Today is a very special day.
Happy
Birthday,
Mom!
XOXOXO
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Yoda and Friends
My cell phone has been dying a slow death since the fall. I finally gave in and bought a snazzy little phone, a Blackjack II. It took me months to justify the increased monthly payment. I'm an internet consultant, though, so I need to be able to access my site from anywhere, right...? Well, that and check movie times.
At any rate, I just learned how to transfer pictures from my camera. Here's one of hubby enjoying his Valentine's treats.
At any rate, I just learned how to transfer pictures from my camera. Here's one of hubby enjoying his Valentine's treats.
Yes, he's sharing his cookie with a little Yoda. Ahem, Yoda himself said, "Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not, for my ally is the Force." Quite a powerful li'l guy.
In adoption news, we just received an update from CHI. The sweetest little three-year-old girl, who is HIV positive, has been on their waiting children list for over a year. Her forever family has now found her! Congrats to the family. She is quite the cutie.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Traveling family
The Abrams (another family from Children's Hope International) are currently in Vietnam completing the adoption of their little girl. I thought I'd share the link to their blog. I love all the pictures they're posting.
They're currently in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) for the second half of their trip. Isn't Norah sweet?
They're currently in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) for the second half of their trip. Isn't Norah sweet?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Mr. Postman...
USPS confirmed delivery of our package to CHI this morning. Yay! The list is updated weekly, so we won't know our official number until the end of this week or the beginning of next.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
It's in the Mail!
Friday CIS called to say our approval was ready to be picked up.
This led to a bit of jumping around in my cubicle, followed by an afternoon of mad-crazy errand running. I left work to have one last form signed by our home study agency in Edmond. From there, it was off to west OKC to pick up Hubby at his office so we could have that final form notarized at a nearby bank. Then it was another trip to the Department of Homeland Security/CIS to pick up that wonderful approval form. Unfortunately my checkbook was at home, so southwest OKC was my next stop. After swinging my my in-law's office to make copies of everything, I finally mailed the paperwork and The Big Fat Check (dossier fee) to CHI. That amount of money deserves a formal name, hence the capitalization.
So, with any luck.... we'll be on the list Monday! Say it with me.... woo hoo!
This led to a bit of jumping around in my cubicle, followed by an afternoon of mad-crazy errand running. I left work to have one last form signed by our home study agency in Edmond. From there, it was off to west OKC to pick up Hubby at his office so we could have that final form notarized at a nearby bank. Then it was another trip to the Department of Homeland Security/CIS to pick up that wonderful approval form. Unfortunately my checkbook was at home, so southwest OKC was my next stop. After swinging my my in-law's office to make copies of everything, I finally mailed the paperwork and The Big Fat Check (dossier fee) to CHI. That amount of money deserves a formal name, hence the capitalization.
So, with any luck.... we'll be on the list Monday! Say it with me.... woo hoo!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
A Bit Closer
Our social worker faxed our child abuse clearances to CIS this morning. Via email, CIS confirmed receipt. I asked them if I could come pick up our I-171H when it is ready to avoid the mail delay... surprisingly, they said yes! Wonders never cease. They'll call me as soon as it is ready, which should be sometime next week. I'm trying to leave my afternoons flexible so I can pick it up and bring it to the post office the second it's ready.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Memorandum of Understanding
Chocolate Cherry Diet Dr. Pepper is my new obsession. I'm a bit panicked by the fact that it's a limited edition flavor. Perhaps I should stock up while my friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart has it in stock.
At any rate, I drank entirely too many today; it's late, I'm sick, and yet I'm wide awake. Bouncing off the walls, to tell you the truth.
I'll use a bit of my energy to post about the one topic I've been avoiding: the MOU, or Memorandum of Understanding. PAPs (prospective adoptive parents) visiting my blog know what issue I'm addressing, but I thought I'd bring my friends and family up to speed with a Cliff Notes version. It's a bit confusing; I'll see if I can be brief or not.
Vietnam requires a Memorandum of Understanding to be in place with any country that completes adoptions of its orphans. That once-innocuous little phrase has come to induce cringing in adoptive parents nationwide. The MOU is good for three years, and the current agreement expires in September 2008. The intent of the MOU is to ensure that ethical adoptions take place. As PAPs that is, of course, our biggest concern as well.
Over the last couple of months, the fact that the MOU may not be resigned in its current state has become a distinct possibility. Vietnam has not adhered to some of the conditions agreed to, such as publishing standard fees. Vietnam and the US are scheduled to announce their intention to resign the MOU in March 2008. So what could happen from here?
- VN and US agree to resign the MOU as it is. Adoptions continue without a hitch.
- VN and US renegotiate the MOU. The current agreement will expire in September, and the countries will work together to put a new agreement in place, hopefully quickly.
- VN and US could suspend adoptions even longer.
No one knows what will really happen.
Our agency does not feel like there will be a long suspension. They have also been told by the DIA that if the MOU is not resigned, parents whose dossiers (the final batch of paperwork) have already been sent to VN will be allowed to complete an adoption as planned. Since we will be so new to the list at that point, we may be able to stay on the list and not be affected, even if there is not a new agreement in place for as long as a year or so.
Why? We will be added to the list somewhere in the mid-200s. CHI completed 80 adoptions last year. At that rate, it will likely be a couple of years until we receive a referral. Vietnam is allowing CHI to have a total of 100 dossiers in the country. Therefore, say the MOU expires in September. CHI will already have the first 100 families on the list logged in to Vietnam, and will work through that list for the next year or so. Therefore, we would be moving up the list even if it took a year or more for a new MOU to be reached.
Everyone's on pins and needles waiting to see what will happen. For now, we are going to ENJOY finally being added to the list, evaluate our options, and make some plans for what we will do under different scenarios. I'm incredibly grateful to be working with CHI. They do such a great job of communicating the situation, answering my gazillion questions, and working on solutions.
Please pray for a quick agreement to be reached for the sake of the children and for the sanity of their parents-to-be. I have a feeling we're in for a crazy ride! :)
At any rate, I drank entirely too many today; it's late, I'm sick, and yet I'm wide awake. Bouncing off the walls, to tell you the truth.
I'll use a bit of my energy to post about the one topic I've been avoiding: the MOU, or Memorandum of Understanding. PAPs (prospective adoptive parents) visiting my blog know what issue I'm addressing, but I thought I'd bring my friends and family up to speed with a Cliff Notes version. It's a bit confusing; I'll see if I can be brief or not.
Vietnam requires a Memorandum of Understanding to be in place with any country that completes adoptions of its orphans. That once-innocuous little phrase has come to induce cringing in adoptive parents nationwide. The MOU is good for three years, and the current agreement expires in September 2008. The intent of the MOU is to ensure that ethical adoptions take place. As PAPs that is, of course, our biggest concern as well.
Over the last couple of months, the fact that the MOU may not be resigned in its current state has become a distinct possibility. Vietnam has not adhered to some of the conditions agreed to, such as publishing standard fees. Vietnam and the US are scheduled to announce their intention to resign the MOU in March 2008. So what could happen from here?
- VN and US agree to resign the MOU as it is. Adoptions continue without a hitch.
- VN and US renegotiate the MOU. The current agreement will expire in September, and the countries will work together to put a new agreement in place, hopefully quickly.
- VN and US could suspend adoptions even longer.
No one knows what will really happen.
Our agency does not feel like there will be a long suspension. They have also been told by the DIA that if the MOU is not resigned, parents whose dossiers (the final batch of paperwork) have already been sent to VN will be allowed to complete an adoption as planned. Since we will be so new to the list at that point, we may be able to stay on the list and not be affected, even if there is not a new agreement in place for as long as a year or so.
Why? We will be added to the list somewhere in the mid-200s. CHI completed 80 adoptions last year. At that rate, it will likely be a couple of years until we receive a referral. Vietnam is allowing CHI to have a total of 100 dossiers in the country. Therefore, say the MOU expires in September. CHI will already have the first 100 families on the list logged in to Vietnam, and will work through that list for the next year or so. Therefore, we would be moving up the list even if it took a year or more for a new MOU to be reached.
Everyone's on pins and needles waiting to see what will happen. For now, we are going to ENJOY finally being added to the list, evaluate our options, and make some plans for what we will do under different scenarios. I'm incredibly grateful to be working with CHI. They do such a great job of communicating the situation, answering my gazillion questions, and working on solutions.
Please pray for a quick agreement to be reached for the sake of the children and for the sanity of their parents-to-be. I have a feeling we're in for a crazy ride! :)
Closer to "The List"
A rep from the Citizenship and Immigration office called early this evening. My initial reaction was, "Oh no - we have to redo our fingerprints!"
However, it turns out she was processing our application and was about to issue approval (!!!!) when she realized we were missing one form from our home study agency. She was kind enough to call and ask us to fax it to her in the morning instead of going through the usual mail
notification process. I think she could tell I was a bit excited - I acted like she was my new best friend. I would have invited her over for a sleepover, complete with a round of Girl Talk, if I thought it would move things along.
The missing form is our DHS child abuse clearance. I'll call our home study agency on my way to work tomorrow and beg/plead for them to fax it asap. Wow. I'm so pleasantly surprised our fingerprints have already cleared! I've seen several bloggers have to redo theirs. I'll never complain about the gritless-Orange Glo again.
The most recent addition I've seen to the list was about #253. However, due to a couple of referrals and some families changing to other countries (due to issues I'll blog about another time), that family has moved up about 15 places in the last month (that is certainly not usual). That family was added to the list weeks ago, and I don't know how many have been added after them.
