Waiting to be Waiting

O.K., I am a little discouraged. I got an email from Christine today saying that our paperwork is still in the verification process. Apparently FCCA goes through things with a fine tooth comb and finds any little errors that the previous 4-5 people didn't find. The timing of this process can vary depending on how much work is already on the desks of those in the department. After they have completed their "verification" it goes to CHSFS (our placement agency) for any further corrections before we finally get approval from them. I had hoped that things would go through before Christmas, but it is looking more like it won't happen until a week or two (I hope not) after the holiday!
That's not the only delay either. The time line is looking longer all the way around.
Initially, when we started this process, referrals were taking 5-6 months after your dossier was sent in. Now, couples are being quoted 6-9 months. We expect that our dossier will be filed by early January, which means that we are looking at a much longer wait than we thought. With the travel wait included and court closures in Ethiopia itself, we are much more likely to be traveling a year from now to pick up our baby(ies).
Why the wait? Primarily due to lack of personnel in the Ethiopian courts. The number of families requesting children has gone up and while the process has been streamlined (something everyone appreciates), the number of staff at the courthouse has not changed so paperwork is piling up. The children are the ones paying the highest price, as they are the ones that are left waiting, but adoptive families are anxious as well and are prayerful that the government on that side, will find some funding to hire more help.
When all of these changes came to our attention it was a little tough to take, I'll be honest. You think about 9 months of pregnancy- well add on another 6 and imagine the anticipation you would feel! Looking at it now, after spending some time really processing things, we are ready for whatever God's timing may be (let's hope it sooner than we think)!