Two years - two steps to go

His bags are almost packed.

He washed her sheets and blankets and made her bed.

He patched a hole in her wall.  The hole I've asked him to patch for months.

He put an extra leaf in the table.

He handed me a pair of sunglasses to pack.  He said she'll need them.

He is ready.

There are two steps to go.

Her visa appointment hasn't been scheduled yet.  I'm waiting for an email with the date.  After the appointment her visa will be issued.  The final step is an exit letter from IBESR.

Yesterday I got really excited.  For the first time.  Excited at how real this is becoming.  We have waited for her for over two years.

It's time to come home.

Brief Update

It's hard to post an update today.  A dear friend lost her son on Thursday.  It feels insignificant to talk about passports or visas when a beautiful little boy passed away before he was able to join his family.

Right now there are concerns about cholera at COTP.  Many of the kids are sick.  Some are on-site with IVs.  Some are at the hospital.  And some are still showing no signs of being sick.  We've heard no updates about our little girl since Friday.  Our prayer is that she's OK.

Her I-600 was approved and her file moved to Visa.  We are waiting to hear about her visa appointment.  After that we just need an exit letter from IBESR.  Once that's submitted we'll be on our way to get her.  Not soon enough.

Please pray for the family who lost their son.  Please pray for all the kids who are sick.  Please pray for strength and wisdom for the staff that is on the ground in Haiti.  Please pray that all hands that are involved in the adoption process work diligently to get all of our kids home.

I just want her home.

And so it continues...

Adoption is a rollercoaster.  You start to climb up, hoping, anticipating...only to go back down again.

I received an email from the embassy yesterday.  Someone at that very moment was working on her file.  Then they stopped.

My fingerprints aren't...on...file.

We had our initial fingerprinting done almost 18 months ago.  They expired a year later, so we had them redone.  They have his prints.  They don't have mine.

If you haven't had your fingerprinting done recently, you might not know that there isn't ink or paper involved in the procedure anymore.  It's all computerized.  Digital.  Instantly on file.

They can't find mine.

We have our updated I-171H.  For the non-adoption speakers it's a document from Homeland Security, US Citizenship and Immigration.  It not only confirms our fingerprints were done, it gives us a new 'expiration' date for them.

My heart sank.  My thoughts started going crazy.  I instantly emailed the embassy back with a copy of our I-171H.  They answer emails 'in the order they were received'...

I don't want to wait.  All I've done is wait.  

It's been over 18 months since our paperwork arrived there.

This needs to be done.

I need her home.

The Christmas miracle I've been praying for.  It's not going to happen.  Please God.  Please have her home by her birthday.