Huh?

I'm back with just a short update, then I'll go back to the dark side.  :)

We got something in the mail today that's quite confusing... an I-797C Notice of Action from USCIS that did NOT include a fingerprint appointment.  Rather, they returned our application, our home study, and our finger print payment stating the check was written for the incorrect amount.

I followed our agency's list down to the last dime, so I'll let them handle this confusion.  Our agency had said that our Nepal finger prints would be allowed for the China program and we would only have to pay the $85 for finger printing the college student renting our basement.  I have an email into La Vida now and will wait for their answer and will post the update later.

UPDATE:  Our agency emailed us this afternoon and said that this is not an uncommon experience.  The people at USCIS did NOT read their cover letter and prior approval for Nepal, so they rejected our application.  We are to send everything back to our agency and they will iron out the wrinkles with USCIS and we should not owe one more penny. 

Going Dark

I'm taking a break from the blog for a while.  I will return. 

Blessings to you all in our absence.

Holiday Cooking - Chinese Style

This year I was reminded of what we did last year on Christmas Eve – the Nepali dinner I cooked after Christmas Eve services at church. Even my oldest son remembered the Momos he loved.  We had so much hope last Christmas that we’d have our Nepali daughter home by Christmas 2010. That was our plan, not God’s.

But, with JOY this year, I made an authentic Chinese dinner on Christmas Eve (and said a prayer or two for the children of Nepal). I have some recipes from Jay’s Godparents in Minnesota who spent a great amount of time in China, love to cook and have some authentic recipes. Here was our Christmas Eve menu, in honor of the daughter we pray will be home long before Christmas 2011.

Appetizers:   Spring Rolls

Main Course:   Ling’s Palace Treasure Chicken and Fried Rice

It was DELICIOUS and I'm nearly certain this could become a holiday tradition.  In hindsight, I should have made the spring roll filling and the chicken and fried rice before church, just to elminate the rushing upon our return home.  Then all I would have had to do is roll and fry the spring rolls.  Either that our church just has to do earlier afternoon Christmas services!

I hope all of you were able to find joy during this holiday season even when it feels like someone is missing from your family.  Blessings to you all in 2011 and may our children come home from their foreign lands!

Very Sneaky, Sis

Yesssssssssssssss! It’s done! A Christmas gift – our home study is DONE! I’ve waited all week for word that our agency had approved the rough draft and have heard NOTHING. And my social worker just sneaks the complete study in the mail so we get it for Christmas. I think she did it quietly just to surprise me. Sneaky indeed! So thankful!!! There couldn’t be a better Christmas gift this year.

Three notarized copies are on their way to my agency in Pennsylvania and 2 copies are in my possession! From here on out, there are a few more steps:

1. Our agency will send the home study along with our I800-A form to USCIS for approval.
2. Our basement renter will need to be fingerprinted at USCIS in Omaha (Maybe 1 month from now, hopefully sooner).
3. After fingerprinting, we are issued our final dossier form from USCIS (4-8 weeks after finger printing).
4. When this last form is authenticated, then our dossier will be on its way to China!

Now I just have to sit back and let God do the rest over the next 2-3 months. In the meantime, I’ll be sending out 3 applications for adoption loans and grants after the holiday. I’m hoping all of them will be able to assist us financially in some way. [Prayer request page updated!]

Almost There!

Jay’s medical form is finally done, but not without some drama, i.e. 3 trips to the doctor’s office, including a 2 hour wait for a simple signature!  With this last form in, our home study rough draft will be emailed to our agency this week for their approval.  I mailed my last set of dossier documents to our agency this morning and they will be sent out for authentication (our agency does this for us which is a nice treat).

We’re so close to being done with paperwork! Just the official, notarized home study, finger printing at USCIS and that I-171H which will take weeks, I’m sure.

I will be patient. I will be patient. I will be patient.

[yeah, right!]

