DTE

dossier  \ˈdȯs-ˌyā, ˈdäs-; ˈdȯ-sē-ˌā, ˈdä-\
(n.) a file containing official paperwork on a person or persons

to \tə, tu̇, ˈtü\
(prep.) used as a function word to indicate movement or action

Ethiopia \ˌē-thē-ˈō-pē-ə\
(n.) Officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, with an approximate population of 73 million people (2005) in just over 471,000 square miles in Northeast Africa. Bordered by Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Solmalia to the east and southeast, Kenya to the sourth, and Sudan to the west. Adis Ababa is the nation's capital and largest city. As of 2006, UNICEF says there are over 4 million orphans living in Ethiopia - of those, over 800,000 were orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS.

On September 7, 2012 our adoption agency Fed Ex'ed our dossier to Ethiopia. Last I checked - and I'm checking every time I pick up my phone- our little pile of paperwork was in transit to Memphis, TN.

Our agency doesn't do an offical waitlist. It makes sense, there are too many different sorts of requests, and their people working in Ethiopia know the kiddos really well and get to have voice in which kiddos get placed with which waiting families, and I'm sure they have lots of other reasons, too, but those are the two that make the most sense to me. Anyway, even though there isn't an official waitlist, there is a group of waiters who share information and keep an un-official waitlist. So, unofficially, we are anywhere from #88 to #15. So, who knows how much longer we'll actually wait, but at least we know that the part we could control is on its way to stand in line for us. Next up, our referral.... at which point we will begin to gladly announce that our baby is cuter than your baby :)

Love,
Jimmy and Celeste

A Night of Hope

We couldn't feel more thankful! We are surrounded by such a loving and generous community. I lost count of how many families came out to support us and Vineyard Glendora - not to mention the countless people who e-mailed us with support even though you couldn't make it. We are definitely humbled and blessed!

For those of you who couldn't make it or who just want a little more information, below is a list of links from A Night of Hope that may be helpful:

Vineyard Church of Glendora: Learn more about the community of faith who is doing so much to support adoptive families and help ensure that all kiddos are connected with loving forever families. You can learn more about VCG or click on the Online Giving link to give to the Vineyard Adoption Assistance Fund.

Project Hopeful: A non-profit organization committed to educating, encouraging, and enabling families adopting children with HIV/AIDS.

The Boulton Family Blog: Bart and Lyndsay have definitely been instrumental in helping us learn more about the international adoption process and how to best move forward in our own journey.

American World Adoption Agency: This is the agency that we have chosen to work with for our adoption. There are loads of great agencies out there, but we knew many others who had used AWAA and are incredibly impressed with their reputation and the support that they give to their adoptive families.

Other links that may be of interst to you:

AHOPE: A non-profit organization that operates a school and orphanage and countless other programs to support orphans and other children in Ethiopia who are HIV+.

There Is No Me Without You: One of the first books that I read about the orphan crisis in Ethiopia. Melissa Faye Greene also has a blog and other informative books about international adoption.

Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services: While it's true that we are proud supporters of international adoption, we desperately want to support local adoption services. Find out more about domestic adoption in Los Angeles County here; if you aren't in Los Angeles, just contact your local Department of Children and Family Services to find out about pursuing domestic adoption.

Again, thanks to everyone who came out to support us and Vineyard's Adoption Assistance Fund. For anyone still wanting to order a t-shirt, you can just click on the PayPal Donate button or email me at cferg7@gmail.com to order your shirt today. .

Much love,
Jimmy & Celeste

Thanks!

Hi all! Thanks so much to everyone who is shopping Amazon and ordering Ross Roast through our blog! We've also received so many e-mails and FB messages checking in on us and asking about the adoption process. We love your interest in us and how this crazy process works!

This week, we were able to finalize round one of paperwork and funding. We've submitted everything to AWAA and are now waiting to be assigned to our home study agency and meet our social worker. Our next steps will include preparing our house for the home study. Our house is anything but kid-ready. All we need are outlet plugs, right?

Jimmy and I have both just finished up another school year. He's officially on summer break and hanging out with his brother, Thomas. We've been watching movies, staying up too late, and swimming. I, however, am back to work on Monday to finish up grades and settle in to summer slowly. Our BIG summer adventures involve hanging out in Pasadena and planning for at least one trip to Ethiopia next year.

Happy Summer!
Jimmy and Celeste


PS. Melissa Fay Greene's There Is No Me Without You was one of the first books that we read about Ethiopian adoption. If you are interested in learning more, you should definitely read it.