
5. We are officially inside of month 7 of waiting (6 months + 18 days to be exact) . . . wait times are running about 10 1/2 months right now for baby boys so we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
6. I finished the crib blanket and wall hanging for the nursery. I'll post some photos soon. Wall paint color has been chosen. Not painted, but chosen. I might start the full-on decorating process in August or so. Don't want to do it too soon. I know that seems silly, but I don't want to stare at an empty nursery for month on end.
Well, I think that's about it. Hopefully we'll continue to get positive information and what we get, I'll share! Have a great weekend all.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Just a Quick Update
Last week was slow for referrals . . . just one baby boy referred early in the week.
No news about the abandonment issue. Apparently the ban was lifted for three government-run orphanages, but our agency doesn't work with any of them so it didn't really impact us. The blogs were busy last week with people desperate for new information . . . and lots of speculation and conjecture, but we're trusting our agency to communicate verified and accurate information when it becomes available.
Another issue that's been discussed a lot on the blogs is waiting families wanting to know where they are on the wait list, i.e., how close to the "top" of the list are they. Our agency, as a policy, doesn't assign numbers because there are so many variables, and they don't want undue anxiety if a family thinks they are next on the list and then doesn't get the next referral because their request doesn't match (i.e., they are requesting a girl under 18 months and the referral is a 20 month old girl, etc.) That said, some of the adoption consultants will give out numbers to the families they are representing. We have not asked our consultant where we are on the list just because we are only 6 months waiting and it seems premature, but I did trade emails with another waiting family that lives close to us and discovered they are 48th on the list and their dossier was accepted just about 1/2 weeks behind us which means we're likely in the 40's as well. What does this mean??? Well, it means that approximately 40 families are ahead of us waiting for a referral. And this includes ALL families waiting: older children, toddlers, girls, boys, etc., which means if you divide those 40 families up, we might only have about 15-20 people ahead of us waiting for an infant boy. We can't really bank on that number, but it's kinda fun to think about!
I'll post again in about a week and hopefully will have some new information.
No news about the abandonment issue. Apparently the ban was lifted for three government-run orphanages, but our agency doesn't work with any of them so it didn't really impact us. The blogs were busy last week with people desperate for new information . . . and lots of speculation and conjecture, but we're trusting our agency to communicate verified and accurate information when it becomes available.
Another issue that's been discussed a lot on the blogs is waiting families wanting to know where they are on the wait list, i.e., how close to the "top" of the list are they. Our agency, as a policy, doesn't assign numbers because there are so many variables, and they don't want undue anxiety if a family thinks they are next on the list and then doesn't get the next referral because their request doesn't match (i.e., they are requesting a girl under 18 months and the referral is a 20 month old girl, etc.) That said, some of the adoption consultants will give out numbers to the families they are representing. We have not asked our consultant where we are on the list just because we are only 6 months waiting and it seems premature, but I did trade emails with another waiting family that lives close to us and discovered they are 48th on the list and their dossier was accepted just about 1/2 weeks behind us which means we're likely in the 40's as well. What does this mean??? Well, it means that approximately 40 families are ahead of us waiting for a referral. And this includes ALL families waiting: older children, toddlers, girls, boys, etc., which means if you divide those 40 families up, we might only have about 15-20 people ahead of us waiting for an infant boy. We can't really bank on that number, but it's kinda fun to think about!
I'll post again in about a week and hopefully will have some new information.
Friday, May 22, 2009
There's News and There's No News
News:
Seven children were referred this week through our agency (again, all seven are not affected by the recent ban on Addis Ababa abandoned children). The referrals were of 5 girls and 2 boys. The girls were ages 7 yrs, (2) 4 year olds, 2 years old, and 3 ½ months old; and the boys were 7 weeks and 3 ½ yrs old. The wait times on the infants was 10 months for the boy and 11 1/2 months for the girl. It is nice to see referrals continuing to come in despite the problems in the capital city.
No News:
Despite the recent meetings and continuing investigation, our agency notified us this morning that the court ban on Addis Ababa abandonment cases is still in place. There was no mention of when they think this will be resolved.
A huge thanks to everyone who has sent their prayers and best wishes on this issue. Again, we are SO hopeful that this is just a small procedural issue that needs to be dealt with as opposed to a larger systemic problem that may affect all adoptions in Ethiopia. Please continue to send your positive thoughts and energy out there for all the babies and children awaiting adoption.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend and love to all. XOXO
Seven children were referred this week through our agency (again, all seven are not affected by the recent ban on Addis Ababa abandoned children). The referrals were of 5 girls and 2 boys. The girls were ages 7 yrs, (2) 4 year olds, 2 years old, and 3 ½ months old; and the boys were 7 weeks and 3 ½ yrs old. The wait times on the infants was 10 months for the boy and 11 1/2 months for the girl. It is nice to see referrals continuing to come in despite the problems in the capital city.
No News:
Despite the recent meetings and continuing investigation, our agency notified us this morning that the court ban on Addis Ababa abandonment cases is still in place. There was no mention of when they think this will be resolved.
A huge thanks to everyone who has sent their prayers and best wishes on this issue. Again, we are SO hopeful that this is just a small procedural issue that needs to be dealt with as opposed to a larger systemic problem that may affect all adoptions in Ethiopia. Please continue to send your positive thoughts and energy out there for all the babies and children awaiting adoption.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend and love to all. XOXO
Thursday, May 14, 2009
A glimmer?
