We have been waiting to post another update until we had something to share. It has been a little over two weeks since we received the referral and began the whirlwind process to get everything ready to finalize the adoption. At our last update we were waiting on two pieces, the completed home study and the first confirmation that our INS paperwork was in process. We received notification that our INS paperwork has begun its several week journey and we were able to get the last piece of our home study documentation today thanks to a very special nurse practitioner in our doctor’s office named Jill Beckworth. We learned today that our doctor’s office needed physicals done before they could complete the paperwork needed for the home study (long story), but thanks to Jill, who is an adoptive mother herself, we were able to slip into the office today and she filled out the paperwork while we were there. We left the doctor’s office, stopped by our good friend Dr. Odom’s office for some final documentation for Mary Ann, and off the fax went to Atlanta. We have to follow it up tomorrow with hard copies and hopefully our updated home study will be on its way to be translated, apostilled, and overnighted to Colombia.
Once we get a final copy of the home study, we will send a copy to the Citizen and Immigration Services office in Atlanta to go along with our I-600A. We should be hearing from them soon regarding our FBI fingerprinting which will either be done in Atlanta or Charleston, SC. Once we know which, we will take a quick trip to one or the other and get that taken care of too. Then it is just a matter of the travel date which we hope to find out soon. Our adoption coordinator says that we could hear something as early as this week or possibly as late as next week (we are hoping sooner). It will just be nice to know when we need to travel in order to make final preparations for the trip. Not to mention the longing that is growing in our hearts to be with Cameron.
So what have we been doing in the meantime? Well, we haven’t been sitting still, that is for sure! Several projects have been filling our time including preparations for the big garage sale, preparing the nursery for Cameron, and swinging by Babies-R-Us to setup a registry.
We are planning to have the garage sale on Saturday, March 6th to raise some additional funds for our trip. We are kind of hoping we will have to travel before then, but we are going to plan for it anyway since we really have no idea and could use the extra money for the trip. We are getting rid of a lot of stuff and many of you have offered to donate things for the sale. If you have items that you have been wanting to get rid of, we would be glad to put them in the sale. Mary Ann and Kim Maner have been working to organize the donations for the sale. If you have something you would like to donate, just send one of them an e-mail and let them know. Everyone is welcome to drop by for the sale! You never know what you might find and the proceeds are going toward a great cause! =)
Mary Ann and I have also been making preparations around the house for our new little boy. The office has now become the guest room/office and the guest room is going to be Cameron’s new room. Mary Ann has been painting for the past couple of days and we have been looking for rugs and light fixtures as well as making additions to the closet for Cameron’s things. Poor Bama (our dog) has been trying to figure out what in the world is going on. Boy, is she in for a surprise! =)
In addition to our home improvement adventures, we also took a few minutes to swing by Babies-R-Us to put together a registry for Cameron. Several of our friends have asked about throwing a baby shower for Cameron and asked that we put together a registry. That was an adventure in itself. So many “firsts” that I had really begun to wonder if they would ever come. I had to fight off some tears as Mary Ann sat down to have everything explained. I was able to keep it together enough to snap a quick picture to remember the moment. The young lady that was explaining everything told us that we should be sure to scan 100 to 150 items. My first thought was, “Is that all!” Of course, about an hour and a half into the process I was thinking, “We only have 75 items scanned, what are we going to do!” As it turns out, a lot of items they recommend you put on your registry for a new born don’t really apply to a 1 year old. So, I headed to the electronics department to get Cameron his first game system
! (Not really =) Anyway, after a couple of hours we finally covered the whole store and reached the 150 mark on our little scanner. All of the weird stuff on the list is my fault (Mary Ann said that I could scan whatever I wanted =). The plan is to have Cameron’s baby shower once we get back so that everyone can see him. Kim Maner is working on the planning of the shower and will set the date once we know better when we will be getting back home from Colombia. If you have questions about the shower, feel free to send her an e-mail.
Well, that is were things stand right now. I always plan to make these updates short, but they always seem to end up going on and on. Guess I am a little excited about all that is happening. I have to admit that I am also a bit humbled by all of the folks that have come forward wanting to help us bring Cameron home. We are so grateful to have friends and family that love us this way. Please continue to pray that God will provide everything that we need to bring Cameron home. We know that the days ahead will not only require a lot of patience and emotional strength, but wisdom to make wise choices. We are praying that when the time comes we will be able to find the best deals on plane tickets and lodging, and that there won’t be any hidden expenses come up during the trip. And if there are, we know that we serve as awesome God who will have prepared us for anything that comes our way.
We love you all and thank you for your prayers. We will let you know as things begin to unfold.
Awaiting His Coming,
Patrick & Mary Ann Mulvehill
