Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Another Meltdown
is certainly brewing! Still no word on our I800A approval. I thought the wait before the match was unbearable...I never expected that the wait after the match is even more intense!!!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Meltdown!!!
It's 1:04am and I just woke up from a 5 hour crash...eerrr nap, I mean! I had a meltdown earlier this evening, I'm just sayin'...
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
CAPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, let's get the bad news out of the way and be done with it! This evening, my husband and I are finalizing our I864A and I864 to send to our agency, so that they can forward them to ICAB. We crossed every T and dotted all of the I's. Got 3 years worth of tax returns and W-2's for each of us. Proofread a gazillion time before noticing that the instruction says to type answers in CAPITAL letters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really???????????? Really??????????????? Really?????????????? I couldn't believe it! A). How did I miss that????? B). WHY is that necessary???????????????? So, I tried to come up with reasons as to why that shouldn't be needed, since, the application is typed and very much legible. I argued with USCIS in my head...but since they didn't have a representative in my living room this evening, I had no choice but to modify both forms!!! Not too difficult since we already had all of the information down, but it sure was tedious and an absolutely poor use of time. We had planned on tackling the I800 this evening with the fee schedule that USCIS is requesting. But instead, I was converting the I864A and I864 to CAPITAL letters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Again I say, REALLLLLLLLLLY????????
Okay, now that that's out of the way...on to the good news!!! As I've posted just recently, we were scheduled to go in for the Biometric fingerprints on 11/12/2010. Well, one very awesome Haley McNabb from the yahoo group informed me that she had some friends who didn't want to wait for their fingerprinting appointments and they "walked in" and were able to do their fingerprints 3 weeks early!!!!! So, today, my husband called the fingerprinting place and asked if we were able to come in should they have any cancellations in the next couple of weeks. They told him that they had some time tomorrow, and if we wanted to come in. He was in shocked and called me right away. Neither one of us could believe that we can go tomorrow instead of wait the 3 weeks, as given to us by USCIS. I called the place back to verify that this is true. The nice officer confirmed this and offered us an appointment at 7:45am TOMORROW!!!!!!! Thank you officer Lewis!!! Thank you Jesus for putting such wonderful souls to help us along during this process!!!!!!
So, I'm going to shut up now...and go work on the I800, which by the way does not specify that it should be in CAPS!!!
Okay, now that that's out of the way...on to the good news!!! As I've posted just recently, we were scheduled to go in for the Biometric fingerprints on 11/12/2010. Well, one very awesome Haley McNabb from the yahoo group informed me that she had some friends who didn't want to wait for their fingerprinting appointments and they "walked in" and were able to do their fingerprints 3 weeks early!!!!! So, today, my husband called the fingerprinting place and asked if we were able to come in should they have any cancellations in the next couple of weeks. They told him that they had some time tomorrow, and if we wanted to come in. He was in shocked and called me right away. Neither one of us could believe that we can go tomorrow instead of wait the 3 weeks, as given to us by USCIS. I called the place back to verify that this is true. The nice officer confirmed this and offered us an appointment at 7:45am TOMORROW!!!!!!! Thank you officer Lewis!!! Thank you Jesus for putting such wonderful souls to help us along during this process!!!!!!
So, I'm going to shut up now...and go work on the I800, which by the way does not specify that it should be in CAPS!!!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Update
We got notice from USCIS yesterday that we have been set up for an appointment for our Biometrics fingerprints on 11/12/2010. This is bittersweet, since any progress is good...but I can't believe that we have 3 weeks to be idle. I suppose I just being blah!!! SInce I know, there's always lots to do! So, here's to a speedy productive 3 weeks...until we have one more rung under us, in this whole process!!!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
One down...
how many to go??? We sent our I800A in to the Dallas lockbox and it was logged to have been received on 10/1/10. Now we wait...for what I'm praying is a swift and favorable approval. Meanwhile, we are starting on the I800 with accompanying I864A and I864. In addition, we have also received baby K's birth certificate, authorized placement, and relinquishment in the mail, which our social worker was pleasantly surprised @ ICAB's quickness in this matter. I guess, most people usually wait awhile after the approval of the I800A, prior to receiving these documents, which are conveniently referred to as Article 16. This is encouraging. :-) The forms itself aren't too difficult to fill out, but it's the gathering of all the accompanying documents that's a bit of a challenge. I'm filling out the I800, I864A, and I864 in tandem, but it's getting a bit too confusing. So, maybe, I'll fill them all out individually, in hopes that I may be able to focus on each one without getting overwhelmed. I just want to get through the paperwork, so that I can actually concentrate on my little girl. I am praying and hoping everyday, that we will bring her home real soon.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Dear Birthmother...
