Morton Family Adoption

Blogging again

2012-01-11T20:52:00.001-07:00

We're hoping 2012 is going to be the year we can travel to Ethiopia to get our kid(s).

Please pray with us that we can start our family this year.

Back on Track

2009-12-26T12:46:00.001-07:00

Well, I suppose I'll let our readers know that Imagine Adoption Agency is back online!!

All the families affected by the previous bankruptcy were to decide if they wanted the company to be re-established. All in favor of the company being restructured were to pay another 2000 dollars - another step in faith as to the future of our adoption choice.
We are to be informed in the new year as to our numbered position on "The List" - when it will be our time to adopt our family (whether that would be twins or a single child......that is still up to God).

Dawna and I are having a relaxing Christmas in Calgary at our friend Brian's house. Sunday afternoon we're going up to Blackfalds to have a Christmas turkey dinner.

OK, we'll be posting more updates as they come in.

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Well, back to waiting

2009-09-23T21:19:00.000-06:00

OK, here's the latest on the domestic adoption from Edmonton....

It seems that the grandmother got involved and got her way - she will be the guardian of the 3.5 year old boy, so he's not going to be adopted out to a young family. Some people, eh? What kind of life will that boy have? Lots of questions, mainly "Why?" We will just have to trust that God has the best plans for the boy - and for us.

Our international adoption is probably still a go, but all those families that wish to keep their profile current and renewed by the new owners of Imagine Adoption need to pay out some "seed money" for the company to get off the ground. Another test in faith to see what God has planned for us. Oh to just trust and believe that He is Good. It can be quite the challenge in today's society with the tests that we go thru.

If you want to donate to our cause, I could provide my PayPal account. Just kidding :) !!

Thanks for your prayers and thoughts our way. Maybe I'll have more to add soon.

Switching to Domestic Adoption

2009-09-13T19:22:00.001-06:00

Well, I haven't updated posted any topics or news for a long time. We are still waiting for a resolution from Imagine Adoption and will probably renew our status with them (new restructured company, new board of directors, etc.... long story for another time).

About 3 weeks ago, we got a call from the Christian Adoption Services letting us know of a child that came available not far from us. The child is 3.5 years old. We were thinking of changing our international adoption request anyway to an older child - that way there would be a better chance of getting a child sooner. The birth mom wants a Grande Prairie family to adopt her son, so we should hear by this coming weekend if we are the chosen family.

More news to follow in about a week.

Our process is still in the works to adopt from Ethiopia in about 12-18 months, God willing.

Please pray with us as we go thru this stage of our adoption.

Thanks for your continued support.

Heartbreaking news

2009-07-15T14:33:00.001-06:00

We just found out thru some emails last night that the Imagine Adoption Agency (based in Ontario) has declared bankruptcy.

We are still waiting for news as it trickles in as to what our wait status is - whether we can get any money back, or still get our child (or twins), or what?

As of today, the Imagine Adoption web site has been shut down, for more information, go to the BDO site here.

Please pray for all the families who are waiting with us, that God will comfort them and give them peace in this troubling time.

Will update our blog as more news happens.

The hardest part?

2009-05-31T10:27:00.001-06:00

They (I don't know who "they" are) say that the waiting is the hardest part! That is so true! Although these last few months have flown past, we really haven't worried about it in any way. We have kept busy with work and reading books about Ethiopia, and books about raising a multi-race family.

We have bought a couple quads to have some fun on in the interim. They are resting quite comfortably in the garage, tho they need to be washed up again - they have been playing in the mud again!

This past Christmas, I purchased a Toshiba Satellite NB100 netbook. I tried it out to see if it would be a great travel companion for updating this blog and catching up with the web when we travel to pick up our kid(s). It was alright, except for the really tiny keyboard - my large hands and fingers made it difficult to type properly. I'm not a hunt-and-peck typer - actually learned how to type well in school and still type accurately today! (You may wonder with my lack of blog entries, eh?)

I sold it. Then I saved my money from fixing some people's computers around Grande Prairie, and just recently purchased the Apple MacBook (silver metal body). WOW!! What a difference! The keys are the proper spacing and it's a Mac!! Easy to type on, really fast processor, long battery life, awesome graphics, and it's thin and actually quite light - easy to pack around in a packsack while traveling around Ethiopia when the time comes!

We have caught up with several other adoptee families in northern Alberta through an email chain. We are so happy for other families still waiting to adopt - to know that we are not alone in our journey. We hope the process goes smooth for each family!

Maybe the waiting will soon be over...

Still waiting…

2009-03-21T22:39:00.001-06:00

We’re still here, waiting for the phone to ring. Some paperwork is still needed and we send that when the agency needs it. But we don’t dwell too much on stuff we can’t control – it’s all in God’s hands anyway!

Congratulations to Marsha and Brendan on the news of your future baby!

What now?

2009-02-18T08:30:00.005-07:00

We are starting to understand the waiting is the hardest part. Not sure whether to jump every time the phone rings or to remain on the couch and let the answering service get it.
In this stage, we keep busy with saving more money for the big day - getting more bills paid off, saving up to buy all the fun stuff that goes with raising kids.

