Welcome!

Hi All,

Many of you will have been directed to this blog by the mass email announcement we sent out. That didn't contain many details so we wanted to make sure our first post filled you in a bit.

For those of you who have known Elizabeth for awhile, you might be shocked to find out she wants to be a mother! For a long time she never had the desire to have children. However, watching Bill and Josh together and the passage of time has changed those feelings. Because she's definitely not a baby person, and possible pregnancy issues, adoption is the plan. Not to mention, Bill has done the whole baby thing and loved it but he's changed enough diapers for a lifetime. Adoption has been a discussion since early in our relationship. For a variety of reasons we held off on starting the process until now. It just feels right.

So why Liberia you may be asking....Liberia is a country that was colonized by freed American slaves. The official language is English and the flag and anthem are similar to the United States. The Americo-Liberians, as they called themselves, didn't mesh well with African society which led to conflict. Since 1989, Liberia has experienced 2 civil wars which have devestated the country. In 2003 the war ended and slowly the country is trying to rebuild. The country is currently run by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first elected female head of state in Africa. According to a 2004 World Health Organization report, "More than 80% of the population lives on less than $1 per day and 52% live in extreme poverty." It is our understanding that many of the children adjust well once in the US because of their cultural background and the love received even though they face desperate conditions. We will have challenges with our daughter but feel they will be manageable. The history of the country and the strides being made by Johnson-Sirleaf really pulled us towards Liberia as an adoption option. For more information about Liberia visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberia

The other reasons for choosing Liberia are mainly logistical. Because of the length of time we have been married, our ages, religious beliefs and financial considerations Liberia feels like the right way to go. Liberia is relatively "low cost" for adoption, we are hoping to bring her home for 15K or less. Some countries require 35K+ and weeks of travel. Liberia allows escorting, which is recommended by our agency based on the situation in the country and the cost of travelling there. Luckily for us, the Federal Government will reimburse us 10K of the adoption expenses once it is finalized.

So how old will she be, when will we have pictures, when will she be here, etc? We are asking for a 4-6 year old girl. We feel this would be a good age for us and many times children who reach 5+ years old will never find a forever home. We are just beginning the process and it is a loooong one. We are hoping to have a picture this summer and to have her here within 18 months but the international adopton processes are constantly in flux so who knows! Therefore, all the good thoughts and prayers you can send our way our much appreciated!

We have chosen Americans For African Adoptions in Indianapolis as our placement agency. Their website is http://www.africanadoptions.org/ Our local agency, (who will interview us, come to our home, etc) is Adoptive Families For Children out of Keene, NH. We have turned in applications and the first payments to the agencies. Currently we are beginning to compile the mounds of paperwork involved (financial, medical, insurance, employment, background clearances, references, etc etc). In January, we will begin the home study process. Once our homestudy is complete and all our paperwork is in we have to wait for immigration approval. Then we get a referral for a child and a picture. Once we accept the referral (say that we want to adopt her) the court process begins in Liberia for her to become ready for adoption. Once the court there grants the adoption she can come home.

If you want to learn more about the process you can access other Liberian adoption blogs by visiting http://liberiaadoptionblogs.blogspot.com/

Please share this blog with those we may have missed and bookmark this link so you can track our adoption progress!