Finally!!!

Our I-800 FINALLY came today in the mail! Sure, it's a week and a half late, but who's counting? I'm just relieved that it's here, and now we can move on to the next step.

The I-800 provisionally approves Paul and me to classify Caitlin as an immediate relative (assuming that the adoption is completed), which gives us permission to now pursue Caitlin's Visa, which gives her permission to enter the country.

I'm sorry for being slow to update these days, but I have 2 excuses for being such a slacker: 1) I've been out of town for 2 weeks, and 2) There is really no news to share, anyway!

We are STILL waiting for our I-800 approval. It is supposed to take 2 weeks to get our approval, but 2 weeks passed on Wednesday and we have nothing. I called USCIS- Hague division on Tuesday and was told that they did not even have our paperwork yet. Apparently it has to go through a few steps before it gets to them, but our paperwork was, of course, MIA (for the 3rd time). I'm really beginning to think that we are being punished for allowing our paperwork to expire. The sad thing is that the one who is really being punished here is a sweet, innocent little girl who is not able to come home and be with her family- just because of some silly red tape.

I mentioned to the agent that I spoke to that I had expected our paperwork to have come by now, since the average is 2 weeks to approval. He said that he had no idea where I'd heard that, but it was not true. I wanted to tell him that not only had our agency told us 2 weeks, but I have seen the charts on Rumor Queen and I know that most families get their approval in 2 weeks (unless they had a Request for More Information, which we have not). I'm so sick of being lied to, but I decided to keep my mouth shut since these people basically hold our lives in their hands right now.

Anyway, I called again on Friday and was then told that our paperwork had just arrived that day, but they had not had a chance to go through it yet. They said hopefully early next week. I reminded them that we had a little girl with special needs waiting for us, and we wanted to get her home ASAP so that we could get her the care that she needs, but I was told that about 95% of the paperwork that they currently receive is for special needs adoptions. I knew that the tide was shifting in that direction, but I had no idea that the percentage was that high!

So I have all but given up hope of traveling in September at this point. Once we get our American paperwork squared away, we still have to wait for our Chinese paperwork, which takes an average of about 7 weeks- plus 2 more weeks until we can actually leave. That puts us at the last week of September, but since we have to be out of China before October 1st (the entire country shuts down the first week of October for a big holiday), it is highly unlikely that we will be traveling in September. It looks like it will be November before Caitlin can come home.

It Came!!!

Guess what came in the mail today?!?! Our I-800A approval! The mail was just late today, but our agency called this afternoon to say that they had gotten their copy, so they assumed that our original must be on its way to us. Sure enough, about 4 PM the mail finally came and it was in there! I've had the I-800 application packet all set and ready to go; all I needed was that I-800A approval. Tomorrow I will FedEx it all out, and USCIS will have it first thing Wednesday morning.

So basically we are now just caught up to where we were supposed to be back when we first got our referral for Caitlin. This is the paperwork we allowed to expire; we are now up-to-date so we can start with the post-referral paperwork to get us to China.

This next set of paperwork takes an average of about 90 days, so we still have a very slim possibility of traveling in late September. However, unless something starts really moving- and soon, it's looking more and more likely that we will miss the September boat, meaning it will be November (since apparently no one travels in October due to holidays). That just kills me, so I'm still holding out hope- and praying really, really hard that something will happen so that we can go in September...

5 Weeks... and nothing

Today marks 5 weeks since I mailed in our I-800A paperwork, and other than some very odd communications last week, we haven't heard a thing. The average wait time for I-800A approval is about 30 days; we're at 35 days...

Nothing from USCIS...

Just to update, we still don't have our I-800A approval. On Saturday we received our appointment for fingerprints in the mail, so I canceled our appointment with USCIS for Monday (since our paperwork had reappeared and was no longer lost). The appointment was for next Monday, but we went this Monday instead, and asked if it would be possible to be fingerprinted a week early. Thankfully they were very nice and took us. We were told that as soon as our fingerprints were taken, they would be in the computer and USCIS would have them immediately. It would have been possible to be approved that day (in fact, I have heard of several people being approved the same day they were fingerprinted). However, here it is Thursday and we have nothing. We've had a few very strange communications from USCIS this week (I'll spare you the details), but still no answers. I'm getting terribly frustrated and discouraged...

