Murphy's Law

This entire process has been a prime example of Murphy's Law.

The lawyer finally got signed copies of the adoption decree today. She went to get the new birth certificates. (This is supposed to be an easy step.) Well, the notary wouldn't make the new certificates because the adoption decree lists my middle name and my passport only has my middle initial. (Yep. I'm serious.)

Thankfully, one of the papers in the dossier is a letter that states all the possible ways your name can be written. When I wrote the letter and got it notarized and apostilled, I thought it was dumb. Now I'm very grateful for that letter.

My facilitator also owns a vet shop. She was able to send one of her employees all over the city to get the letter and deliver it to the notary. The notary has agreed to produce the new certificates. The lawyer will pick them up tomorrow morning.

Monday we will apply for Sara's passport. I wonder what unheard of snag we will run into there.

Official Referral

On Wednesday, the adoption agency told me that it would take 40 days to get approved by Sara's orphanage to adopt her. This news meant there was no hope that she would be home for Christmas. This, and a few other stresses in my life, sent me into a bit of a tail spin. I have been given so many different potential travel dates throughout this process. First it was June, then August, then October, then November, then maybe January. If I had been told up front that it would take a year, I would have dealt with that but this constant changing and rearranging was starting to wear on me.

After a Thursday of tears, ice cream, mind-numbing movies, and amazing friends, I was feeling much better on Friday. I had processed the potential delay and had come to terms with it. I still didn't like it but I actually felt like a huge weight had been lifted. I could stop checking my phone and email constantly. I could stop counting weeks in my head to figure out when I would travel if I heard today. I could stop wondering. She wouldn't be home for Christmas. At least I knew.

When I saw Private Number on my phone Friday evening, I didn't even get excited. My mom was supposed to call to ask me a favor so I just assumed it was her. It wasn't! It was the adoption agency. I still wasn't excited. I figured she was just calling to tell me to keep waiting patiently. When she finally got around to telling me that the orphanage had approved my dossier and my request to adopt Sara, I had to make her say it again just to make sure I had heard her. The orphanage has approved my request to adopt Sara!!!

I should be getting my referral pack on Monday or Tuesday. This will include all of Sara's medical, educational, and social information and history. It will also include updated pictures, etc. I cannot wait to get my hands on this information! It will be so nice to have more than 2 pages of information and a picture that is about 2 years old. I'm dying to know whatever I can about my little girl.

There are still a few more steps that need to be taken. I need approval from USCIS to adopt her and bring her into this country. Then I need an Article 5 from the Embassy in Colombia. After those steps are completed, I will be given a court date and a travel date. It is possible this could all happen quickly enough for Sara to be home for Christmas but it's also possible that it won't. I've given up trying to figure these things out.

Whether or not she comes home this year or early next year, she will be home!

(Stay tuned for more pictures and information early next week.)

Oh The Waiting....

I always feel some pressure to write an update when it's been more than a week since the last one. The problem is--when I haven't updated, it's because nothing is going on.


I love how much people care and how often people ask about Sara and the process. I hate not having any new information to give them. Here are the most popular questions I get and the answers as I know them:


*Do you have any new pictures yet?
No. I had heard from a friend of a friend that was down at her orphanage and saw her about a month ago. I was thrilled at the possibility that they would be able to get me more pictures. However, when they went on their official tour of the orphanage, the older children were all at school. So, I will have to wait for her official referral to get more pictures.

*Is your little girl home yet?
No. Trust me, you will know when she is home! I will shout it from the rooftops. Plus, I'll be gone for quite a while. If you've seen me in the last month, she's not home. (Sometimes, I get a little bit sarcastic...)


*Wait. What? You have to go get her?
Yes. I do. Different countries have different rules. Sara's country requires that I go there and stay until all the paper work and legalities are completed. I will be in her country between 4 and 7 weeks.


*So you'll be down there just waiting for her?
No. Not waiting for her. Waiting for paperwork. From my understanding, I will have custody of her after court. There is a "bonding" time that will allow us both to get to know each other and to make sure this is something we both want to do. After that, we will be in her country waiting for her new birth certificate, passport, visa, etc.
The good news is that we will be together during this time. We will get a chance to start the bonding process before we return home.


