Medical Update and Sunday Garden Tour

We've been told that our medical request is in the pouch to Addis this week. So hopefully the medical can be completed and all of our paperwork will be sent to Nairobi this week. Then next week we can start to officially count the weeks to get the visas issued. Unfortunately, our agency says the visa time lines have been averaging 8 - 12 weeks, not the 6 weeks we had hoped. So for us that means we are at least 11 weeks from traveling. October it is. I was hoping we would be able to celebrate the Ethiopian New Year (September 11) in Addis, but it was not meant to be.

We received some new pictures this weekend of T & M, from another family that just returned from Addis. They have grown so much since the last set pf pictures we had in May. I am going to have to buy more clothes for T as I think the clothes I bought for her will fit M in October. We did manage to pick out the beds for the girls. They will be delivered at the end of August. So hopefully, we will have the basement done and the girls rooms painted in a month's time.

Here is how I am keeping distracted -- taking pictures of the garden. More roses 'cuz they are my favorite and some of the Saskatoon and Red Currants we have growing. Maybe next week I will add a picture of the vegetable gardens that I actually planted (only because Homer is busy with the basement - he is the green thumb at Chateau Bright Star - I usually just get to enjoy the flowers and fruit)

Morden Belle Rose

Morden Fireglow

Prairie Dawn Rose in full bloom

Coral Bells (I think)

Salvia

Red Currant

Saskatoon

Let your Bright Star Dreams grow.

No Medical - Update on Imagine Adoption Bankruptcy

Yesterday, we received confirmation from our agency that CIC has not yet requested the medical. Until this is done, we cannot move forward to request the Permanent Resident Visas. We have been told by our agency that once the medical is requested it is a matter of days for them to send the remaining paperwork to Nairobi. Then it is normally a 6 to 12 week wait for the visa to be reviewed, issued and sent to Addis. Since my mother-in-law has to give her work 2 weeks notice before she leaves, that means we are 8 to 14 weeks waiting to travel after the medical is done. However, with the bankruptcy of Imagine Adoption and the urgent need to get the children home, I am expecting that we will be on the long end of this timeline or potentially even longer, before we can travel.

I do not mind waiting for the Imagine families. I know that their need is urgent. I am sad that the greed of the few can impact the well being of the many. My children are well cared for, just not by me. I soooo want to be the one caring for them.

The Imagine families are developing an action plan to save their adoptions. Most of the families would prefer to have their adoption files continue and a match made to a child, rather than getting their money back. They have started the blog Families of Imagine Adoption (FIA) to coordinate their efforts and to increase the awareness to their plight. They have been very active all week and I believe they are very close to formulating the solution they desire. I hope their efforts prevail.

I have started a list of why this delay is a positive rather than a negative:

• All our renovations will be done, the girls rooms will be complete and both will probably be fully paid.
• I will be working at least one more month, so we should have more money in the bank.
• I will have more time for shopping (so much for the bank account)
• I likely will be able to take the full 12 weeks off I had planned.
• If we had left in August, my 12 weeks would have been up in mid November. Since I work contract, this is the worst time of year to be looking for a new contract.
• August is the rainy season in Ethiopia and the high season for flights, so we will be saving money and we will get good weather.
• I will likely be off work at Christmas time

I hate the fact that we are not leaving when I had hoped, but I know it will happen. During these dark days that is truly a blessing.

Patience will bring you

Your Bright Star Dreams

Ways to help

I was given this list of ways that we can take action to help the families that have been devastated by the bankruptcy of Imagine adoption agency.

Here are some things we can do to help:


1 - There's a Facebook page that has been created called Imagine Adoption Program - Support Group.
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=imagine+adoption+support&init=quick#/group.php?gid=100987897477

2 - sign the petition to urge the Ministry of Children and Youth Services into immediate action. Post the link on your Facebook page (if you have one!), your blog, your website, etc. and urge your friends and family to do the same.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/SaveOurDreamofAdoptingInternatio/

3 - sign the petition to urge the Ministry of Children and Youth
Services to immediately return the files of the families working with
Imagine to the families so that they may retain another agency to
continue the work. Post the link on your Facebook page (if you have
one!), your blog, your website, etc. and urge your friends and family to
do the same.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Returnfiles2day

4 - If you want to help financially, Jenny Adachi has set up a PayPal account on her blog to accept donations that will be sent with a family travelling next week - the money will be going to help care for the children - and if that has already been taken care of it will be given to the caregivers who are no longer being paid by Imagine.
**Update: Jenny has indicated that they have collected more money than they could have expected ($3,100 CDN) Some of the money has already been sent, the remainder will be put in a bank account that will be accessible to assist families in Ethiopia.

5 - Write to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney asking that he issue emergency visas to those children who have been legally adopted and are waiting for their travel docs. Make sure you say in your letter that you are copying in the Citizenship and Immigration critic, Maurizio Bevilacqua, and Leader of the Opposition, Michael Ignatieff. Then send a copy to Mr Bevilacqua and Mr Ignatieff with a cover letter asking that they follow up with the Minister. Details are below (Parliamentary mail is the same for all MPs.).


