1) Brandon and I do NOT have Tuberculosis! Yep, that's right. We are living TB free! For those of you wanting the details, it's quite simple: we have to be checked out by a doctor, and then he submits a report on our health with our application. One of the tests was to see if we had TB, and I am glad to say that we are good to go.
2) Apparently, I was in the military! Another piece of info we have to submit with our application is the medical report for our pets. Not sure exactly why they need this, but I guess it's part of being thorough. So when Brandon got the reports today, I was copying them and glanced down at the names listed as owner. It has a place for Title, you know like Mr or Mrs. Well, my title was Captain. So I will now start signing my name as Captain Phil Rice, and I will expect people to salute me. Or, I may just go by Cap'n, dress up like a sailor and start posing for cereal boxes (Cap'n Crunch, for those who can't figure out who I am talking about).
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Things are Clicking Along
Lots of things to report this week:
1) We finally got a response from Homeland Security/Immigration Services and our case is in the pending file! We had been waiting to get word from them and finally they responded back to an e-mail Brandon sent last week to let us know that it is pending our Home Study (which will be scheduled very soon). So this lifts one concern we have had for the last 2 months or so - see previous posts for reasons why.
2) We are putting together more documents for our application, which includes a letter from my employer, a letter from our CPA (since Brandon is self-employed), reference letters, pictures of our home as well as a sketch of the layout, and copies of our birth and marriage certificates.
3) We went to the doctor yesterday to get our medical exam done. Basically they pulled 6 small tubes of blood from each of us in order to test for everything known to man, including STDs. Just in case you are wondering, I think we are both A-OK on that front. They also had to give us a shot to check for TB and we have to go back tomorrow for them to check our reaction to it. I felt so bad for Brandon because they had to stick her in 2 different places to get enough blood to test (which took a total of 20 minutes or so for her compared to 5 minutes for me - I'm a good bleeder I guess). Later that day, she had bruises on her arm and hand from the injections, and she wasn't feeling well (possibly due to the combination of a TB injection, them taking blood, and her allergies acting up). But she was a real trooper. I, on the other hand, had no problems. Funny how that works sometimes.
Next up, we have to meet with a pediatrician to find out what ailments we are willing to accept for our kiddo. We also have to determine whether we want to request a specific gender or leave it up in the air. I'll be back with details soon and let you know what we decide. I think we may already know, but I have to leave you with a cliffhanger or you may not come back to read the blog!
1) We finally got a response from Homeland Security/Immigration Services and our case is in the pending file! We had been waiting to get word from them and finally they responded back to an e-mail Brandon sent last week to let us know that it is pending our Home Study (which will be scheduled very soon). So this lifts one concern we have had for the last 2 months or so - see previous posts for reasons why.
2) We are putting together more documents for our application, which includes a letter from my employer, a letter from our CPA (since Brandon is self-employed), reference letters, pictures of our home as well as a sketch of the layout, and copies of our birth and marriage certificates.
3) We went to the doctor yesterday to get our medical exam done. Basically they pulled 6 small tubes of blood from each of us in order to test for everything known to man, including STDs. Just in case you are wondering, I think we are both A-OK on that front. They also had to give us a shot to check for TB and we have to go back tomorrow for them to check our reaction to it. I felt so bad for Brandon because they had to stick her in 2 different places to get enough blood to test (which took a total of 20 minutes or so for her compared to 5 minutes for me - I'm a good bleeder I guess). Later that day, she had bruises on her arm and hand from the injections, and she wasn't feeling well (possibly due to the combination of a TB injection, them taking blood, and her allergies acting up). But she was a real trooper. I, on the other hand, had no problems. Funny how that works sometimes.
Next up, we have to meet with a pediatrician to find out what ailments we are willing to accept for our kiddo. We also have to determine whether we want to request a specific gender or leave it up in the air. I'll be back with details soon and let you know what we decide. I think we may already know, but I have to leave you with a cliffhanger or you may not come back to read the blog!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Well, we're waiting.....
It's been 3 weeks since US CIS received our application to adopt a child, and still we have heard nothing. We should have received a receipt of some type, which would tell us that they received it, that our case is pending, and what the actual case number is.
