I’ve run across this issue a bunch lately as I’ve started reading adult-adoptee blogs, then turning back to the usual adoptions-in-progress blogs. Of which mine is one.
And I’ve become really sensitive to something that keeps coming up. I ran across it again tonight. An off-handed, hopeful comment by an adoptive-parent in-process about how great it is that her agency has connections with an orphanage with “plenty of young children available for adoption.”
To her, that’s great news! Lots of babies and toddlers, so she and her family can get one!
But then look how that sounds from the child’s point of view: “Hurray! Something has gone horribly wrong in your life (and the lives of a number of your peers), and your birth parents can’t parent you - just what I’ve been hoping for!” Read the rest of this entry
I got a long-awaited piece of paper in the mail yesterday – our appointment date for our next fingerprinting appointment with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Read the rest of this entry
I checked in with our adoption agency today (All Blessings International - in-process of converting from it’s original name: Kentucky Adoption Services), and we have tiny good news! Our file has [FINALLY!] worked it’s way through the Oficina Para las Adopciones (OPA… “The Office for Adoptions” in English) and is eligible for consideration at the next Reunion Conjunta (Joint Meeting) at the Procuraduria’s (Attorney General’s) office.
Now having thrown all those terms out there, what does it mean? Read the rest of this entry
As El Salvador begins to implement the Children’s Law that went into effect on April 16th of this year, there have been some adjustments to the way adoptions are processed. Having gotten clarification through our agency from our attorney and facilitator there in E.S., here’s my understanding of the processes – both from the Prospective Adoptive Parents’ and the Children’s experiences. Read the rest of this entry
Just received word from our agency today that our kickout from OPA (Oficina para Adopciones) was a formality about “how some papers were presented,” but that “the prevention has been taken care of.”
MORE to the point – for us – having been kicked out and resubmitted does not boot us to the back of the line. We’re still in the queue, based on our original submission date. (We read that: “The last 10 months have not been completely wasted,” and we’re happy about that!)
Welcome to Salvadoran adoption. Months of no news, a bit of excitement, and then back to the waiting. This time, though, our agency has simultaneously given me a better understanding of how the process is looking, now that the new Child’s Law went into effect in April. So I’ll post that soon!
I was feeling a little bad that I hadn’t had time to post for the past several days, but actually, this IS what it’s like… the waiting. And so now my blog reflects it, too.
Thanks for all the kind thoughts and support this past couple of weeks! You do make it easier on us, knowing we have friends and prayer behind us.
-Kim
A week after our previo notice, all I know is that it’s “an internal thing,” meaning that Fred and I don’t need to add or re-do any paperwork. Sort of comforting, but sort of not. Since we can’t possibly know when the “internal things” will stop happening and our file will be approved and actually eligible for a match referral.
Still waiting for a REAL answer from our agency.
I just heard from our agency today that our attorney is looking into a “previo” (or “prevention”) to our case in El Salvador. It’s basically a reason to interrupt processing our file at OPA (La Oficina Para Adopciones – The Office for Adoptions). Sometimes a prevention happens when paperwork is missing or not completed (I promise this isn’t it), sometimes it’s because of a request for additional information. Sometimes it’s just one person at OPA wanting to review another’s work.
And as OPA fired two of their staff psychologists a few months back, it’s possible that one of them was part of our review process, and so now someone else wants to double check that screening.
Sigh. Read the rest of this entry
It’s May, so that means our adoption home study report is expiring. They’re good for one year, and then you have to go through an updating process. What’s included in the update? Read the rest of this entry
My friend Mary sent me this link, and I liked the post so well I want to share it. I don’t know if this philosophy toward adoption is new or if I’m just finding more people who agree with it:
“God and Adoption” – by Tonggu Momma
Please DO read it. But I’ll summarize a bit here. Basically, she says that adoption is a redemptive response to a tragic event (that being that a child could not have been or just was not raised by loving biological parents).
There are many adoptive parents who do agree with T.M.’s philosophy. I am one of them. But there are also a bunch who “forget” the deep loss to the child that is requisite for an adoption even to happen. In their desire to have a child, they view it as what was simply “meant to be.” And I agree with T.M. that that does a disservice to our kids.
So no more from me – go read her post!
-Kim
I was having the boys write the date on some of their schoolwork today, and it hit me that we sent our paperwork to El Salvador nine months ago this week.
Nine months. So if I had gotten pregnant at that time, I’d be giving birth right about now.
But I didn’t get pregnant. No, “all” I did was send a huge dossier to El Salvador. Many in the adoption community refer to that as being “paper pregnant.” Read the rest of this entry