Waiting for Consent

We have all our documents in DRC now.  It is great to be onto the next step.  We are waiting for the Consent to Adopt from the Commune.  What does that mean?  The Commune (kind of like a county probably) reviews the petition that we want to adopt her and will give their ok.  Once we receive the consent our lawyer can file all of our paperwork to court.  There really is no set timeline on how long it takes to pass court.  It could be 2 weeks or 3 months.  We are really hoping for the 2 weeks!  Once we pass court we have to wait 30 days and make sure no relatives come forward to protest the adoption.  Once that is done we can start applying for the Visa and passport.  So we still have a ways to go.  We should know how things will move along within the next month.  This will determine if there is any possibility of us traveling before the end of the year.  That is what we are really hoping for.  I can't wait to receive pictures and an update soon.  It is so hard to not be constantly wondering how she is doing.  What is she doing.  How long will it be before we get to see her.  We just can't wait!