An Update

I called CAFAC this morning for my monthly update (I know that if there was any big news they would call me, but phoning once a month is an uncontrollable compulsion). I feel like a bit of a broken record, but for those who don't know this is the way it works: For infant girls (which have the longest wait times), there is a backlog of requests for proposals. Families whose paperwork arrived in Ethiopia at the end of last July are now receiving proposals. Our paperwork arrived on September 1st 2006, so have to wait for the remaining few proposals in July, all the ones in August and then it is our turn. There is no real formula. Sometimes the proposals trickle in slowly, sometimes they arrive in large groups. But since it is now July and they are working on the July proposals from last year (still), we are not expecting one until at least September. I did ask a few other questions though. I wanted to know if the wait time following the proposal was still 4-6 months. I was told that yes, we should count on six months and if it happens sooner to view it as a bonus. As hard as our current wait is, the wait after we receive our proposal is going to be MUCH harder. Then we will have a picture, some information, a real little person waiting for us. Some families are able to travel in only three months, but for this to happen, everything must go exactly as it should which means a minimum number of court dates, for all the immigration processes to go smoothly etc. I am not really anticipating that this will happen for us. Every year, Ethiopian courts close for the summer, this year they are also closing for September to celebrate the new millennium (The Ethiopian calendar is different, currently it is 1999). I assume that this will mean a backlog for the court system. I wanted to know if we would know when our court dates etc are, or if we would just be waiting blindly. I was told, that as much information as CAFAC has, we will have also. Sometimes they do not know until after the fact, but they will keep us informed as much as they can. I also asked how much notice we will have before we travel. I was told that we can anticipate a minimum of three weeks notice. Most families have a month to prepare. This is good as Jeremy has to take time off from work and we have to arrange for Ryan and Paul. Not to mention the price of airfare! I'm hoping that there is only going to be a couple more times I have to call for a monthly update...