Monday, October 31, 2011

703 Area Code = Racing Heart

I had forgotten the feeling you get when you are in the adoption process and your phone rings and you see (703) as the first 3 numbers on the caller id.  Your heart starts racing and your stomach drops.  Crazy since we aren't even DTE yet, that feeling never goes away!  Friday afternoon I got a call from our adoption agency, we submitted all our paperwork (dossier) last week, and our family coordinator Jennifer told me that Mark didn't sign our application letter.  Now for those of you who know me, know that I went through that packet at least 3 times before mailing to make sure every t was crossed and every i was dotted.  Somehow I missed the fact that I didn't give him that letter to sign.

Well no big deal, I just had to print another one, have both of us sign the letter and get it notarized and at UPS to mail next day by 6:00.  This was about 2:30 that I got the phone call.  So I did just that, my friend was available to notarize and Mark and I signed, we were at UPS by 5:20.  All was good.  I paid the $26.75 to mail next day with 10:30 delivery for Monday morning.  If all this happened then we would be able to be DTE by Friday Nov 4th.  (only 4 days off of my goal of the end of October by the way).  Great.

Well today Monday about 2:00, I am at home sick, laying on the couch and my phone rings.  I look down and there is that (703) on the caller id again.  Heart racing, stomach dropped, crazy I know.  It was our family coordinator again, asking if we were able to get the letter in the mail.  I immediately said, it was suppose to be delivered by 10:30.  So she checked and it had not been delivered.  I called UPS and long story short after making phone calls and waiting for them to call me back, they really don't know where our letter is.  Due to storms on the east coast things have been delivered late.  I know I should be sympathetic but it was extremely important that that paper get to AWAA by noon today.  They are still tracking our letter and it should be out for delivery by tomorrow.  To late.  Our paperwork will be delayed another week and we will not be DTE (dossier to Ethiopia, officially waiting for a referral) until next Friday November 11th.  They are refunding our shipping costs, which I would have paid 2x's that much to ensure it would have been there today by noon as promised.

I know things happen for a reason, but a little piece of paper getting delayed in delivery, come on.  So the adoption roller coaster has begun.  We were just saying that we have had a pretty easy ride so far in the paper gathering.  Praying this is the biggest delay we see in this adoption process, but I know it won't be from experience.  It is only the beginning, I just have to remind myself that God's timing and plan are way better than my timing or plan anyway!

So we are praying for a miracle, the letter is delivered before the end of today and by the grace of God we are able to be submitted by Friday.  It's a long shot, but He can make it happen. And I am almost 100% sure that will not be the last time my phone will ring with that (703) area code and my heart will start racing and my stomach drop as I answer and hear on the other side, "Hi this is Jennifer from America World".

No comments: