Well, as usual, I'm way past due for an update, so here it goes...
The past few weeks have been a bit crazy, partly because there is a little test called, STAAR, that has me busy. Weeks of STAAR, as I am learning in the role of a counselor, are exhausting. Beyond work, there has just been a lot going on between the paperwork, for Mila, to planning wedding showers, for our friends Leigh Anne and Barington, family visits, and the the list goes on.
So, back to the point of this blog--our journey to a family.
Here's the round-about summary as to where we are and where we have been:
On February 7th, we were able to apply with USCIS/Homeland Security. (We had been waiting for our final home-study approval, which came to us on February 5th)
On March 12th, we were FBI fingerprinted (part of the application process for applying with Homeland Security), then we waited for our approval from Homeland Security, we could not move forward without their approval.
On April 4th, we were APPROVED!! That was such a great day, to know that we could finally move forward in the process.
So, the night of the February 5th, were were going through the zillion documents, to make sure everything was PERFECT, and I noticed that my dad's reference letter and Abel Alvarez's, my preacher from McAllen, reference letter didn't have "State of" and "County of" within the notary statement. (This probably wasn't necessary to have, but I wanted everything to be PERFECT...so, I sent Shaun to McAllen, early Monday morning, to pick of the letters from my dad and Abel. Needless to say, it was a long day for Shaun, but he did it, without a complaint. (He did get a good meal and a piece of mom's Italian Cream Cake out of it, AND he got to see my mom and dad who are by far worth any day trip) So, I don't feel too bad. ;)
Once we had those documents, On April 8th, we submitted our dossier to our agency. You have no idea how it felt to finally put all those documents in a package and get them off of my dinning room table, where they have been sitting for months! I love seeing my dinning room table clear, but really it's more symbolic for me, because now when I look at the dinning room table and there aren't any piles of paper, I know we are ONE step closer.
So, now, at at this point in the journey we are getting ready to start a whole new type of waiting, and really a whole new journey. Not that we haven't already been waiting, but this is where we will soon be getting our "number." This number tells us where we are at on the waiting list, and every month we will receive our new number. Some months we will move several spots, others maybe none. This new "phase" will bring about a whole new set of challenges, and joys, with it.
We will wait, trusting in God, till the day we receive our phone call, with the story of our daughter, Mila.
I'll be real honest with you, there are days where I'm not sure if I can go on, if I can actually get through this, because my yearning to be a mom, my eargness to want to give so much love, my desires to be a family, are still in me--through the paperwork, the waiting, those feelings don't go away. In fact, they deepen, and there are moments when I don't know how I"m going to get through this, yet every time I feel this way, I am some how, some way, lifted up again. It's through conversations with dear friends, with Shaun, my mom and dad, my sisters, and always through God, that I am lifted. And, for that, I am beyond thankful for.
Love to you all! :)
Angel
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