This is probably the #1 question I get regarding our adoption. I don't mind answering any adoption-related questions, but I really wish I could answer this one with a specific date. Of course, Scott just booked a business conference for late September, so that probably means we'll have some big adoption-related conflict!
We are now six months into this adoption, so I had to write a letter to the children's government, detailing where we are in preparing our dossier, and when we plan to submit the final copy of our dossier for approval. This is to make sure they know that we are still moving forward with the adoption. Of course, I wanted the letter to be PERFECT, so I spent about 2 hours writing and re-writing it. I heard from our stateside agency that I am awesome, so I assume that means my letter will keep everyone happy!
And I got what I consider to be great news today, even though it's going to be a little more work for me. Throughout the process, we have to get LOTS of documents notarized, then apostilled by the state. Our foreign agency has requested that we scan over each document after it's apostilled, for them to translate. Which means we'll save several weeks by not sending over the whole dossier for translation after we have USCIS approval. I'm praying this means we'll travel in October, instead of November!
All this has me very excited, though I've got one number in the back of my mind: $12,000. That's the remainder of what we need by the time we travel ($4,300 for the remainder of our first trip fees, and $7,700 due as soon as we get home). It's a big number, but my God is a BIG GOD, and I have absolute faith that the money will be there when we need it!
I don't have any big fundraisers planned right now, especially since I need to spend a good deal of time working on paperwork for the dossier. If you would, please pray for our USCIS paperwork to be assigned to an officer quickly, pray for our funding, and pray for our whole family, especially the two who are waiting for us.
Showing posts with label waiting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label waiting. Show all posts
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Updates, Waiting, Keeping Busy
I'd be lying if I said this process, that seems to drag on endlessly, was tiring. Honestly, I'd rather be paper-chasing, feeling like something is actually being accomplished, than just sitting here waiting.
Updates
So, here's what's been going on while we wait. Per some new Virginia regulations, we had to have our kids tested for tuberculosis, as well. For Ayden and Elijah, that was no big deal. But I was reading a lot of mixed information online about egg allergies and TB testing, and I was concerned for Sadie, either that she would have a reaction or get a false positive on the test. Our social worker said we could avoid having her tested if her allergist would write a note that Sadie had an egg allergy and didn't recommend that she have the test. We took Ayden and Elijah for their tests, and two days later got their signed paperwork that they are TB-free.
A week and 3 phone calls later, I finally hear back from the allergist that she will not be writing a letter for Sadie, and we should just have her tested. So, I took my 23-month old to the doctor to be tested for tuberculosis today. She did perfectly, not a wince, not a cry. The nurses weren't thrilled that such a little one needed the test, so we grumbled together about the new requirements, crunchy allergists, etc.
This is the very last step to getting the homestudy finished. I've already read the first draft and made my changes, so once we take Sadie back to the doctor, the last blank will be filled in and the homestudy draft will head to our placing agency for their changes specific to the country we're adopting from. After that, it will head to our homestudy agency for their changes specific to Virginia. Then we'll get the finished homestudy, and can move to the next step.
Waiting
The waiting is hard, because we can't plan for anything. Scott has seminars he'd like to attend for work, and they all seem to be in September, October, or November. He calls me from work to see if I think it will be okay for him to go ahead and register, and I just have to answer "I don't know."
I am the chairwoman of a very large local fundraiser, and the first Saturday in October is the big day. I'm trying to do everything as early as possible so I can hand the event over to my co-chair if I'll be out of the country with little warning. If I miss the event, I will be the first chairwoman to do so since the fundraiser started 44 years ago.
So, here's my current thinking for our timing, based on what I've been told by other families and USCIS agents. Everything keeps changing, so don't hold me to it.
Homestudy finished: July 6 (two months late)
I-800A approval: Sept. 21
Written referral to travel: Nov. 2
Travel: mid-November
So, at this point, Scott can go to his seminar in September, I'll be at my event in October, and we'll be missing Elijah's 7th birthday. I'm just trusting in God's timing for our paperwork and travel, but on different days I feel higher or lower levels of frustration about it.
Keeping Busy
I work for my mom and step-dad, renting out their three vacation properties, and this month has been especially busy. I joked with my mom that VRBO was going to pay for this adoption, but in all seriousness, it is really helping. We likely have some upcoming expenses, and it would be so nice to not have to fundraise for those, to give all our friends a break from us harassing them about our newest fundraiser.
I needed a day away from the house, so we packed our backpacks, grabbed our hiking boots, and drove 2.5 hours to the Grayson Highlands, to hike along the Appalachian Trail to Mt. Rogers, the tallest mountain in Virginia. 9 miles out-and-back, and a full day of peace with my husband and three kids.
