I returned home Tuesday evening from a wonderful family reunion in Pennsylvania. (Yes, another family reunion. We have 3 this Summer!) I will admit I was tired, a bit cranky, and hungry. I arrived home solo, as Kirk stayed on to go to a men's gathering with my dad, uncle, brother in law, cousin in law, and 2nd cousin. It was 1am when I opened our front door, and of course, the first thing I did was check mail. And there it was, that innocent looking envelope bearing the USCIS emblem. At last, I 800 approval! One step closer to our Asha.
Our approval will be forward to the National Visa Center, and the NVC will forward the approval to the US Embassy in Delhi, India. The US Embassy should have received a special form, and visa pictures of Asha from the children's home. Once they have all these pieces, that will grant what is called the Article 5. They will email us this form. We will forward it to our adoption agency, Dillon. The Article 5 then goes to CARA (Central Adoption Resource Authority.) The step after this is an important and potentially long one. CARA has to review our case, and grant a No Objection Certificate, or NOC. The NOC indicates that India, and CARA, have no objection to our adopting Asha.
On the emotions side, both Kirk and I are preparing for parenthood in our own ways. We are reading books on attachment and adoption, and talking about how we may want to handle certain issues. We are addressing our finances, and trying to budget and prepare for our upcoming trip to India. And the added expenses of a little one! I am trying new, healthy recipes, attempting to feel more comfortable with certain dishes so I can make them for our daughter. I am vegan, and Kirk is mostly vegan, so it's been really fun to cook and experiment together.
Kirk is very excited about our travel in India, pre-Asha. We are thinking of going to Dharamsala, as we have heard it is a special and spiritual place. I am noticing that Asha's name comes up all the time. At the family reunion, I showed everyone her pictures. I made little photobooks on Shutterfly for each of my family members, with all of our photos of Asha to date. Everyone is so excited to meet her!
Tomorrow I start working on organizing our closet, so I can unpack the guest room, so we can buy paint, and paint Asha's room and the guest room. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers for a fast Article 5!!!
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Yay! Congrats on moving forward...one step at a time! How fun it must have been to share Asha's picture with the extended family. I'm sure this must have made things much more real for them too.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear about the transformations of the rooms.
Most of all, I hope CARA is quick and kind to both of us :)
Julie
You should be able to find lots of yummy vegan recipes for Indian dishes -- one of the nice things about your flights and travel will be that vegetarian food is standard fare. :o) (We have one son who is allergic to eggs, and who used to be allergic to dairy, so I appreciate vegan recipes!)
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll have a few more speedy paperwork surprises in the near future! Can't wait to see baby room photos . . .
Nancy
YAY!!!! This is great news. How fun to for you to introduce your precious daughter to extended family with pictures and then come home and be one step closer to your baby girl. Can't wait to see Asha's room.
ReplyDeleteApril :-)