Day #100 - - -

We are home from the beach - - - - great fun with great friends - - -

I was shocked to pull out my calendar to see that we are at day #100 (!!!!) of awaiting our I-600 approval! My, how time flies when you are having (NOT SO MUCH!) fun! Thank GOD for a beach escape weekend which turned into a week escape. Back home now, my stomach is in knots, and I've been trying to contact CIS in HCMC since 9:15 p.m. tonight! (8:15 a.m. there). They said the officials were out doing DNA investigations and would be back in an hour; to call back then. I've been calling ever since and I can't get anyone to answer the phone! AARRGGHHHH!!!

I will keep trying - even if it means calling all night; hopefully we will have some good news tomorrow!!

Still waiting....but at least with the sun and surf!

We have had a really fun weekend at the beach....and although Shawn has to go home tomorrow, we are going to stay on until we get our I-600 approval or Thursday, whichever comes first! Friends from Atlanta are here until then, so Austin is having a ball playing with his buddies in the waves.

My mind is not off the adoption (stagnant!) process, but I at least feel like I can get through the days while we are here. It wasn't easy back home, since EVERYTHING was done in anticipation of travel news. We FedEx'd all of our documentation for our re-fingerprinting on Friday. We will have to renew our visas as well, I guess.....sigh.....

I called USCIS in HCMC last night. I don't know whether to believe it, but they said the officials are working on our case and we should receive news this week (good, I hope!). Time will tell.....

When the going gets tough.....Part 2

I know I said I wasn't going to blog again until we heard some good news...

And it's NOT the news we were hoping for, but we ARE headed to the beach again - - - - it was that or spend an entire weekend moping around. SO! We are throwing stuff into the car as fast as we can to hopefully get there before nightfall!!

Hope you all have a GREAT weekend, and maybe next week will be THE good news!!

Bloggin' Break - -

I am taking a break from blogging - - - as mama used to say, "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all". My next post will be after we hear good news.

Love and kisses to you all!!

Working Day #60!

As of 9:00 p.m. tonight it is WORKING day #60 - the maximum amount of time alloted to process and approve our I-600, according to the U.S. Citizens & Immigration Services (USCIS). The end of last week was a confusing and frustrating one. I won't go into all the gory details here, but to summarize the Senator's office received an e-mail from USCIS saying they were in Kai's province Thursday to investigate our case (part of the standard procedure - but why did it take 3 months to do it?!?) and that officials were not being "very forthcoming". Our agency says they have heard this excuse before. I don't know what or who to believe, but I do tend to think the agency has dealt with similar situations so they should know.

Even more frustrating than that is the fact that we will have to be re-fingerprinted and will have to get new travel visas if we don't get I-600 approval THIS WEEK! AND since we have to get together all kinds of paperwork to re-do the prints, we have to start that process since we can't assume the approval will come this week. The fingerprints expire 8/23 and must be valid when we receive Kai's travel visa, which is one of the last things that will happen when we are in Vietnam. AND if the approval doesn't come early in the week, we are going to miss Austin's first day of kindergarten, which will break my heart. AND Shawn is waiting to have back surgery to fix a herniated disk, but can't do it until we return.....in the meantime he is in constant pain.

WHEW!! I'm tired of posting all the bad stuff, and I bet ya'll are tired of hearing it! I promise this is it....I will only post positive things from here on out....HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!

Will it ever end??

Today is calendar day 85 and working day 58 (if I've calculated the VN holidays correctly). STILL nothing from USCIS and no response from the inquiry done by our Senator's office. You would think I would be used to it by now, but today I'm not handling it very well.

I received the most shocking bit of news from our agency yesterday: apparently there is no discernible logic to the order in which they process the I-600s!! A family that received acknowledgment of receipt a month AFTER us has already traveled and is back home with their child! And four other families that received acknowledgment on 4/9 are in Vietnam right now. Ours came on 4/23. And they have even seen cases that were approved in 2 weeks! WHHAA???

