Referral and Travel meeting

We recently received our referral/travel packet in the mail and had our "Referral and Travel Preparation" meeting with our agency. We still get giddy saying those words, "referral" and "travel". It was almost like getting a gift in the mail! As we were looking it over we couldn't read it fast enough. Although most of the information was already discussed with us, having the actual meeting to go over to the details of the referral and travel reminded us WE ARE GETTING CLOSER! Some of the topics that were covered included: what to expect with the referral (the call, the paperwork), understanding the Ethiopian court process, how to deal with the wait, being aware of our child's journey before she comes into our arms, various medical tests provided to our child, medical conditions common in Ethiopia, a couple pages listing words in Amharic, information on traveling in Ethiopia, the orphanage our long awaited meeting. Although we know that we will most likely not travel before May we couldn't help but get caught up in the excitement of envisioning us in Ethiopia. As we discussed all the variables, including  the court proceedings and embassy appointments, we reminded ourselves of the importance of continuing to have the mindset to go with the flow during this adoption process. With the exception of CIS we have been pleased with the progress of our adoption time line, and hope that the process continues to go smoothly, however with adoption you must prepare yourself to deal with the unexpected. The destination is Ethiopia and being united with our daughter, however we must be prepared to accept possible detours on the journey.

Ethiopia is such an incredible place for too many reasons to list. We continue to learn about its rich history and amazing culture. We found this great article about travel in Ethiopia if you are interested in learning more about areas in Ethiopia.

Our hearts are already in Ethiopia....we can't wait for our eyes to see Ethiopia! 

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.  ~St. Augustine

Array of adoption options

For us, one of the most exciting things about sharing our journey with people is to hear about their true desire to learn more about adoption, some even to the point of envisioning the possibility of themselves adopting. We have always said, what is great about adoption is that there are many different types of adoption to meet the different needs of a family.

Of course each type of adoption encompasses more than just this brief sentence of description, however it gives you a general idea:

~ Open adoption: it is planned that the birth mother and child are in regular contact with each other

~ Semi open adoption: the birth mother is given updates by letters, pictures & occasional visits

~ Closed adoption: information of the birth parents are kept sealed from the adoptive child/parents

~ Special needs adoption: (domestically & internationally) can include any of the following: an older age, having some form of physical, mental, emotional, or developmental challenge. 

~ Foster child adoption: children placed in the care of a governmental agency due to being removed from the home.

~ International adoption: Because most of the children adopted internationally are orphans there is limited information on the birth parents, however in some situations parents are given the opportunity to meet the birth parents or relatives. This really depends upon the situation and country program (which will be another post). In recent years, the majority of international adopted children have been from China, Russia, Guatemala, South Korea, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. A smaller amount of children have been adopted from Belarus, Bulgaria, Columbia, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Philippines, and Poland. Some countries used to allow more adoptions but are now much more restrictive, such as Romania, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Some countries do not allow adoption by US families, including Western European countries, Australia, Canada, and United Arab Emirates.

Agency Adoptions: There are two kinds of agencies involved with adoption, local public agencies (social services, child welfare and foster care) and licensed private agencies. 

Independent Adoptions are facilitated through an agency, lawyer or mediator (depending upon state laws) and involve the adopting and placement parents working together to complete the legal documentation.

To learn more about adoption in general you can go to the US Department of Health and Human Services website.  As stated on their website, "Adoption is a lifelong, life-changing journey for all members of the adoption triad: birth parents, adopted people, and adoptive parents. Adoption, the legal transfer of parental rights from one parent to another, provides children with love, nurturance, and stability and promotes their well-being and their opportunity to become healthy, productive adults."

This website also provides information and statistics about the various types of adoption.  

Ethiopia spoke to our heart but we think that any kind of adoption is fabulous for so many reasons.

"Somehow destiny comes into play. These children end up with you and you end up with them. It's something quite magical." ~ Nicole Kidman

Wordless wednesday....

Adoption Facts

We just love the quote our sister made about National Adoption month, "November is National Adoption month...celebrating families touched by adoption, honoring birth mothers for giving the gift of life, and remembering children still in need of a loving family. Adoption is a life long journey." We couldn't have said it better, thank you sister!

We all know adoption is an incredible journey but do you know the facts about adoption:

~ It has been estimated that Americans adopted over 100,000 children domestically and about 11,000 children from overseas

~ 6 in 10 Americans have had personal experience with adoption

~ 37.5% of adoptions are done through private agencies

~ Only 2% of unmarried women choose to place their child for adoption (in US)

~ Only 1% of teen pregnancies result in adoption placements (in US)

~ There has been a significant rise in Ethiopian adoptions. In 2000 there were 95 children adopted from Ethiopia compared to 2009 where 2,277 children were adopted from Ethiopia.

~ In Ethiopia, 53% of the orphans are female, 34% under 1 year of age, 39% 1 to 4 years of age (in 2008).

~ There are 143 million orphans in the world. 

And we added in our own fact: Adoption was not our 2nd option! It is a loving way to build a family.

