Category: Preparation
Since we received our EP approval a week ago we have been very busy getting ready for C’s arrival. I know you might be thinking, “You have had almost 15 months to get ready? What could you still be doing?” However, there are so many things that can’t really be done in advance. Sure we can work on his room, but why have the bed made to sit empty for months? We have had the car seats for awhile but installing them didn’t need to happen until EP approval. What else do we need to get done besides pack? Here’s a sample:
1. Figure our insurance stuff with C
2. Get oil change and air in tires of all vehicles
3. Donate all the things we have “discovered” we don’t need during our nesting period.
4. Pre cook meals for the first few weeks home.
5. Get all needed supplies for C and his room that we don’t have yet
6. Call pediatrian to schedule first visit
7. Wash all dishes/sippy cups/bottles/snack traps
8. Double check foster family gifts are purchased and ready.
9. Order Korean won from the bank.
10. Get plane activities ready for C
I think you get the idea, and there are over 15 other things we are working on as well. Now if we get travel call quickly all of these things can realistically wait to get done, but it would be nice to have them done before we travel. We are eagerly anticipating great news in the next week!
In celebration of our EP being submitted we decided to cook our 4th from scratch Korean meal. Bokkum Bap is Korean Fried Rice, and although we have been to Korean restaurants several times I don’t think we have ever tried the fried rice. I don’t know if there is a traditional recipe, but our Korean book book had us add some ingredients I wouldn’t normally think would be in fried rice like potatoes and zucchini.
This dish took much less time than the previous meal which we loved, but I don’t know if we’ll be cooking it as often because we weren’t crazy about it. If we make it again I think next time we will definitely add chicken or beef as it would add more flavor and substance to the meal.
After a pitiful past few weeks, K and I have a renewed hope today. We have a high confidence that our (and C’s) wait is nearing its conclusion. Families have started to receive confirmation that they are in the 4th batch of the year, and we think we will be as well. We were matched with C back in April, 2011, and today we have heard of confirmations of families matched in May and June, 2011 who are in this 4th batch. This paperwork is typically processed in the order in which families are matched, so we are all but confirmed for this batch. We hope tomorrow will be the day that we’ll get confirmation that C’s EP has be submitted.
What does this mean? Since March of this year, one batch of adoption paperwork has been processed by the Korean government per month. When our paperwork is submitted, it will be the first time the Korean government will have heard of us. They’ll confirm that we are fit parents, that C is legally free and clear, and approve a visa, giving us permission to take him back to the US.
It has taken between 4 and 5 weeks for the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare to approve exit permits. We would expect an approval some time near the end of June. After that, the U.S. embassy has to ensure that our I-600 has been properly processed (which says we intend to sponsor C’s citizenship). They recently decided it would be a good idea to limit how quickly they are processing this paperwork. Since they are our government, we plan to get on the phone/email/facebook/carrier pigeon with representatives and see if they can get that change reverted.
Once the embassy has given us the green light, we’ll have a short wait to get a travel call from the Korean adoption agency. We expect that to happen six to seven weeks from now. Once we get that call, we hope to be on a plane within 48-72 hours and meet C for the first time within the week.
Right now it seems like it will be in Korea two years to the month we started this process. It doesn’t seem like it could have really taken this long. We’re so excited to have C home before his second birthday and have over a month to bond with him before family is scheduled to come out to meet him.
K and I have been nuts today – stalking forums, badgering our social worker, having fits of bi-polar. But it seems like it’s really real. This journey is almost finished and the journey we thought would start 6-12 months ago will finally begin.
Hearts and Seoul 