Finally...THE PAPER

Finally, after many months of setbacks and lost paperwork, we can say it arrived.  Our I-797 approval came yesterday.  I still can't believe it took this long.  Now we can move on. We are approved for three little darlings so hopefully the rest of our wait will move faster to make up time!  We can't wait to get our arms around them... 

Homeland Security, Tamales, & Candied Yams

It's strange, I (T) really like to have my fingerprint taken.  I (T) know, many of you laugh, "figures, we always knew that is how you would end up."  Well, I (T) have ended up this way, just not THAT way.

Again, I (T) like having my fingerprints taken, just not electronically.  I (T) like the ink.  I (T) like the feeling of rolling my fingers against paper.  I (T) like the way the cleaner feels when you scrub the ink off. 

We waited so long for them to fingerprint us this time.  I (T) was happy, I (T) was relieved, I (T) was glad it finally happened, I (T) was disappointed no ink was involved. 

The office we went to was strange.  It was in a non-desrcript office park, on the bottom level, with a ton of hideously pruned boxwoods everywhere.  I (T) was a touch aggravated, we arrived early, parked right in front of the door, somehow positioned strangely below ground level, and waited.

-Why can't they open the door?(T)

-It's not 8:00.(J)

-Well, it's close enough, look, they're just standing there. (T)

-It's not 8:00, they'll open at 8:00. (J)

-That's ridiculous, they're right there. (T)

-Baby, they open at 8:00.(J)

Anyway, you all get the idea.  Once inside, it was pleasant enough.  We filled out the form, took a number, sat down (in hideous little plastic chairs) below pictures of George Bush and Michael Chertoff, and waited.  We did not wait too long.  They were very efficient and we were early. 

SIDEBAR: Where in the world do those ubiquitous, plastic, federal government plastic chairs come from?  Is there a chair manufacturer in Hell?

I (T) was a touch freaked out by the Bush/Chertoff photographic montage.  Maybe we could have something a touch more welcoming in our immigration offices.  I (T) don't know, maybe a picture of a plate of tamales, maybe a picture of my great-grandmother's candied yams.  I (T)want people to feel welcome when they come to our country. I (T) know I (T) feel at home when tamales and candied yams are on the table.

Later y'all.

fingerprints....finally

Yes, we have a very official looking letter saying that we need to be at the FBI building in Birmingham at 8 am on Tuesday, September 9! It's funny how such little steps seem so huge...

one year

August 30, 2007 is the date on our approval from CHI. One year later we have not even had our fingerprints taken. I could say more but then I would feel like I am whining. I am just going to leave it at that...

I have always been a firm believer that all things happen in their own time. I just wish it was a little faster...

Fingerprints?

We received a message today from our congressman's office that our fingerprinting appointment will be on September 9! We have not had anything official arrive in the mail as of yet but I have high hopes...

again.

P.S. I am so curious to know what happens to the ticker thing after a year...yes, it will be a year on Sunday.

Update

After my freak out yesterday, our wonderful social worker did a little checking. She contacted DHR and they are sending another copy of our approval and homestudy to CIS. Here we go again... Is the second time the charm?

I know I keep saying it but we do love having our fingerprints taken....we really do.

Dear CIS,

I am sorry it seems my homestudy never arrived. Do you think you could check one more time just to see if it was misplaced? Alabama DHR says they sent it to you on May 14th. Maybe your usual mailroom employees were off that day. Please look around and see if it is there.

Sincerely,

Jennifer


At least it makes me feel better to write the letter....even if it really is only for my own sanity.

Dreams of Diapers

Just a note... we have now waited two months for the APPOINTMENT to have our fingerprints taken. What in the world?

I had a dream last night that I had to buy diapers and I could not decide on a size. This was my first "baby dream." Does this say something?

I hope so.

No News Is Bad News

2 emails and 3 phone calls to CIS have left us with no response and no news to share.

We love fingerprints...

You would think that someone who loves fingerprinting so much would be blessed with the pleasure...
Just check out our October 7, 2007 post. ( I would put a link to it if I could figure out how.) You could look at the blog archive if you are interested...

Maybe I am missing out on something I should be doing...