We have called the 800 customer service number and they can only help you if you have a receipt. I am not sure if you remember this or not, but just a moment ago I mentioned that THEY HAVEN'T SENT US ONE! We sent an e-mail to their customer service address and haven't heard anything yet. I think they have e-mailed us back 3 of the 4 times we have sent e-mail to this address, but it typically takes a few days.
Unfortunately, this process would try the patience of a saint. For those of you who know me, you know that my father was a minister, but I am not a saint. Very far from it, actually. So you know the top of my head is about 3 milliseconds from completely blowing off.
All we can do at this point is continue to work on our paperwork for the adoption agency. We also have to begin putting together our documents for our dossier to be sent to the Russian government. So at least we can keep our end of the process moving, even if the wheels in the rest of the process have ground to a complete hault.
I guess I should explain all the in's and out's of the application process in one of my posts. It might give you some idea of all the hoops you have to jump through when adopting a child. I'll try to get to that in the next few days.
We have called the 800 customer service number and they can only help you if you have a receipt. I am not sure if you remember this or not, but just a moment ago I mentioned that THEY HAVEN'T SENT US ONE! We sent an e-mail to their customer service address and haven't heard anything yet. I think they have e-mailed us back 3 of the 4 times we have sent e-mail to this address, but it typically takes a few days.
Unfortunately, this process would try the patience of a saint. For those of you who know me, you know that my father was a minister, but I am not a saint. Very far from it, actually. So you know the top of my head is about 3 milliseconds from completely blowing off.
All we can do at this point is continue to work on our paperwork for the adoption agency. We also have to begin putting together our documents for our dossier to be sent to the Russian government. So at least we can keep our end of the process moving, even if the wheels in the rest of the process have ground to a complete hault.
I guess I should explain all the in's and out's of the application process in one of my posts. It might give you some idea of all the hoops you have to jump through when adopting a child. I'll try to get to that in the next few days.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
It's Official
Today it hit us that we are really starting on an adventure to get our child. We turned in the first set of documents required for our application and paid for our initial deposit and home study. We also attended a meet & greet session at Gladney in Forth Worth. We got to meet some of the staff that will be helping us over the next few months/years, as well as hear from a panel of 6 families that have recently adopted.
It was absolutely incredible to see these families and the love they have for their children. There was at least one child from several of the countries Gladney works with: Russia, China, Ethiopia, and Guatemala. We also got to meet other couples that are ready to embark on the process like we are.
After the larger group meeting, we broke out into smaller groups based on the areas of the world we were adopting from. In this smaller group, we met a couple that is going through the process of getting their 3rd child from Russia. They were so incredibly helpful, and had plenty of stories to tell us. We exchanged information and I am sure we will be contacting them on numerous occasions to get more inside info on this whole experience.
Next up for us, we still have quite a few documents to put together to send to Gladney over the next 2 weeks. We also will probably have our home study schedule over the next month or so. Essentially, our home study consists of a social worker coming out to our house, checking out where we live, and asking us a ton of questions about ourselves and why we are adopting.
It was absolutely incredible to see these families and the love they have for their children. There was at least one child from several of the countries Gladney works with: Russia, China, Ethiopia, and Guatemala. We also got to meet other couples that are ready to embark on the process like we are.
After the larger group meeting, we broke out into smaller groups based on the areas of the world we were adopting from. In this smaller group, we met a couple that is going through the process of getting their 3rd child from Russia. They were so incredibly helpful, and had plenty of stories to tell us. We exchanged information and I am sure we will be contacting them on numerous occasions to get more inside info on this whole experience.
Next up for us, we still have quite a few documents to put together to send to Gladney over the next 2 weeks. We also will probably have our home study schedule over the next month or so. Essentially, our home study consists of a social worker coming out to our house, checking out where we live, and asking us a ton of questions about ourselves and why we are adopting.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
How much paperwork is involved?
Late last week, we received a couple of e-mails from the folks at Gladney (our adoption agency). Both of the e-mails had paperwork that we had to fill out as well as information like travel tips, specifics about their Russia program, etc. In total, there were 8 attachments and nearly 200 pages of stuff to look through. A little overwhelming to say the least.
