Waiting... and for what? You ask...I hesitated about posting this, but some of you, have been asking and wondering... what have I (we) been doing lately? Where are we in the adoption process for Scott, (fingers crossed)? What is going on that keeps us so busy? That we hardly have time to talk, email or contact our friends and distant (IE:driving miles, that is) family online or by phone?
Whelp, NOTHING.
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We are in a state of "Limbo" and it doesn't feel real good. We are trying hard to keep our spirits up and our minds and time occupied with happiness. I (we) have just been occupying our time with the kids and each other. We have been flying kites, playing cards and board games, building snowmen (not good ones either) :o) playing badminton, swimming lessons, Chinese Language Classes, wandering the mall, dieting, watching RedBox movies and going to the movie theaters, doing lots of end of school year events... doing everything we can, to not talk or think about the "Limbo".
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...Limbo... Whelp, we can not seem to get our last document from the USA for our approval to adopt from a foreign country. So at this point China has no idea we want to adopt, nor can they allow it. Yes, of course they (USA) have all our paperwork at the USCIS (United States Customs and Immigration Service). Well at least now they do... again. They notified us on day 60 that they lost our Original Home study from our Social Worker. Our adoption agency Fed EX'ed them another one immediately. In the mean time we finally got a fingerprint appointment right before that awful "We lost your file/home study" notice. We were able to attend the fingerprint appointment a day late { go figure :o( } due to the BLIZZARD in late March. It has since been another 30 days of no contact...
Our adoption agency as well as us, have emailed the government to plead with them to tell us our status of our approval and please send the last document we need to adopt. And at the very least to find out if the correct field officer has all our paperwork in hand, but no response... a state of Limbo... as we wait for "The Golden Ticket".
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...Limbo...We hope we will be matched with our son in May... but we have been hoping for the match for, ...Oh let's just say since 10.14.08. Yes, that is right for close to 7 months. I can not go into a lot of detail on this part, as you know referrals are sacred and a very secret anomaly until the time comes to be matched. I will just say send prayers for May. I will say, I have seen many children I would bring home as my son/daughter in the past few months that I yearned to adopt... but my (our) :o) heart belongs to another.
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Pray for May... Limbo is hard. Even though we try not mention it aloud & never to our beloved children. This is a parental enduring, we hope for closure to be just around the corner {ANY DAY, NOW} and to be able to move forward soon in this process.
Sorry, you don't know anymore than you knew before this post and us either. :o\
Take care and we will be back soon.
ash and family
**UPDATE** 5/8/09 I-797C
How long did it take the USCIS~Government to approve us for foreign adoption after receiving our file in Feb.? Just shy of 3 months!! {2 months, 1 week & 6 days waiting...whewwh. And another week waiting to receive the approval by snail mail.}
It is now off to the SOS (secretary of state) for authentication.
A year ago this fox showed up in our backyard, it was the last photo I (James) took before we left for China.
Sure wish I could climb the fence that easy... makes you wonder about leaving the kids in the backyard by themselves... 
What's Behind Curtain #1?
It is starting to look like a room.
Shocking!!!
Whelp, someone has got to do it...
"A person is a person, no matter how small."
+giggle.jpg)