Once we receive our I-171H, we'll overnight it to CHI with the biggest check we've ever written, other than for our cars or the down payment on our house. Money well spent. :)
However, it turns out she was processing our application and was about to issue approval (!!!!) when she realized we were missing one form from our home study agency. She was kind enough to call and ask us to fax it to her in the morning instead of going through the usual mail
notification process. I think she could tell I was a bit excited - I acted like she was my new best friend. I would have invited her over for a sleepover, complete with a round of Girl Talk, if I thought it would move things along.The missing form is our DHS child abuse clearance. I'll call our home study agency on my way to work tomorrow and beg/plead for them to fax it asap. Wow. I'm so pleasantly surprised our fingerprints have already cleared! I've seen several bloggers have to redo theirs. I'll never complain about the gritless-Orange Glo again.
The most recent addition I've seen to the list was about #253. However, due to a couple of referrals and some families changing to other countries (due to issues I'll blog about another time), that family has moved up about 15 places in the last month (that is certainly not usual). That family was added to the list weeks ago, and I don't know how many have been added after them.
Once we receive our I-171H, we'll overnight it to CHI with the biggest check we've ever written, other than for our cars or the down payment on our house. Money well spent. :)
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Happy Tet!
There's a lot going on this week. Hope you've all had a fantabulous Super Tuesday/Fat Tuesday celebration. I'll keep my political commentary to myself, or else I'd have to start an additional blog.
Lent starts tomorrow, and I've yet to decide what I am giving up, or what charitable works I will pursue. Open to suggestions!
February 7 is the first day of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. It is a huge celebration in Vietnam, and many offices - including those relevant to the adoption world - are closed for a couple of weeks.
According to Vietnamese tradition, tomorrow - the equivalent of New Year's Eve - should be spent cleaning and decorating homes in anticipation of the celebration. Here are some beautiful photos that show some of the preparations. There are so many traditions surrounding the holiday. For instance, it is believed that the first visitor to your home during Tet determines your fortune for the next year, so someone who has been deemed lucky or who has a happy disposition is invited to visit before other guests. Hmm, who would I invite if I was to adopt that tradition? :)
2008 is the Year of the Rat. In Googling for more information, I just encountered the most disturbing quote ever: "A party without rat meat is so boring." I hadn't realized that being a rat hunter was a viable occupation in Vietnam. Since we'll be traveling to Vietnam, I choose not to ponder this aspect of the Year of the Rat any further. Next topic...
Pier One has decided I'm worthy of receiving oh, say, a catalog a day in the mail. Not that I'm complaining. I'm currently loving the paper lanterns you can see on their home page, which were also on the back of today's mailer. I wish they came in colors, but wouldn't they be a cute nursery accessory? I also just noticed that they have a page dedicated to Chinese New Year celebrations, which coincide with Tet.
I suppose I should be off to bed now. I stayed home sick today, and my regular doc couldn't see me until Thursday, so I visited the urgent care clinic tonight. Apparently all of OKC is sick right now. People were sitting on the floor and leaning on walls in the waiting room. I managed to snag a chair near the door and proceeded to huddle with a plant for the next two hours, desperately trying to avoid germs that were, no doubt, worse than mine. Sure enough, the doc directed me to hand sanitizer before I left since they'd had so many flu patients through the office. I sprinted for the door with my prescription in hand before any other cootie bugs could latch on. Hopefully I can give this one a swift kick.
I need a cootie shot.
Lent starts tomorrow, and I've yet to decide what I am giving up, or what charitable works I will pursue. Open to suggestions!
February 7 is the first day of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. It is a huge celebration in Vietnam, and many offices - including those relevant to the adoption world - are closed for a couple of weeks.
According to Vietnamese tradition, tomorrow - the equivalent of New Year's Eve - should be spent cleaning and decorating homes in anticipation of the celebration. Here are some beautiful photos that show some of the preparations. There are so many traditions surrounding the holiday. For instance, it is believed that the first visitor to your home during Tet determines your fortune for the next year, so someone who has been deemed lucky or who has a happy disposition is invited to visit before other guests. Hmm, who would I invite if I was to adopt that tradition? :)
2008 is the Year of the Rat. In Googling for more information, I just encountered the most disturbing quote ever: "A party without rat meat is so boring." I hadn't realized that being a rat hunter was a viable occupation in Vietnam. Since we'll be traveling to Vietnam, I choose not to ponder this aspect of the Year of the Rat any further. Next topic...
Pier One has decided I'm worthy of receiving oh, say, a catalog a day in the mail. Not that I'm complaining. I'm currently loving the paper lanterns you can see on their home page, which were also on the back of today's mailer. I wish they came in colors, but wouldn't they be a cute nursery accessory? I also just noticed that they have a page dedicated to Chinese New Year celebrations, which coincide with Tet.
I suppose I should be off to bed now. I stayed home sick today, and my regular doc couldn't see me until Thursday, so I visited the urgent care clinic tonight. Apparently all of OKC is sick right now. People were sitting on the floor and leaning on walls in the waiting room. I managed to snag a chair near the door and proceeded to huddle with a plant for the next two hours, desperately trying to avoid germs that were, no doubt, worse than mine. Sure enough, the doc directed me to hand sanitizer before I left since they'd had so many flu patients through the office. I sprinted for the door with my prescription in hand before any other cootie bugs could latch on. Hopefully I can give this one a swift kick.
I need a cootie shot.
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