My Head is Spinning

I'm not gonna lie...yesterday was a tough day all the way around. First, we got the news that we didn't pass court in Ethiopia & are rescheduled for March 24th. Okay. Yes, we were disappointed, but we were hanging in there pretty well.

However, then we get this news bulletin:

Evidently, this morning the Ethiopian government announced an additional change that will be implemented and will impact all agencies facilitating adoptions in Ethiopia.

All adoptive families must now travel to Addis Ababa to be present for their court appointment. There have been rumors of this change for several weeks now, and the change is a direct result of the dramatic increase of "revocation" cases - cases in which the adoptive parents decline to bring their children home after they have passed court. This will mean families will make two trips to Ethiopia to complete their adoptions, which will certainly increase the time and money required for adoption.

On a positive note, if parents see their child before the court appointment, the child will be eligible for an IR-3 visa, thus making the child a US citizen immediately upon arrival in the United States.

This is quite a change, & my heart was just racing not knowing how this will affect us since we have court in 2 weeks!! After speaking with our coordinator, we believe that we are exempt from having to appear in court since we were already assigned a court date in March (kind of being "grandfathered" in), but we are waiting for confirmation about what this means should we not pass court again & be scheduled in April. Oh, mercy, I am trying so hard not to let the "what-ifs" get the best of me, but it's hard for a chick that doesn't seem to have a brain "off" switch. One of the reasons we felt comfortable with Ethiopia in the first place was the fact that only one of us would have to travel--one time--& not leave Kaya. I will be very glad when we can get some clarification.

If I'm being really honest, I'm getting ahead of myself, too. I'm feeling sad because we had every intention of adopting from Ethiopia again, so now I'm wondering if it's still a possibility. I know--Dardi, hit the "off" switch.

I so appreciate all of the prayers & words of encouragement we have received. This blog-thing has turned into a blessing, you know? It's nice to know that people are helping you pray your way through stuff when you can't seem to focus b/c your head is still spinning.

**A word of caution: I tried to self-medicate with a box of chocolates that my hubby got me for my birthday. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but seriously, that stuff should come with a warning label or something. It did not go well. Note to self: Next time you're feeling stress, stick with long walks.