Monkeys and green paint September 29, 2009

 

I purchased a new sewing machine that has amazing embroidery abilities.  I also invested in a monkey embroidery CD with 33 different monkeys just waiting for me to embroider them.   Above is the sample monkey I embroidered on a cloth diaper a couple weeks ago.  It is 5″ x 7″ and took my machine almost two hours to embroider. 

The plan is to embroider a bunch of monkeys on some curtains I purchased for our children’s room and paint the walls a coordinating green.  I doubt we will be able to get this completed this weekend.  But I am sure going to try.

It’s fun to finally be able to prepare.  We need to take some pictures of the house and the children’s room for our dossier.  The room doesn’t need to be completed, but I would like to show that we have at least started preparing for them.

I-800A Approval – YIPPEE! September 23, 2009

I was delighted to receive our I-800A approval in our mail last night.   I thought it would be at least another week since we just had our biometrics done on 9/16.  It is dated 9/17 so it appears we were approved the next day.

It came in a standard legal size envelope from Homeland Security.  I was nervous opening it up, as I was hoping they weren’t going to request any more info or that it wasn’t a form letter saying something about receiving it and they would mail our approval in X number of days..   I had no need to worry.  Our I-800A process was expensive and felt complicated but really wasn’t bad at all.  It’s so nice to have something go smoothly in our adoption process. 

Our dossier is almost complete.  We just need to spend the next two weeks getting the child(rens) room looking a bit more like a kids room, take a bunch of pictures, finish our Intro letter to our Orphanage while we wait for our last Psychologist appointment on 10/1/09.

I will contact our adoption agency later this week or early next week about getting our MN docs apposiled. They said they could have it done overnight.   (Picture of CT apposile seal below. )  If all goes well we should be able to send in our dossier in the first two weeks in October if not sooner! YIPPEE..

CT Apposile Seal picture

A few weeks ago I purchased a 3 inch wide 3 ring binder.  I wasn’t told to do so but am assuming we need one for our dossier to be sent to Colombia.  I resisted the urge to be boring and purchased a neon green binder!  It was a nice and expensive one (about $17).  I also purchased heavy duty plastic paper covers and tabs so I can label everything to make it easy for review.  My thought is that I want everything to be as nice and easy going for the orphanage in Colombia when it comes to reviewing our binder.  I am hoping that they are okay that we bought this binder and that it is green.  My thought is that it will help our binder stand out from the rest and make them like us.  Silly I know, but if there is anything I can do to make the process better I am going to try it.

Brain drain and Biometrics yesterday! September 17, 2009

We took the day off yesterday to get some very important adoption stuff done.  We had received our appointment notification for our Biometrics (Needed for our I800A approval) to be done on 9/16 at noon, so I thought we may as well take the day off and take our MMPI (psych evaluation test) the same day.   We knew it would be hectic but it all needed to get done, so why waste a moment.

 

The day started out with getting up at 7am. For us that is sleeping in on a work day.

We were out the door at 8am and stopped for a quick breakfast/Ice coffee break at the Holiday gas station.  Definitely not Caribou or Starbucks but a fraction of the cost and much closer to our house.   We both had a large Ice Coffee and Jason had a couple small breakfast sandwiches and I had a mini omelet taco thing is the only way I could describe it and a power bar. 

 

Picture of Jason looking ever so awake.  He really wasn’t feeling like getting his picture taken but I was trying to document the day.

 Come on don’t look so serious JASON!

 We arrived at the psychologist’s office a few minutes early and we sipped our ice coffees and flipped through a couple of National Geographic Magazines.

 

We started the MMPI test at 9:15am.  We were each given a private office to take the test in.  Jason chose the office with Action Figures toys.  (He is a Toy collector, so I wasn’t surprised).

 

The test was 567 questions and we had to leave at about 11am to make it to our biometrics appointment.  We were told it takes most people 1.5 -3 hours to complete the test and you have to take it in one sitting and cannot take it home to complete. We were each given two #2 pencils and we started scribbling in little circles!  (Just like when we were kids in school)

 

 

I didn’t know what to expect but I the questions were rather tricky.  You could only answer True or False.  Some were easy.

