Saturday, June 19, 2010
you should read this
Another adoptive parent pointed me to an amazing post that really moved me... so now I would like to share that link with you. I am always searching for words to describe the things I think and feel about adoption, and this writer has captured so many of those thoughts and feelings in a way I haven't been able to. Trust me when I say you should read this.
Monday, June 14, 2010
all systems go!
We have our bank letter! Bank #2 (which will hereafter be my bank #1) came through with a perfect letter!
Waitlist here we come!!!
Waitlist here we come!!!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
one step forward, two steps back
Well, that's not quite right. We continue to move forward with adoption round 2... so maybe we're more like two steps forward, one step back, as it seems that every time we think we've wrapped something up, we find out that there's been a bit of snag and we need to do something else to fix it.
Fortunately, these little snags have generally been minor - the latest being the need for me to sign (and have notarized) a name declaration statement. Seems on one of our reference letters, a friend referred to me as Meredith [Ryan's last name], which I don't mind, but, unfortunately, as I never actually changed my last name when we got married, creates a bit of a discrepancy that needs to be addressed when our paperwork goes to court in Ethiopia.
And then, of course, there is still the matter of our bank letter.
I have been (half) joking about it here for a while. We had such a miserable time getting one of our banks to write a suitable letter when we were adopting Simon, that I had been putting off trying to get one for this round. But I didn't really imagine that it would become the last piece of paper we were waiting on. It is.
As of Friday morning, I had put requests in at two different banks. I came home on Friday afternoon to find the letter one bank sent. And all I can say is WOW (and not in a good way). I don't think I could have been more clear in my verbal and written requests to them. I even included copies of the template Gladney provided AND the letter we got for Simon's adoption as examples of what we needed (we no longer use the bank that provided that letter, although I am seriously thinking of opening an account there again just to get another letter). And what did I get back?? A copy (i.e. not the letter with the original signature) of a letter that doesn't say what was asked and WAS NEVER NOTARIZED!
Ugh!
So now I anxiously wait to see what bank #2 will do. I will also make a repeat visit to a local branch (or two) to put in request #3 (and maybe #4).
Can it really be that all that stands between us and the waitlist is a bank letter? Is it weird that with both adoptions CIS moved super quick, FBI prints cleared within 6 weeks, even our health insurance verification proved fairly easy to obtain... but about 7-8 requests were made from three different banks (among 6 different offices) and so far only one suitable letter has ever been obtained???
Well, at least I know how I will be spending my time this week.
As for the non-adoption stuff... seems like Summer has barely started (okay, I realize officially it hasn't started), but already I feel like it is going so quickly. (Why does that always seem to happen?)
We had a busy but fun trip to Germany a couple of weeks ago, tomorrow Ryan is off to Jordan, and then I go back to Germany a few weeks after he returns. We'll take a family trip to Oregon in August... potentially a weekend in Maine after that... and then, if we're still standing, we'll try to enjoy a little time at home!
Simon will be pretty busy as well. He's been in gym and music classes for most of the last two years and this summer he will add swimming lessons and a cooking class. I am so excited for him - especially the cooking class, since he was too young for most of the classes I had seen previously, and he seriously has been obsessed with cooking since we brought him home. And I really mean obsessed. He knows more about cooking and our kitchen than I do (Ryan will vouch for that). He makes [guaca]mole using [avo]cados and pap[r]ika and [ta]basco... He knows where all our pots and pans go. Can find any spice... grab anything you need from the fridge... even sets the table. Kid is becoming quite the food snob too. He used to eat frozen waffles, but now he will only eat waffles if they're made from scratch!
So all in all, things are good. Crazy (always). Fun. Silly. Busy. And happy.
Just the way we like it.
Fortunately, these little snags have generally been minor - the latest being the need for me to sign (and have notarized) a name declaration statement. Seems on one of our reference letters, a friend referred to me as Meredith [Ryan's last name], which I don't mind, but, unfortunately, as I never actually changed my last name when we got married, creates a bit of a discrepancy that needs to be addressed when our paperwork goes to court in Ethiopia.
And then, of course, there is still the matter of our bank letter.
I have been (half) joking about it here for a while. We had such a miserable time getting one of our banks to write a suitable letter when we were adopting Simon, that I had been putting off trying to get one for this round. But I didn't really imagine that it would become the last piece of paper we were waiting on. It is.
As of Friday morning, I had put requests in at two different banks. I came home on Friday afternoon to find the letter one bank sent. And all I can say is WOW (and not in a good way). I don't think I could have been more clear in my verbal and written requests to them. I even included copies of the template Gladney provided AND the letter we got for Simon's adoption as examples of what we needed (we no longer use the bank that provided that letter, although I am seriously thinking of opening an account there again just to get another letter). And what did I get back?? A copy (i.e. not the letter with the original signature) of a letter that doesn't say what was asked and WAS NEVER NOTARIZED!
Ugh!
So now I anxiously wait to see what bank #2 will do. I will also make a repeat visit to a local branch (or two) to put in request #3 (and maybe #4).
Can it really be that all that stands between us and the waitlist is a bank letter? Is it weird that with both adoptions CIS moved super quick, FBI prints cleared within 6 weeks, even our health insurance verification proved fairly easy to obtain... but about 7-8 requests were made from three different banks (among 6 different offices) and so far only one suitable letter has ever been obtained???
Well, at least I know how I will be spending my time this week.
As for the non-adoption stuff... seems like Summer has barely started (okay, I realize officially it hasn't started), but already I feel like it is going so quickly. (Why does that always seem to happen?)
We had a busy but fun trip to Germany a couple of weeks ago, tomorrow Ryan is off to Jordan, and then I go back to Germany a few weeks after he returns. We'll take a family trip to Oregon in August... potentially a weekend in Maine after that... and then, if we're still standing, we'll try to enjoy a little time at home!
