Getting Closer Every Day

Yesterday we received our letters from USCIS with our fingerprinting appointment date. I expected it to be a few weeks out but instead, it is just a week away on May 8th!!! Wow! We got our date so fast! I'm so excited! Although, I do feel bad for some other adopting parents who are not moving along quite as quickly as we are.

I also heard from our courier that our dossier documents were left at the Embassy in DC on Friday. Hopefully they will be done in a couple of days. I'm really starting to feel the momentum picking up! We could actually see our DTC (documents to Ch*na) by May 18th! That could mean October travel! Whoooohooooo!!

So today...apparently the whole family was experiencing the same feeling of exuberance because we all worked together to complete our regular weekly chores and then tackled moving Jeff's desk and computer out of the "man cave" and into the master bedroom. We rearranged furniture and exterminated hidden dust bunnies and purchased a wireless adapter for the desktop. Now the master looks fantastic, Jeff's computer is running smoothly and the "man cave" is one step closer to being "Ian's Room"!!!!!

Blessings,

Georgia

Moving right along...

I received the email assigning us our receipt number at USCIS. We are officially logged into immigration and should receive our fingerprinting appointment letter within the next 7-10 days. 


In the meantime, off to Tallahassee went our Florida documents for certification. Our dossier is coming together nicely.


I've been hearing/seeing great posts online about I800A approvals coming in within 30 days...Fall travel is looking promising...

Blessings,

Georgia

I800A on it's way to USCIS!!

I'm so excited!!! I finally really feel like we are in the process of adopting our son!  Our first packet of official paperwork is going to land on an immigration official's desk tomorrow morning before 10:30am!  I know there will LOTS and LOTS of waiting ahead, but I'm so relieved to be this step closer to DTC!!! (Documents to Ch*na) Thank you Lord!!!!

Blessings,

Georgia

First Giant Step!

My goodness the frustration that has built up inside of me over the past few weeks became quite intense today. I've experienced a range of emotions from anger to fear to sadness. The failure of the Sheriff's Department to comply with our request for the local background checks required by the State of Florida for our Home Study has been quite the struggle.

Finally, today I took the "bull by the horns" and wrote a heart felt letter with all the facts directly to the Sheriff. Amazingly, I received a reply from him within 60 minutes and then a phone call from the records representative within 15 minutes after that. Another 20 minutes later and the much needed background letters were scanned and in my email.

Praise God!! I am so thankful for the prayer warriors I'm blessed with on Facebook. Don't know how I would make it through this daily roller coaster ride without them.

Hopefully tomorrow night we'll receive the notarized copies of our Home Study and Wednesday I can ship our I800A application out to USCIS to really get this ball rolling and get us one giant step closer to bringing Ian home!

Good Friday Reflection Through an Adopting Mommy

Some people don't understand why Jeff and I (and our girls) are adopting a little boy all the way over in Ch*na. This video gives a look into our answer about that. It's almost 8 minutes long, but on this Good Friday, I urge you to take that 8 minutes to watch and listen.    CLICK HERE

Blessings,

Georgia

God sends me just the right devotion every day

Learn to Take Life As It Comes Like most people, I resist things I don't like that I can't really do anything about. One day the Lord said to me, 'Joyce, learn to take life as it comes.' I believe this is a lesson for all of us. What He was saying to me was that I needed to stop fighting the things I could do nothing about. If we are traveling somewhere and suddenly find ourselves in heavy traffic due to an accident or bad weather, it doesn't do any good to resist it. Only time or God's supernatural intervention will change the situation. Why not relax and try to find some way to enjoy the time? God has equipped us to handle life as it comes, which is why He tells us to only focus on today. He knows that if we spend time worrying about issues beyond our control, we will become tired and frustrated. You don't need to waste time trying to change and control things outside your power. Set your mind to what God has placed in front of you and let Him take care of the rest. Prayer Starter: Lord, I realize that I can't control everything, but I can trust You. Right now, I make a decision do my best with what You've given me and leave the rest to You. Blessings, Georgia

So Close Yet So Far

Good news...Home Study is approved by BAAS.

Bad news...it is subject to the local background check that Citrus County Sheriff's Dept REFUSES to give us!

UGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Ok...so the STATE REQUIRES the local background check but the LOCAL Government WON'T do it!

What's wrong with this picture???

So here we sit unable to send our I800a to USCIS until we obtain a paper we can't get...

Can you spell F R U S T R A T E D ????

Blessings,

Georgia