USCIS Cashed Our Check Today!

Okay, I know it doesn't seem like big news...
But the USCIS cashed our check today for the application fee.

Woo Hoo Woo Hoo Woo Hoo!!

Homestudy is Ready for Pickup!

Caroline at Little Angels called today and said our Finalized, Notarized Homestudy would be ready for pickup on Monday afternoon. Woo-Hoo!!!

Homestudy Draft Appointment

Yesterday we visited our agency for our homestudy draft appointment.
Thankfully the sweet staff had already emailed me the draft so I could make my corrections on the soft copy.

They said they accepted all the changes I made.  There were just a few weird wordings for things that I changed.

For instance, Kevin and I are both lawyers and we enjoy debating topics (politics, religion, etc.) but they wrote that we enjoy fighting.  

Major difference!!!  So things like that I had to change.  Otherwise, it was fine.

Now we just await the Director's signature & notarization, then we can attach it to our i800a application and mail it!

Home Study Draft

Why haven't I updated in a while?
I've had nothing to update.

Kevin and I began talking about looking at other countries to adopt from.
We just feel this one might not take place in time.

Last night I wrote in my diary: "Okay, God, show me whether to give up or to keep going."
I put my pen and notebook down, and decided to click 'refresh' on the email page on my iTouch.

And there was an email from our agency with our Homestudy Draft!!
I was so shocked.  And in the exact moment I asked God!!

I spent today making corrections, then I emailed it back to our agency.
So we are so excited to be moving it along!

To God Be the Glory!

Dossier Materials Returned

We received all our state-authenticated documents back in the mail this week.

I cannot BELIEVE how fast that part happened!  And that included mailing time back and forth from Kenya to the U.S.!!

Yippee, yippee,

 

Working on my Dossier

Today I am collecting all my dossier documents for each to be sent to their originating state in order to be "authenticated" by the Secretary of State.

Here is where they are going:

Mississippi: 2 certified birth certificates
Virginia: 3 certified birth certificates, marriage license, notarized letter
Pennsylvania: 1 notarized letter
Colorado: birth certificate, marriage certificate
DC: birth certificate

And I just realized one of my reference's notary signatures has already expired so I can't send that one in yet...my reference has to do that all over again.  Which means my reference has to fill out another reference form, have it notarized, and send it to me in the mail.  Who knew!  The little things!  And then once I receive it in the mail, I can send it on to its respective state to be authenticated.

I am very happy that each state's website is pretty straightforward.  Most even have forms to print out and send in with the appropriate documents.  And they all take personal checks - yippee!  It would be impossible to do this if I had to get a money order or cashier's check for each one.

I am also pleasantly surprised at our mail system here at the embassy.  These envelopes are all going priority mail, so the states should receive them in 5 days.  It's exciting to actually be DOING SOMETHING!! and moving this adoption forward.  Or so, I hope!  We are still waiting for our home study draft.  It's been 5 months...

Electrical Problems and No Updates

Wow I am so excited to be sitting at a computer writing a blog post!!  (I'm writing this on all my blogs!)

My computer is dead - it somehow got a terrible virus when we arrived here and is completely unusable right now.

Then the power cord on Rachel's computer broke, and we JUST GOT A NEW ONE IN THE MAIL!!!  So this is the first time in almost a month that I have been able to type out my homeschool curriculum and print things again and blog again!

It is strange; we have had so many electrical problems since we moved here.  Kevin's 65" inch TV died, our VCR (that I just bought in the States this summer), Rachel's iPod dock, our computers, and today our bread machine died.  It took me forever to set up our printer and Vonage phone.  I still cannot use my fax machine.

To say it is upsetting is an understatement.  There have been some days where I just wanted to pack up and leave.  And then I remember we are here for a reason...so we trudge on.

And actually, there has been absolutely nothing to update.  We are still waiting to review our Home Study Draft from Little Angels.  It was the end of September when we finished all the home visits.  I am preparing my Dossier materials to be Authenticated.  But I cannot resolve my fax issues - - so I cannot fax my documents to my agency in the States for review.  I have had a very, very difficult time of paperwork since moving here.  Silly issues like trying to find U.S. money orders and mailing documents and faxing materials.  Things that are super easy to do in the States but has been impossible here.  I do not know why.  I am trying to stay encouraged.  With the Spirit's help.

There have been many days recently where I have prayed:  "Okay, God, is adopting still Your Will for our family?"  That is how seriously difficult it has been.  So I still keep doing paperwork.  And I still keep praying, waiting for a Word.

Short Rains Season

We received our U.S. background clearances in the mail this week.  I ordered two sets - one from the actual FBI, which will already have the apostille (msp?) stamp on it and one from a private company that we paid to have expedited here.  I am not sure which one will be accepted by the government, so that's why we went ahead and ordered both.  The FBI said it could take up to 8 weeks to receive theirs in the mail.

