It's not here

It's now passed the day of our "homestudy to USCIS" and my date has been skipped. We have no idea what is going on, but it's looking like our homestudy did not make it to Atlanta. So, well...guess we've done 10 weeks of waiting in vain.

oh...my....gosh.....

Still waiting...

but hopefully for not much longer!!!

Today, someone I know who is a day ahead of me at the USCIS office with their paperwork got their 171h form!!! Hopefully this means tomorrow or Monday for my own.

Please...please...please...please!

Yes I was a band geek in high school

I had a good chat with a friend last night, who was also a band geek. We compared music we loved playing, fight songs, etc. :)

We both agreed that Russian Christmas Music was awesome. Chorale and Shaker Dance was fun but not as hard as Russina Christmas Music. Then, she had a fight song stuck on her mind (not Rocky Top or other Univ. of Tennessee fight songs), and I thought of "Washington and Lee Swing". Yes, that was it. LOL It was my high school fight song (which is how our whole conversation got started in the first place).

Well, the piece of music that I remember the most from high school is this one:

Helm Toccatta by David Holsinger

I played French Horn, and let me say...this has such a LOVELY horn part...lots of "high notes" lots of LOOOW notes. Rips. hard sequences. etc. Just...well...lovely. I remember the subtitle to this one was "Death by Trumpet".

So, there's my geeky high school band showing itself.

Would you believe me if I said, Still Waiting?!

well we are. Over 8 weeks now and quite honestly I've found that I'm checking the mailbox less. I'm not eating as much chocolate. Basically my mind now thinks it's never coming. LOL

In an effort to distract myself, I've read lots of books lately. You know, those mushy, fluffy, romance novels? It's been nice. Plus it gives me something to do while waiting on JM at swim lessons. Of course since I wait in the van with S, who is watching a movie, it qets quite warm. BTW, vehicles with DVD players are wonderful! It makes waiting in the van pass quickly, except for yesterday. S didn't want to watch Dumbo, he "raced" his matchbox car from the back of the front seat all the way to the back seat over and over again. I finally had to open the side doors as it was getting hotter and hotter in the van even with all the windows open.

I had taken some water for S, in a small water bottle. He told me "Water is yummy!" ahhh...I love that. Water is yummy. AT least I could understand him with this one. A few weeks ago I asked the kids where they wanted to eat dinner. S answered, "Jumpers!" Huh? What's Jumpers? I asked where it was. "It's way far far away." Okay, then I realized that to a 3 year old "way far far away" could be on the other side of town. I remember thinking, while growing up, that going "into the city to the mall" took forever and I needed a book to read to pass the time. It was a 30 minute drive. LOL So, I asked S what he ate at Jumpers, "SHICKEN!" Okay, another bad question as he only eats Chicken when we eat out, or Chicken means "something I liked and good" I'm not sure. I asked who he ate with (as he sometimes eats out breakfast with Dh and JM only). Well, it was all of us. No grandparents, which was helpful. So, Jumpers is "way far far away" serves "shicken" or at least something S really likes and he ate there with Mommy, Daddy, and JM. Okay. I couldn't figure it out.

Last week, I didn't want to cook. Surprise surprise. So, we were thinking of eating at this sub shop, and pulled into the parking lot beside it. We were discussing where to eat (did we really want the subs?). S says "JUMPERS! Eat at JUMPERS!!!" Dh, having no better luck on figuring out Jumpers, said, "Where is Jumpers?!" S says "right there!!!" and points. Where did he point? IHOP. OH my...I got it. "I Hop" or "I jump" which can easily translate in a 3 year old mind to "Jumpers." Glad to have figured that one out. LOL No, we didn't eat at Jumpers. We ate the subs. I think Jumpers would have been better.

trying to stay positive

Well, still no sign of the 171H. We have not gotten a reply to our fax sent a week ago either. Nothing from the USCIS office, and I'm not feeling too hopeful now. It's so hard to stay positive and upbeat when rumors fly about wait times extending longer and longer and you can not even get to DTC part. I am having a tough time being happy for others who are DTC (and started AFTER our 1st meeting with the homestudy agency). It's so hard. It's very reminiscent of infertility treatments...no knowing if you will even get to the END of anything and have a child in your life.

So...there we are. Still waiting. Still getting frustrated. Still trying to learn patience.

