Just trying to get ready

Goodness Gracious it's been a crazy couple of weeks.

A couple of days after we received our referral we received the next travel packet from our agency. Included in it was a list of documents that needed to be signed, notarized and sent back to them ASAP. It also included a list of other things that needed to be done like contact the NVC (National Visa Center) to make sure USCIS sent our case to them. So...I called NVC and found out they did not have a record of our case. Wow...not exactly what I expected to hear. Needless to say, CCAI (our agency) received a call. I was told that sometimes it's better to email NVC so I did and for good measure I attached a copy of the I-797 (our governments formal approval for us to adopt which explicitly stated that the documents were sent to the NVC). The good thing is it didn't take long for them to respond. The bad thing is they still said they didn't have a record of our case.

The next step...a phone call to USCIS. Apparently the rep on the other end of the line was trained to read word for word the documentation in front of her in a very monotone voice (gotta love government). In that very monotone reading I was told that I would need to email the local office of the USCIS. Fortunately, she was able to get the address for me.

So...I email the local office attaching the I-797 (again for good measure). In this email I explained how anxious we were to make sure all the paperwork was in order before we leave. I also asked that they send the appropriate paperwork to the NVC. Believe it or not, I received a response within a couple of hours. A very pleasant surprise. The response was "We did mail the I-600A packet to the NVC on March 5, 2009. It was never returned to our office as undeliverable. Have you contacted the consulate?"

You know, I usually consider myself a fairly patient person but this just about sent me over the edge. Have I contacted the consulate? Are you kidding? Come on!! How about just resubmitting the paperwork. How hard could that possibly be?

OK...deep breathes. Being ugly in a reply isn't going to get us anywhere. Instead I politely replied and said I wouldn't know how to get in touch with the consulate or who I would talk to. I then asked if he had any suggestions. That was about 3:30 this afternoon. I didn't receive a reply and considering the holiday probably won't hear anything until next week.

On a lighter note, for months we've been holding off on buying anything for Ella because we just didn't know how old she would be or how big. And considering the baby showers that are being planned by both family and friends I had to take the time and register. I'm really surprised at how overwhelmed I was. Thank goodness for my friend Cindy. She isn't too far removed from having to deal with a baby and the things that make life easier. She, along with my niece, Ali, made the whole process a little easier. I really don't like being the center of attention, but I'm really looking forward to the showers. It does my heart good to share this experience with the people who have been waiting with us.