Big sigh of relief

You all know about the mass email that was sent out to all families from my agency announcing the longer wait times. Well, with that email came a TON of speculation and borderline conspiracy theories about what was really going on. I must admit I had some pretty wacky ideas in my head as well. I can be a drama queen sometimes, just ask my husband :)

The other day a family from our agency (along with a few others) sent a VERY detailed list of questions to our agency asking for clarification. We got the answers and reassurance we were looking for. Questions were asked about officials at the US Embassy, the definition of orphan and the rumors that only children with no living birth parents will be approved for adoptions. Told you us adoptive parents get a little wacky sometimes.

Here is what we have learned today:

Regarding a rumor of a stringent US Embassy official causing delays: First, the rumor of an American official who might have been taking too stringent a stance is an old one. In fact, the official who was doing that is no longer there.

Second, CHSFS has developed a very strong relationship with the "orphan desk" at the embassy, and they do in fact seek pre-approval if there is any sort of red flag that might pose a problem in getting orphan status approved, pre-referral. **Some agencies deal with this after referral and have much longer waits before court, travel, etc. while these issues are being resolved.

Third, it appears that in July, the embassy basically pulled a random inspection on CHSFS and its system in ET, and they passed with flying colors, reassuring and strengthening the trust between the US embassy and CHS adoptions.

Fourth, MOWA (Ministry of Women's Affairs) at times may seem to be more stringent...but on a case by case basis. There is no hard line rule regarding one parent living or even two parents living. They are trying to evaluate each case to be sure that adoption is in the child's best interests, and to see if there is not some less disruptive solution to a family's distress. They have come under some political pressure to tighten up and be sure that they are looking to the child's best interests.

Fifth, the court is the final arbiter of that decision, not MOWA. So, in some cases the court approves adoptions that MOWA did not recommend. CHS will push back if necessary where they feel an adoption is warranted. That said, obviously they want to keep a good relationship with MOWA.

So with this news come a HUGE sigh of relief. I feel so grateful to have CHSFS as my agency. I really feel like not only are they on top of every last detail but they really do care about the children and will fight to do what is right for each child even if it means adoption isn't the best option.

I also heard from someone close to me on the unofficial list, who heard from her specialist, that end of January dossier dates like mine will hopefully get referrals in the next 3-4 months. Let's hope that is true. I am just hoping and praying to have a picture of my baby by Christmas. I couldn't ask for a better gift than that. We hit 11 months just days before Christmas so anytime before that would be amazing.

So all in all I am feeling more relaxed about this whole process. Everything happens for a reason and I have always lived by that and this should be no different.