Hagelin Happenings

Below is the most recent update we have received from the agency. Taking into account the informal list potential adoptive parents, have assembled we believe we are 10th in line for a referral of a baby girl. Generally, they refer 2-3 girls a month so we still have a wait before we know who our daughter is. This is all in God's timing, but we are hoping we will know who she is by April/May. Currently, they are estimating 5 mos between referral and travel but there are a variety of factors that can influence this number.

I am back from Ethiopia but haven’t been in the office yet. I wanted to give you a little of the most current news. There were seven families in Addis receiving their new kids this week; it was a busy time. With visa interviews only every other week it means more families are there at once. Generally I think that the families who stayed at the Ritmo were enjoying themselves and getting to know each other.

I was able to visit two new orphanages that are working with us. Both prefer to keep the children in their care until the cases pass court which makes it more difficult for us to send the regular growth updates. Generally they will allow us to take the little ones for the day to see our doctor, but last week with so many families in Addis and two of the four Layla vehicles in for repair, it was a challenge. Thank you for your patience and know that you will be informed if your baby becomes ill.

I was trying to count the number of cases that passed court last week and I know it was at least 11. A few did not, mostly for very minor reasons which will be cleared up quickly. It is always disappointing not to have a case pass and I am sorry.

As I have mentioned we have been receiving an unusual number of children five and under. If you want to consider changing your age preference, please do let me or Linda know. I believe we have some toddlers ready for referral.

There have been no new referrals of babies since I left and I don’t know that there are any files ready at this point. I do know that they were working on files for new babies when I left so I hope we will be able to begin making new referrals in a week or so. Don’t look for a call this week though.

I want to explain a little about “on hold” so there won’t be misunderstandings. Sometimes a family with a dossier in Ethiopia asks to go “on hold.” They may be moving to a new home, have a new job or other issues going on that make it a bad time to take in a new child. We put the family “on hold” but they retain their place on the waiting list. Some folks have worked their way to the top of the list while on hold. So, though you think you are next in line, it is possible that someone ahead of you will come off hold and be given the next referral. That is disappointing but we feel it is the fairest policy.

The amount of time between the filing of cases in court and the hearing date is, in most cases, much shorter than last year. Last winter hearing dates were set an average of 11 weeks after filing. Recent cases have been scheduled about 5 weeks after filing. We were told that the judge is angry with MOWA for failing to write so many approval letters on time and has asked them to appear in court this week to explain. MOWA has added an additional staff person (they call them “Experts”) to review files which should help them be more current.

A reminder that though you have been given a travel date, there can still be delays and you may have to postpone. If the passport is not ready or the visa is not in Addis, travel should be delayed. It is always hard when this happens and we encourage families to purchase airline tickets that have no or low penalty for changes.