Yesterday we had a visit from EJ's trainer, Jorge. We first met Jorge when we adopted EJ from the ASPCA (yes, it's adoption all around for our family). Jorge taught the ASPCA's required puppy kindergarten class, and also paid us a couple of in-home visits, because EJ was described to us as, umm, "special" (and he is!). Of course, "special" then meant he liked to chew the bottom of our couch, eat through cardboard boxes, and bite his way through his doggie gate.
Since those early days, EJ has been a pretty well-behaved dog, albeit with a bit of a mischevious side. But lately we've had a few behavioral issues we wanted to work on and we figured we should also start thinking about how our little king was going to deal with a new addition to the family. So we invited Jorge back for a visit.
Among other things, Jorge suggested we start to purchase some of the things we will need for our child, including lotions, a CD of baby sounds, and a stroller, so that EJ can get used to the smells and sounds and activity that our new addition will bring. We also talked about buying a baby doll and paying attention to it to get EJ used to us focusing on someone other than him.
Most of Jorge's ideas made a lot of sense and will hopefully help lessen the shock to EJ when we do bring our child home, but there was one suggestion I'm just not sure I'm cool with. You see, Jorge suggested that we might want to take our stroller for walks with EJ to get him used to it. Now I know we live in NYC, where you pretty much can and do see anything and everything, but I kind of feel like it's one thing to observe... another to participate. But anyway, we want to do right by EJ and our child, so if you see me and Ryan and EJ out for a walk with our baby doll (smothered in baby lotion) in his stroller, with baby cries streaming from the iPod, well, you'll understand ;)
Monday, February 18, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
dossier in ethiopia
Our dossier has arrived in Ethiopia!
Okay, okay... not exactly big news, as it doesn't really mean much in terms of where we are in the process or what we do now. But for the next "3-5 months," we pretty much have nothing happening, nothing to do as far as this process is concerned. So we're celebrating even the little things.
Anyhow, the dossier will now be translated into Amharic and authenticated by the Ethiopian courts, and then it will be put away until we have a referral and court date.
One (small) step closer.
Okay, okay... not exactly big news, as it doesn't really mean much in terms of where we are in the process or what we do now. But for the next "3-5 months," we pretty much have nothing happening, nothing to do as far as this process is concerned. So we're celebrating even the little things.
Anyhow, the dossier will now be translated into Amharic and authenticated by the Ethiopian courts, and then it will be put away until we have a referral and court date.
One (small) step closer.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
one week down!
Yes, we have been waiting for one week. I know, I know... doesn't sound like a big deal, but believe me, counting the wait in weeks seems far better than counting it in days (and yes, I have been counting the days since we first got news that we are "waiting")!
So, for the benefit of those not going through the adoption process themselves (I know that my fellow adoptive parents are all painfully aware of each and every step in this process), I thought I'd write a brief "what happens now."
At this point we are waiting for a referral - i.e. waiting to be matched with a child in Ethiopia. We were able to provide our agency with some information about our gender and age preferences, as well as certain preferences regarding the child's health, but we do not get to choose a particular child. As of today, our agency expects that we will receive a referral within 3-5 months. Based on forensic blogging (love that term!), we're figuring it's going to be closer to the 4-5 month mark.
Once we receive our referral, we will have an opportunity to review some information about the child before accepting (or, in the very rare case, denying) the referral.
After we accept a referral, our agency will apply for a court date in Ethiopia so that we can formally adopt our child. We hope that we will get a court date within a month of accepting the referral, but it seems that lately the timeframes are less consistent (see: forensic blogging). We will not go to Ethiopia for the court date - a representative from our agency will participate in the adoption hearing on our behalf. If all goes well, the child will officially be ours after the court date and we can prepare for our trip to Ethiopia (typically within a few weeks to a month following a successful court date).
Unfortunately, the courts seem to be a bit overwhelmed by the surge in adoptions over the past year or so, and we have noticed that many families are experiencing new challenges and not making it through court on the first try. So, we may have to sit through a few court dates before the adoption is complete in Ethiopia. More waiting....
