I have my referral! MMW

I have not blogged in a while now. The waiting has been long and I have not wanted to repeat the same "hurry up" post over & over!

All of this waiting has paid off. Magdalena Maclain Rediet Wells is beautiful and with all of the luck and prayers in the world, she will become my daughter in 3-4 months! My referral came on Monday at 12:20 PM while I was sitting at my desk at work. I could barely speak I was so in shock and happy. I had to call them back after composing myself, though I cried during the entire conversation! Aster told me she has a baby girl referral for me. She was abandoned behind a bank and that they thought she was about 21 days old when they found her on Nov 7 08. She currently lives in the Awassa Children's Home in Awassa, Ethiopia. The orphanage named her Rediet (pronounced Redeet), which means "Blessings". She is a true blessing...my Christmas Blessing. The first photo I saw of her came with the very incomplete medical report. She has the cutest little button nose, big beautiful & sparkly brown eyes and a
precious little mouth. Seeing her picture made my heart smile and my eyes cry. True tears of joy! The medical report has the word "Unknown" throughout it. Parents...unknown. Siblings...unknown. The funniest part is language skills... "Not Yet"!

Someone loved her enough to realize they could not take care of her. They left her somewhere she could be found and she was. The local police took her to the children's home. God was watching over her the entire time. I believe he knew this was my daughter. I believe he made this possible for me and Maggie.


I love her. I love her so much it hurts. Now I need to figure out how to get through the next few months waiting for the court date while she is in an orphanage. I know she is being cared for. I trust they are kind to her. I just want her home with me, in my arms.

I received the approval from The Department of Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security/Department of Immigration sent their approval of me to adopt a child from Ethiopia. I am another small step closer!! I am so excited!

Now I get to wait....and wait....and wait...

My dossier was sent to Ethiopia on July 1 and I was added to the waiting list. I was #13 on the list, which I hope turns out to be a very lucky number for me. I moved to #12 last week. My agency said it was the first referral for a little girl that came in 12 weeks. On the yahoo groups they are talking about Ethiopia stopping single adoptions. Apparently this rumor runs rampant often, but this time it might be true. My agency said I should be fine since my paperwork is already in Ethiopia. Please say a prayer for me and Maggie!

It has been a while since I last posted....Here is an update.

I have successfully completed my home study and I look fabulous on paper! Thanks to everyone who wrote a referral for me. I really appreciate you helping me become a mom.

I sent my completed dossier to Washington, DC this afternoon. (YEAH!) Dependable Adoption Courier Services will receive it tomorrow and personally take my dossier to the US Dept of State to be authenticated and then on to the Ethiopia Embassy. They will put their seal of approval on my paperwork and then, early next week it will go to my agency, Christian World Adoption. I am about one week away from my paperwork being sent to Ethiopia. Once it is sent to Ethiopia, I am added to the official waiting list of prospective adoptive parents. They said the wait is anywhere from 4-7 months to referral and another 3-4 months until traveling to Ethiopia. Of course these time frames are approximate and each case is different. If I had requested a boy, I could receive a referral sooner. I am not opposed to a having a son. I just feel that Magdalena Maclain is out there...waiting for me. Does anyone remember the song from An American Tale...Somewhere out there

Somewhere out there
Beneath the pale moonlight
Some ones thinking of me
And loving me tonight

Somewhere out there
Someones saying a prayer
That we'll find one another
In that big somewhere out there

And even though i know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Somewhere out there
If love can see us through
Then we'll be together
Somewhere out there
Out where dreams
Come true

And even though i know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Somewhere out there
If love can see us through
Then we'll be together
Somewhere out there
Out where dreams
Come true

This is such a special time for me. I have been doing research, reading (yes Gren, I read) and preparing as much as I can, this far in advance. Derika has been so wonderful to share so many toys, clothes, shoes and baby items. Maggie will be the BEST dressed child. Dare - thanks for being so organized.

It has made me so sad to read the news about the drought and near famine they are experiencing in Ethiopia. It is not on the news like it was back in the 1980's. Check outthese stories:
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/380371.aspx
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/378673.aspx
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/06/09/ethiopia.hunger.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch

I hope we all can keep these people in out hearts and in our prayers.


Much Love -

Abby

I have been fingerprinted!

I went to the local USCIS this morning at 8 AM (yes, I was on time) and Mom and I were fingerprinted. Our prints are now at the FBI getting checked out. It was so cool...They do all of the prints electronically. Your fingers need to be wet and they put them on this glass and rotate your fingers to get the entire print. The prints are only good for 1 year, so hopefully Magdalena will come home within a year from today....so I don't need to get them done again! I am trying to schedule my next home study visit and encouraging those writing referrals to get them done soon. I wrote my autobiography, answered all of the questionnaires, filled out a bunch of forms and compiled tons of information. I hope to have everything on my end ready by tomorrow night.