Evidence

Last week I was going NUTS! It seemed like everything adoption related was at a standstill. A friend on Facebook reminded me that God is still at work even when things seem still. Thanks, ST! But last week I had had enough. It had been over 3 weeks since our home study meeting and we were STILL waiting on background checks and fingerprints to arrive. We were also waiting to see if we’d really need to meet with our social worker one more time and if our basement renter would need a physical to accompany our dossier. With all that waiting, I felt like I was playing Uno with my boys and I kept getting socked with the SKIP card. I wanted to toss my computer out into the backyard because no email and no word of movement were eating me alive. CHOMP!

But tonight we had our final home study meeting. Yes, we had to have one. I had no idea what to expect in terms of discussion. Our social worker is really on the ball and had all her information already. This last meeting was mostly a formality. Want to know how relaxed I really was? I even wanted to wear yoga pants. How’s that for professional? Alas, I changed into jeans 20 minutes before our social worker arrived. You see, I have a graduated level system in my house:

• The first time a guest arrives, having never visited our home before, I will have showered and I’ll have freshly applied make-up. My house will be as absolutely perfect as it can be. In addition to all the general scrubbing and cleaning, all beds will be made (even the boys’ bunk bed) and I may even wash windows. Be very impressed!
• The second time that guest visits, I’ll be showered and dressed, but the make-up may not be freshly touched up. I’ll dust and vacuum and run a Clorox wipe over the bathrooms, and pick up the toys but that’s about it. No deep cleaning. Windows will have patty prints and paw prints. And beds WILL NOT be made. That’s a one-time deal, my friend.
• The third time, I’ll be cleaned up but I probably won’t be wearing make-up. There may be laundry on the couch waiting to be folded. There will definitely be a few toys strewn about, a couple white tufts of American Eskimo tumbleweeds rolling through because I didn’t have a chance to vacuum. Hope you don’t wear black clothing! If so, I’ll offer you a lint brush before you leave.
• Upon the fourth visit, it’s every man for himself! You’re fully initiated into my family and what you see is what you get. You know that I keep sodas in my garage fridge, the water out of the front of my kitchen fridge is the good filtered stuff and you help yourself and you’re fully knowledgeable as to where I keep my lint brush.

That to say, tonight’s meeting was really relaxed! We met for 45 minutes and mostly talked about our social worker's experience with 2 China adoptions of her own. She told us what to bring, what to expect. I appreciated her story! We reviewed our paperwork. All our paperwork has arrived, local fingerprints from the State Patrol and all state background checks. Jay has his physical tomorrow morning, so hopefully we’ll have his medical form filled out CORRECTLY by Friday. Still no word if our basement renter will need to have a physical. We know that the State of Nebraska won’t require one and that China won’t require one. PLEASE PRAY THAT THIS UNNECESSARY PHYSICAL CAN BE ELIMINATED [see our NEW Prayer Request tab at the top]! It wouldn’t be terrible, but he’s an out-of-state student on his parent’s insurance and it would just be a hassle for everyone and we know it isn’t required.

We’ve been told to expect the rough draft of our home study within a week. YES! Rock solid evidence of adoption progress! Thanks, God! I needed that!

Giving Thanks

I can’t usually make it through the holiday without thinking of an episode of one of my favorite shows, Mad About You. You know the episode I’m talking about? It’s the one where Paul & Jamie are hosting their families and friends for Thanksgiving dinner at their NYC apartment and they’re totally stressed out. In the midst of the family chaos, their dog Murray is found on the island in the kitchen eating the freshly cooked bird! Classic! So, they stall their families, pretending nothing is wrong. At one point, Jamie has all her guests sit in a circle in the living room going through all the things they are thankful for, while Paul sneaks out to buy another bird for the umpteenth time. Jamie even lists her thankfulness in alphabetical order, to give Paul more time to scramble.

It really hasn’t been a pretty year in our household. It’s been our toughest run so far. But I’m still blessed beyond measure and I have much to be thankful for. What are you thankful for? In Jamie Buchman fashion, here’s my list…

A – Adoption. Thankful for the call to add a daughter from China to our family. Beyond grateful that God has adopted me into His forever family!

B – Boys. Mine, specifically. I have a couple of great kids and a great husband, dogs and guinea pig to boot. That’s a lot of boys in this house!

C – Chocolate. Needs no explanation, does it?

