I called our agency yesterday to make sure they received the information that was mailed to them last week and to make sure everything was there. They got it, and yes, everything was there now they were just waiting on our authenticated documents that were being picked up from the Consulate yesterday. I reassured them that I would have them Tuesday and would overnight everything to them so they would have them in their hands by Wednesday which would be we would be DTC on Wednesday or Thursday. Sounds good, right?
Wrong! Not twenty minutes after I hung up with them I got a call on my cell phone and almost didn't answer it because I didn't recognize the number. I went ahead and answered it only to find out that it was the courier in Chicago that was supposed to be picking up our documents. She kindly let me know that the Consulate had rejected one of our documents for authentication. By this time I was pretty much freaking out. She said that they would not accept our application letter because the dates from the notary and the dates from our signatures were not the same. Not sure how, or what happened, all I kept thinking was this was just one more roadblock that was going to slow us down.
After talking to her for a few more minutes, I knew what I needed to do and was immediately in "go" mode. I called Matt, let him know what was going on and that we were going to have to meet at the bank to get the application letter (this is the letter we sent to China assuring them that we are fully aware that Keliah has medical issues and that we will get her the treatment she needs among other things) notarized again and that I was going to have to make another trip to Indianapolis to get it authenticated at the Secretary of State's office. I began making arrangements for our kids along with the two boys I watch during the day. Luckily, my mom was planning on coming up this morning, so she went ahead and came up last night so she could stay here and get Gabe from school. I am also pretty lucky that the parents I sit for are flexible and understanding.
After getting meeting at the bank, Matt and I decided to take ALL the kids to dinner which is something we rarely do so we decided on Chinese. There is a great Chinese restaurant down the road from us and the kids love it because one, all the workers are actually Chinese, and two, they get ice cream when they are done. As with all Chinese restaurants, when the bill comes out, so do the fortune cookies. Everyone gets a fortune cookie and we read it so everyone can hear. Once the kids were done, it was my turn to read mine. I opened it, read it to myself and started laughing.
How fitting was this...
And, if you do the math, our authenticated paperwork will be picked up next Monday (April 25th). The courier is going to overnight it directly to our agency so they will receive it Tuesday afteroon (April 26th). And as long as everything is correct this time, we WILL be DTC on Wednesday, April 27th (please see the lucky numbers above). No, I don't actually believe fortune cookies, but come one, how cool is that one given everything obstacle we have had to overcome. Success will come, I have no doubt.
So, this morning, Andrew and I took off for Indy to get the application letter re-authenticated. The plan was to get down there by 9:30 when they opened and turn right around and be home by noonish. All went well on the way down, but we hit some nasty storms coming home which involved downpours of rain, thunder, lightning, and winds that were so strong I was gripping the wheel so hard my palms were hurting. What normally takes about 2 hours one way, took us almost 3 hours to get home.
The third time is the charm right? I have driven to Indy and back 3 times to get this little gold sticker.
Here is my little travel companion
I was so glad he took a nap because with the weather the way it was, I was able to concentrate on driving and not entertaining Andrew.
So, that is our newest update. The good news is that we are getting closer and closer to our goal and are only in need of $4368.00 to be DTC. And as I said before, anything and everything we raise above and beyond our goal will go directly to Connie and her family who will be traveling very soon to bring home their TWO beautiful girls. See the post below for all the details.
1 comment:
Hi! I just found your blog and loved reading about your growing family. All of your comments about the trips to Indy and Chicago sound so similar to our experience--I was chuckling and sympathizing at the same time. We are adopting our two daughters from Haiti and are at the I600 final approval stage (hope to bring them home in June/July) Thanks for your blog--encouraging and uplifting!
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