 

I love my Mother.   TRUE  

 

I would like to be a Florist.    FALSE

 

Often the way the questions were worded made me need to reread them to make sure I was answering the question correctly. 

 

I always never feel anxious in crowds.   (I always… NEVER?)    TRUE

 

The voices in my head tell me what to do.   (The voices… where are the option to say I don’t hear voices in my head?  There isn’t an option for that.)   FALSE

 

Peculiar odors come from me.   (WHAT?  I guess any odor that comes from me wouldn’t be peculiar…)   FALSE

 

Many of the questions were so bizarre I wondered who answers yes to them.

 

People oftener (yes they use the “word” OFTENER constantly) think I have a drinking problem but I know I don’t.     – FALSE

 

Spirits and ghosts control my actions.   FALSE

 

I dread standing in line.  (DREAD… I wouldn’t say I enjoy standing in line, do some people enjoy it?)   FALSE

 

 

Food tastes the same.  FALSE

 

I awake up refreshed seldomly.   FALSE

 

We joked around a lot about the questions on the test for the rest of the day.  They say you cannot fail the test but you can invalidate it if you contradict your answers. 

Many questions were the same just asked 5 – 10 different ways.

 

I really don’t understand how theses questions can tell anyone about my personality. Unless someone has serious issues with hearing voices, depression, or is just a threat to society in general.  I’m not a psychologist so I am sure there is way more to the test than what it appears to be on the surface.   We did both feel quite drained after the test.  I kept feeling like they were trying to trick me on the questions.  There were a lot of double negative and I always never… (have problems sleeping, feel sick, have a headache, hate animals, forget where I left my belongings, take things that do not belong to me, hope the bad guy gets away) and other random questions like that.  So even though your brain numbs out after a couple hundred questions you have to make sure you don’t go to quickly and miss the NEVER or DO NOT in any question.     Plus since it was just one long bubble sheet with over 500 questions separate from the answer book I skipped a question accidently a couple times and had to go back and fix it.  I really hope I didn’t miss one I may have answered incorrectly by accident.

 

The Psychologist sends in our tests and should have the results back in time for our final meeting to review them on 10/01/09.

 

 

We left for  ST. Paul to have our Biometrics done at about 11:15am.  There was almost no traffic, even with a couple wrong turns we still made it there in 30 minutes (15 minutes before our appointment).  I was shocked that the location was part of a strip mall and it just said Appointment Center on the outside.   I thought this was some massive official thing we had to do with homeland security.  The forms they send us are so official I didn’t expect it to feel like an appointment at the DMV.

Make sure to bring your I797-C Notice of Action form with you and leave your Cell phone and cameras in the car – as they are not allowed in the building.

 

We were all ready for long lines and a couple hour process.  We were in and out in 15 minutes!  There were a couple people ahead of us and a couple behind.  You start out by giving your Notice of Action form and your Drivers Licenses to the Guard (who was just a regular guy at a desk – didn’t look like he guarded anything).  

 

He gave us a form to complete… REALLY basic form, Name, Address, place of birth, and any previous names…  Then we took that to the receptionist. Who clipped a plastic tag with a number to it and pointed to some typical uncomfortable plastic row of chairs behind her and said take a seat.  Then I sat and she almost barked at me telling me to sit in the chair at the end.  I guess the seats were the line, but I didn’t know that.  Everyone behind us knew to sit in the line because they all heard her.  Why you need plastic numbers and need to sit in a line I don’t know, but they have their system and it all worked out very smoothly so I guess it works well.

 

I was called up and they had me sit while the a woman typed in my info for a couple minutes, then she took my fingerprints on a machine very similar to the one they used to do our fingerprints a few weeks ago.  Then she stamped our I 797-C forms as a receipt that we had it done.  I think that is just incase we never get the results.

 

I believe it normally takes another week or two to get our approved I800A form in the mail.  So I am hoping we will have everything by 10/1/09 to submit our Dossier to Colombia.

Links to Colombia pictures September 1, 2009

It has been a while since I posted anything about Colombia.. I haven’t stopped researching it just haven’t thought about posting anything about it lately..

