Ok Power in Info: What happens between Court & Visa Apt?

While sufring the net, I saw this wonderful blog of info. So here you go, while I can not take creidt for it, It does give you some tanagelable info that does make sense. PS added more to my Medical travel list, see post after this one.

What happens between the court date and the embassy date?
Posted by : Mary Owlhaven in Ethiopia Adoption Blog at 09:35 am , 504 words, 1062 views

An adoptive mom emailed me today, frustrated. She said that she got the referral of a baby girl in August during the court closure and is not scheduled to have a court date until late November, with travel planned for mid January. She is understandably eager to get her baby home and is wondering if her timelines are normal. She was also wondering just what has to happen between the court date and the embassy date since her agency is being vague regarding details.

Her timelines sound very normal to me. In fact, I know some families who got referrals in early summer who have not yet gotten through court. More cases these days are taking several attempts to finally pass court. Some this happens because a child's relative does not show up in court. Also lately the Ethiopian Children's Commission has been swamped with paperwork and has been a little slower to send their part of the paperwork on to court, which delay often is not discovered until the actual court date, causing a new court date to be necessary.

As far as travel permission, sometimes families are scheduled to travel as soon as 2-3 weeks after court. But it is just as common to have 4-6 weeks between your court date and your visa interview. Agencies that allow parents to travel a couple weeks after the court date risk having parents have to cancel plane tickets if the original court date is not successful.

There are quite a few steps that have to happen between the court date and the embassy date.

-- A few days after your court date, the courts will issue the court paperwork: the adoption decree as well as your child's new birth certificate with the adoptive parents' name on it.

---Both of those documents are needed so that your agency can go get your child's passport photos and then the child's passport. In my understanding the passport office is only open two days each week, and with the recent boom in Ethiopian adoptions, this office is very busy.

-- It will take another week or so for the passport to actually be issued. (This is fast, actually-- think about how long you waited in the US for your passport. Several times I've paid big bucks to have a passport expedited and have still waited several weeks.)

-- Once your agency has the passport in hand, they can do your child's visa physical, along with that last HIV test. And then, finally, everything is pulled together for the embassy visa interview, which will be done while the adoptive family is in Ethiopia. Keep in mind that the embassy interview is scheduled weeks ahead of time. Some families will wait as little as 3 weeks after the court date. Others will not have their interview scheduled till 6 weeks after the court date.

The entire process takes a lot of patience. Hang in there as you wait and know that everyone is trying to get things done as fast as possible.

Dying for TRAVEL DATES!

I am so wound, this hanging on a date is just torture! I find it so hard, we have looked at her photo for so long, she must be so sick of sitting in the orphanage (she probably has no idea we are even her parents) :) But if I were her, I would wonder...whats the hold up? Now that our travel meds are purchased, there should be no more delays right?

Inventory Time...

Crunch time, Ok this list has been in my head for a few weeks now, today it became reality . This is what I purchased:

Danskin Jogging suit, (its light cotton and so cozy, for the airplane ride)
socks for son & daughter that will be home with Nana, (socks vanish in our home!)
1pack of Take n Toss sippy cups
SPF 50 Sunblock, tear free
Toothpaste,(lg tube and sm carryon) toothbrushes for us and baby, travel case for them
Make-up Towelettes, (feels so nice after a long trip wash face with bottle water)
All new make-up (I deserve it)
Quick Read digital Thermometer
Baby nail clippers
Eucerin CREAM, (lotions for kids a no no, normally reactions)
Monistat 7 yup,,,,a gal never knows, (could be along trip)
Excedrin Migraine
Band aids
Soap case
3oz travel bottles (to fill with shampoo,conditioners, baby soap, big bottles will be checked)
Individual Antibacterial wipes for hands and surface. quantity 50
Hydrocortisone Cream 1% (in case baby has itches ect,some type of relief until we get home
40 pack of wipes for travel/ will purchase more in Ethiopia

Doctor Perscribed Azithromycin:for baby ear infections, powder form mix with water if needed*paid full price baby not yet on insurance

Doctor Perscribed: Ciprofloxacin HCL 500 MG: AKA for travelers diarea, for Mom & Dad

Benadryl: 2 pills I sleep like a baby, better than sleeping pills!
Alka-Seltzer Plus Day & Night, just because it helps us sleep
4 pack pedialyte singles, I also have powder packets but the singles are real handy, if they fit I will bring them
*unplanned purchase sweet dress 80%off for baby $6.00 and two neat T's for kids,soap dish (ours broke last night)
TP: 2 sm carryon/2 normal rolls checked
sm jar of vapor rub, for chest colds-baby
sm bottle eye drops:dry eye relief-adults
TOTAL Expense $293.24 it does add up fast, and I did not shop crazy either!

*PS forgot to purchase Feaver Reducers like Childrens Tylenol or Motrin have to do this.
ADDED to list Latex Gloves (for yuck)
Small Flashlight, (incase of power outage)
Shampoo for AA hair
Dramamine: motion sickness

Thank you Nana..aka Mom

Mom sent us a beautiful box of little girl outfits. This is my favorite one so far. I want her to wear it the day we get her, but also when we arrive in the airport...however the airport outfit is not as important to me, we will be happiest to just be in our own beds! We are currently waiting on the outcome of the TB test, lets hope it is NEGATIVE, as a postive could create some very sad delays. I hear it takes 72 hours to see if there is a reaction to the test. Not sure when she is getting it done, I hope soon.

Our kids happy in the new seats.

*for product info, see youtube video below/ Properly seated, the black clips should rest at nipple height on the child. The shoulder straps heights should be at an angle just below the ear lobes (not wraped around the shoulder like a bra strap), the space between the harness...it should be hard for an adult to slip their hand between the belt and the child's body. If your child's head is higher than the back of the car seat, they have outgrown it, which could result in whiplash to them or harm in a crash.

Research before you buy

Not until I viewed this video did I know that there is a 5 point car seat available that will hold your child front facing up to 80lbs. We purchased the Britiax last year and are very happy with them. If we had known sooner it would of saved us money from purchasing the next one in between the rear-facing. Anyway, after reading the facts, we purchased them, not out of fear,but because it was the best on the market.

"Ask and ye shall recieve"

Many months ago I did ask, I phoned a Knights of Columbus member in a near by town. Not sure what the out come would be, "I asked", Sir, I see from the computer that you are a Knight, we are trying real hard to bring baby formula to an orphanage in Ethiopia, will you be able to help us? That one call resulted in members gathering funds to purchase us 7 cases of precious formula, a total of 42 CANS! Small questions, regular people can do great things. When I think of my contact, I smile!