I Should Buy Stock in the USPS

Another round of paperwork completed and shipped!

1) I sent 3 notarized and apostilled + 11 copies of Special Power of Attorney, another random notarized letter, my I-800 application, I-864, and Miss M.'s  visa application.  I am so hoping and praying that the US embassy sends the Article 5 letter to C*RA PRONTO so that C*ARA can issue the NOC!!!

2)  I sent Baby Joaquin's extension for my I-600a since I STILL DON'T HAVE A REFERRAL.  I will confess that I'm feeling very  bitter  frustrated about this.  I think what is most annoying is that as more information is coming out, I feel that I, along with many other families, were told time frames that were beyond inaccurate.  It's one thing to go into a program knowing it will be a long wait.  For example, China has a very long waiting list for a healthy child.  Not that waiting is easy, but at least you know up front that you are in it for the long haul.  With the Congo, I was told that it would be a 6 months MAX wait for a referral and then 2-4 months MAX after referral before travel to bring him home.  Yeah.  In REALITY, it's been a little over a YEAR waiting for a referral and based on the time frames of families ahead of me who have already come home, it's more like 8-13 months AFTER referral before I can go and get him.  This is just one part of my frustrations with this agency and program.  I wish I could go into more details about the rest of my frustrations but that will have to wait.  For now.

3)  I sent my updated home study to Baby Joaquin's agency.

A fun little surprise I found when I was filling out all of the I-800 paperwork for Miss M. I had to look at her I-800a approval.  Guess what the official approval date was?  May 17th- her birthday :)  I thought that was very nice of the USCIS to think of her and give her such a nice gift!

The next phone call I'm waiting for is either A)  that I received my NOC or B) that they have a referral for me and I finally get to see Baby Joaquin's face!!  It's a win-win!

APPROVED!!!

Look what I got in the mail today!!

I knew it was approved but until you have the hard copy, that's when I really sighed a sigh of relief!!  What's next you ask?  Well, this was my I-800a approval which is basically the USCIS telling me that I am approved to adopt ANY child, healthy or with special needs, in M.s age range.  Since she was a waiting child when I found her, these two steps I'm doing are happening WAY faster than if I was just waiting for India to assign me a referral.  So, I'm filling out my paperwork tonight for my I-800, which is SPECIFIC to Miss M.  This will all get sent to the US embassy in New Delhi, where they will review my file and issue me an Article 5 letter.  THIS IS KEY!!!  They will also automatically send the Article 5 letter to CARA so that they in turn, can issue me the NOC.  I've been praying and praying that I will get the NOC in June.   I know it will be a miracle if this occurs BUT I HAVE FAITH!!  I want that NOC so bad so that they can tell M. she has a family waiting for her!!  PLEASE pray that I get the NOC in June!!

Tomorrow I am also sending out my I-600a extension for Baby Joaquin.  That little nugget is taking his time so I have to extend my immigration for him.  Since I don't have a specific child identified for him, I'm still in the 'a' process.  Once I receive a referral for him, then I will do the same thing for the I-600.  The numbers are different because India is a Hague country and the Congo is not.  This difference is in regards to how the children will enter the US.  They will have 2 different visas.

And lastly?  I PAID HER REFERRAL FEE!!!!!!!  YIIIPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

One of the very first verses I felt the Lord spoke to me in the whole journey is from Genesis 18:14

"Is there anything too hard for the Lord?"

No, no there isn't!

Can I get a witness??!!!!

Birthday :)

Today is Miss M.'s birthday!!!  Or, more accurately, her intake day.  One of the sorrows of international adoption is that many times, there is no way to know the child's actual birthday.  Whether it's because the birth mother was too poor (many have children in their villages) and never go to get a birth certificate or more commonly, most children are abandoned.

I think birthdays are a big deal.  I get all sappy and weepy when I celebrate my loved one's birthdays because it reminds me how precious life is and how thankful I am for them!  So, there is some sadness on my part that I will never know exactly how old she is and when she was actually born.

Today, she "turns" 6.

I will go to the Indian restaurant tonight and celebrate with her in my heart.

And next year?  Well her birthday celebration is going to be a blowout!!!  It will be a first for both of us.  When I think about celebrating with her here, I get so choked up thinking about how wide-eyed she will be.  I want her to feel cherished as we celebrate her life.  I want her to know how thankful I am for her.  But most of all, I want her to know that SHE IS LOVED.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET PRINCESS!!

Every Day Keeps Getting Better!

