Another step closer!

Today we received our USCIS approval! It was so exciting to come home and find it waiting in the mail. This means that we have been approved by the Office of Homeland Security and US Citizenship and Immigration Services to bring a foreign orphan into the country. Once we receive our referral, we will have to file an additional application to bring that specific child into the country, but that should be a relatively quick process since approving us is the biggest portion. It feels very good to have reached such an important milestone!

I'm still dealing with the doctor's office trying to get our one remaining form for our dossier done, but I've finally made contact with a human again, and it seems like it is now in process as well. Daron and I met with a notary today to sign our portion of the dossier documents. Silly me left one of the forms on our scanner (I was making copies for our records), so we'll be signing that document tomorrow. After that, I should be able to mail the documents I do have to the Secretary of State for certification. The doctor's form is being filled out in a different state, so it wouldn't go with these documents anyway (it will be certified in that state).

Now to get settled in for the wait for referral... Daron and I are definitely learning patience through all this!