We Have an Appointment for Fingerprints

We both got our letters this morning. Our fingerprint appointment is scheduled for Friday, December 12, at 8am. Any guesses on how long we will have to wait for our approval once they get our fingerprints?

Good News, well- a bit

On Saturday we received a letter from USCIS confirming that they have accepted our application, and have assigned us a USCIS number. This is big news for us because we were told to expect to have our paperwork returned the first time around. The entire I-800A process is new, and ABSOLUTELY NO ONE could help me with the 9 page application. So, I sent it in with what I hoped were the correct supporting documents and started praying hard. It worked! Now we are waiting for our fingerprint appointment. We are so thankful to be one tiny babystep closer to finally meeting Andres!

Wet Weather

I have a habit of checking the weather forecast on the Weather Channel. First I check Auburn, Maine and then I check Tallinn, Estonia. Even though Estonia is much farther north, our weather is very much the same. The current weather in both places is 43 degrees and rain. The big difference is in the hours of daylight. We still have sunrise before 7am. They have darkness until 9am! Because of daylight savings time we actually have an earlier sunset, but that will even out in December. Overall, we have 2-3 more hours of sunlight each day. I know this is pretty boring stuff for most people unless you live in the North. The hardest part of winter for me is not the snow or the cold, but the DARKNESS! I start counting the minutes of daylight gained on Dec. 23! This year, with my thoughts always in Estonia, I am feeling blessed to have those 2 extra hours of daylight!

Angel Tree at Reece's Rainbow

This is an exciting time of year for those of us involved with Reece's Rainbow. It is time for the Angel Tree. Each year pictures are posted of all the beautiful angels with Down syndrome who are hidden away in orphanages around the world. We all spread the word to help raise awareness about these special children. There are many families who are willing to adopt but are unable to because of the cost of international adoption. The Angel Tree is a great fundraising opportunity for these precious little ones. Please visit the website and consider sponsoring one of these Angels. Feel free to share the link with anyone you know who might consider adopting or sponsoring an Angel.


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Lyme Disease?

While I was working Wednesday morning I noticed a sore spot on the back of my left thigh. When I touched it, it moved-GROSS! So I skipped into the bathroom to check it out, and sure enough, it was a tick. I enlisted the aid of one of my coworkers to remove the tick because I couldn't reach it. She managed to remove the entire tick, and we examined it closely. It was not big for a tick, but larger than the deer ticks I have seen, and it did not seem to be engorged so I was not really concerned. The spot on my leg was sore though. The next morning I noticed it was still sore, so I checked it out. I had a tiny (smaller than a dime), but perfect bullseye around the bite. When I got home I looked up bullseye rashes. It looked like a small, less vibrant version of the rash. At bedtime, the pink outer ring was more oblong and wider than a quarter. I decided to call the nurse in the morning. By the time I got to the doctor's office yesterday afternoon the pink ring was barely visible. My doctor decided to play it safe and prescribed two weeks worth of doxycycline which I started taking today. This afternoon I started feeling lousy. I've probably talked myself into thinking I'm sick.:) Anyway, I'm glad now to be taking the antibiotics.

Projects

Today I came home to find an envelope containing 4 official copies of our homestudy. I just knew it would come today. So, hopefully, tomorrow I will file our I-800A. I am trying to be positive, and I've come up with a waiting strategy...projects. My first project is to complete our dossier just in case things happen faster than I imagine they will. Next I am going to start applying for grants. Then I am going to buy some soft, lightweight wool yarn and make a beautiful(handsome) hat and mitten set for Andres. My dad is going to help me make a treefort playhouse. I am hoping to carve/whittle some rough pieces of furniture. The idea is for it to look like one of those very expensive, but adorable elf homes in the toy catalogs. I want to make swings and rope ladders and all kinds of little detail things. Not really sure if it will actually happen, but it gives me something to think about.:)

Bad news, but it actually made me feel better.

I was so bummed when I opened our mailbox and once again our homestudy was not there! I skipped right over anger and frustration and dove into despair. I moped around in a fog for a few hours and then decided to call Barbara at AHI. She told me that Estonia has changed the rules again which means we won't be visiting any time soon.:( For some reason I started to feel better right away. Now the missing envelope is only keeping my from filing our I-800A. It just doesn't seem as important anymore. It isn't keeping us from travelling and meeting Andres, so I can wait. When it does come, probably tomorrow, I will send in the paperwork and wait, wait, wait. Our dossier is just about done and when we get our INS approval we can go visit. If we are lucky, we will get to visit in midwinter. Did I mention that Tallinn is on parallel with Stockholm, Sweden and Juneau, Alaska? Doesn't that sound like a fun time to go? Okay, now I'm getting sarcastic, I guess it bothered me more than I thought.
Anyway, I am not in despair, and I am no longer pulling my hair out. Today has been very busy, but I have had alot of quiet time to pray. The Lord has been good and has comforted me. He has also impressed upon me, my need to live in the present. If I can focus on doing the task at hand to His glory, I will see how precious my life is right now, and be greatful for what I already have. It is amazing how my outlook changed in a second. My 11y.o. son, Connor called me on my cell phone. He is so mature that I forget he is just a little guy. When I heard his voice on the phone he sounded so young and sweet that my heart just bubbled over with love. I would have missed it if I was still moping! A few minutes later, I was able to connect with, and comfort Meredith on the way home. Thank you, Lord, for adjusting my focus. We will get to Estonia, and Andres, in Your time.

My Connor boy.:)