Bad news

For those of you expecting to see baby Schmidt in early 2008, we'll have to issue rain checks. The latest update from our agency estimates:

-New time to referral from date dossier is sent to Vietnam will be 12-18 months for infants
-No new referrals are expected at any of the HCMC orphanages until May or June 2008
-Time to travel after referral will still be approx 6 months

If you are keeping score, our dossier was sent over in May and is at an orphanage in Khanh Hoa province. We are either #1 or #2 in line for an infant. Therefore, I anticipate we will not get a referral until May 2008 at the earliest. Accounting for 6 months travel after referral, we may not get our baby until this time next year! How heartbreaking. I have not told Dan yet, he will be devastated.

The reason for these delays are numerous, but stem from corruption in the Vietnamese system and increased USCIS scrutiny. In HCMC, they have initiated policies to keep children at an orphanage at least 6 months before they can be referred overseas. This is all in an effort to make sure overseas adoptions are legitimate. Certainly we value ethical treatment of children over our desire to have a baby NOW. I just wish it didn't have to be like this.