Last week's bad news from Ethiopia was difficult to hear and even harder to process, but there's a tiny glimmer of hope this week.
1. Four new infants were referred earlier this week. These are children not affected by last week's court decision as they do not come from orphanages in the capital city of Addis Ababa. Two of these infants were boys which means (drumroll please) that we moved up two more rungs on the ladder.
2. We were informed today by our adoption agency that on Monday, May 18th the Joint Council on International and Children’s Services will be having a meeting to confirm the extent of the illegal activities and investigations going on in Ethiopia regarding the abandoned children issue in Addis Ababa. The ruling judge will make his decision after hearing the results of this meeting plus ongoing investigations with the local police and input from the Ministry of Women's Affairs. This is potentially good news on two fronts: (a) it appears that decisions are being made quickly; and (b) the issue is being taken seriously which in our minds means that Ethiopia is still committed to international adoption.
So, here's our "good thoughts for the universe" request this week: we are hope, hope, hoping that further investigations do not uncover more problems that could jeopardize the intercountry adoption program in Ethiopia, and that the right decisions are made swiftly for these vulnerable children.
Thank you for all for the positive energy and support!
1. Four new infants were referred earlier this week. These are children not affected by last week's court decision as they do not come from orphanages in the capital city of Addis Ababa. Two of these infants were boys which means (drumroll please) that we moved up two more rungs on the ladder.
2. We were informed today by our adoption agency that on Monday, May 18th the Joint Council on International and Children’s Services will be having a meeting to confirm the extent of the illegal activities and investigations going on in Ethiopia regarding the abandoned children issue in Addis Ababa. The ruling judge will make his decision after hearing the results of this meeting plus ongoing investigations with the local police and input from the Ministry of Women's Affairs. This is potentially good news on two fronts: (a) it appears that decisions are being made quickly; and (b) the issue is being taken seriously which in our minds means that Ethiopia is still committed to international adoption.
So, here's our "good thoughts for the universe" request this week: we are hope, hope, hoping that further investigations do not uncover more problems that could jeopardize the intercountry adoption program in Ethiopia, and that the right decisions are made swiftly for these vulnerable children.
Thank you for all for the positive energy and support!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Heartbreak for Many. . . Confusion for Others
We truly hoped our next posting would be to announce more referrals indicating our rapid movement up the waiting list. And while there have been some referrals of late, we received some disturbing news this last Friday that affects ALL adoptions in Ethiopia.
Apparently one adoption agency (thankfully not ours) and a few orphanages in Ethiopia have been caught breaking procedural rules regarding the handling of abandoned babies/children in Addis Ababa (the capital city in Ethiopia where the agencies and all courts work from). Basically the accusations are that they were acting unethically in presenting children as abandoned who are in fact not abandoned. This is a very, very bad situation and the Federal Court in Addis Ababa has halted all adoption hearings for children abandoned in Addis Ababa (which accounts for a very large percentage of children adopted from Ethiopia) until the situation can be sorted out.
What does this mean?
Well, it is devastating news to those families who have already been referred their children and were waiting to travel to pick them up. They are currently on-hold and don't know if they'll ever get their children. I can't even imagine the pain they are in right now.
To people like us who are still waiting for referrals? Well . . . worst case scenario: the entire adoption program in Ethiopia could be halted due to corruption. This is similar to what happened in Vietnam, Cambodia and Columbia in the last 5-6 years. Best case scenario: the actions of one agency and a few orphanages will not be allowed to affect those that are following the rules and eventually a new system will be put into place that will prevent corruption in the future. This best case scenario, however, will likely result in a significant slow-down in referrals.
Please send good thoughts out into the universe that the best case scenario above is the only repercussion of the recent events. And we're working on getting our heads around the idea that we will be waiting alot longer than originally anticipated and preparing ourselves in case the worse case scenario comes to pass.
We wish we had better news to share, but this is the reality.
Apparently one adoption agency (thankfully not ours) and a few orphanages in Ethiopia have been caught breaking procedural rules regarding the handling of abandoned babies/children in Addis Ababa (the capital city in Ethiopia where the agencies and all courts work from). Basically the accusations are that they were acting unethically in presenting children as abandoned who are in fact not abandoned. This is a very, very bad situation and the Federal Court in Addis Ababa has halted all adoption hearings for children abandoned in Addis Ababa (which accounts for a very large percentage of children adopted from Ethiopia) until the situation can be sorted out.
What does this mean?
Well, it is devastating news to those families who have already been referred their children and were waiting to travel to pick them up. They are currently on-hold and don't know if they'll ever get their children. I can't even imagine the pain they are in right now.
To people like us who are still waiting for referrals? Well . . . worst case scenario: the entire adoption program in Ethiopia could be halted due to corruption. This is similar to what happened in Vietnam, Cambodia and Columbia in the last 5-6 years. Best case scenario: the actions of one agency and a few orphanages will not be allowed to affect those that are following the rules and eventually a new system will be put into place that will prevent corruption in the future. This best case scenario, however, will likely result in a significant slow-down in referrals.
Please send good thoughts out into the universe that the best case scenario above is the only repercussion of the recent events. And we're working on getting our heads around the idea that we will be waiting alot longer than originally anticipated and preparing ourselves in case the worse case scenario comes to pass.
We wish we had better news to share, but this is the reality.
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