Saturday, March 28, 2009

Delays

Myles the Rock Star

Maddie - Pretty in Pink

Max Rup - a rare serious moment

Rockin' out in his undies

He's got the greatest belly laugh

Little update on Mason. I haven't been blogging a lot about it, or doing much online adoption stuff because it seems to make things harder. It is easier if I just don't think about it.

The delay right now is that our homestudy needed significant changes. It did not meet Hague criteria and would not have met the I-800a guidelines. We are very happy that Dillon caught this before it was sent out. An email requesting the changes was sent the 13th of March. I was told by the homestudy provider that the changes would be made by the 26th at the latest. I have not heard anything since. I am frustrated since our homestudy provider is also hague accredited and had already approved our homestudy. I am frustrated that the changes have taken so long. As soon as our homestudy is approved I can have our Dossier sent out within two days.

One of the things we have felt with the homestudy agency is that we never really get the whole story. We get little bits of info, but you can tell there's more that they aren't saying. Maybe this is just my perception, but it is how we've felt. The fabulous thing about Dillon is that we always feel fully informed. If they know, we know, and if they don't know, but we want to know, they'll try to find out. The response time in communication is amazing with Dillon. Mom asked me the other day if I regretted starting our journey with the agency that we did. I'm frustrated with them, but I also think that we were led down this path for a reason. If we hadn't started with them, I'm almost positive that we would not have ended up with Mason, so I absolutely don't regret it. This is just part of our journey.

The euphoria of seeing our little guy for the first time is wearing off and the wait is starting to get to me. I'm nervous about the changes in the process - I like things to be predictable. Not exciting, but that is what is going on in a nutshell. We hurry up on our end, and then wait for everyone else (sigh).

Myles will be registering for Pre-K on Friday. I can't believe he's old enough for that! He's been quite the Mama's boy lately, so I hope he does ok. Max Rup's new thing is "I don't like. . . " The other night I came home from work, and he was WAY overtired and very cranky. I went to pick him up and he yelled, "Don't touch me! I don't like you!" Sad for a mom to hear, but really pretty funny. He also likes to show off, make sure people are watching and then ask, "Was that a good one?" He's a riot. Maddie is reading like crazy now! By the end of the schoolyear the kids are supposed to be at a level 4. She's reading at a level 8-9 right now! She's so smart, and it is so fun to have her read to me and the boys. We're very proud of her.

9 comments:

ColleenC said...

Ugh to the new process and to slowness in general!! I hope that you get the h.s. this week so you can begin moving forward (sounds like you have been BUSY if you have your dossier docs all ready!!)

Peter and Nancy said...

Seems like no matter what, there's always a snag . . . I hope you're getting the "unexpected" over with early on, and won't have any more later in the process.

The "I don't like you" actually makes me smile -- it totally shows that Max Rup feels right at home with you, so he can let it all hang out!

Aren't you glad you have three little people to keep you busy (and distracted!) while you wait for that home study? I have such admiration for the parents who are waiting for their first child -- I think I would've gone crazy if our first child had arrived with a two-year "pregnancy".
Hugs,
Nancy

Amy said...

I am so sorry about those delays - I hope you get your home study corrected quickly. I can't wait to see a pic of your little man :)

Your kids sound so cute and super smart. What a blessing :)

Candice said...

I'm sorry for the frustrating delays. All I can suggest is to take the extra time to spend with the kiddos you have at home since Mason will probably need some "me" time once he gets here. :) Hope they get that homestudy done quickly now. Don't be afraid to call them over and over again till they get it done right!

Candice

Julie & Patrick said...

One would think that having gone through an international adoption once, the next one would be a breeze. I wish that were true, but somehow with the knowledge we gained comes frustration when "snags" happen again. So sorry for that. Your kids sound like they keep you in stitches daily and a little humor goes a long way when pushing papers!!

Julie R...by the way, Devi called me the "S" word yesterday. Yes, Stupid...but it was clear she had no idea what it meant...just trying it out on me. Her smile turned upside down when she realized that it was a not-so-nice thing to say. Poor dears...learning can be so complicated :)

Anonymous said...

Who cut max's hair?? Himself??

The Labontes said...

Alright Anonymous (Mimi?) you probably know that Max has a scalp issue. Winter is awful, and we keep him pretty much shaved so we can get the moisturizer on him. I'm hoping summer will be better :(

Kristi W. said...

Oh, girl! The wait just stinks. At least you have some new pics coming, right?!! It's so hard to stay sane during all of the waiting. I really hope that homestudy agency will pull their heads out and get it DONE!!!

:) K

Nic said...

Kristy...hang in there. We are all pulling for you and your family to all be together.

xo,
nic

ps--you can change your settings so you don't have to deal with "anonymous"-- as you know, I know approve all comments before they are published. This is because of one hurtful comment. Just food for thought... ;)