Our Complete i800 Timeline

Someone asked me how long our i800 process lasted, so I thought I would write it out here. (You can also look at my timeline in the other tab.)

Essentially it took Immigration 8 days to issue our first part, which was the RFE. Our application packet had two main problems: 1) Zac's birth certificate listed the wrong date. LAN had to ask the hospital in Kenya to reissue a corrected birth certificate, and 2) the NAC letter was missing the official raised seal and stamp. The NAC's stamp was broken back when my approval was sent, so Immigration had to contact the US Embassy here in Nairobi to ask whether the NAC letter is still valid without the official raised seal and stamp. It is. (THANK YOU JESUS!).

Once we got all the corrected documents sent back in to Immigration, it took exactly three weeks for Immigration to approve our application. Our officer fedex'd it to us, and we should receive it here in Nairobi in a few days.


October 12, 2012 - i800 approved!

September 21, 2012 - USCIS received our corrected documents.

September 19, 2012 - Stateside agency mailed supplemental i800 documents.

August 22, 2012 - i800 RFE'd (Request for Further Evidence) - need to reissue birth certificate

August 14, 2012 - Email from USCIS that they received our application.

August 7, 2012 - Stateside agency mailed i800 application.

Givin' Some Love

I also have to say that my stateside agency, Carolina Adoption Services, has been absolutely phenomenal during this whole process. Specifically, the program coordinator for my case has been fantastic since Day 1. She doesn't get upset when I whine and complain. She always responds back with an encouraging word, as in one that really does make me feel better! I feel like she is really on my side, advocating for me and trying to get me to my son as quick as possible. This makes me feel very, very good. I am so very blessed to have Mary Beth working on our case! (I hope CAS realizes how vital she is to their agency!).

The Steps From Here

We received an email from our stateside agency (from LAN) that outlines the exact next steps of the process from here. We were REALLY HOPING to have custody of Baby Isaac by October, but I'm not sure that will happen now. In fact, looking at our timeline is really making me nervous.
The foster period is 3 months, then court dates are 6-8 months. We have to be out of here in June. Well, God is going to have to step in and do another miracle! I'm so glad to keep giving Him these opportunities to shine and I have to keep giving him my worries in the meantime!


Ø  USCIS grants the I-800 approval
Ø  CAS formally communicates the approval to LAN and sends a copy of the approval
Ø  LAN does an official letter to New Life Home to officially introduce the Powers family, in addition to the letters, a family album and a small toy is sent to the home to start preparing the child for placement (on average a two week period is required for child preparation but this varies depending on age of child)
Ø  LAN and New Life Home agree on a date for the first meeting between the child and his prospective family.
Ø  The family goes to the home and meets their son and start the bonding visits
Ø  The family takes the child to a doctor for a second medical opinion
Ø  The child is placed with the family officially and agreements signed to begin the three month foster process

i800 Filed!

I just received notification that my stateside agency mailed our i800 packet to USCIS today!

THIS IS THE LAST DOCUMENT WE HAVE TO FILE IN ORDER TO HAVE ISAAC IN OUR ARMS!!

I cannot believe I am writing that last sentence!!

CAS's Online Update

I read CAS's monthly Kenyan update and was excited to read about us in the update:

July 2012

Our friends in Kenya are gearing up for “winter,” as July is the country’s coldest month… a nice change from the stifling heat of North Carolina!
From an adoption standpoint, things continue to move forward, as our most recently approved family has filed their I800 paperwork and eagerly awaits approval from the US Embassy. Of our two families whose paperwork was submitted for the National Adoption Committee’s June meeting, one has been granted approval. (THAT'S US!!!) This family is now awaiting news of their referral from our partner agency, Little Angels Network. (WOO-HOO!!) We anticipate submitting one additional case for the Committee’s July meeting, with at least one more to follow in August.

Waiting for a Match!

I heard from our Stateside agency and our agency here.
Stateside says it might take several months to match us to a child. The agency here says it generally takes them 4-8 weeks to match families to a child.  Friends, please pray that it is shorter. We have to file our next round of paperwork to Immigration before we go on vacation in August! If so, then maybe our approval from Immigration will be ready when we get back.

