The lotion paid off!

Well, the FBI has not contacted me to inform me that my fingerprints were not “readable” so that means I just slid right on through!! Ben got an e-mail from USCIS today saying they do not need any additional information or documents from us so we should just wait for our I171H. From the time that USCIS has all documentation until we receive our I171H is approximately 60 days. Our 60 days has already begun so I’m expecting that 171 this month and then it’s all about the DTC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have made additions to the nursery. Ben is “nesting” almost as much as I am!! The crib is now sporting a mattress that has gorgeous linens on it and an Asian Cabbage Patch Newborn lying in it (hardly an adequate substitute for our baby). We also have a stuffed Panda and a set of frogs–one big and two little to play with in the bathtub (I just thought they were cute)!

I want to take this opportunity to encourage you all to consider adoption as an opportunity to expand your family as well as your capacity to love. There are so very many children world wide who need loving parents. Some of these children are disabled, some are teens or have siblings but they are all children. Imagine if you had grown up without ever “belonging” to anyone. Our adoption agency is Great Wall China Adoption. Their website is www.gwca.org If you live in Oklahoma and would be interested in adopting from the state the website is www.okdhs.org there are plenty of adoption links on the site. Please prayerfully consider opening your home to a child. You will be blessed beyond measure!

Continue to pray for our family and our precious little Maisy.

Love, Amy

Fingerprint update

I should buy stock in lotion because I sure have used a lot of it. Bright and early on the morning of Sept. 29th I was removing my sandals and watch under the careful scrutiny of the USCIS security guards. They remembered me as the woman with the insulin pump and so refrained from “wanding” me this time (not a fun experience in case you are wondering). I went through the usual process of form signing and hand cleansing and then was one of the first people called into the print room. The fingerprint tech. remembered me (I’m just so darn memorable) and we started talking about kids with disabilities and really hit it off (seems he dated a woman who had a little boy with CP). Anyway, he really tried to get good prints!! So, as I was leaving he chased me down and told me he was going to try and arrange something extra to help me if I could wait just a minute. Naturally, I waited!! It seems that USCIS will only fingerprint someone twice–that’s it. If your fingerprints fail a second time the FBI has to have an interview conducted at USCIS and submitted. The nice technician arranged for me to have the interview so that I could send it off with my fingerprints “just in case.” Nice because it saves me a trip in the event that these prints are no good (but they will be). The woman who conducted the interview and took my statement was so nice. She took my paperwork to the “orphan officer” herself and explained my situation. I think this time the prints will be clear and WE WILL HAVE OUR DTC BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER–HEBREWS 11:1. I appreciated the kindness of everyone at our USCIS office.

We are still working on the lifestyle photos. Must I be such a dud? I’m afraid that my great scrapbooking skills have not made us look anymore exciting in our pictures. Sure, the kids can rely on cuteness alone–but Ben and I…that’s a different story!

Ben met a couple the other night at Babies R Us who have two daughters from China and are awaiting the arrival of a son from Vietnam. That happened on Saturday night. Of course I grilled him about it when he got home. I am hungry to hear any stories about babies from China. Anyway, he isn’t as nosy as I am so was unable to answer all of my questions. However, God cares about even our smallest interests and curiosities–that must be why the couple greeted Ben at church on Sunday morning and invited us to join their group of families with children from China. Yea!! Fellowship and adoption! It doesn’t get much better than that.

We bought Maisy’s crib and Ben put it up as soon as we got home. No, he wanted to do it at 11pm. I didn’t say a word about doing it right then. The room is really coming together.

Bobby and Abby are enjoying school and doing well. Please continue to lift our family up in prayer as we pursue God’s desire for our family. He has shown us in no uncertain terms our capacity to love and nurture; skills that we want to use and expand to His glory. Remember, Friends, that we are all adopted the moment we accept Jesus as our personal savior. So many children need families. Check your heart and see if you have room for just one more.

Amy