I'm still making dolls, and I'm moving the auction start date from Monday to Friday, since the Reece's Rainbow blog posts their family fundraisers on Fridays. The auctions are going very well, and we'll get this adoption funded, one doll at a time!
Well, that's it! Now back to the grindstone. And the waiting.
Updates
So, here's what's been going on while we wait. Per some new Virginia regulations, we had to have our kids tested for tuberculosis, as well. For Ayden and Elijah, that was no big deal. But I was reading a lot of mixed information online about egg allergies and TB testing, and I was concerned for Sadie, either that she would have a reaction or get a false positive on the test. Our social worker said we could avoid having her tested if her allergist would write a note that Sadie had an egg allergy and didn't recommend that she have the test. We took Ayden and Elijah for their tests, and two days later got their signed paperwork that they are TB-free.
A week and 3 phone calls later, I finally hear back from the allergist that she will not be writing a letter for Sadie, and we should just have her tested. So, I took my 23-month old to the doctor to be tested for tuberculosis today. She did perfectly, not a wince, not a cry. The nurses weren't thrilled that such a little one needed the test, so we grumbled together about the new requirements, crunchy allergists, etc.
This is the very last step to getting the homestudy finished. I've already read the first draft and made my changes, so once we take Sadie back to the doctor, the last blank will be filled in and the homestudy draft will head to our placing agency for their changes specific to the country we're adopting from. After that, it will head to our homestudy agency for their changes specific to Virginia. Then we'll get the finished homestudy, and can move to the next step.
Waiting
The waiting is hard, because we can't plan for anything. Scott has seminars he'd like to attend for work, and they all seem to be in September, October, or November. He calls me from work to see if I think it will be okay for him to go ahead and register, and I just have to answer "I don't know."
I am the chairwoman of a very large local fundraiser, and the first Saturday in October is the big day. I'm trying to do everything as early as possible so I can hand the event over to my co-chair if I'll be out of the country with little warning. If I miss the event, I will be the first chairwoman to do so since the fundraiser started 44 years ago.
So, here's my current thinking for our timing, based on what I've been told by other families and USCIS agents. Everything keeps changing, so don't hold me to it.
Homestudy finished: July 6 (two months late)
I-800A approval: Sept. 21
Written referral to travel: Nov. 2
Travel: mid-November
So, at this point, Scott can go to his seminar in September, I'll be at my event in October, and we'll be missing Elijah's 7th birthday. I'm just trusting in God's timing for our paperwork and travel, but on different days I feel higher or lower levels of frustration about it.
Keeping Busy
I work for my mom and step-dad, renting out their three vacation properties, and this month has been especially busy. I joked with my mom that VRBO was going to pay for this adoption, but in all seriousness, it is really helping. We likely have some upcoming expenses, and it would be so nice to not have to fundraise for those, to give all our friends a break from us harassing them about our newest fundraiser.
I needed a day away from the house, so we packed our backpacks, grabbed our hiking boots, and drove 2.5 hours to the Grayson Highlands, to hike along the Appalachian Trail to Mt. Rogers, the tallest mountain in Virginia. 9 miles out-and-back, and a full day of peace with my husband and three kids.
I'm still making dolls, and I'm moving the auction start date from Monday to Friday, since the Reece's Rainbow blog posts their family fundraisers on Fridays. The auctions are going very well, and we'll get this adoption funded, one doll at a time!
Well, that's it! Now back to the grindstone. And the waiting.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Waiting on God's Timing
I was hoping to write a post last Friday (actually I've been waiting to write that particular post since the end of January) but, for whatever reason, things are just not moving as I planned.
I was going to write about how excited we are to have our names on the Deed of Trust, after a 22-month start-to-finish process of selling our last home, moving into our new home, and finally closing on our new home. But that is not the point of today's post.
The Cliff's Notes version of the story is that we put our home on the market in May 2010, had a contract in August 2010, missed the closing date for September, October, and November, and closed on the sale of our home at the VERY end of December 2010. From September to December, we were having to constantly extend our rate lock-in, because our buyers' loan took so long to go through.
By the time our buyers did get approval, our lock-in had expired, and we were not able to get in touch with the lender to extend the lock-in in time. So we moved into our home, with a seller-financed mortgage, We were on hold for a year, in order to show payments to the same lender for twelve months.