*Are you coming back to work?
Yes. I will be going back to work. I can take a leave with FMLA of up to 12 weeks. How long I'll be off depends on a lot of things--including how long we are in country and when exactly the leave falls. (If it falls over Christmas break, I'll have even more time off!) It will take a while to get her settled in after we get back both from an emotional stand point and a logistical one.


*When are you going? I hope it's next week.
Who knows! There are still a few more things that need to happen before I can go. Right now, I'm waiting for approval from Sara's country and her orphanage. Both could come soon (like this week!) or could come in 6 weeks or more. I heard on Thursday that the dossier has been received by both the orphanage and the country. When they sign them is completely out of my control. Thus all the whining about waiting.

When both of these approvals are given, I will get the ever-coveted "official referral." This means that I will get all of her medical and social information and---wait for it---new pictures! I can't wait to find out how my little girl is doing, what she's learning, how much she's grown, how her health is--any little bit of information I can get!

After I officially accept her referral, I apply to the US government for permission to bring her into the country. (I have their approval to adopt a child from her country. Now I need permission for her to be that child.) This process has been taking 2-3 weeks.

After that approval is given, I will be given a court date. It could be between 2 and 4 weeks out. I'm hoping and praying for 2 weeks. I'm ready to go now. I don't need 4 weeks to get ready!

So, as you can see, there are several things still that need to happen before I can go meet my little girl. Also, her country shuts down for most of December. I am praying with all my heart that I can travel by November 1st. If I can't, I won't be going until January. I really want my girl home for Christmas! Alas, it's all out of my hands so I just keep waiting.


*How much more do you need to be fully-funded?
I have been incredibly blessed with the support of all my friends and family. I've received a grant and I worked summer school to earn a chunk of money to put towards the adoption. So....

I will be done with my major fund raising efforts after my current auction.

I will continue to knit because it gives me something to do while I'm waiting. I will list new items on my Scarves and Skirts for Sara page on facebook. I will also take custom orders until I get a travel date.

I will also keep my Adoption Bug t-shirt sale open until I get a travel date. I love their shirts and jump on any chance to promote adoption.

While I still don't know how much I will need for travel, I know that God does and I know He provides. I'm choosing to rest in that. (You can think I'm crazy. I'm ok with that.)

Weightless

I got a call today from my adoption agency. I was really hoping that I would find out that the orphanage director had approved my dossier. While I didn't get that news (it's coming soon), I did find out that I got a very generous grant from Show Hope. The grant just "happens" to be the exact amount that I needed to be "fully-funded." Coincidence? I think not.

So, what does that mean now?

In all honesty, I've been too excited to really think through the repercussions completely. I do know this--I can sleep tonight without doing math in my head trying to figure out how much I still need, where it's going to come from, how many scarves I can knit before the auction starts...you get the idea.

This grant takes all the pressure off. I have enough to pay the final agency fees. I think I have enough for a bare-bones travel experience. Anything raised from this point is just icing on the cake. Let me explain....

No one really seems to know how much it's going to cost me to travel to Sara's country. A big part of this is that no one knows how long I will have to stay. Some agencies say 4-6 weeks. Some say 5-7. Some say up to 9. (Do you get why I'm confused?) Because of this, each agency lists a different cost of travel. Mine says $4,000 to $11,000. That's a HUGE difference!

Right now, I have just over $5,000 in my FSP with Reece's Rainbow. This is what I plan to use for travel. I hope it's enough for lodging and plane tickets. (Depending on how much higher the price of gas goes....) I still plan to hold the auction in September. Any money raised from that will create a little "cushion" for unexpected expenses in country, or delays that we encounter in country, or a fun day on the town, or anything that might come up. Basically, it will keep me from doing math in my head when I should be sleeping in country--can we eat out tonight--can we stay another three days if the paperwork doesn't come tomorrow---can I afford to buy an extra sweatshirt for each of us since it's colder than I thought it would be---can we have a snack at the airport? You get the idea.

I don't want to get greedy. I don't want to take advantage of the generosity of so many amazing people who have worked and donated to get Sara home. I'm not looking for a luxurious or indulgent trip. In short, I don't want to over-fund raise. At the same time, I want to be prepared for this trip. I want my time in her country to be about bonding with my daughter and not about cutting corners and saving money.

