Wait List, Baby!

MASSIVELY EXCITING NEWS! That's right. Read that title link again - WE ARE ON THE WAIT LIST! Seven months after our application was submitted, we are on the wait list for our babies. Yesterday was a very exciting day in the Diaz Casa as we found out that our dossier is on the way to Ethiopia. I've been anxiously awaiting talking with our case manager about the next steps of waiting, and I have more news to give you.

Please read this in prayer...

DISCOURAGING NEWS! We found out today that our wait time looks to be way longer than we expected. Honestly, I'm really discouraged and sad. Hopefully this makes sense...

• Where are we on wait list? Hard to say because everyone’s preferences are different. Our case manager will send us an estimate of other families with similar requests.
• What’s the estimated wait time? 9 months for infant girl OR
  2-4 months for infant boy, but about a 6 month wait of siblings with infant boy.
  PLUS 6 months after referral until we travel to get them! This is the biggest thing to pray against. It was 10-12 weeks when we started the process!!! The wait appears longer for 2 kiddos (compared to adopting 1) and longest for infant girl & older bro/sister. Not the kind of news we wanted.
  
• Good news: Our agency is working with 2 new orphanages that have about 15–25 kids each. Hopefully those 2 new orphanages will open up more kids.
  

Our case manager asked us to send her a list of preferences and what we are open for. She encouraged us to give her broader preferences as possible so we don’t be passed over with a potential referral match. (including age, gender, and gender order options)

DIAZ PREFERENCES as of today:

• Gender: 2 girls OR 1 boy and 1 girl
• Ages: Under 3 and Under 1
• Gender order of kids: Undecided
• Open to unrelated siblings: Undecided

Pray with us please for discernment in determining our preferences and for us to not get discouraged. The thought of NOT bringing home our babies for another15 months is near unbearable right now.

This process is teaching me so much. I am grateful for it.

FAQs: What's Next in the Process?

I've been getting a number of the same questions recently about what's next since our dossier is completed, so let me attempt to answer a few of the most pertinent.

What will be the ages and gender of your little ones? We're adopting 2 little ones under the age of 4. Most likely, they will be under 3 years old and under 1 year old. And we're open to either 2 girls or 1 boy/1 girl. Our bold prayer is that God would give us biological siblings: older brother and younger sister. We're not sure why we want this, but Brian & I both had this vision for our family. God inspired? We'll see.

How long until they come home? Don't know yet. We need to get an estimate from our case manager. But I'm guessing late spring 2010. We'll probably wait for a referral for 6-9 months. Once we accept a referral, we'll travel 5 weeks after our court hearing approval. Feel free to pray they come home sooner than that!

What happens between the referral and travel? Craziness! In those 5 weeks, we will need to prepare the baby room, register for baby stuff, make work arrangements for travel & April's maternity leave, make travel plans, and OH do life. Stresses me out just thinking about those 5 weeks!!

How long will we be gone to pick up our babies? We'll only be gone 10-12 days, including travel. It will be a crazy quick, emotion-filled, jet-lag intense trip!

Will your babies be in good health? We don't know. That's another act of radical faith. Ethiopia is one of the top 10 poorest countries on the planet, so the risk for a number of diseases, medical issues, and conditions is possible. Our bold prayer is that God would physically, emotionally, and spiritually protect our little ones before they come home. We'd love for you to pray with us that they would be free from ALL diseases, conditions, and medical concerns.

Dossier to D.C!!!

Today was a monumental, mystical, supernatural, out-of-body day!
OUR DOSSIER IS HEADED TO D.C for the final authenticating process!

After 4 months of diligent, belaboring work compiling 2 separate documents representing every area of our life, bodies, and souls, we are finished with our paperwork!

Now What? We wait for our agency financial balance (approx $6500 right now) to be rectified before our dossier will be shipped to Ethiopia. At that point, we'll be on the wait list!!!!

PRAYER POINTS:
Protection of our oldest child - he/she is alive in the world out there...waiting for us.
Our grant requests to be expedited and our $6500 will be met within the next 2 weeks. (Bold Prayer!)
We would wait patiently and prepare diligently.