Nine days 'til Christmas! Is everyone ready besides me? I could not get in the Christmas mood until we returned from vacation, and then sickness strikes. I went Christmas shopping for the first time on the 4th and did a little and planned on having last weekend and Tuesday (my day off work this week), but sweet little virus bug came to visit last Sunday morning and finally left the house on Friday. So far, Richie hasn't been sick and seems fine, but Issac and I have had a rough week. Due to that, shopping was put on the back burner until yesterday. After spending from 7:15 am - 2:30 pm at Issac's basketball games, Richie and I were able to go Christmas shopping. Crowded, cold, very wet, but shopping just the same. We knocked quite a bit of it out and I should be able to finish up on Tuesday.
In case you are wondering, yes, we are STILL waiting for our PA and our I171-H. We did receive word from our placing agency that we are one of three families that had to go through a second round of approval (ours being due to a medical question from our basic information) and standard procedure on those are that the director of the CCAA must sign the preapproval also. Due to it being the end of the year, training, and visiting the orphanages the director has been out of the office some and they are on his desk for approval. Our agency facilitator is leaving on Tuesday for China on other agency business and I'm hoping she brings home or sends our PA.
As far as the I171-H, this past week we started contacting our congressmen asking for their help in getting this paperwork completed. What started out as a 45 day wait, turned into an 8 week wait and now we are beginnning our 11th week of waiting. Apparently, the Memphis office of the USCIS processes at a slower rate than some offices of the USCIS. I really need the I171-H in order to go through the authentication process and be ready to send our dossier to China as soon as we receive our PA.
I hope everyone reading this continues to life us up in your prayers. This Christmas season is exciting but there is a feeling that I cannot describe. Knowing there is a little girl half way around the world who we have grown to love and are counting the days until we can make her a part of our family that must spend one of the happiest times of the year with no family is hard. I want to enjoy all the celebrations to the fullest, but can't help and anticipate next year when she will experience Christmas for the first time.
Sending a Christmas kiss to a button nose many, many miles away....
