HOORAY!!!!

So, the past 10 days have been a roller coaster....ups and downs...I will try to sum them up the best that I can.


Medical Clearances:


7/21 - We both went to the doctor to pick up the medical statements. Brian's looked great...mine looked horrible...Not that they cared...They said, come back tomorrow....
7/22 - they called and the notary did not come in that day so come back Monday
7/26 - Brian drove out to Lake Mary after a workshop and the copy they gave him was the most unprofessional thing I have ever seen. The words were printed off the page, the girl who filled it in (mind you its supposed to be filled out by the doctor) had writing the size of Alaska and couldnt fit anything on one line...The notary stamp was smudged and lightly doubled stamped...REALLY? The sad part is I left them the directions!!!! Good grief... So, Brian asked for another...which they gave him...not notarized...NOT HELPFUL! It really is a good thing I wasnt there...for those of you who know me...you understand that...
7/27 - Finally have a usable notarized version of my medical statement...almost a month after my original visit


USCIS:


7/14 - Our app is received at the lockbox
7/22 - Our app is received at NBC (National Benefits Center)
7/22 - I fax a copy of our doctor's request for expedition
7/25 - I call to be sure that said request has been attached to our application...they dont know...say its too early to tell
7/27 - I call again to be sure that the request for expedition was matched to our application and end up talking to the rudest person...(Im SURE it was Laura's officer!!! lol) LOOONG story short she says no (much more to that...and I was furious) I RE-fax and EMAIL the letter to NBC. Cranky pants emails me back a commentary that basically says we cant be expedited and we wont be expedited we will be waiting our 75-90 days like everyone else. Let the tears flow...I vent with friends...and lo and behold someone knows someone who can help..."Let me email her," he says.
7/28 - Nick (thats all you get...first name) emails his contact...4 hours later we have an officer and ARE being expedited through the process (expedition granted on medical grounds) and we have a fingerprint appointment...on Aug 23. I tell her that is the 2nd day of school and she tells us to try to walk in as soon as we get the card...YAY!  THANKS NICK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!


This is the NORMAL roller coaster we live on right now...everybody adopting goes through these coaster hills: UP, down, UP, down....its sooo taxing....and emotionally draining.


The good news is we only need two things: our notarized letters stating our copies of the agency license is real and our I171H (aka Golden Ticket) from USCIS (see above) HOPEFULLY we have the notarized letters this week and HOPEFULLY we have our Golden Ticket by mid August...THEN we COULD be travelling in late Sept through October!!!!


Hold on Sterling we are coming!!!


PS Sterling's birthday is on August 8th!!! He will be 5! Kind of sad he has to spend it in an orphanage but it is the LAST birthday he will spend there!!! Please pray they dont transfer him to a mental institution before we can get there to bring him home!