Parenting adventures

Okay, I'm not sure if we responded correctly or not to this parenting moment last night. S-, our youngest, is almost 4. We've been in the throes of potty-training for 2 years, and while I'm happy to say he's 100% day trained it is the night-time we're struggling with. Of course it could be the water we give him when we put him to bed, but he's a bed-wetter. He sleeps so deeply and soundly that he doesn't wake up when he's wet either (well most of the time). So, we just aren't forcing the issue, he'll do it eventually. He's in pull-ups or diapers for now at night. JM never had this problem, he night trained at the same time he day trained.

Last night, we forgot the pull-up. Around midnight we hear a noise from his room. I immediately remember the pull-up. OOps. Dh finds him in the bathroom trying to pee while half-asleep (he got my non-waking up ability). ;) His clothes were soaked (he didn't pull them down...poor thing was still asleep). The stool was soaked. His bed was wet of course. So, I find new clothes (and the pull-up). Dh cleans him up. We dress him. Then, we take him to bed with us. You should have seen the smile he gave us. Totally "cat that ate the canary" look. He was so happy to get to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed. It felt like we were rewarding him for wetting the bed. Were we? Possibly. I don't want to punish him for that though, since he IS trying. Hey, he woke up last night at least. ;) His bed was wet, so what else do we do?

Ah well. He was happy to snuggle with Mom and Dad last night (and kick us in the back, steal our pillows, turn in circles, kick off the covers then huddle as close as possible to us...).

I thought last night...wonder what action each of the "philosophies" in parenting would have responded with that situation? LOL And this, folks, is why I have insomnia. I start thinking of things like this and have trouble drifting off to sleep (or it could have been the little foot in my side).

Then, JM, our oldest. LOL On the way home from music camp this week he tells me something important. "I forgot how to do it. Wanna know what I forgot how to do? Mom, wanna know?" I didn't respond...he'd been talking non-stop and I knew no response was necessary. Even if I said, "No I don't want to know" he'd tell me anyway. 7 year olds are like that. After a silence of 1 minute (at the most), JM piped up, "I forgot how to do armpit farts." Yes, I guess that is important to a 7 year old.

Some math for you.

Our 1600A was received by the USCIS office on January 27. We were fingerprinted February 10. Homestudy was sent May 24th.

So...it's been (true for July 12, so add days yourself if it is past July 12).

166 days since USCIS received our 1600A
122 days since we were fingerprinted
49 days since home study was sent to USCIS.

236 days since we sent in our application to AWAA
189 days since AWAA approved us and we officially started the paperchase.
161 days since we started the home study with the home study agency

It took 113 days to complete the homestudy process, JUST the homestudy portion for our state.

Not that anyone is COUNTING or anything. *rolleyes*

So, hopefully that number, that 236 days since APPLYING with our adoption agency number, gives you an indication of WHY I'm so frustrated. BTW, if I had chosen to go ahead with the infertility treatments and I had gotten pg around then I would be DUE in 44 days. At the rate I'm going, I won't even be DTC yet. Much less have a LID. It's entirely possible that I will not have a LID either. *sigh* and if you go by MY pg and births, I would deliver at 39 weeks, so 37 more days to go. *stomping foot* It's NOT fair.

ps. I don't want to hear that my daughter will be the PERFECT one for me, and these delays mean she's not ready for me yet. I don't care. I'm frustrated. I'm not ready to hear that just yet. I need to whine, complain, and vent a little more first. ;)

You guessed it! Still waiting.

Yes, that darn form is STILL not here. *bleep* *bleep* *bleep* (afterall it's a censored child friendly blog since my oldest can actually read).

Angela tagged me. 7 things about me...this should be interesting. :)

7 things I would like to do before I die:

* See my children fulfill all their potential and become awesome parents
* Go to Australia and New Zealand
* Go to Hawaii
* Go snowskiing in Colorado or Utah or Montana
* Be completely debt free, including the house, building wealth so I can give it away
* Become a succesful photographer and well liked by my clients
* Retire early with Dh and fulfill HIS dream of visiting every majorleague ballpark in one baseball season.

