[CashCrew]

It has been a couple of weeks since I saw a summer beginners thread so I thought I would start a new one. What's up with everyone? Any good news? Maria I saw you were planning a visit trip soon as long as all of this stuff clears up. That's great!

We've basically been just sitting and waiting for a couple of weeks. Today was one of those days that started off bad. I got up, realized Kemry turns a month old tomorrow and we still hadn't received her birth certificate and realized that once we do, we have to do the POA and all of that which would add a week or two to our case. Then I hopped online to see all the junk that was going on in Guatemala, and I lost it. I couldn't stop crying. I felt bad for everyone involved...the foster mothers, the children, the adoptive parents, the attornies, the social workers, the facilitators, everyone! Plus dh's birth certificate was "lost" according to the USPS at the Miami consulate. I have been on the phone all day trying to locate it! I would have never sent it USPS express but that's the only thing the lady in Miami said they would accept. So around 1pm today I got a call from our agency to tell us his birth certificate arrived at their office! How I'll never know. It wasn't tracked. I was so happy. I got off the phone and walked to our mailbox to find a copy of Kemry's birth certificate! It had arrived last week AND we had gone ahead and done our POA and sent it in with our dossier on just the slight chance everything was correct and it would be issued soon (our agency director told us that we had a HUGE chance of having to redo it and we had just assumed we would have to). SOOOOO with the bc issued last week and us taking a chance and doing the POA, we're actually a step ahead instead of a step behind! So now our POA is already certified, authenticated, and on it's way! WOOHOO!!!

[Tamiswaiting]

That's great, Kelly!

I'm waiting on word that my HS is being sent to USCIS. It was sent to my agency for approval and I'm just waiting to hear if it is OK. I'm assuming that they'll want changes. Nothing's ever simple. It's still the only thing I'm waiting for to Certify/Authenticate and I can't do a thing about it .

[tommygirl61801]

Waiting on our finalized homestudy to get here so we can overnight it to INS! It should have been here today Our dossier is almost done and with all the good luck in the world we should have it certified and authenticated within 2 weeks (thank you overnight postage!!!) I can't stop looking at our little princess' pictures! She melts my heart :-) Oh and we have spent the last 2 days packing up a gallon size ziplock of outfits and some camera's to mail tomorrow to our agency that they are going to bring to kirsten on their visit in early november!

And if all this stuff blows over quickly in Guatemala, we have been discussing a visit trip for mid-January

[CashCrew]

Tam that is frustrating though! Maybe you won't need an update on your homestudy. Our agency only needed one (pets to be taken out) and I expected them to need a TON of changes. I'm thinking positive thoughts for ya!

Diana - we just filled one of those things too.....they're smaller than I expected!!!!! LOL We ended up with TWO and will just have to save the 2nd one for later. Ours is being picked up today by a family at our agency to take it down on Friday. That is if visit trips are still allowed. It will all depend on that. If they don't get to visit, I'm going to send it by a courier service because I want those cameras down there ASAP!

[CashCrew]

Diana - does your agency make you wait until DNA to visit? Ours does and I have no idea when that will be. We had wanted to visit at Christmas, but it won't happen now because the flights are so expensive and I'm not sure DNA will be done by then.

[CurlysGirly]

Hi Girls!! I've been in a woe-is-me mood lately. But I've been trying to keeping my chin up!

I finally found out that we are like 10 or 11 on the waiting list as of yesterday. I'm hoping that goes pretty quick. We have a big agency so I'm hoping that the referrals start pouring in! I wonder what I'll do if it happens next week while DH is out of town?? Better make sure my scanner is in check!

Our home study was sent to INS last Tuesday. So hopefully our 171 H is cooking. They say it can take between 2 and 10 weeks. Please let it be closer to the earlier side!

My consultant said she is working on pre-approval for us and hopes to have that soon. Don't you get that after a referral? I know that they do a lot of stuff for us (like the consulate stuff and certifying the home study, etc). I dunno.

I'm going to try to stay up on the boards as best as I can. My DS cracked the screen on my lap top yesterday so I have to read emails and stuff on my desk top in our office. He does some crazy things when mommy leaves the room!

Okay, back to work. People want to eat dinner, drink wine and be merry. Better put on my smile

PS, I started a blog, too. So much free time that the dossier is done!

[sweetjourney]

We are waiting for our DNA authorization as our next step. My, how scary the news from Guat City! My prayers are also with the birth mothers, the risks they also endure to ensure they too are following the process. I hope everything settles down a bit. I pray my foster family and sunshine remain safe and well. I can not imagine the tension they are all under. I can not imagine the falcities that the Guat people must hear in order to be so enraged.

