Eddie talked with our agency today. Again, they said we should be okay. They estimate that we will get our referral in March and travel in late June or early July. I hope this is true! I'm ready for my referral photo!
They also said that if something happened to slow us down and we hadn't finished the adoption by September 1st, we don't know what would happen. Last time Vietnam closed down, they allowed people who were in process to finish. That may or may not happen this time.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A Big Sigh of Relief
I was so happy to find a message from the adoption agency on my machine last night when I got home from work. Our case worker left us a long message, but basically said that because of where we are in the process, and because we're open to a boy, that we should be fine. We should get our referral in time and travel before the agreement expires. Yea! Yea! Yea! We'll just hold our breath and hope that nothing happens to slow down our process (like the government loses our paperwork or something!).
We are going to call our case worker back today and hope to get a little more information (like how soon it might be before we get our referral!). I'll post more if I hear anything.
We are going to call our case worker back today and hope to get a little more information (like how soon it might be before we get our referral!). I'll post more if I hear anything.
Monday, January 28, 2008
State Department Warning
Please see below for a statement posted by the US Department of State. We are waiting to hear from our agency about our case. It is possible that we won't receive a referral in time and our case will be "pending" when the adoption agreement expires (see bold below)....meaning our adoption could fall through. At some point we will have to make a decision whether to "chance it" and continue with the Vietnam adoption or cut our losses and try to do something else...hopefully after we talk to our agency we'll have a better idea of what to do. I'm hoping they'll tell us that we can make it! I'm stressed and sad =(
Warning Concerning Adoptions in Vietnam
January 2008The Department of State warns potential adoptive parents and adoption service providers of the risk of initiating new adoptions from Vietnam at this time. The 2005 Memorandum of Agreement, required by Vietnamese law to authorize adoptions between the United States and Vietnam, expires on September 1, 2008. The United States is strongly committed to continuing intercountry adoptions from Vietnam if possible. Our primary concern is to ensure that the children and families involved in the adoption process are protected from exploitation. The Government of Vietnam shares this concern. Both countries acknowledge that more needs to be done. Discussions about revision and renewal of the Agreement are a priority for both governments, but there is no certainty a new Agreement will be in place on September 1. In view of the processing time required in Vietnam from placement to the Giving and Receiving Ceremony, an adoption process begun now cannot be completed before the current Agreement expires. We do not know whether the Government of Vietnam will continue to process pending cases if the current Agreement expires before a new Agreement takes effect. Moreover, given concerns about the existing level of protection for children in Vietnam, it is unlikely that the Agreement can be renewed in its current form.
The United States Government stands ready to support Vietnam’s efforts to strengthen and improve accountability in its adoption system and to develop its capacity to regulate adoptions. In some cases, our background investigations have revealed evidence of irregularities, ranging from forged or altered documentation to cases where children have been offered for adoption without the apparent knowledge or consent of their birth parents. In response to these problems, in November 2007, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service and the Department of State instituted new procedures to verify that children identified for placement meet the requirements of Vietnamese and U.S. law, before the child has been adopted under Vietnamese law. The Embassy strongly advises prospective adoptive parents not to travel to Vietnam until they have received notification from the Embassy that their case is ready for final processing and travel is appropriate. Parents should contact the Embassy immediately if anyone, including their adoption service provider, encourages them to travel to Vietnam prior to receiving this notification. The Embassy can work together with adoption service providers, Vietnam’s Department of International Adoptions, and local authorities to resolve issues such as the scheduling of a Giving and Receiving Ceremony. We continue to urge Vietnam to comply with the terms of the 2005 Agreement and to establish a process that protects the interests of all parties involved in adoptions.
Warning Concerning Adoptions in Vietnam
January 2008The Department of State warns potential adoptive parents and adoption service providers of the risk of initiating new adoptions from Vietnam at this time. The 2005 Memorandum of Agreement, required by Vietnamese law to authorize adoptions between the United States and Vietnam, expires on September 1, 2008. The United States is strongly committed to continuing intercountry adoptions from Vietnam if possible. Our primary concern is to ensure that the children and families involved in the adoption process are protected from exploitation. The Government of Vietnam shares this concern. Both countries acknowledge that more needs to be done. Discussions about revision and renewal of the Agreement are a priority for both governments, but there is no certainty a new Agreement will be in place on September 1. In view of the processing time required in Vietnam from placement to the Giving and Receiving Ceremony, an adoption process begun now cannot be completed before the current Agreement expires. We do not know whether the Government of Vietnam will continue to process pending cases if the current Agreement expires before a new Agreement takes effect. Moreover, given concerns about the existing level of protection for children in Vietnam, it is unlikely that the Agreement can be renewed in its current form.
