Since this is the step by step account of Ava's adoption, here's the play by play on how it all happened!
When Craig and I first arrived to get our fingerprints done, we went up to the door, handed them our letter and drivers license and just smiled. (like we had been instructed to do!) The officer looked at me and said, sorry, you'll have to come back in an hour or so, and MAYBE we can take you then. Well, I said I thought we could come early for our appts since this was for an adoption. He said we could come early but that he didn't have to take us--he said they were too busy. So, Craig and I turned around and went back to the car. Craig was taking time off work to do this, and I had driven about an hour to get there. Not the greatest of areas to find something to do for an hour. We went and got gas in the car, then drove back to the USCIS office and parked where we could see the door. After about a half hour, Craig decided to go back up to the door and see if the same officer was there. Craig motioned me to come because he said that someone else was letting people in. So, we decided to try again. This time, we had no problem at all, and walked right in!!! We waited about an hour and a half, got our fingerprints done, and we were finished!!!! I like to think of that as "perseverance!" We were just going to tell that officer that it had already been an hour, we didn't think he'd remember! (but we didn't even have to do that!)
The 2nd part of this story is when I got home. I was told to email the USCIS office the following Monday, and let them know that we had walked in early. I was planning on doing that, but I opened my emails, and read one of the posts on a "Waiting Child Advocate Group" on yahoo. I have learned a lot from reading different posts. I pay attention to the positive, informative ones, and I don't read the negative or whining ones! Well there was a post about a lady who walked in to have her fingerprints done, and immediately after she called her agency and they called the USCIS office that same day and told them the information. I knew that my contact at our agency was in China, so I decided to call the office myself and just see what would happen. The lady on the other end of the line could see where we had our fingerprints done that afternoon, and she said that we had already been assigned to an officer. She transferred me to "Officer Mariah" who told me that we had already been approved. I must have thanked her several times and told her how awesome that was, because she finally just laughed at me!! She told me that I would get our I-800A approval notice in the mail within 7-10 days. I'm hoping it will be this week!!!
It's the little things that have really made a difference during the past few months. Originally we thought we would be doing great to get our dossier finished and sent off by July. Now it looks like I should be able to have it sent off by April 27th. It is possible that we will be logged in with our agency by the end of the first week of May, then we will be able to get referrals and hopefully we will find Ava soon! (Again, we thought it might be the middle of July until we could be logged in)
I'm so excited about the months ahead. Someone told me the other day that it was a wonderful thing that we were listening to God's calling, and what a difference we would make in this child's life. Well I don't think I quite see it that way. I am just so very humbled and amazed that God called us to do this. That He is letting me be a mommy again. I know He will provide for us, even though we have NO idea how!! I get very overwhelmed that He is letting us do this! I'll never forget the man I sat next to at the Chinese New Year's party who had adopted a little boy. He said that He was the one that received the greater blessing from his child, not the other way around. That's how I feel already. I have received so much joy these past 3 1/2 months, just doing the paperwork for this adoption and seeing how God has already worked in our lives.....I can't imagine how the next few months will be! I had lunch with a friend last week who said: "God equips the called, He doesn't call the equipped." I think I'll end with that thought! I think that sums it up :)
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