I can't believe it's been only 3 months. If it was a pregnancy, we'd be exiting the 1st trimester. I can't begin to explain the harsh reality that hits me every now and again - our boy isn't coming home for a LONG time. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the memories we are missing out on - celebrations, milestones, and the everyday. We will be in Washington for Christmas without Christopher. All of the stockings will be hung and cousins will fill the house and he won't be there. He's missing birthday cake on Mattie's birthday, on mommy's birthday and Jesus' birthday...I am missing potty-training, little boy curiosity, and toddler giggles. I miss him today.
A home study - I posted last time that our case worker was bringing a 15 page report of our family for us to review on the 16th. We had to postpone our meeting until the 23rd. At our meeting, we approved and agreed with all she wrote. She then had to send the home study to our agency for approval who had 2 weeks to review it and have her change any of her wording. It then gets sent on to the state of Colorado for final approval and authentication before it can be bundled with our dossier to be sent out for translation. Tracy and I left for Mexico on the 29th without submitting our dossier due to 1 piece of missing paperwork and not knowing how much longer our home study process would take. The day after we got back, October 4th, we were happily driving our entire dossier package (except the home study) to FedEx! Friday, we received an email that the home study has been sent to Colorado and it should be authenticated and back at CCAI by Friday, October 14th. CCAI is now critically reviewing every document to make sure we are ready for translation and "bundling"! Once it's bundled, "we" get sent to Haiti and then our 18 month clock begins ticking.
So what's in 8 weeks? We could possibly be in Haiti!! CCAI has a trip planned to take some lucky families to see their children and have their appointment at the Haitian Embassy before the Christmas holidays. In order to travel to Haiti while in the adoption process, we must file an I-600A with the United States Immigration Office declaring that we are traveling to see our child. Qualifying for this travel status can take up to 6 weeks to finalize AFTER we submit our paperwork. The paperwork is a form + a state approved home study. It was such a slim possibility 3 weeks ago that our agency director didn't want to give us hope that we could make it happen. As of Friday, our hopes have been renewed. It only gives us 7 weeks to be stamped and approved. We need to be thinking about plane tickets before we are 100% sure we can travel. God is so much bigger than this timeline. We have faith that the mountains are being moved so that we can go and hug our son. I truly believe that would be the best birthday gift/Christmas gift I've gotten in a long time.
*Will you join with us in prayer that our paperwork will not be delayed a single hour?
*Please pray that US Immigration will be having a slow time and can process us speedy quick.
*Please pray and ask God whether we are supposed to be on this trip.
I can't imagine waiting since the next group trip isn't until April, but during December we would be postponing Mattie's birthday party, missing Ellie's 1st choir concert, and missing my outreach Christmas brunch for Women-to-Women (that I help put together for 200 women). Thank you for supporting us. We love you!
