Hello! Getting ready to adopt from Colombia!

[Diane B]

Hi everyone! I've been reading this forum since I purchased both Baby Bargins and Baby 411, but this is my first time posting. (My friend recommended the Baby 411 book to review since the MD author, Dr. Brown, is her pediatrician. Hopefully she'll be ours as well!)

My husband and I are actually completing our dossier and preparing to receive our referral! We are finally allowing ourselves to get excited and I can hardly control myself! I want to go out and buy everything you could possibly need for baby! :7 I'm not sure just how long it will take to get the referral, but hopefully it will be this year. I get so excited reading everyone's good news about their adoptions. :)

I just wanted to introduce myself and say "congratulations!" to all the new moms and dads out there!

Diane B

[crl]

Hi Diane,

Congratulations on being near the end of your paper chase! We're adopting from China and hoping to have our referral in the next month or so.

[holliam]

COngratulations and welcome! There are several of us adoptive parents out here!

I'm adopting from Guatemala. We completed our homestudy and dossier in February, received our referral in March, and we're visiting her next month! We hope to have her home by September. It has all really gone by fast.

I completely know how you feel with all the excitement! It still feels a little surreal to me!

I haven't followed Columbian adoptions. What's the process? How old of a child, etc.?

Holli

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

Diane, I am so happy you de-lurked, and can't wait to watch your journey unfold....
Congrats to you...I know you are thrilled!!!!
Neve
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[yellowdogmom]

Welcome Diane, and congratulations on your adoption journey thus far! Many of us can tell you the joys of shopping therapy to help you through the wait...the longer you wait the harder it is not to keep buying and buying! I literally can't fit another hanger in my son's closet, and he's not even home with us yet!

Wishing you a quick wait to referral and a quick wait to travel.

[Diane B]

Thanks to everyone for all the sweet words. :)

Let's see, the process for our adoption...let me dig through my HUGE blue folder of paperwork.

We started with our local agency last August, I think, and decided on international adoption. We were then referred to the international agency they work with. Got our home study done in October, received apporval from the international agency in November, and got put on a rather large waiting list for a certain Colombian adoption home. We were blessed to be granted entrance to another home in Colombia that doesn't have as long of a wait...we heard about that last month and sent in our application right away. We received their approval a couple of weeks ago and have been working like mad to get our dossier to them. I have no clue when the referral will come, but once it does we have 10 days to either accept it or decline it (as if that will happen! hehe) then get our things together within a couple of weeks and head to Colombia for about 4 weeks. Each home has different requirements regarding the amount of time you must spend in the country, but it's all done in one visit. Both parents have to be there for at least a week, I think, but then one can return home if needed. I told my husband there is no way he's leaving me alone with the baby in Colombia! Luckily, he totally agreed. :) We will get to have the baby with us starting the day after we get there!

They limit the age of the child you can adopt based on the parents' ages average. We're getting to adopt an infant that could be anywhere between 0 to 12 months old. They do give preference to Colombian families wanting to adopt, which I can completly understand.

Things have been moving pretty fast since we got into the new home program and I just can't wait! The FBI can't move fast enough to get our clearance back to us! hehe

How exciting for you to travel to see your little girl next month! I'm so thrilled for you!

I'll be on the edge of my seat waiting to hear how your trip goes. :)

Diane

[amyliv]

Hi Diane, congratulations and I hope that your baby will be home to you soon.Shop~Shop~Shop!!!! We are waiting for our referral from Korea. Welcome to the board. Amy

[holliam]

Oh wow! I had no idea that Colombian adoptions worked like that. It sounds like things move quite fast once you receive your referral. Isn't it amazing how unique each country is?

I'm on so many adoption lists specifically for Guatemala, but I have to say that I love hearing the perspectives from the smaller group of us here just because of the variety.

The only downside is every time I hear how another country works I start thinking "ooo.. maybe we can adopt from that country next time" If only that were truly possible!

Holli