Parliamentary address:

House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Honorable Jason Kenney:

kennej@parl.gc.ca

Hill Office:

325 East Block
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Constituency Office:

1168 137 Ave SE
Calgary, AB
T2J 6T6


Take action to achieve
Your Bright Star Dreams

Sad day for International Adoption in Canada

Yesterday, rumours were flying in the adoption community and much to our shock and dismay they tuned out to be true. There are only two agencies in Canada that are licensed to facilitate adoptions in Ethiopia. One of those agencies declared bankruptcy yesterday. Imagine Adoption was facilitating adoptions in Ethiopia, Ghana and Ecuador. We are with the other agency, CAFAC. We feel very fortunate to have chosen CAFAC as our agency, as this so easily could have been us.

To the over 400 families affected by this devastating situation, our hearts go out to you. We are thinking of you and your children in Ethiopia. We hope you get positive answers soon.

Here are some links to the media coverage of the story:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/adoption-agencys-bankruptcy-devastates-families/article1217223/

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090714/CGY_adoption_agency_bankrupt_090714/20090714/?hub=CalgaryHome

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090714/adoption_bankrupt_090714/20090714/?hub=TorontoNewHome

Here is the information being provided by the bankruptcy trustee:

http://www.bdo.ca/extranets/imagineadoption/index.cfm

Hold on to your
Bright Star Dreams

Looking for support - working moms & stay at home dads

Homer and I have agreed that he will be a stay at home dad and I will return to work and be the "bread winner". I likely will be taking "only" 8 - 12 weeks off when we do leave to pick up our girls. I may take less time if everyone is settling in OK. I have not received a lot of support for this decision. The Dads that I work with all tell me how their wives had a hard time balancing their need to be with the children and their need for stimulating work. They do not talk about how soon after their children were home that they returned to work. The Moms that I work with keep telling me how men do not nurture in the same way as women. I argue that no two women nurture in the same way, but that does not seem to hit home.

What everyone fails to comprehend is that if I was a man and the main bread winner, it would be OK for me to return to work only 3 weeks (or less) after we become a family of four. Yes, I would love to take more time off, but that is not reality. Realistically, I am going to be home longer than many working dads would have been. One of us needs to work to pay the bills and it only makes sense that the person who has the higher more stable income should be the one. I am completely comfortable with this decision. Homer is going to be an awesome Dad. The girls and him are going to have so much fun together. And Homer is going to teach them so much. They are going to learn to follow their curiosity and will be given a classical education.

I know this is the right decision for our family. It was something Homer and I discussed before we were married almost 10 years ago. It was always part of our vision for our family. Apparently, I have a radical feminist view of a family. I have never considered myself to be a radical, but I guess there is a reason why I never feel like I fit in. I just wish I did not have to justify this decision to almost everyone I meet.

If there are others out there who have also taken on role reversal within the family, I would love to hear from you and how you have dealt with the critics. The closer we get to making this a reality, the more I am being told how I am going to regret this decision.

Believe in your
Bright Star Dreams

The Rose Garden Chez Chateau Bright Star

For those that are wondering -- no news. No good news, no bad news, just plain no news. To keep myself occupied I am attempting to hone my photography skills.

Homer and I have discovered that the Morden variety hardy roses seem to grow well in our hillside garden. Last summer we added 4 more to our garden and we are now enjoying the bouquet of colour in the garden. My favorite is the sunrise, although I think the Amorette may be a new contender. We also have a Prairie Dawn variety rose in our protected garden near our back deck. This is the last rose in the pictures below. This rose is full of blossoms all summer and even into the fall. It is absolutely spectacular when it is in full bloom.

Sunrise


Snow Beauty

Blush

Amorette

Fireglow

Prairie Dawn

Let your Bright Star Dreams blossom

Chateau Bright Star Sunday Garden Tour

We had one nice day this summer so far, so I took some photos of some of the things we have growing in our yard. Every day I take a walk through our garden to see what is blooming and what new treats we have popping up. Every day I spy something new. Here are some items that caught my interest on Saturday. I am not a photographer, nor do I have the photography gene that some in my family have, but I think I did an alright job.

Golden Moss Stonecrop (sedum)

Columbine


Miss Kim Lilac

Oriental Poppy

Morden Variety Hardy Rose

Grow your

Bright Star Dreams

We have walls!

Homer has been hard at work scheduling contractors, framing, preparing for the trades to arrive, waiting for deliveries and inspectors, cleaning and organizing. The rough plumbing is done, the furnace ducts have been moved, several new gas lines have been added, the electrical is done, the framing is done, the drywall is up, the taping is started, the flooring is ordered and scheduled to be installed. Taping will be finished this week and then painting will be started. Whew! The end is in sight now. Just one more week of drywall dust.

We may even get this and the girls room done before we leave for Ethiopia. When will that be, you ask? Right now your guess is as good as mine. Due to daily power outages in Addis, our agency has not been able to get through to their representatives in Ethiopia. so we don't know if we are officially waiting for a visa or if we are waiting for CIC in Nairobi to issue the medical request. I know I should be jumping up and down about this, but I don't think it would do any good and it may even make things move slower. I have been stressed about it absolutely - as a planner it is hard to sit on my hands and not plan. Believe me I have been sick about it, but I know that everyone is doing their best to move the process along. Jumping up and down will only make me feel worse, so I try to wait patiently for news this week.

Here are some pictures of the basement progress.

Bedroom

Bathroom

Rec Room

Rec Room

Build your

Bright Star Dreams