Major Adoption-Related Events

  • 09-04-29 Part One Sponsorship Application Completed and Sent
  • 08-11-04 Dossier in Ethiopia -- the wait begins
  • 08-10-24 Dossier on its way to Ethiopia
  • 08-10-23 Dossier back to Imagine
  • 08-10-17 Dossier to Ottawa
  • 08-10-07 Dossier (finally complete) at Imagine
  • 08-09-10 Dossier (most) Sent to Imagine
  • 08-09-04 Provincial Approval Received
  • 08-07-08 Completed Dossier Sent to Province for Approval
  • 08-06-26 HAR Signed and sent back to ABC
  • 08-05-16 HAR Started
  • 08-04-22 Int'l Adoption Self-Study Course Completed
  • 08-04-07 Application sent to ABC
  • 08-02-19 Initial Application faxed to Imagine
  • 08-02-16 References Requested from Friends

Friday, October 24, 2008

A Nerd with a Spreadsheet

I can't stop obsessing about a potential timeline for this adoption. If this helplessness that I've been feeling the last few days is an indicator of how the next year plus is going to go, I can't help but think I am going to go grey from worry and frustration before my girl comes home.
I told Jonah today, that he would not be meeting his sister for a long time and he would be 4 before he even gets to see a picture of her. I guess I shouldn't have told him anything about it, but he's perceptive and it's pretty much all I think about and talk about these days, so he was bound to wonder what was going on. Oh well, it was so abstract anyway, his invisible sister. He was dissapointed but fine.
When I feel powerless, I like to analyze and lay it all out in front of me. I'm a list maker, an organizer, despite what some close to me might think. It gives me peace and stability. So I made a spreadsheet of possible timelines.

Okay, I know that confirms what some probably already suspected: I am a total nerd. But this basically summarizes my chart: The earliest I can be ready to travel is next September. That's if I have a 6 month referral wait and court squeaks through under the gun (before closure) and Immigration is speedy and efficient as all government departments are. Yeah right. A little more realistic is an 8 month wait for a referral and about 5 months for court (plus closures) and immigration. That puts me ready to travel February 2010. Hopefully the worst-case scenario would be a 10 month referral wait and 6 months for post-referral business and I would be ready to travel May 2010. I wasn't really planning on teaching here for 2 full years (or nearly full) still, but it looks like it'll be at least 1.5 still. Boo. And while it makes me blue, it does help to have a realistic (and hopefully slightly pessimistic) outlook. Hope for the best and expect the worst -- it's a good way to be prepared.

4 comments:

;) said...

Thanks so much for taking the time to make the spreadsheet. It really puts things into prospective for me as well. Your six month mark will be our 13 month mark which is the soonest that I am expecting to hear anything. Those darn court closures sure do make the wait time longer.

The Mannings said...

Hey Mellisa! I love your spreadsheet - although the dates make me sigh. Glad to see i am not the only one!! Thanks for the scrapbooking tips. i bought a kit at Blacks that has the layout pre-printed (if you know what i mean) and all i need to do is add pictures, comments and imbelishments. We have taken 2 of the imagine workshops and are scheduled for 3 more. We live close so its no problem. They have been very informative. Looking forward to the next one. Would you come all this way for one? If you do let me know and we could get together!!

Chad, Laura, Sara and Seth said...

Oh my gosh, I love it!!! This is exactly something I would do - us nerds have to stick together. Laura

Sandra Knight said...

i love your spreadsheet! i could never have designed that but experience proves true- both adoptions on the better end of two years so the goal of next fall is a good one, make sure you have warm blankets for the little one as the snow is coming, sk