Let's start from the begining.....
May...Home study DONE!....but wait...I sent it in for review and turns out it has to be done by a certified AGENCY...NO INDEPENDENT SOCIAL WORKERS!!!!
NEXT
We thought since it was done, that we could have another agency review it and update it...NOPE...
Start ALL over!!! another 1100.00 + re fingerprinting costs and time+ references and everything else that I choose not to think about...
SOOOO......
almost 2 months later (sw was out of town, then exec director out of town, etc...........)
Hometudy DONE... AGAIN...
BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE
Homestudy somehow gets stuck in the fence at the Exec Director's house in California during delivery (I don't even ask anymore)
another 2 week delay.
Get paperwork ready to mail to USCIS (government orphan petition) This should have been done a long time ago, but we needed our home study to accompany it, without this, we cannot get a court date. It is only 35 minutes away, (the USCIS office) so we hand deliver the documents there. BIG NO-NO! Get kicked out immediately and told we are not to enter a government building like that.
SOOOOO..... We go to the FED EX down the street and pay 20 bucks to have them deliver it(a few blocks away) on Tuesday...That's right, it's now Friday afternoon...of Labor day weekend! So it won't be there until Tuesday afternoon!
We gathered all notarized documents for Apostilles in Austin (State Notary) Send them off to a Lawyers aid service. Which will over night directly to agency then she will forward directly to Eastern Europe.
PHONE CALL..... "What do you mean my notary didnt date 4 of the forms and what? The marriage license has to be a CERTIFIED copy, not a notarized photocopy!" (which my agency and I thought it could be photocopy)
Trip to Downtown Dallas ...AGAIN to get certified copies and trip to the notary.
BACK to the post office to overnight them, but now it's Friday again, so we wait until Lawyers aid opens on Monday.
FINALLY, it can be over nighted to my agency in NJ and sent to Mila's country.
Checked USPS tracking..Arrived the very next morning!!!
BUT WAIT!! THAT'S NOT ALL.....
EMAIL..."I thought you understood you were supposed to send it to my home office, NOT the main office"
OMG!!!!!!!
Really!!!!
Look back at the dossier instructions, and you know what is printed in big bold letters in the middle of the page...
You guessed it! DO NOT SEND TO MAIN OFFICE..SEND TO MY HOME OFFICE AT *********,NJ
All this for a perfect little being..AND if you stay tuned within the next 2 days, I'm sure you can hear more! That's right...I can GUARANTEE more fun and exciting delays! Wouldn't be right without them! And you know what.....
I will be so interested to find out the reason why we are supposed to be delayed in being there...and it better be a good one!!! :)
I do have to say that my "Ethel" gave me a good laugh, that I really needed. She called my husband a "lint licker" on facebook. I'll take you back to that commercial:
Awe...Good Times...Thanks Alma! Toatally LOVE you!
My Lucy, sometimes its not about the obstacle its more about the lessons you learn while going through them. Maybe this is to prep you for any paper work or procedures you may have in Russia. Read everything very carefully, take your time and don't forget anything...try avoid getting frisked at the airport. Although I could hear the TSA agent concurring with Van's statement " I like looking at your body mom"....love you and I know all will go well. ..Glad my well developed language and idle time watching Tv commercials made you laugh. Love you.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to let you know, although I didn't see Mila today, I did hear a lot about her. The head doctor said if you were to adopt a child with Ds, Mila would be the one. Also, Mila and Phoebe I guess are friends. They hug each other and give kisses is what I was told. I know Texas is far from Ohio, but when they are home we have to get them back together again.
ReplyDelete