The first court date - February 11th

We have a court date...well, a court date before we get a real court date :) On February 11th, they will present the judge in Ethiopia with paperwork proving our agency can facilitate adoptions from the Gambella region. So, after the papers are presented, we'll get the real court date - the one we can travel to and be the legal parents of these precious kids.

Now that our case has been re-opened, I've been bugging my coordinator with questions she can't know the answer to :) How long after the 11th until we find out our date? Will we have to wait the typical two months again, or do you think we'll get anything faster? I know one other family in our position has been waiting a very long time and they definitely deserve a quick date. Of course, the answer is typically "soon." Is that soon as in a few days, or soon in relation to when these kids graduate college?? Yes, I'm getting a little antsy :) I've started a mental countdown until the 11th and it's not going very well. How many times a day can you check your calender to see if it's any closer?? I need some chocolate :)

Updates

So much has happened lately, I'm not sure where to begin :)

First, we are still waiting on a court date. Actually, we are waiting on a court date to get a court date. HUH? That's what I said! Since our sweet boy is from Gambella, we have been waiting for the paperwork stating our agency was approved to adopt from this region. Finally they have everything they need and MOWA is happy!! Except, they need a court date to present the paperwork. Right now, we are looking at early February, but tomorrow they are asking for anything sooner. This court date will be for all Gambella families and hopefully many will pass on that day!! I really hope we hear of a quicker date tomorrow. So, after the first court, we will get a second court date. This will be the date we travel to Ethiopia. We hope to be included in the group that is travelling in March, but at this point, I think I will be happy just to have any date :)

And so much paperwork lately!! The Ethiopian courts now require your I-171H to be notarized, certified, and authenticated by the U.S. and Ethiopian Embassy and in your dossier. This is new for our agency, so everybody has been jumping through hoops trying to get that taken care of before their court date. I finally mailed mine off today with a big sigh of relief!!

I am worried about our fingerprints that will expire a few days before court. This wasn't an issue until we realized that date was on the paper that is now required at court. Eeek! So, I've been begging the USCIS office for an appointment. Hoping they'll let us walk-in for our fingerprints and we can get that taken care of!

We have our homestudy update scheduled for February. It will be time to super srub the house again! All our paperwork will expire in June (18 months), so it will be cutting it close for us. We're going to update everything just in case.

Now on to better news. We decided to keep our kids' names as their first names! We are falling in love with them because they are such a big part of their Ehiopian history. We are still looking for American middle names if they ever want to switch. But I really hope we can teach them to be proud of their country, their names, and the wonderful meanings!

As I was typing this, I just received an update on the kids!!

our boy - "Active and socialable child. He is powerful boy"

baby K - "She is in good condition and trying to crawl" (what??!!? She's only 5.5 months!)

It just leaves a permanent grin! I can't WAIT to meet them!!

About the boy

I have to thank one really great person who travelled to Ethiopia on a mission trip!! She sent us several videos and pictures of our boy. (Sadly, baby K was out getting immunizations that day.) I can't thank her enough for giving us a glimpse of his personality and helping us fall completely in love with him!!

Here is what she said about him:

He was such a joy to meet. Shy at first and then after a while really warmed up and wanted the love and attention. He has a soft heart and cares what his friends think of him. He didn't want to be called out of the group but was happier to just blend in. Once out of the group and on his own he began to blossom and smile. His smile is adorable and lights up the room. He has a strong grip when he holds your hand and loves to be hugged (after he warms up). He has lots of friends at the Care Center and thinks of others first. He is a good solid kid...not too much meat on his bones, but very solid. Oh, I just can't wait for you to meet him. He will instantly melt your heart!!

Cannot wait to get a court date!!!

Is it really going to happen?

Here we go again on the adoption roller coaster!! The long wait was a downer, the referral was a super tall hill, and now we are heading back down again. So many people are having trouble passing court lately. A few of the reasons might be missing Gambella regional letters, missing MOWA letters, or the birth family did not show up to testify. As we get closer to that time, we realize this could be us too!

Our boy is also from the Gambella region. This is far west Ethiopia and about 500 miles away from where he is now. Gambella requires an extra approval letter from the region. We were told "this will be cleared up very soon." I'm hearing a buzz all over the adoption world how hard it is to receive this letter and how it is delaying families from passing court. Some of them have been waiting months!! They go to court in Ethiopia and find out they have not passed yet and come home to wait. It must be torture!! Please keep these families in your prayers. And please pray our letter comes in quickly as well.

There are so many unknowns with our two little children and their history. This worries me and I'm trying really hard to rely on God to help us through this. More posts spreading today about a meeting in Ethiopia on the 13th that might change who can be adopted. It might effect us. I've also heard it might only be for those adopting from Spain. Too much uncertainty. We need some serious prayers about this that all the children in the orphanage will be able to have a family.

I heard somebody say that if you truly trust in the Lord, you tell him all your cares and you leave them there. That sounds impossible, but I'm going to try. If he wants these children to have forever families, he'll move mountains.

Gambella National Park