It's HERE!!!

I guess 13 can be a lucky number! We are so pleased to report that we recevied our I-797c today (aka I-171h). What a relief! As of 12:30 this afternoon- we are officially on the wait list for our baby boy! I called Rich this morning and he told me that the mail didn't come before he left for work. Knowing I wouldn't return home before 7:30pm, I decided to make the 40 minute roundtrip ride home on lunch to see if it had arrived. The entire drive over I kept telling myself "The chances of it being there are so slim- why are you making this drive!". I had never made the drive in the previous 32 days but something must have compelled me to do so today! When I pulled up to the mailbox I parked my car at the end of the driveway and opened it. On top of a huge stack of bills and junk mail lay a thicker envelope upside down. It was torn a bit on the back. I abruptly grabbed it and flipped it over- and this is the envelope I saw!! I was so excited to see the envelope that I forgot to open it right away to see if we were actually approved. I gently opened it -- knowing what had gone into it's long awaited delivery- to find that we have been approved to adopt 1 child from Guatemala. YAY! The letter basically read:

NOTICE OF FAVORABLE DISPOSITION CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR ADVANCE PROCESSING OF ORPHAN PETITION:

"It has been determined that you are able to furnish proper care to an orphan as described in section (etc.). . . . You are APPROVED - Number of Children for which Petitioner is Approved For: 1"

"Your VISA 37 cable has been sent to the American Consulate or Embassy in Guatemala City. "

The ironic piece is that it was approved on June 7th and mailed out on the 11th- usually it's a one day mail but we got it in 2. There's a reason for everything in this process! Alright, almost everything!

Just a few tid-bits of info for you all to share the process with us!

So, what does this all mean, you ask? Well, I immediately emailed our adoption coordinator a copy of our approval form and we are officially on the waiting list (as of 12:30pm on 6/13/07) for a baby boy! She told us the current wait was 2-4 weeks! We are anticipating the call sometime before July 13th! We will keep you all posted for the SPECIAL day when our son arrives. Thanks too for all your thoughts and kind words during our wait time for our USCIS approval. It means the world to us and we are so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family. Melissa- BTW- I should have taken your email a little more seriously last night- you always have had those 'premonitions'! Thanks to all and we will keep you posted on the wait.

In the meantine, there was a fairly serious earthquake in Guatemala today. I posted a CNN article that gives more details. Warm wishes to all!