Here are some fun links that have some great Colombia pictures. http://www.medellincolombiatours.com/photo.html

http://www.traveljournals.net/pictures/colombia/medellin/

http://www.lacasamedellin.com/medellin/main.php

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g297478-w2-Medellin.html#18553121

http://www.pbase.com/goosekirk/colombia&page=2

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-482585-medellin_vacations-i-action-pictures#OmgPhoid=1

We also saw an Anthony Bourdain’s No reservations on Colombia a few weeks ago… We were excited about going to Colombia before but after seeing this we really felt we had a much better idea of the feel of Colombia.  It is so beautiful, full of Art, and wonderful people I’m estatic to be able to spend some time there and soak up our children’s birth culture. 

http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/read/colombia-vacation-wonderland

 

Just when you think you are almost there… September 1, 2009

more little bumps pop up in the road… I’ve learned to expect this with the adoption process.  Nothing major has gone on we were just racing to get our dossier done for Colombia and I wanted it have it sent in this week but that’s not going to happen now.  It will probably be another month..

 

The psychologist that said he could to our psychological assessment (required for our dossier) decided the assessment was more than he could do when Jas0n showed up at the appointment and the psychologist finally looked at the paperwork detailing out what we needed.  To say I felt frustrated would be putting it mildly when I got the call on my drive over for my appointment (which was supposed to be right after Jason’s on 8/26).  Luckily the Psychologist we made the appointment with was able to find someone else who was actually able to do it for us.  It will take 2-4 weeks to complete from our appointment – which they couldn’t get us in for two weeks… So our new appointments are on 9/9/09 (hopefully all those nines are a good sign)… We have 2 appointments each and than one together to review the results.  The first appointment is an hour or so meeting with each of us separately, next appointment we need to take the MMPI (told it takes about 1.5 hour to complete), than the final appointment is to review the report the psychologist will be submitting.  

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory(MMPI) is one of the most frequently used personality tests in mental health. The test is used by trained professionals to assist in identifying personality structure and psychopathology.

I thought it was going to be a meeting each and than a week or two to put together the report but I guess that is too easy…

Also we finally received our I797-c – notice of action that our I800A was received and we received our appointments (individual letters) which will be on 9/16 at noon.  The notice said they received our I800A on 8/10 so our appointment is just over a month later… I’m always hoping things are completed faster in adoption but everything takes longer than I think it will. 

We received our apposilled documents back from CT.  They send a cover letter and a groovy looking gold steal on it for each document.  CHSFS said they could apposille our MN documents overnight once ready. 

We received 2/3 personal reference letters and should have the last one this week.  

 

Today or Thursday I’m going to drop by and pick up a new certified birth certificate for me on my way home from work.  They are only open late (until 6) two nights a week and I am hardly in the neighborhood by then.  So I should have that soon….

 

I started working on our introduction letter to our private orphanage last weekend.  Not really sure what to write but so far it sounds okay.

 

I just need to make some curtains for the kids/babies room and we are planning on painting it this weekend.  Currently it is our computer/extra room.  I don’t believe it needs to be all set-up as a kids room but I do want to get started on it and make it look closer to ready.  Right now it is brick red, which doesn’t work for a child’s room.

I need to take pictures of our home and us and label them for our dossier.

 We are also still waiting for them to send us our FBI clearances… Hopefully we will get these soon.

I think once I get all of the above completed we will be set…

**First Blanket craft fair Saturday! 8/29/09** August 27, 2009

 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

 

I will be in The Summer Spectacular Car and Craft show on Saturday 8/29. 

It will be held at the Dakota County Fairgrounds in Farmington, MN from 8am -3pm.  I am booth #71 come by and visit. I have coupon for $2 off the $5 admission price email me at tuckercreations@gmail.com to get one. 

Car & craft fair with over 500 cars and over 100 craft booths. Music, food, games…, and free trolly rides!

For more info go to http://www.thesummerspectacular.com

I have 45 blankets and about 3 dozen burp cloths I am hoping to sell!  Wish me luck!