7 things I cannot do:

* Enjoy watching a major league game of any sort (football, baseball, basketball, etc.) I just can not get into them. Give me a book, and I will sit happily after my 30 minutes of interest have gone away. ;) Or I'll do the running back and forth to the concession stands.
* I can not eat fish, except when pregnant with my first child. Blech.
* I can not keep the house clean, I mean the entire house all at one time. I get distracted too easily to get it all clean in one day.
* I can not say no to chocolate, in just about any form.
* I can not live without lists.
* I can not add, subtract, multiply, or divide. Well, I can do easy things, but semi-complicated things I make mistakes without a calculator. It's a true joke between me and all those who know me, see what I can do below though.
* I can not go to bed without kissing my kids, or send them to bed without hugs. Well, okay, I can but I don't like it as much.

7 things I can do:

* Take a photo on full manual mode, understanding what I'm doing, and knowing the results I'm going for. :)
* I can derive functions, differentiate equations, and integrate equations. I understand them. I can even prove the theroems that go with them. I can prove that 1+1=2. just don't ask me to add, subtract, multiply or divide. ;)
* I can eat a whole bag of chocolate without them knowing (after all if they KNEW about it, they'd get some).
* I can make my "friends" either REALLY skinny or REALLY fat in photos. I can bulge out their eyes (like the cat in Shrek 2). I can smooth out wrinkles. I can give them lots of acne. I love Photoshop. Does anyone have a photo of the person doing the 1600A application processing? bwwwaaa haa haa.
* I can answer the most inane trivia questions, especially Disney related ones. Okay, I enjoy Trivial Pursuit and have lots of useless tidbits stored in my brain. However, those tidbits never seem to be the questions I get asked...those tidbits are always what my opponents are asked. Not fair I tell ya.
* I can make lists upon lists, even lists that organize my lists. Does this make me Type A personality? LOL
* I can play piano and french horn (although not at the same time).

7 things that attracted me to my husband:

* His looks.
* His personality.
* The way he treated me. I love that he opens doors for me.
* His drive
* His determination.
* His love for God, his family, and his friends.
* The fact that he indulges me

7 things I say most often:

* Just a minute.
* Turn that down, I can't hear myself think!
* 10 more minutes on the playstation then you get off
* Hush. Shhh. Be quiet. Stop talking. (it's amazing how much little boys can TALK all day long about nothing, or making noises, or just anything especially while I'm on the phone with a client.
* What do you want for dinner?
* mmmrph...sleep more....mmmpssh. (every morning when Dh or the kids are trying to get me up, and I do get up eventually with much grumbling, get in the shower and then I'm awake).
* Love you. (followed by a quick kiss and hug)

7 books I love:
Just 7? Only 7? Not sure I can.
* I'm lumping Historical Romance Novels in one book. I love to read them, even the sappy pure fluff ones.
* Gone with the Wind (it was ever so much better than the movie, and I love the movie), and I even liked Scarlet (the sequel written by someone else)
* Alice in Wonderland, Charlotte's Web
* Harry Potter (the entire series)
* Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Emma, Pride and Prejudice,
* Little Women (well the entire series)
* A Wrinkle in Time (and the rest of the Madeline L'Engle series that follows this)

(can I keep going? please? I've not even covered half of the books I love)

7 movies I love:
* Gone with the Wind
* Dirty Dancing
* Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink (I always watch them together)
* Schindler's List
* Pretty Woman
* National Treasure
* The Princess Bride

Okay, so do I now tag blogging people myself? Oooh...this will need to go to my friends. Watch them all run and hide now. LOL

When do mail checks become obsessive?

It's become quite...umm...obsessive lately for me.

Wanna take a guess? How many times a day do you think I check the mailbox, knowing that the mail is never earlier than Noon and has been as late as 4:30pm?

1 time? I have it timed perfectly (okay, so I stand at the window ready to pounce as soon as I see the mailman leave)

2 times? I check in the morning to verify it's not gotten there, then I stand by the window watching to pounce on the mailman.

3 times? I check in the morning, then again around Noon, then start my vigil by the window.

4 times? I check in the morning, again around Noon, again after I did some housework, then assume the vigil by the window.

5 times? I check in the morning, again around Noon, again after housework, again after computer time, THEN assume the vigil by the window.

6 times? more of the same...just more frequent checks, or more accomplished between morning and vigil

7 times? ditto above...fingers getting tired...

8 times? ditto

9 times? .....

10 times?

you'd think I'd never heard "a watch pot never boils" huh?

