Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Birth certificate!
Last week, on our 9 year wedding anniversary, we received Bedilu's birth certificate which was both in Amharic and English for each item listed. It was truly amazing to see our names officially printed as his parents and it's an exciting step towards bringing him home. Next is issuing him an Ethiopian passport and then the birth certificate and passport are submitted to the U.S. embassy in Addis Ababa for review. Things are moving along!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
More about the trip
I've come to the blog at least 20 times since being back home and find myself staring at the screen, unable to write. In part it's just taken awhile to recover from the jetlag, as it's a very long journey and a 10 hr time difference, but also it was such an intense experience - it's hard to put into words.
Meeting Bedilu was thrilling and surreal. He fell into our arms without hesitation or protest and it felt natural and meant to be. We were with one other adoptive family in the same room and they were meeting their 10 month old girl. The said they thought Bedilu really looked like a combination of Chaat and I! We were happy that he's filled out so much and doesn't seem underweight anymore. We talked to him, tried to tickle him, and stared into his beautiful eyes for the 90 min we had with him. Towards the end of our visit Chaat was holding him and sang "Hold Me Tight"by the Beatles, but balladized it. While he was singing I was looking at Bedilu, holding on to his feet, and we maintained really great eye contact for quite awhile. It was a precious moment with the three of us. Then we had to say goodbye, which of course came way too fast, and yet it wasn't quite as difficult as I expected. I think I've learned to protect my heart so many times in this process that I was actually prepared for having to leave him. Not all was rosy in meeting Bedilu; it's really difficult meeting your child in an orphanage in the 3rd world, and as much as you read about it or imagine it, there's nothing like the reality of seeing it. Conditions are extremely tough and there were some issues, but none I really want to talk about, as at this point in the homestretch it's important to stay positive.
The rest of the time in Ethiopia was spent meeting and bonding with other adoptive families (so helpful!), going on some cultural outings, seeing Lucy at the National History Museum, taking care of business with our agency, and going to court. Then we trekked in the mountains up north for a few days, stayed with locals in huts, saw some absolutely phenomenal historical sites, and really got familiar with Ethiopian culture and customs. The scenery was breathtaking and we were deeply moved by the whole experience. Ethiopia is a fascinating country and despite how incomprehensible and tragic the poverty often feels, there's a very peaceful, elegant energy that pervades the country. I felt incredibly humbled the whole time I was there and also lucky that Bedilu brought me to an amazing country that I probably would've never known otherwise.
Meeting Bedilu was thrilling and surreal. He fell into our arms without hesitation or protest and it felt natural and meant to be. We were with one other adoptive family in the same room and they were meeting their 10 month old girl. The said they thought Bedilu really looked like a combination of Chaat and I! We were happy that he's filled out so much and doesn't seem underweight anymore. We talked to him, tried to tickle him, and stared into his beautiful eyes for the 90 min we had with him. Towards the end of our visit Chaat was holding him and sang "Hold Me Tight"by the Beatles, but balladized it. While he was singing I was looking at Bedilu, holding on to his feet, and we maintained really great eye contact for quite awhile. It was a precious moment with the three of us. Then we had to say goodbye, which of course came way too fast, and yet it wasn't quite as difficult as I expected. I think I've learned to protect my heart so many times in this process that I was actually prepared for having to leave him. Not all was rosy in meeting Bedilu; it's really difficult meeting your child in an orphanage in the 3rd world, and as much as you read about it or imagine it, there's nothing like the reality of seeing it. Conditions are extremely tough and there were some issues, but none I really want to talk about, as at this point in the homestretch it's important to stay positive.
The rest of the time in Ethiopia was spent meeting and bonding with other adoptive families (so helpful!), going on some cultural outings, seeing Lucy at the National History Museum, taking care of business with our agency, and going to court. Then we trekked in the mountains up north for a few days, stayed with locals in huts, saw some absolutely phenomenal historical sites, and really got familiar with Ethiopian culture and customs. The scenery was breathtaking and we were deeply moved by the whole experience. Ethiopia is a fascinating country and despite how incomprehensible and tragic the poverty often feels, there's a very peaceful, elegant energy that pervades the country. I felt incredibly humbled the whole time I was there and also lucky that Bedilu brought me to an amazing country that I probably would've never known otherwise.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The First Family Photos
Welcome to the family, Bedilu!
