Sooooooo…. we have some news. ๐
As many of you know, Mark and I signed up to adopt from Ethiopia in February 2008. After numerous home study visits with a social worker, endless amounts of paperwork (bank statements, letters of employment, reference letters, criminal checks, medical forms) and online courses our files were translated to Amharic, sent to Ethiopia and our wait officially began.
So we waited. And waited.
Then we had Lucy and Sam and we put our file on hold.
And when Lucy and Sam were three years old we re-activated our file.
As we waited, we updated and maintained our file every year; more doctors visits, more paperwork, more waiting.
Then international adoptions started slowing down in Ethiopia. Then they ground to a halt.
And in 2015, seven years after we had signed up, the entire program folded and all of a sudden we werenโt adopting from Ethiopia anymore.
The next day, our adoption agency called us to tell us about a relatively new adoption program in Haiti and asked if we wanted to apply.
And we did. So everything started again. None of the paperwork from Ethiopia was transferable to Haiti. Every country has its own paperwork, its own requirements, its own way of doing things. So we did more paperwork: more bank statements, more letters of employment, more references letters, more criminal checks. We filled out more medical forms, went to more doctors visits and we even went for a psychological assessment (a Haiti requirement). Everything was translated into French, sent to Haiti and we started to wait again.
This time we didnโt tell anyone that we started a new adoption process. It was too exhausting to explain to everyone, all the time, that we had no updates, that things were slowing down, that we were still waiting…
We continued to wait.
Then the Haiti program began to slow down. Proposals werenโt happening. Families werenโt being matched. The long wait was getting longer…
In the spring of 2017 our adoption agency told us about a program in Vietnam that seemed to be moving quickly…
So we applied.
More paperwork, doctors visits, criminal checks… because nothing from Haiti is transferable to Vietnam. We started from zero, again.
And we kept waiting. Proposals for younger children in Vietnam started coming to families with our agency, but by now we had raised our requested age to be more in sync with Lucy and Sam. And there were no proposals for older children. Our agency kept talking to their contacts in Vietnam and Haiti. And we kept waiting.
And then in August, over 10 years after we originally applied to adopt internationally, I got a call. โWe have a proposal for you…โ
So more paperwork (because thatโs how this process works) and phone calls and emails and arrangements…
And we now have some very exciting news to share…. ๐
I am so very happy to announce that after possibly the longest adoption process in history, we have been matched with a little guy in Haiti. His name is Stanley and he is five years old. Lucy, Sam, Mark and I are flying to Haiti on Christmas Day to meet him. Weโll spend two weeks getting to know him and hopefully weโll be able to bring him home in September (nine agonizing months later).
We are all so excited to meet him. โค๏ธ
Something tells me this will be the toughest wait yet.
So, so , so happy for your adoption dreams to finally be coming true! I can’t wait to meet Stanley when he gets here! Congratulations to you all!
Thanks so much!!!! Weโll need new family photos soon. ๐
Ahhhh!!! Congratulations, I’m so happy for you guys!!! That’s amazing xxx
Thanks so much Erin!!!! ๐
We are so happy for you guys!!!!
๐๐๐
My heart is so full for you and your family. Adoption is something I would love to do and this is so inspiring!!
Awwww thanks so much Andrea!!!!!!!!
Congrats! So happy for you and your family๐โค
Awwww thanks Lise!!!! ๐
Whoop whoop ๐๐ผ yay yay yay!!! So so happy for you all.
๐๐๐
Congratulations!!
I remember listening to you tell your story after the agency folded and I felt so sad for you. I cry for you happy tears today as I read this post instead of the sad tears from that day. What a great story of perseverance. This Christmas your lives will change again and yes the 9 month wait will be the longest yet. I am so very happy for you all! โค๏ธ
Awwwww Shelley, thanks so much!!! Thanks for reading and commenting and sending the โค๏ธ.
I remember listening on the radio when you talked about the adoption from Ethiopia, many years ago! I am tearing up for you! So happy for you! Congratulations!
โค๏ธ
Big congrats to you and your family Amy!
From your scratch win or bust Pesos winner! Xoxoxo
Iโm very happy for you, wishing you the best the wait will be worth it and your family will be complete.
Thank you so much Brenda!!! ๐
This is incredible!
๐๐๐
What an amazing amount of perseverance, strength, and love you and Mark have shown . I do admire your values . You two are an inspiration to your children .. all three of them !!.. and all of us ! One less suffering innocent child . Good on you . Love and many blessings to you all .
Maree
Thank you Maree!!!! I think you have a couple of grandsons who will be the perfect age to play with Stanley. ๐
Wow Amy !! Congratulations Iโm sure days will go fast and Stanly will be here soon !! Love the story !!!
โค๏ธ