Hurry up......and wait

I received approval  from the State of Utah and the Haitian Consulate. Friday I checked with in with the adoption agency and confirmed that my dossier has officially been sent to the Haitian government and I now wait for their approval. Haiti should have my file early this next week.

From this point forward it is going to be a bit of a waiting game again. Once I get approval from the government, I then wait to be matched up with a child. They will email me the picture and all information they have on the child and I will have 48 hours to accept or decline that referral.

Once I accept a referral, they will submit mine and the child's file to IBESR for final approval of the match. That part of the adoption can take quite some time. So even though we have moved along pretty quickly over this last month, doesn't necessarily mean I am close to going to pick him up. Though prayers for a quick response from each section this process goes through will be appreciated,

We are getting closer my friends. I am so happy to have so many of you asking and being a part of this process with me. So many people already love this little boy that I don't have yet. He is going to be one lucky little boy.

As I move forward, please know that I have signed a no-internet policy as part of the adoption. I am not going to be able to share of his personal information or photo on the internet in any way until after the adoption is final.

Kayleen's Kid Quest continues......

Picking up speed...

Wow, things seem to be moving at a very fast pace for the moment. My head is spinning with everything I'm running around trying to get done and mailed off. My heart is full of anticipation/worry/excitement/stress/etc. What a wonderful week I am having. 

It only took the state two days to get my paperwork completed (normally 3-5 business days) so I went and picked them up yesterday and shipped them, overnight, to the Haitian Consulate in Chicago for their approval. Then they will send the completed paperwork to the adoption agency overnight as well. In the meantime, I am working on getting a couple of things together to send to the adoption agency on my end, this weekend. 

I also received an email that all the translation of my file is complete. So this means, as soon as the agency gets the paperwork from the consulate, they can officially submit my dossier to the Haitian government for approval. Friends, there is a chance this could happen next week. HOLY COW.

Am I ready? Emotionally, spiritually, financially? It's amazing the way your mind starts to go through every possible scenario of what could go wrong at this point. The mind constantly is thinking of every detail that I might need to cover in preparing to accept a referral and prepare to go meet him and do the courts to make it official.  Note to self, create a checklist. :)

There was such a lull for sometime that it seemed like I was no longer going through this adoption. No updates to post, just life as normal. Then BAM..... here you go, let's fly through this next part. 

Wish me luck over the next few weeks, that I don't completely lose my mind, that I can get everything completed they need, that I get everything ready for him to come home, that I am ready to move forward at the speed they need me to. 

I AM ALMOST A MAMA!!!!!!!

Kayleen's kid quest continues.....

Immigration.... APPROVED

What a great day yesterday, for me. I went and submitted the paperwork to the State of Utah for authentication on my dossier, then in the mail I received an approval letter from Immigration. OH HAPPY DAY!!!!!

I was ecstatic. It was such a great feeling to know that we are moving forward again in the quest. I smiled most of the day as result. My cheeks were hurting. 

Now to start the focus on other things. Like put together my online auction, sell some donated items on KSL, metal/can runs, apply for grants, maybe do another fundraiser to make sure I am where I need to be. 

With adoptions there is a fee at the end of each section of the process. I currently have fees for the state authentications, the translation that is taking place, then when I submit the dossier to the Haitain Consulate, another fee when I am approved by the Haitain government, and another when I accept the referral of my son. 

Then there are fees for visas, a passport for him, flights for me and him, and court costs. Trying to put a number on the amount is hard. So I continue to just keep doing what I can to save and raise until I'm through to the other side. 

I can't even begin to describe how amazing this side of the journey has been. The saving has been hard with trying to budget every Penney of every paycheck. The amazing people who have donated enough items to do three full yard sales last year. The furniture donated to sell on KSL. The car wash/bake sale my awesome coworkers put on and the cash donated privately and publicly. It's enough to make any person stand in awe of the great people she has in her life. You have all been angels to me. 

I would not be where I am, in this adoption, without each person who has donated their time, their money, their energy, their love, their prayers, and their well wishes to me and my quest to become a mom. 

My quest, from the beginning has been guided from above. Each step along the way has been the same. As I continue to move forward, however slow or fast it may be, please know that I thank each and every person for their contribution. Each one is huge in my eyes, and felt deeply in my heart. 

Thank you for believing in my quest, for believing that I will be the best mom to this little boy I don't even know yet. 

Kayleens kid quest continues......

Dossier......CHECK

So I finally had my appointment with USCIS this past Monday. They took my fingerprints, yet again. So now we (I use the term we, since there are so many of you on this quest with me) wait for the results to come back. Fingers crossed for speedy results.

While that was happening, I completed all the necessary paperwork for my dossier and it should be submitted to the State of Utah for their approval within the week. YAY!!!!!!  (A special thank you to Natalie Dansie for putting together my collage for the dossier - see sample page below) 

Once we have Utah's approval,  we submit to a translator then it is submitted to Haiti for final approval. After that.....we wait for a referral.

It has been almost a two year journey for me, with lots of highs, lows, and waiting periods. I am grateful that The Lord in His infinite wisdom, prepared my mind and heart to follow His timeline and not my own. Otherwise I am sure I would be a bald, pissed off woman by now. I continue to pray that my little son is still being prepared to meet his mama, and will be ready to accept me when the time comes to meet him.

I am getting ahead of myself here, there are still hurdles to jump and fees to pay before I can feel that I can dream of meeting him. Though, I believe I still see his little face in my dreams at night and maybe when I daydream (ummmm, don't tell my boss about that last comment). I still pray hard for me to continue to become the mama this little boy needs to make him become the man he should be in this life.

I tease that I have be "pregnant" for almost two years and I am ready for the "contractions" to hit so I will know that the time is near. Truth is, I just don't know how close it really is. I do my best to stay strong, happy in my decision and the path my life has taken over these last two years. I am grateful for the people The Lord has put in my path during this time to help me through the tough days. The awesome friends and one amazing mother who talk me down from the frustrations, who lift me up on the sad days, and keep me laughing (which is all I really want to do in life, anyway).

Now, to focus on finishing up with a little more funding, since the translation is another fee, then travel and court costs. If anyone has any metal or cans they would like to donate, please let me know. I am ready to do another run. Also, if you know anyone looking for a good cause have them check out my funding page - http://www.gofundme.com/Kayleens-Kid-Quest

I am almost a MAMA!!!

Kayleen's Kid Quest Continues........