All right...I have calmed down considerably and will now attempt to tell you about the latest chapter in "Our I171H---Part Two---The Terror Continues". I also liked "Electric Boogaloo" but "The Terror Continues" was a more appropriate title for the sequel.

Let's start with yesterday. The person at our agency who was supposed to call Garry...didn't. He spent most of his day leaving messages on numerous agency employees' voicemail. None of them called him back either. He was set to start dialing again today when the first person he called, called me! Of course, I was on my way out the door to pick up Hope from preschool at the time...and all of the messages that we left said to call Garry on his cell...and our file states that Garry's cell is our main contact number...sorry...slipped into another rant...

So she calls and tells me that Garry has left several messages on her voicemail asking about the length of the wait for the I171H from Cleveland USCIS. My mind snapped...actually heard it break...much like a dry twig used for kindling. As nicely as I could I told her that was NOT what we were asking. I told her that USCIS doesn't have our home study. "Yes they do." Ummm...noooo...they sent us a letter on Friday saying they couldn't process our request because they don't have our home study. "They have it." At this point, you want to know what I'm hearing in my head? Raucous cackling followed by a singsong voice saying, "We've got your baby and you're not going to get her" over and over and over. She said ALL of their families are receiving this letter and all she can do is put me on a list...and on...and on... I asked her if she would please call Garry on his cell because I had to go pick up Hope. She apologized, said she would call, checked the number, I hung up and shook all the way to preschool.

On the way home we stopped to share Claire's pictures with a friend who happens to be one of the sweetest women God has ever placed on this Earth. Hey, I needed to absorb some of her positive energy before I went back home to deal with the dark side again.

We got home about an hour after our agency called me. I called Garry and said, "So what's going on?" He didn't have a clue. No one had called him. I explained to him what had happened and he said he was going to call THEM as soon as we hung up.

About 20 minutes later he called back. Six of our agency's families who are trying to renew their I171H documents received a letter from Cleveland USCIS saying they had not received their home studies. The person who spoke with me was currently on the phone with someone AT Cleveland USCIS. This person assured her that the USCIS had EVERYONE'S home studies AND everything else they needed from the six families.

Garry was told, "It's like they are targeting this agency!" You know what? Go ahead and insert your own sarcastic remark here because my friends, this is just tooooo easy.

We were also given a piece of information that made us smile even more than knowing the USCIS had our papers. EVERYONE IN OUR GROUP HAS RETURNED THEIR ACCEPTANCE LETTERS AND THEY ARE ALREADY IN THE AIR BACK TO CHINA! The sooner they get there the sooner CCAA can do their thing and get our travel approvals sent back.

I really am a lot calmer now than what I was just 30 minutes ago. Y'all have received "The Sanitized Version" of events. It's been awhile since blood has threatened to spurt out of my eye sockets like that!

Y'all take care...

And the fun just contiues...

When the mail came on Friday I was beyond ecstatic when I saw an envelope from the USCIS in Cleveland. If you remember we had to re-apply for our I171H which expires on December 18th. If you don't have your consulate appointment in Guangzhou by that date, well...you can just go home without your baby!

We had been told by the agency to fill out another I600A and send it to USCIS with a check, MINUS the money for fingerprints since we had them redone in August. We did what our agency told us to do and in less than a week we received a BIG manila envelope from USCIS with all of our documents returned to us saying that we owed them money for fingerprints. We never even THOUGHT of calling the agency to ask them what to do. We just assumed it was a government agency not realizing that this was a renewal and whoever was looking at our paperwork didn't want to look up our case number. SO! We made a copy of our amended I171H which states very clearly that our fingerprints are good until November of 2007 and sent everything back to USCIS.

Shortly after we mailed it off for the second time, all heck broke loose on the boards AND at our agency. It seems a lot of people were getting their paperwork back from the Cleveland USCIS and were having to pay and be fingerprinted FOR A THIRD TIME. The agency was no help whatsoever. They basically told us to expect to get our papers kicked back to us yet again and expect to pay the fingerprinting fee AND be refingerprinted for the third time. They advised their other clients to pay the fee and be refingerprinted a third time...without contacting the USCIS and asking them what was going on. Well guess what? All the USCIS needs is A COPY OF YOUR AMENDED I171H to prove to them that your fingerprints are current. It is SO wonderful to do something that your gut tells you is right even when your agency tells you something different.

