Wednesday Whine

OK, I don't usually whine as it doesn't get me very far - and I tell my kids not to do it.  But here goes anyway. 

I am just SO frustrated with how long this adoption process is taking - AND the lack of updated information on DJ.  We "officially" started this process on 4/19 when we submitted our LOI for DJ, but because we needed a waiver, we were unwilling to start on our homestudy (can you say big bucks!) before we knew we would be approved.  We got our PA on 4/28 and started our homestudy then.  HOWEVER, we really started this process on 2/22, when CCAA told all of the agencies they were going to pull the individual agency lists and put every child on the shared list.  Unfortunately, we didn't get our LOI in before they pulled DJ's file and so we had to wait.  We had to wait 30 days for him to show up on the shared list and then we had to wait 30 days to be able to lock him since we weren't LID. 

Now, back to our homestudy.  We had our visit on 4/30 and gave them all of the paperwork they needed at that time.  However, due to a mistake on their part, our homestudy took six weeks to finalize rather than the 3 or 4 that it should have.  We then sent our I-800A off to USCIS and it took four weeks to get our fingerprint appt letter.  We walked in two weeks early and were approved the same day - Thank Goodness!

We got our approval letter on Tue, FedEx'ed it on Wed to a courier for state authentication, then she FedEx'd it to our agency on Thur.  Our agency normally handles all of the certification/authentications, but I decided to let our letter make a stop on it's way to TN in Tallahassee just to get it done.  What I didn't realize is that our agency sends EVERYTHING through the Embassy in DC.  Because of this, they have to send it through the US Dept of State as well.  And apparently, they don't use a courier and just let the paperwork follow the normal process.  As a result, it will be two weeks before they get it back and we can be DTC. 

So, here we are, nearly 6 months after we tried to first submit our LOI and we still aren't DTC yet. 

The worst part, is that the information we have on DJ is TWO YEARS OLD!!!! I so want updated pictures and general status information. We sent a care package and were hopeful that we would get some pictures - nada.  Another family was traveling to pick up their son from the same orphanage.  They offered to try to get some info - nada.  We've got nothing!!!  I think what makes it so frustrating is that a friend submitted their LOI for their son at the same time as we tried to initially.  They already have LOA and have been getting regular updates on their son.  It just makes me want to cry.  I'm very happy for them, but sad for us. 

I know that this adoption is all in God's timing; I learned that (I think) with HJ's adoption.  Besides, we've been praying for DJ to have a family for about two years now - what's a few weeks?????

A few weeks feels like a lifetime right now....