This is JUST today...the mail is NOT here yet...will I get my "golden ticket" or not? What is YOUR guess? LOL


the answer? LOL 7 times and NO 171H form. Got the credit card bill though.

Yep...still waiting.

Heard that our USCIS office was processing through May 15 at the end of last week. Which puts us probably receiving our 171H by the end of 2 weeks from now. :) Might we have a fun and joyful 4th of July?!

Mail checks have become "obsessive" in that I watch for the mail carrier to drive up the street...or I check the mailbox at a certain time "early for mail delivery window" then watch for the mail carrier. I sprint out to the mailbox after they come...and so far...have been disappointed.

Chocolate helps. ;)

still waiting

I'm waiting, fairly easily. Not too down about checking the mail daily yet, and only checking it up to 2 times a day now. :) Doing good there.

I was reading on another blog today though, someone who was homestudy to USCIS on May 24th got their "Golden Ticket" today. :( Do not know if they were the same USCIS office or not...but gosh...it REALLY could come anyday couldn't it?!

I'm still thinking we'll be one of those unlucky few who find out at the 60 day mark "OH there's a problem" or "Oh we never got the homestudy it's lost in the mail" or something like that.

I'm trusting in G*d though that it will come soon, like in the next 7 days (7 more days fulfills the average for our USCIS office). It seems so far away, yet sounds like it could be so close.

BTW, my 2 documents are still at Chinese Embassy. I really would like to get those back soon. I'm starting to stress that those documents will hold us up!

May 24 - it was an important day

My homestudy was sent to USCIS from the state on May 24, 2006!!!!! It was approved, and I'm about 2 weeks into the wait for that elusive 171H form. Supposedly it only takes 60 days to get. Yeah..only if my luck changes. RIGHT?!

Where oh where are my documents?!

With all the focus on my homestudy, I failed to mention that I have 2 documents being finalized authenticated.

These 2 documents originated from states that had to go to the US Dept of State then on to the Chinese Embassy. This meant, that I sent my original certified copies, with their state seals certifying them as original, plus a copy, plus 2 Fed Ex envelopes, plus 2 money orders, PLUS Chinese Embassy cover sheet...all laid out with directions (I checked with our family coordinator to make sure I had it right)...and made a trip to do the Fed Ex in person.

I sent it out May 25 overnighted.
US Dept of State got it May 26. (love tracking numbers and Fed Ex)

So...waiting (hmmm...there's that waiting thing again) for US Dept of State to send the package on to Chinese Embassy.

then wait on Chinese Embassy to Authenticate it and send it on back to ME!

What did I learn (besides that it's really confusing to work with the Fed Ex website), is if you send REGULAR post mail to the US Dept of State it sits in their mailroom for 2+ weeks. WOW.

In honor of "Finding Nemo"

Just keep waiting...waiting...waiting.
Just keep waiting...waiting...waiting.
doo--dee-dee-doo-doo-dooooooo
Just keep waiting...waiting...waiiiiiiting.

Update on homestudy

It's still at state as far as anyone knows. It was officially mailed to state on May 4. Argh. That makes 4 weeks Thursday (for mailing date), so state probably got it Friday or the following Monday.

I feel like the 171H form is never going to come at this rate. Oh...maybe by December. LOL Then I'll be redoing the fingerprints before I'm logged in. Now isn't that a riot. Can fingerprints expire 2 times before the 171H actually does? LOL Hmmm...was fingerprinted Feb 10, 15 months later is May 15 07 plus 15 more months is August 15 08. 18 months from Dec 06 would be June 08...nope, but if it took a full YEAR to get that 171H form they would. Wow...wonder if anyone else has run into that? If so...boy am I sorry for them.

But more than likely, the 171H will arrive one day in the next 6 weeks or so, so I won't even come close to having to renew fingerprints 2 times before the 171H expires.

Wanna place a bet?

So, my homestudy has been at state level now for 3 weeks and 5 days. On all literature from the homestudy agency AND from state DHR it states 2-4 weeks for processing and approval. Once approved the homestudy will be forwarded to USCIS office and a letter sent to my homestudy agency. Then, the homestudy agency will mail me a letter.

My question is, WHEN do you think my homestudy will be sent to USCIS?