Not Good...

Yesterday I e-mailed our agency to ask for their advice about this USCIS thing. They answered this morning and said something to the point of "do whatever it takes- if you're not careful you may be traveling in late November, December, or even JANUARY!!!" They said other things, too, but that's the sentence that caught me- and made me sick. So I went online and requested an appointment with our "local" office. I actually got one for Monday afternoon, so that's better than I expected. With any luck, we will get a very nice agent who will be able to help us and get this thing moving again.

For now, I have to keep calm and pray that things will work out (and quickly)!

Frustration

Still no word from USCIS. I sent in our application for our I-800A over 3 weeks ago, but other than receiving our reciept, we haven't heard a thing. I had really hoped to have gotten our fingerprint appointment by now.

Yesterday I tried calling the national customer service number, but after talking to 2 different people (who both informed me that they could not find our paperwork!), I was told that the I-800A is a local matter so I should contact my local office. I'm not sure why I was told to send our application to the national center if it was only going to be sent back to our local office, but who am I to question the government?

Anyway, I asked for the telephone number to our local office so that I could contact them, and was told that our local office has no phone number. Keeping my calm, I then politely asked for an e-mail address, but was again informed that there was none. No fax, either. I apparently have to go online and request an appointment, then drive up to our office to talk to them in person. Our "local" office is over an hour away! So we have to drive all the way up there- just to ask a question? In this day in age?

Now I am more than a little stressed, and extremely frustrated. We are on a serious deadline here; if we cannot get to China by the end of September we will have to wait until November to travel due to the Moon Festival. I cannot bear the thought of poor Caitlin having to wait until November to get her family!

Hopefully our fingerprint appointment will still come this week. If it hasn't come by tomorrow (Friday), I will request an appointment and drive up there next week. Time is ticking here... each day we wait for paperwork means our chances of traveling by the end of September are dwindling...

USCIS receipt

We got our receipt from USCIS in the mail today! This means that our I-800A application has been received and is being processed. I had hoped it would come sometime this week, but I really wasn't expecting it this soon- I just mailed it in one week ago today! Oh how I am praying this means that we will be processed quickly!!!!

Update...

I decided I needed to post something (it's been several days since I have), but I really don't have any big news to share, unfortunately. Last Thursday I spent 3 hours on the phone doing a phone conference with our agency and 9 other families who we should be traveling with. However, since our paperwork is not up to date, we almost certainly will not be traveling with them. They are set to travel around the first week of September, but we will be several weeks behind them.

I sent in our I-800A application on Monday, and USCIS received it at 8:30 Tuesday morning. I'm hoping to get a receipt, or something, this coming week from USCIS. Our agency suggested that, hopefully, since we've already been approved for an I-800A once before, things might move faster this time. I hope that's the case!

The very disappointing news last week was that we were told by our agency that if we cannot travel in September, we will have to wait until NOVEMBER!! Apparently China pretty much shuts down for the month of October and families are not allowed to travel to complete adoptions. So I am determined that we are traveling in September, if there's anything I can do to help it! I simply cannot bear the thought of Caitlin having to wait another 2 months to come home.

IT'S HERE!!!!!!!

Guess what came in the mail today?!?!?! Our I-800A approval from the USCIS!!! It actually made it before we moved! All my heavy-duty praying and positive thinking has paid off; we made it! Whew- I am shaking I am so happy!This approval means that U.S. Immigration (USCIS) has approved us to adopt a baby from China. Now first thing tomorrow morning I can take a copy of the approval form to AAA to be certified as a "legal copy", then notarized, then I am going to drive all of our Virginia documents out to Richmond to have them state authenticated in person.

This morning I sent our documents that had been signed by the military (who do not have a normal notary commission) to the Department of State in D.C. to be authenticated. Once we get them back (hopefully next week), I get to send everything, our entire dossier, to Philip who will take over for me! He will get our documents authenticated by the appropriate Chinese Embassy (Houston and D.C.), then everything gets shipped to China to be translated. Then we will finally get that coveted Log In Date (LID), meaning we are on the official waiting list. Then, THEN, we will celebrate, big time, because we will be officially "paper pregnant"!!

OK, I'm going to do the Happy Dance now, then relax because I have been so nervous about getting this thing back in time. I will sleep very soundly tonight!!

