One Giant Step

Whooohooo!!  Tali Bamlak passed the medical which means that she will not be spreading infectious diseases to her fellow Americans.  Aren’t you all relieved!!?  Additionally, Mr. Alemu is submitting all her paperwork to the Embassy...THIS AFTERNOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr. Alemu advises me now to wait a few days and then start on-going contact with the U.S. Embassy to continually check on the status of our file and to push them a bit.  I have also asked, via an Angell named JimJ, Colorado State Senator Michael Bennet to do whatever is in his power to expedite the case.

I have no idea how long I can expect to wait.  I have heard that it takes 15-30 days.  But I have also heard that it can take a week if they really push it through.  Who knows, we’ll just have to wait and see!

After the doctor, we went over the agency offices where I went over all the paperwork that is being submitted to the Embassy with the checklist that Esther Bell gave me several weeks ago.  All the dates were consistent, each piece required was there and it looked all in order.  I did this more for my sense of well being than anything else.  There is not a lot in this process that adopting parents have control over so I want to take advantage of every little thing that IS in my power.  I also gave Mr. Alemu, in cash, the $405 U.S. Visa fee that he will have to submit with the paperwork.

While I was reviewing the paperwork, I took digital pictures of some of the documents.  (In case you are wondering, this time I asked permission thereby avoiding incarcerationJ).  For example, since I assume that her Ethiopian passport will be relinquished upon issue of her U.S. passport, I took a photo of that and some other papers which might be meaningful to her when she is older. 

One of my most loyal blog followers and commentators is my cousin Karen so I want to, regretfully, clarify something. 

When I first received my referral, I was informed that Bamlaks’s estimated DOB was July 11.  Even though I knew it was approximate, I was delighted.  Not only because 7/11/11 might mean annual free slurpees at 711, but also because that is Karen’s birthday (I am leaving out the #, Kar!!)

However, Bamlak's Ethiopian birth certificate and all other documentation says that her birthday is 7/26/2011.   I realize that this is also an estimate, but because that is on all the official documentation, we are going call her offical birthday July 26. 

Karen, I hope that you aren't too disapopinted and that everyone will still come to Denver to celebrate her Simchat Bat the weekend of July 13.  (BTW, if you are reading this, consider yourself invited!!)

So, Team Bamlak is feeling really ON OUR GAME today and this is how our MVP decided to celebrate:  

As for me, I am looking forward to exercising my right and training as a U.S. citizen to be as entitled and pushy as possible (in a nice way, of courseJ!) to get us HOME.

Love from Addis,

--Jen and Tali B