Yesterday marked the 80th of our wait and you know what? I didn't even realize it until today! I guess this middle part of the wait isn't so bad; we know we don't have an emanate referral so we're ok with just hanging out.

Not long ago we got together with our local waiting families support group. We are the only family adopting from Ethiopia in the group every one else, with the exception of one family adopting from Vietnam, are waiting on a China referral. Talk about a reality check. It very hard to go to this meeting a whine about the wait when everyone else there has been waiting at least a year for a referral with no end in site. They are all first time parents too!! I can't imagine how difficult it would be to be in their shoes. We have two amazing daughters that keep us on our toes and help the time fly by. We have the shortest anticipated wait of any international adoption program and have had a relatively smooth adoption journey so far. We are lucky!

I'm trying not to obsess about the wait so I don't blog about the adoption much. I'm working on being Zen with the experience and accepting that whatever will be is what is meant to be. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. I think that by the 20th of June, when we will officially be in the referral window, I will start to unravel.

The other adoption issue that is on my mind a lot right now is travel. If by some chance we get a referral and make it through the courts before they close in August then we should be traveling in late August or September. This sounds great except for one little thing... Did you know that it is currently 1999 in Ethiopia?

The Ethiopian calendar is interesting and very different from ours! They have 13 months in a year; 12 months with 30 days each and 1 month with 5 or 6 days depending on if it's a leap year. This is all very well and good, you may say, but why does that affect adoption travel? Ah, well Ethiopian New Year is on September 11th and this year they will join the rest of us in the new millennium. Everyone and their great uncle is going to Ethiopia in August and September this year to help ring in the year 2000! I would love to be there on such a momentous occasion, and really, how many people can say they ushered in the millennium twice? The big problem is airfare and accommodations!

All the hotel rooms in Addis Ababa are already booked full for the celebration. While searching for airfare around that time you will find that either all the seats have already been sold, or that you can purchase them for the low, low price of between 6K and 12K...per seat! Wow! It sounds like a real mess for any adoptive families wanting to travel to pick up their kids with between 2 and weeks notice to get tickets.

If we fall into this category (and it still could go either way) we would only be able to afford for one of us to go. This is a whole nother basket of worms! We both want to go and neither is willing, at this point, to back down. I suggested mud wrestling if it comes down to that...Zman wants Jell-O! Of course if we do have Adoption Smackdown 2007, I'll be sure to post the pictures...and you know I'm going kick @ss!

posted at 8:43 AM  
Labels: Adoption