We don't have much "big" news regarding our adoptions. We are currently finishing the final pieces of both our China and Ethiopia dossiers...or wrapping up the "paper-chase" as many people call it. Those familiar with adoption know the process well. For those who don't, some examples of required documents are: marriage certificates, birth certificates, income statements, home study, pictures, letters about why we wish to adopt from a particular country, immigration forms/approvals, fingerprints, medical reports, background checks, etc.
The process of compiling the Ethiopia paperwork has been about half of what it was for China. China is part of the Hague Convention which is why the requirements are much more stringent. The U.S. government has just given us pre-approval for adopting a foreign child (for China). We are working on similar requirements for Ethiopia. For China, all approvals must be in-hand before anything can be completed as many pieces are contingent upon one another...step A cannot be completed before step B, etc. The authentication of documents is also much more extensive for China as they require authentication at both the local and state levels. It is a bit mind-boggling. Ethiopia allows several aspects of the process to be going on simultaneously, which is one reason that the process is much easier and less confusing. Ethiopia also has fewer steps overall.
Both timelines can change frequently. Many people are asking us, "When?" This is an extremely difficult question to answer. We are hoping to travel to Ethiopia sometime in the 2009-2010 school year. It could be as late as a year from now...or as early as before Christmas 2009. China could be three years, but that is very likely to change. I am a planner, so this is quite a challenge for me. I used to think pregnancy was an exercise in "letting go, " but international adoption takes this concept to a completely different extreme.
I'll continue to post updates as we go....this is where we are for now.
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