Dear Birth Mom:
As we write this letter, we are praying for peace, comfort, and wellness for you and your family. We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of God’s tender heart for you and your baby. Thank you for giving your child the gift of life. It is with deep admiration also that we recognize your decision to give her yet another precious gift: the gift of a family who will love and care for her. Your decision in choosing adoption, takes tremendous courage, trust, and, most of all, love. We believe that God has a plan for you both even now, when things may be uncertain or difficult. We know that the Lord is present in all of our lives and that it is His work that has brought us to you and your precious baby’s life.
We are Agnes and Edward, and we live in a quiet Los Angeles suburb. Edward is 38 years old and is an information technologist and has diligently worked on the faculty of a southern California university for 15 years. I, Agnes, am 33 and a pediatric physical therapist. I have a master’s degree in physical therapy and have been practicing for 9 years. Seven years ago, because of the love of working with children, I decided to specialize in pediatrics. I have enjoyed these years of being able to care for families and children with special needs, including physical and developmental disabilities. Although these are our career paths and what we do “professionally,” our deepest desire is for God’s blessing of a child, to share our love and our home. More than anything else, we want to make parenting our greatest priority and number-one job.
Edward and I met in college in1994 and soon became college sweethearts. According to Edward, he was attracted to my enthusiasm and sense of humor. He claims to have fallen in love at first sight. Soon after we met, I fell deeply in love with Edward’s quiet confidence and gentleness. In August of 2000, Edward proposed under a pale moon and bright stars, while we strolled on the beach. We were married in Malibu, CA, in May of 2002.
We are blessed to have a beautiful marriage and a home. We moved away from the city life and into a home in a quiet suburban neighborhood, with the thought that we would soon start a family. Edward was ready to be a loving father, and I was ecstatic at the possibility of nurturing and rearing children. In late 2002, we found out we were pregnant, but the pregnancy quickly resulted in a miscarriage. We were heartbroken by this trial. However, it was this year that we looked steadfastly to God for guidance. We found comfort and peace in His promise of specific plans for us. We continued to pray for a miracle. In 2004, we conceived once more, but it resulted in an ectopic pregnancy. The doctors didn’t have answers as to why this happened. We prayed about this and looked to the Lord once more for guidance. As a couple, we felt at this moment the call to adopt. We believe that the trials of losing our children have strengthened us as a couple and truly made us realize how much we wanted to be parents. It mattered not whether we conceived a child biologically or just in our hearts.
Our neighborhood consists mostly of young families with small children. It is located within a mile from parks, safe walking trails, and distinguished elementary and high schools. We have been truly blessed to reside in an area that would be beneficial to a growing and developing child. We both enjoy traveling and have been blessed with the experiences of other countries and cultures. But we would consider it the ultimate blessing to finally bring a child into our lives to share our love and our home with.
We have our immediate family living close to us. We often have nephews and nieces visiting us from various cities here in California and also from Arizona. Edward and I were born in the Philippines and raised there until our families immigrated to the United States in our pre-adolescent years. Between our families, we speak three Filipino dialects (Ilokano, Tagalog, and Cebuano). As you can imagine, our family gatherings are a cultural food fest of pancit, lumpias, and chicken adobo . . . along with loads of laughter and chatter. We’ve assimilated into the Western culture but continue to take pride in our Filipino heritage, values, and traditions.
We plan to raise your child with the support of our family, our friends, and our church. You will never have to wonder whether she is loved and cared for. She will grow up knowing about God’s love and promises. She will always know about you and your decision of deep love to place her for adoption. We will tell her about her mother’s strong and courageous character. We will tell her of your bravery and your testimony. Most of all, we will tell her stories of your unconditional love and that the greatest gift of all came from you: her life.
We promise to continue to pray for you, that you will know God’s plan for you in His perfect timing.
In Christ’s enduring love,
Agnes & Edward
As we write this letter, we are praying for peace, comfort, and wellness for you and your family. We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of God’s tender heart for you and your baby. Thank you for giving your child the gift of life. It is with deep admiration also that we recognize your decision to give her yet another precious gift: the gift of a family who will love and care for her. Your decision in choosing adoption, takes tremendous courage, trust, and, most of all, love. We believe that God has a plan for you both even now, when things may be uncertain or difficult. We know that the Lord is present in all of our lives and that it is His work that has brought us to you and your precious baby’s life.
