I Was Getting Irritable

AND I was making some demands of my God. I think my prayers sounded something like, "Seriously, I am so sick of waiting. Just do something about this. I have to hear that our case was submitted to the US Embassy." Let's see, pretty sure I ended up in my room and in trouble when I made demands like that from my parents when I was a teenager. Why did I think that He would respond in the way I wanted needed, prayed for, when I sounded like an angsty teen? This wasn't the first time my 'prayers' (can it really be a prayer if I am just demanding things?) sounded like this. I stopped, and humbled myself. I finally fell asleep. 

I've managed to accomplish almost nothing this morning (because I even go to the bathroom with my phone in case an agency e-mail comes...shhhh...let's keep that between us). Well, regardless of my whines, we got the news we were hoping for! OUR CASE HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE US EMBASSY. If I could write it bigger, I would. I'm that excited. I think He knows that Cupcake needs to begin her adjustment into family life, because I don't think He would honor my demands. 

So, what happens next? (besides an awkward happy dance performed by me) We WAIT! Hahahaha! Is my response ever different at any step of this process?
You:"Great, you finished you homestudy, now what?"
Me:"Oh, we wait for our USCIS fingerprint appointment."
You:"Oh, you got your I-171h? Now  what?"
Me:"We send in our dossier and wait for a referral."
You:"OMG, you got your referral, what happens next?"
Me:"We wait for a court date!"
You:"You got your court date, now what?"
Me:"We show up and pray we pass. Then, we come home and wait for our Embassy date."

You get the picture... You know when you are going to bake something, and you need to preheat the oven before (yes, this is a cooking analogy, and I'm the one saying it...just go with me). Sometimes I forget to preheat the oven while I am mixing ingredients, so I get the whole dish ready and then I have to wait for the oven to hit the proper temp. It takes, what, 5 minutes? I always end up cursing under my breath. Why? I HATE WAITING! I'm so freaking impatient. I hate getting gas because it takes 'too long.' I loathe waiting rooms. Although, I'm a little better with my smart phone. Angry Birds is NOT a waste of time. 

I think this is why I struggle with the "right" thing to say to the families that are STILL waiting beyond normal timelines. I want to be all wise and calming, but part of me just wants to flip out, on their behalf. I doubt that my ranting is helpful for them. 

So, seriously, what is our next step? It really is waiting. We are waiting for the US Embassy to e-mail us and our agency notifying us that we are cleared for travel. Based on what we know, our cases "issues" have been worked out. There is some medical testing (and we have no idea if it has been done or has yet to be done), that could potentially create issues (HIV and TB) if Cupcake were to test positive, but there is absolutely no reason to believe that she would (though surprises happen). The only other thing is that the US Embassy staff in Ethiopia has been said to typically cut back July appointments because many staff take vacation, and there are some personnel adjustments happening during July that could create a slowdown. Only TIME will tell. It was proven by a few families that were submitted last week that clearance can come within 2 days, but clearance can also come 4+ months from now. It just depends on the caseload the Embassy can handle and if there are any issues with the case. We are praying that clearance comes swiftly. We would need to rush out and buy a few things (ya know, like a carseat, guess I shouldn't have put off all of those people that offered to throw baby showers, oops.) I'm going to go and finish up Cupcake's room! Yippppeeee!!!!!!

A thank you from the heart for all of the prayers and well-wishes. You all have got us this far, we are FINALLY onto the last step of this process. Did I just say last step???? Wahoooo!!!!!!!!!!!

We still cannot show her face online, but we will be posting a bunch of pics as soon as we take custody! So, here is the back of her freaking cute head. Her daddy looks like he is about to explode with happiness to be holding her. She is probably making a funny face, she has so many cute expressions!