We know you've all been itching to see this. Here are a few photos to whet your appetite. But please respect our privacy and do not share or forward. Also, please refrain from making comments or references on Facebook until we "come out" with it. We've been on the DL as we decompress and process the whole experience. We'll let the world know when we're ready.
We know you've all been itching to see this. Here are a few photos to whet your appetite. But please respect our privacy and do not share or forward. Also, please refrain from making comments or references on Facebook until we "come out" with it. We've been on the DL as we decompress and process the whole experience. We'll let the world know when we're ready.
Monday, May 2, 2011
"Your contract has been approved. He is yours."
Those are the words the judge spoke at our court hearing on April 20th. Bedilu is ours!
Just a quick note to let you all know that we passed our court date. It was unexpected, as we tried to prepare for the worst and expected more delays. In December, 16 families from our agency appeared for their court date and only one passed on the first try. So we were thrilled to get through on the first pass. Now we wait for our Embassy date, when we will return to bring him home. Not sure what that timeline will be, but it could be late summer.
Bekah and I returned to California on Friday after a whirlwind two weeks in Ethiopia. The first week was dedicated to "business." We arrived on a Saturday, were given our week's itinerary and learned that we would be meeting Bedilu on Sunday. Our court date was that Wednesday. The whole experience has been rather intense, and we'll get into more of all that in another post. For now, I just wanted to give the quick update with the good news.
The second week of our trip was spent traveling around the north of Ethiopia, visiting a couple of sites on the "historical circuit." We also did a few days trekking across the highlands near Lalibela, where we got to see how most people outside of the major cities live. We've got a ton of photos and we'll share a few after we get a chance to pick the best of the hundreds we took.
We love Ethiopia and are thrilled to have had the opportunity to get to know its people, culture, landscape, and history while we were there. That said, it is SOOOO good to be back home! We missed our home, our cats, our bed, the great food, fresh produce, dairy products, the weather, my bike, and of course our friends and family.
Thanks again to everyone for your interest and support!
Just a quick note to let you all know that we passed our court date. It was unexpected, as we tried to prepare for the worst and expected more delays. In December, 16 families from our agency appeared for their court date and only one passed on the first try. So we were thrilled to get through on the first pass. Now we wait for our Embassy date, when we will return to bring him home. Not sure what that timeline will be, but it could be late summer.
Bekah and I returned to California on Friday after a whirlwind two weeks in Ethiopia. The first week was dedicated to "business." We arrived on a Saturday, were given our week's itinerary and learned that we would be meeting Bedilu on Sunday. Our court date was that Wednesday. The whole experience has been rather intense, and we'll get into more of all that in another post. For now, I just wanted to give the quick update with the good news.
The second week of our trip was spent traveling around the north of Ethiopia, visiting a couple of sites on the "historical circuit." We also did a few days trekking across the highlands near Lalibela, where we got to see how most people outside of the major cities live. We've got a ton of photos and we'll share a few after we get a chance to pick the best of the hundreds we took.
We love Ethiopia and are thrilled to have had the opportunity to get to know its people, culture, landscape, and history while we were there. That said, it is SOOOO good to be back home! We missed our home, our cats, our bed, the great food, fresh produce, dairy products, the weather, my bike, and of course our friends and family.
Thanks again to everyone for your interest and support!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Leaving, on a jet plane
Excellent - I've found yet another reason to procrastinate on packing by doing a blog post! Chaat and I leave tommorrow and WE are OUT OF OUR MINDS with EXCITEMENT!!! Major butterflies and hearts absolutely BURSTING with love for our son. It's so astounding to me the love that we feel for this little being that we've never met. I keep picturing an intricate web of ties that bond us and multiply daily.
