Movement

The big news last week was that our dossier was finally in Ethiopia!  This is a huge step and one that has been greatly anticipated.  We are now waiting for all of the information to be translated, authenticated and sent to the courts for processing.  We will then be assigned a court-date.  Not knowing when that will be is driving me a little nuts but it's all par for the course.  

I've been asked quite a few questions throughout this process and thought that I'd share some of the answers here--for any of you who might share some of the same curiosities.  A few of these were answered in one of my first few posts so some of this might be a bit repetitive.

Why does it take so long?

Well, there is an unbelievable amount of paperwork involved and because it has to go through so many channels, it takes time.  You wouldn't believe how many steps there are and hoops to jump through.  Seriously, it would blow your mind.  Once all our paper chase is finished domestically we then have to wait on the Ethiopian government to do their part and this is where most of the hold-up is.  There are only a limited number of government agents in Ethiopia able to work on cases and the number of adoptive families greatly outweighs the number of employees.  We are completely at the mercy of those who hold our hearts in their hands.  We pray that our paperwork makes it's way to just the right person at just the right time.  MOWA (Ministry of Women's Affairs) plays a huge role in all of this.  They are the equivalent of what we know in the U.S. as Child Protective Services.  MOWA handles each case individually and investigates each adoptable child's background and family history.  They scrutinize and verify that all the information the agency has received is correct.  They then decide whether the prospective adoptive parents should in-fact be allowed to adopt.  They can only review a limited amount of cases each day--resulting in delays.

How are your kids handling the waiting?

They are much more patient than I am.  Luckily we stay busy almost constantly so there isn't really a whole lot of time to dwell on the waiting.  They are so excited.  It's been really neat for them to see their cousins Andy and Hana come home and adjust so well.  They are more anxious than ever to have their sister and brother home!  We talk about them and pray for them daily.  They are already a part of our family!

Are the children healthy?

Yes.  They have had regular check-ups and have been tested for HIV and other diseases.  They are clear and other than some minor malnutrition when they first arrived at the orphanage, they are great.  They will definitely require a major dental work-up but other than that, we are grateful to be adding two healthy children to our family!

What about their birth parents?  Why were they put up for adoption?

This has only been asked a few times and I find myself feeling very protective and sensitive about this topic.  I feel like their "stories" are very personal and should be treated with the utmost respect.  I have shared some things with a few close friends and family members but hesitate to go into too much detail here.  With that said, I would really like to share some things that I feel you could all benefit from hearing.  These children are special.  They have endured a lot in their short lives.  We feel very blessed to have been given a great deal of information about their lives before the orphanage.  Information that we never thought we'd have the opportunity to know.  I haven't yet decided what all I would like to share but a future post is in the works.  There are stories to tell.

I'll leave it at that for now and share this video that was taken a few months ago by my sister while she was meeting her children at the same orphanage.  I love how Nyah and Nate are constantly competing for camera time.  I'm hoping by now you can identify who they are among the other children.  Just look for the two cutest ones. :)  Oh, and our boy definitely has some groove!