Biometric Appointment!! :)

We received our fingerprint notice in the mail on Thursday!!  Guess what?  It was for next Friday, October 31st!! Can you believe it?  How awesome is that?  Now, I am hearing that it is taking a REALLY long time for some officer assignments, as in 75 days just to be assigned an officer in some cases.  :(  This would mean redoing all of our time sensitive paperwork (medicals, clearances, etc) before sending our dossier to China, which is the next step.  I am praying we get put into the "speedy" line!   Maybe... if it's not asking to much... that we get our same officer... :)

Waiting on US Approval

We received our Letter of Receipt from the USCIS - Homeland Security.  They send a letter informing you that they did receive your paperwork and payment.  We still need to wait for the actual biometrics (electronic fingerprints) appointment.  We are hopeful that it will come next week.  They usually schedule a month out, so most likely not until mid to late November.  Then, you wait to get an officer and wait for that officer to approve your application.   This approvals lets us know that the US will allow us to adopt a child internationally.  After this step, our paperwork can be sent to China and we begin the BIG wait for approval for official matching with our son.  Every step takes so much longer than I want it to.  But, I know there is a bigger plan that I do not see.  I am trusting in God's timing.  I am thankful to be at this step.  Unfortunately, my fingerprints are horrible.  I always get anxious when this appointment ends up falling during cold weather.  Time to start using lotions and wearing gloves. :)

He is sooooo worth it!!  (This video is quite a few years old, but he is just so cute!  I adore that I have these gifts of early glimpses.  God is so good!!)

SLOW and Steady... A Bit Too Much SLOW

Oh the paperwork...  Still plodding along with the paperwork.  Our homestudy has been finished, but needed to be approved by 3 or 4 different people.  Then, the officer manager (who usually mails out the copies) had a family situation that meant she was out of the office for awhile.  So, we wait.  Our copy of the homestudy arrived at our house on Friday, but the other copies (that really count) have to make it to Alabama.  All of the rest of our i800a paperwork is ready and waiting at Lifeline's office.  As soon as they receive our homestudy, it's off to the next wait (for US initial approval).

Our next appointment will be for fingerprints.  These are the big fancy ones that they do at the USCIS office in Grand Rapids.  The problem is my fingerprints are HORRIBLE!  I wear gloves and lotion up with special lotions for months in advance.  And guess what... it's starting to get cold out!  Oh great!  That means dry hands and really bad results.  Really praying that all of this speeds along!  

I know that it is all in God's timing.   I do rest in the fact that He has a MUCH better plan than I do!  I know my timelines make Him laugh.  But really... who could blame me?  Wouldn't you want to get to this as soon as possible?!?!