FORTY-EIGHT HOUR FRENZY-HIGH ANXIETY

Well, let's just say the last 48 hours has been stressful, to say the least, with no reprieve in sight! Well, lets hope so, soon!

However, I must also say that, unlike those poor residents of CA, we still have a place to call home, so our snafus, in comparison, really don't mean a hill of beans! So, lets pray for those poor folks who have lost everything! Rob will be contacting his Aunt Marsha and cousins to make sure all are OK! We don't think they live anywhere near the danger zones, but...... you never can tell from the nightly news, where these fires are spreading! Just AWFUL! We will pray for all, including those fighting tirelessly on these fires!


So, back to our story......... The past 48 hours hours have been so stressful and they are changing by the hour! It is so difficult to explain it to those who have never experienced international adoption! But, let me try! When you fill out applications to adopt, you have to go through many series of steps to prove you are a suitable parent (I wish all parents, biological as well as adopted, had to prove themselves suitable! Right? Hmm?! Another issue!), part of that is FBI background checks, homes study and many, many government forms and approval at every step of the way. One step, initially, involves application to the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service) for referral for fingerprints, background checks and preliminary authorization to adopt a foreign child. So, we received that form way back in May, fast forward, you are given referral of a child and all the necessary forms for the country where you are adopting, ours, this time, Viet Nam! We received referral of our beautiful baby boy on September 13, 2007. We then receive medical, receive forms to accept our baby boy and send back to VN. Then we apply for travel approval. Many families, except ours, the very last of our group, received travel approval over the last 2 weeks. Then.........you get a date for G & R, to travel and receive our baby boy. And, while in country, you apply with the US Embassy in Hanoi to adopt and return with your new baby. Then, after a length of time, approximately 3 weeks, you are granted approval and return to the states.

Well, just this past 2 days, we received notice that the USCIS wanted to change or alter this process, even though families already had travel approval , plane tickets purchased and the OK to go (while we were still waiting for travel approval ourselves). So, since the USCIS decided they now wanted us to get approval to adopt our assigned children prior to travel, here in the states, families were told to change plans etc! Needless to say, everyone was in a turmoil,tears flowing, emotions running high! What did this mean! We were told that we were the one family of our group of referrals that STILL had NOT received travel approval! These poor families had to cancel reservations and collectively, we were told we will have to receive prior authorization from our respective (local) USCIS offices. Ironically, we later found out that although others were given travel approval, only OUR paperwork, official VN paperwork authorizing our baby's adoption to us, was the ONLY set of papers received here by our agency. Then.......I was told they would DHL overnight mail them to us so that I, perhaps, could hand deliver it to our local USCIS (this morning) and plead our case that we expedite our approval as we have an infant son waiting for us! Then...........hold on, families received an email saying NOW the USCIS will allow those families (the ones who had already canceled their reservations) to proceed as planned for travel on Nov 3 and Nov 10th! So, after they had cancelled their reservations, were on the phone trying to reschedule. Then a notice was relayed that the USCIS, the I-600 ("Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative") would need to be mailed to HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City) AND families could expect another 60 days wait UNTIL approval and request to travel could be approved! THEN we were told that, since OUR paperwork was the one family already completed , signed sealed etc by the VN govt, there is a chance we MIGHT still be able to travel! AND, the USCIS might grant a grace period (so to speak) NOW until Nov 17? BUT, we had to wait another 24 hours to find out (that was 3 p.m. this afternoon)?!

So, we wait, one leg on/off the fence! We will find out officially tomorrow! But, trying to remain hopeful/positive! We are positive people who have deep faith! We look at the cup half full ! So, we may/may not be travling to pick up our little man this next month? If not, then........we wait til after the first of the year (sign!!!!!!!!!!!) Oh, did I say, I LOVE OUR AGENCY! THIS IS NOT THEIR FAULT, IT HAS HAPPENED WITH ALL VN ADOPTIONS AND FAMILIES! THEY HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL AND SO COMMUNICATIVE AND SUPPORTIVE TO ALL OF US! THEY ARE FANTASTIC PEOPLE, BOTH HERE AND ABROAD! WE LOVE YOU ALL! THANK YOU!

Oh, and we have additional pics of our little guy! He sure is a beauty (or, as Caitlin reminds me, "he is handsome, not pretty, MOM!" Thank you, our new dear friend, Beth! She is in the pictures holding our baby boy! We met her and her husband at Pho in the Park and, then, she, again visitied our son's orphanage and she was the ONLY one he cooed for and would allow to hold him! Wow!