We began the purchase process again in December 2011, and got our pre-approval back on December 27, 2011, exactly one year from the day we moved in. 30 days until closing turned into 60 days, and "definitely by Friday" turned into "should be Monday". The emotional roller coaster we rode from August to December 2010, and now from December 2011 to March 2012 has been difficult. I've been frustrated, I've cried, I've wanted to give up.
And that's what I had to do. I had to give up relying on myself (or the bank) when I should be relying on God. If I'm being honest (and I am), one of my biggest flaws is depending on MY plan, and having a hard time accepting GOD'S plan when I think mine sounds better.
How does this relate to our adoption? I can look at timelines all I want to, try and figure out when we'll be traveling, and when we'll be bringing our daughter home, but none of that carries any weight. The timing will be in God's hand, as it always is, and I am learning to accept that through our struggles with buying our home.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
A Long, Slow Week
Last week, we were caught up in the whirlwind of excitement, watching God move our financial mountain, taking a certified check for $7,225 to the placing agency, and getting started on our homestudy packet.
This week, the pace and the mood is much more slow and serious. My grandfather, who was battling brain cancer, after battling lung cancer, died early Monday morning. On top of that, some personal things just seem to keep dragging out, and feeling like I'm waiting on everyone and everything is hard.
This has been a week of spiritual attack, not the in-your-face heavy attacks, but the quiet, barely noticeable attacks that, over the course of the week, have made us weary.
Tomorrow is my grandfather's family and military service. He has already been cremated and the ashes have been buried, and I am so looking forward to the military service, watching two active U.S. Marines fold and present the flag, and being there for the 21-gun salute. I've been asked to photograph the military service, which I am extremely honored to do, and I pray I can do the service justice with my photos.
Will you just pray for me, my family, that the weariness of this week will be lifted. Pray for my children, who are scared and trying to understand that the man they watched slowly fade (and last saw on Sunday), who was weak from battle, worn down by the fight, is gone. Pray that we'll receive the answers we've been waiting for, that provision for our homestudy fees will come quickly.
Goodnight, friends, and thank you for your prayers.
This week, the pace and the mood is much more slow and serious. My grandfather, who was battling brain cancer, after battling lung cancer, died early Monday morning. On top of that, some personal things just seem to keep dragging out, and feeling like I'm waiting on everyone and everything is hard.
This has been a week of spiritual attack, not the in-your-face heavy attacks, but the quiet, barely noticeable attacks that, over the course of the week, have made us weary.
Tomorrow is my grandfather's family and military service. He has already been cremated and the ashes have been buried, and I am so looking forward to the military service, watching two active U.S. Marines fold and present the flag, and being there for the 21-gun salute. I've been asked to photograph the military service, which I am extremely honored to do, and I pray I can do the service justice with my photos.
Will you just pray for me, my family, that the weariness of this week will be lifted. Pray for my children, who are scared and trying to understand that the man they watched slowly fade (and last saw on Sunday), who was weak from battle, worn down by the fight, is gone. Pray that we'll receive the answers we've been waiting for, that provision for our homestudy fees will come quickly.
Goodnight, friends, and thank you for your prayers.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
A Five-to-Twelve Kind Of Guy
I was the Children's Ministry Intern for my church one summer, and the day before my internship was over, I still didn't have another job lined up. There was a sweet woman who volunteered at the church, making copies, getting things ready for Sunday School classes. She came into the Children's Minister's office, where she heard me talking about not knowing where I'd work after the summer ended.
What she said to me then didn't seem big, but it has stuck with me all these years, and has been my motto during times of waiting. She told me, "Honey, God's a five-to-twelve kind of guy." When I gave her a confused look, she told me that He comes in at the last minute, just before the clock strikes midnight, so we'll be sure to give Him the glory. The next day, which was my last day at the church, I received a great job offer.
This Tuesday, we'll take our first formal step into adoption, and it's really making me nervous that tomorrow is a holiday. We need things notarized, we need important answers from people who won't be at work tomorrow because it's a holiday. So, I get to wait until five to twelve, when God shows up. Because this is His time, not mine.
What she said to me then didn't seem big, but it has stuck with me all these years, and has been my motto during times of waiting. She told me, "Honey, God's a five-to-twelve kind of guy." When I gave her a confused look, she told me that He comes in at the last minute, just before the clock strikes midnight, so we'll be sure to give Him the glory. The next day, which was my last day at the church, I received a great job offer.
This Tuesday, we'll take our first formal step into adoption, and it's really making me nervous that tomorrow is a holiday. We need things notarized, we need important answers from people who won't be at work tomorrow because it's a holiday. So, I get to wait until five to twelve, when God shows up. Because this is His time, not mine.
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