WE GOT OUR FINGERPRINT APPOINTMENTS TODAY

This is a huge deal when you are in the waiting game for international adoption. The I-800A is immigration's approval to allow you to bring a child in to the country. The process to get your I-800A approval usually takes about 60 days. We have an amazing agent at the USCIS office working for us to help expedite the file. Her name is Margaret Wilson and I highly advise anyone that is adopting internationally see if they can use her as their agent. She has been helping us from the beginning to get this process expedited and in so doing, made this 60 day process turn in to a 18 day process. She is truly, and literally, a life saver.

Margaret emailed our fingerprint appointments to us today so that we don't have to wait for them in the mail. On Tuesday, we are going to walk-in to the ACS office, get our fingerprints done, and should have our approval emailed to us the very next day. Then, our agency will send all our documents to get authenticated at the San Francisco Secretary of State office, which usually takes about a week. We will then be ready to submit our Dossier to China. This puts us ahead of my schedule by two weeks, and ahead of the normal schedule by a good month plus. For all of you that have been praying for us and these two adorable children, keep it up because it is truly working!!!

On another note, my husband called me today and said that his Battalion Commander contacted his Lt. Col, who is currently his 'boss', to tell him that she felt he is adopting too much. You see, he submitted a 4187 requesting that his Captain's Career Course date in January be moved to May due to our adoption. Phil's response is that he would like to see her put that in writing on a legal, military memo as JAG (military legal dept.) will have a heyday. That is like telling soldiers they are getting pregnant too much. Very illegal. But, in the end she has the right to decline his 4187, which means he will have to leave in January for Career Course in Missouri, leaving me here for 6 months with all the children, all the hospitalizations, doctor appointments, therapies and surgeries. Well, we knew what we were getting in to, especially being in the military, so such is life!!