Simon will be pretty busy as well. He's been in gym and music classes for most of the last two years and this summer he will add swimming lessons and a cooking class. I am so excited for him - especially the cooking class, since he was too young for most of the classes I had seen previously, and he seriously has been obsessed with cooking since we brought him home. And I really mean obsessed. He knows more about cooking and our kitchen than I do (Ryan will vouch for that). He makes [guaca]mole using [avo]cados and pap[r]ika and [ta]basco... He knows where all our pots and pans go. Can find any spice... grab anything you need from the fridge... even sets the table. Kid is becoming quite the food snob too. He used to eat frozen waffles, but now he will only eat waffles if they're made from scratch!
So all in all, things are good. Crazy (always). Fun. Silly. Busy. And happy.
Just the way we like it.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
progress?
OK.
So after struggling to find material for guzo for the past few months, I suddenly feel like I've got a million things to share and I'm not sure where to begin. Guess I'll jump right in...
If you've already checked in since Friday, then you know the big news... we have our CIS approval!!* And while I am absolutely thrilled - we had a turnaround time of exactly one month from our finger print appointment (less than 3 weeks since they received our homestudy) and we were hearing wait times of much, much, much longer - it also means I have to fess up to the fact that I've totally slacked off when it came to getting our bank letter.
Thinking we had at least a month (and probably a few months) before we'd get CIS approval, I didn't exactly run to my bank to request a letter (clearly, I am still suffering from the miserable experience we had trying to get a letter for Simon's adoption). I know, I know... I promised I was going about a month ago (two months ago??)... but really, I thought for sure I'd still beat CIS!
Well, obviously that didn't happen. But coincidentally, I did finally put in the request to my bank on Friday afternoon, so hopefully (fingers crossed please), an acceptable letter will be in hand next week (is that too optimistic?).
And, of course, we also just learned that there is another small issue we have to deal with.
Seems that despite the fact that NJ state's law and notary public manual state that (i) attorneys licensed in the state are given full notarial powers and (ii) notaries need not stamp an acknowledgment form, NJ's state authentication office says they will not authenticate some of our documents because they were notarized by attorneys who did not have notarial stamps. Hmmm....
Anyhow, rather than fight this (losing) battle, we now have to redo a few of our dossier documents (and we will do them in NY!). Fortunately, they are all self-produced documents (e.g. certification of our passport copies, power of attorneys, etc.), so no big deal other than trying to coordinate schedules so that Ry and I can get in front of a notary at the same time to sign these again.
And so it goes. All in all, these are pretty minor bumps in the road and I would be silly to even think of complaining. We are still hopeful that we will be able to get a good bank letter and redo the other documents this week... and we can even see the waitlist in our near future.
And then the real fun will begin! ;)
*For those who didn't follow our first adoption and/or don't know much about the process, CIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) approval is one of the last major steps in the paperwork process of international adoption and, because families have little control over the timing, it is usually the last document needed to complete a family's dossier.... The dossier is the file consisting of all of the paperwork we've gathered (FBI clearances, homestudy reports, financial statements, etc.) that will be reviewed in Ethiopia for determination of our suitability to adopt. Our agency will not start the process of matching us with a child until our dossier is complete.
So after struggling to find material for guzo for the past few months, I suddenly feel like I've got a million things to share and I'm not sure where to begin. Guess I'll jump right in...
If you've already checked in since Friday, then you know the big news... we have our CIS approval!!* And while I am absolutely thrilled - we had a turnaround time of exactly one month from our finger print appointment (less than 3 weeks since they received our homestudy) and we were hearing wait times of much, much, much longer - it also means I have to fess up to the fact that I've totally slacked off when it came to getting our bank letter.
Thinking we had at least a month (and probably a few months) before we'd get CIS approval, I didn't exactly run to my bank to request a letter (clearly, I am still suffering from the miserable experience we had trying to get a letter for Simon's adoption). I know, I know... I promised I was going about a month ago (two months ago??)... but really, I thought for sure I'd still beat CIS!
Well, obviously that didn't happen. But coincidentally, I did finally put in the request to my bank on Friday afternoon, so hopefully (fingers crossed please), an acceptable letter will be in hand next week (is that too optimistic?).
And, of course, we also just learned that there is another small issue we have to deal with.
Seems that despite the fact that NJ state's law and notary public manual state that (i) attorneys licensed in the state are given full notarial powers and (ii) notaries need not stamp an acknowledgment form, NJ's state authentication office says they will not authenticate some of our documents because they were notarized by attorneys who did not have notarial stamps. Hmmm....
Anyhow, rather than fight this (losing) battle, we now have to redo a few of our dossier documents (and we will do them in NY!). Fortunately, they are all self-produced documents (e.g. certification of our passport copies, power of attorneys, etc.), so no big deal other than trying to coordinate schedules so that Ry and I can get in front of a notary at the same time to sign these again.
And so it goes. All in all, these are pretty minor bumps in the road and I would be silly to even think of complaining. We are still hopeful that we will be able to get a good bank letter and redo the other documents this week... and we can even see the waitlist in our near future.
And then the real fun will begin! ;)
*For those who didn't follow our first adoption and/or don't know much about the process, CIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) approval is one of the last major steps in the paperwork process of international adoption and, because families have little control over the timing, it is usually the last document needed to complete a family's dossier.... The dossier is the file consisting of all of the paperwork we've gathered (FBI clearances, homestudy reports, financial statements, etc.) that will be reviewed in Ethiopia for determination of our suitability to adopt. Our agency will not start the process of matching us with a child until our dossier is complete.
Friday, June 4, 2010
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