SO! Back to last Friday. There sat that little...notice I said LITTLE...not big old manila envelope...but a little envelope from the USCIS in Cleveland. I tore into that sucker like a kid on Christmas morning. I mean, we got our referral the day before and now here was our brand new I171H which gives us permission to adopt her and bring her home!

WRONG!!!!!

They can't process our request because...are you ready? THEY DON'T HAVE OUR HOME STUDY. Ok...we were told on November 7th by OUR agency that it had been sent. This means either THE AGENCY is lying, it was lost by the postal service, it was lost by the USCIS, or it fell through the wardrobe and is living happily somewhere in Narnia.

Garry called the agency on Friday and was told that the person he needed to speak to was away from her desk. He left a message on her voicemail...which by the way stated that she is there until 5:30 on Friday's. She didn't return his call. He called back at 5:00 and was told she had left for the day. I am ready to go up there and start SHAKING people! GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!!! YOU ARE SCREWING WITH PEOPLE'S LIVES!!!!

Ok, I'm going to go back to gazing at my beautiful Claire's face. It is impossible to be upset AND look at that silly little smile.

Until next time...

Ok...ok...so it's been awhile since my last post. Yeah, well...life happens! Tomorrow I promise to start typing in all of the highly interesting and informative details that are The China Dossier.

We received our completed/signed/approved home study today in the mail! YAY! This was so much quicker than the first time it's actually kind of scary. We had our fingerprints taken Tuesday for the INS...or the BCIS...or whatever initials they are using this week. The completed home study was forwarded to the INS/BCIS the very next day. During our first experience, our fingerprints were taken in September...the home study was forwarded in December...the HOLY GRAIL of adoption documents (more later!) was received in February. The published wait time with the INS/BCIS for the holy grail is 60-90 days after receiving the home study. So...we'll see!

We've already made our first trip to Hartville to look at furniture for Claire's room. We got prices on a couple of pieces and also on a bed and nightstand for Hope's room. We're still undecided on what to do concerning Claire's furniture as compared to Hope's...same style different color...different style...similar style...similar color? I know...we have plenty of time and eventually both girls are going to develop their own tastes and hate everything we've chosen for their rooms!

Until tomorrow...

Today's topic...The Actual Home Study!

Yes, all of that paperwork and we still haven't talked about the real live home study. So, here goes...

Our agency assigned a social worker to our case when we were going through this process the first time with Hope. (The social workers are NOT employed by the adoption agencies. Imagine the problems THAT would create! There would be lawsuits all over the place with people claiming that the social workers were approving families just so the agencies could "make more money" through adoptions. ::shudder::) Our social worker is named Dena and she is a TREASURE! We are blessed to be able to continue to work with her during Claire's adoption process.

The first time through, she made two visits to our home. The first visit consisted of her interviewing both of us together and then individually, discussing issues dealing with our family history, marriage, our motivation to adopt etc. The second visit was her chance to walk through the house and fill out the form for our home safety audit. She took all of this information, plus all of the paperwork we had provided her with and put it together into a five page narrative which is THE HOME STUDY. It is an in depth document that covers the following topics: type of child desired, information about the adoptive father, childhood of the adoptive father, career and adult life of the adoptive father, information about the adoptivie mother, childhood of the adoptive mother, career and adult life of the adoptive mother, marital relationship, social and religious networks, attitudes and motivation to adopt, attitudes towards parenting, and home and finances. She ends the document with two paragraphs, the first stating that all of our references are positive and favorable. The final paragraph is her summary and recommendation stating that she feels we should be approved as adoptive parents.

This relatively simple and painless process was a nightmare the first time around! By NO fault of Dena's it was simply a nightmare! Someone at our agency and someone at Dena's employer, for whatever reason, didn't play nicely. They went back and forth for literally months wanting one more piece of information about this...or one more piece of information about that. It was harrowing. However, looking back I am able to see that our Hope wasn't ready for us yet...things happen for a reason!

This time the process was somewhat streamlined. Dena only visited once and it coincided with Hope's twelve month post placement visit. After she finished gathering Hope's information, she basically went through a copy of our first home study and asked if anything had changed. She also requires paperwork from us which we have completed and returned to her. I need to add that the amount of paperwork that your social worker requires varies greatly from one social worker to the next. Friends of ours who are going through the adoption process for the second time, with the same agency, were only required to submit three pieces of paperwork to their social worker.

