Loving the new home...

At the M of Natural History with Gabriel Loh.

No update for awhile. Sorry about that.

So far we've had a great experience in the NOVA area. We have gotten used to 1,000 sq.ft. ( It only takes a half hour to clean:) The girls have enjoyed the pool this summer. Though the temperatures have been milder for this time of year, we've been told countless time, "Don't get used to it" by friends and strangers alike. We love our village. It's so nice to have everything within convenient walking distance. Need milk, just walk downstairs. Book? The library next door has plenty. It's particularly pretty at night when all the lights in the trees are lit and the people are all out on the streets.

Lily holding a grasshopper at the M of Natural History

We live only a few miles from the Pentagon and the Memorial Bridge, which makes getting into DC a breeze, usually. We've explored the Natural History Museum twice, the Museum of American History, The Capital, The Senate, and several different parks. Our new destination is the Art Museum. That will be a mother/daughter outing for just me and Lily. We've had several friends visit already. "Aunt" Jessica from Tampa, and the Lohs from Memphis.

At our yogurt place

We are driving to Hershey, Pennsylvania this weekend to visit the factory and the amusement park. This will be our first "trip" out of town.

Mia and Aunt Jessica

The girls are starting school in a few weeks and really looking forward to making new friends. Lily will be 1 of 3 new girls in her class so we are thankful for that.

We've visited 5 or 6 different churches as well, but most of the Senior Pastors were out for the summer sabbatical so we will revisit them this fall, as well as try out several others.

No news on the adoption. We've been told "fall" by the people at "V". Hopefully this will turn out to be true. Here's hoping and praying.

A Must Read for all those Waiting...

http://wondermentetc.com/2013/08/02/dear-friends-of-waiting-adoptive-moms-some-things-to-know-also-were-sorry/

Almost there...

So less than a month before the big move and I am soooooooooo excited. Did I say "So excited"?

We've gotten the house down to the bare bones and are selling a few pieces of furniture to friends for use in their apt-home transition while we home-apt transition.

I'm afraid we will have way too much to fit in our 1,000 sf.

I've just finished 2 of my 4 classes to graduate in December.

Hopefully it will work out that we will have a referral by then. Good timing I would say.

The girls are going to be busy this summer as well. We've found several church camps as well as gymnastics to keep them busy when they're not swimming or at the library next door.

We're 25 months-in on the 15th of the month. We've been told referrals have been coming for our same age/sex/health features at around 26-28 months. Let's hope so.

Approval letter received!!!

So we received our approval letter in the mail today and have scanned it on to BG. Our expiration is early April, but they've told us as long as they have the scanned document they will not pass us for a referral if try haven't received the physical paperwork yet.
So you may have noticed my last entry was mid-February. That's how long the government part works. Slow, slow, slow. They have no clue what the word "expedite" means.
Tomorrow we will take the approval letter and home study to be notarized at the bank, then notarized downtown at the county clerks office, then send it via FedEx to Nashville where they will apostil the documents and send them on to our agency who will send them on to BG. Get it? Nay, me either.
Man, I pray this is the last time we have to do this!
I know there will be tons more paperwork to come but at least we will have knowledge of who he is and the hope of getting closer.

Update Done

So, we've completed our end of the update, just waiting for our HS agency to submit it to USCIS. Please pray that things will move quickly and that our dossier will not expire before we can get everything to BG. Our expiration is 4/4/13. Knowing the US govt and their tendency to lethargically poke along, please pray our update is seen by someone who understands what asap means. To explain to those who don't know what happens now:

1. HS agency submits forms to USCIS
2. USCIS reviews forms and gives us the ok to get fingerprinted. They send an appt notice telling you when your appt is for step 3. (usually 2-3 weeks)
3. We have to get fingerprinted at the local immigration office. You don't have to wait until your appt date, if you don't mind sitting at the immigration office for awhile (like hours) until they can fit you in.
4. Immigration submits fingerprint results to USCIS. Immediate.
5. USCIS checks fingerprint results and give approval. They send officially approval letter. (2-3 weeks)
6. Once letter is in hand you take approval letter, home study, and letters of original document to be notarized.
7. Then if you live in TN, you take them to the county clerks office to be notarized A SECOND TIME for a fee.
8. Then you FEDEX all those documents to the State Capitol to the federal clerks office to be apostilled for a fee.
9. Then they FEDEX the documents back to you or on to your placing agency (whichever you prefer) for a fee.
10. Your PA then reviews and copies all documents and FEDEXs them on to BG. (2-3 weeks)
11. BG receives the documents and then has to translate them into Bulgarian. (1-3 weeks)
12. After translation they are reviewed and the update is approved.
13. You are officially registered for another 15 months in country.

However, if all of this is not done by your expiration date and your family comes up for a referral then you could possibly lose that referral.

We're told that BG doesn't understand why it takes us so long to get our paperwork done. They apparently go to the Dr the same day they want to, whereas we have to wait 1-2 weeks for an appt.

22 months registered

USCIS Update 2013

So it's update time! We've had our home visit and turned in most of the required forms for our update. Hopefully all will go well and the update will be admitted and approved before our expiration date in April.

We've been waiting for 21 months this month.

Christmas is here again

Well just a few more weeks of school for the girls before Christmas break. Mia has this week at MDO and Lily has until the 18th. They've written their letters to Santa and gotten replies (God bless our mail-lady). The tree is up and the decorations are done. I'm actually thankful we wont be putting them back in the attic this year but donating them. We're busy trying to thin out what won't fit into 1100 sq feet in DC, which is alot. So if anyone needs a couch or chair or elliptical or ...well just message me what you need and I'll tell you if we have it to give away. Ha.

No word from BG. I am sure every pre-adoptive parent dreads this time of year. You can't help but think a child should be home with their family for Christmas. Not stuck in some orphanage wishing for a family for Christmas. I guess Santa can't deliver everything. 

Pray for those children who wish for families and don't get them. I can imagine after awhile hope seems meaningless for them. Particularly the older ones. They remember it more. 

Christmas is a double-edged sword for me. It's supposedly the "most wonderful time of the year,"... according to Andy Williams. But without those people you love it always hurts just as much as it pleases. The colors aren't quite as bright. The music isn't quite as heartwarming. The food isn't nearly as  good. The weather isn't quite as cold. OK, that last one is a joke. It's never cold here. 

But I think anyone who's lost someone important to them feels the same way. It's just not quite Christmas ever again. 

But still we go through the motions and little by little begin to regain a tiny bit, albeit minuscule, of that Christmas spirit. 

My Christmas wish is that those who still have the ones you love stop and consider what life would be like without that person. I don't care if you don't get on well or you fight every time you're in the same room. Just remember they're there. Never forget that and be appreciative of what you have. Life is never that same after they're gone. God Bless and Happy Christmas.