The United States Government stands ready to support Vietnam’s efforts to strengthen and improve accountability in its adoption system and to develop its capacity to regulate adoptions. In some cases, our background investigations have revealed evidence of irregularities, ranging from forged or altered documentation to cases where children have been offered for adoption without the apparent knowledge or consent of their birth parents. In response to these problems, in November 2007, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service and the Department of State instituted new procedures to verify that children identified for placement meet the requirements of Vietnamese and U.S. law, before the child has been adopted under Vietnamese law. The Embassy strongly advises prospective adoptive parents not to travel to Vietnam until they have received notification from the Embassy that their case is ready for final processing and travel is appropriate. Parents should contact the Embassy immediately if anyone, including their adoption service provider, encourages them to travel to Vietnam prior to receiving this notification. The Embassy can work together with adoption service providers, Vietnam’s Department of International Adoptions, and local authorities to resolve issues such as the scheduling of a Giving and Receiving Ceremony. We continue to urge Vietnam to comply with the terms of the 2005 Agreement and to establish a process that protects the interests of all parties involved in adoptions.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tiny trickle of information
I got a tiny trickle of information today from another person who's using our Vietnam agency. She said that the agency got several referrals last week. She also said that we will be notified when we are #5 in line or lower (which would mean we'd probably be about a month away from referral). I bet we'll be getting that call soon....my "guesstimate" is that we're probably #7 (give or take one or two) right now. I hope it's soon!!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Why is China taking so long?
A lot of people have asked me why we are having to wait so long for the referral of our China baby. This question seems to have a lot of answers, and nobody's sure exactly which ones ones are right, partly right, or totally wrong. Here are some possible reasons given to me by my agency.
Background: Every year between 2002 and 2006, 10,000-14,000 Chinese children were adopted in the international adoption program (mostly going to the US). If numbers had stayed the same for 2007, we would have received our referral in about a year, I believe. However, in 2007 only about 6,000 were adopted....a big drop! And things seem to be slowing down even more. So now the wait time is getting longer and longer.
Here are some of the possible reasons why:
1. Because the China adoption process is becoming well-known for being stable, ethical, and reasonably affordable, many more parents are choosing to adopt from China. In fact, I think I read that the amount of applications doubled from 2006 to 2007 (all while fewer babies seem to be available for reasons mentioned below).
2. A 2005 baby-trafficking incident left many orphanage directors unwilling to even continue participating in international adoption, because it now takes more time to get the children "paper-ready" and they're afraid that if they report available children it might bring international scruitiny to their orphanage and possible complications. Lots of babies are just sitting in orphanages because of this.
3. International adoption is "too much trouble" for already overworked Chinese officials in certain provinces.
4. Some orphanages actually want to keep a certain number of children or they will lose funding, so they don't report to the government that they have babies available.
5. Abandonment is slowly decreasing, and more domestic adoptions are occurring.
There is one more thing that I've been hearing alot, but not sure if it's true at all. The 2008 Summer Olympics will be taking place in China. People from all over the world will be focusing on China and the newsmedia will write thousands of articles about China. China is doing much to get ready for the Olympics and to show its best face to the world. For example, they've begun extreme measures to lower pollution in and around Beijing so the air will be safe for the athletes and that the sky will be blue (closing factories, allowing only cars with even-numbered license plates to drive on certain days, etc).
Because they're focusing so much on looking great during the Olympics (as would any other nation), maybe they've decided to slow down the international adoption program so that they aren't looked upon unfavorably. (This apparently happened to South Korea when it held the Olympics in 1998, and ever since then they've drastically reduced their adoption program). I'm hopeful that if this is the case, they will slowly start increasing adoptions after the Olympics are over.
One final note: As I read over my post above, I realized that it comes across as somewhat negative. I don't mean for it it to--I have great respect for China, and it's amazing culture and people, and I'm very happy that they're allowing me to adopt one of their children! It's just this unexpected slow process that's frustrating me.
Background: Every year between 2002 and 2006, 10,000-14,000 Chinese children were adopted in the international adoption program (mostly going to the US). If numbers had stayed the same for 2007, we would have received our referral in about a year, I believe. However, in 2007 only about 6,000 were adopted....a big drop! And things seem to be slowing down even more. So now the wait time is getting longer and longer.