The following is a list of paperwork that our social worker required from us. The letters after each item signify if this item was needed for Hope, Claire, or Both. Photocopies of the following were required from us:

1. the last five years tax returns (1040 form only)***B
2. the evacuation plan (with a primary and alternate escape route for each floor)---We have to have a plan posted in our home of what to do in case of fire. It is currently posted on our refrigerator along with emergency numbers!***B
3. the financial statement that we completed for the agency***B
4. the fire inspection completed for the agency***In Hope's case we needed to supply a photocopy of the inspection. For Claire we only needed to supply the date the inspection was to take place.
5. the local police clearance letters completed for the agency***B
6. the driving record reports completed for the agency***B
7. the child abuse clearance letters completed for the agency***B
8. proof of auto insurance (most recent statement/invoice)***B
9. proof of health insurance (copy of the insurance card)***B
10. medical statements for each individual completed for the agency***B
11. medical statements for non-parental members of the family***C
12. certified copy of marriage certificate***B
13. certified copy of all divorce decrees---NONE! ")
14. employment verification letter on company letterhead completed for the agency***B
15. proof of completion of CPR***Although we completed a CPR course our first time through we never received anything saying we had completed it. This was one of the sore points with the first home study. Someone at the agency wouldn't release it to Dena's employer until the employer released something else to her etc. The person at the agency who put us and who knows how many others through this type of ordeal is NO LONGER THERE. I can't thank Emily from the agency enough. She is GREAT! We explained that we didn't have anything saying we had completed the course and needed a copy for Claire's paperwork. She said she would provide Dena with whatever she needed! When Dena came to pick up everything I told her what Emily had said. Her response? "Melissa, I don't need anything about you taking CPR! {pointing to Hope} I can see you've already taken and passed it or you wouldn't have Hope!"
16. certificate of completion of childcare classes***H
17. copies of driver's licenses***B
18. well water test results---Not Applicable!
19. animal vaccination/shot records***B
20. pre-service training certificate***H
21. one picture of the family and one picture of the exterior of the house***B
22. guardian confirmation letter completed for the China dossier***B
23. legal documentation concerning any criminal record---Not Applicable!
Also needed were our fingerprint information and references. Dena collected those directly from the agency.

Dena called me yesterday to say that she needed a copy of Hope's medical form and that she had completed the update narrative and had turned it in. She was expecting it to be approved by the end of the week! YAY!!!!

And now for the paperwork...

I realize that this is probably mind numbing for most people, but I wanted to give those of you who haven't been through the experience some idea of what the process entails. For those not interested in the details here's all you need to know: It is extremely stressful, time consuming, most often instrusive, highly redundant, tremendously confusing, and in the end worth every minute of it.

With that said, please note that I can only speak for what "my" agency, social worker, state, county, government etc. requires of us AT THIS POINT IN TIME. Everyone's experience is different...even with the same agency at the same time! Any item requiring a fee will be surrounded like *this*!

One of the "magic pieces of paper" that we had to have in before the end of 2004 to qualify for just the update of our home study is called the *Application For Adoption*. It was MUCH less detailed this time than when we began the process with Hope. It is comprised of three pages asking name, address, phone number, age, Fed Ex account number, employment and financial information, social security number, number of and date of divorce/divorces, health problems, daily medications, criminal convictions, passport numbers, country of citizenship, religious affiliation etc. It also asks why we wish to adopt, if we have done so previously, where we would like to adopt from, and how we have heard of their agency. The last page asks about history of mental illness, substance abuse, criminal convictions, counseling, and the time frame within which we want to adopt the child. Perhaps my favorite snippet is "Briefly explain how you intend to raise your child with religious/moral values:"...and they give you less than one inch of space.