 

Why did You Adopt from Colombia? One woman’s story August 26, 2009

Why did You Adopt from Colombia? by Monica Paoli

The question, seemingly stated innocently, usually intimates more.  What many want to ask is: “How on earth did you end up adopting from a country like Colombia?”  They think drugs, crime and kidnapping.  After being there twice, we think beautiful flowers, rich coffee and handsome people.So how did we pick Colombia?   From the beginning, we knew we wanted to adopt from Latin America for several reasons.  The language is not as much of a barrier as say, Chinese.   It is geographically accessible for future return trips.  And, we could happily welcome the Hispanic culture into our family.   When it came time to select a specific country from which to adopt, we didn’t consider Colombia because we didn’t meet the age guidelines.  Instead, we chose Bolivia and began completing that country’s paperwork. But as those who have experienced adoption know, there is nothing predictable about the process.  Our agency called one day informing us of a little girl in Medellin, Colombia.  Of all the families working with the agency at the time, only we had paperwork near completion.  The Colombians would make an exception for our ages if we would consider this baby.   We immediately agreed and received her photograph.   She was beautiful, of course.  Yet, the fact that she was born with congenital bilateral cataracts gave us pause before leaping at the opportunity to finally become parents.  Our ophthalmologist cautioned us, “A child with cataracts from a Third World country?  You don’t want to do that.”  We persisted.   Finally, he conceded that if the cataracts showed no change over a period of weeks, they were probably benign and would cause no visual impairment. Credit the Colombians for having had this child’s eyes checked by an ophthalmologist twice before even referring her for adoption.  Such quality medical care is not often offered in orphanages.  We waited about eight weeks for another check up.  The cataracts had not changed.  We gave our enthusiastic consent to proceed with the adoption.   Our agency said our paperwork would need to be changed, a process expected to take several months, before we could travel to Colombia.  Three days later they called and wondered if we could be in Medellin in FOUR days!  More surprises! We knew this initial weeklong trip would only initiate the adoption and that we would return home without the baby.  The agency assured us it would only be a matter of a few weeks before we could return to retrieve her.  And so, the adventure began. On the plane, I handed the baby name book to my husband and suggested he begin perusing it for his favorites.  After plodding through half the “A’s,” he said, “Just let me see your short list.  We can start from there.”  After very little discussion, we both agreed the name “Isabella” would be fitting for our new baby daughter, especially given that her nickname, “Bella,” means beautiful in Italian and Spanish. About the size of California, Colombia has the distinction of bordering both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.  Arriving in Medellin in the early evening, we could only catch glimpses of the countryside.  Vast greenhouses surrounded the airport located on a high plateau southeast of the city.  Colombia ranks as the world’s second leading flower exporter and it stands second only to Brazil in coffee production.   The Hotel Intercontinental overlooks the city from its southern border.  A modern hotel, complete with restaurants, a pool and grounds for walking, it would serve our purposes adequately for the few days we would have with our new baby.  The morning sun revealed a city nestled in a valley of green, lush mountains.  The terra cotta soil provides a rich foundation for every kind and color of plant life.  The weather, temperate year round, results from the country’s close proximity to the equator.   Our first morning was filled with visits to various government offices where our driver/interpreter led us through the maze.  Finally we arrived at the orphanage.  The director explained the legal process of the coming days, outlined instructions for caring for our new baby, and interviewed us as to our ability as parents.  Fortunately, most of what she said was in writing because we were much too nervous to comprehend anything. Finally she left and we waited.  And waited.  She returned announcing, “Ready the camera!”  And there in the arms of a white-uniformed nurse arrived our baby.  Words are inadequate to describe the range and magnitude of the feelings experienced in those first minutes.  To us, it was the miracle of birth right before our eyes.   After we had taken pictures and traded her back and forth between us, it was time to return to the hotel.  Our first stop was for baby food.  That was followed by a stop at the pharmacy for baby formula.  The small pharmacy had a uniquely effective security system—a uniformed guard holding a shotgun.   Finally, back in the hotel we faced the first tests of parenting.  And like most new parents, we discovered we were completely unprepared, especially in a foreign-speaking country where we were supposed to appear to be capable parents.  We muddled through the next four days doing our best to seem competent.   Having to leave Isabella there was a gut-wrenching experience.  I tried to rationalize that it would give us time to get things set up at home, but the uncertainty of what would happen to her and when we would return made it extremely trying.   Once home, baby showers and hurried efforts to put a baby’s room together kept us busy.  But each week hearing, “Not this week, maybe next week,” made the wait all the more excruciating.  What was to be a three-week process took eight long weeks.   Our return trip was much less stressful.  More documents were signed and interviews given.  After two days, we flew to Bogota to get Isabella’s U.S. visa.  Bogota, a city of 5.4 million, has cooler weather and poverty was much more evident.  We stayed in a residence hotel, which provided all the meals in a communal dinning room.  The staff cuddled and walked our new baby while we enjoyed their excellent cooking.   After receiving the visa, a process that took only two days, we embarked on our journey home. I remember telling friends that I would be so relieved when our plane finally touched down in Missoula, Montana.  Surprisingly, an overwhelming feeling of completion enveloped me as we taxied down the runway in Bogota.  Finally we had a baby.  She was ours.  Always and forever. So how did we pick Colombia?  We didn’t.  It picked us.

