Got a referral today (two hours ago, actually) for two Ethiopian sisters. Won't offer any more details than that. We started this particular process 9 months ago, but we have been in various processes for close to five years now, so disappointment and patience have been our watchwords for so long that this news--this possibility--comes at us like an Indiana tornado.
We have days to make a decision, which will include remote consultation with an international adoption specialist physician.
If we say yes, we travel for the first time--probably--in June for the initial court date. We would then return within weeks, following the completion of local legal proceedings.
They are distinctly beautiful children, with lovely names.
We are decidedly forward-leaning on this decision, but this is our fourth country try after being ruled out--by new rules--passed in China shortly after we adopted Vonne Mei.
That just means we know what it's like to have it all work out, and what's it's like to have it all fall apart.
You don't just adopt two sisters, you bind your family to a number of Ethiopian relatives for the rest of your collective lives.
It is a big decision, then.
So we are guarded but optimistic--excited yet mindful. International adoptions are--by definition--a collision of significant tragedy and supreme hope.