Our adoption case worker for Imagine informed us that our hopes of a quick adoption are over. Because Ethiopia is the most (or should I say, "was the most") popular place to adopt from, more people jumped on the bandwagon and now the process takes a much longer time. We got our initial information from many in the adoption circles, that Ethiopian adoptions take around a year. The actual time-frame for international adoptions from Ethiopia is now pushing 2 years. From the time the papers get to Ethiopia. Ouch. We understood that the process started when the paperwork first started, and when we took possession of the child would be around a year. I guess we have more time to get things in order!

Our lease is up on our Mazda 6 this summer, so we're looking to get an SUV to hold all the necessities of life. We're not "minivan"-type people, so are looking at the Mazda or Honda SUVs. Any suggestions?

I found a great adoption poem online this morning that really explains what we're both daydreaming of. The poem is titled, "Daydreaming" by Tom Fisher.

I stepped into her room today
Knowing she’s not there
This waiting for referral
Is more than one can bear

But taking in the moment
I sit down on the floor
And dream of her here with me
When waiting is no more.

A little giggle fills the air
As I rub her feet
I place my hand upon her heart
To feel its every beat.

A song is sung so very soft
Her eyes begin to close
She’s meeting me in dream land
A place where love still grows.

My vision now is very blurred
The tears stream down my cheeks
I’ve dreamed of her quite often
Throughout these past few weeks.

Suddenly a sound is heard
The phone rings in the hall
Waking up I quickly pray
Please let it be “The Call”.

Tom Fisher
© July 19, 2005

We're On The List!

2009-01-13T16:37:00.004-07:00

It's official! We are now officially on the waiting list for a proposal of a child or children. As you may have guessed, or already know, we are requesting twins if they are available, but will also accept a single child. In any case, this will really jump-start our family!!

All of our info is in Ethiopia. We just found out that we don't have to wait until the translating is done! Now we play the waiting game...again.

The new international adoption laws have begun, but Imagine Adoption is not sure how much longer it will take, as this change affects all adoptions in 2009. The Ethiopian government is now requiring more than one court date and more signatures on their end after the proposal is accepted (once we accept the child or twins). It is to protect the children being adopted, so as hard as it is to hear that the wait will be longer, it is a good thing. We just pray that it will not be to much longer!

Changes to Ethiopian Adoptions

2009-01-05T14:56:00.003-07:00

We don't have all the information yet, but there are some new changes to the way people adopt from Ethiopia. It sounds like there are more government agencies that need to sign off on the adoption paperwork before any child(ren) is/are placed. Up to 4 court appearances may take place, where the birth mother/father has to give audible consent before a judge. If the bio-parents cannot be located, the Ethiopian police have to be involved to say that the child(ren) is/are "legally abandoned." The process now involves more paperwork and a lot more time.
Ethiopia is the most popular country for international adoptions, so the government there wants more control over finding out more details and getting the birth parents involved more in the adoption process.
Our completed dossier is at Imagine Adoption in Ethiopia, but as of today, we don't know how much longer our adoption will take, or what else is needed to be filled out on our end.

Another Wonderful Gift this Christmas-time

2008-12-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

The package that contained our completed dossier has arrived to the DHL Courier Facility in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia today! We are so excited for the next few weeks - how much can happen in such a short time!
Now we wait 'till further news comes our way...

Dossier On Its Way

2008-12-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!

Just checked our DHL tracking number for our dossier. It just left Frankfurt, Germany. Hopefully it will be in Ethiopia by tomorrow or the next day! Although, nothing much will happen 'till the new year anyway.

Dossier with Wings

2008-12-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

Earlier, our case worker at Imagine Adoption told us that she hoped our dossier got to the Alberta government by Christmas and then sent to Ethiopia in the new year...
We got notice yesterday saying that our completed and approved dossier was being sent to Ethiopia today!!!!! It is one of the last 2 to go out in 2008.
God is answering our prayers that all the paperwork and adoption process would go smoothly, with no hold-ups. Pray with us that it continues to do so.

2009 is going to be a very exciting year, with lots of changes!

Paperwork stalls over Christmas

2008-12-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

Our completed dossier is at the government in Ottawa right now. Imagine adoption agency told us that they hope it is signed off and back to them, so that they can send it to the Alberta government before Christmas. The Alberta government will then send it to Ethiopia in the new year as they are closed for Christmas. The paperwork to Ethiopia has to come from the Alberta government because we are from Alberta.
p.s. Christmas in Ethiopia is January 7th.

Home Study... back at home

2008-11-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, our home study arrived in the mail from the government! Dawna was going to send it to Imagine Adoption on Friday but we got an email from our case worker saying that one of our papers needs to be redone and notarized again. Imagine didn't like that our lawyer had crossed out the unnecessary "I/We/Our" sections to be a legitimate legal document. It would be too confusing when it got to Ethiopia and had to be translated! The adoption agency requests the lawyer leave it the way they had written it. On Wednesday, we go back to the lawyer (again!) and have the document notarized. Dawna will then send everything to Imagine in one package.

