Our next big step: getting that phone call. YES—you’ll all see the fireworks going off over top of our house on that glorious day. From what we understand, we will receive a phone call from AAI when the folks in Ethiopia have matched a baby with us. At that point, we will be sent a file with as much information that the orphanage has about the baby. This will depend on how much family/medical history has been provided (or not provided) to them by the person who brought the baby to the orphanage. The orphanage also employs a doctor who conducts well-baby check-ups, so we will have some first-hand medical information as well. At least one photo will be included in the file.
Donovan and I have been encouraged to take our time to review the file, and possibly consult a pediatrician who specializes in international medicine with questions/concerns. We have already made contacts with the International Adoption Health Program at CHOP so that we have someone lined up in case we feel we need a consultation. Once we accept a referral, we are legally the guardians of our little tike! In Ethiopia, if a referral is accepted and then the adoptive parent reneges on that decision, the child is deemed “unadoptable” and must remain in the orphanage until the age of 18. For this reason, our agency has a policy that once we accept a referral the legal process of adoption begins and we may not change our mind.
After talking to other families, we have learned that AAI is very careful and skilled with matching children with families and more often than not families accept the first referral. Donovan and I cannot possibly anticipate what that “file review” process will feel like, so our hope is that that baby feels right, obvious and immediately ours.
And YES—that phone call could happen any day now. Not likely, but possible. Let me repeat: not likely, but possible. In the meantime, Donovan and I continue to try to get this house in tip-top order (a working heating system and a fully functioning bathroom are on their way…) and read up on bringing chocolate children into our vanilla world (so much to learn)! And we focus our thoughts and prayers on the baby and a mother and father who will soon give up their child for tragic reasons we will never truly comprehend.