Here are some of the possible reasons why:
1. Because the China adoption process is becoming well-known for being stable, ethical, and reasonably affordable, many more parents are choosing to adopt from China. In fact, I think I read that the amount of applications doubled from 2006 to 2007 (all while fewer babies seem to be available for reasons mentioned below).
2. A 2005 baby-trafficking incident left many orphanage directors unwilling to even continue participating in international adoption, because it now takes more time to get the children "paper-ready" and they're afraid that if they report available children it might bring international scruitiny to their orphanage and possible complications. Lots of babies are just sitting in orphanages because of this.
3. International adoption is "too much trouble" for already overworked Chinese officials in certain provinces.
4. Some orphanages actually want to keep a certain number of children or they will lose funding, so they don't report to the government that they have babies available.
5. Abandonment is slowly decreasing, and more domestic adoptions are occurring.
There is one more thing that I've been hearing alot, but not sure if it's true at all. The 2008 Summer Olympics will be taking place in China. People from all over the world will be focusing on China and the newsmedia will write thousands of articles about China. China is doing much to get ready for the Olympics and to show its best face to the world. For example, they've begun extreme measures to lower pollution in and around Beijing so the air will be safe for the athletes and that the sky will be blue (closing factories, allowing only cars with even-numbered license plates to drive on certain days, etc).
Because they're focusing so much on looking great during the Olympics (as would any other nation), maybe they've decided to slow down the international adoption program so that they aren't looked upon unfavorably. (This apparently happened to South Korea when it held the Olympics in 1998, and ever since then they've drastically reduced their adoption program). I'm hopeful that if this is the case, they will slowly start increasing adoptions after the Olympics are over.
One final note: As I read over my post above, I realized that it comes across as somewhat negative. I don't mean for it it to--I have great respect for China, and it's amazing culture and people, and I'm very happy that they're allowing me to adopt one of their children! It's just this unexpected slow process that's frustrating me.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Biggest Orange in the World
Here's a funny picture from my recent trip to the valley. My mom and sister are discovering a very large orange growing on grandma's orange tree. We had such a nice time--it was over 80 degrees every day so we went on lots of walks, saw lots of palm trees, and even got in the hot tub. We also ate some great Mexican food and played some very competetive skipbo. Fun!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Getting ready for baby!
I've decided that from now on I will post only positive posts (that last one was sortof a downer)! One of the other adoptive moms I've been talking to has suggested that instead of focusing on the wait, we should focus on doing everything we can to get ourselves ready for the baby's arrival. So here's what I'm going to do....
1. Clean all closets and some cabinets that I've been meaning to get to. I certainly won't have time to do it after the baby gets here. I also need to reorganize the computer room and take down the Christmas decorations. Oh....and work on my filing cabinet.
2. Start walking again. I need to be in shape for lugging that baby around.
3. Read more about adoption and travel to Vietnam.
4. Think about the baby's room. I don't want to really do any more until we get the referral, but I can make plans! Mom is going to make cute curtains and a diaper hamper. We already have the crib and bedding, wall hangings, and a dresser. Now I need to decide if we want to paint, or do a wallpaper border, and possibly buy a changing table and/or other shelves or dresser.
5. Work on my adoption education classes. Our agency requires that we do 30 hours of education before we get the referral. It seems like a lot, but I've really learned a lot so far and I'm so glad to be doing it. We have to take 3 online classes about international adoption issues, take child/infant CPR, and read about baby/toddler care. We also have to attend an adoption support group meeting. There is a group called "North Texas Waiting Families" that meets once a month, and we're going to go to the next meeting, a potluck dinner. It is a good place to meet families that are waiting and also who already have adopted kids. Hopefully we'll meet some moms who want to have playdates! We'll also go to a Vietnamese cultural event (I think we're going to go to a Tet/Asian New Year celebration in Dallas).
All this plus work should keep me busy and help keep me from dwelling on the wait (I hope!).
1. Clean all closets and some cabinets that I've been meaning to get to. I certainly won't have time to do it after the baby gets here. I also need to reorganize the computer room and take down the Christmas decorations. Oh....and work on my filing cabinet.