So, will continue to have a Chip In on the blog. I will continue to take skirt and scarf orders. I will hold one more auction. But, I won't stress. I won't worry. I will rest in God's hand and know that he has and will provide all that Sara and I need.

We Have Submission

After some drama at the Secretary of State's Office and Office Max, the dossier has been submitted. (A lot of my notarizations were done wrong. And, the boy at Office Max had no idea how to send a FedEx.) The dossier should be arriving in Sara's country on Monday--her birthday!

I have no idea how long it will take the country and orphanage to approve it. I am hoping and praying that everything is complete and that they don't ask for more paperwork. The approval could be a quick process or it could drag on for weeks or months. It just depends on a faceless, nameless person in Sara's country who may or may not be in a hurry. Sounds kind of harsh but that's what it feels like from where I'm standing and waiting.

Of course, I am praying that things will move quickly. They have the potential to. However, if I have learned anything in this process, it's that I have no control over anything! So, I will wait for news. And, of course, I will share with all of you whatever I find out. If it's good news, you'll probably hear the cheering where ever you are!

I am waiting for an email from the agency with the details of what I still owe. I think I am a lot closer to being fully funded than I thought I was. (Thank you to all of you for your amazing generosity!) I will be changing the Chip-In on the right side of the blog to reflect the new total that I get from the agency. There are several fund raisers that end in the next few weeks. Check them out here. I'm hoping that if these fund raisers go well, I can do one more auction in September, hear from a grant or two, and be fully funded. Wouldn't that be amazing?

Until then, here's another message from the "friend" who has a "friend" that is in Sara's country:
I asked if they noticed anything else about Sara and she said that her husband noticed that she was carrying a childrens book. Her hair was cut in page, a bit longer one. As from what they could tell she was normal lenght and size.
Again they said they thought she was adorable!
They really hope to be able to take a picture and if it's possible they will try to record a video of her. I really cross my fingers now that they will be able to!
Hmmmm....she likes to eat cookies and carries a book around with her....Is there any doubt that she's my child?

Approved!!! Now What?

Yesterday, I received a very exciting piece of mail---My USCIS Approval!!! I did a happy dance--there was some jumping and screaming involved. (Always awkward when you live alone.) I've waited 2 months for that piece of paper. I had seriously begun to wonder if it would ever come. But, it did!

I should probably mention that it has two random people listed as Other Adults in the Household. This may prove to be a major problem or a minor issue. I will have to call first thing Monday morning to find out since it was after 5 in Washington, DC when I got the paper. I'm trying to ignore that right now, though, and just focus on the fact that I've been approved!

This approval is a huge step and it now means that things are moving again. I have had all my dossier paperwork ready to go for a month. Now it just has to be apostilled, translated and sent off to the country.

Sara's country is a little different from most. You apply to adopt from a specific orphanage--not just the country in general. I got unofficial approval from Sara's orphanage at the very beginning of this process. Now, they will get my dossier and give me official approval. They are so excited about Sara's adoption that they want all my paperwork now. They want to get a jump on it so that when the official paperwork is ready, they can approve it immediately. So glad that they are so supportive!

Here are the next steps as I understand them. (Of course, they appear to always be subject to change!)

*Dossier paperwork gets apostilled, translated and submitted.

*It is reviewed and approved by the orphanage director.

*I then receive an official referral for Sara. This will include complete social and medical histories and, hopefully, a bunch of updated pictures!

*I accept the referral and we are officially matched. I can then tell you all where she is!

*I apply to the US government to bring Sara here.

*I get a court date in her country and start making travel plans.

*I spend 4-6 weeks in country with my little girl bonding and working on a bunch of legal paperwork.

*We fly back to the US and Sara is a citizen as soon as she steps on US soil!


I know the big question everyone wants to know: When are you going to get her?

In all honesty, I have no idea. I hear different time lines all the time. Some of it depends on the USCIS paperwork glitch. Some of it depends on holidays in country or how busy people are. I've really stopped trying to figure it out! I will have about a month's notice before I travel so I will have time to make the needed plans. Right now, I am hopeful that we will be back in the US for Thanksgiving but planning to be back for Christmas. Anything before that will seem like a blessing!

