In HIS time

Carter was born on Christmas Eve, but Kwasi seems to be our real holiday baby.

I first met him on MY BIRTHDAY
We passed court on ST. PATRICK'S DAY
Chris met him on the 4TH OF JULY
and as we got closer and closer, I just KNEW our pick-up trip would be over LABOR DAY.

I knew it so much that I bought our tickets so, I was happy, but depressed when I was told that his visa would be ready September 9th. It struck me that it just wasn't right. It honestly did not make sense to me. I had planned that it would be this holiday weekend I know things "happen for a reason" but it just hit this mama hard that this was.not.right.

Reluctantly, I changed our tickets. Paid the $250 change fee for mine (got lucky on Chris') and that was that. My labor pains started as I waited for the 8th to come for us to fly to Ghana.

Then today... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!!! I got an email from the embassy saying that his visa has been printed and it can be picked up THIS FRIDAY!!!! I grabbed a hold of my crazed self and started texting with Chris to see if we could go sooner. I was a madwoman looking at Delta flights and calling family members to watch Carter and Esinam while trying to get a hold of our POA to see about him picking up the visa. And then (dramatic pause) everything fell into place.

We are leaving Saturday morning to bring our son home! We will be back on Wednesday afternoon. That is a whole day before we would have even left! This will allow Chris to spend a whole week with us before going on his business trip.

Thank you, GOD! Lessoned learned. You are driving this bus and I shouldn't try to knock you out of the driver's seat even if you gave me the heads up that it would be this weekend. I should have patiently waited knowing you would get me where I needed to go and I could have saved $500 in change fees.

Whatever. We're going to get our son! Our holiday baby!

We're arriving Wednesday, September 7 on Delta flight 1194 at 3:55. Everyone is welcome to come meet Kwasi!

It's real

I did it. I booked our tickets. We are going to pick up our son and bring him home. It's crazy.

We leave in less than 2 weeks - September 8th at the crack of dawn. We will barely be there since we arrive the 9th at noon and leave again on the 11th at 10pm, but that's how it worked out with airline prices and our family schedule.

We'll arrive home Monday at 11 am. Chris leaves us Wednesday at 8am for a business trip returning Sunday night!! Esinam leaves us Thursday and Friday for a field trip-thing.

Not an ideal first week for Kwasi to get adjusted, but it will have to do. At least Carter and I will be with him 24/7 to start to bond. After the craziness of the 1st week home, things should get on track with our "new normal".

Since it will be a bit crazy the first week, we are going to keep to ourselves without visitors to lessen the confusion for Kwasi. We don't want a lot of coming and goings to get him wondering who is permanent and who isn't. If you are just DYING to meet him (you know you are), you are welcome to meet us at the airport when we arrive and welcome him as we wait for our bags and chit chat a bit. Details to follow.

I can't believe I'm going to have him here to hugs and squeeze any time I want forever (or at least 17 years).

It's happening

I can't believe it is really happening. Our POA was told today at the embassy that Kwasi's visa will be granted and will be printed soon. I really just can't believe it.

This has seemed like such a long journey and yet, I know, start to finish it will have been less than 13 months. That is INCREDIBLY short for international adoption. I think the reason is seems extra long is that we have known about Kwasi, seen his face, since January 25th. So, of the 13 months, almost 8 months of them have been spent thinking of him and not an unknown child. Each month has passed and we have missed watching him grow. During this time, we have received photos from two traveling friends and we took some ourselves during our trip in July. That is a long time to know who your son is without being able to be with him and receiving almost no photos or video. In many other countries, the wait for a referral is longer, but you only have to wait 3-4 months to bring them home.

At any rate, it's almost over. We'll be brining him home within the next few weeks and he'll be ours forever.

I still can't believe it.

4:57 a.m.

I won't keep you in suspense. The interview went.. well, okay, fine, overall good.

I kept waking up all night for brief moments and would think to myself "oh no, he hasn't call yet. Is that bad?"

Then, at 4:57 a.m. He called! He said he had good news and that the interview went very well! However, he needs me to FedEx him a new Power of Attorney document that includes Kwasi's date of birth (he has never needed this included before so, he had our POA without the date of birth) and photos of us WITH Kwasi. If I can get it all to him, he will be granted another appointment next Tuesday.

To some this may seem... not good. The thing is, this could have gone 100 different ways. The fact that they are asking for specific items, items that are very easy to get and make sense (the photos will prove that we have met him and are fully aware of the child we are adopting), to me, is a very good sign. Hopefully, they will grant the visa next Tuesday when they receive these items.

