Home Study & Customs Update

After the drama of learning we are approved for a baby from Colombia and then bracing for the 3.5 year wait, I quickly realized that this wait will still be busy, frustrating and require more paperwork. I have been incredibly frustrated with the fact that our government can't streamline certain stages in the adoption process. Case in point: our I-800A form from Customs and Immigration expires every 15 months. Our home study expires every 18 months. However, you can't update the customs form without first updating your home study. So basically you lose 4 months on your home study getting it updated early so that it's completed, notarized and ready to send with our original home study and the new I-800A form.

Then add to that confusion that Jonathan is currently deployed so scheduling the home study update also required a scheduled Skype interview for him with our social worker. Skype has been sketchy at best since he deployed and during the interview we lost connection about 3 times. However, I just learned today that our awesome social worker, Janis, was able to get everything she needed from his Skype appointment, my interview, her chat with Madison and walk through our our house. The update is ready to be notarized and mailed to me :)! Woo hoo!

Next step is getting the form updated for the I-800A and then doing a delicate mailing dance of not sending it in too late that things expire and I need to start over, but also not sending it in too early to where I lose months on the approval. I think I have it figured out and hopefully with certified mail it will arrive with only 2 weeks to spare on the current status. Then I get to wait for them to assign me an appointment and for me to take another road trip to St. Louis to get fingerprinted.

Once all this is finished, I shouldn't have much to do except wait for the next 14 months. I'm sure in the middle of that, I'll be writing a post wishing I had some paper work to do :). Thanks for your continued prayers!