Its February!

It's February, and I have not posted in TWO months!  This is like my journal too... very large gaps in my entry dates:)  We continue to wait and wait and wait some more for Norah.  We did get new pictures in December.

 OK so I know I am partial to this girl, but come on!  It doesn't get much cuter!  We are over the moon excited to know Norah is in great health.  The update in December did not say much else, but the pictures say alot! 


We got information from Holt in December that we would have to go through a psychology consult and test as a new Thai-side regulation.  We would not be eligible for first approval without it.  So Dave and I had to each take a 575 true/false question test to evaluate our mental state, and also have a one hour counseling session seperatley.  Can you believe we passed just fine!?:)  Sheesh.  I love this girl.  She's worth every minute of time this is taking. 

Alot of people have asked exactly why does it take so long?  What is the next step?  I even had a family friend convinced that if I gave the agency a huge amount of money, we would have her home already... yeah, no it does not work like that!!  So the next step we are waiting on is called "first approval".  The board in charge of adoption cases in Thailand (for Holt and all other agencies working with orphanages and foster families) is called DSDW (department of social and developmental welfare).  They only meet twice a month to review applying family's files and approve them to come to Thailand to get the children.  This is what they call a "first approval".  I really don't know what is all involved in these meetings, but the estimated time for "first approval" is 6-9 mos after a family has been matched with their child.  For us that happened in September.  When that happens for us we will get tentative travel dates, but will have to wait for our official letter of approval called "article 16" which comes a few weeks after our first approval call.  That letter makes it real and we may book our travel then.  Travel will probably take place a month or so after our article 16 letter comes!