More to come...

My Adoption Education

I have now read a 500 page book, Adoption Parenting, and took a 78 question test on it...Which I got a 100 on! I also finished my 8 hour on-line Hague Training this weekend. It was supposed to be 8 hours, but it was more like 12 hours! Waiting on those videos to load was very frustrating. I now have more information about international adoption and more questions. The training has forced me to think about things I may not have considered, as well as explained things that I was unsure about.

I had to write a 2-3 page autobiography about myself and it is SIX pages. They wanted information about each of my siblings... and there are a lot of us!! I also am in the process of answering questionnaires about my decision to adopt, how I view birth parents, what I plan on telling my child about adoption, etc. Some of the answers to the questions may change over time, but I am answering them how I feel right now.

I received the certified copies of Mom's & my birth certificates this past week. I also finally filed my taxes. I am having much of the work finished on my house, so I can be fully prepared for my child. The deck is being redone, since it was practically falling apart and there was no railing. I am having it extended with a new 10' x 15' section and real stairs added! I am also having my bedroom and office flooring installed, the kitchen back splash installed and a closet changed into a built in TV unit.

More to come soon...

:)

Home study started and I-600A filed

On Thursday morning I had my first meeting with Catholic Charities! Julie Bolles, my case worker, is awesome! We met for about an hour and she went through the entire process of the home study with me...and then handed me more paperwork! I am starting to think this is not the most eco-friendly process!

On Friday I sent my I-600A to the USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration services) office in Memphis. The USCIS is going to start the ball rolling for me to bring a foreign child into the country!! I have to wait about 3 weeks and then they will send me notification that I have an appointment to get fingerprinted for the FBI background check. My Mom has to get fingerprinted too. I also went to the Nashville police department on Friday to get the police background checks on mom and me. Thank goodness neither of us have been arrested!! A few days ago, I actually asked mom if she had ever been arrested... needless to say, I got a resounding NO and she was a bit shocked that I would think that! How am I supposed to know what she did before I was around!?!?!

Doesn't this paperwork process sound like fun?

This morning I attended a singles adoption support group. I was the newbie of the group. 2 ladies brought their adopted children (from Russia & Guatemala), one is waiting for her referral (from Ethiopia) and another has been waiting 6 years and is finally getting her child in June (from the Philippines). It was the first meeting of this group ever, so we just introduced ourselves today and discussed where we are in the process. Everyone was so nice and supportive. I am looking forward to the next time we meet.

I am having to get everything together for my home study... which includes a medical exam (a physical and tests for TB, hepatitis A, B & C, HIV, and a drug screening), financial report (how much stuff I have versus how much I owe!), write an autobiography about myself (I am fabulous!!), fill in questionnaires about my views on parenting & adoption, and a few other things. It is overwhelming to say the least! Oh, and I am supposed to be working on my dossier now as well. I guess they are trying to prepare me for motherhood by having me be really busy and multi-task like crazy!!!!!!

Why Ethiopia?

There are several reasons I have chosen Ethiopia.  

There are over 67 million people living in this third world country.  Approximately 4 million orphans are among them.  Some of these children are unwanted, others can not be cared for due to poverty, HIV and death in their families.  Even when there are living relatives of these children, often they can not afford to feed, clothe or house another person.  In America, we have a system in place, though not perfect, that enables every orphaned child to be cared for.  In Ethiopia the orphanages are less than desirable and not all children are able to be cared for in the orphanage.  Many children are left to fend for themselves, even at a very young age.

(Once a child in Ethiopia has been matched to a waiting family they are taken to live in the capitol city, Addis Ababa, at one of the care facilities the adoption agencies have set up.)   

Many countries in the world have stopped adopting to single woman.  Ethiopia is currently still open to single adoption, but has discussed changing this in the past.  I hope this does not change while I am in the process!  

Some countries will not allow foreigners to adopt infants, only older children.  Ethiopia does.  Some countries have extremely long waiting periods. Ethiopia tends to have a time frame of about 12-18 months for the entire process.  This is not set in stone though and depends on the gender, age and number of children you are willing to adopt.

Ethiopia is one of the least expensive countries to adopt from, though the process is not inexpensive...donations are welcome!  They only require 1 trip to Ethiopia for a total of 1 week or you can have your child escorted back to the US.  Many countries require 2-3 trips with 2-3 weeks (or more) spent "in country".  