The second magic piece of paper due before the end of last year was the *Ohio Department Of Job And Family Services Application For Child Placement*. This six page wonder is actually what initiates the home study. The first page wants name, address, phone number, cell numbers, emergency contact name and number, and whether we are applying to foster or adopt. Then, on the same page, names again and how we are related to each other, dates of birth, race, ethnic background, school grade completed, marital status and date of marriage, area of specialized education, employer, occupation, length of time with employer, gross annual income, days/hours of work in a normal work week, and our driver's license numbers. Page two wants our criminal history, number of bedrooms in the house, what type of bed is in each room, who sleeps in each room, and where the child to be placed will sleep. Also included on this page is a spot for us to write the directions from the agency to our home, and the names and addresses of the schools that the child will attend. Page three continues with school information. It then moves into asking if anyone in the family smokes, if smoking is allowed in the home, if there are pets in the home, if a business is run from the home, how many vehicles we have along with the models and makes, if they are insured, and if we have car seats. The final portion on page three wants to know how long we've lived at our current address and where we lived prior to moving here, as well as if we've been residents of the state of Ohio for the last five years. Page four goes into our employment history for at least the last ten years, and any information about any previous marriages OR significant relationships. The next section covers the "Type Of Child Will Consider". They want to know age, race, sex, number, and ethnicity. Page five wants a detailed listing of all of our past experience with children, and the names, addresses, phone numbers, and their relationship to us, of five non-relative references. This one bothered me. I mean, we've satisfied the agency, the county, the state, the country, The People's Republic Of China and we still need five more references to do this again? They also want to know if they can contact Garry's employer for a reference. The last page is all the legal stuff that is to be read before you sign on the dotted line and also asks how we heard of said agency.

The two magic pieces of paper were received by the agency before December 31, 2004 and we did nothing else, as previously planned, until March 2005.

We started with the home study portion. Below is a list of what we need to complete...here we go!

1. *Application For Child Placement*---completed in December 2004 and described above.

2. *Fingerprint Cards & Clearances*---Our fingerprints must be cleared by the state of Ohio and the FBI. When we went through this with Hope, we went to our local police department and had them taken using the inkpad and card method. Mine came back...apparently I can begin my life of crime as my left hand barely prints. I had to have them done again. This time we were able to go to a firm called "National Background Check, Inc.". They take your fingerprints electronically allowing you to know immediately if they are unreadable. Whenever I've been told that my prints were unreadable (at least three times previously), I was told to apply hand lotion. So I tried to do that this time. I was told not to, that everything would be fine. Want to guess what happened when she tried to scan my left hand? I had to rub my fingertips on my pants...then I had to rub them with a special tissue. It still took at least a half a dozen times...but they are done!

3. Child Abuse Clearances---We fill out two forms, one for each parent listing our name, date of birth, social security number, and address. We mail them along with photocopies of our driver's licenses, birth certificates, and/or social securty cards to the Ohio Department of Human Services in Columbus. In eight weeks or less we receive two form letters stating that we aren't listed in any registry as alleged perpetrators of child abuse or neglect. Now...here's the GREAT part about this one...at the bottom of each form letter you will find this statement: THE CENTRAL REGISTRY WAS NOT DESIGNED TO BE USED AS AN APPLICANT SCREENING DEVICE (e.g., FOR CHILD CARE RELATED EMPLOYMENT OR VOLUNTEER WORK, OR FOR FOSTER CARE OR ADOPTION) AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.
Classic, eh? ")

4. *Driving Record From The Ohio BMV*---We fill out two forms, one per parent that require name (twice), address (twice), phone, social security number, date of birth, driver's license number, and license plate number. We send it off along with our fee to the Ohio BMV in Columbus. In four weeks or less we receive our records from the registrar.

5. Required Classes---Let me just say that we did NOT have to take any classes this time and we were/are THRILLED! This is a requirement that is waived when you go through the process for the second time. It's not that they were bad classes...they weren't even boring! It was just nice NOT to have to do something again. When we went through it for Hope we had to spend, I believe it was an entire day, taking an Infant/Child CPR class in the morning and a Child Care Class in the afternoon. For our Pre-Service Training course we spent the day learning about issues that our child will certainly face at some point in her life. It was pretty in depth stuff and more than worth the time. All of these classes were scheduled by our agency and held AT our agency which made it very convenient.

6. Copy Of Marriage License---just a plain old photocopy...you'll see why that is so wonderful once we get to the China Dossier section! ")

7. Divorce Decrees if applicable---NOT!

8. Adoptive Applicant Financial Statement---A two page form wanting name, number of dependents, monthly income, monthly expenditures (listed), lists of assets and liabilities, and details of insurance coverage.

9. Employment Verification Letters---These need to be typed on company letter head and state job title, income, length of employment, and stability of future employment. They must also be signed by a "company representative".