***Dossier Prep.. mid race*** August 24, 2009

Running, running, and more running!  This has been our lifes the last couple weeks. 

 

We received our Certified Marriage Certificate and Jason’s Certified Birth Certificate from Connecticut and I send them out to the Secretary of State on Friday to be Apposiled.   There was a form to fill out for the reason why and a charge of $5 a document (lower rate for adoption). I contacted the CT Secretary of State asking for the turn time and was told normally it’s 3 days.. So I didn’t pay the $25 a document fee to expedite them.   But I did send them via fed ex and sent a return fed ex envelope for the return (That’s $50 in fed ex’s for this one step alone!)  I should buy Fed Ex stock.  I thought it would cost maybe $15 to overnight something but it has been running $22-$27!!!! YIKES!

 

Jason got his blood work done for his HIV test last week and waiting for the call from our doctors office that says that our forms stating we are HIV free are ready to be picked up. 

 

I emailed our friends that wrote our adoption reference letters 1.5 years ago and requested they update them and send me the originals this week.

 

I faxed a request for my verification of employment in and Jason sent his in.  I haven’t heard anything more on these but I am hoping it goes smoothly.  They want all our income and overall compensation information and the form has to be notarized..  *keeping my fingers crossed*

 

We got fingerprinted after business hours at the local police station.  It was quite an ordeal.  We got so lucky they agreed to do it for us after hours but I don’t think they wanted to… They sent the nicest officer who told us he was the new guy and had just started.  It took 45 minutes to get fingerprinted.  They have a brand new electronic machine that scans in your hand and rejects your fingerprints it it doesn’t get them perfectly.  Quite groovy I must say, but I could tell the police officers were still getting used to it.   They printed out 4 fingerprint cards each, as our agency recommended, but I only sent in 1 copy each to the FBI as the copies were very clear and all identical!!!  Previously when we were fingerprinted for the Adam Walsh background check we went to a security office and they used the old school real ink.  That only took 5 minutes max, but the copies weren’t half as nice.  I Fed Ex’d our fingerprints and a formal letter requesting our ID records along with a 2 checks for $18 a person (and two fed ex return envelopes) on Friday to the FBI in WV.  Our agency says to expect it to take 2-3 weeks… I’m hoping it’s shorter…

 

We received our I797C – Notice of Action from Homeland Security on Saturday.  Actually Jason received a letter that they received our request for the I800A and they would contact him for an appointment time to do his biometrics and I received a letter with my date and time for my appointment.  It didn’t have his name listed on it so I am guessing we have separate appointments?  I am hoping we receive an appointment for him in the mail today or tomorrow.  My appointment isn’t until 9/16!!!  I was hoping for something sooner… Not sure how long it takes once you have that appointment to received the I800A approval..   This could really drag out getting our dossier to Colombia.