Of course, I've been up since 4:57. I've ordered the photos, created the new POA and am now just waiting for the rest of Washington to get up and out of bed so that I can pick the photos up and get the POA notarized ;)

2 1/2 hours

Only 2 1/2 hours until the big embassy appointment. I'm a nervous wreck! We've been praying hard and I know many of you have as well. Thank you! I really hope I have the most amazing wake up call in the middle of the night or early morning. We could use one step of this adoption going smoothly!

Another possible delay

My heart broke in two today when I read that another family was told that it will be 1-2 months from their appointment until their visa is printed. It has been fairly consistent that it takes 1-3 weeks. Please keep praying that everything is "normal" for our process. Kwasi has been ours according to the Ghana government since March 17th. I can't believe that our government is the one responsible for so much waiting.

1 week

In 1 week (actually less than that if you consider that it is 9 pm right now), Kwasi has his visa interview appointment. I can't believe it is almost here. I'm so nervous about it. They will either ask for his passport to print his visa or ask for more information/documentation. If they take his visa, I will breathe my first sigh of relief in one year. We will then be able to figure out when we get to go get him and start to plan our trip!

I got word today that his passport was picked up and his medical was done. The passport has actually been ready since July 20th, but why pick it up before you need it, right ;)

July 15

Back in May I started thinking about July 15th. I can't explain why, it just hit me that today would be a big deal. At first I was hopefully that July 15th would be the day that we would be picking up Kwasi in Ghana. At some point in June and gave up on that thought. When we picked up our packet this week I thought, MAYBE they will respond on Friday with an appointment (realizing that this was completely unrealistic since the last time I emailed it took them a week and a half to respond). We had figured the date would be in September. If we were really lucky, maybe the last week of August.

Then this morning, July 15th came. I picked up my phone like I do every morning and checked my email.

There it was - an email from the US embassy!

We have an interview date. Not only do we have a date, we have a date in August - in the middle of August! August 16th!!!


I can't believe we are finally to this point. What this means: Our POA will go to the interview on the 16th. If everything is in order, and some times -it's not, we should be flying over to get him about 2 weeks later when his visa is ready.

On our way!

Our visa packet was picked up today at the embassy and I immediately emailed and requested an interview appointment. Cross all your fingers and toes that we get a date set soon!

Embassy!!!

We finally got the email from the Embassy saying that we can pick up our visa packet!!! It has to be picked up on a Wednesday AFTER 2 pm. We tried going in for the paperwork last Wednesday and waited about an hour and half to be told that since we had not gotten this very special email, they could not give us the paperwork.

So now, we have our Power of Attorney pick it up (Hopefully he go do it this Wednesday) and then we can send another email requesting an embassy interview!!!

How much longer?

This is the most common question I get. The answer: we have no clue!

I actually got the birth certificate yesterday. I'm happy to have it, but was alarmed to see a different name listed as the birth father. Not just a different first or last name, a completely different name and occupation. My heart sank as I immediately starting wondering how long it would take to correct it. When I called our coordinator I was told it was fine and that the birth certificate is the most important. Great, but I still need to know THE name of my son's birthfather. He will need to know it. I've added it to the list of things to figure out on my next trip.

Now the passport. When we talked on Friday I was told he would be getting the application this week. Yesterday, that changed to "As soon as possible, probably next week." So, we've been waiting and waiting for this birth certificate so that we can apply for the passport, but now that we have it, we are not applying immediately because our coordinator has other stuff to do I guess. I'm concerned as I know that there are 3 families headed over there on Friday.

I'm not sure what God has in store for us and why we are hitting every single bump in the road. Not all adoptions are like this. If we didn't need to correct the adoption decree, we would have had it March 30th. Then, if the birth certificate had only taken a week, we would have already applied for the passport long ago.. but like I said, every.single.bump.

We've got it, I think

I didn't hear anything on Friday so I called our coordinator. Turns out he had good news! The birth certificate people called and told him the certificate is ready! He was out of town so, he'll go and get it on Monday. I'll take it!

Now, on to the passport and I-600

Promises promises

Still nothing. I talked to our coordinator yesterday and he was afraid that the office had lost our 2nd application for a birth certificate. The first one, from a month ago.. well, the agent in charge of that one got married and is on her honeymoon. Apparently once it is assigned to an agent, no one else can touch it. Thanks a lot lady.

I got a follow up email yesterday afternoon saying that he was promised (again) that it would be ready Friday. Please use every prayer you have to ask that we receive this birth certificate and are able to apply for Coen's passport.

