Keeping Busy & an Update

As it says in the timeline, I had my 20 year high school reunion the first weekend in August. 20 years! It's hard to believe I am THAT old. LOL! I was on the planning committee and we met once a month beginning back in January 2007, so I was happy that it was all over. I wish I could have stayed longer at both nights, but I had a long run and a long bike ride as well that weekend.

I've hit a snag in my training. I was at the lake a week and a half ago and slipped into a gap that is about 4-5" wide between our dock and the jet ski lift. OUCH!!! Thought I broke my leg for sure. I'm still pretty bruised up and have some fluid on my knee however, I'm not as swollen anymore. The most I have run at once time is 5 miles and this Saturday I will attempt to run 16. I'm scheduled for 20, but I'm not sure that's going to get done. My marathon is in just over 2 months so I have time to get in some longer runs. I've already had one 16 miler and getting in a 20 and a 22 should be fine. The knee is really the only part that even still hurts and I'm sure it will continue to hurt until the fluid gets reabsorbed into my body.

Football season has begun. The Chiefs aren't doing too well. They've lost both pre-season games and we have another tonight. Home opener isn't until September 23, but we have two regular season games before that. My dad has season tickets, so Tim and I get two of those. It's nice except when it's 100 degrees like it has been lately. I can't wait until fall.

It's really early however, I have decided on a "theme" for Baby N's room. If you click on this link you will see the Under The Sea Nursery Set. I plan to take some of the characters and paint them on the walls below a chair rail. When it's all done (end of this year-beginning of next) I will take pictures. Since I found what I wanted I went ahead and bought it all. Not all of it, but pretty close.

The lack of referrals from CHI is starting to really get to me. They are getting referrals, but they are for older children and special needs. I don't know what is going on. I would have thought since CHI got high praise from the head of the DIA in Vietnam that things might start rolling. They said we were towards the top of the "Good" agencies working in Vietnam. I thought that might pull some weight in getting more children tossed CHI's way. Guess not. I suppose they need to be fair.

We do get weekly/bi-weekly updates from CHI and this is the week that I will ask what number I am on the lists. There is a master list (I started at #185 and it's up to around 210) and there is a list of families seeking a child 0-12 months, either gender and healthy. I was #104 and don't think I've moved up too much. My guesses are 175 & 102. I'll only ask every two months.

Some Thoughts

Found out tonight that the wait for a referral will be closer to 15 months or right at it meaning that I won't receive Baby N's info until September 2008 sometime. I have also learned, in the last few weeks, that the "wait to travel" time is more like 4 or 5 months meaning Baby N won't be coming home until probably February 2009. It's very depressing to think I STILL have SO long to wait. I don't know how I'm going to pass time in the next 18 months. I think the "wait to travel" time will be the hardest since I will know who Baby N is at that time and incredibly anxious to get to him/her. Currently it seems that time is standing still. It's only been 1 month, 3 weeks, 1 day since I got on the waiting list and it seems a lot longer.

I do enjoy the Parent Ed Meetings. We get introduced to families who have just gotten a referral and families who have just returned with their child(ren). We also receive updates on all the programs CHI has (China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, Columbia, Vietnam and maybe India soon). Then we listen to the presentation of the month and break into smaller groups by country after the presentation. It's a good way to meet people who are adopting from the same country and others.

How does it all work?

Now that I am on the "list" it's all about waiting, waiting, waiting. Getting on the list is the first step in the long process. The second step is putting together the dossier which I will start late spring. A dossier is basically a bunch of paperwork that has to be notarized and approved by the Kansas Secretary of State. When all of this is complete it is sent to the Vietnam Embassy in Washington DC to be translated then returned to me and sent off to Vietnam. This process can take 2-4 months depending on how motivated all parties are at getting things done. The third step is up to the Vietnam CHI Staff and the DIA (Dept. of International Adoption) in Vietnam. They work together to match me up with a child and send me a referral. The referral is simply a picture(s), height, weight, birth date, birthplace and any other information they may have. Once I get my referral I wait some more for a travel date (2-5 months). During this wait all the 't's are crossed and the 'i's dotted on both mine and the child's paperwork. When everything checks out I get a travel date. I don't receive much notice, maybe 2 weeks, before I have to leave, so it will be a crazy crazy time. The travel time with connections can be anywhere from 24-36 hours. YIKES! The stay in Vietnam is around 11 days, but can be as long as 3 weeks. Once in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam I meet my child, the director of the orphanage and have a meeting with the Justice Department (JD). The meeting with the JD is called a G&R Ceremony (giving & receiving). Then it's site-seeing and waiting some more. I'm waiting for paperwork to be translated, approved and then I take it to get a passport for Baby N. Once I get the passport we will have a medical exam and head off to Hanoi for a VISA. The wait for a VISA usually takes a few days and then we can head back home. Another 24-36 hour trip with a baby! : 0 My mom and possibly Tim, depending on work, will travel with me. I'm really looking forward to travelling to Vietnam to experience the culture and picking up Baby N. I just hope it's not blistering hot while we're there and that the wait it shorter rather than longer.