Just Waiting

2008-11-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Everything has been sent in now. Now we are waiting for the home study to be back from the government so we can send that the the agency. It has been almost 6 weeks, so we can expect it any day now!

New News

2008-11-10T19:34:00.001-07:00

Well, we got a lot more papers notarized for both the agency and for immigration. I love our lawyer....he does the notarizing for free for adoption! And our funding finally came through....YAAA! We sent off the papers for immigration and the start of the citizenship process. Now as soon as our funding check clears we can send off the rest of the paperwork to our agency. And then wait some more...for the homestudy to come back from the government....that will be the last thing to send off to the agency (that I know of, unless they send us another batch of paperwork to fill out!) when it comes back.

It was nice to get away to Fairmont for a few day to get away from everything....now it is back to work and waiting and winter:(

More Signatures?

2008-10-21T18:31:00.001-06:00

We found out that our home-study was sent to the government on Oct 13th. They say it will take 4-6 weeks there and then get sent to us....then we forward it on to Ottawa. The next set of paperwork arrived and we are going through it and getting everything signed so we can send it back to them. Paperwork or morning sickness.....hmmmm.....wonder which would be better some days!

Dossier in Ottawa

2008-10-15T12:17:00.001-06:00

We got word that our dossier is now in Ottawa and they are sending us some more paperwork to do...this time it is some immigration paperwork. Our home study is somewhere....between Calgary and the government?...we haven't gotten word yet where it is....hopefully at the government being signed!

Editing Done

2008-09-21T22:16:00.001-06:00

Just got the message when we got home that the editing of our home study is done and they are sending the last page to us to sign....then it is back to Calgary to get signed and then sent to AB government! Yaaa!

We gave a presentation at church today to announce that we are adopting...also letting them know where we are in the process. It is great to be able to share our news. We are so excited!

The Waiting Game

2008-09-20T19:35:00.000-06:00

Well our home study is being edited...then it is off to the AB government to be approved. So it is wait, wait, wait and more waiting.....can't wait until the paperwork is in Ethiopia and we are waiting for a proposal. It is amazing how hard the waiting is....thank God he is here to help us through this time!

Adoption Picnic

2008-09-14T19:02:00.000-06:00

This afternoon between 2 and 5 pm, we went to Bear Lake Camp and had a picnic with other families who have adopted, and others who are also in the process of adopting children. We got to talk with them about their adoption processes and get an idea of what we will be facing in the near future.

We found out that we can send our dossier (a collection of specific Ethiopian adoption paperwork) to Imagine agency in Ottawa before our home study is approved by our Canadian government. This may speed up the paperwork shuffle and we'll have time to send any updates to them if needed. We will be doing this as soon as possible.

Our home study is being sent to Calgary Christian Adoptions Services tonight by email, to be edited. When the editing is done they will send it to us to be signed. Then it gets sent to the Alberta Government to be approved. Pray with us that this goes smoothly and quickly.

Our new passports came this week. YAA!

More Needles

2008-09-06T15:04:00.000-06:00

Our home study has been completed by Jodi, our social-worker. She went into great detail into our childhood histories, and as a couple since we were married. There might be a few last-minute questions that can be answered over the phone, but at this point, our paperwork is almost complete, now in the hands of others! Now we wait. There has been other adoptions that have been quick - 4 months after the paperwork was finished - and others that have taken a year or more. We pray that ours goes smoothly and quickly. It will be so awesome to have a family! It is now in God's hands. We wait for His timing.

Last evening after work, Roger had another round of needles at the health unit. Two more jabs (one in each arm). We both got a Typhoid immunization that is 4 pills that are taken orally. I guess there is some scary diseases that are common in Ethiopia, so we will be protected against them. There are more pills that have to be taken every day while traveling to fend off malaria, and other nasties.

Today is our 11th wedding anniversary, so we're going out to Tony Roma's to celebrate and also celebrate this stage of our international adoption!

Welcome!

2008-08-30T16:34:00.000-06:00

Thanks for tuning into our online blog, where we will keep you posted on our journey to adopt.

We have been thinking of adopting for a long time, but just recently (over the last few months), have begun the first stages of adoption - the paperwork, immunizations, more paperwork!, passport renewals, ...oh....and more paperwork...!, and most of all, preparing our hearts and minds to love an internationally adopted child as our own.

We have decided that we would adopt from Ethiopia! At this time in our lives, Ethiopia is a country that is easy to adopt from, is a fairly quick process and is affordable, although we are not putting any price tag on human life. Ethiopian children are also children from God, and a child from Ethiopia will be a blessing in our life, whenever that day comes!

This blog is a way where we can share our experiences, photos, videos, our highs and lows (hopefully, not too many lows) of our process - from the beginning days of just the two of us, to the days leading up to and after the placement of our child/children.

We are very excited about starting a family through adoption, and hope you will be excited for us!