P.S.- This means that we are still on track for a February LID, which has been my new goal. (My original goal was September, then any time before the holidays, then before the end of the year... I stretched it out to February about a month ago. Hopefully I won't be stretching it any further!)

No news...

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, but I really don't have any news to share. Everything is still on hold, waiting for that I-800A approval to come from the USCIS. I did call the Department of State the other day to ask about how to authenticate documents signed by the military (Paul had a couple documents signed by a JAG officer, and they don't have a "normal" notary commission. For one thing, they don't have a State of commission, so I can't ask any State to authenticate it!). I was told that Paul needs to get a seal from the Navy on the documents, then I can mail them to the D.o.S. and they will authenticate them for us. Hopefully Paul will get the seal today, then I can mail the documents in first thing Monday.

I am getting very nervous about all of this since we will be moving to California very soon. I had originally hoped to have this all done long before now (I had thought we would be logged in with China before the holidays!). Now I'm wondering how I am going to handle all this from hotels on the road- without an address for people to send stuff to me! I am just hoping and praying, with everything I have in me, that the USCIS will help us out and get that approval to us very soon. If we can just get it back before I leave VA, I can drive all of our VA documents out to Richmond to have them State authenticated in person, then mail everything to Philip so he can take over for me. Then I can relax and hit the road in peace! If not, this very important document that took so long to put together, and to get back, will be at the mercy of the USPS as we will not be at this address after February 6th!

Yea, I'm losing sleep over this one!!

UGH!!!!!!

I've honestly had 2 very frustrating days working on adoption stuff. Yesterday was one of those days when I worked and worked all day but got nowhere, and today has turned out to be very similar!

When I went to bed last night I remembered that somewhere on the USCIS website I had seen a way to check on the status of your application, so first thing this morning I went to the website, found the link, and put our numbers in. It said that it could not find our file! My heart stopped momentarily, but I remained calm as I called the number it suggested that I call. The representative also said that she could not find our file, but to try calling Adoption Services, and gave me that number. I questioned her on this, asking if Adoption Services has any information on the status our our Immigration application, but she insisted that that was indeed the number to call.

I called the number, but it was actually the "travel.state.gov" number, meant for Americans who are overseas and need help. That lady suggested that I call the National Visa Center, and gave me that number. I didn't think that was right, either, since we won't be needing any visas for quite some time (until we're ready to travel to China), but I shrugged my shoulders and tried it.

That representative said she also couldn't find our file! I tried to remain calm as I asked her what this means, and what I should do. How could our paperwork be lost? I know it was received by USCIS because we got a receipt, and an appointment to be fingerprinted. How could we suddenly just not be in the system?! She put me on hold, then came back and said that she had spoken to her supervisor, who also did not know what to tell me. She suggested that I call USCIS!! I nicely reminded her that USCIS was the first number I had called, but I thanked her for her time and hung up.

Still trying very hard not to panic, I looked over all of the papers that we have received from USCIS with a fine-tooth comb, and finally found one more number for "Hague cases". Since China is a Hague country, and the I-800A form is for Hague adoptions, I tried the number listed. The recording said "Due to unusually high call volume we cannot take your call at this time" and hung up on me! UGH!

I tried again later, and a nice lady actually answered the phone. She had our file!! THANK GOD!!! The problem now is that it still has not been reviewed. It is still sitting on someone's desk. HOPEFULLY someone will review it very soon because we need that approval before we can do anything else!

I then tried to call the Chinese Embassy in D.C. again, but they did not answer the phone (even though I was calling during their "business hours"). It just rang and rang, not even a message or recording. I tried again later and a recording answered, but spoke all in Chinese. I finally heard what I thought said "For English press 1", so I pressed "1". The next menu spoke only Chinese! Since I couldn't understand a word I hung up so that I could try again, but when I called back the phone rang busy! I tried again and again but it kept ringing busy. I gave up, drove home, then tried one more time (the Embassy is only open until 3 PM and it was nearly 3 by now). The recording answered, and this time I listened much more carefully: it said to press "2" for English!

I pressed "2", and finally got an actual person! I told her about all the problems I have had with the Embassy in Houston, and when I finished she said "I see. They owe you an explanation. You should call them. Here is their number..." (and gave the same number I've been trying).