I know God has a specific child that he wants to become part of our family. I also know there is an enemy who is trying very hard to keep that child away from our family. So, prayer warriors, continue to declare blessings over our adoption process (which will keep the enemy away!) and let's keep focusing on how big and how great our God is!  Father we commit this portion (as with every part!) to you and we wait with praise and thanksgiving!

Father I pray that as the folks from Little Angels open our folder and open the folder that contains the names of all the babies, that your Glory would descend into that room, that your Glory would literally manifest on that page of names. That your Glory would shine on our child's name on that page, and it would appear as if a highlighter had marked his/her name. Then LAN would know this indeed is the child that is meant to be ours.

In Jesus Name,

NAC Approval!!

I am ECSTATIC to announce I just received an email from my Stateside agency.
We have been approved by the Kenyan Government to adopt a child aged 12-36 months.

Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus!!!

Read About My Latest Document Miracles!

Okay so there are two remaining documents we need to have authenticated for our dossier:
1. the i800a approval letter (which is this document that I've been writing about so much), and
2. the Homestudy Verification Letter from CAS.

The reason we are getting that Homestudy Verification Letter in so late (as opposed to the 28 others we had already authenticated and I have in my hands now) is because since my Homestudy was done in Kenya and notarized in Kenya, the US officials can't authenticate it because it bears no US seal. The Kenyan National Adoption Committee (NAC) will accept my Homestudy as it is. Why? Because the NAC only requires authentication of foreign documents, not their own country's.  However, there is a Homestudy Verification Letter done by my stateside agency that is attached to the back of the homestudy. Susan at Little Angels correctly suggested we have that specific letter notarized and authenticated at the state and federal levels, like all the others, since that is a foreign document.

So...I emailed the folks at CAS about 3 weeks ago and asked if they could notarize my Verification Letter and then send it on to North Carolina to be authenticated.  Then it would go to my courier in DC who would authenticate it on the US level then Kenyan level.

CAS did that; sent it to Raleigh for its state-level authentication stamp. CAS said they fedex'd my document to my courier in DC on Tuesday, May 15, which is the same day I sent my i800a approval letter from Kenya to my courier. (Again, remember that drama?).

Well by Friday my courier had not received anything from CAS. So Friday night I sat in bed (it was close to 11pm here in Kenya) and I placed phone calls to the CAS office, to Fedex, and to my specific program coordinator. The CAS office closes at noon on Fridays (it was 3pm in their time zone) so I was literally freaking out. The thing is, to get my dossier to the NAC by the June 5 deadline, I needed my last 2 documents to be at the courier THAT FRIDAY so he could authetnicate at the US State Department (which takes 1 day), then the Kenyan Embassy (which takes 5 days). Then if my courier fedex'd international priority to me on Friday afternoon, then I would get the documents by May 29ish and could turn in to Little Angels by May 30, and Little Angels would have time to prepare my dossier on May 31 and June 4 (since June 1 is a Kenyan holiday), and they could take to NAC on June 4.  CUTTING IT PRETTY CLOSE!!

I hope I didn't lose any of you on that last paragraph.

In other words, to make the NAC meeting for June (which is a huge long shot anyway!), my courier needed to have both my docs by Friday the 18th at the latest! But Friday night I was on the phone trying to find that one missing doc from CAS.  And hyperventilating a little.  Or rather a lot.

Miraculously, my Program Coordinator from CAS got in touch with me. We chatted by phone for the first time!  Listen to the story she told me. I think I had a few little heart attacks while listening to her:

So apparently when my Homestudy Verification document came back from North Carolina on May 14, it had been apostilled instead of authenticated.  Major Mistake!!  Susan Fox, the director at CAS, recognized the mistake, and sent it back out to the state capitol for the correct stamp. Somehow (INSERT: GOD), the document went back to Raleigh, was correctly authenticated, and sent back to CAS office headquarters in Greensboro by Friday the 18th. Then the folks at CAS (even though the office closes at noon!), fedex'd it Overnight to my courier in DC. Courier got the doc on Saturday.

Now my courier had both my documents!

