WE ARE SO CLOSE!!!!

SO.......there were a few referrals this week-and this puts the Stutzman family at either number ONE or worst case number TWO on the wait list for our baby girl-which means, we could get the call THIS week, or up to two months from now (we have friends that sat at the number 1 spot for 2 months) but we are hoping it is sooner rather than later.

The Ethiopian courts should be closing the 2nd week in August. Many people keep asking me why the courts close in Ethiopia. It is because it is the country's "rainy season time" and it rains so hard that the roads literally become rivers and impassible. It isn't like here-they don't have the infrastructure to deal with the flooding. So, many of the government offices close, and the main one that will close every year during this time is MOWA (Ministry of Women's Affairs). This is the office in the Ethiopian government ministry in charge of women and children’s affairs. They are the ones that look over everything and write up their ruling to be submitted to court. They realize that the birthfamily would have an almost impossible time traveling to the city so unless our birthfamily makes it BEFORE they close around the 2nd week of August, we will be waiting for that part of court until they reopen mid-October.
However, this may not mean that WE can't travel for the first trip and have OUR court apt.... There is a small chance that the birthfamily could squeek through and get their court apt. before their courts close-People are saying that they may still let the adoptive families travel during closure to at least pass there part. We just don't know....like everything else, this is a day by day adventure into the unknown.
So here is what the timeframe is at this point:

**JULY-hopefully sometime get our referral of our baby girl and find out WHO she is/age, etc.

**4-8 weeks later, fly over and pass our court

during this time-if they can get a court apt. before courts close, birthfamily will go to court.

*If neigher us nor the birthfamily can go to court, we will both be sitting here waiting and doing nothing until mid to late Oct. when we can both get court dates and we won't fly until then-but this is to be determined.

**4-8 weeks after both us and the birthfamily passes court, fly over and p/u our baby girl and come home!! During this 4-8 weeks she will be getting her passport and Visa and the US Embassy will make an apt. for us to go to with her in Ethiopia. Not sure why this takes 6-8 weeks-but it does. Ethiopains are on their own timeframe-they are not rushing around like crazy people like us Americans are. Life is at a slower pace, so it takes time.

Our main goal now is just to have her home by Christmas!