Once again, I thank you all for your support and I will keep you updated as things progress!

The Process

For those of you who are wondering--here's the process I'm working through. I'll try to keep this list updated as I move through the steps.

1. Fill out applications for Reece's Rainbow, Adoption Agency and Home Study agency. - Done in February

2. Be matched on Reece's Rainbow with Sarita. - Done February 17th.


3. Complete homestudy. Sent downstate on May 7.


4. Homestudy goes to the state capital for approval. Received the official home study on May 19.

5. Homestudy and I800A Application go to Immigration and Homeland Security. USCIS paperwork mailed on May 21. Officially received on May 25th.

6. Begin to compile Dossier documents--including FBI clearance. - All ready on July 1st.

7. Homeland Security will send me an appointment for more fingerprints. Fingerprints done on June 7th.

8. Receive approval from Homeland Security and Immigration. Received July 27th!

9. Submit Dossier documents to her country. Sent on Aug 9th.

10. Receive approval from the country. Officially be matched with Sarita. Approved on Sept 22nd.

11. Be given a travel date and court date.  Traveled on January 12th.  Met Sara on January 14, 2013.  

12. Adopt Sarita in Colombia.  Finally official March 1, 2013.

13. Apply for a new birth certificate with her new last name.  Received March 2nd.  

14. Apply for her passport.  Applied March 4.  Received March 5.  

15. Apply for her US Visa.  Received March 6.

16. FLY HOME!  Arrived home March 7, 2013.  

A little bit crazy, very long, almost ridiculous. All will be worth it in the end.

Much Needed Update---and Much Needed Major Movement

Progress Update:
Things are flying right along!!!! My dossier is almost done.

*I had my psych eval today. I have no idea how long it will take to get written but the doctor was really nice and seemed to understand the urgency.

*My FBI clearance was waiting for me in the mail when I got home last night. I have to send it to a courier to have it appostilled in Washington, DC. I will do that tomorrow. It should take a little over a week for the turn-around.

*My doctor called this afternoon to tell me that my letter was ready. I called this morning to check and ta-da! It's done! I will pick it up tomorrow morning.

*I got my USCIS fingerprints done on June 7th. I should, hopefully, have clearance from them in the next week or two.

All that to say---my dossier could be on it's way to Sara's country by the end of the month!!!

This is HUGE!

It means that I will soon be traveling to get my little girl. There are no words to express how excited I am.

As I was walking through the Houston airport yesterday, I just kept thinking about how the next I'm going through customs there, I will have something to declare---a little girl!

You can check out the rest of the process here.



Financial Update:
I'm waiting to here back from my adoption agency about my travel accommodations and plans in order to better plan a budget.

*As of right now, about $10,000 of the costs have been paid.

* I have almost $4,000 in my FSP with Reece's Rainbow.

*I have another "grant" promised of $1,500.

*I will be teaching summer school which will give me another $5,000 to put towards upcoming costs.

*This leaves me about $9,500 short of the approximately $30,000 I need for the entire process.

*I have applied for about 8 grants and have only heard back from one. (I wasn't chosen for that one.) Please pray that I will hear favorably from one or two of the grants soon.

*I am planning an online auction for the month of July. Please let me know if you missed out last time and would like to donate something!

You can see my current fundraisers here.

Update--Here's How the Adoption's Going

I know it's been way too long since I updated. I always feel like I'm letting people down if I don't have something to say. (Maybe no one cares. Maybe it's all in my head.) So, here's the update that you've all been waiting for.....

I mailed my I800A into USCIS (I didn't know what any of that meant a few months ago) last week. I received confirmation on Friday that they have received my paperwork and they cashed my check. (That has to be progress, right?) Then, on Friday night, I heard about two families that had received their USCIS approval. Both families received approval in just under a month!!! This is HUGE! The official line from USCIS is that approval takes 90 days. These two families both sent theirs in a month ahead of mine and got approval in a month!!! So, what does that mean for me?

It means that Sara will probably be here sooner, rather than later! (Lots of exclamation points today. I'm excited!!!) I have said all along that I wanted to work summer school (I need the money)and travel during my August break. It would give me 3 extra weeks of my leave and allow me to save some of my sick time for appointments, etc. when Sara got back. Well, I've doubted for quite a while that that was going to happen. Now it looks like it's more than likely!!

