This is the week that the adoption process started to break us. All the forms, all the endless copies of things notarized and official this and that. When you go to a doctor’s office twice with a notary and then have to go back again for blood-work and then again for a drug test and then again, (can’t remember why that time) it all starts to seem slightly unreal.
This is indeed the nitty-gritty. When people say “it was hard and there were times I doubted it was going to happen” about adoption, we wondered what they meant, now we know. We’re in a panic to assemble a bunch of pieces all at once and are starting to feel the pinch. Oh yeah, and apparently Siana has unreadable fingerprints because she washes her hands too much (just when you thought hygiene was a good thing…) and so had to go and do her fingerprints again with the FBI, another delay.
Yeah, this is the week that is testing us. So we’re going to focus on the good things to get us through. First, our nopales are growing and look great. We decided to outline them with stones that are actually called “Mexican beach pebbles,” we’re not kidding that’s what they were called at the rock place where we bought them.
And after doing yet another set of fingerprints, we were approved by USCIS to immigrate children from another country, woo hoo!
AND, Edgar got his Mexican passport after hours of waiting at the consulate!
Now we just have what feels like 800 other things to do! Maybe not 800, but it feels like it. Next week is a big push to get a lot done as our adoption agency just informed us that they have 7 families on the same timeline and want to try and get as many documents translated (all documents submitted have to be translated into Spanish) in the next month as possible, so we’re scrambling to get a bunch over to them ASAP.
Saturday is our 11th wedding anniversary. There is probably no more appropriate way to celebrate the event than getting blood-work done at 8am in the morning at a lab. And a drug test.
Yes, I remember those days of dispair when I was sure I would never get a referal from Russia, but I did and you will. You are in the home stretch. But everything about international adoption is paperwork and waiting….
Do you think it is a sign that you had to get blood tests for your wedding and your adoption?!!!
Love you guys.
Stay strong, guys! It’ll all happen in synchronicity with the universe. I have no doubt you are both going to be the best parents.
And a happy anniversary, too!
Hang in there you two! All good things happen to those who wait, and I know this will happen because you will be great parents& you have a lot of love to give. We love you both and are praying every day for success! And Happy Anniversary!!!
Siana and Edgar,
Don’t give up. The road is terrible, really really terrible. I went back to my doctor five times — the last time because (after I had orchestrated the doctor and notary meetings for the third time) the doc had the wrong date on the letter and the notary notarized it anyway. 🙁 Our agency rejected it and I was pissed, sad, frustrated, multiple pint-size Ben and Jerry’s mad. Ultimately, I ended up bringing homemade cookies to everyone who helped in the final push of paperwork. At least that made me feel better! (I’m sure the cookie dough had nothing to do with it…)
International adoption is nutty. Keep focusing on the good things; if you start focusing on the madness, you’ll lose sight of the bigger picture.
Sending good adoption paperwork vibes your way 🙂
Stacey