In Polish, it means inept. I have a little widget I found to put on this blog that provides me with a daily Polish word to help me learn more of the language. And although I love it, it seemed almost prophetic since it kinda captured my feelings about the federal government, especially today. Now, I am a pretty realistic kind of girl- generally patient and able to see the silver linings amongst the clouds. Today, I was thrilled when good ole Fed Ex delivered all 33 documents we had sent in to the state of SC all apostilled and pretty. They all had the nice letter, were attached, signed, all except.... the one for the FBI background check. Hello cloud.
This would be the same FBI background check we initially did back in the beginning of fall and received in October as "No Records Found". Now, at the time, I followed the information to a "t" on both the FBI site and through the info the agency provided. When I sent the request with the fingerprint cards, I actually called the FBI and spoke to a less than pleasant "professional" that told me exactly what they needed to go directly from that office to authentication. "No, no charge if they go directly from our office", "Yes, this is exactly what you need to put. Didn't you look at our website?". Sigh. So anyway, I sent in our cover letter with the EXACT wording they had provided me- and yes, which was on their website. Of course, we got the letters back stamped, but not apostilled . So I called again and got another "happy" official, and they told me they didn't do that because our state could. Ok.... So that matched up with the letter and info our agency had sent regarding getting it apostilled through our state so everything was cool right? Wrong. Apparently, most states (but the only one that matters for us is SC) will NOT apostille that document even with the notarized letter recommended from our agency. Ah, learning curve. I missed you. lol I knew things were going too smoothly.
So today, we called the SC Sec of State to double check and they told us that they had specific instructions from the FBI- you remember them, the ones who told me exactly what to do?- to NOT apostille any form meant for overseas and that it had to go through the US Dept of State and it should be on the request letter and....blah, blah blah blah, BLAH! Totally frustrating. I could have obviously sent that form in a WHILE ago, had it apostilled by the US Dept of State, and back already in my hot little hands, but instead we have to send in even MORE money and wait. Nieudolny. I almost feel like buying a $79 ticket to DC just to walk-in with the darn thing! lol
Ok, so various silver linings-
1) The lady from the SC Sec. of State was super awesome (I mean, alot of people are nice in the South, but she was fantastic) and told us exactly what needed to be done;
2) We are going to call the wonderful lady we worked with before (you might remember the high praise I paid Naomi from an earlier post) and see if she'll expedite/help us out;
3) We still have time for all this because we need to get the final 171H and get our home study sent and back from NC;
4) And best of all, we did received the lion's share of the dossier today, all sealed and signed and ready to go once the loose ends are tied up. Oh, and did I mention they turned it around in one day?? Wow, bravo South Carolina!
So, I'll try to keep looking on the bright side and carry on, even in the midst of "nieudolny".
our front yard looking out at the lake and mountains...and yes, it was that gray and dark this morning!
Just an update, the snow indeed did hit our area and ok, it actually has been alot- over 6 inches and counting! Obviously, that means snow day! Not only schools, but all state offices in ALL counties are closed today, Clemson University is closed (which rarely happens), snowplows stuck all over, and my northern-born husband couldn't get out of our subdivision- now that's bad.
On the bright side, God's work is indeed beautiful! Since we rarely see snow of this magnitude down here, it is truly something to marvel at. And we are totally ready to go play in the snow- even the dogs are trying it out! Lucky our rescued southerner & Lambeau, a Michigan dog through & through, run & play all through the snow, jumping and chasing each other all over the yard. However, Maizy our little GA peach still doesn't want to be out in it too long, but she tries.
Can't blame her today though- the snow comes to her belly!
Ok, not really- it's actually just a predicted major snowstorm in the South. Even after all our years of living, we transplanted Midwesterners still get a kick out of the total over-reaction. Still, you would never know the world wasn't coming to an end as people here frantically shop for supplies like milk, bread, hamburger (yes, apparently very necessary for an apocalypse), and sleds. "Wait, what?", you say. "Did you say sleds??" Yes, yes I did.