A few days ago we received what's called a 'social report' from our agency; it's a really lovely compilation of updated photos of Bedilu and descriptions of his personality, daily activities, and development. Mind you, up til now we've only gotten just a handful of pictures of him and they were from several months ago. It completely blew us away - he looked sooooo different. He has gained much weight and is actually a chunky monkey now! He looks so healthy and happy and it assured us that he is getting good care in the orphanage. Some of the photos showed him interacting with the other kiddos and it was absolutely adorable. We feel extreme relief and can hardly wait to hold him.
We have several days in Addis Ababa(the capital of Ethiopia) where we'll be taking care of business and staying in what's called a 'guesthouse' provided by our agency. There will be other adoptive families there also either for their court date and to meet their children like us, or others that are there for their second trip and embassy date when they'll bring their child home. I think it's going to be absolutely amazing to meet these other families and imagine we'll form lifelong relationships.
After a few days of cultural outings in Addis, we go on a 6+ hr round-trip bus ride to the rural orphanage and meet Bedilu! I've heard it's a beautiful ride and gives a great opportunity to get to know the southern region, which is very lush, unlike the arid north. We're told we'll only have about an hour and a half with him, as it's a long day trip. Can't really wrap my head around this part, and leaving him, but my goal if to be 100% present while having this precious time with him.
The next day we go to court, give our testimony, answer a bunch of questions, tell the judge why we want to adopt from Ethiopia, what we've done to prepare, etc... Then Chaat and I go north for another week to check out significant Ethiopian history, rock-hewn churches, spend time with locals, and be the eyes and ears for Bedilu so that we can talk to him about his country someday.
As twisted and fu#%cked up this process has been as a means of uniting with our child, I actually feel certain that it's the right path. Things are coming into focus now and I've realized so much about myself, like that I really never did have the desire to be pregnant or give physical birth (however, I definitely see all sorts of parallels and metaphors for being pregnant right now and will have to post about that another time!). For reasons not altogether clear yet, I am certain that this is EXACTLY what we are meant to be doing and see that I'm lucky to have the opportunity to come to motherhood in such a unique way. It feels like the perfect fit for our personalities and sense of adventure.
Okay, so now I really do have to pack. Chaat and I are chronically unprepared for trips, always packing up until the last hour and staying up all night, ugh! Probably won't post at all in Ethiopia, as we'll be busy and they have frequent power outages, undependable internet. So here we go, on the trip of a lifetime, woo-hoo!!!
A few days ago we received what's called a 'social report' from our agency; it's a really lovely compilation of updated photos of Bedilu and descriptions of his personality, daily activities, and development. Mind you, up til now we've only gotten just a handful of pictures of him and they were from several months ago. It completely blew us away - he looked sooooo different. He has gained much weight and is actually a chunky monkey now! He looks so healthy and happy and it assured us that he is getting good care in the orphanage. Some of the photos showed him interacting with the other kiddos and it was absolutely adorable. We feel extreme relief and can hardly wait to hold him.
We have several days in Addis Ababa(the capital of Ethiopia) where we'll be taking care of business and staying in what's called a 'guesthouse' provided by our agency. There will be other adoptive families there also either for their court date and to meet their children like us, or others that are there for their second trip and embassy date when they'll bring their child home. I think it's going to be absolutely amazing to meet these other families and imagine we'll form lifelong relationships.
After a few days of cultural outings in Addis, we go on a 6+ hr round-trip bus ride to the rural orphanage and meet Bedilu! I've heard it's a beautiful ride and gives a great opportunity to get to know the southern region, which is very lush, unlike the arid north. We're told we'll only have about an hour and a half with him, as it's a long day trip. Can't really wrap my head around this part, and leaving him, but my goal if to be 100% present while having this precious time with him.
The next day we go to court, give our testimony, answer a bunch of questions, tell the judge why we want to adopt from Ethiopia, what we've done to prepare, etc... Then Chaat and I go north for another week to check out significant Ethiopian history, rock-hewn churches, spend time with locals, and be the eyes and ears for Bedilu so that we can talk to him about his country someday.