Where is the accountability on the part of the USCIS??? They have never explained to anyone what their procedures are for processing cases.....my question is WHY??? I am SOOOOO angry (and I am not the type of person who is quick to anger) and to say I am frustrated is a vast understatement. We have done all we know to do. If we don't get an approval overnight tonight, then Monday will be our working day 60. If it goes beyond that, I WILL be ballistic!!

I have even dreaded checking my e-mails overnight and each morning - - - - so far it has been a fruitless search - - - - - and the disappointment each time is overwhelming.

Will it ever end???? I know in my head that it will, but my heart is feeling like we will never get Kai home!!

STILL waiting....

"Hang in there!" ad nauseum

Nothing overnight - - - If I hear "hang in there" one more time I don't know what I'll do!

Austin and I are heading to Atlanta today for more birthday celebrations (I like to have a birthday week, not just a birth-day!): lunch today with my Granny and my MIL and then dinner tonight in the Big City with my girls Suz, Shell, Jodie, and the Amys.

I'm seriously considering skipping Body Pump at the gym this morning so we can get going. I feel a little "Retail Therapy" might be in order, and I am looking forward to a fun dinner out with friends!!

Better get packing!! I'll be watching my e-mails from there, though, so don't think we might miss anything...

There is still time!

It's 11:15 p.m. here - 10:15 a.m. in Vietnam, so I'm still holding out hope for a birthday miracle!

We have been in touch with the office of one of our Senators today. They were going to call the Consulate for us and just see if we can find out a status update for our case. Keep ALL of your fingers crossed and say a BIG prayer for us tonight, that maybe, maybe, maybe this can all come to fruition!!! My biggest tears come when I think, "we just need to get our daughter home"!!

Thanks to all of our LG friends for a great surprise birthday celebration yesterday (thanks, Joe and Tina for hosting the "would-be" pool party!) and to a fun lunch today at Chick-fil-A.....these little festivities help keep my mind off the pressure cooker in my head!!

Nada -

Nothing - Zilcho -

Well, the junk e-mails from FTD, Reunion.com and Victoria's Secret (do they send those EVERY day??) were there, but not THE e-mail from USCIS.

A local politician and friend is calling one of our Senators today....I am just hoping and praying that by having someone take a look into it, it will bring attention to the amount of time it is taking.....and get the I-600 approval we so desperately need!!

BTW - The timestamp on my blog is 4 hours behind, I just noticed. Last night's blog was written at 11:16 p.m., not 8:16 p.m.! Maybe when I have several hours to figure out how to change it, I will! LOL!!

Best Birthday Present Ever???????

In 45 minutes, I will be forty-something......

Dear God,

I know that your timing IS perfect. My faith has grown stronger, not weaker (although at times it felt that way) through this process. I know that our daughter is on the other side of the world and she needs to be home with us. PLEASE let us hear something tonight from USCIS so we can start the new beginning of our lives....so many people are affected; so many people care, and we FEEL your LOVE!!!

I pray that beginning tomorrow - when people ask - I can say that we are leaving for Hanoi in a week!!

Thank you for your infinite wisdom beyond our comprehension. Thank you that we are even able to go through this journey - - - - we are so blessed already, but my prayer every day is that this little girl is happy and healthy and that she will complete our family in ways we can now only imagine...

In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN!!


If it doesn't happen this week, our visas will expire, our fingerprints will have to be re-done, and we are SO very close to missing our son's first day of kindergarten because we will be out of the country..........SO MANY THANKS to ALL of our friends and family for the tremendous support!!

Day #78....

STILL - STILL - STILL no news!!!!!!!!

Praying for a miracle here.......not sure how I'll get through each day waiting.....

Pics from Seagrove!

We're back home after the much-needed relaxation and fun at the beach....still no news....

BUT!! I wanted to share some beach pictures from Seagrove/Seaside. Austin had a ball playing in the surf and got braver and braver each day.....pure joy!!

Kai will be 8 1/2 months old next week (and I will be 40-something!)....please keep praying that we hear something SOON!! Shawn thinks it will be on my birthday (Monday), but I sure don't want to have to wait that long!!!!! We need to get our little girl home.....Mommy misses you, wants to hold you and kiss you, Austin wants to make funny faces to make you laugh, and Daddy can't even imagine how much he is going to love his "Daddy's Little Girl" when he holds you for the first time!!

