dos·si·er

 [dos-ee-YAY!]

This is the post I've been waiting one year, two months, and a few days to write.  Our USCIS approval arrived Wednesday, and this morning we sent off our dossier--and a big check--to our agency.  

Oh M GEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This means that the wait to wait is almost over, and we are *almost* officially WAITING.  Waiting for the phone call and e-mail with our referral information, waiting to see our children's faces, waiting to visit the country we've fallen in love with, waiting to begin life as a family of four.  

So, here's how it works.  West Sands will receive our dossier on Tuesday (I'm watching you, FedEx), and they will sort through all of the documents and make sure everything looks good.  Then, they will send it to a government office in D.C. to be authenticated (which basically means approved and stamped) and translated into Amharic, then it will be sent back to West Sands.  West Sands then sends it to Ethiopia... when our dossier is in the hands of the Ethiopian government, we will officially be on the list, officially WAITING.  

We would gratefully appreciate your prayers that our little dossier stays safe and sound during its world tour and that it (we) would find favor with each government official who touches it.

FedEx excitement

our entire life is in this binder.  

Oh M GEEEEEE!!!!

celebratory lunch at queen of sheba