Tuesday, April 24, 2012
If I'd Only Checked My 'Trash' Folder on Friday...
I would have seen that our I-797 had been approved (permission from Homeland Security/USCIS to bring a child into this country)! So - more documents off to the Secretary of State to be certified... We're getting close, very close! Next stop is the Chinese Consulate in Chicago - then the dossier goes to CCCWA!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Moving Right Along
Yesterday we went to USCIS and got our fingerprints done. The experience this time was much better than it was four years ago when we did it. This time the people working there actually talked to us like we were... well, people - instead of suspicious someones not to be trusted. The guards who ran us throught the metal detector and our stuff through the X-ray machine actually engaged us in conversation - asking us where we were adopting from and then saying 'Ni hao ma!' (I believe this is 'Hello Mom!' - I really need to work on that basic Chinese) to me. The technician who took our biometrics (electronic fingerprinting) actually engaged me in conversation instead of just grunting orders to me. And then the guards wished us well with our adoption as we were leaving the building. Totally.Different.Experience.
Today I took documents for our dossier to the post office (sent priority flat rate with a paid return priority envelope enclosed) to send to the Secretary of State offices of Kansas and Missouri. Tim's employment letter went to Kansas to be certified/ authenticated and all the rest of our documents went to Missouri to be certified/ authenticated. For my Colombian adoption friends, this is the exact same process as an apostille. For some reason China doesn't require an apostille even though it's a Hague country just like Colombia. Whatever, I just do what the adoption agency tells me at this point...
Our dossier consultant at our main agency called USCIS yesterday and left a message - and again today and spoke with the officer for our case asking him to expedite us due to the fact that our son is aging out soon. We'll see what happens since he made her no promises... Just know that I'm not ruling out calling my Senator to make our case move up on the officer's list of priorites if I have to. This is a different USCIS office than the fingerprinting office, maybe they moved the old staff over there (they are in the same metropolitan area)? I'm just sayin'...
Below is the latest picture we have of Zane/SongSong (thank you Sanders! - that's Stacey with her 4-year-old Jayden also in the picture). I hope he looks this happy to see us when we come for him :).
Today I took documents for our dossier to the post office (sent priority flat rate with a paid return priority envelope enclosed) to send to the Secretary of State offices of Kansas and Missouri. Tim's employment letter went to Kansas to be certified/ authenticated and all the rest of our documents went to Missouri to be certified/ authenticated. For my Colombian adoption friends, this is the exact same process as an apostille. For some reason China doesn't require an apostille even though it's a Hague country just like Colombia. Whatever, I just do what the adoption agency tells me at this point...
Our dossier consultant at our main agency called USCIS yesterday and left a message - and again today and spoke with the officer for our case asking him to expedite us due to the fact that our son is aging out soon. We'll see what happens since he made her no promises... Just know that I'm not ruling out calling my Senator to make our case move up on the officer's list of priorites if I have to. This is a different USCIS office than the fingerprinting office, maybe they moved the old staff over there (they are in the same metropolitan area)? I'm just sayin'...
Below is the latest picture we have of Zane/SongSong (thank you Sanders! - that's Stacey with her 4-year-old Jayden also in the picture). I hope he looks this happy to see us when we come for him :).
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Bringing Out the Good
There's just something about adoption that brings out the best in good people. We have had everyone from family, to good friends, to complete strangers donate to our adoption fund, or host an adoption fundraiser, or support whatever our current fundraiser is. It's been very humbling and encouraging to witness.
Our kids are even getting into the act. We are gathering things from around our house (and taking donations too if you live in the KC metro area) to sell in a garage sale fundraiser next weekend. The kids have even handed over items that they want us to sell to help bring their new brother home. Not just junk, but things that should bring a fair amount of money. So sweet!
Our daughter Diana even gave us the money that was in her coin bank (about $10) to help bring Zane home. Claudia gives me her loose change too. It's all very sweet and greatly appreciated :).
Our kids are even getting into the act. We are gathering things from around our house (and taking donations too if you live in the KC metro area) to sell in a garage sale fundraiser next weekend. The kids have even handed over items that they want us to sell to help bring their new brother home. Not just junk, but things that should bring a fair amount of money. So sweet!
Our daughter Diana even gave us the money that was in her coin bank (about $10) to help bring Zane home. Claudia gives me her loose change too. It's all very sweet and greatly appreciated :).
