....and the wait continues...

I just hung up the phone with a kind Southern woman at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Office at the Department of Homeland Security. This was after trying to call 300 times and being disconnected by an automated service after being on hold for 30 minutes because "All operators were too busy....Goodbye." When I heard a human on the other end of the phone hours later, I nearly kissed the phone. Ok, maybe I wasn't that excited, but you catch my drift.

I'll get to the point. The woman basically told me that I should prepare to wait another 30 days to receive my official fingerprinting approval, more formally called the I171H. Right now, they are working on orphan petitions that were filed between 1/21 and 2/21. Mine was filed on 2/23, so I'm close, but not there yet. Without this form, my agency cannot send my paperwork over to the next place, which - gasp - isn't even Korea. In other words, nobody in Korea even knows that I'm waiting for my baby to come home.

The best part of this all is that the reason the approvals are now taking three months compared to two-three weeks is because -- get this -- the man at Federal Plaza who is responsible for granting approvals is behind because -- HIS ASSISTANT QUIT months ago! Hello -- this is the 21st Century in the United States of America. There is ONE man working on all of the paperwork for immigrants that want to become Americans?!? We are the melting pot of the world and supposedly have such a sophisticated government. I just can't comprehend this idiocy. Man, and I thought I had a hard job! :) Here's a piece of advice, Mr. Federal Plaza -- hire a new assistant!

I sound so bitter, but honestly, I'm not. God has a plan for me and Joe and has never let us down. When it's right for us to grow our family, He'll come through for us like He always has. I consider myself to be so blessed to be able to grow my family through adoption, and if that means waiting another thirty days, so be it. There's a little cutie out there that is waiting for a mommy and daddy to spoil him rotten, and when he's born, our paperwork will come. I truly believe that. Waiting in line at a store is annoying -- but waiting for a human life -- is worthwhile to say the least. God has given me patience to wait for this gift.

All of this so-called "stress" pales in comparison to what so many of my close loved ones are enduring right now, and honestly, I refuse to let myself get upset over any of it, because no matter what, we will still have the same outcome -- a loving baby joining our family, and that's all that truly matters. Plus, part of the reason everything is so delayed is because more families are adopting, which means more orphans are finding loving families to call their own, which is ultimately why we chose to adopt to begin with. I truly believe that, "Good things come to those that wait" even if it may not seem so in the meantime.

For now, I am going to expend all of my energy into praying for the health and psychological well-being of my baby and his/her birth mom. I hope the birth mom feels she is doing the right thing by relinquishing her baby for adoption and has no regrets. I hope she is feeling well throughout her pregnancy and not experiencing any medical issues or discomfort. I hope that my baby is or will be well-cared for and loved by his/her foster parents and that s/he will not suffer from abandonment issues or sadness when it is time to join our family. Basically, I just want Health & Happiness for all! Adoption is a difficult journey for adoptive parents, but it is even more so for adoptees and their birth parents. It's important for everyone to remember that.

Thanks for checking in. I'll post again when I receive more news.