Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Here We Go Again...

When we began our adoption journey, they told us a timeline to expect. They had said that once we submitted our dossier (the big stack of papers about us), & we were approved by ICBF we would wait for a referral. They told us to expect to wait 24-30 months. I was ready for the dossier to be done (the paper work is not fun). In fact~the paper work is BLAH! :) I was ready to be done w/the paperwork & "just waiting." It took us 10 months to complete our dossier. We submitted our dossier to a private orphanage before I C B F, because we were told the wait for private orphanages was "much shorter." I had also researched & found out that Chiquitines is a really nice orphanage & they have a great program & take really great care of the kids. I was excited, but the agency also told us not to get too excited, because they only accepted a limited # of families. Two weeks later, we got a phone call late one Friday evening. Chiquitines wanted to work w/us!! We were ecstatic, to say the least! They gave us a totally new timeline, and told us we could possibly have GloriaGrace home in 2009. ~~Obviously, we did not receive our referral & did not travel in 2009.

We really really really hope to have a referral & travel by summer. God's timing is 100% perfect & I rest in that truth daily!

Since we have not gotten our referral & will not travel & be home by May 2010~~we must re-file our US CIS form. This includes updating our home study & some of our other paper work :( Sometimes I dislike the paperwork more than I dislike waiting. I started working on some of it @ the beginning of the year, because I knew we would have to update our home study even if our US CIS form stayed current. I am actually close to being done w/getting everything together. :) I just have my employment letter, which I will request when I am @ St. Thomas on the 29th to renew my CPR. We also need updated letters from our doctor's. Both Me, Tim & each of the boys. This is the part that I get anxious about. When we did the home study/dossier the 1st time, the doctor's office staff have not been able to read directions. I should say, that our pediatrician's office was able to read directions & correctly fill out the paperwork the 1st time :)

I had to make multiple trips to Tim & My doctors office. They looked @ me like I had 5 eyeballs, when I told them they had not done it the way the agency asked for it. The form must 1st be copied onto doctor's letterhead, then filled out & signed by the doctor. Notary dates have to match the doctor's signature date. Does that sound so hard? Doesn't sound so hard to me either, but apparently it is. We'll see if they can do it right the 1st time this time ;) Oh & we'll have to have the medical forms filled out one more time, when we get our referral. . .

I can't wait to have to do it again :)

Mommy ♥'s You GloriaGrace

Monday, March 1, 2010

The Karate Squirrel Fan, by Seth Watson

Seth has a wonderful 1st grade teacher. Mrs. Hilderbrand has such a great heart for the kids in her class, and they love her back. She has helped them in publishing their first books. Each book is complete with an "about the author" page. You can go here, to see & hear the kids reading their books. Seth is @ the bottom of the page. It is very cute. (turn your volume up, because this is the only time he is using a soft voice.)