Here's the breakdown as I currently understand it:

1. It will take USCIS about 3 weeks to assign me an appointment to get my fingerprints done. The appointment they assign me will be about a month after that. BUT, I have learned that you can go in before your appointment date. So, I'm hoping and praying that I have an appointment assigned when I get back from vacation. Then, I can use one of my last two days of break to go get my prints done. I'll have them done long before the appointment and I'll get to do them without taking off any work. (I'm hoarding every minute of sick time.)

2. Within a week of getting my prints done, I should have my approval from USCIS. This will hopefully be the last week of June.

3. As soon as I have that form in my hand, I can send the dossier into the country for approval. The director of the orphanage has already given me his approval. So, it really shouldn't take too long to get the dossier approved. (The director says 2 weeks!)

4. When that is approved, I will be granted a court date. (Probably about 2 weeks after approval.)

5. So, if you are following all the time lines, this puts me in the last week of July!!! Summer school ends August 2nd. How perfect is that? (And how soon!!!)

Obviously, international adoptions are very fickle and there is no guarantee that everything will go smoothly or quickly. BUT, this timeline gives me hope. (A LOT of hope!)

So, I will be spending this Memorial Day getting all the dossier paperwork in order to get finished this week. (I also am finishing up one more grant application.) I want everything done and ready to go before I go on vacation. (I've said all along that things may delay this adoption but I won't delay it.) I am playing phone tag with a psychologist and hope to get that evaluation done sometime in the next two weeks. I also have to get a letter written and notarized by my doctor. (Remember how fun she was the first time around?) The rest of the stuff is pretty small and I should be able to get that all done today.

Now, if I could just get an updated height and weight and a shoe size, I'd be almost ready for my little girl to come home...

I got to meet Henry!

Today, I got to meet Henry (and his mom). Henry was adopted last year from Reece's Rainbow. His mom and I are facebook friends and we've been following each other's blogs. I met up with him and his mom at Cracker Barrel for lunch.


It was so nice to chat with someone who understands things like:

*Just waiting for the final homestudy approval from DCFS....

*My I-800A is ready and waiting...

*My Dossier is almost done....

*I have no idea where I'm going to get the rest of the money I need....

*I've done a Give Away and now I'm doing a Puzzle Fundraiser....


And someone who can answer questions like:

*Why not adopt domestically?

*Why a child with special needs?

*How can you afford this?

*How can you be so in love with someone you've never met?


There are some other RR moms in the area. Sadly, they couldn't make it today but I look forward to getting together with the whole group---and introducing them to Sara!

Where we are right now....

I've been so busy updating the posts for the fundraiser and writing Thank You cards, I haven't really gotten much of a chance to update on the progress of the adoption.

1. I did 10 hours of adoption training last weekend. I actually learned quite a bit and it gave me a lot to think about. I also met some great people that are in the same situation I am. It's so nice to know I'm not alone. I still have 4 hours to do online. I plan to do them this weekend.

2. I am STILL waiting for the form from my doctor for my physical. I'm going to call again tomorrow since it's been two weeks since I was there and a week since I got my blood work done. Seems like plenty of time to fill out a two-sided form to me. (Have I mentioned that I will be looking for a new doctor when this is all done.)

3. I talked to my home study social worker on Friday. She is still having a hard time getting some information from Mexico. I've contacted a few people and I'm hoping to get this situation resolved soon. Please pray that the right person will read an email or receive a call so that we can get this ball rolling. It's frustrating to me that this little thing could halt my adoption!

4. Once I get the form from the doctor and the one from Mexico, the home study will be done. It then has to go to Springfield for approval. Apparently, there is one person in the whole state that approves all home studies. Kind of crazy!

5. I owe $7,500 for program fees. The agency is going to let me pay half now and continue on with the dossier. I hope to have the rest after I apply for some grants--something I can't do until the home study is done. I'm glad that they are willing to work with me so that we can keep this process moving. I want my little girl home!

6. I got a really nice message from the school district. The director of special services says she's very excited to work with Sara and I. (She has no idea that I'm a special ed teacher.) I'm hoping to meet with her after my spring break since she is on break this week.