The good news is that they provided us with a "roadmap" so to speak. They told us what forms they need now and which ones they will need in the near future. Our application is up first, which is about 8 pages plus supporting documents. It's a lot like a loan application, because we had to provide information about how long we have lived at our current house, our employment history, our financial picture, and whether or not we had been arrested or convicted of a crime. I knew I was okay on that last one, but you never know about that Brandon!
Other items that they need from us include:
- a letter from my employer (confirming how long I have worked there and what my salary is)
- a letter from our CPA (stating how much Brandon makes since she is self-employed)
- a letter from our doctor (showing our physical and mental health, and what prescriptions we are currently taking)
- a letter from my insurance carrier (confirming that our child will be covered from the day they get placed with us, which is the day we accept the child, not the day they arrive back at home with us)
- pictures of our house and directions to it (info needed prior to the home inspection that the agency will be conducting)
- medical records of our pets (showing that they are up on all their vaccinations - I know, kind of interesting, eh?)
- names & addresses of our referrals and our parents
This isn't a complete list, but it gives you an idea of what kind of information we have to pull together. Too bad that people who have children on their own don't go through this kind of review before they are able to have kids. Maybe then we wouldn't see sad news stories about parents leaving their kids in a car when it's 110 degrees outside, or that they had their 5-year-old smoke marijuana. I know, I'm preaching to the choir here.
So while this seems like a lot of work, we are keeping our eye on the end goal. And when you think of it in that way, this is really nothing. We also are encouraged every day by friends and family, which is incredibly helpful.
The good news is that they provided us with a "roadmap" so to speak. They told us what forms they need now and which ones they will need in the near future. Our application is up first, which is about 8 pages plus supporting documents. It's a lot like a loan application, because we had to provide information about how long we have lived at our current house, our employment history, our financial picture, and whether or not we had been arrested or convicted of a crime. I knew I was okay on that last one, but you never know about that Brandon!
Other items that they need from us include:
- a letter from my employer (confirming how long I have worked there and what my salary is)
- a letter from our CPA (stating how much Brandon makes since she is self-employed)
- a letter from our doctor (showing our physical and mental health, and what prescriptions we are currently taking)
- a letter from my insurance carrier (confirming that our child will be covered from the day they get placed with us, which is the day we accept the child, not the day they arrive back at home with us)
- pictures of our house and directions to it (info needed prior to the home inspection that the agency will be conducting)
- medical records of our pets (showing that they are up on all their vaccinations - I know, kind of interesting, eh?)
- names & addresses of our referrals and our parents
This isn't a complete list, but it gives you an idea of what kind of information we have to pull together. Too bad that people who have children on their own don't go through this kind of review before they are able to have kids. Maybe then we wouldn't see sad news stories about parents leaving their kids in a car when it's 110 degrees outside, or that they had their 5-year-old smoke marijuana. I know, I'm preaching to the choir here.
So while this seems like a lot of work, we are keeping our eye on the end goal. And when you think of it in that way, this is really nothing. We also are encouraged every day by friends and family, which is incredibly helpful.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Rejected, Yet Again
So today marks the 4th, yes the 4TH time we have sent in the same info into stupid Homeland Security/Immigration Services. Mind you, we have not materially changed what we have been submitting, we have to keep sending it in until we get a person with more than one brain cell to realize that we have submitted literally EVERYTHING that we needed to.
The good news is that a woman who had responded back to an e-mail Brandon sent to their customer service told us that it was rejected in error, and that it was overlooked because she was out of town on vacation. This time we at least got a specific named individual to send it to rather than the generic "Special Orphan Officer" that we had been sending it to in the past.
So keep your fingers crossed and pray that they finally figure things out on their end.
On another note, I went to a Ranger game tonight and it made me realize how excited I am to be a Dad. One of the things my father and I shared was a love for the game of baseball. It's such a great game and I can't wait to instill that same love for the game into my child (boy OR girl).
The good news is that a woman who had responded back to an e-mail Brandon sent to their customer service told us that it was rejected in error, and that it was overlooked because she was out of town on vacation. This time we at least got a specific named individual to send it to rather than the generic "Special Orphan Officer" that we had been sending it to in the past.
So keep your fingers crossed and pray that they finally figure things out on their end.
On another note, I went to a Ranger game tonight and it made me realize how excited I am to be a Dad. One of the things my father and I shared was a love for the game of baseball. It's such a great game and I can't wait to instill that same love for the game into my child (boy OR girl).
