Visa Interview and other Happy Events

Warning this is going to be long...

However, for those of you only browsing, or for those who want the Cliffs Notes version, here is the summary in one sentence:

J's Visa Interview took place today!!!!!

Now, for those who like to know the "rest of the story", here are the details of the weekend, book-ended by Friday and Monday:

Last week I was getting very frustrated by continuously hearing that the Packet 3 had still not yet been returned to the Consulate each time I called D.C. (which actually was not every day, just every other day). So Friday, I gave up and figured I would give it the weekend and call again on Monday or Tuesday. However, I decided to call our local agency late Friday afternoon to confirm a few things and after my question was answered, C at the agency said, (paraphrasing here) "And, oh, by the way, I called the Korean agency last night (Friday business for them) and asked them about your case. They said all the paperwork had just been submitted to the Consulate. It took a long time to get your son's visa back, but everything is there now and as long as everything is in order, you should expect to be able to travel later next week or in two weeks." After I hung up, I thought, Wow! Maybe I should have called the Visa Specialists in D.C. today. :)

Afterwards, during the mental processing of what our agency contact said, I realized she probably didn't mean the visa was delayed, since that is what we are trying to get, but that one of the parts the Korean government is responsible for, either the EP or the passport was delayed. Who knows which, but either way, J has both and possibly has the Visa now as well!

Hearing that news sent me into major nesting mode. It was a very busy weekend. My mom came down to visit, which we had actually already planned for, and together we cooked and froze a months' worth of meals for C and I, plus started on freezing some homemade baby food, plus sewed almost the entire crib quilt I had been previously working on. We did most of it yesterday and finished up this morning.

Of course, the first thing I did when I woke up this morning was call D.C. to confirm that the P3 really was returned and that's when I found out J's Visa Interview took place today (26 days after P3 out). The nice man who spoke to me said the results were not uploaded to the computer yet, so we don't know for sure that the Visa has been issued yet. However, I have NEVER heard of a kiddo getting to this point in the Korean adoption process and being denied!

Lastly, to cap off these past few days, I got to attend the arrival party for S & L's daughter G this afternoon!!!!! There was quite a large crowd by the DIA fountains to welcome her home and the poor baby girl was a little overwhelmed. The new mommy and daddy seemed happy though. S kept saying a little bit of sugar, add some water, and instant daddy. :) If you two are reading this, (ha, yeah right, you're doting on your baby girl!) I just wanted to say congrats again and she is beautiful. :)

Welcome Home Baby Girl G!

Now I'm heading back into nesting mode to finish up the baby food, get the car seat installed and do a major house cleaning spree. I'm hoping to hear something from our local agency as early as tomorrow or Wednesday with the "Official Travel Call." Once I hear from them, I can start looking for plane tickets and making our other travel plans! C just gets to coast through all this, since he is out East for business again. Luckily though, he gets to take the next 3-4 weeks completely off, or work partly from home, so that even after we travel, he will be here at home with me as we learn the ins and outs of being a mommy and daddy together and get to know our son. (Major run on sentence, good thing I wasn't an English major!!! LOL)

We are almost there, so close to having Baby J in our arms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fingerprints- Check

C and I drove up to Denver today to get our fingerprints taken by USCIS for the I600. With no line at all, we were in and out in about 10 minutes. For anyone reading my blog who has not gotten to that point yet, our recommendation is to go right after lunch. That is what everyone we know who had gone before us did, and there was no line for any of us. If you want to make a lunch date out of it for you and your significant other, the Support Office is near the I225 and Colfax intersection. Although we did not get lunch at any of these places, I noticed a Spicy Pickle, Noodles & Company and a Chipotle right at that exit on the south-west corner. You might try to meet for lunch when your invitation letter arrives and then head down to the office for your fingerprints.

One last tid bit of news/ rumor I heard recently was that it has typically been taking 5 weeks to the day to receive the travel call for your child after you receive the immigration approval. I certainly hope that is the case, even with quicker I600 approval timeframes. We are hoping for a quick approval time and that everything continues to go smoothly in each step of the process. We would really like to be able to travel to Korea in October!

Dear Abby: Long Journey, Wonderful Destination

The following essay was written by Diane Armitage, an adoptive mother of two, and published in a "Dear Abby" column by the Universal Press Syndicate. Date of original publication is not known, but the essay is timeless and classic. It seems to address and identify more with issues pertaining to adoption post infertility (like myself), but there are parts that will resonate with all adoptive parents, no matter the road to get there.

"Different Trips to the Same Place"
Deciding to have a baby is like planning a trip to Australia. You've heard it's a wonderful place, you've read guidebooks and feel certain you are ready to go. Everyone you know has traveled there by plane. They say it can be a turbulent flight with occasional rough landings, but you can look forward to being pampered on the trip.

So you go to the airport and ask the ticket agent for a ticket to Australia. All around you, excited people are boarding planes for Australia. It seems there is no seat for you; you'll have to wait for the next flight. Impatient, but anticipating a wonderful trip, you wait - and wait - and wait.

Flights to Australia continue to come and go. People say silly things like, "Relax. You'll get on a flight soon." Other people actually get on a plane and then cancel their trip, to which you cry, "It's not fair!"

After a long time, the ticket agent tells you, "I'm sorry, we're not going to be able to get you on a plane to Australia. Perhaps you should think about going by boat."

"By BOAT!" you say. "Going by boat will take a very long time and it costs a great deal of money. I really had my heart set on going by plane." So you go home and think about not going to Australia at all. You wonder if Australia will be as beautiful if you approach it by sea rather than air. But you have long dreamed of this wonderful place, and finally you decide to travel by boat.

It is a long trip, many months over many rough seas. No one pampers you. You wonder if you will ever see Australia. Meanwhile, your friends have flown back and forth to Australia two or three times, marveling about each trip.

Then one glorious day, the boat docks in Australia. It is more exquisite than you ever imagined, and the beauty is magnified by your long days at sea. You have made many friends during your voyage, and you find yourself comparing stories with others who also traveled by sea rather than air.

People continue to fly to Australia as often as they like, but you are only able to travel only once, perhaps twice. Some say things like, "Oh be glad you didn't fly. My flight was horrible; traveling by sea is so easy."

You will always wonder what it would have been like to fly to Australia. Still, you know God blessed you with a special appreciation of Australia, and the beauty of Australia is not in the way you get there, but in the place itself.