PBJ for breakfast?!?!!

Good morning from the beach!!

We have had another amazing beach trip with Austin. It's no surprise how good he is when he gets (nearly!) every indulgence possible and can play, play, play, stay up super-late, and have peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for breakfast followed by Oreos with chocolate milk! He knows - because we tell him - that there are certain things you only get to do while you're at the beach. No wonder he loves it here as much as we do!!

We had a blast watching the 4th of July parade that goes from Seagrove to Seaside....it gets bigger every year and they have the cutest floats which range from decorated golf carts to massive trailers pulling boats! We got a cajillion beads and candy, and I even "caught" a tossed water balloon (did I REALLY think it WASN'T going to bust?!?).

The outdoor concert and fireworks in Seaside was also spectacular! What a wonderful slice of Americana - - -

Now it's time to head home and get ready to go to Vietnam!! This weekend hasn't put the looming, and elusive, I-600 approval out of our minds, but it has allowed us to relax like we had hoped and just enjoy the time together.

Hope everyone has had a great weekend as well!! And I hope the next blog contains some REALLY good news!!!

Stay tuned 'till next week....

There was no e-mail from Vietnam last night, so I guess I can now relax and enjoy our weekend at the beach....I don't have to worry about heading back home to get ready to leave. Although, if there is anywhere in the world I would rather be right now other than the beach, it would Vietnam, getting our sweet baby HOME!

It is SOOO beautiful here, and I love it SOOO much; I just wish Kai was here with us!! Surely we will hear something next week.

We will be heading out on our bikes in a few minutes to have breakfast in Seaside.....Austin is excited to have Mickey Mouse pancakes at our favorite breakfast spot, The Great Southern! I just need a little java!!

When the going gets tough.....

The tough go to the beach!!!!!

We are on our way to Seagrove Beach to enjoy the holiday weekend, try to relax, and try not to think about I-600 approval........

Hope you ALL have a wonderful and safe 4th of July holiday!! God Bless America!!!!!

Day #70!!!!!!!!!

Kai turned 8 months old yesterday, and it was a really tough day for me. I even started tearing up in my Body Flow class at the gym when the Macy Gray song, "I'm so glad you're here" was played!! Anyone who knows me knows I'm not the kind of person who wears their heart on their sleeve, but I am just so upset that we STILL haven't heard anything!!! I promise not to turn this into a rant, but AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A BIG thanks to everyone who called to check on me.....I'm doing okay - - - really, I'm fine - - - - seriously, good - - - fine, just fine - - - - :)

Yesterday's highlight was meeting a new friend here in town who has very recently adopted a sweet little girl from China. They have only been back 3 weeks, and the little girl is 10 months old - - - 2 months older than Kai. She was SO precious, and I got to hold her and play with her...TOO fun!! A big shout-out to my new friend, Amy!! I look forward to getting our girls together for a playdate when Kai is home!!

We are just hanging out....passing time....hitting the gym and the pool with regularity. I even woke up yesterday and thought "I know! I'll start a new project and then we'll hear something for sure - - - - right in the middle of it!" So Austin and I headed to Home Depot for paint and supplies (BTW - - found a new painter's tape that actually works; it's called Frog Tape) to repaint the master bathroom. Even though our house is only 5 years old, our bathroom walls have just been abused between water splatters, hair spray (me!), and spray gel (Shawn!). And Austin had been spraying air freshener on the walls of the "pooper room" (he didn't realize that you only need to spray it into the air!!). It does leave a stain, people, so do NOT try this at home!

The good and bad news is that we finished it last night!! I really like the new shade; it's much warmer and browner, and it goes great with the seashells/beach theme I've got going on in there.

I guess I am going to have to finish working on my scrapbooks after all, which I have been avoiding doing.....Austin has a playdate this morning, so I guess that's what I shall do! Wish me luck!!!