Home Study news

So -- believe it or not, we actually have some good news on the HS front.

This week I received the amended HS, and made the additions required for ETH, per our AAC, Toni. I turned it back to our SW on Wednesday, and forwarded our Passport numbers Thursday morning. Thurday I received a call from Mary Donnally, the head of interstate and international adoption for DCFS and the State of IL. I had sent some letters to the governor, lt. gov, senator, and rep about 2 weeks ago, expressing my frustration over not yet having a Foster License, HS, and issues w/ DCFS. Well, someone actually read that letter and the gov's office forwarded it to Ms. Donnally. She called me the same day she received the letter, and actually called me back this morning before I even had a chance to return her call. Can you believe that? I cannot.

It ends up that we SHOULD have our Foster License. In fact, all of our clearances (local police, Fed, and child abuse) came back clean over 45 days ago. She checked the system and has calls out to find out what the hold-up is. She said she will personally make sure we have the Foster License immediately. she also explained the different requirements between IL and the FED gov't. Some of the paperwork we had been completing was not, in fact, required for IL. Ms. Donnaly is THE PERSON who certifies the HS before it is sent to the Dept of Immigration. She confirmed that in 8 years, she has never taken more than 2 weeks to certify and send-off a HS. She actually signed and sent one this morning that was dated 10-22. YEAH!! She is going to keep in contact with me, and make sure our HS gets certified and out to Immigration as soon as she receives it.

I'm so happy I "complained" and sent that letter!!! I'm thrilled that someone read it and is taking action. I feel confident that she'll have the HS out to USCIS by mid-November, if not earlier. This means that our dossier could go to ETH in late December/early January. I'm so relieved! Maybe, just maybe, we'll have our baby in our arms this summer!!!!!!