January 26, 2010 - Our Dossier has safely arrived in Addis Ababa

Horray.  We received confirmation that our documents have safely arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  I was secretely starting to regret not making 2 originals (in case one got lost).  Wheww.. I feel better now. 

We also had our fingerprints taken for USCIS on Monday, so that will complete our application/petition for Orphan.  We should receive our paperwork from USCIS within about 3 months or so. 

Other than that, we  have a few things to do, some webinars to take, and another training course to take while we are waiting.  We are going to start researching doctors in the area who are familiar with international adoptions and issues associated with children from various regions.  We need to have a doctor on standby that can read the medicals of the child, once our referral is received.  Our agency has given us a list of doctors that participate.  I think our closest is at John Hopkins in Baltimore. 

We are also attempting to finish our basement and transistion things around, switch the boys' rooms around, and then begin getting Baby E's room ready.  But, we have plenty of time, so I'm not going to panic.  Plus, baseball season is just about upon us.  That is going to keep us pretty busy until June. 

Dossier in route to Ethiopia

Great news!  We received an email late on Friday that our dossier was shipped to Ethiopia.  Wow, that was a quick turn around from CWA!  They said it should arrive in 4 or 5 days, so right about now, it's probably somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.  

Our official tick-tock, start-the-clock date is January 22, 2010.  Yay!  Our hope is that we receive a referral within 9 months.   Sooner would be awesome, but we know there are others who are just as anxious in front of us.  We did request up to 18 months of age, so perhaps that might help.  Keep us and Baby E in your prayers! 

The Eagle has Landed

After planes, trains and automobiles, the Eagle as landed.  We received confirmation from UPS that our dossier package arrived at CWA offices in North Carolina at 9:34 a.m. this morning. 
Next stop . . . Ethiopia for translation into Amharic! 

You think taxes are bad??

If you think taxes are bad, a dossier consists of approximately 70 pages of signed, sealed and notarized documents, is more precious than national security, and has consumed the last 8 weeks of our life!  Uggh.. but so worth it! 

Thanks to everyone to had a part in helping us complete our dossier... from the friendly people at the bank, post office, our notary, our friends and family for our references, our doctors, local police department... and the list goes on.  Thanks to our boys for being so patient with us during this process.  Seriously, we are protecting this document like the national security documents we handle.  Today we received our State Authentication and Seals.   We took pictures of our completed dossier, but for security reasons, won't post it here... but it's a lot of stuff!  It will go in our photo book for our little girl to see.  Our dossier is basically a package that proves we are fit to adopt.  It includes our home study (which was performed by a social worker), employment information, family information, tax information, personal and professional references, medical clearances, FBI clearances, letters to Ethiopia, etc.  It was fun to put together, but we aren't going to lie... we are glad we are done!   Now the waiting begins.

Heading to U.S. Department of State and Ethiopian Embassy Tomorrow!

We received our State Certification today, so tomorrow we will be hand-carrying our precious dossier to the US Department of State and the Ethiopian Embassy.  Please keep us in your prayers and we head downtown.  We are not sure what we will find when we arrive at the Dept of State.  All of the Haitian adoptions will be going through the Department of State as well, so I'm sure there is a lot of hub-bub and security issues down there right now.  We certainly do not want to put ourselves before the precious orphans from Haiti, but at the same time we are hoping we can walk in, get our documents authenticated and bound, and walk back out.  That would be perfect.  :)  Then we will head to the Embassy for the same process.  If time permits, we are planning on stopping at an authentic Ethiopian restaurant for lunch.. Yummy!  I'll be sure to take some pictures.

We are on the home stretch!  Next stop for our Dossier = Ethiopia! 

God is good :)

Puzzle Update

     Moving right along . . . although we haven't sold all the pieces yet (but have raised 1/2 the money), we decided that perhaps we should try to get this thing together, especially to check that all pieces are in order.  Then we will begin writing donors names on the back.  (see side bar for our puzzle fundraiser idea) 

     Funny story -- we spent most of our Christmas vacation framing the puzzle and putting the giraffes and landscape together.  It was coming along nicely.  Notice I said  WAS :)  Unfortunately, during a Xbox frenzie, Colton's sock stuck to the felt pad under the puzzle.  Not knowing his sock and the puzzle mat were attached, he made a sudden move, and, well, that was the end of the puzzle.  Poor boy was scared to tell me (we didn't witness the dumping of the puzzle first hand)... but oh my goodness.. to see about 500 pieces of a puzzle laying on the floor in a heap of messiness stirred my emotions.    My first inclination was to act like a child and scream and shout at him... but you know what... It's a puzzle... it was an accident...and it can be fixed.

     So now, we've moved it to a much safer location, cover it at night, and we are back to the point it was before.   As you can see, it's really beautiful and the colors are very vibrant.  This is actually an older picture.  We are further along than te picture shows.   

     If you are interested, there's still time to purchase your piece.  We think it will be really neat for Baby E to see all the people who helped bring her home.  So far we have about 40 names to put onto the puzzle from various donations received over the holiday.. THANK  YOU!!!   So, that only leaves 960 names to go!  Ask your family, friends and work associates if they'd like to own a piece of the puzzle.

Home Study Approved!

Good news!  Received phone call from our social worker on Monday, and our Final Home Study has been approved by CWA (They had to view a draft first). 

The final home study is in the mail to us so we can complete our Dossier and Immigration application. Hoping it will arrive to us by Friday. Our poor poor mail lady has no idea that we will be stalking her until it arrives! Ha!

What’s next?

• The home study will complete our dossier package. The dossier package (a draft copy) will be sent to CWA for approval.
• If Dossier is acceptable (with no errors), CWA will issue a final document to us that will go in the Dossier
• We will take dossier documents to our State Department in PA for Authentication;
• Next, we will take those same Dossier Documents to the Department of State In DC and to the Ethiopian Embassy in DC for Authentication -- we are going to Hand Carry!
• Head to the bank to get check for Country Fees, translation fees, etc. due to CWA
• Dossier will go to CWA; CWA will send to Ethiopia (4-5 days to arrive)
• After arrival in Ethiopia, the Dossier will be translated (7-10 days)
• Dossier ready for court!

Now our wait begins -- please pray that we receive our referral before the estimated 9 months. But hopefully (worst-case) we will know our baby’s face by November. Sooner would be nice, but I’m not going to count on it

Bottom line – it’s not OUR timing – It’s God’s

USCIS Biometrics Appointment!

Yay!  We received our US Citizenship and Immigration Notice of Action today for our biometrics appointments (fingerprinting, etc.) to continue the processing of our I600A (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition).  This will bring us one step closer to receiving full approval of our application!  Our appointments are for the end of January.  After our biometrics are taken and approved we will be well on our way.  The next step will be for our Home Study Provider to send a copy of our home study to complete our application.  We are truly blessed! 

Psalm 119: 1-8

You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.

You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him.
That's right—you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set.

You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it.
Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set;
Then I'd never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel.

I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways.
I'm going to do what you tell me to do; don't ever walk off and leave me.

Catalyst Video (note: Need to pause Dizzler music player before playing video)

Adoption from Catalyst on Vimeo.

This is one of the videos from Catalyst (P.S. You'll have to pause the sound on our Dizzler music player)

Orphan from Catalyst on Vimeo.