We are predicted to have anywhere from 1-6 inches of snow here in the South over the next 24 hours and although the food raids are understandable, the sleds are the HOT commodity. And it is total supply and demand at work. There are literally none to be found anywhere in three counties and I swear people would pay anything for a small saucer at this point. Oh, and did I mention? There is not one flake on the ground or in the air yet! LOL!
On Facebook, some people have started posting some of their more "creative" solutions so they might enjoy the snow. Thankfully, we already have a sled, but here are some of the more interesting ones I read:
Laundry baskets with homemade silicone spray (didn't know you could make that...)
Wrapping paper storage containers (you know, the long ones?)
Boogie boards greased up with Pam
Trash can lids
Cardboard boxes
Plastic sandbox covers
Lunch trays
And (oh boy) the hood of an old VW?
We just have to laugh and laugh. Its fun to see the excitement and the kids are loving the idea of playing in the snow, which happens only a couple times a year. And it gives us experienced former northerners a chuckle.
Today we sent in that monster of an application better known as the I-800A! No, it didn't look like this, but I would much rather picture it as this because, well, I love Sully! lol
It feels good to have yet another thing checked off the adoption 'to-do" list, but I must admit, as soon as I handed the Fed Ex envelope to our express mail guy, I felt a bit freaked. But why should I worry? I mean, I double-, triple-, and quadruple-checked everything. All the forms were there. The check was there. The application was signed and there. The evidence required was there. And even the pre-paid return envelope was there! Still, I won't be satisfied until we get that text/email they have received it and then get the approval letter from USCIS. I know this anxiousness is a normal feeling for all prospective adoptive parents, but I also know that its because its regarding something (and someone) very important. So now we wait, but soon that dossier will be complete and ready to go. And we'll be one step closer to our son!
We want to wish everyone a very Happy 2011! Today we are doing what we LOVE- watching Michigan football (so glad we can again say Happy New Year and Go Blue at the same time!); watching the Rose Parade (I am a 3-time veteran having marched with the Michigan Marching Band when in college), and cheering for the Big Ten (now 12- don't ask, lol). If you ever get a chance to attend a Rose Bowl, do. It is truly spectacular! If you also ever get a chance to go to the Big House, do. Again, spectacular. So until next time- Go Blue and Happy New Year!
After months of filling out forms, gathering information, and waiting, we were very excited to receive our completed and approved home studies from our agency on....wait for it....Christmas Eve! Seriously, at 4pm the mail got here and there that bad boy was! I took that as a really good sign. Of course, since it was not only Christmas Eve but also Friday, we had to wait to get that I-800A in the mail until this week. I have to admit that I wanted to enjoy the beauty of the weekend and not let it stress me. And I figured what was the rush since government offices might not necessarily be the quickest during this time. ;)
Instead, we celebrated by going to Christmas Eve mass, making cookies for Santa, getting on our Christmas PJs (Bernard, Santa's elf leaves them for us every year) and enjoying the evening. The next morning, we continued to celebrate with a great Christmas Day, family safely arriving from up north, a wonderful dinner with our close neighbors, and unbelievably- a white Christmas in SC! We had at least a couple of inches and it was absolutely beautiful! All of it just seemed like God saying "Chill out. Its all going well, so don't worry and just enjoy the birth of My Son." So we did just that.
This week, we got back to "work" and got the needed forms and documents together. We'll get them printed, signed, and by week's end, away they will go! In between, we'll be enjoying each other, watching college and pro football (especially cheering for Michigan, Clemson, Wisconsin, and the Packers), and relaxing. Still, it feels good to have yet another task completed and even if there is more waiting, we're ready. Every bit is progress and we're are getting closer and closer. As we told our son, next Christmas you will be a big brother. We can't wait!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and we wish you all many blessings (and children) in the New Year!
