Wednesday, April 29, 2009

# # #

We got our file number from the Ministry of Women & Children in Nepal, and it's # # #!

So, what does that mean? Well, it means we got our file number, and it means it's "official" that we're in the queue. Besides that, we're not really sure. While matching has started, they're matching older children first, so we won't necessarily be matched with orphan ###. But it gives us a relative timeframe for when we'll be matched. And we'll know much more in the next few months, for sure.

We're grateful and excited. Namaste for now.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

It’s official, almost…

On Thursday our agency’s coordinator/attorney in Nepal successfully picked up our guarantee letter from the US embassy. This means the immigration component is all approved! He also submitted our dossier to the Ministry of Women & Children, the agency who handles the child placement in Nepal. We are still waiting on our registration number, which will be our official queue number in the system. Getting this supposedly can take up to a week – so any day now. Once we get that number, we’re official.

Still no word on timeline, but we have also recently heard that the first 3 matches have just occurred in Nepal! This news comes from the same coordinator, so sounds like a solid source. Also 180-200 children, mostly 18 months and older, are officially registered for adoption there. So it sounds like these children have been in orphanages for a while and waiting for the system to open up – so that is great news for them and their new families-to-be. And a good sign for us too.

Namaste.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Wrong.

Well, I was wrong. The letter I mentioned beIow is not our guarantee letter. We don't have that yet. Either way - we wait! Stay tuned. Namaste for now.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Dossier is in Kathmandu! It's clear as mud.

We also got notification from the state department that our 171h has been forwarded to the US Embassy in Kathmandu. (We think this basically means that our "approval to adopt an orphan" has been sent to Kathmandu, so that now a visa can be issued for the child when we recieve a referral. Perhaps this is the "guarantee letter" we keep hearing about. We'll ask the agency when we talk to them this week. For us first-timers, it's all a bit confusing.)

So now we wait. Or - continue to wait. But with everything on our end completed - it's an entirely different kind of waiting. Namaste for now.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Denver - Indianapolis - Paris...


...and departed Paris for whatever destination is next just a few moments ago. How fun is it to be able to track the dossier via Fed-Ex online??

Thursday, April 16, 2009

105 days later...

Our dossier is leaving for Nepal via Fed-ex today, 105 days after we started the process. Now, we wait for the guarantee letter (visa) to arrive in Nepal and our dossier will be complete. Once it's reviewed by the Nepalese lawyer, it'll go to the Ministry of Women and Children for matching. (No, we have absolutely no idea how long it will take. )Stay tuned! Namaste for now.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The Dossier is leaving the building...

We're back from our 5-day road trip through Utah & Arizona. We had an awesome time and I very much enjoyed being "unplugged". (It's only once every few years I'm without my blackerry for more than 8 hours - I think I'm a convert.) 

We came back to two bits of VERY good news! We got a lower rate than expected to refinance our house. And even better, we have the final piece of paperwork we needed for our dossier. Terry hand-delivered it to the agency today, and we're expecting that our dossier will be sent to Nepal TOMORROW! What a wonderful birthday gift! Namaste for now.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Breakdown. Just a small one.

We went to the adoption agency today. We thought we were going to finalize our dossier for sending to Nepal immediately. In the 22nd hour we learned that we need an additional letter from one of our banks that's going to take 7-10 days to get. And we can't send the dossier to Nepal until we get it.

It's my 4oth birthday on Saturday and we're leaving for a camping trip to Bryce Canyon Thursday. I had it in my head that our dossier would be happily on its way to Nepal as we drove across Colorado for a long weekend in Utah. Nope. No siree. Nada.

So I cried a bit. I guess I had a minor breakdown in general. I figure that's not too bad, seeing as how I've only had about three breakdowns, total, in this process - each of which has lasted less than 5 minutes, max (I recover quickly). But then again it's not over yet, not by a long shot. Must give more offerings to Ganesha! Namaste for now.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Tummy Rub

I have a few girlfriends and co-workers who are in various stages of pregnancy. When I'm with them, I notice that often they reach down and touch or rub their tummies. I'm sure sometimes it's due to a physical sensation. But I also think sometimes it's to connect with their baby - to reassure the baby, or even themselves, that's all is OK. I suspect most of the time they're doing this tummy rub they don't even realize it. Sometimes when I see this mini ritual of connecting, it's so maternal and beautiful that I have to turn away.

It is leaving me wondering how I can reassure my baby who's not in my tummy - and myself, that everything's OK? What connecting can I be practicing long-distance? I don't know. Namaste for now.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Notsofast!

Well, I thought we were finished with our dossier - but not so fast! We still have a few misc forms to pull together. We're also waiting on our guarantee letter. Our goal is to have everything (that we're in control of) to the agency when we meet with them on Tuesday, so we can drop that sucker in the mail before we leave on Thursday for my 40th birthday road trip. Thank God for Terry who jumps in and saves the day when I start to peter out on the details. I'm good at starting/initiating, he's good at finishing. We're a good team.

There's no word yet on whether any matching has happened yet in Nepal - that is matching up dossiers (prospective parents) with orphans (their children). The adoption community is expecting news of the first matches any day now.

Namaste for now.