2. Start walking again. I need to be in shape for lugging that baby around.
3. Read more about adoption and travel to Vietnam.
4. Think about the baby's room. I don't want to really do any more until we get the referral, but I can make plans! Mom is going to make cute curtains and a diaper hamper. We already have the crib and bedding, wall hangings, and a dresser. Now I need to decide if we want to paint, or do a wallpaper border, and possibly buy a changing table and/or other shelves or dresser.
5. Work on my adoption education classes. Our agency requires that we do 30 hours of education before we get the referral. It seems like a lot, but I've really learned a lot so far and I'm so glad to be doing it. We have to take 3 online classes about international adoption issues, take child/infant CPR, and read about baby/toddler care. We also have to attend an adoption support group meeting. There is a group called "North Texas Waiting Families" that meets once a month, and we're going to go to the next meeting, a potluck dinner. It is a good place to meet families that are waiting and also who already have adopted kids. Hopefully we'll meet some moms who want to have playdates! We'll also go to a Vietnamese cultural event (I think we're going to go to a Tet/Asian New Year celebration in Dallas).
All this plus work should keep me busy and help keep me from dwelling on the wait (I hope!).
Friday, January 4, 2008
Not so great news....
Well...we just got an email update from our agency....
The update said that we should expect to wait 3-5 months from submission of our dossier before we get our referral. This means we should receive our referral anytime between late Feb to the late April and we'd probably travel in June, July, or August. Sortof strange, since our caseworker told us yesterday she thought it would be quite a bit sooner.
They also said that they'll no longer be telling us exactly where "in-line" we are....that's too bad, because I really enjoyed seeing us make progress....it gave me a a feeling of hope that some day we really would get our baby. Now they will only notify us when we are getting "close" to our referral.
There are three main reasons why this upsets me!
1. I feel like all we've done is wait, wait, wait, and now we have to wait longer to get our baby!
2. Also, I have a feeling that it's really going to take us even longer to the get the referral. Pretty much anytime we've been given any kind of timeline for anything, it's been lengthened and lengthened again.
3. Being pushed back puts us awfully close to the scary September deadline, which I don't think I've mentioned before in this blog. The Vietnam-US adoption agreement is set to expire in September, unless both parties put in writing that they want it to continue. I'm afraid that it will not get "continued," because of the unethical things that have been going on (I don't feel like elaborating on this now....maybe later). So....what happens to us if we have a referral but haven't gone to pick up our baby yet? Will we still get to complete our adoption? Or will he have to go back to the orphanage...he with no parents, and us without him?? This would be totally sad for him and for us, but we'd also be out a lot of money...
Well....hopefully the next news will be better!
The update said that we should expect to wait 3-5 months from submission of our dossier before we get our referral. This means we should receive our referral anytime between late Feb to the late April and we'd probably travel in June, July, or August. Sortof strange, since our caseworker told us yesterday she thought it would be quite a bit sooner.
They also said that they'll no longer be telling us exactly where "in-line" we are....that's too bad, because I really enjoyed seeing us make progress....it gave me a a feeling of hope that some day we really would get our baby. Now they will only notify us when we are getting "close" to our referral.
There are three main reasons why this upsets me!
1. I feel like all we've done is wait, wait, wait, and now we have to wait longer to get our baby!
2. Also, I have a feeling that it's really going to take us even longer to the get the referral. Pretty much anytime we've been given any kind of timeline for anything, it's been lengthened and lengthened again.
3. Being pushed back puts us awfully close to the scary September deadline, which I don't think I've mentioned before in this blog. The Vietnam-US adoption agreement is set to expire in September, unless both parties put in writing that they want it to continue. I'm afraid that it will not get "continued," because of the unethical things that have been going on (I don't feel like elaborating on this now....maybe later). So....what happens to us if we have a referral but haven't gone to pick up our baby yet? Will we still get to complete our adoption? Or will he have to go back to the orphanage...he with no parents, and us without him?? This would be totally sad for him and for us, but we'd also be out a lot of money...
Well....hopefully the next news will be better!
After the Referral
Several people have asked me what will happen after we get our referral, so I thought I'd share the information here.
When we get the referral, we will get pictures, medical information, and other information that might include things like what he eats, when he naps, etc. This will actually be an "unofficial" referral, and after we tell the agency we agree to the referral, the agency presents our file and the baby's file to the Vietnam government, who then sends us the "official" referral. I think (hope) it will only take about 2-3 weeks to get the "real" one after we get the first one....although someone I recently spoke to said that it took 6 weeks for them.
