2nd Dossier Frustrations PERHAPS are coming to an end....

At this point, I feel honestly like we could be experts on what NOT to do on dossier documents.  Wow, it seems like we have had every hurdle thrown at us, but it seems to be calming down now and maybe we can breathe easy for a little while.  When friends told us it was going to be like an emotional and frustrating rollercoaster ride, I believed them.  But I guess I never realized (figuratively speaking), that we would cross over one loop only to be stranded at the top with several documents.  I think I could write a manual for military parents to be who are adopting internationally.  We've had to have our physicians complete our documentation three separate times because they either put ditto marks or arrows somewhere on it or unnecessary information.  And, oh, don't EVEN get me started on the whole how do we get the licenses on our medical providers.  That took an act of the Hospital Legal Department and they STILL would not release them.  So, apparently this has happened to a family before and our wonderful agency was able to send a template to the "credentialing specialist," at our base and she developed letters that will stand in the place of the requested copies of licenses for our doctors.  


Now, I wait...praying that the manager we spoke to at USCIS this week really does follow through with our amendment and have it returned to us by the end of next week.  He promised us a result on our amendment by the 19th which is Tuesday and call me a control freak or whatever, I'm calling him ALL DAY long if necessary to MAKE SURE it makes a Fed Ex overnight delivery to us.  


We pray each night for our precious Katie....feeling forever blessed that at least she seemed happy at her orphanage.  We learned that in Vladivostok, the children receive milk and she isn't as underweight as some of the other children that we know of who have been adopted from Russia.  She's tiny and petite, and that just fits right in with our family! 


We have an adoption shower set for Saturday, November 13th (thrown by an awesome friend who does my hair) and today I finished both registries at Target and Toys R' Us.  Hopefully, we will get a great deal of what she needs.  Granny Rose (Aaron's mother--as she would like to be referred to), sent us the money today to get Katie's car seats.  I registered for an umbrella stroller and I am hoping it won't be a waste to pack it to go to Russia.  For the weekend, the main project at hand is for Aaron and I to complete the paperwork we need to do together and for me to finish our heaping stack of laundry that is saying, "fold me," from the other room.  


We'll see how that all goes!!!  Please keep our little growing family in your prayers!!!!  Having Katie home for Christmas or shortly thereafter (I don't mind being in Vlad for Christmas if need be) would be the best present we ever received.  We thank God for all his glory and majesty through this whole process!!!!