So... if things go smoothly (and we have no real reason to think that they will), we might be able to travel to Ethiopia this summer. But there's a caveat: the Ethiopian courts close for the rainy season (typically late Aug. to early Oct.), so if we don't make it through the courts before they close for this period, we will have to wait until the courts reopen in October to finish the process. Yup, this could be a loooooong "pregnancy!"
Ryan and I have already placed our bets on a referral date (Ryan being the more optimistic one). Anyone want to take a shot?
So, for the benefit of those not going through the adoption process themselves (I know that my fellow adoptive parents are all painfully aware of each and every step in this process), I thought I'd write a brief "what happens now."
At this point we are waiting for a referral - i.e. waiting to be matched with a child in Ethiopia. We were able to provide our agency with some information about our gender and age preferences, as well as certain preferences regarding the child's health, but we do not get to choose a particular child. As of today, our agency expects that we will receive a referral within 3-5 months. Based on forensic blogging (love that term!), we're figuring it's going to be closer to the 4-5 month mark.
Once we receive our referral, we will have an opportunity to review some information about the child before accepting (or, in the very rare case, denying) the referral.
After we accept a referral, our agency will apply for a court date in Ethiopia so that we can formally adopt our child. We hope that we will get a court date within a month of accepting the referral, but it seems that lately the timeframes are less consistent (see: forensic blogging). We will not go to Ethiopia for the court date - a representative from our agency will participate in the adoption hearing on our behalf. If all goes well, the child will officially be ours after the court date and we can prepare for our trip to Ethiopia (typically within a few weeks to a month following a successful court date).
Unfortunately, the courts seem to be a bit overwhelmed by the surge in adoptions over the past year or so, and we have noticed that many families are experiencing new challenges and not making it through court on the first try. So, we may have to sit through a few court dates before the adoption is complete in Ethiopia. More waiting....
So... if things go smoothly (and we have no real reason to think that they will), we might be able to travel to Ethiopia this summer. But there's a caveat: the Ethiopian courts close for the rainy season (typically late Aug. to early Oct.), so if we don't make it through the courts before they close for this period, we will have to wait until the courts reopen in October to finish the process. Yup, this could be a loooooong "pregnancy!"
Ryan and I have already placed our bets on a referral date (Ryan being the more optimistic one). Anyone want to take a shot?
Sunday, February 10, 2008
our expanding family
No... I'm not talking about our adoption. Unbeknownst to us, we had a pregnant fish - if that's the right terminology... do fish get pregnant?? Anyway, this morning when we went to feed our fish, we discovered dozens of teeny, tiny baby fish swimming in the tank!! Who knew?!?!!
So like any good parents we ran out to get the baby fish their own tank; otherwise, the big fish will eat the little fish :( and tried to move as many of the little guys from the big tank as we could. Not an easy task. Then I spend half the afternoon obsessively watching the baby fish. I guess that's one way to take my mind off the adoption!
(sorry the pics aren't so good; it was hard to focus in - they are each only a couple of centimeters long!)
So like any good parents we ran out to get the baby fish their own tank; otherwise, the big fish will eat the little fish :( and tried to move as many of the little guys from the big tank as we could. Not an easy task. Then I spend half the afternoon obsessively watching the baby fish. I guess that's one way to take my mind off the adoption!
(sorry the pics aren't so good; it was hard to focus in - they are each only a couple of centimeters long!)
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
officially waiting!!
We got the long-awaited email this morning - we are officially on the Gladney waitlist!!
We celebrated all morning with a few of our closest friends!!!
Well, okay, maybe a few of these folks came out to celebrate the Giants Superbowl win.... anyway, we're thinking Eli is a nice name.
We celebrated all morning with a few of our closest friends!!!
Well, okay, maybe a few of these folks came out to celebrate the Giants Superbowl win.... anyway, we're thinking Eli is a nice name.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
