F.A.Q. section

I created this blog back in August because we wanted an easy way to keep our family posted on our lives. But more specifically we wanted to share our journey of adopting through Ethiopia. We talked about adopting back in college but started thinking more seriously after having little man. We knew at the end of 2006 that is how we would bring another child into our family and it became official February of this year (07). We sent in our application to CHSFS out of Minnesota and met with our social worker for our first homestudy visit. Woohoo! So I want to shout it out to the world but for now we are treating all of this like the first trimester of our pregnancy and keeping things to ourselves. We still need to complete our homestudy and gather all of our documents for the dossier (the "paper chase" as people call it). So, here we go! I want this blog to serve the purpose of sharing our journey to Ethiopia with you as well as updates on our wonderful life with busy, busy little man.

Many people wonder how we came about adopting from Ethiopia. We hope to explain the process below.

Why adoption? We have always discussed adoption and after little man we thought "why not". Yes, it is that simple. It's another way of expanding our family and VERY exciting

Why International? We briefly discussed domestic adoption but decided against it after thinking about the roller coaster ride that comes with it. Point blank; you risk becoming emotionally and financially attached to a potential birth mom with the risk of her changing her mind. And it does happen! We decided we would rather pay the set fee associated with a more stable, international program and know that little man would have a sibling in xx months.

Why Ethiopia? We were very open to researching all countries for adoption (although drawn to Africa). After doing lots of research it became clear to us we were only eligible for a few countries due to our age, length of marriage and length of travel required. At that point we took into consideration the following factors; cost, length of the process, and how reputable the program was. Africa became very clear to us at that point. Next was choosing a country. Zambia, Lesotho, Liberia and Ghana were all options but are very new programs and with that you have MANY unknowns (especially length of referal until you can pick up your child). With that, we followed our hearts to Ethiopia, where it is well established and predictable (more to come on that).

How we chose our agency? When we started researching Ethiopia there were approximately 6 agencies licensed in Ethiopia and that has grown to over 8 or 9 agencies. Of those, three are very reputable and I've received very positive feedback. So we decided we would rather go with the older, more reputable agencies. The agency we chose has a wonderful care center (wonderful care ratio and model center). We will stay at the guest house while we are there. We have been very happy with them so far. There is also a forum on their webpage to keep in touch with other families. Everyone is very helpful and friendly.

What age and gender we chose? With all agencies you can chose an age range that you are looking for. Some agencies will let you be gender specific. Nathan and I decided we wanted to follow the recommendation of following birth order so we chose 0-12 months. Secondly we decided to request a boy. Girls are more requested and we liked the idea of a little brother for little man.

How the Ethiopian adoption process works? Instead of summarizing all of the information I copied the process from CHSFS webpage http://www.childrenshomeadopt.org/Ethiopia_Adoption_Process.html.

Adoptive parents complete a home study before being accepted to the Ethiopia program. While waiting for home study completion and CIS approval, we provide instruction as to how to compile the dossier for Ethiopia. Once the dossier is complete, adoptive parents may receive a referral. Upon acceptance of the referral, the dossier and the referral paperwork are presented to the Ethiopian government for review. Our representatives in Ethiopia oversee the process from government approval to court, where the adoption is granted, and onward until child travels home. From accepting a referral until child travels home, it takes approximately 2 to 4 months. Parents can choose to travel to Ethiopia or arrange for an escort to pick up their child (escorts are available for children 12 months and under or in special circumstances).

Since we requested a boy, 0-12months, the wait is 4-6 months (we are preparing for at least 6-7) and hopefully we'll be surprised. The wait for an infant girl is 6-9 months.

So there you have it. Once we have our homestudy approved and our dossier documents completed we will officially be waiting. The goal for this is mid April (hopefully before we leave for Florida).