1. 4 weeks is Tuesday AFTER Memorial Day, so my thought was it was approved and sent out Friday before Memorial Day weekend. It was that "let's get through this last little bit" so we're starting at a good spot on Tuesday. Agency will get notification Tuesday and I'll get notification Thursday, June 1.

2. It was approved Friday, but will be mailed Tuesday after Memorial Day. Agency will get notification Thursday, I'll find out the following Monday.

3. It's already been sent, but notification was not mailed out. I'll call on Tuesday or Wednesday to the homestudy agency and they'll call and find out it was sent 2 weeks ago. LOL

4. It's going to be at least another week or two to get approval as they had a question, but the agency never got notification.

5. My homestudy is LOST, and no one knows where it is.

6. Homestudy was approved 2 weeks ago, but it never got mailed.

7. Homestudy was approved 2 weeks ago, agency doesn't know it was mailed, and I'll get 171H form in the mail Tuesday. LOL How's THAT for optimistic thinking?

So...which do you think is likely? Me? well...I'm thinking any of the 1st 6 is likely.

Why China?

I get this question all the time. Why China? Why that country? Why not Russia, or Guatemala, or Columbia, or Haiti, or Ethiopia, or Korea, or even the US?

Well, it's complicated but not.

1. We want a daughter. After 2 boys, we really want a girl. Ah...PINK!
2. We did not want to be away from the boys for a long period of time.
3. Korea we had to go special needs for our country.
4. The other international countries just didn't "feel right" to us for different reasons.
5. The US, we are not 100% comfortable with the way domestic adoption works currently. I guess the media has scared us off from domestic adoptions. Plus you can not specify a girl.
6. We did not feel like we could handle the Foster to Adopt scenario.
7. We really like the Chinese culture, so integrating that into our lives will not be a huge problem.

So...that's mostly why. Now, aren't you glad you asked?

the banner just keeps changing

and another

Oh me, oh my...by jove I think I got it!

Phew! It only took 3 hours, but I think I got this blog customized. I am using Gymboree's ladybug until I can make one of my own. Shouldn't be too hard, but honestly, after getting this far I do NOT want to sit and create a ladybug in photoshop.

Okay.

Knew you'd understand! LOL

So, next up on the list is creating a blog roll, creating links for good information, and perhaps sometime I'll get back to my "job" of editing photos for my clients. Nah...this is too much fun.

We're waiting. Waiting on that 171H form now, and it should be sometime in the next month that we get it. Baby, we're getting close!!!

Our complete timeline!

For those who want to know ALL the details, down to the teeny tinest detail.

11/18/2005 - We applied to agency, it is supposed to be a 7-10 review of application to approval.
11/28/2005 - Call from agency that I need to provide more information on a medical issue.
12/28/2005 - Finally get the Doctor letter from doctor, and get it notarized.
1/03/2006 - Get letter to agency
1/04/2006 - Approved by agency
1/05/2006 - apply to homestudy agency

1/21/2006 - Send I600-A form to USCIS office to start the process for the 171-H form

2/1/2006 - Intake to start Homestudy
2/2/2006 - Ink Fingerprints for STATE homestudy background clearance checks (goes through FBI though)
2/10/2006 - fingerprints for USCIS (livescan at Immigration office)

sometime in here - DH got his state homestudy suitability letter.
Homestudy visits in here as well

2/27/2006 - My physical
2/28/2006 - DH's physical

3/3/2006 - Homestudy complete

3/14/2006 - got word finally that my fingerprints were rejected by FBI for the homestudy
3/15/2006 - refingerprint

4/17/2006 - Fingerprints APPROVED
4/20/2006 - 1st suitability letter sent (got lost in mail)
5/3/2006 - Homestudy agency got 2nd suitability letter in the mail, and homestudy sent to state

5/24/2006 - Homestudy approved and sent to USCIS office!

5/26/2006 - 12 documents back from Consulate
5/26/2006 - 2 documents sent to US Dept of State
6/14/2006 - 2 documents back from Chinese Embassy

8/1/2006 - USCIS approved us!!!
8/7/2006 - got our Magic Golden Ticket!!! Our 171-h arrived.

8/18/2006 - DTC!
9/14/2006 - LID (guess we'll be here for awhile)

10/28/2006 - bunkbeds arrived and we moved the boys into a room together (might as well start now getting them adjusted)