Passports

My last post was September 23rd, so I guess we have been waiting about 5 month. Today we finally applied for passports for our 3 boys. It was very difficult to get me, my husband, and all three children to the post office during regular business hours all at the same time! Today is Casmir Pulaski Day and here in Chicago it is a holiday for school (we are teachers), so it was the perfect day to apply for the passports. How ironic that it was thanks to a Polish war hero that we all had the day off!!

We still haven't decided if we will bring the kids with us to Poland, but in 6 weeks, we will at least have the option. My passport will expire in October, so I am mailing mine in later today for renewal. Glad I noticed the expiration date today!

A recent pic of our current family.... for now...

Polish adoption group?

I came across this website and I wondered if anyone has ever been to any of their events. There was a picnic here in IL last weekend. I saw that they have meetings in other states as well.
http://www.adoptionspolish.com/index.html

Not really officially waiting yet...

I e-mailed Lina to confirm that everything was received and to confirm that we were officially waiting. I was surprised to find out that it takes about 2 months for "translation & authentication", then we are placed on the waiting list.

Also, while Lina did send our paperwork to Poland, she requested we do 2 things. Our au pairs' medical form was missing a few boxes that were not filled in and she sent it back to us. And my children's medical forms were the DCFS forms that the doctor's office always uses, but Lina wanted them on the St. Mary's form. I was kind of kicking myself for that one, but the form asked so many adult questions, it just seemed odd to use it for small children. So Both sets of doctors are filling out new forms and then I will have to get them apostilled again and then they will join our other paperwork in Poland.

Apstilling & Sending Dossier to Agency

WOW...that was a crazy 2 days!

We got home on Friday night, so I had to wait until Monday to get everything signed at the bank, but our I-800a approval notice was indeed waiting for us when we got home. So I went to the bank and got everything notarized (my hand hurts). Then I headed downtown Chicago to find the Apstilling place. Parking was $29. It took about 1 hour and she handed me back all but about 10 pages and said she couldn't apstill (spelling) an original document. So I gave a call to Lina (our adoption agency contact). She said to make a copy and get it notarized again. Well these documents were signed my my husband and au pair, so I thought I had to go home to get them, but Lina said that I could sign them (medical forms and FBI approvals). So, then I found a Fed EX/Kinko's and made copies, but of course I didn't have a blank notary affidavit, so I had to buy a flash drive and get it off my laptop (good thing I had my laptop). Then I found a bank and had them notarized, the back to the apstilling office. It was a total of $122 ($2 for each signature). Then I went home to organize everything.......There was 1 page missing!!!

So, today I went back to the bank, then the apstilling office, paid $2 more dollars and then back to Fed Ex. It was $52 to mail everything to Lina. Then there was the next set of payments along with it. So, I have added a lot to my running total at the bottom of this blog.

So now it will be translated.

I-800a mail

We came home from MI last night, but there was still no approval letter. So today I called and since our original appointment wasn't until August 18th, that is why the paperwork wasn't processed (something like that). So a very nice man named Elliot, set the process moving while I was on the phone and it will be on his desk by tomorrow, then in the mail to us.

My problem now is that we usually come home every Tuesday from MI for appointments, etc., but next week, we are planning a camping trip to Mackinaw Island. So, do I come home (2.5 hour drive each way) on Monday just for this letter and then back to MI, then another 6 hour drive to Mackinaw? Or do I just wait until the 23rd, when we have to be back in IL anyway for the start of school? I'm tempted to do the drive.... 2 weeks seems like nothing compared to the year we have been working on this.

Three cheers for our federal government!

I never thought I would be excited about the kindness of a federal government employee, but the 2 people we dealt with today were nothing short of wonderful. We got home from our vacation last week to find only an appointment notice for our au pair. her appointment was this Friday, so I went into the office on the notice and found out that it takes 3 weeks to reschedule for another appointment, but we could try to come when they are not busy and they might just take us...BUT we had to have all 3 appointment letters to do that. So, I called the help line and found out that there was a computer glich and David and my letters were coming. Our appointment turned out to be for Aug 18th (another bad day for us). SOOOOO, today we all went in at 8 am this morning and they were VERY busy. A VERY nice man told me to come back at 2 pm and they would take care of us. We did and were all fingerprinted before all of our scheduled appointments... I can't believe it!

Anyone know the approximate wait time from day of USCIS fingerprinting to approval letter received??

I was so worried that we would be on our vacation when we got our fingerprint appointment notice...but we got home yesterday and there was a letter but only for our au pair's appointment. Hers is next Friday (the worst possible day for campground owners!!). So, I went into the office yesterday and asked if we could change it...well, that takes several weeks, but the nice lady behind the counter explained that they might be able to do it if we come and they are not busy on another day. But, I still have to wait until David and I get our appointment letters. Hopefully that will come this Monday or in today's mail.

I still have never heard from the grandmother in the domestic adoption that I talked about, so I'm guessing she had a bad week and now is fine. I hope the little girl is...

We had a wonderful vacation to the Smokey Mts. and we had a car FULL driving down there. My mom, our au pair, my husband and I...and 3 LOUD boys. They say our mini-van seats 7, I guess it does. But next year, I guess my mom won't be able to join us (we will hopefully have a full house!