04.29.08
Bad Blogger
I’ve been a bad, bad blogger but in my defense there hasn’t been a whole lot to blog about and I’ve been sick since Friday with bronchitis and a sinus infection.
I’m kind of in dossier limbo right now waiting to hear from the California Secretary of State about my birth certificate getting authenticated. I sent it two weeks ago today and no word yet. I’m trying to be optimistic about the whole thing but chances are they aren’t going to authenticate it because the copy is 26 years old. I ordered a new birth certificate from vital records in California but their current processing time is 12 weeks average (due to budget cuts). So, I sit and wait. This whole thing could potentially keep us from getting our dossier done for another 3 months, which really sucks. I’m trying to stay positive and frequently tell myself that things will happen when they’re supposed to. We’re also waiting on our approval from the USCIS. That was also mailed 2 weeks ago. Ugh!
In the meantime, I’ve been getting our other dossier documents county certified. Yesterday, I dragged my sorry, sick butt to the Cherokee County courthouse and the Pickens County courthouse. Now there’s just Cobb, Forsyth and Fulton left. We also have our parenting class scheduled for this Saturday. I’m actually looking forward to being entertained as Owen attempts to diaper a fake baby! I giggle inwardly everytime I think about him changing the real deal. This is a guy who used to gag picking up dog poop! Gotta love him!
We finally got our vegi and herb garden planted this past weekend. Well, Owen planted and I supervised. I’m looking forward to fresh garden tomatoes!
May is going to be a busy month but we have some fun things to look forward to. Owen and I are going camping with friends in a couple of weekends. We used to camp all the time when we lived in California but it’s been about 3 years since the last time we attempted it while living in Texas. For us, there’s a small window of opportunity in the spring and fall that’s tolerable. Between the humidity and the gargantuan bugs, camping in the south can be unpleasant. The weekend after camping, my Mom and I are heading to New Orleans to visit my Grandma. We haven’t been since before Hurricane Katrina. My Grandma lost her house during the hurricane. It’s going to be a totally different experience staying in a hotel instead of at my Grandma’s house where she lived for 50 years. Sin City here we come!
04.15.08
Smellin’ the daffodils
Since I missed Favorite Photo Friday last week, I’m posting a picture of Bowie (our Chiweenie) smelling a daffodil. I just love this picture! I think he was investigating to see if it was edible.
We finally got our updated home study today. Off it goes tomorrow to the USCIS. Here’s hoping they don’t sit on it forever. I sent our birth certificates and marriage certificate off to the California Secretary of State for certification yesterday. The only birth certificate I have is a certified copy from 1982. Hopefully, they’ll still certify it. If not, I’m going to have to wait for a current certified copy to come from California’s Office of Vital Records. The current processing time is 12 weeks (average). That request got sent off yesterday as well (just in case). I’ll be beyond bummed out if I have to wait that long.
We have all of our other documents required for the dossier. We just have to have some of the documents notarized. Then it’s off to the County courthouses to get them certified. I have to go to four different counties. I’m not sure when I’m going to find the time to do all this. There just aren’t enough hours in the day! I will say I’m feeling much better about this whole dossier thing. I went from being panic-stricken to actually feeling like I have a handle on it. It’s almost done! Now if the State of California and the USCIS will just cooperate, I’ll be a happy camper AND we might just get on the waiting list close to my predicted time of early May. Wishful thinking, I know. Owen keeps telling me to relax…it will all happen when it’s supposed to happen. I know this but I have a real hard time with things I can’t control. Control freak? Who me?
04.09.08
Dodging Bullets
That’s how I’m feeling…like I’ve been dodging bullets for the last two days. I ran into a few speed bumps with the dossier. Owen wasn’t able to get a copy of my birth certificate in California. He picked up his, but they wouldn’t release mine to him. They told him I would have to order mine from the state. That was going to take So, I called my agency and told my coordinator that I had an old certified copy that my Mom had from 1982. It’s in pretty decent shape and all the stamps looked official enough. I sent her a copy via email and she told me it would work. First bullet dodged!
The rest has just been minor annoyances with getting our home study updated. Ethiopia requires a lot more detail in the home study and our agency coordinator is pretty thorough when it comes to checking things over. I’ve spent the last two days going back and forth with her and our social worker trying to get things just right. I think we’ve finally got it! Regardless, we still have to wait until next week to get it signed off. I guess one more week won’t matter much.
04.07.08
Flying solo
Yep, this is me taking a break from anything adoption-related this evening (other than stalking blogs). After my weeklong dossier mission, I’m taking a much-needed timeout. Owen is in California visiting la familia, so I’m flying solo. I have to admit, it’s nice. I got to sleep in this morning, did some marathon housecleaning, took a long nap, had a leisurely gourmet meal, and now I’m lounging on the couch with a glass of red watching Anthony Bourdain reruns. I’ve got both dogs in my lap, so I couldn’t get up even if I wanted to. Yeah, that’s my idea of relaxation.
04.04.08
Favorite Photo Friday
This was my Great-Grandmother’s 92nd birthday dinner in 2006, six months before she passed away.
I’m really starting to feel like I’m making progress with our dossier paperwork. The only things we’re waiting on are our 3 reference letters, our home study amendment, and our birth certificates. Owen will be picking up certified copies of our birth certificates while he’s in California next week visiting his folks. As soon as our home study amendment comes in I’ll be sending our country change request to the USCIS. When we initially sent in our I600a form for Vietnam, they processed it in two weeks. I’m hoping they come through again! Dossier’s are going to Ethiopia like crazy and I don’t want to hit triple-digits like we did in Vietnam! From what I understand, our agency has over 40 dossiers in Ethiopia right now. I know there will be more and the wait time has already increased to 6-10 months for a referral. I’m really feeling the pressure to get things done!
