Single Digits

We have made it to the single digits!!!!! What ever will I do for the next 9 days? Oh, I know, I'll probably be calling the National Visa Center every day for the next 9 days. Last week Dave and I went to one of the USCIS Application Support Centers to be fingerprinted, yet again. For those of you not familiar with the process, if an adoption has not been completed within 15 months of being fingerprinted, USCIS requires that the fingerprints be redone. Our original prints were done on December 5, 2008, which means they expire tomorrow. Since our Embassy appointment isn't scheduled until March 22nd, we had to go in to have our fingerprints renewed so we have a current copy on record at the time of our Embassy appointment. No current copy would mean no Embassy appointment. Since we are only 9 days from travel, my job is to check with the National Visa Center, on a daily basis until they confirm they have received our fingerprint renewal and that it has been sent to the Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Once they confirm it's been sent, I will need to contact the Embassy to verify they have actually received it. If this hasn't been done by next week my next job will be calling my U.S. Senator's office and getting them involved. Traveling to Ethiopia without verification that this information is in the hands of the U.S. Embassy means that we could find ourselves living in Ethiopia for at least two additional weeks while we wait for the next Embassy appointment or worse, returning home without Naomi.

I know that paints a somewhat scary picture and I'm sure we'll get this all worked out, but there have been more than a few families that have been caught in very similar situations and I'm trying to stay on top of this to make sure our family is not added to that list.