Acceptance

Just heard from our agency that our homestudy has been accepted at the first stage. It's now having something else done to it (??) and it will be sent to us shortly.
Pros:
we get this show on the road soon!
Cons:
we have to come up with thousands of dollars soon!
Ok, the pros definitely outweigh the cons!
Then our homoestudy goes on to immigration. We get our fingerprint appointment. Get fingerprinted. Get all our documents state sealed and reviewed one more time. (get things redone if necessary-- I don't even want to entertain this thought!). Wait for our i-171H (immigration OK--again!). Get that state sealed. Send complete dossier to our agency. Wait, wait, and wait.
Jeff and I went to another meeting last Friday. This one was only 1 hour away instead of 3, so we couldn't pass it up! (we also went to Hobby Lobby on the way:) We really weren't looking forward to the meeting, but we have to complete 12 hours of adoption education, so we went.
WOW!!! I just have to say, every meeting we've been to has been FANTASTIC! Just when you think you know it all, or aren't interested......
I really think the best part of the meetings is the fact that we get to commiserate with our own kind! Kind of like the last time I went to NY. I DID NOT want to stay in Times Square. We stayed in Chelsea in a B&B. It was really a great experience to be a part of a neighborhood. But, I have to say, when we ventured to Times Square, it was really nice to be among our own kind!!
Anyway, we get to talk to other people who know all about the "LID" , "DTC", "CCAA", etc. And we always learn something. We get to meet families that have just gotten back from China and are able to realize that it is possible to get through this! It re-energizes us. Now, ask me in another year if anything can re-energize me!!
We even met someone that has the same social worker as us (which, always traveling to things out of our area, we haven't experienced yet). She is EXACTLY at the same point in the process as us, so we may be traveling together. Jeff also recognized someone from our hometown that is at the same point as us, so that's more potential travel mates.
All in all, a very moving, comforting, positive and wonderful experience.
There is NEVER any talk of "if", always "when". There is never the feeling that this might not turn out. There is never anyone telling us not to get our hopes up. Exactly what I need!

I just KNEW vacuuming could kill you!!
My very perceptive son asked me if I saw the "dead vacuum guy". I went into the living room to see this---the cord from the vacuum had morphed itself into a "chalk outline". Notice the head, torso, and gigantic foot!
I HATE vacuuming. It makes me sweat and I don't like to sweat. It also hurts my back. (have I mentioned before that I'm a woosie girlie girl?) Yet I'm no heiress, so I just have to suck it up!
We finally got our passports in the mail today! YAY!! I have to say, they are really pretty---the actual passports, NOT the pictures!! I feel so "jet setter" now! They're good for 10 years, so we can just go travel the world now! (note to self, must start playing lottery!)
I talked to our social worker today. She said that she'd get our report done either today or Monday. Then maybe another week to get approved. Then it'll be sent to us to approve and mail off our first HUMONGOUS--GUT WRENCHING--AAAAHHHH! check (the previous checks we sent were just gigantic and heartbreaking). Then on to immigration.
I foolishly and regrettably tried to count the weeks (months) it's going to take to get everything to China. I figured sometime this FALL.
FALL!!!
FALL!!!
ughhh.
The frustrating thing is that we're done. We've done everything that we've had to do. Now we have to just sit back and count on a bunch of strangers....bureacratic strangers....government strangers. Waiting is not my strong suit. no kidding.

Movin' along

I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with the way things have been running. It feels SOOOO GOOD to have most of our paperwork signed, sealed and ready to be delivered.
(sorry if I've already covered this, but it's all I have right now!!)
We have to have a couple things re-done, but they're just things that we can type up anytime we need them, so it doesn't involve appointments or waiting for forms or anything which is GREAT news!!
We're awaiting our passports which (hopefully) should reach us within the next week or so. I just can't wait to see them----our pictures are SO PRETTY!! I'm going to show them off to everyone!!! I tell you, if they match us with a baby based on those pictures, we should expect to receive a baby that looks like a pasty-faced felon! Ahh, vanity!!
We're also waiting for our home study report. When the social worker gets that done, she'll send it to immigration and then we'll get our fingerprint appointments. Then we get to wait ANXIOUSLY for our next immigration form that AGAIN tells the world that we're approved to adopt. This form should only take, oh, about a MONTH or TWO to get to us (that's if all goes well)!! Talk about protesting immigration laws---geesh!!
I'm of course busily planing the nursery (I have to have control over SOMETHING!!)
I want to go girlie, girlie shabby chic. Pink and cream and sage and white---mmm, mmm, mmm!!My luck I'll have a tom-boy that hates dresses and bows and pink--tragedy!
Sometimes it really floors me how much I want this. I want to go to China, I want my daughter. I've been waiting months and months already and my interest and desire hasn't waned a bit. (ask me in ANOTHER year how I feel and it may be a different story!)
I know I'm staring down the barrel of another possibly 18 months and it's OK. I know I'll get antsy and freak out at times, but I just have to stay the course.
I'm really looking forward to our dossier being in China. That will be a big relief. At least I'll know that every month that passes is a month closer and that we are moving ahead, however slowly, but we will be in the process, moving along. That's very good!

Being busy makes the time fly!!

Wow!! We have been soooo busy the last few weeks, where did March go??
Not all of the things we've been busy with have been good things, but we've gotten through them alive and well----and exhausted!!
On the adoption front, we are now done with our homestudy. We had our last meeting last week. We were able to meet a couple who adopted last December and their 2 daughters. It was really nice to talk to "seasoned survivors" and know that it can be done! Their daughters were adorable, one from China and one biological girl. They really took to Jeff and I right away.
Ha--stick THAT in your dossier and smoke it!! We are good with kids--WOO HOO!!
We left with a really good feeling that this is what we're meant to do. And we WILL survive. It may be touch and go at times, but we'll "git r done"!
We are waiting for our passports to come in the mail. Hopefully within the next couple of weeks.
Our homestudy report should be done in the next couple of weeks too. Then we will get an FBI fingerprint appointment. I'm actually looking forward to it. Jeff and I get to take a day off work and spend it in Indy. The actual appointment should take a few minutes, and add 3 or 4 hours of waiting at the office, and we should have a few minutes to shop or eat or something!
We've gotten most of our paperwork done.
We have our medical reports done, our work reference letters are done, our police clearance letters are done, our financial statement, application letter, done and done.
The big thing now is our homestudy report, fingerprints and immigration clearance.
Once we get all that, we'll take another trip to Indy to the state house and the adoption agency. Then---Bon Voyage dossier!! Hopefully we'll be sending it off sometime this summer. (the immigration clearance letter takes a month or two to come)
Jeff and I went over the costs and when money is due. We're thinking maybe we can pay for most everything if we save money every month (and eat bread for the next year!!) Our son REALLY wants to go. It looks like it's going to be about $5000 just for him. So we told him to either find a hobby that pays well or really suck up to the grandparents!!