Health and Timeline Updates

Hi friends and thanks for all of your well wishes in the last week! It's been much fun to hear from all of you.

We heard that Bedeline has recovered from malaria and is on medication to clear her chest of the pneumonia that still lingers. We are relieved that at least one of the illnesses is over and continue to pray for her health.

As for the timeline, we've been checking websites and asking friends that have recently brought their children home from Haiti. What we've seen and heard is that from this point to the point at which we go pick her up could be 6-8 months. I know that many of you had been imagining us packing our bags up this weekend and though we wish we were, 6-8 months is much better than the five years we were beginning to think we'd have to wait. And who knows? Maybe Haiti will surprise us and we'll get to go pick her up even sooner.

In case you're interested, I've listed the next steps below. We'll continue to post as we hear that the paperwork moves from step to step. Please keep the "paperwork people" (as we so lovingly refer to them), Bedeline, and us in your prayers. Thanks and Merry Christmas! :)

Civil Court
4-8 weeks

Legalization & creation of Affidavit
8-12 weeks

Minister of Interior (MOI)
3-5 months

Immigration/Passport printing & Medical Exam
2-8 weeks

USCIS Orphan Investigation
2-8 weeks

Visa Process
2 weeks