The phone call with the Department of State (DOS) today went about an hour long, and we did get a lot of helpful details filled in. In a time when it can be hard to feel positive about government, I have to give a shout-out to the DOS for holding such a conference call and graciously answering questions from families and stake-holders (as well as offering to answer more via email). Their concern for the situation in which families like ours find ourselves felt genuine.
Though the DOS is still awaiting confirmation, news sources in Ethiopia are reporting that the legislation to end inter country adoptions officially passed Parliament today. Our adoption agency seems more hesitant on that piece of information, stating that it hadn’t even officially been proposed as far as they know. Hopefully we can get that cleared up in the next couple of days. (The abundance of conflicting information only makes this time harder for us.) Anyway, if the legislation HAS passed, the issue becomes solely about which cases will be allowed to come to completion, and which ones simply missed the cut off. It sounds like the meeting where the I-604 line (which, again, we haven’t reached) was drawn was already incredibly tense, and that even that line was a hard-fought concession. In coming days, the DOS will be advocating for families like ours, who have been matched with a specific child (some for over a year), but haven’t had that particular document signed and sent to the embassy. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will continue to process our documents for now so that if there is any change on the Ethiopian side, they’ll be ready to go.
As Tim and I returned from finally getting ice cream tonight, I told him that it feels like we’re just holding our breath. There’s a crib down the hall. There are pictures on the mantle. And there have been a million incredible moments that point to Daniel being meant for our family. But for now, we hold our breath, and do life while hanging in midair. We’ll update you more as information comes in!
Tim & Katie's Adoption Journey 