As twisted and fu#%cked up this process has been as a means of uniting with our child, I actually feel certain that it's the right path. Things are coming into focus now and I've realized so much about myself, like that I really never did have the desire to be pregnant or give physical birth (however, I definitely see all sorts of parallels and metaphors for being pregnant right now and will have to post about that another time!). For reasons not altogether clear yet, I am certain that this is EXACTLY what we are meant to be doing and see that I'm lucky to have the opportunity to come to motherhood in such a unique way. It feels like the perfect fit for our personalities and sense of adventure.
Okay, so now I really do have to pack. Chaat and I are chronically unprepared for trips, always packing up until the last hour and staying up all night, ugh! Probably won't post at all in Ethiopia, as we'll be busy and they have frequent power outages, undependable internet. So here we go, on the trip of a lifetime, woo-hoo!!!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Actual steps in the adoption process (post approval and homestudy completion and once on waiting list)
People often ask us what is happening in Ethiopia while we're waiting, why do we have to wait, etc, so I just thought I'd copy and paste exactly what we received from our agency. Your eyes will probably glaze over while reading it, but I'm posting it anyway in case anyone wants to check it out.
Below are the consecutive steps in an adoption process:
1. The staff in Ethiopia prepares a family’s documents for submission to the registrar.
2. The family’s documents are submitted to the Registrar
3. The Registrar logs the documents in and awaits assignments of court dates by judges
4. A date for a hearing is given
5. We advise your family of court appointment travel dates – you will receive approximately 2-4 weeks advance notice before you must arrive in country. (you are here)
6. At the hearing, the judge reviews the case and either advises his/her decision or requests additional information
7. Decision is made or new court date is scheduled
8. When the decision is granted, the written court order is drafted and is usually issued within a week
9. Once the court order is issued, a letter of support is requested and received from the MOWA office
10. Once the MOWA letter is received, the birth certificate is issued-this usually takes about two weeks
11. When the birth certificate is issued, we will receive a scanned copy of it and we will verify that the information is correct.
12. We advise Ethiopia staff that the birth certificate information is correct and they will proceed to obtain the child’s Ethiopian passport and complete the embassy medical exam including TB testing. This has been taking an average of 2-3 weeks minimum
13. Embassy medical exam and the final paperwork is submitted to the Embassy.
14. The embassy will notify us when your child’s review has been completed (we expect to receive notice approximately 2 weeks after submission to the Embassy if the case is cleared or if further investigation is required)
15. You will be advised of potential interview dates. Appointments dates will be requested approximately 2 weeks from the date your clearance notice is received.
16. Final travel clearance will be advised once we receive an email confirmation of your assigned interview date from the embassy.
Below are the consecutive steps in an adoption process:
1. The staff in Ethiopia prepares a family’s documents for submission to the registrar.
2. The family’s documents are submitted to the Registrar
3. The Registrar logs the documents in and awaits assignments of court dates by judges
4. A date for a hearing is given
5. We advise your family of court appointment travel dates – you will receive approximately 2-4 weeks advance notice before you must arrive in country. (you are here)
6. At the hearing, the judge reviews the case and either advises his/her decision or requests additional information
7. Decision is made or new court date is scheduled
8. When the decision is granted, the written court order is drafted and is usually issued within a week
9. Once the court order is issued, a letter of support is requested and received from the MOWA office
10. Once the MOWA letter is received, the birth certificate is issued-this usually takes about two weeks
11. When the birth certificate is issued, we will receive a scanned copy of it and we will verify that the information is correct.
12. We advise Ethiopia staff that the birth certificate information is correct and they will proceed to obtain the child’s Ethiopian passport and complete the embassy medical exam including TB testing. This has been taking an average of 2-3 weeks minimum
13. Embassy medical exam and the final paperwork is submitted to the Embassy.
14. The embassy will notify us when your child’s review has been completed (we expect to receive notice approximately 2 weeks after submission to the Embassy if the case is cleared or if further investigation is required)
15. You will be advised of potential interview dates. Appointments dates will be requested approximately 2 weeks from the date your clearance notice is received.
16. Final travel clearance will be advised once we receive an email confirmation of your assigned interview date from the embassy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)