We too happliy packed a ziplock bag of goodies. Along with a Christmas outfit. Our agency will be going down (hopefully) in Nov and plans to take Christmas picutres. (yeah!!!) Also, she will have a nice outfit for church on Christmas. Camera's- great idea! Do your agencies return them to you? Ours did not mention this. I will ask them about that. Im so glad you mentioned that!

Kelly- that's awesome that everything came together for your POA! We are tracking the same timeline I think.

Tam- Hope your homestudy comes back a.o.k. so there are no delays!

Diana- Hope your homestudy is reviewed quickly by INS. Im sorry to hear about your first lost referral!

Tara- I hope your wait moves quickly for your referral, I love your blog, that's awesome! Yours too Kelly! I am not computer savvy so likely will not have a blog any time soon. They are pretty impressive though!

[Mariais5]

Kelly ~ That's great news!

Tam ~ We didn't have to make any changes at all.. I actually sent a copy to our agency and when I didn't hear anything back by that evening, I told the SW it was fine..

Diana ~ I'd let INS know that you've already accepted a referral.. I did, and they issued our I171 within a day of receiving our homestudy! You never know!

Well, I'm still waiting for our POA and homestudy to get back from the SoS. It should be here in the next couple of days..

I'm keeping my reservations at the Marriott for the second week of Nov unless my attorney absolutely says no.. I am a little nervous about taking Bryce with me now, but putting everything in God's hands..

The girls and I just returned from Chicago, and we had a blast! I had never stayed in the city before, and it was so fun!

I thought I'd post a picture of our angel.. She makes me know that all of this is going to be worth it again.. My husband and I both fell in love when we saw her pictures...

Introducing Sofia Gabriela....

[sweetjourney]

Marcy- What a beautiful baby girl she is!! She looks so peaceful, great picture. I hope you have a safe and wonderful visit with her.

[Mariais5]

Just saw the other replies..

Tara ~ I hope your INS approval comes quickly! Don't know what pre-approval your agency would be talking about...

JoAnn ~ Our FM returned the cameras to us on the pick up trip.. How awesome to get Christmas pictures!!

[2forus]

Kelly- Glad to see that things are moving for you. Isn't it a nice suprise to find out that you're farther along than you thought!

Tam- I hope that you get your HS soon!

Diana- I hope you get your HS soon too!

Tara- I hope that you get your referral soon! It's so incredible to see your baby for the first time.

JoAnn- I hope that you get DNA Auth soon. I hope it goes as smoothly as ours. Our DNA was actually taken the day after we got Auth and we had the results the next week. I hope you have that kind of luck too.

Marcy- She is absolutely beautiful!

As for us. We got new pics of our babies and we got new meds too. DS is growing. He's over 7# now. DD isn't growing. She's actually lost weight only 3 ounces, but I still wasn't happy. The agency says that if she not doing better for the next med, they will switch formulas and see if maybe she's alergic to the one she's on. Both of them look wonderful healthy and happy in their pics though. We're on a waiting list to get to visit now.

[CashCrew]

Marcy she is SOOOOOO beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy you are sharing a picture with us (it's about time girl!!! I've been dying to see her!!! haha). She's BEAUTIFUL!

[hesabanana]

Hi Ladies,
I am a summer beginner. We have our DNA, and have a trip planned for 11/7 to 11/12. My tickets are non-refundable, so WE ARE GOING!
Brenda

[mildredjohn]

our DNA test and SW interview were done on 10/5! wohoooo. Right now we are waiting for the DNA test result and the Family Court report.

Is great to see how every step is done and how much joy bring to our lives!

KEEP WALKING!!!! KEEP DOING!!!!

[fochtru]

Hey guys: glad to see things are moving along for you all.

Marcy--your baby is BEAUTIFUL and I love her name.

I am just sitting here in Chicago patiently waiting for my I-171H. The office here is backed up (they moved recently) and they told me last week that it would be another 4 weeks until I receive it. I have a feeling it will be longer than that, though. They are working on the homestudies they received on July 27 and mine was received on Sept. 11. I think I have some waiting to do. The only thing that keeps me from going a little crazy is my belief that God has a much better plan than I do. It will all work out when it's supposed to...so I wait. I sure would love to have a referral/picture so that I could feel like more of a "mom". Right now I just have a bunch of neatly notarized papers. Not nearly as exciting as a baby!!

Good luck you guys!!