Movin' Along

Just a little update. We received an email from our social worker saying that the State of Alabama approved our home study. Now it is off to USCIS. Hopefully a fingerprinting appointment will be coming soon!

Happiness is....

We have a finished homestudy in our hands right now!!!!!!!!!!!!

What more can I say....

Is it really April 30?

All of you out there know that the blog title is the hardest part. This one was easy.... is it really the end of April? Would you believe that I typed March 30 the first time? No joke....

Time is sneaky.

I would like to take a moment and thank the following fellow bloggers for encouraging this update:

Chris and Gretchen came to visit our restaurant and told us about their newest addition. They adopted Serik from Kaz and are now in the process of a domestic adoption.

And Lisa....I needed a little encouragement. :0)

There really is not much to offer. We are in the back and forth homestudy approval process. Social worker...agency...social worker...agency...social worker.... you know how it goes. Someday it will go to the state, government...Ethiopia...someday.

Now. Will it really be May in a couple of hours? Where does time go? It goes to life - school, restaurant, home, and on, and on

But..do you know what? There is a reason why events happen in a certain way. I am convinced that all the time is worth it. It is worth it. It is worth it.

As for right now.... The restaurant is ticking along. School is almost out for the summer.

Life is good.

Here we are...

Well, well, well.... How many of these "we are still alive" blogs is one site entitled to in a 6 month period?

Life is good.

On the adoption front, we received the rough draft of our homestudy from our social worker this week. It was really strange to read all of that information in one place. Our lives in a few pages...strange is the only word I have right now. Just some proofreading and editing and we will be finished! Moving along...I can't wait to have those little darlings running around the restaurant.

Oh, the restaurant...It is open! We have all worked 80+ hours this week including our day jobs. It is so worth it. For me, it is fun to see the kiddos in my class come and mash their faces on the restaurant glass to see if they can see Mrs. Cofield. Teachers do live outside of school...

Thanks to all you bloggers and friends out there for the encouraging words and support!

Jennifer

Playing Tag

All right, people. Was this tagging thing created to encourage those of us who never update our blogs? If so, great idea! I was motivated this morning. Thanks for the tag Amanda.
Okay, here goes...
First the rules:
~The rules are to link the person who sent this to you and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours.
~Post the rules on your blog
~Share 7 strange/weird facts about yourself
~Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, linking their blog
7 Strange/Weird facts about myself:
1. My favorite strange fact is that when we lived in Birmingham (in an urban area - not the country) we had 4 chickens show up in our yard one day and move in. We named them Breakfast (because she had a bad leg and we knew she would go first), Lunch, Dinner, and Helen. Breakfast didn't make it but the others were still there when we moved.

2. Almost all women on my husband's side of the family were born on the 22nd of a month - grandmother, mom, neice. Well, so was I. I married into the right family.

3. I was the first open adoption in the state of Texas. I look forward to adopting my own very soon!

4. Our cat, Gimpy, was already injured when we got him. He then lived through a tornado and falling 4 stories out of the window of our loft.

5. I can't stand anything to do with teeth. You should see me when I have to go to the dentist. This also extends into my work because I teach 2nd grade and have a serious issue with wiggly teeth.

6. This one isn't that strange but it's fun. Our restaurant is opening in 3 weeks. See the link at the top of our blog.

7. This is somewhat related to the last one. This is a busy time for us. Ty is running a restaurant and I am teaching school. In our spare time we are opening our own restaurant (with some wonderful partners), remodeling our house, and adopting 2-3 darlings from Ethiopia! We are busy but wouldn't have it any other way.

Now let's see who I am going to tag....

Home Visit and Timelines

Thank you to all of you for the encouraging words about our home visit. It went very well. Since it was our third sit-down with the social worker we just went over the big long checklist of what needs to be done and made a smaller list of what is left - only 5 things on it! Then she walked through the house. She suggested a fire extinguisher, a latch on the gate going off the deck, and a latch for the door to the basement. Not too bad. I am beginning to enjoy these meetings. They really make you think and mull over how you will deal with certain situations.

