I know that I said we wouldn't discuss the Waiting Child reviews, but several people have asked. (I didn't realize there were many people nearly as anxious as us!) After we applied for the Waiting Child (WC) program, we received medical records and pictures (yes, pictures) on three boys. After a long weekend of discussion and many new medical terms learned, we declined two of the referrals due to medical needs that we felt were far beyond what we could provide as first time parents. On the third child, we didn't feel the medical needs were nearly as extensive as we first thought, and after talking to our social worker (SW), we requested a video for clarification on a few things.
Nearly 4 weeks later (and many phone calls/emails to Holt), we haven't heard back on whether or not the video will be coming. :-( We originally asked for a video of the baby in general but also stated that it would be great if they could videotape his monthly doctor's appointment (also where they assess his development). Since Holt-Korea is not directly related to Holt (in the US), our agency can only go by what they have been told, which at this point is... nothing.
Well, I should take that back. We DID get an update about 1-2 weeks ago. As I was leaving for class, I got an email (labeled UPDATE) with two attachments. Before I rushed out the door, I forwarded the email to Aaron. When I got back, I check my email (no response from Aaron) and then quickly opened the file attachments. The first was a letter from Holt asking for our confirmation of receipt (same as the first batch of medical reports). The second was a .pdf with positive results of a check up unrelated to the medical needs about which we were hoping to learn more. The situation was a little funny, but we were glad to know how thorough the Korean doctors are!
So now that it has been several weeks and the baby's first birthday is approaching, we starting to get a little attached and a little less concerned about the medical needs. Our plan was to wait on the video and then take the medical records, pictures, an MRI (on CD), and the video to an International Adoption Pediatrician (IAP) for a consultation on this child. IAPs are required by some agencies to accept a referral and among those that do not require one, an IAP is still strongly recommended. They have more experience with the medical records from various countries and can decipher some medical terminology generally not used by American physicians. When we first discussed this child with our SW, she suggested that we have our IAP consultation while we wait on the video and just forward the video along once it is received. Aaron thought it made more sense to wait on the video. Now we're thinking that the consultation may be a good idea, especially if there is something we missed in our original review.
After getting feedback from several families who have been in our situation, I called our IAP and asked what he preferred. He saw no reason to wait, espeically since we can have as many consultations as we need (at no additional charge) until we return with the baby. So on Friday, I drove to his office and dropped off everything we have so far. We should expect a phone call from him sometime next week, and from there, we can determine how much more (if any) information we need to make a decision. In the meantime, the wait for the video is a little more bearable.
Oh and I nearly forgot: Our homestudy is done! Well, our SW is waiting to hear on our decision for this child. If we choose to adopt a waiting child, she needs to write an approval in our homestudy for his particular medical needs. If the homestudy is completed before we decide (which would be the case if we do not accept this referral and wait for another), the homestudy needs to be updated and re-sent to Korea. So once we decide, regardless of our decision, our homestudy will be ready to send to Korea.
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