Category: Adoption
Remember that adoption timeline over on the right side of the page? Don’t worry…it hasn’t been updated in so long it makes sense that you haven’t checked it in awhile. 🙂 Since our wait has extended longer than we anticipated we had to renew our fingerprints for the I600 paperwork that we completed last year.
The initial process involved sending a letter to USCIS requesting to be re-fingerprinted. About two weeks later we received a letter in the mail with the date and time we had to be at our local Department of Homeland Security for our appointment. Â I took the day off from work, and J and I were there bright and early at 8:00AM. I think they must schedule about 15 people at the same appointment time because even though we were there right when it opened it appeared like everyone was there to get their prints taken. Once again, however, the process was pretty streamlined and we were in and out of the building in about an hour.
I hope that the next time we update the timeline it will be to tell you our EP (exit permit) has been submitted to the Ministry in Korea. We know we are approached the end of our wait, and we are as anxious as ever to bring C home.
Early last week our agency had another workshop scheduled for waiting families. This was the third one since October, and I think it was actually my favorite. J said that was because this wasn’t as clinical as the other two and people got to share their stories (which I do enjoy), but I just thought the variety and wealth of information was really great.
A Mom who has one little boy from ESWS and another on the way started the evening off. She had prepared some amazing Korean food for us all to try. She also had put together an 8 page color handout listing her favorite Korean staple ingredients and location of local Korean restaurants and grocery stores. She even offered to host a kimchi making party at her home! How cool is she, right?
Next, a family shared a little about their transition when they brought their son home in October. Although I have heard and read lots of stories just like this I personally always find it interesting and helpful to hear how the journey to expanding their family went. This particular family shared great details about the initial meeting, handoff, first two weeks home, and “hot topics” like food and sleep. I appreciated their insight and enjoyed hearing their advice.
Third, a Korean speaking couple had prepared a handout with common words our child probably already knows and phrases he may be used to hearing. We each tried to pronounce the words after the native speaker, and I must say if C can understand a word I’m saying it will be a miracle because I sounded nothing like her! I am thankful that we took the Korean 1 class a year ago because several of the words I was familiar with and already knew, and just hearing the language over that 10 week course helped me feel more comfortable to tackle some of the new words she taught us.
Finally, another adoptive Mom who spoke is a speech language pathologist and taught us all some simple baby sign language we can use with C when he first comes home. I have always been fascinated with sign language and taught myself the American sign language alphabet as a fifth grader so I really enjoyed her presentation as well.
It’s hard to believe we fit all of this into an evening that lasted just over an hour! I know I was excited to see the other waiting families since our last meeting in April, and the information was great, too. Hopefully next time we get together for a summer BBQ C and most of the other babies will be home!
Hearts and Seoul 