One of my adoption e-friends, B, is in ET right now picking up her two(!) infant boys. One of the boys is from the same orphanage as D. Becky got video of her and said that she has "gained weight, is growing hair, and looks really good"! We can't wait to see the video!!!
Lauren
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
What does the rest of the process look like?
After a satisfactory court ruling D is legally our daughter but still a citizen of Ethiopia. We need to get her a visa issued by the U.S. Embassy in ET that will allow her into the U.S. This is how I understand it works:
-After we pass court, the Ethiopian government has to issue a birth certificate for D. Children in Ethiopia don't automatically get birth certificates when they're born (birth dates aren't kept track of there like in the U.S. Indeed, D's birth date is estimated). By the way, D's name on her Ethiopian birth certificate will be "D J L" Kinda cute. It follows the ET'ian custom of giving a child a first name but her last name is her father's first name.
-Once D J L gets her birth certificate then she can get her Ethiopian passport.
-Next, the court decree, birth certificate and passport are submitted to the U.S. embassy (keep in mind that all this stuff has to be translated from Amharic to English first).
-D must have a physical exam performed by a US approved embassy doctor. She'll be screened for HIV, tuberculosis, etc. (she was tested for all these things at the orphanage before we got her referral, too). I imagine they would deny her a visa if she had certain diseases (I'm not sure what though. But I do know that being positive for TB gets her a 6mo quarantine).
-Finally, a U.S. embassy appointment is scheduled (this is when we get to travel). We accompany Dunya to the US embassy, answer some questions, and a visa is issued allowing her to enter the US!
-Once in the US we will need to get her a US birth certificate, US passport and go through a "re-adoption". This is a formality as she is already legally our daughter.
Right now we are tentatively scheduled for an Embassy date of 3/29. But things don't always go through court perfectly the first time so we'll see. Also, we may want to go two weeks later so A can travel with us.
Lauren
-After we pass court, the Ethiopian government has to issue a birth certificate for D. Children in Ethiopia don't automatically get birth certificates when they're born (birth dates aren't kept track of there like in the U.S. Indeed, D's birth date is estimated). By the way, D's name on her Ethiopian birth certificate will be "D J L" Kinda cute. It follows the ET'ian custom of giving a child a first name but her last name is her father's first name.
-Once D J L gets her birth certificate then she can get her Ethiopian passport.
-Next, the court decree, birth certificate and passport are submitted to the U.S. embassy (keep in mind that all this stuff has to be translated from Amharic to English first).
-D must have a physical exam performed by a US approved embassy doctor. She'll be screened for HIV, tuberculosis, etc. (she was tested for all these things at the orphanage before we got her referral, too). I imagine they would deny her a visa if she had certain diseases (I'm not sure what though. But I do know that being positive for TB gets her a 6mo quarantine).
-Finally, a U.S. embassy appointment is scheduled (this is when we get to travel). We accompany Dunya to the US embassy, answer some questions, and a visa is issued allowing her to enter the US!
-Once in the US we will need to get her a US birth certificate, US passport and go through a "re-adoption". This is a formality as she is already legally our daughter.Right now we are tentatively scheduled for an Embassy date of 3/29. But things don't always go through court perfectly the first time so we'll see. Also, we may want to go two weeks later so A can travel with us.
Lauren
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Oh YEAH!
A court date!!! Seems like blowing your top off once in awhile gets results!! Who knew?? ;-)
FEBRUARY 9 2010.
If all goes well that day, D will legally become our daughter.
Everywhere.
A few images to sum up my emotions today...
and whaddaya know!
Lauren
Happy D approved this message:
FEBRUARY 9 2010.
If all goes well that day, D will legally become our daughter.
Everywhere.
A few images to sum up my emotions today...
and whaddaya know!
Lauren
Happy D approved this message:
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Still nothing.
We should have our court date by now. It has been a month. I am getting peeved. Downright ticked off.
The process works thusly--
We sign our CPR. We did this on 12/21/09.
A case is opened in the court.
Once opened, MOWA (Ministry of Women's Affairs) must issue a letter allowing the adoption to go forward. They consider things like the circumstances through which the child has come to be available for adoption and if things are in order. In our case this should be straightforward. It is more likely that MOWA is behind, or going through one of several trainings, overhauls, etc that have repeatedly slowed things down with them. But this has been too long.
When the MOWA letter is sent to the court we get the next available court date. For most people this is within a week or three of the case being opened. And the date is usually a month+ out.
Where we appear to be stuck at the MOWA step, my agency's attorney in ET has petitioned the court to find out what is holding MOWA up, this alone usually gets their attention. We did this on Tuesday.
So we'll see.
We want to get our D home. This is a needless waste of time and all I can think about is her in the orphanage, though a nice one, and not getting the stimulation and loving care we can provide.
This week another set of new parents travel so luckily we will get some new pictures and hopefully a video. I have asked that they cover her with loud, sloppy kisses from us.
Still.
Lauren
The process works thusly--
We sign our CPR. We did this on 12/21/09.
A case is opened in the court.
Once opened, MOWA (Ministry of Women's Affairs) must issue a letter allowing the adoption to go forward. They consider things like the circumstances through which the child has come to be available for adoption and if things are in order. In our case this should be straightforward. It is more likely that MOWA is behind, or going through one of several trainings, overhauls, etc that have repeatedly slowed things down with them. But this has been too long.
When the MOWA letter is sent to the court we get the next available court date. For most people this is within a week or three of the case being opened. And the date is usually a month+ out.
Where we appear to be stuck at the MOWA step, my agency's attorney in ET has petitioned the court to find out what is holding MOWA up, this alone usually gets their attention. We did this on Tuesday.
So we'll see.
We want to get our D home. This is a needless waste of time and all I can think about is her in the orphanage, though a nice one, and not getting the stimulation and loving care we can provide.
This week another set of new parents travel so luckily we will get some new pictures and hopefully a video. I have asked that they cover her with loud, sloppy kisses from us.
Still.
Lauren
Friday, January 8, 2010
D's Monthly Update!
We got D's update (our agency sends out monthly updates). She has gained weight and is doing age appropriate things!
Tipping the scales at 12.79 lbs....Our New Year Baby D!
Still no court date...arrrgggghhh.
Lauren
Tipping the scales at 12.79 lbs....Our New Year Baby D!
Still no court date...arrrgggghhh.
Lauren
Monday, January 4, 2010
It's a very happy new year!
We had a great Christmas! 12 adults and 4 tots for the seven seafoods on Christmas Eve at our place and a nice get together at my brother's on the big day. Santa showed up, made my niece cry, and beat a hasty exit.
New Year's was spent up in Maine with N here and the four guys snowboarding everyday; big pot of stew, some rib eyes, a birthday dinner for J, chicken and dumplings and we came home to a broken furnace! Yup, home at 10pm to a house at 50 degrees. We all piled into the master with a space heater, which got up to a toasty 57.
As for Little Miss D, we await news of her court date which better come soon... so we can turn this:
into this!
New Year's was spent up in Maine with N here and the four guys snowboarding everyday; big pot of stew, some rib eyes, a birthday dinner for J, chicken and dumplings and we came home to a broken furnace! Yup, home at 10pm to a house at 50 degrees. We all piled into the master with a space heater, which got up to a toasty 57.
As for Little Miss D, we await news of her court date which better come soon... so we can turn this:
into this!
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