D – Dogs. I have the 2 cutest American Eskimos ever. Now if I could only get them to ride in the car without throwing up! Suggestions?

E – E, my 3 ½ year old. He is super funny, adorable and mommy’s boy. I can’t get enough of him!

F – Friends. I’m grateful for old friends and new. Life sure would be a difficult journey without you.

G – Green grass (double G). I may be from the Midwest, but I HATE winter. I’d much rather be outside in the yard in the summer than cooped up inside during the bitter cold winter.

H – Home. The one of my youth that consistently shows up in my dreams. The first home we lived in after getting married. Our second home -- the one I live in currently. The one I can always go back to anytime I want (i.e. mom’s). The other places that feel like home including Minnesota & Japan. There’s nothing like the feeling of being home where I can relax and be the real me.

I – Icing. Specifically the buttercream at Mariano’s in Arlington Heights. Just had it this fall back home in IL. This is the BEST STUFF EVER. I have to learn how to make it. Anyone have a recipe?

J – Jay, my husband, my best friend. He never ceases to make me laugh. There’s another J who lives in our basement. I’m thankful for him, his friendship and help around the house. Love having him here.

K – Knitting. When our dossier is sent to China I’ll start knitting my daughter her first afghan. Can’t wait.

L – Lincoln. This can be a stretch for me, but yes, I’m thankful for the town I currently live in. Moving here has allowed me to be a stay-at-home mom, brought me AMAZING friends and neighbors (you know who you are), it’s the birthplace of my second son and it maintains the Midwest values we cherish.

M – Mom! I’m living 500 miles away from mine and I miss her every day. She’s the best mom and Grammie ever. She spoils us rotten and she knows it. And as much as I can never repay her, I will continue her legacy with my own grandchildren one day and spoil them rotten.

N – Neighbors. We have THE BEST neighborhood ever. If you all are reading this, you guys rock!!! Let’s spend the winter inside each other’s houses, letting the kids play, hanging out with good food and good friends! Our door is always open! Any Thai dinners coming up?

O – Opals. My birthstone and my grandmas too.

P – Prayer. I can talk to God about anything, anytime and He listens. Praying that our China daughter will be home by Thanksgiving 2011!

Q – Quiet. With 2 boys running around, there isn’t much of it. But when I find it, I relish it!

R – Recipes. Love reading them, trying them, tweaking them, sharing them. Got a favorite to share? Leave a comment.

S – Seven year old. Mine! Super C is one amazing kid and he blows me away with how smart and kind he is. I can’t believe he’s 7.

T – Tremblay’s Peanut Butter-Chocolate Fudge from Hayward, Wisconsin (and Stillwater, Minnesota too). Trust me. It’s worth the trip, people!

U – USA. Thankful for this country, the freedoms we have, those that defend and protect our freedoms, those that gave their lives for our freedom. The list could go on. God bless the USA!

V – Vacation. We love to travel. Love the memories we create visiting other locales. This year was South Dakota. Loved the Badlands and Rushmore! Sure, camping still isn’t my favorite thing in the world, but it’s an affordable vacation for us these days. It’s more fun with friends though (HINT–HINT to all of our camping friends).

W – Weightloss. I’m thankful that my husband is conquering the battle of the bulge with 50 pounds lost and counting. I’m down 38 and thrilled. But is it really possible to lose a c-section belly? I’m going for a few more to find out. Why settle?

X – Xenophobia -- the fact that I DON’T have it! I love all things foreign and learning about other cultures from the locals. So very thankful for my year in Japan and looking forward to China next year. [And you didn’t think I’d come up with an X other than x-ray, Xerox or xylophone. Pshaw!]

Y – Yesterday. Without my past, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Sure, there are many yesterdays that I’d love to go back and do over, but that’s not possible, so why bother thinking about that. I can only learn from yesterday’s mistakes and grow into the woman God designed me to be today.

Z – Zebras. When E was born, the nursery was a zebra theme. I love it so much that I can’t possibly bear to paint over it. But I will add pink walls and accents to make it unique for my daughter.

Happy Thanksgiving!