Several countries have been experiencing hardships within their adoption regulations, like Guatemala.  There is speculation of unsavory practices in the way the adoption agencies are working within that country, so they have completely shut the country down to any new adoptions.  No one knows when it will open back up.  Ethiopia seems to have a fairly good process in place.  It appears stable and well run. 

Finally, have you seen how cute these children are?  They are precious, special and wonderful.  They are deserving of a life filled with love, compassion, care, education...and me as their mom!

Here is a link to my agency if anyone wants to check it out:  www.cwa.org

My big red binder

I have now printed enough paper to fill an entire 3 ring binder... almost!  I actually ran out of regular paper and had to use some old resume paper.  According to my online adoption planner from Christian World Adoption, there are 8 major steps to the process of international adoption, with about 500 little steps sandwiched in.  Every step requires a ton of paperwork.  I feel bad for the tree I am personally responsible for killing!

Step 1 - Agency Expenses, agreements & forms

Step 2 - The Home Study

Step 3 - Apply to US Citizenship & Immigration Services

Step 4 - The Dossier

Step 5 - Prepare to receive referral and child referred

Step 6 - Prepare for travel

Step 7 - Home with child

Step 8 - Post adoption process

Step 1 is completed... Now on to Step 2!

Naming Magdalena Maclain...

Magdalena - Mormor's twin sister's name is Signey Magdalena Gren.  I have always loved the name Magdalena!  (Origin-  Spanish, Hebrew, Greek; Meaning - Woman of Magdala, from the tower, form of Magadalene)

Maclain - Of course, I need to name a child after Mac, since he said he would pay for college for any niece or nephew named after him.  Mac - I promise not to hold you to that!! (Origin - Scottish/Irish; meaning - Son of, son of the servant John, son of Leander)

The 2 names together make a fabulous monogram...  MWM

I will end up keeping  part of her African name as a 3rd name...and maybe a 4th.  I read of one family merging the 2 African names to create one, which I think is cool.  Some keep the African names, depending on the age of the child.  Most of the African names are beautiful.  I can't wait to see what her name means... 

I think I need to explain the process...

I am not a pro at this, since I just started, but I will try to explain...a little.  The stage I am in is comparable to "trying to get pregnant".  It will be months, if not over a year before I am actually approved for adoption.  All I have done is sign a contract and pay the initial fee.  

My home study will start soon and I will need to compile medical and financial information and my friends will need to write references.  This is where they will look at my life under a microscope to make sure I am a good person that can afford and deal with a child.  They also will make sure I have no crazy illnesses.  

Somewhere along this line, I will be fingerprinted and the FBI will need to sign off that I am not a fugitive...I guess.  There is a mountain of other paperwork that will need to be signed, notarized and then authenticated by the US government.  Then all of this paperwork goes to Ethiopia to be translated and the US authentication will need to be authenticated by them. 

This is when I will actually get the chance to be matched with a child (aka get a referral).  I have chosen an agency that will allow me to choose age (0-12 months) and gender (female).  This referral process can take months or over a year in itself, since I am being so specific in age & gender.  If I wanted a sibling group or an older child I could be matched more quickly.  After the referral is accepted I have 10 days to have the medical report looked at by a doctor before I need to accept or decline the referral.  Once I accept a referral, I have to wait for the court date.  This can be weeks or months, since they take the summer rainy season off (about 2 months), and have other holidays, that we do not.  This is where the Ethiopian government will determine if I am worthy of adopting one of their children.  I will not be present at this court date.  If they accept me, then that day the child will be mine.

Once approved by the court, it will be another 4-12 weeks before I actually travel to Ethiopia.  I will be in Ethiopia for a week... getting custody, US visa for the child, immigration paperwork etc.  

Once I return to the US, I will need to do more paperwork to have the child considered at US Citizen by adoption and get a SS#, be re-adopted in the US by me, and some other things I can't even think about right now.

I must have to have a social worker come to my house at 3, 6, 9 and 12 month times to evaluate my situation and then yearly after that until the child becomes 18.  These reports are translated and sent to the Ethiopian government. 

So as you can see, this is really the very beginning of this process.  I could have chosen not to tell anyone, but I wanted you to share in the joy of the journey I have chosen to take.

Please be happy for me and my future child.

She is growing in my heart!

I sent the signed Christian World Adoption agency contract and the first agency payment today!  I am that much closer to bringing Magdalena Maclain home!  I also emailed Catholic Charities to get my home study started!  

It is amazing how I can love someone I have never met.  I find myself thinking about her all of the time.  Has she been born yet?  What will she look like?  How old will she be when I get to bring her home?  How big will she be?

I wonder how I will survive the next year of waiting...