Wednesday, March 18, 2009

More Fingerprints & Updated Timelines


The name of this blog should just be "Kai & Tam get fingerprinted. The End."

I'm digging deep into my creative well to find something to write about to keep you interested and all I've got is more fingerprinting. Scanned this time; no messy ink. Fascinating, I know.

In other news...our agency has monthly conference calls which are fabulous. I must say that it doesn't matter what stage in the adoption process your family is currently in, I highly encourage all waiting families to participate in the various outlets available.
At first, I was the self-proclaimed Queen of Stalking. The reason is b/c when you read the forum posts from families who have now been waiting 8 months for a referral b/c their paperwork made it's long climb to the top of the judge's pile just as the rainy season was approaching (when courts close in Ethiopia), it makes you feel that getting fingerprinted for the umpteenth time doesn't deserve a mini-cooper sized rant in the world of adoption blogs & forums. But you know what? IT SO DOES! The reason is b/c there are other families going through this now too, feeling the same way you do. And all those other families at different stages are one gi-normous support group offering their knowledge, experience & encouraging words.
In our current stage, we're considered a "paper chase" family. Our next stage will be "waiting", followed by "referral" (that's when it gets G-O-O-D).

These monthly conference calls I mention are always at 4pm Central time so we normally miss them. However, they're uploaded to the web two days later and that's how Kai & I catch up on all the dirt. The most current dirt, which constantly changes, is the updated averages on wait times. This is the #1 asked question by friends & family.
I must stress these are all averages and nothing is ever concrete but here goes...

  • Wait time for REFERRAL (when your caseworker calls and asks "Are you near a computer?" (you then receive the picture(s) and medical/bio family info on your referred child): 6.5 months
  • Wait time to find out when your court date is: 1-3 months
  • Wait time to go to court (We don't go. We've signed power of attorney paperwork to in-country rep to stand in for us.): 12 weeks
Once you pass court, travel time to pick up your child is approximately two weeks following court approval. We are about two months from beginning the referral wait time.

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