Haven't heard from???

Just sent you an update in another post. We received our court date for March 8th. We are being told to expect 4 weeks in country after the court date. We are still awaiting some clarification on that timeframe. We will keep you posted. Lauri Dossier submitted 7/11/03 Referral received 8/25/03 Referral accepted 9/10/03 Court Date set 3/8/04

Thank you so much for posting Lauri. We all value the information you are providing on what the time lines have been for you!! We are also working with CAI. My husband and I requested to see the travel notes early so we could see what other expenses we need to plan for. We thought the travel notes would have more cultural do's and don't's, what to expect while in country, and what to see. In the near future, we thought we would get a list of stuff we feel adoptive parents would like to know about Panama and post it. If you have any travel questions in the mean time, please ask. We will keep you in our prayers!! jane Agency:CAI Husband is Panamanian Daughter is Colombian Working on Dossier

Yikes! Four weeks in Panama after the court date? One reason we chose Panama is because we have two bio children and can't be out of the country for that long. We were initially told that adopting a toddler, we should expect two trips, one of about a week, and return for another stay of about two weeks a couple of months later. Not only would leaving our two children be a problem, but we can't afford to miss work for an entire month and still be able to pay all of these expenses. I run a small business from home part-time, but it would fall apart if I was gone for an entire month at one time. Has anyone else heard anything about length of stay in country? Joan

I received some clarification today on the 4 weeks in country after our court date. The 4 weeks are for the following: the finalization of the court paperwork (getting the sentencing), doctor's appointment that the Embassy requires, Passport and Birth Certificate for the child, processing of the I-600 from the Embassy, and all necessary paperwork from the government to allow the child to leave Panama. We are adopting a baby (6 months old), so the stay can be different for a toddler. We do have some options: 1. One parent can leave a few days after the court date. I don't know if that parent has to come back or not - still waiting for some additional information 2. Both parents can leave 5 days after the court date and then return when the paperwork is complete. We are told that we will only be back a week and then we must return to Panama for 2 additional weeks. One thing I am sure of with Panama, is that no two adoptions will be exactly alike. Lauri Agency: Commonwealth Dossier Submitted: July 2003 Referral Received: August 2003 Court Date: March 2004

Joan, What is WPA telling you about the length of stay required after the adoption court date (the "placement" hearing)? I had heard that the I-600/US Embassy stuff alone can take 10 days, so when we add these other things, it could add up to 4 weeks, unfortunately....Our attorney told us to PLAN for 4 weeks (but my husband could leave and come back), and if it's less, yippee!... I posted this a while back on the board (under reb621), but everyone thought I was nuts. ;) For Lauri: If you decided to BOTH go back to the States and then return to Panama (your option #2), who would care for your baby while you're gone? Would he stay at the orphanage or in foster care? Thanks for the clarifications! Rebecca

If we both come back, Manuel would go back to the Foundation where he is right now. I would prefer to have the process much shorter and bring him home. If the timeframe is only 4 weeks, I will stay. However, timelines are not something that I have begun to depend upon with Panama. We are also traveling with our 2 year old, so we may all have to return to the US if the timeframe becomes too long. If we both have to return, we are hoping the Foundation would allow him to go to a foster couple for the few weeks. During the Christmas holidays, the Foundation ask our agency to find a foster home for him, and they found a couple to keep him for those few weeks. I have been very impressed with the pictures from the Foundation and the amount of information that we have been given from them during the entire time. So I would not worry alot about Manuel being returned to them for a few weeks. I will keep you posted as we find out more and more information and especially when we actually experience it. Lauri Travelling in March

Wow, Lauri! I just did the math, and March 8 is only 6 weeks away!!! You must be getting so excited!!! Have you bought your plane tickets, yet? If so, did you buy one-way (and plan to buy the return flights once you know them), or roundtrip with a return 4 weeks after the departure? I'm confused about the plane ticket thing at the moment. I'm hoping we'll be able to travel in a month or two, but we won't know how to arrange the flights, so it would be great to hear from somebody who has already had to do this. Of course, you'll know more after March 8th! Congrats, again. Wow...this is just around the corner for you! Rebecca P.S. Have you found any good airline deals? The best rate we can find is about $200 (each) from our hometown to Miami, then $300-ish (each) from Miami to Panama City (Tocumen airport). Of course, those rates all have restrictions. I haven't been able to find a travel agency that can offer adoption deals to Panama. :(

We are very excited. I still have to buy clothes for Manuel, but I am waiting until it is closer as I already have clothes that are too small (from our trip that was to be in November). Plane tickets: I checked around and can get some cheaper deals; however, Delta has adoption fares. They are about $700 from Arizona; however, these fares have no restrictions. They will also allow us to book the tickets the day before and change them anytime without penalty. So we are probably going to book through them. This will save us the hassel of having to book a ticket out once we get there. I also believe that for a baby, the fare is 10% of the overall fare. We have not booked our tickets yet, as we are awaiting some decisions on whether my husband will stay the entire time or not. You have to call Delta and talk to their International reservations to get the fare. As soon as we know our exact plans, I will post them.

I have seen on the Guatemala forum that American Airlines also has adoption fares. I'm not sure what the details are but I think you need to call for a code and have to book over the Internet. Good luck with all the last minute planning Lauri! Julie

We just received an update on our travel. We have to be there at least 1 week prior to our court date to spend with the child and then we both must stay 5 days after the court date. After that one or both of us can return to the US and wait for the Embassy and Panama Government to complete all the paperwork (approximately 3 weeks - will try to make it less). If we both come back to the US, only 1 of us must return to Panama to complete all the remaining paperwork and bring our child home. We are very excited with the latest information that we both do not have to stay for 4 weeks and that if we both choose to return to the US, only one of us must return to Panama. This will really cut down on the travel expenses. Update on Delta Adoption Fares: Fares are only available if you bring the child home with you on that trip. They must be purchased at a Delta Reservations in person and adoption documentation must be presented. We have not done this yet. Lauri Dossier - June - Translation- July 2003 Referral Received - August 2003 Child Accepted- September 2003 Travel - March 2004

Lauri, Thanks for keeping us posted! You must be so excited!!! I have a couple of questions. Where are you staying in Panama? And during the time from referral to travel, how much info did you get about your son, pictures, updates on how he is doing, general health, etc. Thanks, Julie

From the time of our referral until travel, we received updates in November that he was on Soy formula and then we received pictures and updates in December on weight, height, etc. When we have requested updates, we have received them within a few days. As for hotels, we are looking at 3 different ones: Plaza Paitilla [url]www.plazapaitillainn.com[/url] Torres de Alba [url]www.torresdealba.com[/url] Country Inn Suites [url]www.countryinns.com[/url] We want a hotel that offers suites as we are taking our 2 year old and will have our baby also. We also want Internet connectivity if we need to send e-mails for work. We will let you know where we end up staying. Lauri Dossier - July 2003 Referral - August 2003 Court Date - March 8th, 2004