Merry Christmas everyone! I haven't written on the blog in a while because for the last month or so, its been basically a back and forth between our social worker and the agency to perfect the home study. Here I thought it was looking great according to the agency, but our social worker had trouble with some of the ways sections and sentences were worded. She felt the grammar was thin and took it a little too personal (in my opinion) rather than looking at the reasons behind the wordings (ie ease of translation, not raising red flags or problems in either the US or Polish govt/courts, etc). I have to admit to a certain amount of frustration because it seemed like the discrepancy was not over content, but how it was expressed. I can understand both sides (no, really I can!) but while the haggling was going back and forth, I started to feel like this:
When I should have been feeling like this- its Christmas after all! :
So why the added frustration? Well, I have been also clicking off the days before we could get our documentation submitted to the USCIS since our goal was to have that in by the first of the year. Now, although the home study is done and we should have it in our hot little hands this next week, you know the US govt is going to be moving at a snail's pace during the holidays. So our overall goal of having the dossier in by the new year with hopefully a referral to follow soon afterwards is pretty much:
plllbbbbbbb!!
Anyway, regardless of all that I have been very busy focusing on preparing for Christmas and it has been a happy distraction. My son, Case, is 9 this year and although he has asked a few questions, he still believes and we are happy he does. We have talked about the spirit of St Nicholas and are preparing for the transition that will eventually happen, but for now he loves all things Christmas and looking for our elf Eddie (the Elf on the Shelf) to tell Eddie things meant for Santa.
But most importantly, Case is acutely aware of the reason for the season- the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has taken his job of doing our nativity advent calendar very seriously. It entails reading a part of the Christmas story everyday and hanging the daily wood cutout on the nativity scene. When all the pieces are in place, it displays the famous scene. I'm probably not describing it well, but suffice to say he loves it and it gives us a fantastic way to discuss the Nativity every year.
Which leads me to the title of this blog- "Mary Did You Know?" By far, this is one of my favorite Christmas songs (that and "My Grown-up Christmas List). It is the most poignant, beautiful, and emotional songs I have ever heard. As a mother, especially a mother of a son, it truly speaks to my soul. Here is the link:
Think about these verses in the song: "When you kissed your little baby, you kissed the face of God"; "This child that you delivered will soon deliver you". Wow. When I hear this, I feel the depth and breadth of emotion throughout my soul.
I admire and love Mary beyond words. She has been my "mother" since mine went to heaven and for me, she is the role model I look to in my parenting decisions. And sometimes- actually often- I marvel at the mystery of how she was able to do everything she did. I love my son with my whole being and I know she did the same; yet, she knew what it meant to bring Jesus into the world and what must happen down the road. How did she do it? Mary, did you know? There was all the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy, not to mention the strain it might have caused her and Joseph, and yet, she accepted it and her motherhood without question and wholeheartedly. And at one time, she was like me- a new mother looking down at her newborn son fill of love and wonder and hope. I wonder, although Mary knew what Jesus' life meant, did she truly grasp the magnitude of important things he would do when she held him as a newborn? Maybe she did, and how completely wonderful it must have been for her. She never looked at Jesus as anything other than her son, although she knew he was destined for great things. But more importantly, she knew she was destined to be his mother, end of story. She loved him because God brought him to her- even if it was unconventional, to say the least.
And that's why this song speaks to me. Not just because of the son I have and gave birth to, but also for the son we are destined to have that will be brought to us by God. So, as we are finishing this (often frustrating) paperwork, I have to look to Mary. There is a little boy out there that will need me as a mama and I will need guidance and support to help me be the mother God intends me to be. Did Mary know? We'll never know. What we do know is she handled herself with grace, loved Jesus beyond measure, and ultimately gave the world our Savior. And I know when my time comes, I will look to Mother Mary for guidance and support and never, ever forget the lessons she taught us- a mother's love is infinite and can make all the difference.
Blessings to you all during this beautiful Christmas season!
