[ahfdragonfly]

We have had our referal for a little girl since the beginning of Feb, and our packet was sent to Koea the first of March. At that time we we told we had about a 16 week wait for arrival. i just got a letter from our agency saying that they are seeing wait times as long as 6 mos or more. Anybody else heard anyting like this? Anybody have any ideas on how I survive the wait?

Thanks,
Millie

[emilyb]

Wait times for referrals and travel are taking longer and vary GREATLY between agencies. A wait time of 6 months sounds reasonable. Currently, on the Holt board there are some families that are in their 10 month of waiting for a referral for a girl.We waited 14 months for the referral for our son, and are waiting another 5-6 months for travel (THIS is on the SLOW end of the spectrum.)
As for surviving the wait....shop, decorate the nursery or other rooms in your house, immerse yourself in a hobby, take mini-vacations or trips w/ your husband, and exercise (I have found that power walking and or jogging has helped to mellow me out). I hope this helps...

[kllp]

Our agency is quoting wait itmes of 17-20 weeks from referal acceptance to travel call. The wait is HARD! I have thrown myself into school, work and every home improvement project I can reasonably get done. I have postponed decorating the baby's room so that I don't have to stare at an empty crib for very long. Good luck-
Kara

[lynnor]

Waiting times: agency dependent. Lately I've seen as fast as 3-4 mo (yes, I'm calling that fast -- couple years ago it would have been on the longer end) and as slow as 6 mo, and even 2 outliers/exceptions of 7 mo and 1 year.

What to do: an adoptive mom put this checklist up on her website. you can see it here