Adoption Timeline - Windows Live

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November 2009	I am blessed to announce that on November 13, 2009, the Family Courts in Ethiopia gave me legal custody of my daughter, Leah Tigist Prause!

October 2009	The Family Courts in ET decided not to reopen until Oct. 12th. Received a new court date of Oct. 23rd. Did not pass on 10/23; new court date set for Nov. 24th.

September 2009	I got my tentative travel dates (TTDs) today: Oct 24th - 30th!! Just over six weeks away...oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness...

August 2009	Received court date of October 8, 2009! I will not be present for that, but if I pass, I will get legal custody and travel 2-4 weeks after that!

July 2009	I got the call!!!! I have an incredibly beautiful 2 month-old baby girl. She's grinning from ear-to-ear in both pictures they sent me and I'm completely in love!!

June 2009	I'm officially "On Deck" with AWAA, meaning they expect my referral to come in roughly 1-2 mos. Also received my old dossier back from El Salvador.

May 2009	MOWA has launched an investigation in Ethiopia on abandoned children cases, which doesn't affect me now, but will slow down referrals. 11 families ahead of me that I know of.

April 2009	Referrals moving right along...14 families (that I know of) in line ahead of me requesting girls or either infant.

March 2009	I'm starting to work on creating the nursery (see pictures below). Step 1 - get rid of all my stuff in there!

February 2009	Another great month for referrals! I am almost at the 5-month mark in waiting for my referral, which could be the half-way point. It's becoming more and more real every day.

January 2009	Referrals are coming fast and furious this month! So glad the girl line is moving again.

December 2008	Wait times for infant girls are increasing. Maybe a referral by next Sept/Oct? Maybe longer. Merry Christmas, everyone.

November 2008	I've been waiting a little over six weeks. Referrals are moving again, which is good news for all the families. There are so many beautiful children in ET needing families.

October 2008	Received official DTE on 10/3/08!! The paper pregnancy has officially begun.

September 2008	USCIS surprised me with my new I-171H after just one week! Dossier Fed Ex'ed to AWAA 9/23/08. It will take up to 3 weeks for them to review and certify it, and it will most likely not be shipped to Ethiopia until October.

August 2008	Had home study update 8/18; hoping to be able to send revised report to USCIS by end of August. Then hoping USCIS will be swift in turning around a new I-171H!

July 2008	I'm paperchasing once again. Little frustrations here and there, but overall, I'm far more relaxed about it this time around. Hoping to finish and submit dossier by the beginning of September.

June 2008	The decision has been made to switch to AWAA's Ethiopia program. I formally requested a transfer and will begin again. Chances are good I will get a baby under 12 months, hopefully by this time next year.

May 2008	The president of AWAA went to ES to meet with gov't officials. AWAA had a conference call with many of the ES families and say they are hopeful, but only for children 5 and above. I still have unanswered questions.

April 2008	We are now being told that the youngest child available from El Salvador will be 5 years old. That's quite a leap from a toddler, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Praying for guidance.

March 2008	AWAA reports their One Ticket home campaign has helped El Salvador get 40 kids paper-ready for adoption. Those kids aren't guaranteed for AWAA families, but it is progress.

February 2008	AWAA gave the ES families the option of switching countries due to extended wait times. After many discussions and lots of prayer, I am sticking with ES.

January 2008	More delays...OPA in ES struggling to work through backlog of dossiers and red tape to get children paper-ready for adoption. Wait time increased to minimum 18 months from dossier submission.

December 2007	AWAA received the first El Salvador referral, a 5 year-old boy. The family, for undisclosed reasons, declined the referral, but the system is working! Praise God!

November 2007	A Florida family from another agency got a court date for Nov. 9th, and went to ES to get their 15-month old daughter. It is encouraging news to see an actual adoption happen in ES!

October 2007	Wait time extended to 12-18 months. Movement in El Salvador--4 more AWAA families have received OPA approval and are one step closer to meeting their children!

September 2007	I celebrated my 44th birthday this month. My prayer is that I will be celebrating my 45th with my son or daughter. Praying for administrative changes taking places with the OPA in El Salvador, hopefully by the end of the year.

August 2007	Two full months completed in my wait. There are delays in El Salvador in switching from the old adoption system to the new system, which means no referrals yet for any AWAA families. Praying...

July 2007	My dossier has been in El Salvador for one month now. Presumably it has been translated into Spanish and the legal process has begun. Wait time is estimated to be 12-15 months from dossier submission. One down...

June 2007	I sent my dossier to AWAA's McLean, Virginia corporate office Thursday, June 7th. They received it and it was officially sent to El Salvador on Friday, June 8th. The paper pregnancy has begun!

May 2007	I was told to expect the unexpected...a few bumps in the road to completing the dossier, but nothing I can't overcome! Almost done...

April 2007	Home study visits are complete and I've been officially approved! Still more paperchasing to do, but things are coming together :)

March 2007	We're under way! No shortage of paperwork to fill out, forms to file. I have my first Home Study visit March 27th. The reality is setting in!

February 2007	I received medical clearance to stay off my medication! I've lost 20 pounds since last October and I feel great. I should be cleared soon to proceed with the El Salvador program.

January 2007	Working to switch to AWAA's El Salvador program. El Salvador adoption rules state adoptive parents cannot be on medications. Working w/ my doctor to get off medication, hopefully by February to start process in March.

December 2006	CCAA held annual meeting in Beijing, China on Friday, December 8th. The decision was made to no longer accept dossiers from international single parent applicants. AWAA confirmed I will no longer be able to pursue an adoption through China.

November 2006	Completed fourth month on Single's Wait List. March seems so far away, but I love the holidays and it helps to have so much to do this time of year.

October 2006	Learned from AWAA that China Single's Wait List time has increased to 8-10 months. Now praying for release from List by March 2007.

September 2006	Completed second month on Single's Waiting List.

August 2006	My initial application was approved, and I was added to China Single's Waiting List August 4th. Expected wait time 6 months. Must be released from this Wait List before I can start Dossier Stage.