We've Been Printed!

We went to immigration offices today and got our fingerprints taken.
Come on I-171h! One more letter to arrive and our paperwork is out to get processed at Secretary of State and then the Vietnamese Consulate and then it goes overseas. A social worker from our agency called my Mom today to ask a couple questions so things are moving along now. I wonder how long until our approval letter will take to arrive? I hope it comes next week! I heard it can take between "one and several weeks", I am hoping for one! A girl has gotta have a dream right? In the mean time, it is save, save, save here.

Vietnamese Cooking Class

This afternoon, Tim and I took a hands on Vietnamese Cooking class in Sonoma. It was really fun! We wanted to learn how to make some traditional dishes so when Oliveia is old enough to eat solids we can make her some foods from her homeland. I have taken a couple classes in Vietnam but nothing as extensive as this, it was awesome and we had a lot of fun.
For more information and photos from the class check my food blog @ http://www.magpieskitchen.blogspot.com/

Here are a few photos...

It's HERE!

We got it and get printed next week!

Phew!

Well, I did it, I got antsy and called the home study agency and they called USCIS for us to find out where our fingerprinting appointment letter is. I couldn't believe the answer, strange but true, USCIS said that they mailed it to us 3 weeks ago and we were scheduled to come in July 3-7! Fortunately, they are sending out another one. I can't imagine what happend to the original one. The mail situation in San Francisco is not good. I have magazines ripped out of their plastic bags all the time and have had things missing before. How come the credit card bill never seems to go missing? We have literally been scouring the mail every day since June 12 to no avail to find out it was sent 3 weeks ago is a little unsettling. Tim brought up the fact that we could have our i-171h approval letter by now if we would have got it, but I can't go there. It should be at our house tomorrow or Saturday and we will get the prints next week and then wait for approval. YIPPIE! I hope that comes quickly and then everything will be set for Secretary of State and the Vietnamese Consulate!
So close but yet so far.
Oliveia, where ever you are, whether you are on this earth or still in your mommies tummy, we love you and can't wait for you to come home! You are in our prayers every day!

Storage

I decided this morning that if I have to pass the stroller in the box in the hallway to my apartment any longer I am going to have a nervous breakdown. I know it may sound silly to some folks, but every time I pass it I imagine going on a walk with my baby and how much I love her already and I don't even know her. It is too painful. I am going to have Tim put that and the Pack n'Play in the storage unit this weekend until we get further along in the process. Waiting on USCIS is no fun at all.

Fingerprinting Appointment

Still haven't heard anything from USCIS.
It has been 5 weeks.
One more and I am going to ask the home study agency to check in on it, if possible.

Things we do while we wait...

1. Start making Christmas gifts (saves money and takes up some time)
2. Scrapbook/Lifebook - we have started this and it is so fun!
3. Organize photos that we have taken over the past year
4. Minimize our "stuff" - we both purged our closets and have more to go!
5. Pray - for her birth mother, for the nannies at the Orphanage and for her health
6. Get in shape, get strong - babies look light but after a while...
7. Practice Yoga often - keeps me in the moment and mellow.
8. Tim plays a LOT of tennis - stress releif and great for his bod.

Baby's First Doughnut?

Just got this at lunch today!

It is a knit doughnut with a rattle inside. So cute and I love the pink frosting with the white sprinkles on top.

Time line

WOW! I was just entering my time line and can't believe how busy we have been with all of this. There may be some dates changing and I may add some things, it is a lot to remember and last night I literally got out all the paperwork and tried to attach a date to each thing.
Currently, we have a little bit of a break and are just waiting for the fingerprinting appointment from USCIS (which can take 4-6 weeks). After we get that done then 4-6 weeks we should get the i-171h approval letter. Once we have the approval letter our adoption agency can send all of the paperwork to CA Secretary of State to be authenticated and then it goes to the Vietnamese Consulate to be stamped and authenticated as well. After that entire process our paperwork will be on a plane and on it's way to Vietnam to be translated, reviewed and then matched with a baby girl that will become the newest member of our family!

Referral Time

Had a call with my social worker on Tuesday and found out that the referral time went from 1-3 months to 3-6 months. So we have a bit of a longer wait than we thought. For a while there, they were telling us we may have our baby girl by the end of the year, but now, it looks like she may be home in 2008. The way I look at it, is when God has the right baby for us, he will bring us together. These things cant be rushed.
Anyway, trying to update the time line on my blog, it is still under construction.