Adoption Update

So do you want to hear the bad news or the bad news first? Well, we contacted our agency to find out when we should start our homestudy. We were expecting to hear March 2008 at the latest. Instead we were told that we should wait another 10 or 11 months before we start our homestudy update. At this point in time the referral wait time is still 6 to 8 months (for a boy) and 12 to 18 months for a girl. So what does this mean? Well, let's do the calculation. If we have to wait 11 months to begin our homestudy update that takes us to October 2008. It will likely take about 2 months for an update, so that takes us to December 2008. Then we have to wait 8 months for a referral so that takes us to August 2009 and the wait time to travel is usually 3 months so that takes us to November 2009. Yes, that's right. 2 years from now. The agency realizes that the time has increased. I was told that the winter is slow in Vietnam and that I should call the agency back in June 2008. So there you have it. Oh yeah, I also heard that the Ontario Ministry has raised the requirement of a homestudy, so not only does this mean that it's going to cost more and obviously take longer, but will Alex and I even meet the requirements this time around? As someone else in the adoption world so blatantly put it "more hoops to jump through." At this point in time, I just don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. There are two other programs we can look into however India has the same wait time as Vietnam currently. They were looking into shortening it but these things take time. There is also the Ukraine. Definitely an option however it would require that we fly over to the Ukraine and pick a child. These things take a long time and most parents are averaging a 4 week stay as a minimum. I believe the wait time from start to finish is running between 12 to 18 months. It's too much to think of right now and I just need a mental break from anything adoption for a while. It's too discouraging with no end in site.