Visa Holder

I am officially the holder of a Colombian Adoption Visa.  I took yesterday off from work (the first day I've taken off since March when I did my adoption training) and spent the day in the city.

I stopped at the Secretary of State's Office to get some things apostilled for travel and for the visa.  They didn't like a couple of the notarizations so I made a quick trip down to the bank to get them fixed.  (Since I had to do this last time I went, I knew it wasn't a big deal and didn't panic this time.)  The woman that looked at the papers at the bank insisted that I had to have a Spanish speaking notary since the documents were in Spanish.  (I still think she was wrong.)  Fortunately, it didn't take them long to find one and I was done with the whole process pretty quickly.

I got to check out the German Christmas Market downtown before heading to the Colombian Consulate to get my visa.  I didn't really know what to expect but it was all a lot less complicated and dramatic than I thought it would be.  The website clearly listed what paperwork they wanted so I was able to hand it all in and answer a few questions.  I waited about 15 minutes and I now have a visa glued into my passport.  (I've always wanted something important looking in my passport.)  

I also have plane tickets purchased for myself, Sara, and my mom.  I had been working with an adoption travel agency but it was taking forever and I was getting impatient.  There were a lot of little details to work out and it was not going well by email.   I need a round trip ticket that can be changed.  Sara needs a one way ticket.  My mom is going from a different city and only staying a week.  None of us wanted to fly over night.  We preferred to layover in Atlanta.  I finally just called Delta myself.  It took several hours over the phone and a trip to Midway but all three of us have tickets and we got a great deal.  There is something about plane tickets that just make things seem final!

I have found a friend that has the ability to record Skype calls.  I'm just waiting to hear when it will be scheduled.  I'm really hoping it happens this week so we can record it.  Warning:  If it is recorded, anyone who comes into personal contact with me in the next month will most likely be forced to watch it.  I have heard that another family has had their call scheduled for the 18th.  I'm hoping and praying that Sara and I can talk that day as well.

I am so excited that it is now under a month until I get to meet my little girl.  I feel like I can finally start counting down the days.  30.....

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.

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.