And now we wait and pray

We had her physical today for the US Embassy. She passed with flying colors. He said she was the healthiest child with DS he'd ever seen. She just needed one vaccine. I hated it. She barely flinched.

Our paperwork has been submitted to the court. The lawyer takes care of the whole process. I only have to go to sign the final paperwork. We didn't get assigned to the infamously "bad" court so that's a good sign. All we can do now is wait and pray. Pray that each person who has a step jn the process will work quickly. I've enjoyed my time here but I wouldn't mind going home sooner, rather than later. Please pray.

Until then, I'm enjoying getting to know this amazing little girl. She has so many facets. She's sweet and loving. She's sassy and spunky. She's quiet and pensive. She's loud and destructive. No matter what mood she's in, she wants to learn. She's determined to tie my shoes. She's convinced she's reading. She's less scared of the dog every day. I love watching her grow and change. I can't wait to get her home and into real life.

Again, please pray. There are lots of steps to the court process. I know it will take time. I'd just like it to take as little time as possible.

Movement is Always Good

We have a little bit of movement in Sara's adoption.  The agency emailed today.  The appointment at the Embassy on Monday went well.  It can take up to 5 business days to issue the Article 5 so we should have it mid-week next week.  When that is officially issued, the lawyer can go to social services in Colombia and we can officially be granted an "Encuentro" date.  (This is the date when I will meet Sara.)  When that happens, I can FINALLY book my ticket and hotel.  That will make things so much more final in my mind.

I got my FBI background clearances back on Tuesday.  It was a much less exciting step the second time around but still important.  I now have all the paperwork in place that I need to take with me when I travel.  I just need to get it all apostilled.

I'm planning to take a day off the first week of December to go downtown and get all the paperwork apostilled and get my visa from the Consulate downtown.  Then, it will just be a matter of enjoying the holidays and counting the days until I get to meet my little girl.

Nothing too exciting but I'll take little steps at this point.

It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn

For some reason, Thursdays seem to be my lowest days in this process.  Maybe it's because I'm so tired from work at that point.  Maybe it's because I feel like I've spent the whole week waiting and nothing has happened.  Maybe it's because I have small group on Thursdays and I feel like I should be authentic with them so it makes me think about how I'm really feeling.  For whatever reason, Thursdays seem to be hard.  

Fridays, however, seem to bring good news.  Usually, it comes around 7pm on Fridays---just as the adoption agency in CA is closing up for the weekend.

Last night, I found out that Sara has an appointment at the Embassy on Monday.  Her article 5 should be issued by Friday.  This means I can book my ticket!!!   (I love to travel and a trip never seems final until the flight has been booked!)  Hopefully, I can do it while I'm still in NY for Thanksgiving so my mom and I can work out our flights together.  I can also work out housing arrangements and get moving on all the other things I need to get done!

I also got a copy of Sara's visa picture.  The email came with a disclaimer:
Please just know that each of these pictures that we get for the visa process comes out very sad. They force the children to have a straight face in the picture. Still, these sweet kids' visa pictures aren't half as bad as my personal passport photo.... oh gosh!  

I'll admit, I was kind of surprised by the picture.  I wasn't even sure it was the same child as the last picture that I had been given of her.  I spent several minutes comparing her features and convincing myself it was the same person.  (It's amazing what a smile can do!)

After studying the picture for quite a while, I've decided that I LOVE it.  It shows that she can follow directions.  She was told not to smile.  She sure didn't!  I also think it shows that she has some spunk.  "You don't want me to smile?  Fine.  This is what you get!"  My guess is that this is the face she makes when she doesn't get her way.  It really isn't going to get her very far with this mom, though, because it makes me chuckle.  I'm also convinced this is how she wakes up in the morning.  (Another sign she was meant to be my daughter.  That's pretty much how I wake up.)

It's the first little glimpse that I've gotten into her personality.  (It's also very possible that I'm reading way too much into a picture!)  

Oh, and yes.  It appears that my Colombian daughter has either blond or red hair.  She'll fit right in with her cousins. 

This picture makes me happy but also makes my heart hurt.  It makes me so anxious to get there and hold her in my arms.  I want to squeeze her and tickle her and swing her around until I see that little face light up.  So, while I can't go get her for a while, I will busy myself with travel arrangements and know that each day brings me closer to that precious face.  

No News is.....Annoying.

No news is not good news.  It's annoying.  And, it just continues the emotional roller coaster.

Here's the chain of events (or non-events) that have me frustrated:

*About a week ago, it was stated that the strike had ended.  This wasn't entirely true.  The judges signed an agreement but haven't actually gone back to work in most of the country---including the city where Sara lives.  Because of this...

*The embassy is still not issuing Article 5s (essentially Sara's visa).  They fear that if they issue Article 5s, people will flood to Colombia to finish their adoptions.  They don't want any more people to travel until the strike is over.  Because of this....

*The agency won't officially give me a travel date.  (I have an unofficial date but it won't be official until we get her Article 5.)  Because of this....

*I can't buy a plane ticket.  I REALLY want to buy a plane ticket.  It would make things so much more real for me.  Because of this....

*I can't get my visa.  I need to have a plane ticket in order to get my visa from the Consulate in Chicago.  Because of this....

*I can't get my final paperwork apostilled.  I have to go to the Secretary of State's office downtown to get my paperwork apostilled.  This means taking a day off of work to go into the city.  I want to do the SOS and the Consulate on the same day so I don't have to take two days off from work.  (While I really want to take a day off from work, I need to save every minute of my time off for my leave.)  Because of this....

*I feel like I am getting no where.  I have all of this stuff done and ready to go and all the money in place and I'm not getting any closer to my child!  

I just want the strike to be over so I can get her Article 5, get a travel date, buy a ticket, apply for my visa, apostille my paperwork and be ready to go!  Is that really too much to ask?

*On a side note, the embassy in Colombia is hosting a webcast tomorrow to give information about the current state of adoptions there.  I'm really hoping for some good, useful, positive information.