Shouldn't I be seeing my baby's face at 9 months? Isn't that the way it goes when you're expecting?I think I've been really good about remaining patient and cool during the wait. But I have to admit, it's continuing to get a bit harder. So I decided to contact the agency to see if I can get a better idea of where my file is.
I emailed CAFAC but didn't get a quick response as they were all off at a week-long conference in Ottawa last week. So, instead I called and spoke to R this Tuesday. She was really nice and tried to be as helpful as she could. She confirmed what I already knew -- that generally speaking, families with dossiers that arrived in July/August '07 are now getting their referrals. She said I am right on track to get mine in October/November. Also, the majority of children coming into care are under 3 years old, including many infants (yeah!). I also got an email reply from D on Thursday stating the same.
So, if my referral comes by November, that's 24 months from when I started the adoption. Yup, it's an old adoption chestnut, but I'm on track for an African elephant's gestation period (640 days). By sheer coincidence the other day, I switched my blog picture out for a shot of an elephant mummy and her baby.
Fortunately, Myfanwy won't be weighing 100kg when I pick her up.But who knows, she might have big ears.
I also asked for confirmation that Ethiopia is not closing the program to single applicants. They are not. While there has always been a preference for couples to adopt, the Ministry does not discriminate against singles (unless you are a single male, that is). Single applicants still receive their proposals within the same time frames as couples. Phew!
I also learned that there are over 60 agencies working in Ethiopia, and of those 60, five agencies represent the various countries around the world. Our CAFAC Ethiopian adoption coordinator, H, represents Canada. I thought that was pretty cool. She's obviously in the know. H is in Canada for that seminar and then the upcoming annual CAFAC BBQ. I hope she has a wonderful time here. I can't wait to meet her next year in Ethiopia.