Monday the 21st Courier took my CAS doc to US State Dept to be authenticated. He used their same-day service, which I thankfully found out about through a fellow-adopting friend. He drove my 2 docs to the Kenyan Embassy that afternoon. Somehow (INSERT GOD AGAIN) the Kenyan Embassy authenticated my 2 documents in 3 days instead of the usual 5 days. So Wednesday the 23rd, Courier Fedex'd my completely authenticated documents to me. At the time I write this, my docs are in the air and just left Paris! They should make it to me tomorrow or Sunday.

So Monday the 28th I will drive my COMPLETED DOSSIER down to Little Angels.

I just can't believe it.  For a girl who found out she messed up her documents to Immigration on May 2, and then now she'll have her completed dossier turned in to Little Angels by May 28.  Living overseas. Shipping everything internationally. FOLKS, THAT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE!!  Especially considering the other issues with the documents that I've had...There is no other explanation but one: God.

Father God, I am continually humbled by your grace and your mercy and your miracles. May everybody who reads this see how Amazing You Are, Father!!

CAS Continues to Rock!

So because of internet issues here I couldn't email my agency yesterday.
Kevin tried from work. I went to a restaurant down the street. No luck.
Then my South African friend here tried from her computer. Bingo! The email went through.

I had emailed CAS and begged them to Fedex my missing documents to Immigration.
Well, even better, CAS called the folks at Immigration. CAS said the gentleman at Immigration was very nice on the phone and asked her to email the documents to him.  So she did!!

Now they have my documents.  I am so grateful and so pleased and so impressed by Carolina Adoption Services. They did not have to do this for me, but they happily did so.  CAS rocks!

Mailed my i800a application!

We mailed our i800a application this morning!
So much has gone into this so far to get to this point.
Ah, maybe this will actually happen in the time we are here.
Thank you Jesus!!

Here's what was in the envelope:
1. Notarized Homestudy
2. Homestudy Approval Letter from CAS
3. Two sets of fingerprints (Kevin and me- only one is required, but submitted two in case there were problems with one of them)
4. Application fee, check written for $890
5. i800a Application
6. Consent to Disclose Info Form (in case USCIS has questions, they can contact our US agency instead of sending it all back to me here in Kenya)
7. E-Notification of Acceptance Form (which states USCIS will email me when they receive my application)

The ladies in the USCIS office yesterday said the i800a approvals are coming through much faster than expected lately.  She said adoptions are their top priority. That was nice to hear!  So prayer warriors, pray that all our information on the application is completely accurate and that approval will come quickly.

I have to commend our state-side agency, Carolina Adoption Services.  Marie received our homestudy via fax from me Thursday around noon and literally emailed me our Homestudy Approval Letter (which is required for the i800a application) that same afternoon.  That's the only reason I was able to file the i800a so fast.  So, wow, thanks to CAS for working so hard on my case!!

CAS is brilliant!

I am so impressed with my State-side agency, Carolina Adoption Services.

Dang, they are efficient!  Little Angels emailed them a copy of our final homestudy last week, and the Program Director at CAS only spent one day reviewing and making revisions/corrections.  That makes me happy.

So CAS sent the revision back to LAN, and now we wait for LAN to print it and notarize it.

Then LAN will need to return these documents to CAS (I wonder if it's by email or mail??):

-           the notarized homestudy with LAN's agency license attached,

-           verification of completion of 10 hours of Hague-compliant education,

-           a copy of the completed Homestudy Certification form, 

-           and the completed Community Resource Study.

After CAS recieves these documents from LAN, they will issue me a homestudy approval letter.  This approval letter must be included with my i800a application along with the notarized homestudy, our fingerprints, and a check for the fee.  So I can't mail the i800a yet!  But we are getting closer!

Home Study Draft

We have all our documents together except for our FBI clearances and child abuse checks.  We are still waiting for those to arrive in the mail.  I sent off for those a couple of weeks ago and I had the hardest time finding a place here in Nairobi that issued US money orders.  In fact, I went to 7 different banks and post offices, including downtown.  Nothing.  No one issues international money orders here.  After much frustration, my US-based adoption agency told me to mail them the documents and they would get the money orders and mail my documents.  Oh thank goodness.  How do other people do stuff like this if they don't have folks Stateside to help them?

So now we wait for our appointment to review the home study draft.  

Boy I just really really thought we would have Baby by Christmas, but it's October and we haven't even finalized the Home Study yet.  

Patience.  Patience.  Patience.  (I'll write more about that tomorrow.)

