Fall Festival

We had our Fall Festival last weekend and it was a lot of fun. The kids had a blast and I didn't have to yell to much when they were getting rough in the Bouncy House...you have to watch out for the little one! This year I had my sister bring her little bouncy house for the babies.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I THINK WE WON

First off I want to thank everyone who signed the petition...you don't know what that means to us...Thank you!

I just received the following e-mail from my adoption agency and it looks like we will be grandfathered with our immigration paperwork, but the way that I'm reading the letter is that because we have already had our one free extension, that we can pay for one more extension and if our adoption is not completed before 2014 then we are out of luck, we have to file the new I-800 immigration approval.

Call me crazy, but is this good or bad? I don't know...to be told in 6 months that we are not now eligible or a year and a half from now?? Let's just pray that Alison is home before 2014 and we can let the nightmare just fade away.

Here is the letter:

Joint Council Update
Program International Relations Initiative
Date October 14, 2008
Regarding I-600A Renewals

Dear Colleagues,

After advocating on behalf of adoptive families for the past 6 months, Joint Council is very pleased to confirm that USCIS has formally announced on their website a very positive ruling concerning the I-600A process.

In summary, it is our understanding that, effective immediately, families who filed Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition, prior to April 1, 2008 and whose USCIS approval of that petition (aka the I-171H) has not expired, will be able to proceed with their adoption under the I-600A process if they take certain steps while their approval remain valid. This means that families with valid Form I-600A approvals will not be required to transition to The Hague process via Form I-800A. In order to maintain their status as ‘grandfathered’ cases, families with non-expired Form I-600A approvals must request a one-time free extension. Then, prior to the expiration of the one-time free extension, families must file a new Form I-600A and pay the appropriate fee. Families with a Form I-600A approval that has expired and who have not obtained an extension or filed a new Form I-600A, will need to undertake the Hague process.

It is also our understanding that the extension and subsequent filing of a new I-600A may only be completed once. Families who have not completed their adoption prior to 2014 will be required to undertake the Hague process.

On behalf of over 10,000 adoptive families and Joint Council Member Organizations, Joint Council extends its appreciation to the following individuals and organizations for their tireless efforts.

· Diane Kunz, Executive Director of the Center for Adoption Policy

· Dianne Pearce, Waiting Parent and Co-Organizer of the Fairness for Families Petition

· Debbie Reynolds, Joint Council China Caucus Co-Chairperson

· Kathleen Strottman, Executive Director of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute

· David Yurkovich, Waiting Parent and Co-Organizer of the Fairness for Families Petition

· Members of the United States Congress

· United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

We offer our collective congratulations to everyone who participated in the Joint Council Call-To-Action and the Adoption for All: Fairness for Families petition. And we also send our congratulations to all who participated in the countless meetings, conference calls and emails over the past 6-months. Joint Council is built on a principle of collaboration and this very successful effort clearly demonstrates this principle in action. Our collective voice is definitely stronger than any singular organization or individual.

Joint Council notes that our interpretation of the ruling is offered as a courtesy only and should not be used in making determinations or decisions. Please refer to the full text of the announcements by USCIS which can be found at USCIS Announcement and USCIS Q&A in making any decisions.

Joint Council will provide more specifics as they become available and asks you to visit our website for the latest news and updates.

Sincerely,
Tom

TOM DIFILIPO | President & CEO | Joint Council

We need your help!

Hi Everyone,

As many of you reading this blog may know, Michael and I are in the process of adopting a child...we have hit the two year mark in our process this past August (the first meeting with our adoption agency). Our wait for a child could take another year or more.

In the meantime, we are about to deal with a crisis with the United States Immigration Services and I am asking you for your help.

I’m attaching a link that pretty much sums up what is happening in the adoption community and the United States Immigration.

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/adoption-for-all.html

I would like to have all of you to sign this petition…If you feel that you can’t that is okay too, but the more signatures that we get will help to get our Alison home.

If you have followed our blog you know that Michael and I have just gone through the review process in China with no questions about our dossier or medical records…it has taken 19 months for us to get to the review process and we are now waiting in line for the “matching process” where we will be matched up with Alison. When we initially started this process we were told that the wait to referral of a child was up to 18 months!!

It is very scary and disheartening to know that after all of the emotional hits we have taken in the past two years that it could all be over six months from now when we have to renew our immigration paperwork…it’s just to sad and scary for words! We need to do what ever it takes to get our baby girl home.

I would also ask that you forward this onto family and friends that you think would like to help.

Thank you so much for your support!
Kathy, Michael and baby Alison

Topsfield Fair

Today I went to the Topsfield Fair with my sister Lisa, her two daughters Nicole and Jody and there two beautiful babies...Kayden and Gabrielle...I can't believe it...I'm a GREAT AUNTIE...it just blows my mind...I'm trying to have a baby and I'm a GREAT AUNTIE!! I can take consolation in the fact that my family is so big and I was an Aunt for the first time at age 16...my niece Nicole was my very first niece. Nicole is the mommy to Gabrielle and Jody is the mommy to Kayden.

I love the Topsfield Fair, I've been going to this fair since I was a small child and it's so much fun to see the kids having a great time with all the animal. Gabrielle loved feeding the goats this year at the petting zoo, but Kayden didn't want anything to do with them.

We had a great sunny day...it was supposed to rain. Everyone had a good time and it was time to go as our little princess what becoming a little to royal and wasn't having any part of her carriage. Hopefully, she slept on her way home. Kayden took a nap during the fair...I don't know how he could sleep with all the noise, and he woke up just as we were heading back to the car.

Enjoy the pictures...these two babies just make me melt!! I can't wait for Alison to come and enjoy the fair and hopefully, her two favorite cousins won't be too much older than she is when we finally get her home.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Pancake Puffs

They sound good don't they? You can use any mix; cake, brownie, pancake, corn muffing etc. AND you can fill them with all kinds of stuff like whipped cream, jam, nuts, fruit...you get the idea.

I saw this pan on the Hungry Girl website...for all you dieters out there she (Hungry Girl) has some great tips and you can sign up for a daily newsletter with tips at hungrygirl.com

But anyway, I ordered the pan and tried my hand at making "Puffs" tonight...I definitely need to practice more before I can present them to the general public...Michael is one thing, but company is quite a different story.

Once I get the hang of it they will be nice to make for party.