Archive for March, 2006

Fingerprints


2006
03.12

Ooh! Exciting! We got our request from the Department of Homeland Security to appear for our appointment to get our biometrics taken… Charles is of course paranoid about the all the fingerprinting and filing and whatnot, but I am happy about the process moving along. Since we don’t have anything to worry about on the international criminal front or whatever, it should be pretty cool.

First Entry – Adoption Process


2006
03.10

So we thought weÂ’d start writing about the adoption process weÂ’re going through to keep everyone updated. Our family is in the process of adopting a toddler girl from Ethiopia between 12-36 months old.

So anyone who is reading this probably remembers my pregnancy with Dillon, which was complicated and tough. And then there was the giving birth to an eleven pound, thirteen ounce baby, which was no picnic either! So, about fifteen minutes after that, I decided IÂ’d never want to get pregnant again. And Charles and I started discussing adoption. We thought a lot about it initially, then determined weÂ’d probably never be able to afford it. Recently, though, I was able to pick up some consulting work that, if we stick to a strict budget, is helping us to afford to go through the process.

We always wanted two kids. We really believe that it is good for kids to have at least one other person with which to share the experience of childhood in the same home. We both really value our siblings, and have grown closer to them in adulthood, to have really meaningful relationships. I feel like Dillon would miss out on too much being an only child.

So we started to explore the adoption thing again, initially looking at adopting a child out of foster care from Wisconsin, but Wisconsin law requires what is called a “legal risk placement”. Basically, that means that the State places a child in your home between six months to several years while they go through the court process of severing the biological parents’ rights. Theoretically (though no one would really tell us how often this happens) a biological parent would be able to regain their rights and remove the child from your home. So, maybe if it was just Charles and I we could deal with that, but I cannot imagine telling Dillon that his new little sister was leaving and we’d never see her again. He still cries every time he thinks about his fish that died months ago! He’s a very sensitive little guy.

Our next thought was to adopt from another state, but it turns out that if you donÂ’t want a newborn (which I donÂ’t) the only toddlers that are usually available have been the victims of abuse or neglect. And, it costs about the same to do an out-of-state adoption as it does to adopt from Ethiopia. Additionally, the process is reasonably short (about a year) and more predictable than many of the other countries you can adopt from.

We found a great Wisconsin agency to work with us, Special Children ( http://www.specialchildreninc.com/) where all the employees are either adopted or are adoptive parents themselves. So far they have been really great and helpful. We also have to work with an agency licensed to do Ethiopian adoptions (there are only five, according to the State Department). We chose ChildrenÂ’s Home Society and Family Services (http://www.childrenshomeadopt.org/) to handle that part of the adoption.

We are currently in the process of completing our home study (basically to prove we are decent parents and have an appropriate home for an adopted child) and our dossier (which will go to Ethiopia). I have pasted some information about the process here:

• Family applies to program
• Home study is reviewed by CHSFS social worker and approved for country
• Family files I600A immigration form (we’ve completed this step)
• I-171H is received from Homeland Security by CHSFS
• Dossier is sent to CHSFS
• Dossier is forwarded to the Ethiopian Embassy for authentication, and then forwarded on to CHSFS representative in Ethiopia in order to be prepared for court.
• Referral is made – we get to hear about our new daughter!
• If we accept the referral, the CHSFS representative in Addis Ababa submits it to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MOLSA) for approval of family in conjunction with child referral paperwork
• MOLSA issues decision (approval process) and paperwork is submitted to Ethiopian court
• Court order is issued granting guardianship to adoptive parent(s), subsequently the birth certificate is issued
• We file I-600 (& possibly the I-864) for visa approval
• Child is issued visa and ready to travel