Got the Apostille

We got the apostille on our USCIS letter back today!  Now we're sending a packet with the affidavit from the social work and some other documents to our agency.  One step closer....

I am trying to go faster but my legs are too little ;-)

More Fingerprints, Apostilles, etc

Are there any more things we need for the dossier? 
I feel like I keep asking this, and yes there are more.  Why can't we just do them all at once.  It's like they wait for one item to be done before they ask for the next.  Why can't we work on some of the other things while we wait for the documents sent in to come back?  In the past 2 weeks, we've worked on a few more items. 
Ink fingerprints.  Turns out the Channelers used for the Home Study aren't good enough for the MOJ.  Chris and I both had our ink fingerprints rolled and submitted to the FBI.  Another $56 plus postage.
USCIS Apostille.  Actually, not that easy to get.  The first place we were directed to was not correct, so Chris had to take off work twice to get this done- well not done, but dropped off. 
Affadavit from social worker.  That was easy, we asked her for it and she dropped it in the mail a day or two later.
So we are just waiting on the USCIS letter to get back to us with an Apostille and the FBI prints to be returned.  Then we get those apostilled. 
Is that all we need for the dossier? 

Back to Work

Yup, we start school late here, after Labor Day.  Last week was our first week back with students.  We're off to a good start.  Enrollment is up, way up!
I've been busy -haven't had much time to post.  
We got our notice back from Immigration, now we need to re-do our FBI prints.  We did Channelers the first time, which is ok for the home study but not the MOJ.  I wish we could do these things concurrently.  Then, maybe our dossier will be ready?

No More Waiting Children

For a lot of parents who pursue adoption, it was their second choice- after biology failed them.  Not that it is substandard, but it's just not what we planned.  It can be hard to think about all you'll miss- no sonograms, excitement (and agony) of pregnancy and delivery, no baby showers.  And unless you're doing a domestic newborn adoption- no first time rolling over, sitting up, walking or talking. 
Instead you spend your time digging up your address for everywhere you ever lived, tracking down your police and child abuse clearances, researching agencies and looking over their 990s.  You refinance the house, try to pay off your student loans, find a second job to pay all the fees. 
I thought we had accepted all that adoption encompasses, all that we are missing and we had moved on.  Focused on what we are gaining.  But it all came to a boil last night, when Chris realized he hadn't processed all of it.  Now that his friends are having children, he's seeing the new dad diaper a baby for the first time, give her a bath.  He realizes what he is missing.  
Last week we received 3 referrals for waiting children.  As we looked over the profiles, I think it really set in that we won't be there for some major milestones.  Some of the kids are 4 years old, some have significant medical needs.  There won't be midnight feedings, tummy time, babbling, pureed foods, first haircut, etc.
So we've decided we're not going to look at any more waiting child profiles.  Its too much heartache to look at these kids an no we can't take care of them.  Or, when we plan on proceeding, finding out he's being sent to another family.  Another year of that would be devastating to our emotional well being.  We'll wait for the Ministry of Justice's referral.  
I know when its all over and ten years down the road, we'll forget all the stress, anxiety, heartache.  All that will matter is the child, that we're a family.

USCIS biometrics appointment scheduled!

Biometrics- they are just taking our fingerprints, right?
We are scheduled to have our Immigration fingerprints next Wednesday!  That didn't take too long, though they did schedule in the middle of the first week back to school. 

Rowdy Room

(I had to break up the posts, because my Internet connection wouldn't let me post so many pictures.)
We are remodeling our basement.  I have heard basement bonus rooms called a lot of things- playroom, rumpus room (what Chris calls it), man cave, family room, den- but my favorite name is Rowdy Room.  One of the little girls I was babysitting this summer called her play room the "Rowdy Room." 
Here are some before and after pictures of the basement:
Before- wood paneling painted white, 2 piece bath, vinyl tile floor

And this is what it looks like now: (not the after pics because we're not done :-)

Back Yard Progres

Really when its this hot, its better to work in the rain!

The goal is to make our backyard into a urban oasis.  Safe for little ones to play.  Like most properties in our neighborhood, the backyard was a concrete pad.  For some reason, people here thought that grass/ soil/ trees bred mosquitoes- and mosquitoes are a huge problem.  Concrete enables mosquitoes, rain water is unable to drain into the soil, creating puddles for mosquitoes to breed.  People also thought that broken glass in the soil will discourage rats from burrowing- another brilliant idea. 
We are removing the concrete and adding a patio with previous pavers.  We had a tree installed and are adding fill dirt to the grassy part.  We are adding raised beds to grow vegetables in clean soil.  We are taking down our concrete back steps and adding a small wooden deck with more rails so our little one can fit through the gaps.  We are adding a pergola, because us northerners can't take the sun and heat in the summer here.