10. Medical Statement---A two sided form that is to be completed for each household member. The front is to be filled out by the applicant and wants to know name, date of birth, and address. This is followed by several Yes/No questions such as: have you ever been treated for a serious or chronic illness, have you been hospitalized in the past five years, have you ever received, or been advised to seek, mental health services, and have you ever received, or been advised to seek, treatment for alchohol/substance abuse? If you answered yes to any of the above questions you are to write an explanation...again in about an inch of space. Next comes a list of diseases/conditions that they want you to check if you, your parents, grandparents, or siblings have ever suffered from, followed by that special inch of space to explain any boxes you may have checked. Finally they want to know if there is any history of other hereditary disease. This side is finished after we write in the name of the agency and sign and date it. The back side is to be filled out by our physician. They want to know the date of the last physical and the date of our last appointment, and how frequently he (our doctor) provides medical services to us. Next comes the five Yes/No questions which are basically the same as the ones on the front...just worded differently, and the space to explain any yes answers. Finally there is a space for a brief narrative where the physician is to state his/her professional opinion as to what kind of parents we would make. Then the usual signature, date, and state license number.

11. Authorization For Release Of Confidential Information---This is a one sided form, the same on the top as on the bottom. The top is for one parent, the bottom for the other. Name, address, social security number, sex, date of birth, place of birth, and the name of the agency is required to complete and release the information found in any police/criminal records check.

12. Local Police Clearance---Ok...this one reads like some old Marx brothers routine or something. Inside our home study packet of instructions/forms is a sample letter to complete this requirement. At the top in large letters it reads SAMPLE. It then reads POLICE LETTER HEAD. The sample letter consists of what should be put in the letter leaving A LOT of blanks for the person's information. We need three ORIGINALS for each of us. One original is for the home study and two more are for the China Dossier to be discussed later! I made a copy of the sample letter and wrote at the top: 3 originals per parent. The three of us went downtown to the police department on Saturday morning. We explained to the nice (and he was VERY NICE, please don't get me wrong) officer what we needed, he asked for our identification and then went to work on our letters. Perhaps ten minutes later he handed them back to us with a smile. I looked at what he had handed me and said, "Um...no." He had made photocopies of the sample letter...you know the one with SAMPLE and 3 originals per parent written at the top? Then he had filled in the blanks on each of them. He said, "Did I mess something up?" Garry explained what he needed to do to correct them. Then there was some concern as they don't HAVE a department letterhead. Another officer whipped one up on the computer and typed out the new letters and printed three for each of us. While they were printing Garry's they handed me my three originals and they had...spelled my name wrong. After checking Garry's and finding they were perfect we had to tell this man that there was yet another mistake. I felt HORRIBLE, and I was fighting a HUGE case of the giggles! He returned again, all smiles and said, "Ok, tell me what I did wrong on this bunch!" This time they were perfect. I thanked him profusely! I don't tell this story to berate our police officers, only to illustrate the frustration and pitfalls we encounter with the paperwork. This guy was a sweetheart!

13. Passport Copies---REALLY easy...just photocopy the page with our picture and signature.

14. Safety Home Audit---This form is completed by the social worker during one of her home study visits. You know...stuff like we have a working bathroom, no unvented space heaters, the house is childproofed, emergency numbers are posted etc. And yes, we have to have written instructions for a fire drill posted somewhere in our home.

15. Well Water Report if applicable---This would have to be completed by the county health department but since we don't have well water we got to skip it!

16. Fire Inspection Report---A two page form completed by a member of the fire department. The typical how many floors, bedrooms, smoke detectors etc. He also tested the smoke detectors and looked for unsafe cords etc. The same firefighter who did our inspection for Hope was here yesterday to do "Claire's" inspection. Again, just a wonderful individual. Hope loved him and wanted to follow him all over the house.

There were two other pieces of paperwork in our packet. One is called the Adoption Awareness Checklist. It is made up of eighteen statements/bits of information concerning actions or conditions that might develop with the adopted child. Garry and I had to initial each statement, then sign it and give it to our social worker to sign and date as well. The other piece of paper is basically an outline concerning the fees paid for the home study that we need to sign, saying that we have read it.

SO! There you have JUST THE PAPERWORK involved in the home study process. We turned in everything to the agency yesterday and thought we were done. You'd think I'd have learned by now wouldn't you? ; ) Nope. I got a call today that we neglected to complete a medical statement for Hope. Emily at our agency said she would send it out today. After THAT one is turned in our part of the home study is finished.

Are your eyes bleeding yet? Have you lapsed into a coma? More later!