Nope ... We're Still Number Two

I talked with our caseworker and found out that we hadn't moved up a spot. Apparently one of the families who received a referral a few weeks ago turned it down, so the referral went to the next person on the list -- the family right above us. The original family went back on the waiting list, so basically they just switched places. I was bummed. I just knew we had moved up. That also means that there have been no new referrals coming in either. Our caseworker also said that she doesn't know of any potential referrals anytime soon, so I guess we could be stuck at Number Two for awhile.

A bunch of families who got referrals last month are now getting court dates. It looks like those court dates keep getting postponed. Some people have had as many as three court dates already. It's not that they aren't passing court. They are just getting postponed. Several court dates were postponed today because some piece of paper some government worker was supposed to supply didn't get finished. I feel sorry for the families who have been on pins and needles and then find out they have to go through the worry all over again. I also feel sorry for myself because I strongly suspect that there won't be very many if any referrals until the children waiting on court dates are able to go to their new families and the agency is able to focus on filling up the House again.

We're Number One! (Unofficially)

A family announced on the chat group tonight they received a referral for a little boy last Thursday, and they were open to either gender 0-18 months. I figure that's the one family ahead of us, and we are now Number ONE!!!

They went on the waiting list July 22nd, which is about three weeks earlier than us. I emailed our caseworker tonight to verify our spot. I try to only email her once a month, but the suspense is killing me. I just had to know for sure.

Six Months and Waiting ...

Hopefully there won't be a "Seven Months and Waiting" post. When we first signed on with our agency, the average wait for an infant boy was three to four months and the wait for an infant girl was six months. Obviously that is no longer the case. Now I'm getting impatient and rush to the telephone each time it rings. The wait at the top of the list is tough. We've never been in this position before. Either we received an unexpected referral or were matched with a waiting child.

Passport Renewal

We went to Clarksville today to renew our passports. We took the twins too since their passports have expired, and we haven't gotten around to applying for their Certificates of Citizenship. Since we've waited this long, I think we'll just apply for their Certificates after we bring Peanut home from Ethiopia, and we can do the paperwork for all three at the same time.

While we were at it we got extra passport photos made, so now we have the photos we need for our Ethiopian visa. Hopefully we'll need to use them soon. It took us over two hours to get the pictures made and the paperwork filled out at the post office for our passport renewals, so I'm glad we have that behind us.

Yesterday the family who accepted the referral for the seventeen-month-old boy passed court and are leaving for Ethiopia on March 2nd. I am so happy for them, but it also depresses me a bit thinking it could be us going to get our little boy in three weeks. She posted pictures on our chat group site, and he is a real cutie.

Another family who went on the wait list after us got a referral for a two-year-old boy this week. Things seem to be moving all around us, so I'm hopeful that we'll receive "The Call" very soon.

We Are Number Two!

We got an email from our caseworker today. She said, "Regardless of how many families are or are not ahead of you, I do still encourage families to focus on what we told you at the beginning of the process - the wait could be as long as ten months or longer from the time of your immigration approval.

That being said, to answer your question - There is one family ahead of you for a boy. There are about eight to ten families ahead of you for girls."