The Real Blair Family » numbers

Can You Predict our Referral Date?

April — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:23:30 +0000

Some families have received referrals these past few days. We are unofficially #5 for a boy and #5 for siblings. YEA!!!!

We understand that there is room for more kiddos at Hannah’s Hope (our agency’s transition home). So it is just a matter of time before we get our referral. We’d LOVE to hear your predictions of the referral date!!!

Our Path to Ethiopia

April — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 03:37:36 +0000

We were diagnosed with infertility in the summer of 2007. The news was devastating. Being diagnosed with infertility brings out the same emotions that come with the death of a close loved one. Sadness. Anger. Aloneness. Grief. Looking back, I can see it took a few years to heal and come to reconciliation.

As we moved forward, we became more aware of the plight of orphans around the world. 146 million. We recognized that the hole in our hearts could be filled by a child who had an even greater need. Family. Loving parents. A home. Opportunities. We had no doubt this was the direction we wanted to take.

Here is a video that identifies additional reasons why we (and others) choose to adopt from Ethiopia:

As you know, we have been on this path for a year and a half. We are currently #7 on the boy list and #7 on the sibling list. We hope to be matched within the next month or so. After that point, we anticipate another 4-6 months before we can bring our child(ren) home. The wait has been a trial in itself, but we know it will all be worth it in the end.

Thanks for your support and love!

May numbers . . .

April — Fri, 27 May 2011 05:10:38 +0000

Slowly but surely we are getting closer to a referral. We made a little progress this month.

Here is our number for a BOY:

Here is our number for siblings:

We are looking forward to more movement!!!

Eight Month Mark – Keeping Busy Through the Wait

April — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 05:54:13 +0000

We are at the 8 month mark on the list!!! When we first got on the list we were told the wait would be 8-10 months, so we’re getting closer. We are #17 on the boy list and #15 on the sibling list. It feels good to be in the teens. We know that a lot of families have traveled to pick up their kiddos lately, meaning there is more room at Hannah’s Hope (our agency’s transition home). I don’t think we’ll be in the next wave of referrals, but I’m predicting we’ll get a referral in May.

Nate and I have been keeping busy. Here’s some of our excitement:

Last month we celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary!!! I made Nate dinner that night. I am a very lucky girl to have married Nate. He still treats me like a princess. I look forward to our relationship once we have kids. Our lives are pretty relaxed and quiet now but I know we are in for some serious changes!

We’ve met some great people who are also adopting from Ethiopia. Danielle is on the AGCI wait list. She is in the low teens for a girl but could get a referral at any time because her age parameters are 0-30 months. Kylie is about to submit her dossier and go on a wait list. It looks like her agency’s wait is not as long. We could be bringing home boys at around the same time!
We went to an orphanage fundraiser last weekend which was organized by a family who is adopting a girl from Ethiopia (Kristina and Brian). They traveled in January to appear in court and met her (she is beautiful). They are waiting to pass court and for an embassy date. Then they’ll get to travel again – this time to pick up their sweet girl. We are so glad to meet people in our same situation. It’s amazing how close I feel to them. There is such a strong bond among adoptive parents. Nate and I want our kid(s) to be exposed to Ethiopian culture and other adopted kids. We’re glad to be building a network now.
Nate got Lasik a few weeks ago. He is so happy to be free of glasses and contacts. His right eye is red still, but his vision is great.
Nate got a promotion today! He is now an SEO Manager. Congrats Mister! We celebrated tonight by going out for sushi. MMMM.

November Numbers

April — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 17:34:09 +0000

The month of October was full of referrals. It was so exciting to monitor the AGCI yahoo group and hear referral after referral. We heard a mid-month rumor that in one day, 10 children were brought to Hannah’s Hope (the transition home). We were all waiting in anticipation for those children to be referred.

In one month we moved 12 spots on the boy list and 10 spots on the sibling list. Here are our official numbers for November:

Boy list:

Sibling list:

There is still a long wait ahead, but we are very excited to be in the twenties. Let’s hope for more months like October!

List Keeping

April — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:00:44 +0000

We, like most adoptive parents on the waitlist, are always anxious to know our new “numbers.” Our numbers give us a rough idea of how much longer we will be waiting. As referrals are given out, we rejoice with the families that received them, and we can’t help but be excited for ourselves, because that means we have moved up on the list.

Our agency case worker tells us our “official numbers” each month. But as families on the waitlist, once a month isn’t quite enough. We like to always know our official and unofficial numbers. Our unofficial numbers are kept at all times by a designated list keeper who is also waiting for a referral. So, lately Traci from Kansas has been tracking the numbers and posting them on the yahoo group. I’ve noticed on her posts that a new list keeper has not been identified. Traci is currently number 16 on the girl list. I contacted her and let her know that I would be happy to be the list keeper after she receives her referral. She wrote back instantly and said that I will be the next OFFICIAL list keeper. So, these next few months, I’ll practice keeping my own list, to make sure I’m doing it right. That way when I do take over, I’ll be able to hit the ground running.

I must confess that I look forward to being the list keeper because I like numbers and I check frequently to see if other families have received referrals. But I also appreciate Traci for being our list keeper – and want to provide this service to other waiting families with AGCI.

August Numbers and Dinner

April — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 04:48:43 +0000

We went to the Ethiopian restaurant again on Friday night. As we were waiting for our food, we watched a lot of Ethiopian people come and go. The most interesting was a group of four teenage boys. We haven’t had much time to think of our future little boy as a late teen, but it was an exciting moment to see them and think of it. Just wondering what his life will be like, who he’ll associate with, and other questions are kind of fun to think about. But I guess those years are a long way away, so we’ll focus on the baby years first. Actually, let’s just focus on getting him (or them) home.

As far as numbers go, I can’t believe that August numbers are here already. This month for a boy we are…

And for a sibling group we are…

Time is flying! Let’s just hope that the numbers start to fly with it!

Image credits to Leo Reynolds and David Bleasdale.

July Numbers

April — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:57:34 +0000

Boy number stayed the same…

Sibling number moved down to…