Yesterday we received our notarized copy of our completed homestudy! In the adoption process, this is a big step that I am so happy to have behind us. Everything to move forward has been waiting on having this important document. Now that we have the completed homestudy, our I600a has been filed with US Immigration. Once the USCIS receives our I600a they will "invite" us to be fingerprinted. Who knew getting your fingerprints on goverment file would be such a privilege! Once we have been fingerprinted, we will receive the next form, the 171H. These are all steps for US immigration which will officially approve us by the US government to bring our child home and make him a US citizen. Whew...then once we receive the 171H, we can submit the Dossier. That will then place us on the official "waiting list". Our caseworker has told us to anticipate it to take 3-4 weeks to receive our fingerprinting invitation and another 3-4 weeks to receive the 171H. While we wait we are focusing on fundraising and grants. I have two grant applications right now, which I have been waiting on the completed homestudy to be able to submit. I will soon be submitting these for the organizations to review. Please pray specifically that they will consider us for a grant. The US tax rebate for adoption is no longer available (as of 2011, great timing!) so we are really hoping to receive grants and plan to work hard on fundraising! One fundraiser that we are applying for that I'm really excited about is called "Both Hands" through Lifesong for Orphans. It will involve us getting a group of volunteers together that are willing to have a "mailing party" with us and send out letters requesting sponsorship to everyone they know. The sponsors will be sponsoring the volunteers to work with us for one day on a project to do home improvements on a widows home, while raising money for our adoption costs! It's such a neat idea and once we recieve approval I'll post more information about it. Something to be thinking about, for anyone who might like to be involved! We also received encouraging news from our adoption agency this week. They have had the first family arrive home with their little boy from the Congo since all of the changes at the orphanage there. They shared with us some emails they received from the family while they were in country and they had a wonderful experience. Everything went smoothly for them and they were even able to meet their son's birthmother! The agency said that all of the changes seem to be for the better and they anticipate things to run more smoothly now, allowing them to get children home to their waiting families even sooner! Thank you to everyone for keeping us and our little son in your prayers. In addition to all of the adoption projects we continue to enjoy time with Emmaline. We are so blessed to have such an amazing little daughter! Here's what we've been up to lately...
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| Enjoying time with school friends at Jamie's birthday party |
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| Emmaline and her buddy Jamie |
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| Enjoying more time with friends at Macey's birthday party. Two partys in one day!!! |
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| Summertime... |
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| Emmaline had very good reasoning to convince me she should wear these shoes with the dress. "Mommy, your shoes have to have a 'conversation' with your dress. These shoes have a conversation..." Who can argue with that! |
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| Time with cousins, while remembering Great Grandma Dickinson |
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| A peak at some of the handmade jewelry we're selling for a fundraiser! |
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