Tyanna Has Been Fingerprinted!

We started our adoption to Amaris and her sister back in August 2010. We didn't officially start paying for this process until Thanksgiving Day 2010, at that time, Tyanna was still 16. There was no reason for her to be fingerprinted, because after all, we would be home with our babies shortly after her 17th birthday.

Well, Tyanna turns 18 next week... and, we are STILL pressing through with the adoption of our next two little princesses. While we thought Annabella was going to come home with Amaris, God has clearly shown us when SHE is going to come home and what is going to happen between now and then. We are blessed. For now, I can't wait to hold my little princess.

Tyanna received her USCIS biometric fingerprint appointment on April 18, 2012 for May 15, 2012. I decided to take a gamble, and walk-in today, April 25, 2012 into our local Department of Homeland Security... the one that doesn't take walk-ins.

We are so grateful they allowed Tyanna the opportunity to get her fingerprints. The ironic thing, NO ONE even asked why we were walking in early. But, believe me, we were prepared to show them the faces of our precious little princesses... just in case! And, it was nice to have Gabriella with us. She is princess proof!

Here is another glimpse of our little princess that is waiting in southern China for her family... our family. To think that she will be in our arms in just weeks just makes my heart leap with so much joy. God has blessed us with His grace and favor to allow us to have such a beautiful princess to call our very own. We were chosen to be her family on June 23,2011 and pray that she will be in our arms by June 23, 2012.

Another I800A wait! Two weeks in the Lock Box!

I got my USCIS email and text today...

Dear Applicant/Petitioner:

Your USCIS application/petition has been received and routed to the National Benefit Center for processing. Within 7 - 10 days by standard mail you will receive your official Receipt Notice (Form I-797) with your Receipt Number SIMXXXXXXXXXX. If you have any questions please contact the Hague Unit at (877) 424-8374 or NBC.HAGUE@DHS.GOV

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE

It is always encouraging when you finally receive that email/text. We have waited once for biometric fingerprinting for Jason and I and our two boys: Kai and Jordan. But, because these 2 adoptions officially started Thanksgiving Day 2010, a lot has changed. Tyanna will be turning 18 next month, so she too has to be fingerprinted. 

Apparently, even though ALL the language from USCIS in essence says that you do not have to have your 17 year old biometrically fingerprinted as long as your paperwork gets to China before your child's 18th birthday, this is not true (and they will tell you this on the phone and via email). All adult family members and others residing in the home, must be fingerprinted if they will turn 18 prior to your adopted child coming home. 

All I800A documents arriving in the Lock Box wait 14 days. After the wait, your officer gets the paperwork. Fortunately, we did get a good officer. She will be looking for our I800A paperwork to match it up with our LOA and all of our I800 paperwork so that she can send our approval letter to the National Visa Center. 

Once our paperwork gets to the NVC, our information will be entered into their computer system. Within 1-3 business days, the NVC will "cable" (email) our file to the US Embassy in Guangzhou, China. This becomes our approval for our visa petition. NVC will then mail me a letter stating that my petition has been forwarded to the Embassy. If I can remember to ask them to email me that letter so that I can pass it along to my agency, then things will speed up even more. So much to learn, but I am so grateful to my adoption "friend" Courtney who put together the website http://www.china-adoption-online.com She is brilliant and makes adoption look easy. 

This wait begins May 5th and ends on May 19th. In theory, we should then be cabled the third week of May. Wonder what it will actually look like. 

Due to our current delays, our trip will be late June or early July to pick up our littlest princess. I think it would be pretty amazing to get Amaris on June 23rd or 26th... two significant dates in our life... we received a phone call saying that we were chosen to be Amaris' family on June 23, 2011... on June 23, 2010 (a year earlier) we received a phone call that my mom would be meeting Jesus and the rest of her family soon. She left earth to enter heaven June 26th. It was an incredible day... very sad, but also so full of excitement that she could be in His arms... and celebrate her 44th wedding anniversary with my dad, my sister Kimberly and an unborn brother. 

Courtney put together the timeline below... right now it seems to be 4-5 weeks to travel once our paperwork is cabled. 

Our LOA is Here... Last Weeks Ladybug was Right... BUT!

Our LOA is here... last weeks ladybug (a little God Wink) was right!

Our LOA (Letter of Acceptance from China) took 76 days, but the wait was okay because I know that God is in control of all of our paperwork. God sent us a ladybug last week, March 30th (6 days ago) to tell us that good news was coming. See the post just before this one. 


Our agency emailed me and then followed up with a phone call to let me know it has finally arrived. I LOVE Wasatch... they are an amazing adoption agency and so are their employees!


China has accepted us... technically we are 2 months from getting our youngest princess, Amaris... BUT, we are back to square 1 with Tyanna... who is  now awaiting HER fingerprint appointment for our I800A... so, we wait... Amaris waits... but, because of this wait (and all the other waits along the way... all those Divine Delays), there is still hope that Annabella can come home with Amaris!


With this LOA, we should have been able to sign it, scan it and then email it to our agency to get that off for our I800; BUT, because we had to update our homestudy last week due to Tyanna turning 18 next month, wanting to add some new special needs that we are open to, and Jason accepting a new job, we are back to square 1 with our I800A. Hopefully we have an awesome USCIS officer. I am waiting to hear who it is and how he/she will be able to help us move along, but I have learned through this process that our timing is ultimately God's timing. And, He is orchestrating things on behalf of our family.