On a more frustrating note I found out, in the State of Alabama, there is an approximate 2 month wait for approval of the Home Study. Apparently, when the social worker finishes the write-up she will send it to her supervisor and us for editing. Then we will send it to our agency for editing. Then, after it is notarized, it will go to the State (a DHR department) for approval (this is the part I didn't know about) where there is an average 2 month turnaround time. This has nothing to do with the apostillizing - that comes later.
Then it goes off to CIS for our I-171H approval. This is all before it becomes part of the Dossier. I really wasn't counting on the two extra months and it has me a little bummed. I thought we could just send off the Home Study to CIS as soon as our agency approved it. WRONG...

I have always been a things-happen-in-their-own-time kind of person so I will keep plugging away!

Help

We are in need of some help. Our home visit with our social worker is coming up in the next week and we are seriously unsure about what we need to do. I know all home study agencies and social workers are different;however, surely some things are the same across the board. Please let me know what to expect and any advice all of you out there have to offer.

Oh, and here is the picture of the kids' room I promised.

It is hard to see but the curtains, sheets, and duvet covers are all gingham. The curtains are covered with gingham stars. The dog picture on the wall hung in Ty's nursery. We might have to change to cribs later but we will see...

I almost forgot! We are minus one bathtub but we have a floor. Maybe Ty will write about the adventures...


Jennifer

A Day for Me

Today I took a day just for myself...and a little for our future children.

My monthly bookgroup meeting was last night in Birmingham. We had a great time. We play Dirty Santa at our Christmas gathering every year. I think I came out on top. After a bit of whining, Lorrin let me keep the apron that says "My bookgroup can beat up your bookgroup." How cool is that? Melody gets the prize for bringing the Dirty Santa present.

I used my bookgroup meeting as an excuse to spend the night with my mother-in-law and take a day off from school. I am not one to miss school. I have about 90 something sick days saved up. As all of you teachers out there know, it is harder to miss work than it is to be there. Sadly, I found out when I got home this afternoon that my sub never showed up. I hate that because I see those 17 babies as my own. It bothers me that their day was most likely quite stressful... Uncertainty to a young child is no bueno. There is no telling what they had to do.... I guess I will find out on Monday.

On a lighter note, until the BAD news, I had a GREAT day. I had entirely too much fun at Pottery Barn Kids. I lost track of how long we were there. A few weeks ago we painted the room a beautiful green called "lettuce." Then, my mother-in-law found an awesome green rug with off-white stars on it. Then, today my parents went all out for their first grandchild. They bought the cutest green gingham curtains and duvet covers, sheers with gingham stars, and blue gingham sheets. When it all arrives I will post pictures. Other than my serious lack of design talent - this is fun. Also, since I also am completely unable to make a decision on my own - thanks Jan and Mom for all the advice.

Finally, this week our social worker sent out surveys to our parents and friends who are giving us recommendations. I read the first one last night. She summed Ty up brilliantly. It is so interesting to read what other people see as your strengths and weaknesses. You all are so kind... This process has caused me to think about myself more than anything I have ever done. I wish all parents had to go through this....

Yes...We are still alive

If those of you who check our blog are still out there....
Yes, we are still here.


In the 75 degree December warmth.
All of you with the cute pictures of your children in the snow...I'm jealous.

I am not the writer in our family but he is a chef and it is DECEMBER. I haven't really seen him in weeks. I think he has worked 30 something straight days now. I am not nearly as humorous or well-spoken; however, by reading others I have begun to realize how important this blog is, so...I am going to give it a shot.

Over the past few months I have learned so much from reading all the blogs out there. Sometimes I sit and cry as I read the stories of unconditional love. Adoption is truely not for the fainthearted. God bless all of you.

We have a change to post. I know there is uncertainty in international adoption but the uncertainty in Kazakhstan is too much for us. When we originally decided to adopt we could not decide between Ethiopia and Kazakhstan. All we knew was that we want to adopt siblings. We decided on Kazakhstan but have just this week changed our minds. We have now settled on Ethiopia and are thrilled. We are still in the homestudy process so the change has not been a huge deal. Please keep us in your thoughts as you are in ours.

Jennifer

Self-explanatory

This has nothing to do with adoption but I couldn't help myself.




Sometimes in life we have to ask ourselves...what in the world?