Home Study APPROVED!!!

Okay, so we don't yet have the finished, finalized, notarized copy in hand, BUT we have officially been approved.

Now I do need to face the I-800a form from immigration and actually fill in all the blanks.  I printed it off from the USCIS website but all 16 pages frighten me.  However, I think Christopher decided that nothing would be more romantic on a Friday night than to add filling out paperwork to our "To Do" list..

Once we have the completed form, completed home study, all supporting documents, and a check to cover all the processing fees, we ship it all off to the US government...and wait some more.  We wait for a fingerprinting appointment and then wait for official approval to proceed with Hadassah's adoption. 

That final piece of paper will be the last major piece of our dossier puzzle. 

I do have one smaller project to complete...photos.  There are required photo pages that have to be included.  Three pages: 1) formal shots of our family, 2) pictures of our home, and 3) informal family pics of us doing life.  We had pictures taken for the formal photos, but I still need to place that order.  I've been waiting for my lilacs to bloom and need to plant some flowers in my empty pots before I take a picture of the front of our house, but I haven't decided what flowers I want this year.  The informal pics?  We may have to stage these.  We just don't often take pictures of the adults around here.  Kids playing sports, performing in concerts, etc., but not usually with a parent in the photo.  I did take a few of Christopher swinging the kids outside, but the leaves on the trees hadn't yet come out.  I may redo those photos because they'd look so much better now with all the green trees in the background.

Think I've lost my mind, yet?  All this paperwork and pictures can drive a person crazy!  Honestly, think about reducing all of your life to six photos.  These simple 4x6 pictures will travel half-way around the world, and then someone will look at them to judge our family, to make the decision as to whether or not we can bring our daughter home.  Kinda makes you want to plant the right color flowers, huh?

We'll keep ya'll posted as things go. 

I've got tons of blogs rattling in my brain...I just need to find time to type them out.