We were about to start redoing our dossier paperwork again when I heard the news that the DC Embassy (who experienced a staff change) might not accept new dossiers until the new staff was trained. I immediately sent an email to our great caseworker and she suggested we not sign or notarize any of our paperwork until at least March. I was waiting to hear from her to see if we can start prepping paperwork this week or if we should still wait when we got another piece of news.
A fellow PAP (she is awesome!!) who is about a week behind us in the process called CIS here in IL to see about the I 171-H status and she was told that they are only on dossiers submitted the second week of January. We submitted to CIS the first week of February. As of Friday it looks like we are looking at another 3-5 weeks before CIS approval comes in. If that is the case, then we are holding off on paperwork until mid-March. Of course this means that dossier submission likely won't take place until April, and then it will be about 6 months from that point. Looks like we might not be hitting Kaz until Sept/Oct. A bit frustrating to say the least. Now I know this process is full of ups and downs, but between our experience with our first agency and then feeling like we were making progress, and now being at a standstill again, I am just frustrated. I know though in the end everything will work out the way it is supposed to, but I reserve the right to be angry at the moment anyway:)
On a better note, we have made significant progress with Vaughn's room, and we are really excited! It is a bit tough since we will not have our little guy for a while, but it gives us some time to finish the nursery. The pictures above the crib are vintage baseball posters that Jamie has had since he was a kid (his mom got them for him and they were a limited edition). We are pretty excited about how it is all coming together and are looking forward to finishing it. Here are a few in progress pictures:
Even with all the ups and downs of the past month, I have had a great month personally. We went to IA to see our very good friends and their daughter, then we put Vaughn's room together with my parents, I went to Bon Jovi with our really good friend Ted, I got to hang with my two beautiful nieces this week, and this weekend I had a girls' weekend with one of my oldest friends, and I went for coffee today with a friend who I have not seen in about 3 months. So all in all - a great month even with setbacks:) Here is an adorable picture of my day with my nieces while we were at "The Bean" in Chicago:
Here is hoping for some good news in early March from our good friends CIS!!! Like they say, you never know....
16 comments:
I hear ya sister, the rollercoaster ride is never ending. It is frustrating, but you have a good attitude. At least you don't have all the documents done, only to have to redo them all over again if the embassy is still behind. I hope it gets back going again right after you receive your i-171h. We had that happen. Our dossier was done, and then it took 5 weeks to get that last document done. Now, 5 weeks doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but when everything else is complete it seems like an eternity.
His room looks amazing! and how fun you had great girlfriend time and "aunt" time. Tis the best time to do that, because your free time will be a bit less once Vaughn comes home.
I hope that i-171h comes in perfect timing for you guys.
I remember that place in Chicago-that was cool. We saw that the first time I came to run the Chicago marathon. Ahh..good memories. :)
Lets hope the back log and employee issues at the embassy are resolved by the time our dossiers get there. I know a lot of agencies and PAP's are affected by the backlog and everyone is doing what they can to get things moving again. Even if it's nothing more than thinking good thoughts!!
Glad you are back. I am sure it is frustrating when you have so much ahead of you. I will keep my fingers corssed. I hate the USCIS in Chicago. It took us 14 weeks and 2 senators to get our 171!
At least you will be here for Kazapalooza.
I feel for all of you having these ups and downs....the government stuff just wears me out! We had pretty smooth sailing and then hit the brick walls in Kazakhstan....little old lady who did the passports was apparently sick for a LONG time! ;) Here's to wishing that people will get there act together quickly so that all of you can go get those little ones!
Yay! I'm so glad to see you're back in blog land. I've been missing you.
I'm glad you had a good month personally, but sad to hear the adoption stuff is so frustrating.
I was digging around my computer for a photo this weekend and I came across a folder called "Deleted Posts." I opened it up and there was a post I made last year that just dripped with sarcasm and frustration over the wait and the delays and all the uncertainty. One year later I read it and laughed. Laughing is NOT what I was doing a year ago though!
BTW, I am still loving Vaughn's room! Those colors are so perfect!
That sucks. But on the other hand, you are still heading in the right direction! Things will still move much faster with your new agency than with the old. That's all I'll say about that.
I hope USCIS pulls through for you quickly and they get that embassy staff trained pronto!
Its giving you time to catch up on good times with good friends, which is not such a bad thing!
Thinking about you and LOVE Vaugn's room! Love it, love it!
Love Millenium Park too with the Bean and the faces, what a fabu project that whole park is - I studied it for my Masters. It is a super cool project - not just the end product (love the environmental public art and the stadium and walk way) but also the way they financed it. I understand the upkeep is astronomical but it was also an economic and realestate stimulator.
THE BEAN! I love the bean . . . we talk about it my art history classes every once in a while - the bean & the fountain.
The room is so cool - really. I love the colors and the baseball pictures are such a nice touch.
I agree with Susan. I know it sucks to have to wait, but at least you won't be sitting on the ticking bomb that is the other paperwork. We had all our stuff done and had to wait another 4 weeks for CIS. Hang in there! It always seems like there is something. Even though you tell yourself and everyone else tells you it will happen when it is supposed to, it is still SO frustrating. So, yes, you are absoultely entitled to feel whatever you feel!
This process can be SOOOO frustrating. Sorry for all of the agonizing delays. We'll be hoping things pick up soon!
AND THAT ROOM IS AWESOME!
This jurney can be so frustrating. Sounds like you are doing well and going in the right direction.
I'll keep hoping things get moving soon.
Awesome room for Vaughn--absolutely love the colors.
Yes you DO reserve the right to be angry at the moment. This has been a frustrating ride and there is almost nothing about it that seems "fair." Especially since Kaz is going through so many changes.
I LOVE the room. Brown and blue are fabulous together, and the vintage posters are the coolest.
Stay busy, have fun and keep your chin up. Fall is another great time to be in Kaz.
Wishing you many good thoughts!
While I don't envy your delays - I can feel for you as our wait for the LOI has been on the long side of normal for our agency! After you finish pulling your hair out - put things in perspective, this is still one of the faster countries. And on the bright side, Summer is steamy hot (we're talking well into the 100s and humid) with no A/C. So you'll be going during a beautiful time of the year. And you never know... we actually sped through the dossier part but have been waiting a lot longer than expected once the paperwork arrived in Kaz. So, perhaps you'll have the opposite experience. Anything can happen!
I am sorry to hear about the delays, it really is frustrating. Ups and downs are all part of the journey, as you know. I hope the package I sent you will cheer you up. It should be there sometime next week. Hope you have a great weekend and I love the nursery!
Love,
Your SBP
Good news - dossiers are being processed again at the Embassy!
Beautiful nursery!!!
You alive?
we found your blog from a link on Angela's blog. Great room, by the way! I think we may be in about the same leg of the paperchase race as you. We are hoping to send out our dossier tomorrow to our agency. It is a long haul isn't it? In the end, all worth it; that's what we keep telling ourselves. Anyways, hope it is relatively smooth sailing for you now that things are up and running (in spite of the Illinois state government). Best of luck!
Heidi BIglin
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