As I mentioned in my earlier post, I was able to connect with our case manager over the phone for about 45 minutes. We had needed to have this conversation since we have been on the waiting list and we were finally able to chat for awhile. One of the biggest point she stressed was the fact that we need to be patient. There are many different things that can hold up the process at any time, so while she gives us general benchmarks that we can look forward to, such as for the referral, things can definitely slow down and we could be waiting much longer. Right now, the general time frame is that we could get our referral around late summer/early fall and travel at the end of the year or early next year. To be honest, when we first started I thought we would be well home before that point, but as we have moved along, I have seen that things are taking much longer than expected. I think definitely my excitement and all of that gets me thinking that things will happen much quicker, but we will see. I think we have been pretty patient so far, although when it gets to be around mid-August, I think the waiting will begin to get much harder.
One of the main reasons I wanted to speak to Patricia (our case manager) this week was that we were talking to our class at church about our adoption journey. I thought it went really well and was encouraged by the warm responses we received. I think many people knew about our adoption, but it was good for everyone to hear from us about what led us to adopt from Ethiopia. Anyway, I wanted to talk to Patricia so I could get a list of items needed at the orphanage so we could begin collecting them to take with us. I am excited because we can specifically earmark them for the orphanage that Baby J comes from. It will be a very small way we can thank them for the care they provided while we waited to be matched with him. So, if you are interested, we would love to take any of these items to the children on your behalf. We will have a 50 lb limit for our 2 bags, but if we get donations that exceed what we can carry, we can contact Patricia and we will make sure it gets over there one way or another. So, here is the list of items that we are collecting:
- clothing for children, infants up to age 14
- shoes for children up to age 14
- formula (Similac brand) *this is one of the most urgents needs due to shortages in Ethiopia
- liquid multivitamins enriched with iron for infants
- chewable multivitamins
- antibiotic ointment
- antifungal cream
- advil, tylenol, etc.
- toothpaste & toothbrushes
- lice shampoo
- disposable latex gloves
- hand sanitizer
If you are interested in donating or have items for us to take, let us know. Thanks for your support!
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