Visiting Little Angels

I visited our Kenya-based adoption agency two days after we arrived in Nairobi.
I needed to turn in the homestudy documents from my stateside agency as well as my documents such as birth certificates, marriage license, etc.
I hopped in a cab and drove for a long, long time.  Or so it seemed!
The roads here are almost hilarious in some spots.  There are pot holes big enough to lay down in and take a nap (no kidding).
And in one place our car went over a "bridge" which was some creaky boards draped across a huge ditch wide enough for only one car to fit across.  I held my breath as we passed over...
It was surreal to see the Little Angels logo on the outside gate of their little compound.
I have been corresponding with these folks online for so long, so it felt amazing to finally be there in person.
My usual contact there was on summer leave, so I waited around for an hour or so to chat with someone else that was filling in her place.
I turned in my documents and we talked for about an hour about the process in general.

At some point in the conversation I began to feel really uneasy.  There were a couple of topics covered that were completely different than anything I had read online or heard about.
First, the home study through LAN is a 12-visit process.  Or at least that is what was explained to me at the time.  If you are familiar at all with home studies, you know they are 4-6 visits maximum.  So I was shocked to learn this initial process would take months and months.
Second, she told me the youngest a child they ever adopt out is 6 months, but that young age is rare, too.

At this point in the conversation I had been there over two hours, my taxi cab fare was still running outside, and I was very upset about this new and different information I was presented.  So I stood up and left.  I was told I would be assigned a case worker and could set up my first appointment soon.

Fast forward four weeks.  Yes, 4 weeks.

No word from Little Angels.  I am irate at this point.  So through other friends, I found out there are 4 other agencies in Nairobi that process international adoptions.  I called one of them and set up a time to chat about doing the adoption or the homestudy through their office.
Unfortunately, my stateside agency works through Little Angels exclusively...
But at this point I was researching other stateside agencies to use, too.  This is how seriously upset I was about the whole thing.

I then contacted my case worker in my stateside agency and she was so sweet and explained that LAN's system had been down for a while.  And, true, when I finally got ahold of LAN via telephone, I found out: 1) my usual contact was still on summer leave until the week before, 2) the contact I met that day at LAN was actually on leave and out of town also, and 3) their internet had been down for 2 weeks.  PLUS, I was new to Nairobi and did not have a phone number yet...

It was the perfect storm of 4 things at one time that culminated into my getting lost somewhere in the middle.

When I finally spoke with my contact at LAN I told her I was switching to another agency for the homestudy, and she quickly explained to me that there are not 12 separate visits.  Just 12 separate topics that must be covered in the visits.  But the explanation I received and even the documents I have from LAN explain it differently.  Either way, she is emailing me a homestudy schedule (hopefully today) and I pray it will be what I expected.  She said we could start our first appointment next week.  So that is good news.

Why the rush?  Why do I get so upset so easily when I have to wait a measly 4 weeks?

Because my baby is sitting in an orphanage somewhere in this city.  My baby is WAITING for ME. He needs me to hold him and hug him and kiss him and feed him and give him a warm bed to sleep in at night.
He wants me to rush.  He needs his family NOW.

So that is why I am persistent.  That is why I am trying to hurry this process along.  Excuse me if I seem rude, but my baby is desperately waiting for me.

Because They Waited

My adoption agency, like most all I'm sure, require 10 hours minimum of pre-adoption education.
Initially I assumed that meant reading books on adoption, etc.  And goodness, I have spent many, many hours researching online and reading books on the subject.
But then I found out what they really mean is, there is a 10 hour online course entitled Because They Waited.
It is done through Heart of the Matter seminars.

The course is interesting because it is Hague compliant and they send you a certificate of completion once you have finished the course.  So I purchased it online this morning.  $150.  Not too bad of a price.  Hopefully they will send our password soon and I can get started on it.

Here are a few of the courses in the package:

Promoting healthy brain development

Sensory processing and sensory integration

Parenting to a child's "real age" vs. chronological age

Understanding the internal alarm

Building attachment

Race and Culture

I'll let you know how it goes!
Have any of you completed your 10 hours?  What did you do?
:) jessica

Approved!

We just found out our application has been officially approved through Carolina Adoption Services.

Getting closer....!!!!!