In Line

It's official! We are on the waiting list for a referral. And we are not #21 like we expected. We are number 9!!

The agency director told us today that we can hope to get a referral in about 4 months. Things had slowed down right after we applied, so we thought that it could possibly take a year to even get a referral. But sooner sounds good to me.

Let me explain to those of you who don't understand the whole adoption process. (We are figuring it out as we go.) Here is what all takes place (in words that people like me understand):

1. Apply with the agency of choice

2. Home study (social worker comes to the house to see if you and your home are fit for an adopted child)

3. Put dossier together (all of the paperwork like birth certificates, marriage license, medical forms, background checks, reference letters....the list goes on and on)

4. Send off dossier to be authenticated

5. Dossier authenticated and translated in Ethiopia

6. Case submitted to court

7. Court date given (a date when Jay and I will travel to Ethiopia the first time, appear in court (about a 5 minute procedure), and meet Hadassah)

8. Case approved by the court

9. Case submitted to the embassy for appointment

10. Travel back to Ethiopia to pick up Hadassah

11. Home!!