I took a very long, deep breath, then repeated that I had tried that number, numerous times, as well as the automated number, and gotten no response.

She said "I see. Then I think you should e-mail them. Here is their address-"

I cut her off, kindly reminding her that I had also tried to e-mail them and had gotten no reply.

She said "I see. Then I think you should fax them."

I thanked her for her time and hung up.

At this point, ready to cry, I e-mailed Philip, our contact person at our agency. I told him what all I've been through and explained that I've obviously hit a major road block and I did not know what else to do. He wrote back and said not to worry, he would handle it! He said that all I need to get are the State Authentications (I've already done that for all the States except Virginia, which is waiting for the I-800A approval to arrive so that it can be authenticated as well), but that he will do the rest! I don't have to deal with the Embassies any more! THANK YOU PHILIP!!!!!!!

Sorry this post was so long, but it's been a very long couple of days! I just want to keep a journal of all of this so that Caitlin knows how hard we worked to get to her. Hopefully she will see how much we loved her and wanted her, even before she was born, that we were willing to go through all this to bring her home...

News update...

Paul got another "Letter of Employment Verification" printed and notarized today. He already did this back in July, but since we are still waiting to finish the "paperchase" it needed to be redone.

We still have not heard back from USCIS (Immigration) about our I-800A approval. I was really hoping it was going to come by now, but no such luck. Hopefully it will come very soon because everything is on hold waiting for it. If we don't get our paperwork in to China soon even more of our documents may have to be redone.

Oh, and I tried to contact the Chinese Embassy in D.C. to ask them if they could help me with the communication problems with the Embassy in Houston, but they did not answer the phone. The Embassy in Houston is only open for 1 hour a day; apparently the Embassy in D.C. is only open for 4 hours a day, and I missed their working hours. I'll try again tomorrow!

For a little good news, a big, surprise batch of referrals began arriving today from China for beautiful babies! This batch finishes out the LIDs for February 2006, meaning that the families who get these referrals have been "LID", or on the waiting list, for almost 3 years, since February 2006. It really caught everyone off guard since they just sent out a batch at the beginning of December so no one was expecting any more referrals until later in January. Hopefully this is a sign of the speedup that we all are hoping for!

USCIS and Ladybugs

Paul and I had our appointment to be fingerprinted today at our local USCIS office. It was amazingly painless: we had an 8:00 a.m. appointment and we were done and out of there by 8:20! And they had these cool computers that took our fingerprints without getting our fingers dirty- no ink! All in all it was a very pleasant surprise.

On the way to the USCIS office we passed a truck on the highway with a big ladybug on it (Paul, thinking quickly, snapped this picture with his cell phone). Ladybugs are kind of considered to be the mascot for China adoptions; according to "myth," whenever you see ladybugs something good is about to happen. Here's hoping that today's sighting was a sign of good news to come (like a quick approval from USCIS!!)

Already??

I couldn't believe my eyes this afternoon when I opened the mailbox and found 2 envelopes from USCIS! We have already been given an appointment to be fingerprinted (next Tuesday)! Philip had said it would take about 30 days to hear back from them, but it's only been 5 days! I hope and pray this is a sign that things are finally going to start going more smoothly...

Letter from USCIS

We received a very official-looking letter from USCIS (Immigration) today saying that they have received our I-800A application and we are now just waiting for our appointment to be fingerprinted. Philip says we should expect an appointment in about 30 days.

I-800A Is On the Way!

I mailed off our I-800A application today! We are FINALLY moving again! We went out to dinner to celebrate this milestone. This is a big stack of papers, which took a lot of work and effort to put together, and it really felt good to finally get it in the mail. Last night I held the stack up to Paul and I said "Do you know how important this pile of paper is?"

He replied "Yep, that's a baby!" :)

I've been hearing that there have been hold-ups with this part of the process and it can take as long as 3 months, but I'm praying hard that it will go smoothly (and quickly)! Once we get our approval we can have our Virginia documents notarized, then sent to be state certified, then the last of our documents will go to D.C. to be authenticated by the consulate. Once that's done our entire dossier is off to China!!

I-800A

I filled out the I-800A form today, a rather long application that we will send to USCIS as soon as we get our home study squared away...