We are Agnes and Edward, and we live in a quiet Los Angeles suburb. Edward is 38 years old and is an information technologist and has diligently worked on the faculty of a southern California university for 15 years. I, Agnes, am 33 and a pediatric physical therapist. I have a master’s degree in physical therapy and have been practicing for 9 years. Seven years ago, because of the love of working with children, I decided to specialize in pediatrics. I have enjoyed these years of being able to care for families and children with special needs, including physical and developmental disabilities. Although these are our career paths and what we do “professionally,” our deepest desire is for God’s blessing of a child, to share our love and our home. More than anything else, we want to make parenting our greatest priority and number-one job.
Edward and I met in college in1994 and soon became college sweethearts. According to Edward, he was attracted to my enthusiasm and sense of humor. He claims to have fallen in love at first sight. Soon after we met, I fell deeply in love with Edward’s quiet confidence and gentleness. In August of 2000, Edward proposed under a pale moon and bright stars, while we strolled on the beach. We were married in Malibu, CA, in May of 2002.
We are blessed to have a beautiful marriage and a home. We moved away from the city life and into a home in a quiet suburban neighborhood, with the thought that we would soon start a family. Edward was ready to be a loving father, and I was ecstatic at the possibility of nurturing and rearing children. In late 2002, we found out we were pregnant, but the pregnancy quickly resulted in a miscarriage. We were heartbroken by this trial. However, it was this year that we looked steadfastly to God for guidance. We found comfort and peace in His promise of specific plans for us. We continued to pray for a miracle. In 2004, we conceived once more, but it resulted in an ectopic pregnancy. The doctors didn’t have answers as to why this happened. We prayed about this and looked to the Lord once more for guidance. As a couple, we felt at this moment the call to adopt. We believe that the trials of losing our children have strengthened us as a couple and truly made us realize how much we wanted to be parents. It mattered not whether we conceived a child biologically or just in our hearts.
Our neighborhood consists mostly of young families with small children. It is located within a mile from parks, safe walking trails, and distinguished elementary and high schools. We have been truly blessed to reside in an area that would be beneficial to a growing and developing child. We both enjoy traveling and have been blessed with the experiences of other countries and cultures. But we would consider it the ultimate blessing to finally bring a child into our lives to share our love and our home with.
We have our immediate family living close to us. We often have nephews and nieces visiting us from various cities here in California and also from Arizona. Edward and I were born in the Philippines and raised there until our families immigrated to the United States in our pre-adolescent years. Between our families, we speak three Filipino dialects (Ilokano, Tagalog, and Cebuano). As you can imagine, our family gatherings are a cultural food fest of pancit, lumpias, and chicken adobo . . . along with loads of laughter and chatter. We’ve assimilated into the Western culture but continue to take pride in our Filipino heritage, values, and traditions.
We plan to raise your child with the support of our family, our friends, and our church. You will never have to wonder whether she is loved and cared for. She will grow up knowing about God’s love and promises. She will always know about you and your decision of deep love to place her for adoption. We will tell her about her mother’s strong and courageous character. We will tell her of your bravery and your testimony. Most of all, we will tell her stories of your unconditional love and that the greatest gift of all came from you: her life.
We promise to continue to pray for you, that you will know God’s plan for you in His perfect timing.
In Christ’s enduring love,
Agnes & Edward
Friday, September 10, 2010
After the call...
It's been it's been 17 days since we got the call. It's been a flurry of emotions and activity at our house. Records have been reviewed, acceptance letter written/signed/sealed & FedEx"ed", homestudy forms gathered, I800a form's 11 page instruction has been combed over, and homestudy visit is pending! Lots to do and we're moving as quickly as we can...but apparently, not everyone got the memo! I feel like I'm moving at the speed of light, with the urgency to do as much as I can as quickly so I can to bring my little girl home, but why do I feel like I'm always waiting on others? I'm waiting for the mail, I'm waiting for an opening in my social worker's schedule, I'm waiting for an email from my agency coordinator to let me know which form to fill out NOW, I'm waiting for FedEx tracking to let me know that ICAB acknowledged our acceptance, I'm waiting...waiting...waiting! I thought that the waiting would ease once we got the match...but it has actually intensified. I just want to bring baby K home...and be her mommy!!! Is that really too much to ask for? Apparently, right now, it is. I feel like I'm facing the mountains of bureaucracy of two countires!!!! But these are the days that I pray for strength to continue believing that my GOD is BIGGER than these mountains!!!! With His guidance and hand upon us, we shall overcome these mountains and bring her home.
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