What's Happening

Here is the adoption update that I promised. Actually got several things done this week. You may be wondering why it is taking me so long to get everything done... well life & I have a very full time job that has kept me pretty busy lately. So I'm chugging along as best I can.

So this week...

• I received a letter from my home study agency actually stating our acceptance as future adoptive parents. Good news! She had already told us verbally but now we have the proof. : ) So we are approved in Virginia. She is now writing for the International part of things.
  
• I received an e-mail stating that people who had completed their I600-A will in fact be grandfathered in to all programs... so that is more good news. We completed our before the April 1, 2008 deadline.
  
• I sent off paperwork for psychological evaluations on both Jeremy & I. Not sure how long all that takes but at least it's out there.
• I also sent off all the paperwork needed for both Jeremy & my birth certificates. These should come back fairly quickly.
  

Here is some cold hard proof of what was accomplished this week...

Still more to do on my list but at least my list is getting smaller!!!

Other exciting news for this week...

• We will be finished with our bedroom remodel before Thursday! Thank God!
• Mom & Dad arrive on Thursday!
• My father-in-law, (Duane) has a birthday on Thursday (23rd)!
• We get to go on vacation soon!
• My birthday is coming up... even if we just sit around all day... I love birthdays!

One more bit of evidence that I'm a dork... at the Ladies Night I took every one's picture. I'll spare them the embarrassment, but here's one of me...


The line dancing didn't go so well but we still had fun!

Little, Tiny Trip

Jeremy & I were blessed on Tuesday night to take a little trip to one of our favorite areas... Lake Norman, NC. We have vacationed here a couple times & LOVE it! So we took a little, tiny trip on Tuesday after work & came home Wednesday evening. Here's a shot of...

my favorite boy in all the world...

and YES... we LOVE Starbucks too!!!

OK - I know most of you have done this... taken a picture of yourself. I have no reason to, being that my husband is a professional photographer, but I was being goofy (the side that only my really close friends usually get to see) ... and I did it anyway....

Yours truly...

Please don't judge me for being a dork...! : ) You were bound to find out some time.

Anyway - hope you all have a great night. I'm off to a Ladies Country Western Night at church where we will be instructed by video how to country line dance... should be so much fun. At least we can all be dorks together.

Adoption update & bedroom remodel coming up next. As always, thanks for your continued prayer & support!!!

This is HUGE

Please, please be praying and if you have time, log on and sign the petition. This will affect Jeremy and I directly as we filed a I-600a. Details below. Please leave me a comment if you have questions. Blessings!

From my agency... Children's Hope International...

The Joint Council on Intercountry Children's Services (JCICS) is an organization that supports international adoptions. Most of the international adoption agencies in the US are members of Joint Council, including CHI. This organization is encouraging CIS to allow families that began with an I-600a to continue with that status, even after the free extension. We had originally been told that after the free extension ran out, families would have to file the new I-800a, and thus, would need an agency with Hague accreditation at that time. Joint Council is proposing that if a family began with an I-600a, they should be able to complete their adoption with an I-600a.

So this is a VERY GOOD THING, and I'm hoping many of you will want to participate by e-mailing Joint Council, signing their petition, and e-mailing your senators and representatives about the importance of this. Go read their Position Paper first and I think it won't be difficult for you to know what to put in your letters. This would be a HUGE help to adoptive families and to the agencies who don't yet have Hague accreditation. Thanks!

Julie

http://www.jcics. org/5WaystoHelp. htm

5 Ways to Help Us

1. Today, please read the Joint Council Position Paper on I-600A
Renewals at www.jcics.org.

2. Today, send an email in support of the Joint Council Position
Paper on I-600A Renewals to Joint Council at advocate@jcics. org and
the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute at
mark@ccainstitute. org
a. Joint Council will deliver a petition supporting an immediate
resolution, including all emails, to USCIS on October 18th. To be
sure that your email is included, please send your email no later
than October 16th.

3. Today, go to Adoption for All: the Fairness for Families Petition
and sign the petition.
a. Joint Council, in collaboration with Adoption For All organizers
David Yurkovich and Dianne Pearce, will present the petition and all
signatories to Congressional leaders on October 18th. To ensure that
your signature is included, please sign the petition no later than
October 16th.

4. On October 14th, 15th, and 16th, contact your Congressional
representatives, both in the House and Senate.
a. Joint Council is working with Members of Congress and seeks their
participation in resolving this issue.
b. You can find your Senators' phone numbers and email addresses at
www.senate.gov.
c. You can find your Representative' s phone number and email address
at www.house.gov.
d. Include the following in your calls and emails.
· A brief explanation of the situation.
· "I/we understand that USCIS is actively engaged in seeking a
resolution to the I-600A issue. I/we respectfully ask the
Senator/Congress person to contact USCIS and express their support of
efforts to find an immediate resolution to the I-600A Extension
issue."
· A kind `thank you'.

5. Stand ready to expand and intensify your efforts if needed.
Joint Council may contact you with a revised Call To Action if needed

Okay, so, we wanted help, and JCICS is once again helping adoptive
families. Please visit their website for more in-depth information
and answers to your questions and concerns.

http://www.jcics. org/5WaystoHelp. htm

More Progress

A little more progress to report... we completed our training today - finally! All DVDs are watched and all tests are taken. One more thing to check off the list. Mom also has helped us out by requesting one of the documents that we needed. Thank you!

Thank you to all of you who have been helping Mom & Dad out on the cookbook fundraiser idea she had via Facebook! We are very blessed and overwhelmed by your support!

Love & Blessings.