Remember how I tried to call the USCIS to see if they could process my case?  And a grumpy lady answered the phone?  She told me that my case hadn't been assigned to an officer and she didn't know how long it would be until it was.  I was discouraged because getting the 171-H approval letter can take a v-e-r-y- long time, which slows down the process.  I need to get my I-800a approval (this is saying that I am approved in general to adopt from Ind*a) so that I can file the I-800 (my application to adopt M. specifically) which I will need to obtain my NOC- C*RA's stamp of approval that I can proceed.  When the courts see that you have NOC, it's a no-brainer for them and they basically just push my file through the process.  Well, I found out today that somehow my I-800a application was in another family's file and their I-800a application was in my file.  Sounds like a nightmare, right? WRONG!!!  Because it turns out that K. at immigration called up my caseworker to help him figure out who the applications go to and it just so happens that K. is not only efficient, nice, and super quick, BUT now he is also my assigned officer!!  My caseworker was thrilled because she said every time she has had to work with him, he has the I-800 turned around in 2-3 weeks instead of another 2-3 months!  So to sum up, my I-800a is APPROVED and in the mail.  Next week, my I-800 will be sent in so I should expect that approval in early June, lining it up perfectly...wait for it.....to receive my NOC so M. can find out about me!!!

In other good news, M.'s orphanage requested a "Declaration of Child Acceptance" letter from me.  Wow was I scrambling after school!  I had to print it off, run to the bank to get it notarized, then back home to scan it, so I can email it to my caseworker, who will send it to the orphanage so they have it first thing tomorrow!  She said it's ALWAYS a good sign when the orphanage requests information because that means they are actually doing something with my file and preparing it to present to C*RA!!!  On top of that, since I found her last June and requested to pursue her adoption at that time, and even though the first agency couldn't complete it, the fact that I kept pursuing her looks really good to the Ind*an officials. It shows that I'm committed.  If they only knew!!!

And finally, there's a new judge in the house.  We don't know if he will make parents make 1 trip or 2.  Everyone is praying for the one trip!  It will be interesting to see how the court process goes with this new judge on the bench.

THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of your prayers!!  It's been quite a week- and it's only Wednesday!!

Momentum!

Here's a quick update.  Remember how I said that my agency is on it?  Today my caseworker emailed me to tell me that she called my immigration officer and guess what?  He processed my case!!  WOO HOO!!  This typically takes 2-3 months!  She said I should get my approval in the mail this week!  I need to give a HUGE shout out to my sweet friend Mer!!  She's the one who told me as soon as I get my fingerprint appointment, to high tail it down there and ask if they will do it early!  If I hadn't followed her advice, I would still be waiting for my appointment which wasn't until the 29th of this month!  I am IN AWE that not only did I get my prints early, BUT that my case has been fully approved!!  I am also filling out all of the paperwork for the Ind*an immigration because the US-side and the Ind*an side need to move along concurrently!!  In addition, I'm sending the notarized, certified, Power of Attorney ( with a specific attorney named!) to Columbus tomorrow to get the apostilles.  When I get those back, I will send them along with the immigration paperwork, back to my agency.

I'm really beginning to believe that Miss M. will indeed find out about me in June!!  I'm praying, praying, praying to receive the NOC then so that she can be told SHE HAS A FAMILY!!!!

Sleep :)

Last night I couldn't sleep at all.  No matter how much I prayed, or how many times I tried to do some deep breathing, I couldn't relax.  My stomach had butterflies and my mind was racing.  Finally, I started singing every praise song I could think of in my head.  I guess that did the trick because I dozed off sometime after 2 a.m.  And then I had the most fantastic dream.  I was in the Belgium airport to pick up M.  For some reason, this was the new process- meet in an international airport for the pick-up.  I remember when I first saw her, she was wearing the dress I bought for her a couple of weeks ago.  I bent down and said hi to her at which she giggled and ran away.  I freaked out and ran after her and told her, "NO!  You can't get lost in this airport, I just got you!"  She stopped, turned around, and ran full on into my arms.  The weight of her little body and the feeling of her determined hug was overwhelming!  I felt a rush go through me and a sense of peace that yes, everything is going to be O.K.
Then I woke up.

Today I tried to keep that sense of peace.  Even when I felt like a crack head, checking my email every 5 minutes to see if the grant people notified me.

But God had a different plan for today.  Instead, He showed me that he can soften the hardest of hearts, that he can tear down walls in ways that don't destroy, and that through this, he can provide and answer prayers in ways that I wouldn't have imagined.

I will be paying the balance in full on Friday :)

God. Is. Faithful.

THANK YOU to all who have donated, prayed, and encouraged.  YOUR LOVE is FOREVER imprinted on my heart and I can't wait to tell Miss M. about all the people who were praying for her and loving her before she even arrived!

My prayer for you is that God will bless you IMMENSELY for your openness to bless me!

Tonight, I shall sleep well :)

Trying Not To Freak Out

Ughhh. I still haven't heard from the grant agency. I got desperate and called them. I got a voicemail so I pleaded my case in a message. I don't know when she will hear it.

I got an email from my agency today asking me to clear my account immediately as it needs to be settled for dossier submission. They sent my dossier but once it gets there, they (Ind*a) will want the fees.

My remaining balance has stayed the same. Will you please, please pray that I can have faith and not give in to the anxiety attack that is just over my shoulder? Also, please pray that I get the grant!!!

Thank you thank you thank you!!!!