Another week

Yep, another week. No birth certificate. I'm sick, upset and well.. pissed. I'm furious that I'm continually told I will get it within a few days and then get nothing. I'm even more upset that today I got an email saying that our coordinator was at the birth certificate office and that he would get back to me by the end of the day. Well, it's almost 11 pm in Ghana. Pretty sure that is past the "end of the day".

I cannot believe that people can be so careless when a child is involved. He has officially been our son since March 17th. 2 months we have been waiting to just be able to apply for the passport which I've been told is the longest part of the process.

I'm about ready to get on a plane.

Morning sickness

If you think that a paper pregnancy allows you to by-pass the nausea, thinks again. I'm honestly sick to my stomach.

I was told Friday that again the birth certificate was not available but that our coordinator had been promised Monday. I called today and was told that the only guy working on the birth certificate is out of town until next week so, our coordinator will be applying again tomorrow with a new agent and "hopes" to get it in one week.

What?!

I'm not even sure that this is the case since our coordinator was out of town today (Monday) so, he didn't go to the office where he was promised it would be. How does he know then that it is not available? Maybe he called.. I don't know.

So, a process that should have taken maybe 2 weeks is going into it's 4th.

We then will wait an unspecified period of time for his passport.

I'm just sick.

This is Ghana.

update

Today was a hard one for me. Another Friday has come and gone without a birth certificate. I think what makes this hard is 1)I am continually told that we will have it "by Friday" 2)This isn't supposed to be the long part of the process. So, if this is the fast/short part, what does that mean for the rest of the process?

It seems like we are asked daily when Coen will be home. In the beginning, I was saying 2-3 months as that was what I was told. That would have had him coming home this month. At this point, I think we will be very blessed to have him home in the next 4 months. Passports seem to be taking 2-3 months and visa appointments which used to be scheduled just a week or two out, are now being schedule 1-2 months out.

I know he'll come home when he is *supposed* to, but it doesn't make it any easier to miss these precious months of his life (especially when I just got back from the the hospital where I held a 3 day old baby).

Some news!

I got a message from our coordinator that we should have our corrected adoption decree and the birth certificate on Friday. Pray, pray, pray please!

So is the process in Ghana

We got our adoption decree today! Yeah!

Turns out not so "yeah"..

As I read through it, it stated a birthdate in April. April?! I was told January 31st. Could he really be that young? No.

I checked the calendar. The new date was a Tuesday. Kwasi means "born on a Sunday".

One call to our coordinator cleared it up. It was a clerical error. He MAY be able to fix it. He might not. So, our son's date of birth is january 31st, but all of his legal documents might say an April date. Ugh! At least it won't effect things like school registration.

Oh the joys of adoption

So we passed court, AWESOME news! News that can only be tainted by Wells Fargo employees. Since we passed court, it is time to wire over our 2nd payment so that our agent is able to pay for all the rest of the fees from here on out.

We have 2 bank accounts: 1 at Chase and 1 at Wells Fargo.

Chase is closer to our house so, I wanted to go there, BUT Wells Fargo did the last transfer and it went flawlessly so, I figured I would just take in the exact form that they used, they could copy it letter by letter and this transfer would go smoothly as well. So, I drove the extra bit to get to Wells Fargo.

I met with a banker immediate and gave her the form explaining that I needed the EXACT same transfer, but in a different amount. After about 10 minutes she starts asking for a different address to input into her system for Ghana. I explained AGAIN that this is how they did it last time and it worked so could she please copy it EXACTLY as she sees it.

Nope. No can do. She has decided that she needs a physical address on the form and the one we used last time was a P.O.Box.

Even my 2 year-old was getting frustrated now. We left, drove to the other Wells Fargo bank and they copied it exactly and we were out of there in about 15 minutes. Although, they did charge $10 more than last time... By this point I didn't care.

Why do some people insist on adding to the frustration of an already difficult process? I really don't think I could have made it any easier on this woman. All I asked her to do was copy a form.

Chase, looks like you are in the lead for my least hated bank now.

Dossier submitted!

We've had our dossier done and ready to go to Ghana for a while now, but our contact in Ghana was going to be out of town for 3 weeks and I was a bit worried to send it and have it arrive while he was out so, I just sent it off today. I also wanted to include a small family photo book that will be given to our child once we are matched so that the can start to get to know us before we actually get to meet!

I guess technically we've been on the wait list for a month or so, but I'm counting today as the official day that we start WAITING to be matched since they will now have everything that they need from us to start an adoption!