Then we send more papers to the Vietnamese government saying we accept the referral, and start the US immigration process for the baby. Basically we have to inform the USCIS that we're adopting an immigrant and apply for his visa. Approval of the Visa can take up to sixty days, but will hopefully take only 3-4 weeks. During this time, the US government investigates the baby's background and makes sure the paperwork is accurate and that nothing unethical has occurred. This is a scary step, because in the past the government has denied a few Visas in the past.
After the Visa is approved, we will schedule the "Giving and Receiving Ceremony" in the baby's province in Vietnam. Hopefully this will take place a couple of weeks after the Visa approval. We will officially adopt the baby in Vietnam, and when we arrive in the US, he will officially be a US Citizen. Then we'll be able to re-adopt him in Texas which will allow him to have a TX Birth Certificate (in English). We can change his name at this point, too.
We are hoping to have a referral by the first week in February. If all goes well, we will travel 3-4 weeks after that. It would actually work out great to travel in June or July because Eddie and Lisa will be out of school anyway.
When we get the referral, we will get pictures, medical information, and other information that might include things like what he eats, when he naps, etc. This will actually be an "unofficial" referral, and after we tell the agency we agree to the referral, the agency presents our file and the baby's file to the Vietnam government, who then sends us the "official" referral. I think (hope) it will only take about 2-3 weeks to get the "real" one after we get the first one....although someone I recently spoke to said that it took 6 weeks for them.
Then we send more papers to the Vietnamese government saying we accept the referral, and start the US immigration process for the baby. Basically we have to inform the USCIS that we're adopting an immigrant and apply for his visa. Approval of the Visa can take up to sixty days, but will hopefully take only 3-4 weeks. During this time, the US government investigates the baby's background and makes sure the paperwork is accurate and that nothing unethical has occurred. This is a scary step, because in the past the government has denied a few Visas in the past.
After the Visa is approved, we will schedule the "Giving and Receiving Ceremony" in the baby's province in Vietnam. Hopefully this will take place a couple of weeks after the Visa approval. We will officially adopt the baby in Vietnam, and when we arrive in the US, he will officially be a US Citizen. Then we'll be able to re-adopt him in Texas which will allow him to have a TX Birth Certificate (in English). We can change his name at this point, too.
We are hoping to have a referral by the first week in February. If all goes well, we will travel 3-4 weeks after that. It would actually work out great to travel in June or July because Eddie and Lisa will be out of school anyway.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Just for Fun....
Just for fun, and because I've got Vietnam and babies on the brain, here are some interesting facts!
- Vietnam is about the size of New Mexico, but has the world's 13th largest population.
- It has over 2,000 miles of coastland....tons of post-card beautiful beaches.
- Over 70% of the country is mountainous.
- It has over 50 different ethnic groups....some have never heard of the US or the US/Vietnam War!
- The average family income is about $500 (can't remember exact figure).
Beautiful Vietnam Beach
A bit of news....
I was feeling really down because we hadn't heard anything from our agency in a long time....so my husband called them today to see how things are going. Here's the update!
Our case worker told him that referrals had really slowed down because of the holidays, and because a lot of the babies in their largest orphanage were sick (boo hoo). Because of the holidays, it was difficult to get a doctor to see the babies, but now they've all seen the doctor and are getting better!
Our caseworker told us that they should be referring one or two boys this week....so we should be moving up in line at least a little! She also said that the orphanages are very full and they expect quite a few referrals this month. She's hopeful that we'll have our match before the Vietnamese holiday of Tet begins. It starts around Feb 6 and most things in Vietnam shut down for several weeks. It's sortof like New Year's, I think! Sounds fun....I'd like to take a two week holiday right about now!
I feel a little better now....come on referrals!
Our case worker told him that referrals had really slowed down because of the holidays, and because a lot of the babies in their largest orphanage were sick (boo hoo). Because of the holidays, it was difficult to get a doctor to see the babies, but now they've all seen the doctor and are getting better!
Our caseworker told us that they should be referring one or two boys this week....so we should be moving up in line at least a little! She also said that the orphanages are very full and they expect quite a few referrals this month. She's hopeful that we'll have our match before the Vietnamese holiday of Tet begins. It starts around Feb 6 and most things in Vietnam shut down for several weeks. It's sortof like New Year's, I think! Sounds fun....I'd like to take a two week holiday right about now!
I feel a little better now....come on referrals!
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