7. Next week, I will be traveling to NY to see my family. It will be nice to take a bit of a break from all the craziness and just relax. I'm also REALLY hoping that my new neice or nephew will make his/her entry in to the world while I'm there.

8. I continue to be very overwhelmed by all the love and support Sara and I have received. I really thought that people would just think I was crazy and go on with their lives. I had no idea how supportive and excited everyone would be for both of us. I'm inspired by the amazing, generous, loving, people in my life. I am so blessed!

Please pray....because I'm panicking (and changing the date of the Give Away).

I've run into my first real hurdle in the adoption process.

I got a call today from my adoption agency. The director of the adoption agency has given his official ok. I have my physical tomorrow and training on the 23rd and 24th. After those two steps, my home study will be done. It will then go to the state to get approved. After that, it will be official and I can send my paperwork (called the Dossier) to Immigration and the country for approval. Sounds great and it's moving quickly, right? Here's the catch.....

Before I can submit the dossier to the adoption agency, I need to pay the $7,500 country fee. I have some money in my Reece's Rainbow account and some left in my savings but I'm still about $4,000 short. Unfortunately, I can't apply for any no-interest loans or grants until the home study is finished. So, if I wait until the home study is official and then apply for loans or grants, it could be several months before I can send the Dossier. This will keep Sara in an orphanage longer and delay my travel plans into the new school year.

I know that it will all work out in God's timing but I'm a planner and I don't like all this not-knowing stuff.

In light of all this, I'm moving the Give-Away up a few weeks. I'm going to start it on Sunday. Please let me know if you'd like to donate something. I will post all the rules and regulations later.

Thanks for all your support!

FAQs - Part 1

I am, naturally, getting lots and lots of questions. So, I'm going to answer most of them here. Feel free to leave a comment and ask any more questions you have. I'll do a FAQ--Part 2 later.

1. Is her name Charlotte or Sara? I'm confused. Reece's Rainbow has her listed as Charlotte. I'm not sure why they do this. The closest thing to her real name is Sara. Her name will be Sara Rebecca Keller.

2. It's free to adopt kids with special needs, right? Sadly, that's not true. It's true of some domestic foster-care adoptions but not international adoptions. The total cost of the adoption will be about $25,000. Yep! That's a huge amount. I'm applying for grants to cover some of that. I'm also relying on my generous friends and supporters of Reece's rainbow to help out. You can do that here.

3. Why aren't you adopting domestically? Believe it or not, there is a waiting list for people waiting to adopt children with Down Syndrome in the US. In most foreign countries, children with DS are put into institutions around the age of 6 to "live" out the rest of their lives. I will never be able to stop that practice or rescue all the children who have this as a fate. However, I can help one.

4. Do you have to go pick her up? Yes. I will have to spend 4-6 weeks in her country finalizing paperwork and legalities.

5. When will she come home? International adoptions are very unpredictable. When they say "go," I have to go. I'm really praying that it will be August. This would coincide with my 3 week summer break and allow me 3 extra weeks of time off without having to worry about using all my sick time. It would also allow me to work summer school to save up some money for my travel.

6. Can you take time off from work? Yes. I can take FMLA as a maternity leave. I have about 5 weeks of sick time saved up. If it worked out in August, I could take 8 weeks off.

7. Does she speak English? Nope. Good thing I speak Spanish! I will probably speak Spanish at home for a while. Time to put all those grad school classes in ESL to use.

8. Is she going to the school where you teach? I don't know. I haven't met with the school district yet. She will qualify for early childhood special ed services. My district only has one student at my school so that doesn't look promising. However, my district has a very good Sped program and a great ESL program.

9. How does your family feel about this decision? My family and friends have all been INCREDIBLY supportive. I have no doubt that she has already been accepted as a part of my family.

10. So, now what? Right now, I am continuing with the home study process and compiling my dossier. Basically, lots and LOTS of paperwork and lots of checks being written. When the home study is finished, I can start applying for grants. When all the paperwork is done, it gets sent to Homeland Security and to the foreign government. Then, I wait for the OK from both of them.

11. My favorite question from my youngest brother: Are you going to bring her EVERY time you come to NY? Yep. That's the plan! I'm sure her Nana will gladly watch her so we can get our usual activities in.

Leave me a comment and let me know what other questions you have.