 

It took numerous calls to our insurance company and eight psychologists offices before we found one that does psychological assessments for adoption.  Every office except the last one I spoke with seemed to have no clue what I was asking for even though I said “My husband and I need Psychological evaluation for international adoption…. and that the psychologist can you any technical to evaluate us as we just need a 1 or 2 page summary” with many people had to go on to explain exactly what we needed.. which is… summary of our .. Marital adjustment,, reasons or motivations to adopt.. expectations toward child adopted… attitude towards history or child and their biological family.. psychological concept of mental capacity to adoption and raise a Colombian child.. dynamic of the couples relation…

Finally found one that isn’t too far away and even got us in for an evening appointment on Wednesday 8/26.  Woo hoo..

Colombia Dossier begins… August 13, 2009

YIPPEE!  We have received formal approval to start our dossier for our orphanage in Colombia!  I love new steps…

 

I read the 1/2 inch thick package of forms and information on how to complete or dossier several times over the last few days.  Most of it was completely expected.

 

New Certified Birth certificates – huh.. new?  Yes, they want to see that we are still alive and not trying to claim someone else’s identity..

 

New Certified Marriage Certificate – must assume same reason as above

 

Need to be fingerprinted by local police station  (They recommend 4 sets per person) these have to be sent to the FBI so we can get FBI clearance.

 

Physical Exam confirming we have been tested for and do not have HIV/AIDS – has to be signed and notarized… This was a surprise.. I had the test today – we still have to schedule Jason’s… Just a blood test that takes a couple days to get results… I believe this needs to be updated every 6 months!!!!

 

Updated reference letters – need to reprint previous letters and ask everyone to update and sign them again… don’t think they need to be notarized.

 

Employment letter – confirming job, income…

 

Pictures of our house – we need to paint the spare bedroom before the photos (it’s currently brick red.. not a kid color)

 

There is more but those are the highlights.. once I get these docs I need to send them off to be apposiled???  From what I hear it’s a higher form of a type of notary thing that is done by the secretary of state… (Obviously, I still have to figure out how this works)

 

SO FAR WE HAVE…

 

Confirmed today that Homeland Security received our I800A on 8/10/09. (Per USPS delivery confirmation – that 70 cent charge is worth every penny!)

 

Wrote a letter to Clerk of Court in CT where Jason was born, added a copy of his passport, lots of family info, and a $10 check requesting a certified copy of his birth certificate.  Sent this via FED EX (called and got a Fed EX account number – I highly recommend this) and included a return envelope!

 Wrote a letter to the Town clerk of the City in CT we got married in with copies of our passports, lots of information, and another $10 check for processing requesting a certified copy of our marriage certificate.   Sent this via Fed ex today with a return fed ex envelope.

 

 

 

HAD my HIV blood work tested – results should come in early next week.

I feel like a pin cushion…  

 

Scheduled appointment with a police deputy named Cassie to do our fingerprints after hours tomorrow after work… I’m so glad she agreed to take pitty on us so we didn’t have to take time off of work..

 

Got the info all together so I can fax in my request for my certifed birth certificate… Mine will cost $22… EVERY city is different with their rules.. I was born in MN and need a notarized statement and a copy of my passport to get mine!

**First Craft show of 2009** August 7, 2009

I’m excited to report our first craft fair for 2009 will be held at the Dakota County Fairgrounds on 8/29/09 from 8am -3pm.  Free Parking

It is called The Summer Spectacular – Craft Fair & Car Show.

We will be selling items under the name of Sew Cuddly Blankets & Accessories By Tucker Creations.  See my online shop above under the inchworm for an idea.  Blankets looks much better in person and there are dozens to choose from. I have blankets for babies and kids.. may even have a dog blanket or two..  A variety of burp clothes, diaper change bags, bibs, changing mats and more.    All in fun colors and super soft fabrics!

I have spent tons of time making these blankets and love having something to do with making things for children that has a purpose finally.

The craft fair & car show has a $5 admission charge (email me at tuckercreations@gmail.com for a $2 off coupon). FREE PARKING! No Pets or bikes.

Children 12 & under are free with paid adult. This is a huge event with entertainment by “Bob and the Beachcombers”  Games and contests, food, and free trolley tides!  I’m sad I will be stuck at my booth all day so come by and visit!