Still no news. People keep asking, yet we have nothing new to report. What I can report is a summary of the process we have been through so far. Typically, the average person has no idea of the steps it takes to adopt internationally. Here is a brief rundown:
* Sept. 2007, started the application for our first agency and submitted by the end of the month (this entailed pages of background information and questions on our thoughts and abilities to adopt an child internationally)
* Oct.- May 2007, busy working with our local social worker at Miriam's Promise for our home study, and busy compiling a dossier (set of official papers) to be sent to India after receiving the referral of a child, all of which need notarization--this includes bank statements; employment letters; criminal background checks with the city, state (including any states where we have resided since turning 18), and nation; health documents from our physicians, including Ellie's pediatrician; letters of reference....the list goes on and on
* March 30, 2007, submitted our application with the US government (I-600A) to adopt a child from India--two days prior to the entire system shifting to a new set of guidelines, known as the Hague Convention (now with the I-800 form, one which is much more extensive)
* May-June 2007, after months of waiting, we began having issues about the antidepressant medication that I, Betsy, was taking; unfortunately, there is still a stigma with depression in India--often those taking medication (even such a small dose as myself) are viewed in the same cast system as the insane, therefore making me unfit to parent (despite currently successfully parenting Ellie--in part, because of the medication I am taking!)
* June 2007, received good and bad news...the bad, that we could no longer adopt from India with the agency we had been using; a few days after we received the bad news, we received the good news that we had received clearance from the United States government that our application to adopt a child from India had been approved! Talk about irony!
* July 2007 - July 2008, took some much needed time off from the adoption process to grieve the loss of not being able to adopt, while at the same time searching for agencies who were currently working with India and who would allow someone on antidepressants to adopt (many had temporarily closed their programs for India because of the huge changes in international regulations)
* August - October 2008, began work with our second adoption agency...was able to gain acceptance into their program; the social worker at this agency was the same person who had completed the adoption of our cousin, Bharti, from India back in 2001 (in fact, Bharti came home the day Chip and I were married!)....began compiling paperwork for this agency
* September 16, 2008, we received a referral for a little girl...what a great day!
* September 15, 2008, my Dad had a stoke while vacationing in Switzerland (learned of this the day after our referral)
* September 2008, met with the doctor, physical therapist, and psychiatrist at the Vanderbilt International Adoption Clinic to review the case file of the little girl and discovered there may be signs of cerebral palsy, as well as some necessary reconstruction surgery with her jaw...after much prayer and with the unkowns of my Dad's condition, we did not feel it was the right time to adopt, especially someone who would require more care with some special needs
* October 2008, our social worker left the agency, leaving her assistant to take over; soon thereafter the other social worker left as well...I took this as a sign to take another break from the process
* October 2009 - after a year of not knowing where to go, I began researching to see which agencies might accept our application to adopt from India; I was able to track down the social worker we had previously worked with the previous year, she was now working with another agency who would accept our application....so began the adoption process with our third agency
* November 2009 - more paperwork...and have I mentioned the paperwork???
* December 2009 - February 2010, worked with the US government to renew our acceptance to adopt a child from India for one last 18 month term (they grant 18 months, at which time we either choose not to adopt from India or renew our application--we were unsure if we should continue after the previous difficult year and a half, but we were given some assurance by our social worker that we would not only be able to adopt from India but that we would have a referral soon!)
* Feb - April 2010, still waiting! Soon is not soon by my definition...to a waiting mother, soon would have been two years ago...oh well, God has His timing :)
