We had a crazy mixed up day filled with emotional highs, lows, and in betweens! The best news we got today was from our adoption agency that if Travel Approvals arrive at the end of this week or the beginning of the next (which seems very likely), they believe we would travel on Sept 3!! That's 2 weeks sooner than we thought!!! Wow! I keep smacking Pat on the arm and saying "September 3! Honey -- can you believe it? Sept third!" I'm glad he has a big strong arm!
On the low end of things we found out yesterday that there is a clerical error on our I171H document (immigration approval). They apparently put in the wrong date and so for all intents and purposes, we now have invalid immigration status. When our Travel Approvals do arrive and they request consulate appointments, ours can be denied. This morning we high-tailed it over to our local USCIS (Dept. of Homeland Security) office in Durham to try to get it corrected. We only were able to meet with an information officer who immediately saw the clerical error and said she would bring it to the attention of the adoption adjudicating officer upstairs. She was unwilling to provide us with either a name or an email address to follow up with him. She assured us that she would ask him to make it a priority and they would probably get to it late this week or next week. When this is something we needed "yesterday" this was not good news. Once it gets done, that document has to be sent snailmail to the National Visa Center and then snailmail to the consulate in Guangzou China -- time we don't really have on our side.
We came home and penned a letter with the details to an adoption emergency USCIS email address and would you believe that in just 45 minutes we got a response?! We got an apology and a promise that it would be prioritized. The only delay now had to do with our amended homestudy that we did recently (remember that mess?!). They have to re-adjudicate on the homestudy to make sure that it addresses all of the wording requested on our new I171H. I'm hoping that we hear within the next few days that this situation is resolved and on its way!
And lastly, the in-between news was an update on Grace! We learned that she has NOT been at the orphanage longer than several days. Rather she has been and is currently in Foster Care. I'm thinking that Foster Care is generally a good thing in China. That's why it is a mixed bag -- we think that means more hugging and holding and generally less attachment problems but it also may come with its own share of problems. Perhaps she will grieve more deeply when we get her. We will see. Oh - and she is sitting and standing when holding onto something but not walking or talking yet :-)
All of that added up to a pizza night. That's when this mother is discombobulated by either emotions or activities. So pizza it was! I think there are going to be other pizza nights in the days to come!
Sharon
On the low end of things we found out yesterday that there is a clerical error on our I171H document (immigration approval). They apparently put in the wrong date and so for all intents and purposes, we now have invalid immigration status. When our Travel Approvals do arrive and they request consulate appointments, ours can be denied. This morning we high-tailed it over to our local USCIS (Dept. of Homeland Security) office in Durham to try to get it corrected. We only were able to meet with an information officer who immediately saw the clerical error and said she would bring it to the attention of the adoption adjudicating officer upstairs. She was unwilling to provide us with either a name or an email address to follow up with him. She assured us that she would ask him to make it a priority and they would probably get to it late this week or next week. When this is something we needed "yesterday" this was not good news. Once it gets done, that document has to be sent snailmail to the National Visa Center and then snailmail to the consulate in Guangzou China -- time we don't really have on our side.
We came home and penned a letter with the details to an adoption emergency USCIS email address and would you believe that in just 45 minutes we got a response?! We got an apology and a promise that it would be prioritized. The only delay now had to do with our amended homestudy that we did recently (remember that mess?!). They have to re-adjudicate on the homestudy to make sure that it addresses all of the wording requested on our new I171H. I'm hoping that we hear within the next few days that this situation is resolved and on its way!
And lastly, the in-between news was an update on Grace! We learned that she has NOT been at the orphanage longer than several days. Rather she has been and is currently in Foster Care. I'm thinking that Foster Care is generally a good thing in China. That's why it is a mixed bag -- we think that means more hugging and holding and generally less attachment problems but it also may come with its own share of problems. Perhaps she will grieve more deeply when we get her. We will see. Oh - and she is sitting and standing when holding onto something but not walking or talking yet :-)
All of that added up to a pizza night. That's when this mother is discombobulated by either emotions or activities. So pizza it was! I think there are going to be other pizza nights in the days to come!
Sharon
Off to a new school year
