WHAT'S NEXT??

Once we receive our approval, I-171H, we can send all of our documents off to be certified by the state of FL.  Each document has to be certified, which basically means, they look up the notary that signed our docs and state that he is indeed a licensed notary for the state of FL and they affix a certificate to each document.  

When the state certification is complete,  our dossier will be mailed off to our agency.  We will be completely done with all paperwork!!!  We are guestimating that after being certified, authenticated, and approved, it will arrive in Ethiopia sometime in late September.  This may be a little underestimated but we are hopeful!  Then we are officially waiting for our referral!! 

The Ethiopian courts close during the rainy season and also this year, they will be celebrating the year of 2000!  The courts close down normally from early August and reopen the first or second week of October.  The court closures create a backlog of cases to be heard so this makes the travel time after your referral a little longer.  We are unsure if the celebrations of the new milennium will keep the courts closed for a longer period of time but we will soon find out. 

So.......after all of this........we are probably looking at April or May before starting to gear up for a referral for our new daughter!  Our agency says expect 3-9 months from dossier submissionl.  There have been three referrals so far (one family with a referral of 2 children) and they have come a little sooner than expected but there are several families  with their dossiers already in Ethiopia or close to being sent so the wait times will start to increase!

I-600A SENT!!!

What a nerve wracking thing!  I must have opened the envelope a hundred times to make sure everything was in it that was supposed to be!  I just don't want it to be kicked back because of something that I did wrong!  It's a long enough process without mistakes!  The packet contains the following:

1.  I-600A Application
2.  Birth Certificates for both parents
3.  Marriage License
4.  Signed "Copy of Original Statement"
5.  Money order for $685.00 
6.  Copy of Homestudy 

Once our USCIS office receives the application and it is processed, we will receive a post card in the mail that will tell us when our appointment is to come in for fingerprinting.  I am praying that it is soon because Mark and Tommy will be leaving for Ecuador in June!  

The entire process for approval of our I-600A can take up to 90 days!  It is not a quick and easy process and they will only answer questions about your case  after your application has been in process for 45 days.  The whole immigration process has slowed since the 9/11 events.  They are being much more thorough now which also causes the long wait times.  

HOMESTUDY IN HAND! 

Well, after a few small corrections and a couple more questions from our SW, (How do parents feel about death and dying?  What are parents feelings towards cultural differences?)  our Homestudy is complete and we have the three copies we need in our own hands!!!  YEAH!! 

Next step is to submit our I-600A (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition).   Then wait some more for the approval!  This is our last piece of paperwork that we need to gather for our dossier!

Another story to add to the mix.........

On our medical forms, it asks if you are currently taking any medications and what they are.  Dr. put down that Mark is taking Nasonex and Claritin (both are for allergies).  We got an e-mail from our agency rep stating that we would have to get a Dr's note regarding what these medications are and why Mark is taking them.  My first thought was, THIS IS RIDICULOUS but she explained that while these medications are so common here (even otc) they are not in Ethiopia and that the government officials would not know what they were nor what they are used for.  So, that is what we will do.  It just seems kind of funny.  First, Mark was not physically, or mentally sound to take care of a child and now this!  Too funny!

HOMESTUDY DONE!!!!!

Ok, so  our homestudy is final complete! It is a great feeling.

The first home visit was on Thursday, April 19th and it went really well.  Our SW is great and very very sweet.  She put us at ease right away.  It's funny because you would think that with all of the visits, updates, etc for Blake, Sophi and Leyla that we've done that it would be easier.  It's not!  It is still a stranger coming into your home to scrutinize your life!  No, not really.  It wasn't that bad.  On Thursday, Amy came in, looked around the house, saw where the baby will be sleeping and then we started talking.  She first talked to Mark and I and then "tried" to talk to Sophi, who by the way, turned into a little monkey as soon as Amy arrived.  She was climbing on the bar, just bouncing off the walls.  Their conversation went like this:

Amy:  Sophi, do you go to pre-school?
Sophi:  I'm not going to tell you!
Amy:  Well, mommy says that you like school, do you?
Sophi:  I'm not going to tell you!

That's our Sophi!!!  You never know what she's going to do or say!
She wasn't mad, she was just real clear that she was not going to be the one to be interviewed.

Amy then talked with Tommy and Taylor about their hobbies and how they felt about adding another little girl to the family.  That took about 10-15 minutes and then the first visit was done.

Amy came back on Monday, April 23, today!  We had our individual interviews which I was amazingly calm for.  I got a little nervous before she arrived but I managed to calm down before it was my turn.  We talked about our strenghts, weaknesses, childhood, family, marriage, parenting and we were done! 

We should have our homestudy (rough draft) within a week or so and then we can apply for our I-600 which is approval from the INS to adopt.  This took about 2.5 months last time so we are counting on that timeline again. 

Well, that's all that's new for now!

I GIVE UP!!!

I just have to be at peace with not having ALL of the laundry done and my house not being SPOTLESS for our homestudy tomorrow!  We live here and that's how it is!   Do you have any idea how much laundry 7 people make in a day???  I don't think I will ever be caught up completely!  I have been trying to get everything done and it looks like it is as done as it's going to be!  I am tired and need to be done! 
Our social worker told us that she won't be checking in our closets which is a shame b/c all of my closets are very well organized!  All of my towels face the same way (fold side out) and each drawer is neatly organized.  It's all the surface "stuff" that I have a hard time with!  Toys, shoes, socks, juice box straw wrappers, they just don't sprout legs and put themselves away, although my children think they do! 

My mom says I am the opposite of her.  You can walk in her house at any moment and everything is in it's place.  Now, open a closet door or a drawer and we may have to send out for a "search and rescue team" to find you after everything falls out on top of you. Why can't I keep up with all the "stuff"?   I wish we could all live in closets without "stuff"!! LOL!!

Well, I feel better now!  I can go try to get some sleep! I will continue the laundry marathon tomorrow!

Well, we completed our orientation tonight!  YAY!!
This counts as our first of three visits with our SW.  There were three families at the meeting and both of the other couples were adopting from El Salvador.  It was great meeting them!

We made an appointment for our second meeting.  It will be Tuesday, April 19th.  This will be about a two hour visit and she will look around our home and make sure that we have adequate space for another child.  We also found out that Tommy and Taylor will be interviewed b/c they are over the age of 10.  We are getting really excited!  It finally feels like things are moving along!  We turned in the final paperwork and now are just waiting on one last reference.