Referrals and Government Holidays

Things have been pretty quiet since we recieved word that we were  officially listed with Bulgaria and began our wait for referral.  In the last several weeks we have seen on our Friday updates that referrals are happening on a more frequent basis.  Bulgaria has a new Minister of Justice and she has been "learning the ropes" of her job so no referrals were forthcoming for quite some time.  It seems that she is comfortable with her duties and has started to send referrals.  We have seen at least one per week in the last 5 weeks, including a family from Michigan that we correspond with.  They hope to head to Bulgaria mid August for their first trip.  When we do finally receive a referral, here is the procedure:

Referral process:
* Families are given 10 business days to consult with Int'l pediatrcian and social worker
* After official decision, 1st trip will be scheduled within 1-2 weeks

1st Trip:
* Always arriving on a Sunday and departing on a Saturday (specific dates will be given)
* Full week to bond with your child
* Families are responsible for booking flights to Bulgaria
* All in-country accommodation will be arranged by our staff

After 1st Trip:
* I800 provisional approval process (application to allow your child to enter USA) - I usually have families apply for this prior to the trip
* US Embassy approval "Article 5" (4-6 weeks)
* MOJ approval (4-6 weeks)
* Court approval (4-6 weeks)

Depending on holidays and closures, average between the 1st and 2nd trip is 4-5 months. With so many great technologies these days, most of the families are able to communicate with their child via skype.

The bummer now that we have some momentum is that the Bulgarian government shuts down for the month of August and we won't see any more referrals until mid September.  They do this again in December and January.  So frustrating!

We have been living vicariously through our friends the Burdens who have just returned from meeting their son in Russia.  I feel Jill's every emotion as she meets, falls in love with, plays with, and says goodbye to her little man.  Can't wait until that day come for us!  I almost miss the days when we were gathering information to send in to the agency.  I felt productive then.  I know that waiting can be productive too, but I don't have to like it do I?