So I have been searching the internet trying to find another Vietnam adoption blog in the Vancouver area.  I said before that I seem to find lots in Ontario, Quebec and the US.  Anyways, I finally came across one while searching last night.  It was more of an everything blog, adoption just happened to be one of the tags.

Just a bit of history here, we have met two other families in the Lower Mainland adopting from Vietnam, however they were both using an Ontario based agency.  Our agency has twice sent out e-mails about getting the Vietnam families together but so far nothing has materialized.  And of course now we are all on hold...

Anyways, reading the posts tagged "adoption" in this new blog that I found lets me try to put a few more pieces together.  Of course, I do not know any of this for sure I am just speculating from the little pieces of information I have.  It seems that this family had been told by their agency (could be the same as our agency - don't know) that they could expect a referral in about February or March of 2010.  Then in a post on Nov. 16 they say that they got a referral for a baby from Vietnam recently and they are expecting to travel to Vietnam on Dec. 7.  Now I have to comment here that this is unheard of in international adoption...getting a referral BEFORE the estimated time. WOW! Anyways, the next post is on Dec. 8th saying that their trip was postponed because the group from the agency that went prior to them to pick up their children were not back yet.  There had been a long delay in their paperwork and until the previous group returned the agency was not taking another group over and then with the holidays new dates would have to be set.

So now I think back to some of the dates that I know and try to speculate...

I last went into our agency in person on November 12th, I met with the Administrative Assistant to the Vietnam Program Coordinator because the Coordinator was on her way to Vietnam with a group of adoptive parents that very morning.  She also told me that they had more referrals to go out.  So I am thinking that perhaps the family on the blog that I found was the recipient of one of those referrals or perhaps already had one at that point as that would be a really fast turnaround.  The agency estimates the time from referral to travel to be 1-3 months.  Anyways, it said that they couldn't travel because the group ahead of them had not returned yet.  That would make sense if the group left on Nov. 12 with an estimated 3 weeks in Vietnam then they should have been back about Dec. 3rd - but they were not back by Dec. 7.  The next piece is that we received an e-mail from the director on Dec. 15 stating that Vietnam adoptions were being placed on temporary hold by our agency. 

So now I have more questions.  Perhaps I am just reading too much into everything thing because I have been on holidays for two weeks with nothing better to do.  Really I should know by now that timelines change and delays happen when dealing with international adoptions...that is NORMAL.

Anyways, I will take this opportunity to say Happy New Year to everyone reading.  If you are a fellow waiting adoptive parent then I will pray that 2010 is your year to bring home your sweet child.