Now I am in the process of working on my dossier, which means sending each of my individual documents to the Secretaries of State in which they originated.  I am so happy to have a way to mail things here!  And to have a DPO address!  It takes only a week and a half to receive mail here as opposed to 3+ weeks with the diplomatic mail system we had in Taiwan.  That cuts the time in half!  So even though we have a lot of documents to mail back and forth from overseas it will definitely be a little easier with this system set in place.

It is turning fall in the States, but it is the "short rains" season here.  It rains a little bit every day and pretty much every night.  But it is very warm when the sun is out, so we spend a lot of time at the pool during the day when it is not raining.  We are decorating for Halloween.  Apparently Halloween is a big deal here on the compound, just like our neighborhood in Taiwan.  The kids are so excited and can't wait!

There is a lot of stuff going on here in Kenya.  The military here has gone into Somalia to push back AlShabaab, who keeps coming over the border and kidnapping people from Kenya.  The kidnappings are maddening, so although I hate war, I am happy that Kenya is standing up and defending themselves.
In fact, yesterday a helicopter flew over many times with this banner attached:  "Defending Kenya".

It was a good morale booster.  Go Kenya!

Today is a Kenyan holiday, Mashujaa Day.  Happy Heroes Day!

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.)

Home Visit Tomorrow!

We are very excited because our case worker is coming to conduct our Home Visit tomorrow.
Our household shipment arrived 7 days ago, and since then we have been unpacking boxes and organizing our stuff.  I hope we have everything ready for when she comes!  All our pictures await to be hung on the walls, but I can't control that...GSO has to come out and drill holes in our (concrete) walls for all those items.

All of our visits so far with Little Angels have been very good.  Tomorrow will be our 4th visit.
I am so impressed with Susan, our case worker.  I hope this is a good sign of the rest of our time with them.
This process is so long.  So I am glad we have a good working relationship with all the folks we are dealing with.

I am trying not to freak out about whether the house is clean enough or whether the kids will completely misbehave while Susan is here!  Because that all is a part of LIFE.  And the point of her being here, too, is to see us doing LIFE together.  Not to put on a good show for her.  So I have done my very best in the short time that I had to organize all my stuff.  So we'll see how it goes!

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

Pastoral Reference

I am holding my Pastoral Reference in my hand!

Another document marked off my checklist!!

Approved!

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

Getting closer....!!!!!

Certificate of Good Conduct

This is our Taiwan Criminal Record Certificate. Isn't it cute??!

Finishing the Paperwork

Okay we are almost finished with gathering all our documents.

Our Taiwan criminal record has arrived in the mail. My personal reference and pastoral reference are working on their forms. We have the completed, notarized medical forms for all 6 family members, four certified copies of everybody's birth certificates, certified copies of our marriage license. On and on!

This is my collection of files. It is getting fatter and fatter. That's a good thing! We are very excited!!

A Peace

I recently sent a follow-up email to the adoption agency in Kenya to make sure Kenya has no restrictions on the number of prior children living in the home.

I looked all over the internet and found nothing with restrictions listed.

And yep, Kenya has no such restrictions.

But...the standard is "best interests of the child", so we have to be able to show to the social worker that we are able to "accomodate" another child. Aw man I love my big happy family and I cannot wait to show the social worker how our family functions. I know I will be judged whether I can "handle another kid", so it is sort of nerve-racking realizing someone else is judging me as a mother. And honestly there are days when I don't feel like I can handle ONE kid, let alone a whole house of kids.

But that's the point: I can't handle ANYTHING on my own! It is only with the power of the Holy Spirit that I do any of this on a daily basis.

So I have a peace and a confidence that only the Lord has been able to give. I will not be anxious about the home study. Bring it on!

Two New Contacts!

I am so blessed to be in contact with two other families in the U.S. who have recently adopted from Kenya. They have been incredible with providing me all sorts of answers to my (many) questions about timelines and agencies and the process in general.

Truly a blessing from the Lord. An answer to prayer. Thank you Jesus!

How I Orderered Birth Certificates

Here's a great article entitled, "If You Can't Adopt Just Yet" on adoption.com.

That site has so much information!

Right now, the only thing I can do is start gathering the information I will need for my file.

And it's a good thing I am doing it now because it takes me about 3 weeks to get mail where I currently live overseas. And...vitalchek will only mail documents to the same address that is on your credit card file. So I have to get these now or else I will most likely have to wait to request them until we move to our next post.

So, today I ordered 4 copies of all the kids' birth certificates, my birth certificate, and our marriage license. I ordered from vitalchek.com and the process was super fast and easy. Now I just sit and wait for them to arrive. In the meantime I will try to figure out all this apostille stuff I keep reading about!

Forming You

Today at church the children presented the adults each with a gift that they have been working on for the past 4 weeks in childrens' church. A framed Word from the Lord.

A little blonde haired girl walked up to me and handed me this frame.

I began to read it and immediately thought of our Baby.

This was such a great Word. Thank you Jesus.

Dear Baby,

I do not know whether you are born yet or whether you are still being formed, like the Psalmist describes. But I know God is making you in a wonderful way. You are already amazing, and I don't even know you yet! I trust that God will protect you and take care of you until we can be together.

I love you!

-Your Forever Family