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Your Tax Dollars Hard at Work
So today marks the THIRD time we have mailed in the exact same information to Homeland Security to get the government's paperwork started for our adoption. Between my wife and I, we have 3 college degrees, so it's not like we don't understand basic instructions. We were asked to send in the following:
1) completed I-600A application form (a page and a half long government form with basic info: name, birthdate, marriage date, etc.)
2) copies of birth certificates or passport (we sent both), marriage license, etc.
3) form giving our permission for a background check
4) money order or cashier's check for payment of fees for the application fee and fingerprinting fee (our adoption agency suggested we send in 2 separate payments, one for each fee)
We got it back the first time with a standardized checklist form that appeared to suggest we didn't include the fingerprinting fee, even though nothing was checked stating what we had missed. I guess I made the mistake of clipping them both together, and not separate and the disgruntled federal government employee didn't take note of that.
The second time we got the info back, it had a three page document attached to it. The first page had instructions for mailing for several other forms, but not the I-600A which is what we filled out. The second page was illegible (bad copy), and the third page was the same standardized checklist they had sent before and again, NOTHING WAS CHECKED!
Well during this time, we contacted their customer service 800 number and of course, the person there was less than helpful, and obviously had no clue why they returned it to us. We called again and this time, the women said that we would get something back if it was accepted and to watch my bank account, and if the check cleared, then that was another indication it was accepted. She interrupted me several times and said that I must not be understanding her. Finally, I had to talk loud enough to interrupt her and state that she must not be understanding me. First of all, we had gotten EVERYTHING back TWICE with no reason as to why they didn't accept it. And secondly, since I couldn't make the payment with a personal check, how would I know when the payment cleared even if it HAD been accepted?
So basically, we have now mailed the info back in with an even more descriptive cover letter than the first time around, but this time we mailed it to the Oklahoma City office (because apparently, that's where the Dallas office forwards it anyway). In the meantime, we are out nearly $30 in additional FedEx fees, and have had two weeks of very frustrating delays.
By the way, these are the same folks that handle all immigration paperwork, so if you ever wondered why the US has such a bad immigration problem, we might have uncovered part of the answer. Sad thing is, all the people involved in this process probably feel like they are underpaid for the great service they are providing!
1) completed I-600A application form (a page and a half long government form with basic info: name, birthdate, marriage date, etc.)
2) copies of birth certificates or passport (we sent both), marriage license, etc.
3) form giving our permission for a background check
4) money order or cashier's check for payment of fees for the application fee and fingerprinting fee (our adoption agency suggested we send in 2 separate payments, one for each fee)
We got it back the first time with a standardized checklist form that appeared to suggest we didn't include the fingerprinting fee, even though nothing was checked stating what we had missed. I guess I made the mistake of clipping them both together, and not separate and the disgruntled federal government employee didn't take note of that.
The second time we got the info back, it had a three page document attached to it. The first page had instructions for mailing for several other forms, but not the I-600A which is what we filled out. The second page was illegible (bad copy), and the third page was the same standardized checklist they had sent before and again, NOTHING WAS CHECKED!
Well during this time, we contacted their customer service 800 number and of course, the person there was less than helpful, and obviously had no clue why they returned it to us. We called again and this time, the women said that we would get something back if it was accepted and to watch my bank account, and if the check cleared, then that was another indication it was accepted. She interrupted me several times and said that I must not be understanding her. Finally, I had to talk loud enough to interrupt her and state that she must not be understanding me. First of all, we had gotten EVERYTHING back TWICE with no reason as to why they didn't accept it. And secondly, since I couldn't make the payment with a personal check, how would I know when the payment cleared even if it HAD been accepted?
So basically, we have now mailed the info back in with an even more descriptive cover letter than the first time around, but this time we mailed it to the Oklahoma City office (because apparently, that's where the Dallas office forwards it anyway). In the meantime, we are out nearly $30 in additional FedEx fees, and have had two weeks of very frustrating delays.
By the way, these are the same folks that handle all immigration paperwork, so if you ever wondered why the US has such a bad immigration problem, we might have uncovered part of the answer. Sad thing is, all the people involved in this process probably feel like they are underpaid for the great service they are providing!
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