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Thank You
Our next fee is the second agency fee to our main adoption agency ($700). I expect we will be getting the invoice for that any day now since our home study is completed.
Okay, done with the boring financial/paperwork stuff for today...
Friday, April 6, 2012
Fundraiser #2: Lia Sophia Online Jewelry Party
DIRECTIONS OF PLACING AN ONLINE ORDER:
1. http://sites.liasophia.com/sites/lisariportella/catalog-intro
2. Type the hostess name: Jenni Padgett.
3. Have fun shopping and place the order.
Home Study Approved!
Our home study agency has completed our home study report and our main agency has approved it! Now we need to send a copy of the home study to USCIS (Homeland Security) and get our fingerprints done. This also means we can start applying for grants! It's been an exciting day! But there's still more work to do - we'll keep you posted...
Friday, March 30, 2012
What's in a Name?
Just a short post to let you know where we are 'in the process' and what's been going on around here.
We've just about finished paper chasing. I only have to pick up the letter/certificate from my doctor and we should have all the paperwork stuff we need for our dossier. Once I get that (and our agency says it looks okay) I can send all that paperwork to the Secretaries of State (all but one to Missouri - and that 'one' goes to Kansas) to be certified.
Our home study visits are finished and we just need to get our SW copies of the papers she'll need to write it up. As soon as she's done with that (and our main agency approves it) we have to get it certified by the MO SoS too.
We sent in our I800A (preliminary permission from Homeland Security to bring an orphan into this country). This is supposed to have the homestudy attached to it, but since we are trying to expedite this process, we sent it without it just to get 'in the queue' so to speak. We are waiting for our appointment to get fingerprinted by USCIS (Homeland Security) and for them to assign us an officer to work on our case (hoping and praying we get a good one).
Once we get everything certified and USCIS approves us, we will have to send all our stuff to the Chinese Consulate (ours will go to the one in Chicago) to be 'authenticated'. Beyond that, I don't know exactly what we do next - all this is on such a compressed schedule we aren't doing a lot of things the way a 'normal' adoption would be done. All I know is that we are down to about 3-1/2 months now to get it all done.
On a less boring, non-paperwork-oriented note, we have landed on a name for 'Ned'. Sorry, ya'll - we aren't really going to actually name him Ned. 'Ned's' Chinese name is SongSong - which we will be somehow incorporating into his "American name" We have decided to call him Zane. It means 'gift from God' in Hebrew - which I like. Tim likes it because it's the name of one of his favorite authors (Zane Grey) - and it sounds "tough".
In other news, we cleared $1,125.00 at our first fundraiser and the very next day our church voted to donate another $1,000.00 toward our adoption! We are so grateful for all the people who are supporting this adoption! Thank you!
We've just about finished paper chasing. I only have to pick up the letter/certificate from my doctor and we should have all the paperwork stuff we need for our dossier. Once I get that (and our agency says it looks okay) I can send all that paperwork to the Secretaries of State (all but one to Missouri - and that 'one' goes to Kansas) to be certified.
Our home study visits are finished and we just need to get our SW copies of the papers she'll need to write it up. As soon as she's done with that (and our main agency approves it) we have to get it certified by the MO SoS too.
We sent in our I800A (preliminary permission from Homeland Security to bring an orphan into this country). This is supposed to have the homestudy attached to it, but since we are trying to expedite this process, we sent it without it just to get 'in the queue' so to speak. We are waiting for our appointment to get fingerprinted by USCIS (Homeland Security) and for them to assign us an officer to work on our case (hoping and praying we get a good one).
Once we get everything certified and USCIS approves us, we will have to send all our stuff to the Chinese Consulate (ours will go to the one in Chicago) to be 'authenticated'. Beyond that, I don't know exactly what we do next - all this is on such a compressed schedule we aren't doing a lot of things the way a 'normal' adoption would be done. All I know is that we are down to about 3-1/2 months now to get it all done.
On a less boring, non-paperwork-oriented note, we have landed on a name for 'Ned'. Sorry, ya'll - we aren't really going to actually name him Ned. 'Ned's' Chinese name is SongSong - which we will be somehow incorporating into his "American name" We have decided to call him Zane. It means 'gift from God' in Hebrew - which I like. Tim likes it because it's the name of one of his favorite authors (Zane Grey) - and it sounds "tough".
In other news, we cleared $1,125.00 at our first fundraiser and the very next day our church voted to donate another $1,000.00 toward our adoption! We are so grateful for all the people who are supporting this adoption! Thank you!
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