National Adoption Month, Post 1/30

November is National Adoption month, and we have recently become aware of the fact that it is also National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo). Yes, that is right a month dedicated to blogging (it is amazing what we have learned in the world of blogging). Today we noticed that in recognition of NaBloPoMo Ethiopian Orphan Relief is going to post on their blog everyday. Initially we chuckled at the thought of us even attempting this goal for ourselves. However, the more we talked about it we thought it was worth a try.  Because adoption has already enriched our lives we felt this would be a good way to not only recognize adoption, but to celebrate and honor this amazing journey. So to celebrate November being National Adoption Month we decided to commit to posting daily for the next 30 days. Simple or in depth...we promise our entries will come from our hearts.

So here it goes...1 of 30 posts this month!

By choice, we have become a family, first in our hearts, and finally in breath and being. Great expectations are good; great experiences are better.


~Richard Fischer

Ethiopia or Bust...

Although we promise not to list every book that we read about adoption or Ethiopia, we had to mention one of the recent books that we have finished. "Ashes to Africa", a memoir from an adoptive couple that touched our hearts. Although the beginning of our adoption stories are the same we completely identify with some of their adoption desires, process and experiences. That deep connection they felt to Africa and their child before even meeting him, the amazement and gratitude of the adoption community, and taking that leap of faith in an unpredictable journey. Throughout this blog we have talked about our affinity with the Ethiopian culture and our eagerness to absorb as many facets of this incredible culture as we possibly can. However we don't know if we have mentioned the adoptive community enough. We feel so thankful to live in a diverse community with a very large adoption network. The memoir talks about establishing instant, deep and lifelong friendships within the adoption community. Not only is this an amazing support network for the parents but also to the children, having regular play dates and planning cultural activities. These families understand your heart and your desires. We feel so lucky to have met and become friends with some incredible adoptive families and we look forward to meeting more.

During this process we find ourselves looking at YouTube adoption videos and blog surfing:
Here is Amy and Josh's Blog, the authors of Ashes to Africa  if you are interested in learning more about their story!

“Adoption is not about finding children for families, it's about finding families for children”

~ Joyce Maguire Pavao

Fall Harvest

It is that time of year again, the fall season. When we think of fall we think about watching the leaves change colors, reluctantly accepting the shorter days, watching Sunday football, drinking hot chocolate, and going to the pumpkin patch. We love fall, even on the days where the rain and fog fill the air! In Oregon the rainy season has just begun and will last until after April. In Ethiopia the long rainy season, which starts in June, is just ending. Although in both Oregon and Ethiopia this time of year is considered the season of harvest, in Oregon we call it the "fall season" while in Ethiopia it is considered the spring season, "Tseday."

Curious as to what Ethiopia identifies as their rainy and dry seasons? 

~ The western half of Ethiopia has two distinct seasons. From June-September it is considerably wet and then dry from November-February. The peak time for rainfall occurs from July to August.  

~ The central and most of the eastern part of the country have two rainy periods and one dry period.  The rainy seasons are know as Kiremt (heavy rains) from June –September, and Belg (light rains) from February-May. The dry season, known as the Bega season, lasts form October-January. The Kirmet rains are essential because 90-95 percent of the food is produced during this main crop season. This is when most parts of the country receive 60-90 percent of their rainfall, so drought during the Kiremt season may lead to a shortage of food. Although the Belg harvest can provide up to 50 percent of the yearly food supply in the some highland areas, it typically accounts for only 5 to 10 percent of the total annual grain production of the country.

~ The south and southeastern parts of Ethiopia have two distinct dry periods, December-February and July-August, and two rain seasons March-June and September-November. The main rain season is referred to as the belg rains because it occurs from March-June.  

The rainy seasons in Ethiopia can not only impact their food production but also their daily living. In fact during the heavy rain season, which can cause flooding, the Ethiopian courts actually close for about seven weeks. We have learned to appreciate every season, rain or shine.  

“Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.”   ~ Henry David Thoreau

Sunrise to Sunset

      

“We can only appreciate the miracle of a sunrise if we have waited in the darkness” ~Author Unknown

With the realization that we will soon become parents, we recognize the importance of enjoying the abundance of freedom we currently have. To be able to just pick up and go whenever and wherever we desire. So we decided to drive to Larch Mountain to watch the beautiful sunrise over Mt Hood. The air was crisp, and the colors were vibrant from the leaves to the sky. We couldn't help but appreciate the moment as we sat there sipping our hot coffee and enjoying the color display. We live in such a fast paced society that often overlooks the beautiful moments which quickly happen in life. Sunrises and sunsets are truly incredible, only lasting a few moments. 

Last night we had dinner with an amazing adoptive family and were discussing their trip to Ethiopia. There are so many things we are looking forward to in our travels to Ethiopia. Anticipating the every day moments like their sunsets or what it sounds like at nighttime...to the biggest moment of our life, meeting our daughter. 

“When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the Creator”

 ~Mahatma Gandhi 

Wordless wednesday.....Why

Why?.... The question is why not!

"Every single child is a son or a daughter of the one Earth mama and the one Earth papa" 

~ Michael Franti

MSNBC wrote an interesting article about adoptions in Ethiopia being on the rise.

One month closer

As of today it has been one month since our Dossier was sent to Ethiopia. Therefore we are one month closer to receiving our referral; one month closer to seeing her beautiful face. We think of her everyday and pray for good health for both her and her birth mother. How are we celebrating this anniversary, by the family going out for Ethiopian food of course. 

“It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end.”

 Ursula K. LeGuin 

“The love of a family is life's greatest blessing” 

~ Unknown Author